Who are the Saints?

January 19, 2020

Worship in WORD:

A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple. Of David. 4 Sing to the Lord, you saints of his; praise his holy name. NIV	A psalm of David. A song for the dedication of the Temple. 4 Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name. New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved_
A Psalm and Song at the dedication of the house of David. 4 Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. KJV	Joy Comes with the Morning A Psalm of David. A song at the dedication of the temple. 4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. ESV

I. Personal/Public Purpose

II. Personal Praise: vs. 1- 3

III. Public Exhortation: vs. 4 - 5

IV. Personal Plea: vs. 6 - 10

V. Personal/Public Praise: vs. 11 – 12

In the last study, we were reminded that to praise God in song was not only the personal privilege and response of the individual believer, but it is also to be shared with others, so all may join in community to praise God, our Savior. Who is this community? They are identified as “saints” or “godly ones.”

Who, then, are these saints or godly ones? Today if we were to ask someone on the street, and in many churches, we would probably be told that they are a select group of super holy people. Those that have excelled in personal piety more than the hoi polloi of society or the common everyday church attender. A particular section of Christendom has developed a complex theology and practice based on this belief. But is that what the word “saint” means? Anyone who reads the scripture and pays attention to how the Apostles use this word will come to realize that this is another name to describe all true Christians. When they placed their trust in Jesus the Messiah as their Lord, who shed His blood for the forgiveness of sin, and was raised from death for their justification, they received the righteousness of God (1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21) and were declared perfect in  His sight (Heb. 10:14a). From then on, God begins and will complete His work of sanctification in their life (Heb. 10:14b).

It is God’s plan from “eternity past.” This is made clear in Romans 8:28-30

²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

TNIV

I use to wonder why Paul seemed to leave out the process of sanctification in these verses. Here we have the golden chain of salvation contemplated from “eternity past” to “eternity future.” It would seem that in this chain, he jumped from justification to glorification, which I assumed spoke of our future resurrection. However, John Piper has pointed out that the process of glorification begins at the point of justification(here’s a link to his message from August 11, 2002). We read in 2 Cor. 3:18 these words:

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

TNIV

This begins at conversion, for the Apostle declares in verse 16 of the same chapter, “whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away” (TNIV). And this transformation Paul mentions in verse 18 elucidates the conformation he refers to in Romans 8:29 – “conformed to the likeness of his Son” (NIV). So far from being absent, we see that it permeates the word “glorified” in Romans 8:30.

The “saints” then are the “we all” of 2 Cor. 3:18, and it is clear the “we all” refers to all true believers. These have been “called” and “justified,” and now are being sanctified. That is, conformed and transformed into the likeness of Christ, our Savior, and Son of God.

And those who are being sanctified sing. They sing with all the saints of old:

1 Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;make known his deeds among the peoples!

2 Sing to him, sing praises to him;tell of all his wondrous works!

3 Glory in his holy name;let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!

4 Seek the Lord and his strength;seek his presence continually!

5 Remember the wondrous works that he has done,his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,

6 O offspring of Abraham, his servant,children of Jacob, his chosen ones! 

7 He is the Lord our God;his judgments are in all the earth.Ps 105:1-7 ESV

And one day, as it was revealed to the Apostle John, they (we) will join with all the redeemed in a thunderous song of praise:

6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah!For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and be gladand give him glory!For the wedding of the Lamb has come,and his bride has made herself ready.
8 Fine linen, bright and clean,was given her to wear."  (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)
Rev 19:6-8 NIV (emphasis added!)

Witness:  

There is nothing left to say tonight as I copied and pasted the verses from Revelation 19:6-8. As I was doing this, the song “Behold our God” was playing on my computer. And even though I have used this song before, I felt it was appropriate and providential to end this study on this note of worship.  I have included below the “witness” portion that followed the first use of this song in my journal entry on February 16, 2016.

I chose this song because it fits well with the tenor of the passage I am studying. This song truly is a humbling song. It asks a series of rhetorical questions in which the implicit answer is “no one but God.” This is the method God used with Job after all the futile questions and comments were made by Job’s friends and Job’s continual protestations of innocence (which to their charges he was) and desiring to know why these things happened to him, who served God so faithfully. God used a series of rhetorical questions to convey His sovereign control over all things.

This is also a truly vertical song. Many songs are horizontal in nature and deal with the self and not the Sovereign. This song is a call to focus our gaze on our Sovereign God and Him alone. All blessings that are perceived, all confidence that is received, all hope that is conceived, and all promises that are believed; are from Him and to Him and for Him, our strong and mighty God – the LORD of hosts!

BEHOLD OUR GOD

Isaiah 25:9 

It will be said on that day,"Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation."   

ESV 

Come now and join with me, dear saint of God, and sing praise to our God and King!

Worship in Song:  Behold Our God by Sovereign Grace Music

Who has held the oceans in His hands?
Who has numbered every grain of sand?
Kings and nations tremble at His voice
All creation rises to rejoice

Chorus
Behold our God seated on His throne
Come, let us adore Him
Behold our King—nothing can compare
Come, let us adore Him

Verse 2
Who has given counsel to the Lord?
Who can question any of His words?
Who can teach the One who knows all things?
Who can fathom all His wondrous deeds?Chorus
Behold our God seated on His throne
Come, let us adore Him
Behold our King—nothing can compare
Come, let us adore Him

Verse 3
Who has felt the nails upon His hands?
Bearing all the guilt of sinful man
God eternal, humbled to the grave
Jesus, Savior, risen now to reignChorus
Behold our God seated on His throne
Come, let us adore Him
Behold our King—nothing can compare
Come, let us adore Him
[Bridge]

You will reign forever (let Your glory fill the earth)
You will reign forever (let Your glory fill the earth)
You will reign forever (let Your glory fill the earth)
You will reign forever (let Your glory fill the earth)
You will reign forever (let Your glory fill the earth)
You will reign forever (let Your glory fill the earth)
You will reign forever (let Your glory fill the earth)
You will reign forever (let Your glory fill)

[Chorus]

Behold our God seated on His throne
Come let us adore Him
Behold our King, nothing can compare
Come let us adore

Behold our God seated on His throne
Come let us adore Him
Behold our King, nothing can compare
Come let us adore Him.

Lyrics: https://genius.com/Sovereign-grace-music-behold-our-God-lyrics

Video: https://youtu.be/Gqrli3Lkf58