Authentic and Reverent Worship to God Psalms 95:1-7 Sunday, December 17, 2017

The Nature of God The Rock of our salvation (v. 1): presents God as the Great Redeemer of his people The Great God (El) (v.3): proclaims the greatness and exhaustive sovereignty of God among other gods. Yahweh is identified as “ ‘el gadol, ‘the Great El.”

 A Great King (v.3): although the psalmist affirms there are other kings, but Yahweh is the great and supreme King. Our Maker (v.6): affirms the historic role of Yahweh as Creator, Maker, and Sustainer of all things.

Expressions of Communal Worship The communal aspect of biblical worship in this hymn is indicated by the expressions “Let us” (v. 1, twice) “Let us” (v. 2, twice) “Let us” (v. 6, twice)

“our” (vv. 6, 7) In the same line of thought, the phrase “Oh come” (vv. 1, 2, 6) is an invitation to worship.

A. The content of authentic corporate worship Joyful attitude characterized by thanksgiving and songs of praise: vv. 1-2 The repeated phrase “joyful noise” stresses a positive attitude of the worshipper toward the One who is worshipped, God himself.

Corporate worship requires total submission and “joyful surrender to God” (Weiser, The Psalms 626). True worship is marked by excitement and enthusiasm. True worship must accompany our proper attitude toward God. In other words, worship should be understood as a distinctive human attitude towards their Maker-God.

b. How should we worship God authentically? Authentic and reverent worship requires humility before God. Let us “bow down” Let us “kneel before the Lord”

Two physical gestures relate to biblical worship: prostration and kneeling. Both show humility and reverence before God, and indicates that God is the Superior One; we are not. The Hebrew word histahawa (“to prostrate”) and its Greek counterpart (proskyneo) The second Hebrew word connected with the physical action of biblical worship is “barak” (“to kneel”) –Verse 95: 7.

C. Reasons to worship God authentically and reverently The justification for worshipping God is presented to us vv. 3, 4, and more specifically in v. 7. God is worthy to be worshipped not because biblical religion satisfies the human soul; rather because of God’s magnificent power, providence, and care for us and the universe.

Because God sustains all creation and all things in the palm of his hands (v.3) Because God creates the sea and the dry land (vv. 4 and 5); these two verses echo the moment of creation in Genesis 1:6- 76, 10 Because we are God’s people and his sheep (vv. 7).