The Universal Invitation to Worship

The Need to be Called to Worship

Psalm 117 opens with an unexpected command…a command to worship.

Look at what the Psalmist writes...

“Praise the Lord…all nations

“Extol him…all people”

Praise=Halal- means to shout…or cheer…to be boastful—it is what you do when your team scores a touchdown to win the game in overtime...

Extol=Shabat- means to congratulate… it is a calling to celebrate and admire…

Praise has to do with Words…Extolling has to do with one’s attitude and actions...

Therefore…when we worship we are called to sing…and express our heartfelt praise to God both interanlly and externally.

We see this all throughout scripture:

Psalm 108:1 (ESV)

My heart is steadfast, O God!

I will sing and make melody with all my being!

Psalm 47:1 (ESV)

Clap your hands, all peoples!

Shout to God with loud songs of joy!

Psalm 95:6 (ESV)

Oh come, let us worship and bow down;

let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

Psalm 134:2 (ESV)

Lift up your hands to the holy place

and bless the Lord!

You see, God desires us to express ourselves in worship…we are called at times to sing loud with joy...to shout in exaltation... to clap in celebration…to bow in adoration…to lift our hands our hands. And in other places in scripture we see that worship sometimes even involves dancing and jumping and running...

Here is the key word…Expression…there should be some sort of Expression in worship.

Some people dont express themselves in worship simply because they dont know that they should…but the scripture models for us time and time again that worship involves expression.

And I want us to be a church that learns how to express ourselves in worship.

But here is what I want you to notice about this passage this morning…look who the audience is...

Psalm 117:1 (ESV)

Praise the Lord, all nations!

Extol him, all peoples!

God calls ALL NATIONS and ALL PEOPLE to praise Him...

Scripture tells the story of how God has broken into history to save a people from Himself so that they might know him and enjoy him forever.

God desires the worship of the nations....his heart is for all people...

God’s kingdom isnt limited to one particular people group, or particular cultures…God calls the nations to worship...

And if God calls the nations to worship....so should we...

So how do we do this?

Missions…

Psalm 117 is a Global Missions anthem…We are to be about the local and global work of calling all people—no matter who they are or where they are from…that they are invited to know God and honor Him...

Romans 15:7 ESV

Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Romans

And here is why: Verse 2

Psalm 117:2 (ESV)

For great is his steadfast love toward us,

and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.

Praise the Lord!

All people are called to worship…not because of who they are…or what they have done…but because of WHO God is and WHAT He has done...

Tim Keller:

This Psalm challenges the narrowness of those who believe “all good people can go to heaven...” whether they believe in Jesus or not. No—this salvation is open to all, even those who have not led a good, moral, and pulled-together life. It is not for those who think they are good enough but for those who know they can be saved only by God’s grace...

God, in Christ Jesus has made salvation possible for all who believe…Jew and Gentile…male and female…slave or free…as he we are told in Galatians.

You see…if we sing and read Psalm 117…it recoils back to us...

We are called to Go…we are called to tell all people and all nations…we are called to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and even the ends of the earth...

Therefore we should be about inviting all people—black and white—rich and poor—good and bad—moral and immoral—to worship God…because God calls all people to worship.

You see…if we sing and read this Psalm…it recoils back to us...

We are called to Go…we are called to tell others about the great and steadfast love of God toward us...

We are called to testify about God’s faithfulness that endures forever...

And so are you doing that?

Are you telling others about Jesus?

Because Jesus is the one whom God sent to put God’s faithful love on display…even toward those that were unlovable...

1 John 4:10 ESV

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Jesus is the one that we sing about…he is the one that we praise…he is the one we extol…because through him we have received God’s faithfulness…and God’s mighty love…

And so we are called to make him known to the nations…and to all people...

The Heart of Worship is the Mission of God...

CT Studd said it well:

“Some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell…I want to run a rescure shop within a yard of hell”

That is what worship looks like…it looks like being about the buisness of invitiing people to know, enjoy, and worship the LORD in and through the person and work of Jesus Christ.

IM GOING TO ASK YOU AGAIN…ARE YOU DOING THAT

When’s the last time you told someone about the faithful love of God for them in Jesus Christ?

Was it this week?

This month?

This Year?

Ever?

Here’s my challenge…this week…Praise the LORD…Extol Him…Glorify Him…by making much of Jesus…everywhere…at work…at school…

But you cant make much of him until you know him yourself...

This morning you can come…you can praise and extol him…you can find his faithful love in Jesus...

But you have to come…and believe…Then go and devote your life to him by making much of him...