Please take your Bibles and turn to Psalm 95. Psalm 95. And we will read all 11 verses of this psalm. The psalmist writes, O come, let us sing to the Lord. Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving. Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is the great God and the great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places of the earth. The heights of the hills are His also. The sea is His, for He made it. And His hands formed the dry land. O 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, the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, as in the day of trial in the wilderness when your fathers tested Me. They tried Me, though they saw My work. For 40 years, I was grieved with that generation. And so I said, it is the people who go astray in their hearts, and they do not know My ways. So I swore My wrath. They shall not enter. my rest." Thus far the reading of God's holy word. Remember the grass withers and the flower falls, but God's word abides forever. Amen. This morning we're beginning a series on worship and we want to look at the who of worship. This will probably be an eight to ten part series, and we don't want to look at necessarily each sermon with a focus to a particular element of worship, but rather giving ourselves just some guidance and direction as to some of the general things that we note and we reflect on regarding this particular subject. And so as we start here, we want to start with the who of worship. In August of 2018, there was a Pew research conducted, and basically in this research, they gave 10 reasons why people go to church and nine reasons why people don't. And I guess on the one hand, you hear that and go, well, at least there's more reasons for people to go than not go. But there's something more to it than just that. The interesting thing as it pertains to these questions is that individuals, and I focus particularly on the evangelicals, that a wide array of them were able to reflect on the value of church, that they felt it allowed them to be closer to God. That was the most significant thing for them, a sense of closeness. They also affirmed the idea of morality for the next generation, as well as it helps them be a better person and work through difficulties. They even find value in the sermon. Evangelicals, over three-quarters of them who were surveyed said, yep, sermons. But it struck me that even as it pertains to all these reasons, Nowhere was there a sense of an interest or desire regarding church for what I think is the number one reason. Not closeness to God, or morality for your children, or help through difficulties, or even just continuing a tradition, but worship. The recognition and acknowledgement that we come before God. in worship. On the other hand, you also see the sense in which those who were surveyed and didn't go to church, that their perspective of it was all the negativity that they could find in the context of that other group. And so their number one reason was, well, I just practice my faith differently. And second to that was, I'm not a believer. But further down on it, it became, well, it's not really all that important, I can't find a place that I like, I'm down on the sermons, and I just frankly don't feel welcome and don't have time. But even in relation to their answers, and granted, maybe this is a reflection of the surveyors, because after all, you can only answer the questions that are asked of you. But yet in the context of both, putting down the church versus affirming the church, there's no sense of the recognition of the fundamental call for church. Which is that as we are gathered here and now, as we are together in this place, our purpose for it is to ascribe praise and glory and honor to the living triune God. And yet, what becomes our thoughts or perspective or reflection on this? I don't know. Have you ever walked out of a worship service kind of with that thought? Eh. I've had better. just didn't feel connected. The music preacher had an off day. Too many distractions. It's too noisy. Too long. When we set our perspective and when we rightly acknowledge and affirm what our ultimate purpose regarding worship is, how different it will be based on the value of what we set forth as to not only its importance, but also its event, its practice, in its unfolding. You see, I would assert, and others have done this, so this isn't necessarily original, but I would assert that the more that we feel disconnected to church and worship, that it is directly related to our disconnect regarding our understanding of God. The more we understand about God, the more we will be connected to His worship. The less we're connected to His worship, the less we're connected to our understanding of who God is. Oftentimes, our struggles as they relate to this event, fundamentally are found in our poor understanding, our poor perspective, and our poor reflection on the One to whom we are worshiping and honoring in this time. And so as we reflect on being a worshiping community and we start this series, in order to really cause us to think about what we're coming into, we really need to start with simply the who of worship. Who is it that we're coming to acknowledge? Who is it that is brought before us? Who are we adoring? And so Psalm 95 is really, really helpful for that. And we're going to look at this in four ways. Firstly, we're going to see just simply defining worship and explaining it. And then we want to give a direction for worship. Then a disposition in worship. And then lastly, a dire warning regarding worship. How do we define Worship. What do we simply mean by this? Notice what the psalmist here says in verse 1 and 2. O come, let us sing to the Lord, let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation, let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. These first two verses really are giving us a definition of worship. They didn't say, worship is, and then give the answer. But they are helping us to see what worship actually is. Coming before the Lord with singing, shouting joyfully to the rock of our salvation, coming before His presence, and making great expression accordingly. Doesn't sound very reformed, does it? We're good with singing. Shouting joyfully? Having some sort of expression? Public thankfulness? Worship is ultimately noting to us that we are finding value in something and consequently we