Sunday Sermons
Today!
Today!
It is Psalm 95 that contains the famous line, “Today, if you would hear His voice, do no harden your hearts” (95:8). I find it significant that the Psalm that contains such an admonition, is one primarily about worship: “O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation” (95:1). Here is a generous invitation, and Jesus would note that this glorious invitation would be open to all men (Luke 14:23; Acts 10:34-35).
Shout!
“Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms” (95:2). Immediately as we read these verses we are confronted with an awesome aspect of true worship (John 4:24): True worship is full of enthusiasm – the singing is robust, from the heart (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16). The people worshipping are excited to be present, not mere spectators. Observe that the emphasis here is not upon those planning the worship. Admittedly song leaders, teachers, and preachers need to do their preparation and perform their tasks with enthusiasm, yet that is not the point here. This charge is to the people who are present at the worship of God Himself. Do you realize that one can “attend” a worship service and yet never truly engage in worship? Coming to services preoccupied with the things of the world or sleepy-eyed and kind of tolerating the service is far from pouring out one’s heart in authentic worship. Being glad to be in our Creator’s presence for worship is an unspeakable blessing.
With Thanksgiving
“Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving” (95:2). The previous joy springs only from grateful hearts. Hearty singing is not some sort of production number, but rather something beautiful and genuine – the worshippers’ true happiness over their state of blessedness. Truly, worship can only be rightfully performed by those who have counted their blessings, remember their previous lost condition, and are indeed deeply thankful. So worship is far more than, “I am not excited about going, but I know it is good for me”.
All about Him
Observe how many times the focus in worship is upon God, “To the Lord” (95:1), “to the rock” (95:1), “before His presence” (95:2), “to Him” (95:2). Worship is nothing less than coming into God’s presence, and it would indeed be unthinkable to come into God’s very presence unprepared, preoccupied, bored, apathetic, or impatiently waiting for the whole thing to end.
“For The Lord Is Great”
“For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods, in Whose hand are the depths of the earth; the peaks of the mountains are His also. The sea is His, for it was He who made it; and His hands formed the dry land” (95:3-5).
I like the fact that the Bible quickly tells me “why”. Why should I joyfully and thankfully praise God with enthusiasm? Because He deserves nothing less. We are in the presence of the great God! We are actually worshipping the true God and not something or a concept that is man-made. Worship of the Creator deserves the best, and we need to be convicted on this point. Often the ignorant put far more energy and enthusiasm into being involved in all sorts of other things, and God does not get the appreciation or excitement He deserves. So, let us determine that of all the things we do, our worship will be far more intense than anything we feel at a concert, a sporting event or any other less relevant activity.
I find it interesting that before the writer mentions “reverence” (95:6), (that is making ourselves small before God), He first reminds us to keep God “big”. It is as if the writer is saying that reverence is difficult if our picture of God is small and the picture of ourselves is too big. In realizing how great God is there should be an automatic balancing of our own worth and place in the universe.
“That’s His as Well”
Various pagan cultures often would view the oceans as older than their gods, yet the writer is quick to point out that the ocean belongs to God. I want to live the remainder of my life under a constant awareness that what I am beholding is “His”. So when I go to the beach, I am going to remember that the beach belongs to God and not to the bikini clad “beach culture” that is denying Him. When I go the mountains, I want to remember that this mountain belongs to God and not the hippies who “stand there by the fire, and watch the evening tire, while all my friends and my old lady sit and pass the pipe around”. When I go to the Grand Canyon, that belongs to God as well and not to eons of small changes over time spouted by my misguided tour guide.
“Bow”!
“Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand” (95:7). This tells me that all the shouting and joy in the first two verses were not the shouts of people into themselves, or the shouting of merely being entertained. Worship is joy plus respect. “This is the deep and basic note of worship, without which the ‘joyful noise’ of the opening will be shrill and self-indulgent. Each of the three main verbs of verse 6 is concerned with getting low before god, since the standard word for worship in Scripture means to prostrate oneself (Genesis 18:2; Exodus 34:8)… A public act of homage is urged on us here as part of the service we owe to God, accepting our own place and acknowledging His. At the same time it is intimate, not the tribute of strangers” (Derek Kidner, Psalms 74-150, p. 345).
“Our Maker”
“Our” places all men and women under the moral obligation to worship. I cannot realistically say, “Well, going to church services is fine for them, but that’s not who I am”, seeing that God created everyone (Acts 17:26), and that all are made in His image, it is clear that every person ever born has the ability to worship and is morally obligated to seek their Creator (Acts 17:27). Besides, what’s not to love in Him?
“Today”
Means “today”, that is, it means at the very moment you are reading this passage or any other passage in Scripture. Right now as you hear what a passage says, do not delay, don’t brush it aside, do not procrastinate, rather listen and hearken. The word “today” reminds me that I cannot rest on the past. It is not enough to have hearkened to God years ago when I was converted, or to say, “I was doing well a couple of years ago, or a couple months ago”. No. The real issue is how I am doing at this very moment in my life? I am still listening today?
“Hear His Voice”
There is an inseparable connection between listening to God’s word (Scripture) and worship. “Worship begins with listening rather than speaking... It requires listening to God as He speaks to us in His Word. Worship must be based on the preaching of the Word of God. First, we must hear God’s Word. Second, we must obey it. Only then can we praise God joyfully for what we have heard. Obedience is the sticking point, of course” (Boice, p. 778). So where people are not obeying the voice of God in Scripture, worship is not possible, for truth is being ignored (John 4:24).
“Keep a Tender Heart”
“Do not harden your hearts” (95:8). I see a clear choice in this passage. At any given time, at any age or circumstance, there is the constant choice between remaining sensitive and open to God’s truth or rebelling, resenting or ignoring. This is one reason why there are so many different churches in the world, for all those who profess to be followers of Christ do not have the same allegiance to Scripture. Some obey this far, others a little farther, some ignore a passage, others another passage. In your Christian life you will be confronted with this choice time and time again, and each time the choice will be, “Will you still obey? Will you obey even this passage? Will you now do this hard thing? Will you still continue to follow Christ? Will you go even this far?”
“Testing and Trying”
In the context, we see the opposite of joy, reverence and listening to God. The people under consideration had “seen” God’s mighty work in the past, the plagues upon the Egyptians and the parting of the Red Sea with the destruction of the Egyptian army. God has proven His love for them and that He could be fully trusted in every situation. Yet when a new difficultly arose, they immediately grumbled, as if God was failing them. This is the opposite of worship. Worship involves being convinced that God knows what is best for me, that He can be trusted, that the path that He tells me to stay on is the right path. Therefore, any grumbling about the demands or Laws in Scripture is taking a direction opposite of worship. It is impossible to be a worshipper of God and a critic of Scripture simultaneously. It is impossible to be a genuine worshipper of God and one who does not fully trust Him when it comes down to running your own life.
“The Battle for the Mind”
“And said they are a people who err in their heart, and they do not know My ways” (95:10). At the moment I put my own opinion over Scripture – I am starting the hardening process and I am moving in the wrong direction. The only way that a “heart problem” can be fixed is by following 95:7, “Today – hear His voice”. That is, “Today, right now, accept that He is right”. Change happens when anyone hears the word of God and accepts it as the final authority. So what did you do “today?” Did you hear His voice?
Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net
