Psalm 95

Alright.

Some of you asking, that's different. 1 song.

A little little weird.

That's intentional.

We're gonna... What we're gonna look at today

on the subject of worship, and so I

wanna have more time to sing after

we hear

would psalm 95

says to us about worship.

So the years 2000,

the month is December,

Location is Orlando, Florida. I am 16 years

old,

and I am at the T td Water

House center, which was the big arena

there at the time where the Orlando magic

played, and I'm in line with about 16000

other people and some of my friends

to see

1 of the greatest bands. This world has

ever known

Creed.

K?

Creed

some of you were like, I don't gonna

know who that is.

Before my time. I am old.

Creed was my favorite bands. And at the

time, this was at the height of their

popularity.

Does anyone know the name of their big

song? It's actually kinda made a resurgence in,

like, commercials and Tv shows and stuff higher.

Right? Can you take me higher? And Know

louise line. I mean, everyone knows it. It's

like iconic.

Absolutely iconic. So we go into the arena

they do their set, they get to hire,

which is just at the time a worldwide

hit all over the place.

And it the the band is playing at

like, a hundred and 50 decibels. Like, it

is just

deafening loud.

But the people were so excited there. Everyone's

so excited that you could still hear people

singing over the band, even with that volume,

Just raising their hands in the air, like

use their all,

Yeah. Pumping in their face There's, like, flames

coming from the stage. It was incredible. And

it was 1 of the first times in

my life where I really,

like, truly realize the power of song. And

maybe you've had a experience like that at

a concert.

And what songs

do for people and singing and how and

there's power and melody and and lyric and

how it uses the head. It uses the

heart. It uses

emotion. And as we are in a series

on the book psalms, as Dan said,

last week, psalms are are... They're songs. There's

songs of worship. It's a book of songs.

But but the difference here with the book

of psalms is that it's not songs that

are written by a band, or written by

a really popular

song writer, it's written by the Lord himself.

There songs that are breathed out by him.

It's a book of songs that are the

very word of God.

That it's scripture that express thanksgiving

and praise and declaration and lament and cries

of mercy and words of comfort and hope

and in encouragement and they teach.

And so the psalms, what they should do

for us is they should form and inform

and dictate who we worship, why we worship

and how we worship as it's a book

about worship.

And I wanna start by saying this very

quickly.

And we say this pretty often that worship...

When I say worship, it's all of life.

Right? We understand that. We understand that worship

is not just,

the the part sunday morning where we're saying

or just the service, but worship is everything

you do every day of your life, every

word, every deed, every action every thought, you

are continuously

pouring out of yourself to someone or something

all the time.

Even people that do not believe they're are

not Christians. They worship. They just don't worship

God.

They worship to self.

They worship idol, but worship is all of

life. For the Christian, it means that everything

we do is in glory to god.

But what's solve 95 as we look at

psalm 95, I wanna bring it down to

talk specifically about corporate worship about the gathering.

About what we do here on Sunday mornings

at 09:00,

and 10:45.

And what we're gonna see in Psalm 95,

is is the purpose, the power, and what

we're called to do,

congregation Worship.

And some of you may be asking, like,

what's the big deal?

Why do we even need to go through

this?

Well, the first thing I wanna say to

that is there is so much misunderstanding about

the role of corporate worship

in the church. And I don't mean West

shore, but I mean in the church at

large.

When we look at the advent of worship,

of of worship today that we have these

huge stadium worship concerts and the progression of

worship music industry, which is now a multi

dollar

industry. We see super produced videos and professional

bands that never miss a note.

We see all these different song writers that

are writing a ton of songs we can

be very grateful for. We we sing a

lot of songs from different saw writers. So

we need to be grateful for that, But

here's here's the the the way that I'm

concerned about this. And we're we're going.

We live in a world that is ultra

consumer.

Consume, consume, consume. Next thing, next thing, next

thing. I'm bored of that onto the next

thing. This is a social media age we

live in a technology age that we live

in. And if we're not careful, that's consumer

attitude or view

can very way very very easily make its

way into the church.

It can make a its way into our

hearts.

We can come into this place as just

consumers.

We can come into this place as just...

Okay. I'm tired of that onto the next

thing onto the next thing.

We cannot lose sight of the clearer vision

of what God is calling us to hear

in the sanctuary of the Lord where the

saints gather,

and they lift up songs of praise, songs

of the redeemed that are so much more

than just being consumer.

It's vital for our worship to be rich

in depth and breath

and truth

and to also have a really clear understanding

of what's taking place and what its function

is in our life and in the life

of the church.

And you may still ask, okay. That's nice,

but why does it matter?

Well, in the end it matters because it

matters of the Lord.

100

percent corporate worship. The gathered worship of the

church matters to the Lord.

And we see that because he's written a

whole book about it.

It's all throughout the scripture. It's all throughout

the old testament. It's in the new testament,

and then we see the pictures of heaven

and what is going on in heaven right

now? What's 1 of the main activities that

takes place? It's singing.

It's worship.

And they sing a new song to the

lamb.

And the elves in the saints bowed down

and they they worship.

