A New Song for a New Time

Carter Conlon from the historic Times Square Church in New York City. I'm not following what I think that my life should be on following what God is calling me to do. Acknowledging as you and I both need to do that.

The thoughts of God are higher than our thoughts and his ways are higher than our ways were glad you've joined us for a call to the nation with Carter, if you feel like you're stuck in a pit or sinking in despair, that's not what God wants you to do if you just open your heart and open your ears will lift you out of show you a path of your life that he will empower and one where he will be glorifying Carter will explain more in today's message from Psalm 40 titled a new song for a new season want to speak to you about this season that were now living in a given title a new song for a new season, not some 40 beginning at verse one.

David the future tanks.

As I waited patiently for the Lord and inclined to me and heard my cry and he brought me up out of a horrible pit out of the miry clay.

Another was David saying I was. I was down in the place it was dark.

I didn't know how to get out of it myself. Even worse, there was a sinking feeling going on inside of that place that he found himself in but he said he brought me up out of a horrible pit out of the miry clay and set my feet upon a rock and established my steps is put a new song in my mouth.

Praise to our God. Many will see it in fear and will trust in the Lord. So David assigned God.

God lifted me out of this place lifted me out of this pit that I found myself in this this place were I felt like I my hope in the sense, was sinking in my heart and he brought me out of the put my feet in such a large and firm and wonderful place that it actually came with the song.

It wasn't just a song you could hear Matt if I David says it's so you could see it's it's a song of praise that is deeper than just words is deeper than than just their lyrics to verse that we might think it's it's a song that emanates from the whole being of somebody who is fully given to the ways of God. Blessed is the man he says in verse four makes the Lord his trust does not respect the proud, or, nor, such as turn aside to lies David saying that there are all kinds of voices there are voices that are raised against the ways of God, that the proud course will put their own objectives. No thoughts about the thoughts of God but David says Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust. In other words God can speak to this man. God can with this man or this woman out of this place and bring them into the place of stability. With this new song, nor such as turn aside to lies those who look maybe for an easier way forward in the way of God. Those that look for more comforting voices whether or not there speaking biblical truth. David said if we turn from these things. There's a blessing of God that comes into our lives.

Now verse five it gets even better is as many will Lord my God, are your wonderful works which you have done you think about in the past all the things God has done throughout the world. Throughout history, but also in times were churches of God's done many many wonderful things in the past were really really thankful for those things in your thoughts towards us cannot be recounted to you in order if I would be clearance bigger than their more than can be numbered in a somewhat say this is an exaggeration, but actually it's not.

It's actually accurate. Davidson got your thinking things about each of us are thinking things about our future. The plans that you have for each one of us. But remember the plans of God go beyond this world and beyond. This physical life we live the go all the way into eternity through return.

So this is really no end to the thoughts of God towards us and the things that we're going to do even in heaven, in unison with him.

Then he was on verse six is a sacrifice and offering you did not desire my ears. Have you opened. You don't want me just doing perfunctory religious works. You don't want me just performing the same old rituals. The same old sacrifices as wonderful as any of those things may have been in the past is not your will for me to live there anymore, but you have open my ears burnt offering and sin offering. You did not require then I said, behold, I come in the scroll of your book it is written of me. So David said you open my ears. I heard something from you, and I moved towards the sound of your voice.

It is written of me in your book. I delight to do your will on my God and your law is within my heart. Here's how God took David out of this place of confusion and fear and difficulty.

He opened his heart to the voice of God. He didn't try to figure it out himself.

He didn't form a league with the proud who resist the ways of God. They always have the always will. He didn't gravitate to lies about the past, the present or the future but is a God speak to me. It was really that clear.

I want to hear your voice.

Don't don't let me just come to the have my own agenda. Verified it's your voice that I now want to hear and were living in a situation like that today. In our generation. God is calling us as as his people into something that he has.

He is conceived for us to do. He has he is a path before each of us.

It's a path of strength. It's a path of stability. It's a path that carries a brand-new song with it a song of confidence in God and tell me this generation. Shirley needs to see that song again because a lot of people are losing confidence.

What an opportunity as the apostle Peter says, to be ready to give an answer for those who will ask us in the coming days for a reason for the whole that is in us now in this particular Psalm, David is speaking about is particular time in the spiritual journey when when he was stuck he was, and we all get there. We get we get stuck in in in our ways we get stuck in a certain place, which we don't see a way for we don't know how were going to get out the picture with me where he was. No, it's imagery that is speaking about. But in this place. He describes it as a pit, and other residences walls all before you don't how you can get out of where you are you. It's too high to climb. You can't dig down to get out of it and beneath his feet.

