======================================================================== WHEN JESUS SANG A HYMN by Zac Poonen ======================================================================== Summary: This sermon reflects on the unique moment when Jesus sang a hymn just before going to the cross, emphasizing the joy and celebration even in the face of impending suffering. It highlights the significance of Jesus' joyful attitude, rooted in His constant presence with the Father, and how joy can help believers overcome temptation. The message urges listeners to embrace the way of the cross, to die to self, and to heed the voice of the Holy Spirit amidst temptations, following Jesus' example of singing a hymn and going to the cross. Topics: "Joy in Suffering", "Embracing the Cross" Scripture References: Matthew 26:30, Acts 2:25, Nehemiah 8:10, Hebrews 2:9, Mark 8:34 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DESCRIPTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This sermon reflects on the unique moment when Jesus sang a hymn just before going to the cross, emphasizing the joy and celebration even in the face of impending suffering. It highlights the significance of Jesus' joyful attitude, rooted in His constant presence with the Father, and how joy can help believers overcome temptation. The message urges listeners to embrace the way of the cross, to die to self, and to heed the voice of the Holy Spirit amidst temptations, following Jesus' example of singing a hymn and going to the cross. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------ We have read many places in the Gospels where Jesus preached sermons. Can any of you tell me a place where Jesus sang a song? You remember that? Where does it say Jesus sang a hymn? Jesus preached a sermon in many places. Jesus sang a hymn. All you Bible scholars, anybody? Raise your hand. Give me the reference. Anybody raise your hand who can give me the reference. Matthew 26 verse 30. You know, this is the time when it says He took the bread, verse 26, and said, take eat, this is my body, and drank, gave a cup and said, drink from it, verse 27, Matthew 26, 27. This is my blood of the new covenant. I say to you, I will not drink of this again until I drink it in you, in the Father's kingdom. And after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. It's almost like saying, okay, this is the bread, this is the cup. Now, before it is actually fulfilled on the cross where I'm going to be crucified, let's sing a song and praise the Lord. So, I see that even here, it was a time of celebration. Even though the disciples couldn't understand how can the crucifixion of Christ be a celebration, but Jesus looked beyond. He said that that's the only way all those people could get into God's kingdom. That's why it was a celebration. There was no other way that people sitting around that table could get into God's kingdom. Though they didn't understand it, they thought there may be some other way, but today we know that if it is not for the cross, if it is not for the broken body and the shed blood, there's nothing to celebrate. Even in the Old Testament, a lot of people, they don't see Christianity as a joyful religion. See, even in time of singing, when I see a person standing up here with a serious face, say, my Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine. It doesn't look like it when I look at your face. Christianity is a joyful religion. I know we can artificially smile like all these entertainers. I'm not talking about that. It's hollow, empty. It's a mask. But whether you smile or not, I believe there must be a joy in our heart when we sing about the Lord or when we sing to the Lord. How do you think Jesus sang the hymn here? I don't think it was a very serious face, you know, I'm going to die now. I think he was cheerful because it says that he always lived in the Father's presence. It is said about Jesus in Acts chapter 2. It's very interesting what I showed you in Matthew 26. The only place in the Bible where Jesus sang a hymn was just before he went to the cross, showing that even that most painful experience was something to rejoice over. How much more? Everything else. Acts 2, when Peter was speaking about Jesus and says in verse 25, David says about him, I saw the Lord always. It's talked about Jesus. I saw the Lord always in my presence. He's in my right hand. I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart was glad and my tongue with which I was singing, exulted. Why? Because even though I'm going to the cross, verse 26, my flesh will live in hope because after the cross you will not abandon my soul in the grave before my body decays. You will not allow my body to decay and you will make me full of gladness, verse 28, with your presence. See, most people's body, as soon as they die, within 24 hours it can begin to smell, but it says here, Jesus' body never underwent any decay. That's the first miracle before the resurrection, that even though he was as dead as any other human being in the grave, there was no decay in his body. There was no smell. There was no need for the perfume that people, you know, Mary and Magdalene and all brought perfume because they put perfume on