And so it's something that we're gonna be

doing for eternity and something that is going

on right now in the heaven. So it

is a big deal because it matters to

God.

Let's read Psalm 95 together. We'll have the

words on the screen here

as well if you wanna follow along there

or in your bibles.

And it's says, o come let us sing

to the lord.

Let us make a joyful noise to the

rock of our salvation, let us come into

his presence with Thanksgiving.

Let us make a joyful noise to him

with songs of praise

or the Lord is a great god.

And a great king above all gods.

In his hand or the depths of the

earth, the heights of the mountains are also

his

The sea is his for he made it

and his hands form the dry land.

Oh, come, let us worship and bow down

lettuce Knee before the Lord, our maker 4

he is our God,

and we are the people of his pasture

and the sheep of his hand.

Today, if you hear his voice

do not harden your hearts as at Mari,

as on the day at Mas on the

Wilderness when your father's put me to the

test and put me to the proof though

they had seen my work

for 40 years, I loa that generation and

said there are people who go astra in

their heart and they have not known my

way

Therefore, I swore in my wrath,

they shall not enter my rest.

And so what somebody 5 does for us

today is it's gonna show us what we're

called to do in in corporate worship as

we do it through through singing, God's works

and his worth allowing the very essence of

who he is and his character and attributes

to fuel our worship

that we are to posture ourselves

appropriately, and we come with hearts that are

not

hardened.

And so the first question, I just wanna

tackle very quickly as we say, well, why

why do we worship? Like, why do we

even take the time to do this We

could just say right? The lord

commands it? But like, this new song we've

been singing called his glory and my good?

I love that song. It's my favorites right

now. But that really, I really see that

as the same way for. Why do we

corp... Why do we do corporate worship for

his glory,

and for my good.

What's what I mean by that is for

his glory that when we sing to the

Lord, when we worship him, when we gather,

what we're doing is we're a worth and

glory and honor to god. We're saying there's

no 1 like you, you deserve all the

honor and the praise.

And then our good is because as we're

singing truth, that truth that we're singing is

molding our hearts and our minds.

And we're also

declaring God, ordained

revelation, the revelation of the word and through

his spirit. And then we're responding to his

revelation that he's given us through his word

through Jesus and through his holy spirit.

And then in this glorious purpose that we

have in corporate worship,

what does psalm 95

specifically

call us to

in the church in worship.

Well, the first thing we see is that

we're called to express worship to God through

singing.

It's pretty plain.

Come.

Let us sing to the lord. Let us

make a joyful noise to the rock of

our salvation. Let us come into his presence

with Thanksgiving.

Let us make a joyful noise to him

with songs

of praise. And so the question could be,

maybe you thought about it for why singing?

What do he picks singing. I mean, it's

all over the psalms. It makes a really

big deal about it.

Again, the easy answer could be, well, he

commands it. It's over or hundred references to

singing in the entire bible. There's almost 50

of them being direct commands to sing.

It's psalm 149. Think the Lord New song.

Psalm 100 come into to his presence of

singing. Psalm 01:05,

Psalms 1:5

sing praises to him.

But

Why seeing? Why not something else? He could

picked dancing? That'd be a little weird. He

could've picked painting. He could picked mining. He

could picked just... Let's recite text together,

but he makes it a point to say

sing.

Well,

singing is in general, it's a powerful physical

act that what it does it. It ties

together an individual's mind and heart, and body

and emotion towards some end.

And and that's why I know that some

of you at some point in your life,

you've been in your room. You've been in

your car, by yourself,

you turn your favorite song on, and you

just start belt it out.

1 of the... When I'm my on my

kids, I'm not gonna say, this person's name,

but 1 of my kids just loves to

sing

in the in their room.

And we could just hear it, like, echoing

throughout the entire house. I love it. It's

great.

But I'm sure some of you are the

same way because it as you sing, it

expresses I mean just like, you know, the

the example I use of the concert

that I went to. You know, what we

see is that the the world sings. We

have arenas

every week that are filled with people that

spend tons of money to go see their

favorite band with thousands of other strangers. I

just saw video of cold play, you know,

cold play. They did this festival in England.

There was 200000

people in this field,

singing

their songs. And there's 1 part where they,

like, dropped out, and the Aqua capella sound

was... I it was beautiful,

and it was so loud and the people

were just, like so into it.

Singing does something for an individual.

You know, we even see how it's made

its way into sports if any of you

are Boston Red fox... Red Sox fans. I

do not like their Boston Red sox, but

they sing a song at the end of

the eighth inning, every single game. Does anyone

know what song that is.

Sweet Caroline. Yep, which is written by Neil

Young,

the Neil Younger O'neil Diamond. 1 of them.

1 of the n. Okay. That's great. I

don't know. They're both before my time. I

don't really care.

Now, I'm gonna get angry meals. I'm really

sorry about that.

But they sing this song every game,

and if you've ever watched a Boston Red

sox same ever been to 1, I mean,

you have, like, 8 year olds singing it.

Oh good. So good. You know,

everyone's, like, pumping in their fist and and

they're at a baseball game. And yet people

are like, alright. Time I'm single let's do

this

We are made as physical beings to sing.

