Singing the Sacred
Jesus Rejected
March 27, 2022 • Andrew Cullen • Ephesians 2:19–22, Matthew 27:20–23, Psalm 118:22
Psalm 118:22 prophesies that people will reject Jesus. Jesus is the cornerstone, the first stone laid, in the new temple that God is building. Every person, in some way at some time for some reason, rejects Jesus. The decision to reject Jesus is less a rationale decision and more a relational decision. Following Jesus means we go against the herd mentality of our culture. Following Jesus means we will be rejected like Jesus.
Messiah
March 20, 2022 • Andrew Cullen • Matthew 22:42–46, Psalm 110, Acts 2:29–36
The Israelites were looking for a Messiah. The Messiah would use hard power to amass a large following and lead a revolution, freeing Israel from her captors and reestablishing the royal line of kings. Is it no wonder that when Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, they did not think he fit the job description? And yet, only Jesus could resolve the tension of Psalm 110. Jesus is both the Messiah/Christ and the Son of God in human flesh.
The Good Shepherd
March 13, 2022 • Andrew Cullen • Psalm 23
What do sheep and humans have in common? Both satisfy their wants. Sheep go wherever there is green grass to eat and clean water to drink. Likewise, we do what we do, say what we say, and go where we go because we are searching for happiness. The problem is, like sheep, we need a shepherd. Isaiah 53:6 says, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way.” We like to think that happiness is the freedom to choose what we have. But happiness is freedom from want. In Psalm 23, David is free from want because God is his Shepherd.
Prophecy
March 6, 2022 • Andrew Cullen • Psalm 2
Psalm 2 was most likely used to celebrate the coronation of a new king, but it was also sung in hopeful expectation of the Messiah king’s reign. This is why Psalm 2 is the most quoted Psalm in the New Testament. It points to Jesus. When it comes to prophecies, why did God have to be so specific? Because if he wasn’t specific, then we wouldn’t know who to look for. The last thing that God wants is for us to identify the wrong person as the King of the kingdom of God.
Finding Happiness
February 27, 2022 • Andrew Cullen • Psalm 1, Psalm 16:11, Psalm 37:4, Philippians 3:8, Matthew 6:33
To be human is to search for happiness. Biologically, people are searching for happiness because God put in us a compass that points to what will make us most happy. The whole strategy of Satan is to mislead us to find “substitutes” for God that will make us happy. Culturally, people are searching for happiness because they are discovering that the American dream of being rich and famous doesn’t make a person happy. Psalm 1:1-3 teaches us that finding happiness is finding God.