Word of Salvation – Vol.38 No.38 – October 1999
Joyful Praise And Humble Submission
Sermon by Rev. J. Westendorp on Psalm 95:1-7
Readings: Revelation 5 and Psalm 95
Book of Worship: 165, 469, 462, 95(a), 407
Beloved congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ,
In Reformed Churches, worship is increasingly a subject that divides us. Some of us are anxious for more worship participation and spontaneity. We’re unhappy with patterns of worship that go back to the 16th Century. It’s time we got with it! Others among us feel the church is ‘going down the tube’. There’s far too much compromise with modern fads and innovations. We are ruining the church and selling our birthright.
I don’t have to spell out for you the tensions this has led to. Many churches have folk in both camps. Some of us tenaciously hang on to the past. Others among us are pushing hard for change. And still others are fed up with all the arguments.
If it’s a problem for church members, it’s also a problem for pastors. Much of a pastor’s work focuses on the worship service. Some want the pastor to bring the church into the 21st century. Others want him to fight the innovations and get back to the Reformation.
So what are we going to do as a congregation, as Session, as pastor? Do we just keep doing things the way we have always been doing them? Or do we try to modernise and update the worship of God’s people?
The only safe way is to listen to the Word of God. If Scripture is our only guide for faith and conduct then it is also our only guide for the conduct of our worship.
Psalm 95 is helpful for all of us in that respect. It’s the first of a series of psalms which call the people of God to worship. In fact that is precisely what this psalm is. A CALL TO WORSHIP. In a sense it is a double call to worship. Twice there is the call to ‘come’.
Verse 1: ‘COME… let us sing for joy…’
Verse 6: ‘COME… let us bow down in worship…’
Here then is a two-fold call to worship. And we want to look at both of these separately. Both will tell us something about how we must worship.
- The call to Exuberant Praise.
The first call to worship is a powerful call to joyful praise. Here God’s people are challenged to give expression to their joy; to let the gladness sound out in loud praises.
That is a call to worship worth reflecting on. It is a call that condemns our half- heartedness and lukewarmness in worship. The psalmist is calling on the people of Israel as they enter the temple. And he calls out to them do that with a joyfulness and exuberance. To do it with a fervour that will, as it were, lift the roof off the building.
Verse 1: ‘Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord.’
In a way that doesn’t even do justice to the words of the psalmist. The word he uses in verse 1 involves A RINGING CRY OF JOY. That is why he immediately adds, in verse 2: ‘Let us shout aloud….!’ Imagine… shouting in a worship service!
It is striking how much exuberant joy there is in the Old Testament. Especially in Psalms 95 to 100. But elsewhere too: David dancing before the ark of the Lord; Miriam leading Israel with tambourines and dance. It seems the Old Testament saints were not afraid to ‘let their hair down’ in praise of God.
Of course it’s tempting to say: ‘ Well, these were oriental people. Eastern folk are much more open with their emotions. By nature they are much more spontaneous. We Aussies are much more reserved by nature. Especially if you’ve got Scottish or Dutch blood in you. It’s fine to ask Jews to shout and dance. But please don’t expect that of us.’
The trouble is that Scripture doesn’t let us off so easily. Psalm 117 calls for joyful praise from all the nations of the earth. In Revelation 5 we get a glimpse of immense jubilation of the church in glory. There again and again the songs of praise ring out. And then not in quiet subdued tones but in LOUD voices.
So we should learn something from this FIRST call to worship. We who want to base our worship of God on Scripture should not be so fearful when it comes to loud and joyful praise.
We have some problems there, don’t we?
The story is told of a visitor who came into a Reformed Church. He became very enthusiastic and emotional about the gospel message. When he couldn’t contain his emotions any more he called out: ‘Praise the Lord!’ Someone sitting in front turned around and said: ‘Shh! We don’t do that here.’
In many homes we happily say a hearty ‘amen’ together after prayer. We often do that at some of our meetings too. But why don’t we do it in church? Because someone might look at you? Because someone might even think you’re fanatical? It’s okay for little kids to say ‘amen’ after prayer in church. But we seem to think that God’s big kids must not do that.