There's also been a ton of studies done

on singing what it does to a brain,

especially when it comes to memory,

ability that singing uses all parts of the

brain at once. And because you are working

certain parts of the brain which don't get

exercised by many other activities. You actually can

end up rebuilding neural pathways in your brain.

So it it like, repairs the brain and

and, like, activates it and energizes it. Perhaps

you're like, I know some people in my

life and need to sing more. And shouldn't

encourage them.

No. But in all seriousness.

There's patients that, you know, have dementia I've

seen these videos are all.

Alzheimer's that...

They're phasing. They they can't speak. They're mostly

nonverbal.

They just, like, sit, not move

much or say anything. You know and they

put songs on from their childhood from from

their adulthood when they're were younger, and they

wake up,

and they sing the songs and they start

talking about, oh, I remember when my wife

did this or my my husband, we danced

to this at this and it it's incredible.

It it's truly go to Youtube and watch

these video. I mean, it's it's really incredible.

And so, you know, even singing is something

that a young child can do.

Like a 2 year old can start. Even

a 1 year rule can start, you know,

humming mel.

We... It's like ingrained in us, just as

human beings.

Not only is it ingrained in us just

as human beings, but when we sing we're

actually reflecting and em

our god?

It says F and I 3 that god

ex over us with loud

singing. I love that. I love that. It

just just say quiet singing,

subdued singing,

loud singing. Our God is a loud singer.

And so when we sing loudly, we're just

reflecting his character.

We've seen Matthew 26 Mark 14 that Jesus

sings Him with disciples after last summer, and

everyone knows that he's saying, how great the

art. That's wrong. I was written in 18

85, but some people do.

And so singing just has so much power

for all human beings, but what does singing

specifically accomplished for us in corporate worship. When

we come together and we spend the time

that we do just saying like, what's

actually taking place. And Paul in C 03:16,

he gives us he gives us just outlines

for us what it's doing and what it's

supposed to be doing. And so this is

what he says.

Let the word of Christ

dwell in you Rich ritual. K. We can

all agree. That would be good.

Teaching and ad 1 another in all wisdom,

how

singing psalms and h and spiritual songs with

thankful in your hearts

to god.

I mean, here's the reality of it.

Many people don't leave services with sentences from...

The sermon reciting in their head Like, if

you ever gone home and you're reciting like

paragraphs,

maybe you have an incredible memory. As the

week goes on, it gets fuzz,

and fuzz. Maybe you're gonna left or if

you're like, I gotta pull up my nose

because what do we even talk about? What

was the scripture? Now you may remember an

illustration or a story

or a certain point or or, you know,

just something that really stuck with you, but

you don't leave with just lines and lines.

Of the sermon in your head?

You do leave with Lyric and Melody?

How many times have you caught yourself?

What's that song are you're humming it? Or

you're in the kitchen, you're singing Worship song,

You don't even realize you're doing it. My

my youngest matthew. He he does that all

the time. We have a lot of worship

music in our house and in our car.

And he'll just be playing with legos, and

he's just singing a worship song.

Just singing all the time. Mike guess what

he does. And I love because he's declaring

truth to us in our house And again,

I'm not sure if he knows consciously that

that he's doing it.

And so

Paul knows this. He knows that the power

of singing that that there that singing is

a powerful p

device, which is a memory

technique. That what it does when we sing

is it helps us to memorize the word

of God, the truth of who god is,

the story of of the gospel.

And Paul wants the word of Christ is

truth to be dug down deep in our

hearts

because when that happens,

we're influenced by that truth. We're changed by

it. We're held to account by it.

Truth molds you

and singing is a powerful way for what

is contained in the text that we're sending

to be ingrained in our hearts in our

minds. And God has used song in this

way from very early on. We see in

d 31,

where he speaks Sam Moses and is what

he says. And he says, no, therefore, write

this song and teach it to the peoples

of Israel,

put it in their mouth, that this song

may be a witness for me against the

people of Israel. And when many evils and

troubles have come upon them, this song shall

confront them as a witness.

For it will live forgotten in the mouths

of their

offspring.

And so what God is saying to Moses

is, hey, teach this song to the people.

And it's gonna be a witness about who

I am, what I've done. And this song

is gonna be passed on from generation to

generation to generation, and they're gonna remember who

god is. And for the same way for

us, as songs that we sing can be

a witness reminding us, who got us even

in the hardest of times, when when evils

and troubles sale us, you know, 1 of

my favorite worship songs is in Christ alone.

Right? It's an old older 1 older 1,

but it's so good. Verse 1, this is

a song that when I sing it, I

mean, It is a witness to me that

Jesus is my cornerstone. So we have

the lyrics here. So I want us to

read these lyrics together.

In christ alone,

my hope is found.

He is my light, my strength, my song.

This cornerstone,

this solid ground,

firm to the fiercest drought and storm,

but heights of love

with depths of peace

when fears are still when striving sees

might come twitter, my all in all

here in the love of Christ I stand.

It's great.

