Psalm 96 marks a joyous occasion when the Israelites re-captured the Ark of the Covenant. It’s a time of worship… joyous worship! Worship shouldn’t be boring!!! Pastor Jim took a look at this during his sermon of November 8, 2015.
Click the “Play” button to start the recording, then scroll down to follow along. The recording is from the 9:30 service…
The scripture reading was Psalm 96 (Pastor Jim read from The Living Bible). The New Living Translation is shown below. Click the drop down box to follow along…
Psalm 96
2 Sing to the Lord; praise his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.
3 Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.
4 Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods.
5 The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens!
6 Honor and majesty surround him; strength and beauty fill his sanctuary.
7 O nations of the world, recognize the Lord; recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong.
8 Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his courts.
9 Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor. Let all the earth tremble before him.
10 Tell all the nations, “The Lord reigns!” The world stands firm and cannot be shaken. He will judge all peoples fairly.
11 Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!
12 Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise
13 before the Lord, for he is coming! He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with his truth.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
Creation’s Biggest Oxymoron…
Oxymorons are self contradicting phrases. The word itself comes from “Oxus” (which means “sharp”) and “Moras” (which means “dull”). Put them together and you have something that makes no sense: Sharp-Dull. Here are a few more…
- Jumbo – Shrimp
- Freezer – Burn
- Plastic – Silverware
- Airline – Food (or “hospital” or… fill in your least favorite food supplier)
- Sanitary – Landfill
- Truthful – Tabloids
- Short – Sermon…
But here’s an even bigger Oxymoron: Boring – Worship!!!
Just as something called “shrimp” shouldn’t be sized as “jumbo”, “worship” just shouldn’t be described as “boring”! True worship can’t be boring any more than a true knife can be dull. The very existence of what true worship is does not allow us to be bored. When we come before the awesome, holy, majestic God of the universe, who has created everything and has done amazing things in our lives, we can’t help but break out into adoration.
How can you be bored when looking at the wonder of the stars on a clear night?
If worship is boring, something is coming between you and the work of the Holy Spirit. There should be no room for boredom; worship should be fun as we experience the Joy of the Lord!
A careful read of Psalm 96 suggests that worship should always incorporate two elements:
- Rejoicing
Sing a new song to the Lord! Let the whole earth sing to the Lord!
- Reverence
Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor. Let all the earth tremble before him.
Boredom doesn’t fit! Rejoicing and Reverence- true worship- must lead to a response. As someone has stated, worship is not a spectator sport, it requires full participation. Worship is a chance to hear God and be blessed by Him. But worship isn’t complete until we take it outside of the church and serve. Worship and Service are connected.
Something to Rejoice and Share!
The background of this Psalm is found in 1 Chronicles 15 and 2 Samuel 6 where it is recorded that the Ark of the Covenant was returned to Jerusalem under the direction of King David. Those of us who lived through the church fire can remember the joy we felt the first time we saw the Resurrection Stained Glass window, which had survived the fire, restored and placed in its rightful position in front of our sanctuary.
Psalms such as Psalm 96 (and Psalm 95) were used in ancient worship; they were a call to God’s people beckoning them to worship. They invite us to sing, to be joyous, to be reverent, and- to give back out of love.
The Highest form of worship is the worship of unselfish Christian service. The greatest form of praise is the sound of consecrated feet seeking out the lost and helpless. – Billy Graham
Worship Empowers us to Serve
Why did Jesus come to earth? What was His mission statement? Wouldn’t it be cool if He had actually stated His “Mission Statement”? Well… He did clearly state His mission (in Luke 19:10)…
For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” – Jesus
Paul told the Ephesians (Ephesians 4) that God called them to be united into one “Body” so that they cold serve Him..
I beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. … Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.
We worship so we can be empowered to serve God throughout the week. If you’re married, are you only married while you’re at home? No! You’re always connected to your wife. We are empowered to serve. As part of the Body of Christ, we are empowered to seek those who are lost and to bring them to Christ. This empowerment and this driving ambition to be God’s Hands and Feet in the world is a natural reaction to worship.
How can that be boring?!?
When’s the last time you invited someone to church? You can’t stop the work of the Holy Spirit. As we invite people- serve- God’s Word won’t return empty.
