A Call to Worship

Psalm 95

Worship should be Expressed through...

Rejoicing

The Way We Rejoice

Psalm 95:1-2

Football game analogy - I often wondered why I don’t shout and rejoice for the victories in my life and others lives, the way I do at the football game.

Why We Rejoice

Psalm 95:3

We should rejoice in the Lord because He alone is the great God! He alone is the great King who is greater than any gods that man could ever have or even imagine!

Psalm 95:4

God’s greatness is pictured as Him having the whole world in His hand. This is what is meant by the depths of the earth, and the peaks of the mountains.

Psalm 95:5

Not only does He hold the whole world in His hand, His hands have created that world. David refers to God has the maker of the seas and land as well. David teaches us that our worship should be expressed through rejoicing and thanksgiving that we get to know the God of the universe who has given us salvation. We should be thankful that he made us, and gave us a way to eternal life, through His Son Jesus Christ. And that He is ultimately in control of all things!!!

So, why do we worry so much? Why are we worrying if we know this God?!

Philippians 4:4–7 NASB95

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

“Worry is Worship Misdirected”

Reverence

Psalm 95:6-7a

The Way We Show Reverence

Psalm 95:6

Humbling ourselves by bowing down and kneeling before the Lord. The Hebrew word for worship David uses here means to “prostrate oneself.” Showing the humbleness and reverence to God.

“Noblemen were gathered together in London waiting for the King of Great Britain. They all knew him personally, yet they all honored him as their king. When he entered, they stood solemnly to their feet. “Take you seats, gentlemen,” he said, “I count you as my personal friends.” And then joking he added, “I am not the Lord, you know!” Immediately one of the noblemen, a Christian, said, “No, sir, if you were our Lord, we would not have stood to our feet; we would have fallen to our knees.”

We should realize when we worship God that we are in the presence of the sovereign King of the universe and this should humble us in a way that it affects our actions.

Why We Should Show Reverence

Psalm 95:7

The powerful truth that the great God that just spoke is OUR GOD!

Secondly, David describes us as “the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.” God is described as shepherd who looks after his flock with great care.

Have you noticed what word has been being used in Scripture? Check out the word “hand”.

The God who made the universe with his hands and then can hold that universe in those hands, is the same God here that is gentle enough to hold you in His hand.

John 10:27–29 NASB95

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

This is further reason why we should worship with reverence.

Obedience

Psalm 95:7b

David stresses the importance listening and obeying the LORD’s voice.

“Hear” - listen, pay attention to , heed, obey. So if we really are rejoicing in the Lord and showing humble reverence to Him, won’t we also want heed His voice?

One author has written, “Worship begins with listening rather than speaking, still less singing or shouting. It requires listening to God as he speaks to us in his Word. Worship must be based on the preaching of the Word of Go. First, we must hear God’s Word. Second, we must obey it. Only then can we praise God joyfully for what we have heard.”

We must not harden our hearts. Psalm 95:8

David references two names in this verse deliberately that refer to a very known event in Israel’s history:

Exodus 17:1-7

It was hardheartedness that prevented the whole generation of Israelites from entering the promised land of Canaan. Their faith was tested. They failed. David knew that the Israelites of his day would also be tested, so he warned them that having a worshipful heart would help prevent having a hard heart. But, David also made it clear as well as to prevent a hard heart was to obey the voice of God. We cannot genuinely worship God and NOT obey Him! IT won’t work!

So when we worship, it should be expressed through REJOICING, REVERENCE, AND OBEDIENCE.

What ways can you enter into God’s rest through praising and worship?