But when you add melody to it,

It comes alive. It comes alive in our

in our motion and in our hearts and

it sticks

in our brains even more

it'd be really hard for you just to

recite the lyrics off the top of your

head, but when we add Melody something else

happens. So we're gonna sing this together, Aqua

capella, and I want us to really pay

attention even how the how the melody how

horizon is... I know a little weird. We're

gonna do it It's gonna be great.

How the melody rises falls and really gives

like feeling

to what we're saying

in Christ

alone

my hope is found.

He is my light. My strength,

my song,

this cornerstone,

and this solid

ground,

firm through the fiercest.

Throw

then it comes a high note. What to

hide some

what depths of peace.

When fears are stew,

when striving

sees,

my comfort fe,

my all in all,

here in the love of christ.

I stand

that'll preach,

and it sounds beautiful. Let's get a bus.

But when we added Melody to, I noticed,

like, I didn't need to remind you of

the melody.

I need to say, hey guys. This is

how it goes. Mh. Like it already triggered

in your brain.

I didn't have to really lead you much

on the meter or the Rhyme scheme or

anything. You knew it.

Because it's it's saturated in your brain and

your heart. And then we sing it. I

could see it, like, some of you were

like, yes.

Yes. I feel it I know and I

believe it.

That's what singing does.

Also Paul talks about another aspect of, of

the power of singing.

He says let the word of Christ, Rich

ritual,

teaching who,

1 another.

And in 1 another, how by singing?

And so we have this... These 2 aspects

this double edged sword of singing which is

incredible. That we're singing vertically to the lord.

We're giving him moderation. We're giving him praise.

We're lifting his name high.

We're also declaring to our hearts, who got

is but then we're singing to 1 another.

We're teaching 1 another. You're telling your brother

and your sister to your left, to your

right, the ones in front of you behind

you all around you. In Christ alone my

hope is found,

and it really is a beautiful and powerful

thing. So I want us to do

something else. G has paid at all. Everyone

knows you has paid at all, Chorus and

bridge.

I want you to close your eyes.

And as we're gonna a sing this together,

A capella.

I want you to listen to those around

you as if they're telling you this, because

they are.

And I want you to sing it that

you're telling and reminding your brother and sister

that g has paid at. Let's close your

horizons let's do it.

Jesus

paid

all

all

to him. I owe.

Sin

had left a crimson

stain

He

was

it wide ass. No. Praise the 1. And

no praise the 1

who

pain my hair

and

raise this alive

up

from the 1 more time. Oh

praise the 1

who

in my dead

and

raise this life

of

You come and feeling condemned.

You need to hear that from your brother

and your sister reminding you.

You come and feeling the weight

of your sin.

Perhaps you've come in on a Sunday morning,

and you are so battered from the week

because you have a sin in your life

that has taken hold. And you feel

condemnation and guilt and shame, and you physically

can't even sing those words.

You have your brother and your sister

all around you, reminding you Jesus

paid it all.

Sin had left a Crimson saying yes, That

was a problem but he washed it white

a snow.

So praised the 1 who paid your debt

and raised

your life.

From death.

So your voice is needed.

Your voice is needed.

Your brothers and your sisters there's room need

to hear that truth. It's like a good

friend. When you're having a hard time or

in life, just reminding you of amazing truth

to get you back

envision behold the Lord to comfort you to

lift you up.

It's the same way.

And so there's are some questions that come,

I think pretty easily from

singing. Okay? The first 1, I think some

people can ask and you may have his

question is, well, what if I'm not a

good singer.

Get over it. No. I'm just kidding.

Here's the thing. If skill and ability were

a precursor to worship, we would see that.

Right?

It it doesn't say anywhere

if you've auditioned with the worship pastor at

your church, and he said it's okay for

you just saying thing or if you went

to school and got a music degree or

you made it to the fifth round American

Idol, None of that. Right? None of that.

It says make a joyful noise

noise. The word noise. Right? My lawn mower

makes a noise. It's not great.

The racing track over here makes a noise

that I hear

many times at night.

It ain't great. I don't like it. Sorry.

And so for you, you may have

a terrible pitch.

You may not be able to sing and

tune at all.

It doesn't matter.

Sing.

Because here's the truth of it is that

your voice has been redeemed by the king.

The Lord

desires that you sing, and Again, doesn't matter

your ability. When you sing to him in

worship, he receives it as a sweet offering.

He loves to hear that sound and we

love to.

Now, everyone in here sounds like they're really

good singer probably would all make the worship

team if you auditioned.

I'm kidding. So don't... Unless you're really sure

But all that to say is that the

songs was redeemed to the father from a

heart from a true pure heart of worship.

Is we to him. He loves it. He

desires it. So no matter your skill,

sing.

The second question that someone may have is

that well would if singing is just not

my thing.

Like I don't even like to do it

and my free time,

which I know there's a band, I know

each of you have a song and when

it comes on, guessing it. But anyway, Bob

Ko is he's a pastor, and he's a

writer, a song writer and a a book

an author

writes a lot on worship,

worship issues. He he had poses a question

this way. He says the real question is

not

do you have a voice?

The real question is do you have a

song to sing?

And the answer is yes.

Yes, if you have been redeemed by the

Lord, You have the song of the lamb

in your voice.