There's this quicksand and he's sinking deeper and deeper into despair and you know when you look at the difficulty that this society today is facing a lot of people actually feeling that way.

Matter fact you might be feeling that way to you as well you know we get stuck when things don't go the way we thought that they would or they could've the show I do not will have this tendency to form a picture in our mind. This is what my life is going to look like I've come to Christ.

The promises of God are now mine and and we push aside what we consider. Like any negativity to the side and we gravitate to the positive. That's just the nature I'm sure David did that didn't. What if Samuel walked in your house and porta horn of oil in your head and said, thus saith the Lord your anointed to be the next king of Israel. In his mind. He must've thought at some point it just doesn't get any better than that.

The spirit of God came upon him, he was able to go into a battle this season. Soldiers couldn't even fight and defeated, magnanimous enemy made a call that a magnificent enemy that stood up against. They, the armies of Israel, and he had a worship ability that when he played before King Saul that even the devils themselves would be driven away from the mind of Saul and the life all but suddenly everything takes a negative turn suddenly he's being pursued by a king that he was loyal to suddenly he's finds himself in the wilderness, he finds himself. Ultimately the cave with about 400 discontented, distressed, and indent men gravitating to him is surrounded by an army that in the natural vastly outnumbered him and in his mind. Maybe he just was stuck because the things didn't go on and there's there's people here listening, things haven't gone the way you thought they should go you found your niche as it is and suddenly everything is upended and you find yourself in total upheaval and you can find yourself in the place of David described at the beginning of the song we get stuck when we don't think the dog can do any better in the future than is done in the past that's problematic I think for all of us remember the disciples were taken by Jesus up to the Mount of Transfiguration and it doesn't get any better right than that.

Suddenly, the son of God is glorified that that the radiance of God inside of this physical body is suddenly comes to the outside is transfigured before them. Moses is very large, as there are minutes to get any better and so Peter and the others immediate responses. Let's build something. Let's Hear. Let's stay here. It just doesn't get any better than this and we can find ourselves in a place like that, where we found something of God that that answered our hearts cry. We found a church that answered our hearts cry.

We found worship that answered our hearts cry. We found an experience in God that answered our hearts cry and the tendency is to want to camp there to want to build their to want to stay there. You know I had the privilege in 2004 I traveled to Wales and I was speaking in Cardiff, Wales, and some of the areas around there and I had an opportunity to visit the church where the wealth revival in 1904 actually started in the wealth revival course spread Pentecost really good part of the world and was responsible for a great ingathering into the kingdom of God and a resurgence of fervor in the Christian church. I found it so ironic because in in that chapel is called Mariah Chapel is a little group of people and they still meet and I still pray in the space they mourn, and they grieve and they they wait for God to do in that building. When he did at that point was 100 years ago II think of all the people that have been part of that little group and maybe have joined that group. Over the years and that have of what we did for God to come back and do something he did in the building. 100 years ago and you know I think of all the people that may be gathered there and grieved the loss of a past experience in all that they missed not.

I mean there's a lot of things of the big potential even mess they did miss the Billy Graham years when more people were preached to you in the world than in the history of any other preacher in all time they they missed David Wilkerson may be starting up teen challenge and that the multiples of millions of people coming to Christ throughout the world. They missed so many things they missed Nikki Cruz coming to Christ and having traveled the world, preached a 30 million people see the point is we can get so stuck on the past that we lose sight of the future, we lose sight of the fact that God is thinking things about us and about the church. He has a plan for the future.

That's bigger than our thoughts. He's always on the move. You think of Philip in the book of axes is leading an actual revival in Samaria and amazing revival devils are fleeing people are coming to Christ people getting filled with the Holy Spirit bodies are being healed.

Suddenly, God speaks to Philip and he believes that goes out into the wilderness for the sake of one's soul because God had a new plan and a new thought for his life. I'm thinking of all the people that are living in the wilderness today and I hope you and I are grateful that God is giving us the opportunity to go into homes throughout the world.

Now, through the Internet to reach people that will not be reached if we camp on a past experience and just live to see that God do something that he did gloriously years before, but is probably not going to do again. We get stuck when the future looks fearful in the present, though it might be dry, is at least safer than what the wheat perceive lies before us and you think of the children of Israel standing at the border.