dead bodies because it smells. But Jesus' body didn't need it. And he says, I was always in the Father's presence. It's a wonderful thing that because Jesus was in the Father's presence, in a way that none of us understand, very deeply, all through his life, he lived in the Father's presence, that when he died, his body did not decay. It did not smell. What a fantastic testimony. And you make me full of gladness with your presence. So, even at that last supper, when he broke the bread and passed the cup, it was sensing the Father's presence there and he was full of joy. And I want to say, my dear brothers and sisters, that joy is one of the things that help us to overcome temptation. It's very difficult to sin when you're rejoicing in the Lord. Very difficult. You have to give up that joy of the Lord because it says in Nehemiah 8 and the joy of the Lord is your strength. You know that verse? If you don't know it, let me point it out to you. Nehemiah 8, the last part of verse 10. Don't be grieved because the joy of the Lord is your strength. It's a great verse. Nehemiah 8 verse 10. And in your time of temptation, the joy of the Lord is your strength. And Jesus knew that. That's why before he went to the cross. Imagine, it's the only time in the Gospels where it says Jesus sang a song after the last supper. The only time. That's significant. And we read today in Hebrews in chapter 2, that verse about his suffering, about his death in verse 9. Hebrews 2, 9. We see Jesus, middle of that verse, because of the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor so that he might taste death for everyone. Hebrews 2 verse 9. And it was fitting for him because he wanted to bring all of us to glory. Verse 10. For God to perfect the author of their salvation, that is Jesus, through suffering. God perfected Jesus through suffering and now his father is our father. Verse 11. And he's not ashamed to call us his brothers and sisters. Remember that? Because of the Lord's table, Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters now. And what does he say? I will proclaim your name to my brothers and in the midst of the church, I will sing your praise. Jesus is the song leader, by the way, in the church. He says, the father, and in the midst of the brothers, I'm going to sing your praise, father. So there's every reason for us to rejoice in the cross in which Jesus died. And if you understand that properly, the disciples did not understand. That's why Peter said, no, no, no, no, no, don't go to the cross. And Jesus said, that's the voice of Satan. And I want to say to you in Jesus' name, whenever you are tempted and the voice says, no, don't die to yourself here. Enjoy yourself. That's the voice of the devil. When you're tempted to do something wrong, when you're tempted to watch something filthy, when you're tempted to cheat, when you're tempted to get angry and the voice inside says, die. You say, no, I'm not going to die. That's the voice of the devil. Don't die. Just like Peter told Jesus, don't die. And you know that you and I have heard that voice many times in our life, at the time of temptation, don't die here. Assert yourself, speak up and you don't die. You don't realize at that moment you listened to the devil. Because the Lord told you to die and you said, no. Just like Peter, you said, no, this won't happen to me. That's the time you need to hear Jesus saying, get behind me, Satan. It's the voice of Satan. And you have heard and obeyed the voice of Satan numerous times. Have you decided to stop listening to that voice? When you break bread, you're choosing the way of the cross. You're not just admiring the bread and passing it on. Oh, Jesus, how you died for me. No, you're partaking of it. I want to die with you. That's why I drink the cup and eat the bread and saying, I will not say like Peter, this will not happen to me. Say, yes, Lord, I accept it. It's easy to say it right now. Say it tomorrow morning. Say it day after tomorrow afternoon. Say it on Wednesday evening. When you face something in your home or in some other place where you're provoked and you hear two voices, one the voice of the Holy Spirit saying, die. Sing a song and die. Like Jesus, sing a hymn and go to the cross. Do that. Sing a hymn and go to the cross. I tell you, you keep doing that before the end of this year, you'll be a saint. Before the end of this year, I can prophesy that. And you can be pretty sure the devil doesn't want that. So he'll keep telling you what Peter said to Jesus. No, no, no, don't let that happen. Assert yourself, man. You have your choice, my brothers and sisters. But what you're testifying, going to testify today is, I want to die. I hope it will not be a lie that you tell the Lord. By breaking bread. Say, Lord, what I'm testifying in action now, I want to do in every situation I face the rest of this year. I want to sing a hymn, go to the cross. Yeah. God bless you. ======================================================================== Video: https://sermonindex2.b-cdn.net/v9pjEUNk13c.mp4 Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/zac-poonen/when-jesus-sang-a-hymn/ ========================================================================