You have the song of the redeemed in

your mouth.

You have a song to declares that I

used to be in bondage to sin. I

used to be headed towards hell, but Jesus

has saved me.

And now I'm a new creation, and I'm

am a child of God. That is a

song to sing.

So sing it.

Sing with passion,

make a joyful noise.

Your brothers and sisters need it, the Lord

loves

Second thing we see that we're called to

do in this psalm.

We are called to have our worship fueled

and informed

by who god is and what He's done.

And so coming right out of this invitation

to saying right? Come sing assume verse 1

of verse 2. Goes to verse 3.

4,

the Lord. I wanna stop there real quickly.

That 4 is basically saying, oh, come sing

to the Lord because?

Because what?

Because the Lord is a great God and

a great king of above all God. Right

there. I should be stopped right there.

Reason, but he keeps going. And he paint...

Gives us his picture. In his hand or

the depths of the earth, the heights of

the mountain his Also the sea is his

for he made it and his hands formed

the dry land. He's saying the qualifier

for the call to sing is that you're

singing not just to anyone. You're singing to

the god of the universe who created all

things

who has all power, and majesty

and h and purity,

and it's so powerful that that the mountains

he he carved it with his hands. Another

part of the Psalm say, that the mountains

melt like wax before him.

So last summer, my family and I were

able to go on Sa vatican, and 1

of the places that we went to was

like, a bucket list place for me, which

was Scotland. We got to go to Scotland.

Went this area of Scotland the northwest in

the highlands called the Isle of Sky. Highly

recommend you go there if you ever have

the chance to. And in the olive of

Sky, it's just some of the most beautiful

and awe all inspiring

vista that you've ever seen. When this area

called the quarry, and the quarry was where

this giant landslide happened a long, long time

ago? And so we drive all the way

up, whether, again, there's no Scottish word for

Ban or or railing like nothing. So you

mean you're hanging off the road, we get

all to the top of it. We park,

we walk out and we had this clearing

and it just shows us this picture.

And this view was the most stunning view

I've ever seen in my life.

The picture doesn't do justice. III really feels

like, I mean we were there. I was

like, expecting a dragon to come, like, flying

over the the mountains and, like, Gandalf off

to come out of somewhere. And

but when we walked up there, we were

just we were just completely inspired.

And the only thing that we could do

was worship. And so I pulled out my

phone, and I looked up some psalms, and

I read Psalm 95. Was actually 1 of

that I read, and I said to my

family, I said I want you to look

out, and I want you to hear these

words.

The Lord

made these mountain.

The heights of the mountains are his,

the depths of the earth he has in

the palm of his hand.

The earth is 4000 miles deep. The most

that we've ever done and dog in human

human beings is 8 miles. We got ways

to go. He's the depths of the earth

in his hands.

He crafted this perfectly.

And I understand that, you know, You'd be

like, yeah, that's easy. Like, you probably have

had a situation life where you've been in

a a gorgeous view of Vista, and it

makes you wanna worship the Lord in creation.

And we may not have this view here

in this closed room. But what we do

have is an even more dazzling view than

that 1. And that is the view of

the grace and mercy of God in Jesus

Christ.

That when we contemplate

the gospel. It is the most beautiful and

incredible

vista of God's love than anyone could ever

see.

And Psalm continues when he says in the

psalm,

for he is our God,

and we are the people of his pasture

and the sheep of his hand.

And so he's using the imagery of the

shepherd, who's the great shepherd of our souls?

Jesus christ.

How are we the people of God's pasture

only because of what Jesus has done.

And so we have to allow? We have

to view the gospel and let it fuel

our worship because in the gospel, and this

reason why we have so many songs that

we sing about the gospel. We're never not

gonna not sing about the, we're gonna sing

about it every single week. Because in the

gospel, in Jesus, we see the pen ultimate

work of God.

We see the perfect view of who our

God is in Jesus and in his work

on the cross. And when we truly

see what we have been saved from and

what God has done. What Jesus has done

on the cross. There's no other

response than to worship.

Thank you, Lord.

It humble,

and it fuels us, and should be our

motivation

It should dictate our songs.

And this section of the song really shows

a like, how vital it is

that the songs that we sing or even

seeing the worship songs are you sing on

your own time and your cars, with your

family that they accurately describe who god is

and what his works are.

When we rely on just how it sounds,

style,

or preference, or maybe even the voice of

a singer, what can end up happening is

that we replace

good truth

with good music.

You could say, well, like this worship someone

because the way it sounds. Meanwhile, the song

is full of.

Shallow lyrics,

we have to start with good truth first.

When music second.

Because this is why songs

shape what you think and believe about God,

whether you know it or not.

Whether you like it or not. They're shaping

you. They're shaping us.

It's a serious matter so we should use

discernment

And as we come in here on Sunday

mornings, what this should be is a feast

in worship. A feast of truth and the

real question is not do we wanna sing,

but what should we sing?

What do we need to sing?

And the gospel is 1 of those things.

We should desire depth

and richness and christ's centered,

and then the word of God is the

ultimate anchor, and accountability partner for making sure

that what we're singing is accurate is clear,

is good is rich and it's gonna serve

our church.