What is Worship?
The word worship means to “fall on your face or bow down” and is found more than 170 times in the Bible. We get our word “humility” from it. We recognize our place before God and acknowledge His position before us.
Sunday is not the time to worry about church business. The most important meeting we will ever have is Sunday Morning worship. It sets the stage for everything that happens in the week.
Here are some thoughts on worship…
| C.S.Lewis | “The most valuable thing the Psalms do for me is to express the same delight in God which made David dance.” |
| A. W. Tozer | “Without worship, we go about miserable.” |
| Graham Kendrick | “Worship has been misunderstood as something that arises from a feeling which comes upon you, but it is vital that we understand that it is rooted in a conscious act of the will; to serve and obey the Lord Jesus Christ.” |
The Psalm clearly gives us direction for worshiping God…
How…
We can worship God by __:
Why…
The Psalm also gives us reasons for worshiping God. We worship God because of His__:
Where…
The Psalm also talks about where we should worship God. Worship God__:
When…
Sing a NEW Song!
Worship is meant to be spontaneous and genuine. In church we do experience worshipful moments by reciting familiar liturgy and prayers, but we are also called to sing “NEW Songs!” Our praise should come in Fresh Outbursts; new songs, new styles. Christ is active in our lives minute by minute. Our worship needs to respond in fresh ways.
When journalists are reporting the news, do they tell us stories which took place 163 years ago? NO! They report fresh, new, relevant news stories. If we received a constant barrage of old news, we would become bored and probably change channels. We want something that will touch our lives NOW.
Sing a NEW song. God has given us permission to get out of the box and to more on with new energy and fresh imagination.
“Christ is now as fresh unto me as if He had shed His blood but this very hour.“
Worship Generates Anticipation!
An air of anticipation opened every Elvis concert in the 1970s. The lights would be dimmed, then several blinding spotlights would race across the theater. Then the sounds of “Also Sprach Zarathustra (Theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey)” would penetrate the crowd, and the BOOM-Boom BOOM-Boom BOOM-Boom BOOM-Boom BOOM-Boom of the timpani drums would mimic the heart pounding anticipation of the audience as the beat momentarily interrupted the music. And then suddenly, the “jump suit clad king of Rock ‘n roll” would appear on stage.
People lined up way in advance to get into the theater, and the anticipation built as the opening strains of “See See Rider” approached.
It’s gonna be great!!!
And yet this Psalm brings us back to what’s most important; only God Himself is great and most worthy of praise.
Elvis Could sing, But Jesus is King!
Do we come with the same excitement as if we’re going to a concert? Do we come with the same energy and excitement as if we were entering a stadium on super Bowl Sunday and your team is playing? God is the star attraction. When we go home, the Star Attraction doesn’t just go his own way and leave us with a few fading memories of a great time. When worship is over, we can take the star attraction home with us!
God- through the Holy Spirit- indwells us and lives with us. Unlike an Elvis concert of 40 years ago, we CAN relive our “concerts of worship every day.”
When you come into worship, expect and anticipate that something will happen. Just like when someone hands you a gift, you anticipate what might be inside the box. You look forward to having something that will remind you of the person who gave you the gift. A memory that perhaps will last a lifetime.
Thanks to the Holy Spirit, worship connects us with God. Even after leaving the sanctuary, God remains with us. Now there’s nothing boring about that!
One More Oxymoron…
I can think of one more oxymoron this morning: Bored – Believer! If you truly understand what being a believer is all about, it will be impossible to be bored. If we are exalting, extending, expressing, and expecting, we will be fired up and will experience the joy ot what it means to partner with God in His kingdom work.
Going to church on Sunday is all about worship. Its not about meetings or habit. Worship is all about Jesus. Put away all of the distractions, all of the “normal church business.” Come to worship! When you come to church on Sunday, say “Right now, I need to worship God!” When you see a beautiful sunrise, realize that “Right now, I need to worship God.”
Sing to the Lord a New Song! Stop sitting. Start singing, sowing and serving. I guarantee that you’ll never be bored again.
Quiz Time!
As you reflect on what you’ve just heard/read, give this quiz a try. If you don’t understand an answer (or if you disagree with the “correct” answer, post a comment)…
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