His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

This clip is part of the sermon “When God Gives You a Do-Over" delivered by Kevin DeYoung at Christ Covenant Church in Matthews, NC on September 7, 2025.

Look at (Ezra chapter 3) verse 11. That’s the most familiar verse and it’s the most important verse. Notice it says they sang responsively. We see this even more obviously in Psalm 136. You say, “Why do, why do you Presbyterians, you've got to do responsive readings and things. It’s kind of old school.”

It is old school. Like this old school. (Referencing Bible) They did it. They sang responsively.

And what you may not have realized is this was the very song the Lord told them. It was not an accident. 1 Chronicles 16:34, David brings the ark into Jerusalem. No temple yet, but he brings the ark into Jerusalem. And we read, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” 

2 Chronicles 5:13. Now, Solomon, his son, brings the ark not just into Jerusalem, but into the temple, and it says, “A song was raised and filled the house of the Lord. For he is good, his steadfast love endures forever.”

David sang it. Solomon sang it. And then, this is best of all, Jeremiah 33. The prophet, the weeping prophet, the lamentation prophet, “thus says the Lord, in the place of which you say, it is a waste,” talking about their land. The promised land, some promise, God, “a waste without man or beast in the cities of Judah, in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man or inhabitant or beast.”

There’s no people there. There's not even a squirrel there. There’s nothing. “There shall be heard again the voice of mirth, the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing as they bring thanks offerings to the house of the Lord.”

Jeremiah said, “There’s nobody there now. It looks desolate. I’m telling you on God’s word, there’s going to be singing in these streets again.” And here’s what we read in Jeremiah 33. Here’s what they sing. He predicted it. “Give thanks to the Lord of Hosts, for the Lord is good. For his steadfast love endures forever. For when he restores the fortunes of the land at first they will sing, says the Lord.”

David, Solomon, Jeremiah says there’s coming a day. This is not the end of the story. This is an end. And you need to believe that if you’re willing to take up Jesus on the offer he extends to you. Another mulligan. Forget about where that ball went. You got another shot. Who cares if everybody’s looking? Jesus says, just look at me. This is what matters. You get another shot. You get another shot. Sins forgiven. Another shot to walk out in obedience. And when you fail again, there’ll be more forgiveness. Another shot with all those emotions to worship the living God. And here’s the song you’re going to sing. He is good. His steadfast love endures forever.