And once again, do that in your own

life. Pay attention to the words of the

songs that you're listening to, the worship songs.

See what it says about the Lord. Weigh

it against the word of god.

The third point we see here in psalm

if I will recall to is that we

are called to give our all,

including our posture to God in worship.

In verse 6,

0 come, let us worship and bed down,

let us knee before the Lord, our maker

for he's our god and we're the people

of his pasture

and the sheep of his hand.

And so right right right from here, he

moves from singing to saying, okay, why do

we say? Because he's a great king, and

then he moves to the physical expressive ness

that he has, where he used a lot

of exclamation points here. I'm not a big

fan of emails that have a live exclamation

points. I think it's kinda weird, but. The

scripture. It's okay.

But what he's saying is I'm so excited

like, the Lord is so great. What am

I gonna do? I'm gonna knee before him.

I'm gonna bow before him. You see worship

is not meant to be just a cold

academic

wrote

dry exercise, but it's every part of our

being, it's mind and heart, thought and emotion.

It's our the physical bodies that we have.

Now, I wanna say heart matters first. Yes,

and we'll get to the heart as Psalm

95 talks about it. But right heart posture

in worship. What it should do is it

should lead to an overflow a physical posture

in worship.

And what we see here is that he's

specifically mentioning bow and knee. And I don't

want us to get fixated on the

specific acts that he's talking about here. I

want us look at the bigger implications of

this.

If if...

You think about someone in your life that

you really respect.

You wanna meet. I'm sure if someone in

your life that man, If I could meet

this 1 person, it might be an author,

might be a singer. It might be an

athlete

whoever it is. You have that person in

mind.

If they walked in here,

and they came up to meet you, how

would your posture be?

Would you be like s over, not really

paying attention or staring at the ground, looking

bored or, like, now, whatever. No. You'd be

like, oh my gosh. So nice to meet

you. Let me shake your hand.

You'd be like, up at attention, you'd be

having a smile just beam on your face

You wanna get a picture with them and

you post it on Social media, Look I

met.

Now compare that with who we get to

meet every every single Sunday here.

Someone that is more famous,

more glorious,

more power pull than any celebrity than any

person that you respect in any preacher, any

author. It's the living God.

He is here in this place.

And so I ask you,

what is your posture

before the lord?

What is your posture like in his presence?

Is it boredom?

Is it let?

Is it ind?

The psalm can't help himself in presence of

the lord.

And so he says bow down,

Knee before him.

Because here to here's the thing about physical

expression is that I think the way that

we think about this, this is a tough

touchy subject. Like, I get it. IIII

understand. Right? And we never wanna do anything

comp, which I'm gonna talk about her in

a sec.

But I think the way we think about

physical physical expression in worship is more about

our our culture,

and tradition, and preference

or temperament over them what the word of

God models for us.

And this is an area that honestly, I

grow for

growth in our church.

Again, not out of comp, but out of

a joyful heart that overflows to the physical.

Second Corinthians 9 7, Paul's talking more about

giving of of of your resources and money,

but he says each 1 must give as

he has decided in his heart,

not reluctant or under a comp

for God loves a cheerful give. And I

think that we can

relate this to what we're talking about here.

And that when we come, we should be

the most cheerful give, giving an over abundance

of our ourself in worship to the Lord.

And physical expression in worship is as we

see here, it's a hundred percent

biblical

We see it over and over and over

again in the psalms, whether it be raising

of hands, clapping, bow, lying

pros straight, dancing,

jumping

And physical expression also has meaning.

It it's not just an empty fl around

or it's something we do because of church

culture or something that's just reserved for for

charismatic, but there is a biblical precedent

behind it. And also there's intentional behind it.

That we're not ever doing anything,

just not even understanding what we're doing. Like,

when we raise our hands, what is that

saying?

What we're saying is I am fully dependent

on you lord.

I look to you as my god as

my king. Now I see it as like

a child, like, lifting up their hands their

dad saying pick me up.

If we bow or Neil,

it's an act reverence or submission to to

the Lord or to an authority.

Clapping is a physical way of giving a

applause. The lord saying you deserve all the

honor and the attention.

And when we talk about

physical expressive is, some things that I hear

because there are obstacles. I, again, I I

get it. The first 1 is, I hear

people say, I'm not that type person.

It's just not

my personality, I'm kind of introverted.

Just not very expressive in general.

Well, I would ask you why not? In

the in in this context.

Why not? And I don't see it anywhere

saying, lift up your hands. If you feel

like it,

I it's encouraging us. Yes. So I would

challenge I would challenge you there. The same

way that I would challenge on on singing

if you don't think it's not my thing.

The second 1 is 1 I think hear

the most is I'm worried about what others

think.

I'm worried that others are looking at. I

remember really

having a hang up with this when I

was in middle school,

thinking that everyone in the room was looking

at George Men,

a 14 year old,

13 year old look, don't know what Asia

was in medical. But anyway,

it was so silly.

And it's the same way here no 1

is looking at you.

Everyone's focused on what hopefully, what we're singing

about.

