Week 1 (2)

Into

In Psalm 95, David invites all of us to respond to God’s invitation to worship.

READ PSALM 95:1-7b

From the earliest period of church history, Ps 95 has been used as a call and guide to worship. - Centuries before that, the Jews would recite this chapter, typically on the Feast of the Tabernacles, when they would symbolically re-lived their time of encampment in the wilderness.

But before we look more closely at this psalm, we should define what worship really is. - In Hebrew, the word “worship” (Shakah) means to fall down or bow down. - In saying, “O come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our God our maker”, the Psalm is calling us to surrender, to give up. - Worship begins at this point of surrender… a holistic, intentional surrendering where we lay ourselves down before God. - Paul says in Rm 12:1, “I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship.”

Our English word, worship, literally means “worth-ship”. - Whether it’s an object, or a person, or even an idea, worshiping is attributing ultimate worth to something. Valuing one thing above all else. - To worship God is to recognize his worth or worthiness; to look God-ward, and to acknowledge in all ways the value of what we see. o The Bible calls this activity "glorifying God" - It really isn’t a matter of whether we will worship, therefore, but what we will worship. o What will we value, esteem, above all other things? o We were all created for worship… it was hard-wired into us… if we don’t worship God, we will no doubt find something else to worship.

David starts by encouraging God’s people to sing, to shout, to extol the Lord with music. - Though there are so many ways we can express our worship to the Lord, it’s interesting that music is still the primary means thru which we can express our praise to God. o We “extol him with music” for 35-40 minutes b/c it seems to be the most profound way for us to tell God how we feel.

o Carol Wimber once said, “Worship is not a vehicle to warm up the congregation for the preacher, or to soften the people up for the offering. Worship comes from Jesus and goes back to Jesus from us. Everything He gives to us… but worship belongs to Him.”