You'll notice that on the next page in your worship folder is a piece of music called

Gloria by John Rutter which the choir is going to sing in about 10 minutes.

My job right now is to lay before you three biblically based reasons for why your heart should leap up in praise to God when they sing,

and why when you're given an occasion to sing just before and after they sing, you should do it with all your might and all your mind and

all your heart. To do that I want to open before you a text from the book of acts.

It happens to be the very next text.

And I invite you to turn to acts chapter 3.

You have a Bible or want to reach for one

in the pew pocket in front of you and turn to acts chapter 3 verses 17 to 21.

My desire is that your mind might not click off when the music begins, but rather that it might be full of matter.

Biblical, God exulting Christ, saturated matter.

Truth.

And so I want to give you three truths and then point to the place in the text where they come from and

hope that they'll be lodged in your mind seeping down into your heart, releasing praise

for the rest of this service when I'm done.

Reason number one, you ought to say glory to God in the highest with all you might

because God fulfills his good purposes in spite of and even through

the opposition of ignorant people.

Verse 17 and 18.

He has just indicted the listeners with killing Jesus,

and now he says, now therefore brethren, I know that

you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers.

...