This incredible promise being mean having been taken out of captivity led through the wilderness brought to the border literally of a promise but looks fearful to go in.

I know a lot of people were thinking, at least here were safe. Maybe it's a little dry but the man is still here and we have provision and in this place to God's wanting to lead us to.

There are giants that seem to be bigger than we are and fears.

One of the biggest giants of all and so they made the choice and they lived in a in a wilderness experience. They lived in a place where maybe all he could talk about was that which God did throughout history and they they were stuck in that situation. But God did something for David the gave him a new level of worship and are produced in him a reverence and trust in God that transmitted itself to others. As I said in the beginning he took me out of the miry clay and out of this horrible pit out of this place were I was stuck. He set my feet upon a rock and established my steps, and others.

He didn't call me out just to stand in one place nobody laid out a path way before me said this is where I'm taking you this is what I want you to do this is how my name is going to be glorified because remember it wasn't in David's future just to be pursued by an insane king in his arm. It was in David's future to be the king of Israel, and not only to be the king of Israel, but in his loins and his actual physical ones with the DNA of the man Jesus Christ was going to be born into this world and redeemed this world through his lineage. The point being the plan of God is so much bigger than you and I can understand the only way we can ever begin to lay hold of it. As we allow God to lift us up. We say, as David did.

My ears you have opened, and you put in my heart a delight to do your will.

Even even when it it looks to be fearful even when I don't understand even when you're leading me into an unfamiliar place. God, I delight to do your will.

Because you are thinking something about me that I've not considered yet to do inverse forces.

Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust does not respect the proud number such as turn aside to lies. Blessed is the man the word in the New Testament lease is not carious. I don't know what it is right here in the Hebrew but it means indwelt by God and fully satisfied when I have chosen to make God my trust. There's an indwelling of God that comes into your life or my life and the promise of God is that I will be fully satisfied its I'm not following what I think that my life should be on following what God is calling me to do. Acknowledging as you and I both need to do that. The thoughts of God are higher than our thoughts and his ways are higher than our ways. Not not been in a patina not been in despair but I feel like David, I understand what it means to be brought out of this place to stand upon a solid rocket to suddenly see a pathway open before you. This is what I have ordained for your life and what a privilege it is for me to come into your home today and to tell you that God loves you and to tell you the God can lift you and to tell you that the Jesus Christ died to save you died to give you freedom died to give you an eternal life, and an abundant life here on this side of eternity. What a privilege it is for me to tell you it is a blessed thing to hear the voice of God, and to walk with God and I can say like David is put in my heart and new song not just a song that I sing.

But it's a song that my whole body sings it's a song that image through your eyes it comes to the touchier he is a comes to the intonation of your voice the whole general being of who you are is suddenly becomes acquire in the sight of people who are looking for. Hope the looking for help. David said many will see it and fear and trust in the Lord. Many will see it and really what happens is that God must be real. I'm hoping that's happening to you today that you use either the blessedness of hearing the voice of God letting him set his pathway before us in the near you're looking and saying God wherever wherever that kind is song comes from. I want to see. I am tired of singing the song that I'm singing down the spirit of the sinking place. I want to sing the song of victory. The song of vision. I'm tired of my song being dictated to me by what I hear on the news or what politicians are saying or what liars and proud people are speaking I'm I'm just sick of the stuff I want the song that only comes from God. Would you do then you have to open your heart to him in the place that you are in right now. Let him lift you out of any place of despair. You happen to be in and let them set his pathway before you that he has for your life.

You don't find it interesting that there are two places in Scripture where Jesus tells the disciples to withdraw the net for a catch it. It's interesting when you look at the first time, as in Luke chapter 5 verses 3 to 5 were even asks of Peter and the others to just push out the boat because there's big crowd on the shore so we can speak to the people. So he does.

And after he speaks, he says now let out your nets for a draft.

That's what it says in the 10 James Bible for a catch another glitter unit for attached and as soon as he says it, there's a there's a resistance and assent from Peter peters is while we fished all night and we caught nothing. Then he says, but nevertheless at your word.

We will let down the net so this is actually resistance to obeying God and when we first come to Christ. There is always a resistance to hearing his voice. It's it's it's hard to get out of old patterns of of doing things is hard to escape beyond our own reasonings and and this is where they were at that time there were there were half listening to the voice of God and half listening to their own reasonings. That's what it's like for new believers or for those who are yet to be believers we have to hear his calling and half of us tells us well. I would like to do it his way.