then are setting it before us and anyone who sees it. We're saying that there is this thing that needs to be recognized and consequently we then fall underneath that. We are ascribing importance, significance. The idea that it would be set apart from everything else. That's ultimately worship. We can do this in our day-to-day lives. If there is something that you treasure, if there is something that you want. I have to say I'm not with the times in terms of being able to tell you the number one video game right now. But I can tell you, young people, that if there was a game that you want because, man, everyone else was playing it, it has all the attention, it's the latest rage, it's just there. And you then go, well, I want that as well. What are you going to do? You're going to set up its importance. You're going to note that it has value and you're going to do anything and everything you can to make sure that when it is out, you are in line able to secure it so that you have the game first and you can immediately play it. It has value. It has meaning. It has significance. You're even willing to say, Guess what, guys? Have you heard about it? You're telling others. You're sharing this. Everyone knows that the day is arriving for the time in which you're going to make this happen. And you're going to get it. And then you follow up and you talk with others about how wonderful it is and how great it is and how much fun it is. Because it's important to you. It has priority. Everything else goes by the wayside as this then stands and takes first focus of significance. It means something to you. Well, we have something far greater and of far more value. and far more significance than just ones and zeros that are put together in order to create an image and provide an electronic activity. We have the opportunity to come before one who is great and glorious. The other thing that we must see is that in terms of worship, as we give some definition and some idea, is that Everyone is called to worship. Notice here, four times, let us, let us, let us, let us. This call to come together corporately before God and to worship Him is set before us. What does this then tell us? Well, yes, there is a place in which worship is present throughout our lives. Paul tells us, whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do all to the glory of God. We heard last Sunday that we are not our own. We belong to Him. That we've been bought with a price. Yes, there is a place for individual study. Yes, there is a place for individual devotion. In fact, the more that you are connected with God during the week, the greater you will be connected with Him and His people on Sunday. But we ought not forsake the corporate worship of God's people simply for. Our own desires to worship him individually, the call here is a public corporate opportunity to praise God. And worship is ultimately fundamental to us. We were made to worship. In fact, in Romans 1, Paul tells us that even as you have this presence of the desire of the recognition of that which is greater, that the natural man forsakes that, or he perverts it, so that he then replaces the image of the glorious God with an image of his own liking. But what does it teach us? It teaches us that as we are created in the image of God, God has set that key component in our lives, which is that we must then worship the One who has made us. We can't get around it. We can't forsake it. We can't abandon it. It's there. So we then are called to ascribe something of significance to someone. We're called to come together publicly and to recognize this and to do so in such a way so that it shows that it has value to us, that it is of the far greatest value in all our lives. And it so affects us in such a way that the entirety of our being is present and involved because we join, we sing, we shout with joy, and we ultimately affirm. that we are less than whatever it is that we are worshiping and praising. But who is it? Who is the direction of our worship? As we come together, what's the significance about our being here? Why sing? Why read Scripture? Why pray? Why hear a message? Listen to what the psalmist says. Do this. Verse 1 and 2. Verse 3, 4, here's the reason. The Lord is the great God and the great King above all gods. In His hands are the deep places of the earth. The heights of the hills are His also. The sea is His, for He made it and His hands formed the dry land. Verse 6, the Lord our Maker, He is God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. The direction of our worship. Who is to be the recipient of our worship? What's to be the attention or the focus of our worship? It's to be God. Notice what it's not about. It's not about ourselves. The whole idea in terms of coming together for worship isn't first and foremost to build ourselves up. God in His grace allows that to occur, but it's a by-product after having met with Him. It's not even about each other, although God again allows that to occur and be present. God allows our coming together as such so that as we speak and praise unto him, as we hear one another do it, we then are strengthened and encouraged and fed and built up. But that's not even what it's about. It's ultimately about him. It means then that our work in worship isn't for the sake of evangelism or missions. Is that a shocking statement? I mean, evangelism and missions is a good thing, right? Yeah, absolutely. Missions exist because worship doesn't. If worship exists, then the first and foremost point is that His people come together to praise Him And the consequence of our praising and adoring Him means that we go forth to spread the Gospel. Worship's not about you. And it's not about me. We don't come to worship so that we then can feel better about ourselves. We don't come to worship so that we then can know we checked something off of our schedules. We don't come to worship in order to be able to take care of our needs or our knowledge or our blessings. We come to worship to go, I am nothing. But God. Is great. and glorious. Notice how He simply and just masterfully and majestically and wondrously sets who He is. The Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods. God is showing Himself to be the Sovereign One here. God is showing Himself to be over all, in charge of everything, overseeing all, so that there isn't anything present that somehow threatens or twists