A New Song

Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, And His praise in the congregation of the godly ones. Let Israel be glad in his Maker; Let the sons of Zion rejoice in their King. Let them praise His name with dancing; Let them sing praises to Him with timbrel and lyre. For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation.  Psalms 149:1-4 NASB

From the very foundations of the world and in all of Scripture, Jesus has been for us. He is the Creator who stepped down from His place in heaven to become like us, so that from the inside out He would conquer our sin and set us free again. We are living in the days that generations of people prayed and hoped for! These are the days Holy Spirit has been poured out into the earth, the days of the Saviour who has made a way for humanity to come back into relationship with God! Hallelujah! 

The Bible teaches that all scriptures within the Old and New Testaments point towards the coming of Christ…. The prophecy that came to ancient Israel, the months leading up to Jesus’ arrival, and the events surrounding His birth….  the History of Christ’s anticipated arrival, and our prayer at Gospel Garage is that we would remember that Jesus came to be the embodiment of God’s promises for salvation and redemption. 

All our hopes and prayers are answered in the Person of Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, God with us. ….. 

Luke 3:3-6 NASB And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins; as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight. Every ravine will be filled, And every mountain and hill will be brought low; The crooked will become straight, And the rough roads smooth; And all flesh will see the salvation of God.’ ”

When I read this verse it seems like John was telling those willing to hear that they better, “Prepare to change. Don’t just rush into the waters of baptism to escape hell. 

Acknowledge your need for a Saviour. Repent of your sin. You prepare a way for the Lord in your life when you give Him room to work on you and in you—to change you from the inside out.  Receive Jesus Christ! 

Are you ready to pivot your stance and look to Jesus, to follow Jesus on His terms? Are you ready for such a radical lifestyle change? 

This is not our work. We can’t do this for ourselves. It’s the work of Christ within us—the hope of glory. 

Make no mistake, He will bring the high places low. He will humble us and dismantle our ego. He will lift the heavy burden from your shoulders and even carry you when you’re too weary to walk on your own. He will put you right where you’re thinking wrong. He’ll not only save your soul, He’ll transform you into His image! But the road won’t be easy; you won’t feel prepared for such a journey. 

But Jesus will prepare you for all He has for you. Salvation is not an escape route - It’s the radical redemption of your life.”

John 1:1-5 NASB In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

God’s grace makes a way when we’ve burned all our bridges. He wants us not because we get it right, but because of His great love for us. We are His prize, His carefully formed creation, His fragile sinful anxious complex creation. 

We all live in the tension of the now and the not yet. Every single one of us has things we long for and dream about. And that’s a good thing (most of the time). 

Jesus invites us to ask, seek, and knock. To be aware but not anxious. He teaches us to be relentless in prayer. To give Him each and every burden, mistake, He is, after all, God of the impossible, God of multiplication, and our God who makes a way where there is no way.

Do we dare give Jesus Christ the space He deserves? Are we willing to acknowledge Him as our King?

When Jesus becomes our Saviour, He becomes our King. We’re miraculously grafted into His royal family line. He becomes our Counsellor and Friend. He secures a place for us, He defends and delivers us when the enemy presses in against us. He continually directs us in the way we should go. He forgives us of our sins and restores - He meets us on our dirt roads of mourning and brings life in ways we never dreamed possible. He ministers to us in our grief and smiles with us in our celebrations. Jesus is a friend of sinners. That’s you and that’s me - He’s the Saviour of the world. What a priceless gift He offers to the willing and receptive heart!  

There is no more beautiful sound than God’s people rejoicing in their Maker. To know and love our Creator is to find purpose and meaning for our life. God takes delight in His people. We were created for relationship with Him. Our joy and love come from Him. Our glory is to experience God’s salvation and reconciliation with Him. 

Salvation requires humility, the acknowledgment that life is not about us, but about Jesus. To be crowned with this salvation is life’s greatest honor, worth singing about, telling a family member, a neighbour, or someone we work with that Jesus is the Saviour of the world.

Psalms 55:22 NASB Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

What we carry is not something to set aside as we fix our eyes on Jesus. It is something to bring to Him with surrendered trust as we worship with joy, celebration, welcome, gratitude.