John Piper
Giving Voice to Gladness
The worth and the glory that we see in others is measured by the gladness that we have in their presence. My pleasure in her presence is a tribute. It’s not selfishness; it’s celebration. My pleasure is a measure of her treasure to me. And so it is with God and worship. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him and his presence as our dearest friend. God has given singing to his people as one of the most precious and powerful expressions of our gladness in his glory.
“God has given singing to his people as one of the most powerful expressions of our gladness in his glory.”
It’s the gladness of Godward singing — We say it again. It’s the gladness of Godward singing, especially through obedient suffering, that makes God’s glory shine most brightly. So, for those two reasons, I’m thankful to be here and that this missions conference exists.
Now my task, in these last few minutes, is to draw out some of the connections between the gladness of Godward singing and the finishing of the great task, of the Great Commission, to gather God’s elect from all the peoples of the world, or as Isaiah 35:10 says, to see all “the ransomed of the Lord . . . come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon on their heads.” So, I have five connections to draw your attention to. I’ll just point to them, and you can trace them out later, and I’ll give you a scripture for each one.
Singing Sends
First, the gladness of Godward singing sends the lovers of Christ to the nations. Psalm 96:2–4: “Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations” — while you’re singing, do that — “his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised.” How many thousands of missionaries have heard their call in Psalm 96? “Declare his glory among the nations.” Do you hear that? “Declare his glory among the nations.” Sing to the Lord a new song — there, to them.
“The gladness of Godward singing sends the lovers of Christ to the nations.”
Every year at Bethlehem, when I was a pastor there for 33 years, we would have a missions conference, and at the close of the missions conference we gave an invitation to all those who in the conference for the last two Sundays had heard or felt what they sensed to be a compelling leading of the Lord to cross a culture, to take the gospel, spending the rest of their lives to do it. That’s a pretty high standard for an invitation. We would sing. We would stop. There would be no music, and no head bowed, and no eye closed, and I would wait. And Chuck, who helped me with that for so many years, was sitting over there as a precious partner in it, our worship leader.
And they’d come. They’d just get up out of their seats and come — twenty, fifty, one time two hundred. And then we’d get them connected with the nurture program. Then we’d close with a song:
We rest on thee, our Shield and our Defender!
Thine is the battle, thine shall be the praise;
When passing through the gates of pearly splendor,
Victors, we rest with thee, through endless days.
That’s the hymn that the five Ecuador martyrs were singing when they were speared to death in 1956. And I believe with all my heart that as they walked to the front, uncertain and struggling, but sensing God’s leading to give their lives to world missions, that call was sealed with that song. Singing sends lovers of Christ to the nations.
We need to complete the work that God has given us, just like the work that He gave His Son to do, and who completed it.
Matt 28:19-20
19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Pastor Dale