Let’s note something else about this first call to worship. There is a REASON given why God’s people should praise Him that way. And the reason is NOT so that you and I get a kick out of doing that. It is not even to give us a ‘shot in the arm’, spiritually, for another week. I want to stress that the reason for all that ecstatic praise of God is not to get on a high for tomorrow or the day after.
I have a little problem with some folk who call for more exuberant worship. Some folk want it for the wrong reasons. I’ve had people say to me: ‘Traditional worship doesn’t do anything for me. It leaves me coming out of church the way I went in. Worship must be a really uplifting experience for me.’ So eventually they leave and join the ‘Penties’ down the road.
It is sad that even our worship can become very man-centred. And we need to examine our motives as to why we want changes, if we want changes. Just as we also need to examine our motives if we are against change. This Psalm doesn’t say that we are to worship so that WE will be blessed.
We have this call to worship in verse 1 and 2 and then verse 3 begins with the word “FOR”. It gives us the reasons.
And the reasons for such celebratory praise are all centred on God. It is as we become impressed with the wonder of who God is that we want to become vocal in our worship of Him.
The Psalmist doesn’t say: Worship this way because then you’ll feel good. The Psalmist says: Do it this way because of who God is.
And then he spells it out:
The majesty and glory of our God.
This God formed Mount Everest and the Pacific Ocean.
And He still upholds them.
This God is so much greater than puny man-made idols.
So much greater that it’s laughable.
All the immensity of this universe is held in His hand.
That’s the reason why your ringing cry of joy should sound His praises.
But please note! There is yet a more important reason for praise. One reason is already tied inseparably to this very call to worship.
This ‘shout’ is to be addressed to the Rock of Israel’s salvation. So joyful praise comes not only because of God’s work of creation. It also comes in response to God’s work of salvation. He delivered Israel out of Egypt with a mighty hand of power. That too especially motivates this ringing cry of joy to God.
Today we know this Rock of our salvation in a far more wonderful way. You and I know Him in the Lord Jesus Christ.
We have far more to be joyful about than these Old Testament saints: God’s acts of salvation climaxed in His Son, Jesus.
Now in a sense that also tempers our exuberance somewhat. We now know the terrible cost that bought our salvation. And yet even New Testament Christians are called to rejoice. Paul said “Rejoice always, again I will say it, Rejoice”.
There is one other thing that needs to be said about this FIRST call to worship. This worship is not a disorganised ‘every man for himself’ kind of worship. It isn’t just everyone doing their own thing. I’ve been in worship services where that has happened and that is not what our text intends.
The Psalmist also gives us some order and structure.
In verse 1 we are called to let the ringing cry of joy sound out. In verse 2 the Psalmist develops his thoughts further. In some parallel lines he tells us HOW we ought to do that.
Here he particularly mentions two ways in which this great joy can be structured creatively in two orderly ways:
Come to God in boundless praise.
Do that especially in the way of thanksgiving and in the way of music and song.
In other words, joyful praise ought to express itself especially in these two ways.
Here then is a call to worship that challenges us to deal with our lukewarmness. It’s a call to young people not only to pick up a hymn book but to sing from it too. It’s a call to older folk not to tone down the exuberance of young people’s praise. Praise your living Saviour; do it with shouts of joy.
- The call to humble worship.
I said at the beginning that there were TWO calls to worship in this Psalm. There is a second one in verse 6 and in that we notice quite a contrast. In some respects it even seems the exact opposite of what we just said.
Here the people of God, as they come into the temple, are called to bow down. A quiet bowing down in worship, a humble kneeling before their Maker.
Here is a call to come into God’s presence with quite a different attitude. BOWING down speaks of an attitude of utter submission. It is a clear expression of humbling ourselves before Him. The lesser bows before the Greater.
And then the Psalmist adds to that the matter of KNEELING. A lowering of oneself to the very dust of the ground. That speaks to us of awe and reverence.
