Judg 5:1-3, Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying, "That the leaders led in Israel, That the people volunteered, Bless the Lord! "Hear, O kings; give ear, O rulers! I — to the Lord, I will sing, I will sing praise to the Lord, the God of Israel. 
	After this extended period of being so blessed by our brethren diligently sharing the Word of God with all of us, we return to our consideration of something we are being taught in the Book of Judges. We resume our study of the fact that God gave humanity the ability to praise and to worship Him in song. This fulfills some of that need of ours to be enabled to give greater utterance unto the Lord of that which is filling our hearts and minds and beings with respect to the manifested glory of the Lord. 
As humans, we have a complete dearth of sufficient vocabulary with which to bring our expressed praise and worship unto God. In His infinite knowledge and understanding of this limitation, He provided an additional, although as well humanly inadequate manner for us to bring our worship before His Throne of grace and mercy and love. 
	We have traced this means throughout the Old Testament records of such songs of praise and joy and victory in the Lord. We considered the songs of Moses, and Hannah, and the Psalmist as just some of those who praised the Lord with melodious worship. Today, we will look at the manner expressed in our New Testament saints of the wondrous heart of songs of praise with which we are so encouraged to partake and to participate.
	We will begin with the proclaimed joy that filled the heart of Mary when she was told, by the Archangel, that she was chosen by The Lord to be the earthly mother of the very Son of God. This is declared in Luke 1:46-55, if we would all please turn to it. This melodious delight contains and expounds the heights of the joy of humanity in the knowledge and visitation of God within the fabric of man. We have been created to be in fellowship with God. This was the chorus of this young woman so honored and blessed by the Lord God Almighty.
	Luke 1:46-55, And Mary said: "My soul exalts the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. "For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. "For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name. "And His mercy is upon generation after generation Toward those who fear Him. "He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. "He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble. "He has filled the hungry with good things; And sent away the rich empty-handed. "He has given help to Israel His servant, In remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his offspring forever." 
    	Only a few verses later, verses 67-79 in this same chapter, we have the joining of the heart of mankind in that praise of utter astonishment as to why and how God would choose to so bless mankind with the visitation of His Salvation. Zacharias declared what the whole course of the birth of Christ would accomplish. His son, John, would go before and prepare the hearts of the people to receive that salvation so freely offered by God through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God’s Only Begotten Son. This would accomplish the eternal plan of God’s glorious and wondrous work of redemption and restoration on this earth. The whole of humanity and the manner in which mankind could be brought into a living and eternal fellowship with The Creator, hinged on the fulfillment of Mary’s and Zacharias’s songs of praise and adoration and astonishment.
	Luke 1:67-79, And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant — As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old — Salvation from our enemies, And from the hand of all who hate us; To show mercy toward our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant, The oath which He swore to Abraham our father, To grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways; To give to His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins, Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high shall visit us, To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace." 
	The use of song in the declaration of the salvation of mankind to the glory of God was later highlighted by Jesus in the parable of the prodigal son. We find this recounted in the 15th Chapter of this same Book of Luke. Please look at the course of what was inherent in the rejoicing and the celebration of the restoration of the one who was lost and considered dead. This is recounted in verses 22-25, as the older son was coming in from the fields.
	Luke 15:22-25, "But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.' And they began to be merry. "Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 
 	Notice, he heard music and dancing as the father and all those gathered together were celebrating the return of the one who had been lost. Due to very selfish reasons, this was rejoicing was absent in the older son in terms of his joining into that glorious merry-making. However, his reticence to join the music and dancing in no-wise diminishes the fact that all the rest of that household were in great celebration of the return of the younger son. 
Our Heavenly Father, Who created the medium of song and the ability to dance with utmost and overflowing gladness in the work of His Hands, encourages that celebration within all the Family of God. This rejoicing is at the return of every one of us, who willingly receive the gift of His eternal love in Jesus Christ! 
	This is the picture that we get in our minds as we consider the fact that all heaven rejoices at the salvation of each man, woman, or child who calls upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for eternal redemption! There is the sound of the angelic hosts rejoicing along with the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit as each person is redeemed by the precious lifeblood of Jesus Christ and welcomed into the Family of God. That is the chorus that will reverberate throughout the eternal ages with the songs of rejoicing and adoration for the fulfillment of the glorious and merciful and miraculous plan and purpose of God in His wondrous gift of salvation.
	We find that even on the eve of His crucifixion, when Our Lord and His disciples were gathered together for the Last Supper, as we term it, singing was a part of their communion together. Consider what we have before us in the course of this time of fellowship as recorded in Mark 14:24-26. They left the dinner after they had sung a hymn.