The third thing I hear is I don't

wanna be distraction others. That's the furthest thing

from the truth. You're actually an encouragement.

Your physical expressive is an encouragement.

So be free in that.

And I don't say all of this. Once

again, I don't say all of this because

it's just super cool

To have a church. It's really expressive, lifting

up their hands or it validates

the worship in some way, or, you know,

it's it's a required part.

Of the of the Christian life,

but it's because I want us to have

a robust understanding of biblical congregation worship and

we see it here in a somme.

So it's here, we have to deal with

it. We have to think about it. We

have to talk about it.

When in the end, here here's what my

desire is there's just freedom in this room.

There's freedom

to be

just again, once to have over abundance of

joy.

Freedom that if the spirit moves you to

that you would,

be physically expressive and worship knowing again, intentionally

what you're doing and what you're communicating

when you do it.

So then moving on,

last thing we see here.

We are called to worship God without a

hardness of heart. And so

After the the this whole

heart on worship, and it's very joyous. Right?

Again, a lot of exclamation points sing to

the Lord. He he's a great king where

the people's is pasture, it kinda turns and

it the song kinda ends in like a

downer note, but it's a warning, and it's

a warning that we need to hear.

Today, if you hear his voice, do not

harden your hearts as at Mari as on

the day at Masa and the wilderness. When

your father's put me to the test and

put me to the proof

though they had seen my work.

For 40 years, I loa that generation and

said there are people who go stray their

heart

and they have not known my ways.

Therefore, I swore in my wrath. They shall

not enter my rest. Those are some strong

words.

It's a strong warning warning. So what is

he referencing? He says Mari and Masa. What

he's talking about? Are these 2 areas in

exodus 17?

Back when Moses led the Israelites from slavery

in egyptians. He part of the red sea,

brought them out into the wilderness as God

had promised them a promised land where they

would have a nation and a kingdom. He

promised them protection. He he came in AAAA

cloud of glory. He gave the 10 commandments,

all this stuff. All these incredible things. Right?

That they saw it with their own eyes.

Masks are 2 areas where they came, and

they were they were done.

Their patients had run out. And so they

actually started gru complaining and said, hey, maybe

we should stone Moses. That sounds like a

great idea.

And they go to Moses and they say,

did you bring us out here to kill

us?

Like, what's going on? We need water.

We need food. He rebuke them

and says how could you question the Lord?

How could you question your god who's done

these amazing works. Who's brought you out of

slavery and has promised to a future and

you're complaining, and then they doubled down, and

they say, okay, is God with us or

not?

And so the Soul is referencing this. Where

God is saying that they they tested him.

They tested his patience.

For 40 years, I loa that generation. They

became hard in their hearts, they'd had forgotten

the blessings of God and said just moved

to complaining and ended up with full blown

idol tree and worshiping of idol.

And what what was the the whole result

of that? They shall not

enter my rest.

And so you may be asking, like, how

does that

relate to us today.

And I think when we hear that, we

can kind of

have a self righteous attitude about it, Like,

that's so silly I was there? I wouldn't

be like that.

But I ask you, how often

do we gru?

How often do we complain?

About ridiculous things.

How often do we question the Lord?

Question his will.

Question his dream for alive.

If we do that,

what will happen is we will have hardened

hearts

will be bitter.

And again, the promises is that we will

not have rest.

And this applies to congregation worship, but also

applies to our everyday life. Every day.

And it will also stunt and interfere

our worship.

And I think about some things like water

some specific things that can harden our hearts

and the

3 things that came to me.

First is that if we come in here

and again, be for all of life. If

we come in here with hidden, un confessed

or un repentance sin, it will harden your

heart.

If you have idol in the closet that

you've been hiding.

If you have activities that you've been doing

that you know

is is

will

disobedience.

And you have not confessed them. You have

not repent your heart will be hard.

The gospel

will seem boring to you.

You won't be affected

you just go through life lack of,

spiritually just kind of floating.

So if that's you,

the solution to that is to confess,

repent and he's always faithful to forgive.

Because when that happened, the weight gonna come

off

and in your life

in corporate worship, it will be rest.

It will be healing.

The second thing. I think that can harden

our hearts and worship

is that we can have overly critical spirits

that that place musical preference

above truth that is being sung. And there's

this phrase called the worship wars. And and

people talk about the worship wars at that

people from different age groups and churches and

denomination. They argued and argued and argued about

style about preference, so badly in some churches

that churches literally

split because of musical style preference.

And that's

sad in the end. And honestly, that phrase,

III despise that phrase.

Harold Best is it this way that the

only

worship war. The only true worship where there

is

is 1 between God and Satan.

Is 1 between true worship and idol tree

is only between the spirit and the flesh.

Not in preference, not in style, not in

vehicle, not in lit, not in, you know,

song choices of what I like and what

I don't like.

Now, in all that, we need to have

an intentional and careful approach understanding context, and

the understanding what's wise and what's good with

style and all that. But if we elevate

the gift of music. If we elevate that

above the give, everything's gonna be out of

whack.