or perverts or comes against His power. God is to be worshipped because He is sovereign. When we say sovereign, notice the word that exists there, reign. He rules. Because of the fact that He is the great ruler over this world, He then says, I deserve to be worshipped. In fact, He affirms to us just how great He is because He says, I oversee all other gods. Now by saying this, we're not somehow noting that false gods or other deities, little d, are somehow real or somehow have any sort of power. We're not saying that. But God is noting Himself to be, look, if you want to put your confidence in any of these other things, I'm over them. I'm thinking of that commercial that talks about how, I think it's Geico, and they talk about OK is just not good enough. Have you seen those commercials? In a similar manner, that's what God is doing here. You can have that deity if you want OK. But there is something that is far better and far greater And it's me. Because I rule over all. There is nothing in comparison with who I am. God chose himself to not only be the sovereign one and above all others and therefore deserving our praise, but he also is owed worship simply because he is the creator. The fact that He made you means that you must then come before Him and recognize that He deserves your glory. Jesus noted that even if the children wouldn't cry out unto Him and praise to Him, even if the people wouldn't recognize His wonder, that the rocks would cry out regarding His majesty. The rest of creation knows who God is, and they're longing for the time in which they will no longer be under the curse of Adam and the threat of They long for the time which they'll no longer be under the curse of Adam, and no longer deal with the effects of the fall, longing for redemption and anticipation of that which is to come, and they cry out unto God accordingly, redeem us, save us, you are worthy, you made us. And yet, how about you? created in the image of God, given a true body and a reasonable soul to be like unto your God regarding your emotions and your intellect in terms of your will. And God says, because I made you after My image, you owe Me worship. But God doesn't just simply leave it at the sovereign one over all, the creator of you. He shows himself to be the one who takes care of you as well. You see this on the one hand, where he says we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. On the one hand, I believe you could affirm that that Israel is noting that. And so as the recipients of his covenant promises, they are identifying that. But there is a sense in which we could say that everyone is in that category. And God then is speaking to his being the sustainer, the keeper of all things that are present in this world. He oversees all that happens from the rising of the sun to its setting down. He sees the events of the entire world. He sees the events in your life. He watches over you so that as you go about your days, He's the one who's given you breath. He's the one who's allowed your heart to beat the moments that it beats and to continue beating and pumping blood within your body. He's the one who's given you the strength to do what you do. He's the one who has gifted you with your capability to think and to reflect on Him. He's the one who's given you particular talents that are separate from anyone else. And He allows you to experience those things each and every day that you live on this earth as He keeps you, and keeps your home, and keeps your community, and keeps your state, and keeps your nation. and keeps your world. But all of that is of little significance if you don't recognize God as Redeemer. God notes in verse 1 that He is the rock of our salvation. The psalm here really in these 11 verses are helping to see the general facets of God. God doesn't just look at this world and abandon it or leave it. He intimately works and directs and orchestrates all that happens. But God, in directing and orchestrating all that happens, saw the need in order to address the issue of sin. And He provides deliverance out of the condition of misery due to the disobedience in Adam and Eve, our first parents. and He rectified it through the gift of His Son, the second Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ. And even though we recognize that we're called to see God as the Sovereign One, and even though we also see that we're called to see Him as the Creator, and even though we should also come together in public worship to identify Him as the Keeper of all things, we must first and foremost recognize He is the God who has redeemed us. He has applied the perfect work of the Lord Jesus Christ to those who confess their hope in Him so that they then may be assured that God is truly their God and that they are truly His people. If God has done a wondrous work whereby He has taken you out of a condition of sin and in a position of being His enemy, and through the expression of love by the sending of His Son and having Him die on a cruel cross in order to cover over His wrath against sin, so that in the giving of that gift, you would then look unto the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. And God has applied it to you so that all your sins are covered, all your sins are forgiven you, as we heard two weeks ago, that He has cast your sins as far as the East is from the West, and He has been benevolent and gracious and kind. How can you not then worship Him and acknowledge Him publicly among His people who all are rejoicing in that same thing? We've been forgiven. The consequence of the gift of forgiveness means that we should be a happy and humble people seeking to praise our God through thick and thin, through times of plenty and times of want. Through times in which we can't wait to get to church and times in which we're dragging our feet and holding on to our car door because we just don't really want to go in there. Because if we ultimately recognize God as who He is, it'll totally direct what we do. Which really leads us then to what should be our disposition here in worship. Let me ask you this question. Those of you who are fans of football, if the Packers win today, how are you going to feel? And what's going to be your response? When your team doesn't win, how do you feel? And what's your response? That's just a game. Worship is for eternity. The events that we do in this place in this time are for all