	Mark 14:24-26, And He said to them, "This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. "Truly I say to you, I shall never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God." And after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 
   	There is a great power, as well, in the worship of the Lord by the singing of His praises. It is an uplifting aspect of our walk on this earth, to which many of us can attest. Our singing of those songs and hymns of worship and adoration and thanksgiving turn the sadness of our hearts into those joyous commemorations of just how glorious Our God is! Our beings are encouraged in the praise of our mouths and our hearts as our harmonious voices proclaim the marvelous melody of God’s majesty echoeing forth from the depths of our beings! 
	Consider the record of how Paul and Silas, beaten and bloody in their imprisonment were still able to sing forth the praise songs of the Lord. As detailed in Acts 16:25+26, the Lord responded to their praise of prayer and singing through the miraculous deed of His Hand in opening the doors of that prison and releasing from their shackles. The Lord’s name was proclaimed in the manner in which the others in that jail were enabled to see the glory of God that was sung by these two witnesses of the truth of the resurrected Christ Jesus.
	Acts 16:25+26, But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's chains were unfastened. 
	The Apostle Paul was a great proponent of bringing the praise of God forth in the songs of the saints. Because he knew the way of the Lord and the working power of the Hand of God upon him, he declared that the singing of God’s praise in worship was to be part of the fellowship and the encouragement and the spiritual growth of the redeemed of God.
	First, please open to Paul’s letter to the Church in Rome, Chapter 15, verses 4-13. Here we have that tremendous attestation that The Lord is to be glorified through the every manner of our giving God the praise and the adoration and the worship with one voice that He, Alone, deserves. That one voice incorporates the power of the songs of the glory of God on this earth. 
	Rom 15:4-13, For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus; that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God. For I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers, and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy; as it is written, "Therefore I will give praise to Thee among the Gentiles, And I will sing to Thy name." And again he says, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people." And again, "Praise the Lord all you Gentiles, And let all the peoples praise Him." And again Isaiah says, "There shall come the root of Jesse, And He who arises to rule over the Gentiles, In Him shall the Gentiles hope." Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. 
    	Then, in Eph 5:17-21, the Apostle sets the behavior of the members of the church into the clarity of what honors the Lord. Here we have the details of our walk together in the Lord spelled out in terms that are extremely characteristic of the behavior that the Lord requires from all of us. One of the primary elements of this stipulated nature of those covered by the blood of Christ and made the Body of Believers in Him through the power of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling is the bursting forth of songs of praise unto God!
	Eph 5:17-21, So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. 
	We bring this consideration to a close with the recording of what John saw in the Heavenly Realm as meticulously documented in the Book of Revelation. Throughout this final book of the Bible, we find the Heavenly Hosts, which includes the angelic beings as well as the saints who have preceded us into the very presence of the Lord, declaring His Victory and His Majesty and His Awesome power in songs of triumph and praise. 
Isn’t it a glorious joy and comfort and source of increasingly glorious adoration unto The Lord God Almighty to consider how each one of those who have preceded us into Heaven are dancing and singing and adding their voices to the ever increasing worship of all the hosts of heaven? They are even now, before the throne of His majesty, praising and worshipping Him for all the essential reality of Who He is and What He has done! Their voices are filling the heavens together with all the angelic hosts to the glory of God and God, Alone!
	Please turn to Rev 15:1-4. Here we see that the Song of Moses, with which we began our consideration many weeks ago, as it is recounted and sung in melodious triumphant splendor as declaring the Victory of God forever and forever. It characterizes the building crescendo of all our struggles and trials and tribulations being recognized as the means of God to bring about His plan and His purpose in His creation.
Rev 15:1-4, And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished. And I saw, as it were, a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had come off victorious from the beast and from his image and from the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God. And they sang the song of Moses the bond-servant of God and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and marvelous are Thy works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Thy ways, Thou King of the nations. "Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? For Thou alone art holy; For all the nations will come and worship before Thee, For Thy righteous acts have been revealed." 
    	And we close with the Hallelujah chorus of the saints unto God that is recounted for us in Rev 19:1-7. We must find our essence rising together unto the majesty of God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as we honor and praise and worship and adore Him. This is how the church will greet Her Glorious and Wondrous and Magnificent Bridegroom with all honor and with all reverence and with all awe! 
Rev 19:1-7, After these things I heard, as it were, a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; because His judgments are true and righteous; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and He has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on her." And a second time they said, "Hallelujah! Her smoke rises up forever and ever." And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, "Amen. Hallelujah!" And a voice came from the throne, saying, "Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great." And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude and as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying,  "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready." So be it!
Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying, "That the leaders led in Israel, That the people volunteered, Bless the Lord! "Hear, O kings; give ear, O rulers! I — to the Lord, I will sing, I will sing praise to the Lord, the God of Israel. Amen.

This morning’s benediction is Dan 4:34. "But at the end of that period I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom endures from generation to generation. Amen.