If we come in here and we say,

well I can only worship if it's this

way. What you're doing is you're making god's,

presence dependent on your own preference.

Once again, a very dangerous place to be.

So I would say

We need to come in here always on

Guard for that. Again, it goes back to

that, I think consumer.

Attitude

and have our heart softened and be

the influenced and changed

and affected by the truth by the text,

not just the vehicle or style of it,

music style and all that. They're not they're

not the means or the ends.

God is the means of our worship, and

he's also the end of our worship.

The third thing that can harden our hearts.

This is a tough 1.

Is when we allow the challenges of a

life to loom larger than the blessings

of God.

And and I understand that, in this world,

we have suffering.

We have persecution. We have hardship.

We have death we have really hard things

that we come against.

And there can be times of sadness

times of lament,

times are crying out from mercy.

Times have even asking God why. We see

that in the homes.

David asked why God. You see it in

Joe, why God? Why am I suffering this

way?

But notice something

about all these godly men in the word

of God? When they

come against something that that is just so

horrific in their life.

It may be a why God. It may

be asking it may be wondering what's going

on, but they always end up in the

same place,

worship.

Pray,

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away,

blessed be the name of the Lord.

No matter what season. Bless it's be the

name of the Lord.

And so what can happen in our hearts,

it can be hardened is if we come

in here with with the cares of life

and with really tough things are going through

and they loom larger than the faithfulness of

God, than the power of God, than the

deliverance of God, than the gospel, our hearts

will be bitter. Our hearts will be hard.

Our hearts will be cold.

So we never wanna just kind of push

suffering to the side. But at the same

time, we have to really watch,

are we allowing

the troubles of this world to be bigger

than who our God is because God is

so much bigger than anything that we go

through.

And his promise is that he always with

us

and he's sovereign everything

and And then as we sing,

as we sing

declarations

and songs of and songs of thanksgiving

once again that this is a time of

healing.

It's a time of rest,

of comfort of repentance

where sadness is replaced with joy.

We're having is treated for hope where restless

becomes a peace

of god.

Truth that we declare and we sing that

is the name of Jesus.

That declares that he is the 1 who

loves the sinner

that he forgive the ini of the repent

that we sing that the world is nothing

compared to the far

surpassing glory and majesty of our god,

that we are people who have been bought

by the blood of Christ.

And that we are made alive because the

resurrection of Jesus and we have a promised

future in heaven and that our God rains

over all.

That's what we wanted to declare.

That's what we want to sink deep and

dwell deep the word of Christ in our

hearts and we're sing.

And so as we conclude here,

our times of worship as a gathered church,

I hope that you come expect.

I hope that you come ready.

I hope that you come

cited for what the Lord's gonna do. For

what your neighbor is gonna tell you through

song. But the the opportunity that you get

to speak truth to those around you,

giving saturation to the Lord. But it's more

than just a 1 off experience

or just an emotional high or just an

opportunity to take some music in and sing

some nice songs,

but rather what we get to do every

day morning. It is a unique

and powerful opportunity where the bride of Christ,

the church, we behold god together.

We get to tell our hearts and each

other the riches and the gl of Christ

to have our affection heightened for him. Our

love increase

for our God.

And when that happens that there's actual spiritual

growth that takes

place

that there's

transformation And as we behold God of the

worship that once again, we are made into

the very image of the 1 that we

are looking at and we are singing about.

So I'm gonna ask the worship team to

come up now. I wanna close with this

quote from the author Harold Best who I

referenced

earlier.

And he writes this about the gathering. It's

love how he says it.

We gather

as the body of christ his bride

and our continuing worship turns into a gathered

feast.

We understand that the power and experience that

comes from true worship it rises above the

every day in the profane.

We gather to learn of the entire council

of god through the structures and lit we

divide.

We gather as 1 body,

young and old,

feeble and strong,

rich and poor,

un divided by the little things of life

like style and music.

We gather around the unifying power of the

word and bring our archaic praise to the

king of kings

and Lord of Lords.

That's what we endeavor to do.

We're gonna take some now time now to

sing. The practice with Psalm 95

taught us today, and I would just encourage

you

the things that that we talked about that

as we're seeing at the word of Christ

would tell that you would relate pay special,

close attention to what you are singing.

To what you're singing about to who you're

singing to.

And once again that you are singing to

each other in this room to encourage

and build up and ex.

We need your voice, the lord loves to

hear your voice. Let me pray, no more

worship.

Where we thank you for the blessed call

of

the corporate gathering of the song of the

redeem, we thank you.

That you hear our praises

that you give us direction,

but also in just the power and the

purpose and the calling if there is to

worship you.

As we know that when we sing your

truth, it's it's reminding us of who you

are, it's telling us of the gospel once

again.

And when that happens, our doubts fade,

faith rises.

Peace takes over.

And I pray that you'd receive our songs

as a sweet sweet offering.

You desire to hear your children sing.

And so we join the heavens.

Help us to worship you rightly

with pure hearts that are not hardened,

ib bitterness

or sin,

but hearts that are softened to who you

are and what you've called us to be

and to do.

But be glorified.

In your holy name you pray.

Amen.

And amen, let's stand and sing.