Please take out your sermon notes where you will find Psalm 95.  We’re going to read this Psalm out loud together.

Psalm 95 is one of a number Psalms that were sung by God’s people as they went together up the hill to the Temple in Jerusalem.  As they walked they would sing this Psalm as a way to focus on God and to prepare their hearts for worship. 

This being Thanksgiving Sunday - we’re worshipping and giving thanks and praising God - I’d like to share Psalm 95 with you - to help us focus our hearts on God - to think about who He is - to think about our worship of Him.  And not just today.  But to give us something to think about during this coming Thanksgiving Week.  So, we’re going to read this psalm out loud together and then come back and make some observation. 

As we do this imagine yourself - with a group of worshippers - walking up the hill to the Temple.  We don’t have a lot of hills around here so imagine we’re heading up to Yosemite to be in God’s presence.  And we need to stand.  We can’t ascend to Yosemite on cushy teal colored chairs.

The first part of this psalm is A Call To Joy.  Joy in the presence of God.

Last week the Rolling Stones were in San Francisco giving a series of concerts out at SBC park.  It was so loud that people from other parts of the city called to complain about the noise.  Wouldn’t you love it if people called here on a Sunday morning?  “You guys are worshipping too loud.  I’m calling the police.”

That’s what David’s describing here.  Not following an order of service - standing or sitting only when instructed to do so - going through the motions afraid we might some how mess up and do the wrong thing.  David writes about joy - joy that wells up within us and explodes in praise and thanksgiving. 

Try something with me.  Everyone stand up again.  We’re all goin’ to eat a lot later so this ‘ll be good exercise for us.  Try this with me - first over here.  “We love God.  Yes, we do.  We love God.  How ‘bout you?”  Okay.  This side.  “We love God.  Yes, we do.  We love God.  How ‘bout you?” 

Worship of God should bring us out of our seats.  Singing - praying - applause - shouting - body language that expresses what’s going on in our heart.  God is the rock - the strength and foundation of our lives - the whole reason we’re saved and here to worship Him. 

Verse 3:  For the Lord is a great God - a great King - He’s above all other gods.  In God’s hands are depths of the earth.  The highest mountains are His.  He made the sea.  Its His.  He formed the dry land.  What’s left?  That covers it all - depths - heights - breadth.  Its all God’s.

I read this poem in one of Ray Stedman’s sermons.  Listen to the attitude of man.

We need to get refocused on what David says here.  Behind all the things we create for ourselves - little idols of stone and wood - silicon and metal - the things we hang onto - behind it all is God.  God who created it all - possesses it all - is greater than all of what we see around us.  We’re not left alone here to somehow muddle through.  The sovereign God is with us.

The second part of Psalm 5 - begins in verse 6.  It’s A Call To Humility.  To bow together before God.

Verse 6:

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.

Shouting and singing have their place.  But there are also times when we need to be still and humble before God.  Both are needed in worship.

Notice here that David moves from “a God” - “a great King”  in verse 3 to “Our maker” - “Our God.”  here in verses 6 and 7.  His emphasis is on community.  We’re going up to the Temple together to worship Him. 

We often get caught up in the Red Neck version of Christianity.  Gun racks in the cabs of our Chevy Pickups with Bambi’s antlers mounted on the hood.  Kind of a rugged individualist Christianity.  We invite Jesus into our hearts to be our “personal Savior.”  Which He is.  But too often Christians view the church as a place to plug into when it meets our needs as we go on living our lives.  We don’t really need each other.

But Christians are not called upon to be Red Necks - rugged individualists.  We need to be here for each other.  To live our lives together before God.

God is Ted’s God.  He’s Sheila’s God - Dave’s God - Travis’ God - Ascela’s God.  He’s created us - as individuals and as a community.  Our Maker - He’s made us to be who we are.  He’s brought us together.  We’re His sheep.  This is His pasture.  We  - as a community - as a herd - belong to Him.  Say this with me, “He’s our God.”

The application of that truth begins in verse 7:  Today - not tomorrow or next week - today.  There’s urgency here.  God our Maker is speaking.  Today, if you would hear His voice.

What does 2 Timothy 3:16 say?  “All Scripture is - what?  inspired by God  - and - is what? profitable for teaching, for reproof, for instruction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be - what?  adequate, equipped for every good work.”

God speaks.  Scripture - the Bible - comes straight from the heart and mind of God.  Its crucial for us to listen.

The verb “to hear” in the Hebrew - “shama” - has the idea of obedience.  Hearing isn’t that God’s word goes in one ear and out the other.  Hearing means that God’s words get stuck in our grey matter.  His words penetrate our hearts.  We do something about what we’ve heard.  His words change us.  They become profitable to equip us for life with God.