time. The One that we worship is outside of space and time. Our brothers and sisters will be with them forevermore. Our God has delivered us from the depths of sin and the curse of death and He has given us a hope for an eternal home. How can we not then be exuberant and joyful in the expression of our praise? because we are so thankful. There should not be a sense of false, worked-up hype in worship. But however it is that we go about expressing our delight, our happiness, our thankfulness, our blessedness, so that the entire person is engaged as we give thanks and praise to the Lord, it should be there. and anything less shouldn't even be considered. Shouting joyfully before the very presence of God, adoring Him in preparation for all eternity in light of all that He's done for us in this world and in our lives through His Son should fill us. with amazing response. And yet in this response, notice what we see, verse 6 and 7. Worship and bow down and kneel. This isn't an approach, as it were, where we get to run up to the front and stand before God and go, here I am to worship. We go up to God and we fall down on the floor with our faces in the dirt and our palms down, belly all covering on the ground because we recognize even as we express our gratitude, God is so much greater and so much more worthy of our praise than what we can ultimately bring before Him. But yet, this psalm gives us a dire warning. It's one of those surprising things that is present here. Because after all, through verses 1-7, we see this sense of excitement, exuberance, joy, wonder, grandeur, amazement. And then we get this message. Don't harden your hearts as in the rebellion when your fathers tested me and they tried me, and so I swore in my wrath that they would not enter my rest." This is a dire warning, even as it pertains to worship. What is it? Well, consider the example that the psalmist is citing here. The children of Israel had opportunity to experience The great amazing hand of God. How did they do it at the appointed time? God came and he then showed that he would be their protector. And so he threw the 10 plagues that came upon Egypt, brought about deliverance of Israel and protected them even in the midst of calamity. As Pharaoh finally relented, we then see that God chose Himself to be their Deliverer. And so He brings them out of the land of bondage and He crosses them through the Red Sea. And He then says, I will be your God. And He reaffirms to them their position of favor and His presence among them. But Israel, after three days, three days, They're in the middle of the wilderness and they go, God, we don't have any water, least not water that we can drink. They perpetually grumbled. And so he then takes care of the water. And then after a time they say, but God, we don't have any food. And they complain again. And so he then sustains them with manna. Miracle after miracle, after event, after opportunity, and God shows Himself present every step of the way. And yet in the end, God says, okay, it's time to now enter into the land of rest and to inherit your promise. It's going to take a lot of work. And you're going to have to overcome some pretty significant challenges. But as I was with you in Egypt, and as I was with you coming here, I'll be with you now. And Israel says, no. The giants are too big. The work is too great. Be better if we were just in Egypt. So what does God say? None of you are entering into the land of promise. Here are these individuals who saw amazing things and understood firsthand God as Maker, God as Sustainer, God as Provider, and God as Redeemer. They witnessed it. They could smell it. They could see it. They could see Pharaoh behind them, all swallowed up. They could see the lack of food and the lack of water and yet here God brings it. They could look down at the bottoms of their shoes and see that they never wore it out throughout their entire time of wandering in the wilderness. God gave them a cloud by day to protect them and to cover them and a pillar of fire by night to warm them and uphold them and affirm them. God set before them all sorts of wondrous things and instruction with the tabernacle, and the Ark of the Covenant, and His servant Moses, and the experience on Sinai, all of these things, and yet, their response was, no, we don't believe. And God says because of their unbelief, they would die in the wilderness. As the people of God, you haven't experienced the way that Israel has His deliverance and His favor. But you have experienced His deliverer and His favor. As you joined this church, you said that you recognize that you desire to confess Jesus Christ as Lord and He is your Lord because of your sin and your need for His perfect finished work. And you then confess that you would submit to Him in all things and that you would serve Him with your whole being out of gratitude for all that has been provided unto you. And you have opportunity to be reminded each Lord's Day of that truth as you gather together with God's people in worship. And yet as you affirmed those things, and as you follow after those things, and even as you would come before God in order to confess those things outwardly, if as it pertains to your life, You deny those things. Or you belittle those things. Or you believe that who God is and what He does is insignificant to you. That's where the warning ultimately lies. Because worship is about meeting with this God who is real, who is there, who is active. and having opportunity to see it and to read about it and to have it communicated to you week in and week out. And through your denial or through your belittling, you're saying it has no meaning. And so the psalmist then says, There's an urgency to what is here because God Himself is speaking in His worship to the innermost core of your being. Do not belittle it. For it's not a situation that simply is only before you at the moment. But it ultimately has eternal consequences. God has given us opportunity then to worship. And as we do, He sets Himself before us as the one who is to be identified, as the one who is to be adored, and as the one to whom our attention is to be set upon. God is our audience. God desires worship. God calls us to come together. May we do so. recognizing His worth, His greatness, and His work, and seeking to adore Him accordingly because we are thankful as His people for all that He's accomplished for us.