That is also the appropriate attitude of one who knows he has done wrong. He kneels there to seek forgiveness, to plead for His life. It is the attitude that recognises dependence. When we kneel we make requests of One who is so great we hardly dare to ask. In that situation loud voices and ringing tones become inappropriate. We can almost imagine ourselves straining to hear the subdued whispers.
That attitude is not limited only to this Psalm. We find it repeatedly throughout the Scriptures. An attitude of total humility, reverence, and dependence. It is the time of whispered prayer. It’s the moment God says: Be still and know that I am God.
Today we somehow have to put these two ‘calls to worship’ together. How are we going to do that? Choose the one that best suits us? If you’re an extrovert you pick the first one? If you’re an introvert you select the last one?
No! The Biblical model for worship isn’t EITHER this OR that. Rather, the Biblical model here is BOTH this AND that. Both the joyful celebration of verse 1 and 2 as well as the reverent submission of verse 6.
There is room for both in biblical worship. There should be a balance. Moments in worship when we want to sing it out at the top of our lungs. But also moments when we need to be very humble and subdued before God. The worship that pleases the Lord will have a mixture of both of these.
Biblical worship knows of the shouts of celebration. But it also knows those moments of quiet submission.
So also this second ‘call to worship’ ought to challenge us today. The pressure is on for more celebratory and spontaneous praise. But let’s not forget the need for the bowed head and the bent knee.
I can imagine someone saying that Reformed worship is already like that. It tends to be austere and simple at the best of times. Reformed worship is much more comfortable with this second call to worship.
But I wonder! Do we really see this attitude of submission and reverence among us? Sometimes we are just too familiar in God’s presence. We slouch in our pews with arms folded during times of prayer. How well does that fit in with what the Psalmist calls for in this second call to worship?
Some might reply that bodily positions don’t matter because God looks on the heart. True, I agree. But only up to a point. This Psalm also teaches something else. That your bodily position can express the attitude of your mind in worship.
Here then is a call for us to bow humbly and quietly before the Lord. Biblical worship calls us to kneel in reverence. Okay, our pews are not designed to do that literally. But let’s be sure we do have this attitude in God’s presence.
Again the Psalmist gives us a reason for this kind of worship too. And again the reason is not because I find this particularly uplifting. Nor because this form of worship happens to suit my temperament. Rather the reason again centres on God and our relationship to Him.
Bow before the Lord, kneel before your Maker.
But not because you feel that is the most comfortable for Reformed worship. But again because of what is said in verses 3,4 and 5 about God.
In fact the Psalmist now presents another great and awesome reality. The Almighty Creator of Mt. Everest and the Pacific is our God. The great God of verses 3,4 and 5 has made us the flock of His pasture.
For us as New Testament Christians, that is an even more awesome reality. Jesus is our Good Shepherd. We are His sheep.
We now see the lengths God was willing to go to make us His own. Our thoughts go to Calvary and then we are lost for words. All we can do is bow humbly in His presence.
Here in this second call to worship this Psalm speaks specifically of worship. For the first time it actually uses the word. Let us bow down in worship. It is almost as though the writer is saying: ‘Shouting aloud in thanksgiving and song is what God indeed calls for. But unless there is also awe and reverence you haven’t yet worshipped.’
Biblical worship humbles itself before God. It knows the reality of being overawed at the way God made us His own through Jesus. Our sin and rebellion against our Father in heaven was great. But Jesus paid for it all so that we could become His sheep.
There is one other observation we need to make.
This Psalm has a lot to say about what God expects in our worship. But we’re not talking about the worship you do at home on your own or with a few friends. We are talking about what we do together as the community of God’s people.
All these exhortations, these calls to worship are in the plural. Let US sing, let US shout, let US bow down, let US kneel. And that communal element is also there in the awareness of who we are. Not isolated sheep, but together the whole flock of the Good Shepherd.
This is a call to corporate worship of the believing community.
We do all this together in joyful, celebration and praise.
And we do that in an attitude of total submission to Him who loves us.
AMEN.