But I've done it all night and I'm a fisherman.

I know how this is done.

We haven't caught anything so why would listening to him make any difference in some you are right there you hear his voice, tugging at your heart but your own reasoning comes now to fight against the voice of God give you all the reasons why you shouldn't do this thing why you shouldn't trust them why you shouldn't believe in Christ for your salvation. Why the plan of God might be wonderful for other people but maybe not for you.

So they did. They threw down the net and suddenly there's this huge draft of fish and you find Peter.

Of course that famous Scripture where he drops down to his knees. This is the part for me. I'm a sinful man. In essence, it's a type and a sense of a conversion moment what would begin to see that God's word is true.

God is faithful. He does give us a new heart. It does give us a new mind, it does give us a new spirit and we bow down was suddenly aware of our sin. We are keenly aware of how we have lived apart from God and God's purpose in God's plan of God. Salvation in our lives.

So that's More or less a conversion moment. It's a nevertheless it's it's his trust, sort of know John chapter 21. I call it post conversion throwing of the net now the they are fishing in John chapter 21 the fished all night they caught nothing again. And Jesus calls to the now from the shore and he says if you caught anything. This is noise that cast the net on the right side of the boat and you shall find.

In other words, the post conversion voice of the son of God says do it my way. It's strange and it is not that they fished all night and never occurred to them to cast the net on the other side of the boat.

You know that's what were like we do things over and over repetitively and we get convinced that her mind is the only way things can work this is the way the church has to be this is the way were supposed to be.

This is the way preaching has to be, and we can't move out of that, but for those who are converted for those who had a an opportunity to walk with the son of God as these disciples had he now tells them cast the net on the other side of the boat son of God, spoke to my heart. Years ago that the future of the church was going to be on the Internet actually spoke to me to my heart and said to me that there is going to be a season of turmoil coming into the nation and possibly a season where the churches couldn't meet again I'd shared it with many of our staff there for at least two years and when that season came what the Lord spoke to my heart is we have to learn to cast the net the Internet.

May I call it that, on the right side of the boat is going to be an incredible harvest if we are willing to do it God's way. That is really the key. I would go to stay stuck because we don't like the way things are going. Are we going to stay stuck because we think the past or the present is better than the future. I would go stay stuck because the future looks fearful and at least in the present or past, we found a sense of security or are we actually willing to do it God's way to cast the Internet on the right side of the boat, believing that there's going to be this amazing and time harvest if we will just do it God's way.

He says my thoughts many a Lord my God or your wonderful works which you have done in your thoughts towards us cannot be recounted to you in order if I would declare and speak of them. They are more than 10 the numbered you are thinking something about this moment in history, God, would you help us. Would you help us to think the thoughts with you that you are thinking your thinking something about Times Square church for the future.

I believe honestly the greatest days for this particular church body are just ahead of us. I believe God's going to do something that we've never seen before in a way we've never seen it. I believe that God has brought in exactly what is necessary to get it done you know when they brought in this big harvest they had that that the call for their partners to help them and I thank God for all the partners that have committed Times Square church and are helping us move forward to what I believe is going to be perhaps one of the greatest harvest of souls, we will ever see in our own lifetime. And David says again in verse six, sacrifice and offering you did not desire you can you can just see the repetitiveness in the temple people are coming in every day all day there coming in early morning.

The going out late at night there bringing in the lambs and the goats in their wheat and the barley and every thing else there offering sacrifices before it became kind of repetitive.

It offered a measure of force of security to the people of God of that time David gets this incredible vision is is it's not sacrifice and offering that you require. You've open my ears to something new, something wonderful burnt offering and sin offering. You did not require then I said, behold, I come in the scroll of your book it is written of me, I delight to do your will over my God in your book it is written of me, I delight to do your will. I guess my question to you is in God's book of you that you'd like to do the will of God are are you are you willing to be taken to a new place. There's so much more than we can understand one when you and I begin to move with God. When we begin to say Lord your word has found a lodging place in my ears and in my heart I delight in your will you been listening to Carter Conlon from Times Square church in New York City. For more information and resources to help you in your walk in Christ. Log on to TSC.NYC that's TSC.NYC, be sure to be with us next week for a call to the nation with Hunter,