Hear this:  Listening is worship in that we bow before God - honor our Maker by bringing our lives before Him - opening ourselves up to Him.  “God, what is it that you desire of me?  How shall I live in obedience before You?”

Look at how God illustrates this - verse 8:  Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers tested Me, they tried Me, though they had seen my work.

Shortly after Israel had crossed the Red Sea - as they were moving into the wilderness - the people came to a place where there was no water.  So - with God’s deliverance fresh in their minds - the 10 plagues - the drowning of Pharaoh's army - God providing quails and Mannah for food - after all tall that they’d seen God do - they were thirsty and so they complained to Moses.  Remember this?

“There’s no water.  We’re gonna die.  It was better in Egypt.  You’re a lousy leader.  Where is this God of yours anyway?”  Moses asks God, “Now what?”

God tells Moses to take the elders of the people and go to the rock at Horeb - take the rod that Moses used in Egypt - and strike the rock.  Which Moses did.  And out comes this water that - in the midst of the dry wilderness - provides enough water for 2 million plus people and all their livestock.

Moses names the place “Massah” - meaning “test” - and “Meribah” - meaning “quarrel.”  God’s people became thirsty so they made God prove Himself one more time.  They tested Him.  They’d quarreled with God’s leader and with God.  They’re hearts were hardened - stone cold - towards God and what God wanted to do in their lives.  (Exodus 17:1-7)

Jesus comes to the end of a full day of ministry - casting out demons - healing people - teaching.  At the end of the day He gets in a boat with the disciples and heads to the other side of Sea of Galilee.  While their sailing a storm comes up.  The disciples are scared out of their wet skins.  Remember this?  “We’re gonna die.  Jesus is sleeping.  Where is God anyway?”  Jesus - after He takes care of the storm - tells them, “Do you still have no faith?”  (Mark 4:35-42)

It’s a gentle rebuke.  Something like, “With all you’ve seen of Me.  Why aren’t you getting this?  Why are you not growing in faith?”

Hear this:  If we hear God’s voice - His word written and demonstrated  - like on a morning like today - being reminded of the words of Scripture and hearing from each other what God has been doing - that should change us - stabilize us - when we come to the hard stuff of life.  We don’t come unglued - because we know God and what He can do in our lives.  Rather than hardening our hearts - the stuff of life should drive us to humbly trust God.

Verse 10:   For forty years I loathed that generation,

The word loathe has the idea of anger - of grief.  God is grieving that He’s people aren’t getting it.  For 40 years God is caring for these people - patiently providing for all their needs.  For 40 years they’re whining and complaining.

For forty years I loathed that generation, and said they are a people who err in their heart, and do not know My ways.

Two problems.  Why all the whining and complaining?  First, the hearts of God’s people are in the wrong place.  They’re physically following God  through the wilderness but their hearts are in Egypt - onions - leeks - and garlic.  They’re not thinking about God.  Their focus is on themselves.

Second, God’s people weren’t considering that God has His ways of doing things.  Have you ever noticed that God doesn’t always do things the way we think He should?  We come to God in prayer and outline the procedure that He’s suppose to follow to accomplish what we think needs to be accomplished and when God doesn’t do it that way we think that somehow there’s something wrong with God.

Verse 11:  Therefore I swore in My anger,  truly they shall not enter into My rest.

The Promised Land - where these people were suppose to be going - through the wilderness - to the Promised Land - was a land flowing with milk and what?  Honey.  They were headed for a place of contentment and resting in the presence of God.  If they weren’t satisfied with everything God had done for them to this point they weren’t going to be satisfied in the Promised Land.  What were they going to do there - create more Meribahs and Massahs?

We could worship Sunday after Sunday for 40 years and never experience God’s rest.  Never know God’s peace in our hearts - in our minds.  Rest - is resting in God.  Depending on Him - not our own cleverness and insufficiency.

There’s no drug that we can take.  No self-help book or seminar to go to.  No exercise routine.  No other religion of philosophy.  The only way to experience the fullness of God’s peace in our hearts is to trust Him fully with our lives.

Do you remember these words?

We’re here because God has done what we could never do for ourselves..  That should fill us with a sense of appreciation and corporate humility before God.  Not pride.  Not rugged individualism.  That’s worship - the come let us bow down - let us kneel before God who has made us - our shepherd - kind of worship.  The giving our lives to God and listening for His voice to lead us forward.

“God.  What is it that you desire of our lives?”

Sing for joy to the Lord.  Worship and bow down.

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1. Ray Stedman, sermon on Psalm 95