Worshipping God All the Days of Your Life

Psalm 96 - Riley Boggs

Have you ever thought about how we as human beings use singing? When babies cry or children can’t sleep, we sing them lullabies. We sing fight songs to show school spirit, national anthems to show patriotism. We listen to people sing for entertainment. We give people awards when they sing better than everyone else. People come together and sing different parts to create a larger unified singing voice. We sing when we’re happy, when we’re sad, and we hum when we’re bored. We remember the melody, and sometimes every word, to songs that we haven’t heard in years. And of course, for us in this room, we sing to worship.

Singing is a powerful thing, and everyone, Christian or not, understands that. Everyone sings, it’s a part of being a human. Your physical body was designed in such an amazing way that you can simply take a breath and simply begin to sing. Your voice is an instrument that God placed within you. 

I wanted to start the sermon by finding some cool historical account of people singing and then going from there. And since Shelby studied music in college, I thought she could point me to one. So I said to her, “I need you to do some research and find the earliest account in history of someone singing.” She looked a little confused. So I asked, “I mean who was the first person to ever sing?” She looked at me and said, “The angels, obviously. It started in the heavens, why do you think I love music so much?” Yes, Shelby is amazing.

And what she said is dead on. Singing is a heavenly act. And when we sing, to our God, we are engaging in an act of worship that is truly amazing. So this morning I want to look at Psalm 96. This Psalm calls us to worship, both in singing and other ways. And it gives us reasons that we should worship, and reminds us of what the end of our worship is.

1.) We have been commanded to worship our God

You may have wondered why I had Logan read that seemingly random section out of 1 Chronicles. The reason was for the verses that immediately follow what he read. In what Logan read, we saw where David had successfully brought the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, and he then commands people to sing and give thanks to God for this. And what he specifically calls them to do, is to sing this very Psalm, Psalm 96. So they sing this Psalm both as an act of worship, and a call to others to join them in worship. In David’s context, it’s a call to the surrounding nations to worship the one true God. As all the crowds of people watch the ark of the covenant come into Jerusalem, David decides to sing a song that both brings honor and glory to God, but also urges the surrounding nations to stop worshipping idols, and instead worship Israel’s God. The one true God.  And in our context today, the command or call to worship is the same. We are to stop worshipping other things, but turn our praise directly at our God.

Now I do want to make a clear distinction here. Sometimes we associate worship with music or singing alone. A very clear example of this is that we call people who lead music worship leaders. Or, if someone were to describe our service they may say, “we read scripture, pray, then spend some time worshipping (referring to the singing), and then Riley preaches.” And don’t hear me say that is wrong, because it isn’t. Singing is certainly worship, and people who lead music are certainly worship leaders. But here is where I think we can get a bit off. If we only think of worship as singing, then you might not consider things like hearing preaching to be worship. Or you might not think of reading scripture, praying, or taking the Lord’s supper as worship. But all these things are also worship. This whole service, from beginning to end, is worship. And so I say all that simply to say, the command in this Psalm, and the Scriptures as a whole is to worship God. One of the greatest ways we do this is by singing, but let it be even more than that in your own life.

So back to the point, we are commanded to worship God. It is a matter of obedience. We are, as this Psalm commands, to sing, declare, ascribe, and worship God. We were created for this very purpose. That means, that we are to worship even when we don’t feel like it. Now the reason I say that is because I once did this all wrong. There was a time in my life where I was sort of captivated by this overly emotional worship. I had to feel like I was worshipping, or I didn’t think it was genuine. I would come to church and my mind would be elsewhere so I wouldn’t want to sing or pray. I thought, my heart isn’t in this, I don’t feel like I am worshipping, so what’s the point. I had a wrong understanding of worship. 

Yes, your heart should be “in it”, and there are times where worship is an emotional thing. But there’s more to it. What I was missing is an understanding that worshipping God isn’t about me and how I feel at all. It’s about God, and it’s a matter of obedience that I worship Him. Even when it feels like I’m sort of just going through the motions, I am to do it, because it isn’t about me. And what I learned is that when I would sing, even when I didn’t want to, it caused me to want to more. When I would worship, despite where my mind or heart was, my heart and mind would start to follow. And that’s my encouragement to you. Sing, worship, even when you don’t want to. Just start doing it. One, because it’s a matter of obedience. And two, God will use that obedience to help form in you a desire to worship Him more and more. Don’t let how you feel dictate your worship, let God’s Word do that.

And God’s Word, in this Psalm, commands us to worship God, sing to Him. And also let me say this. Don’t let the enemy convince you that your worship isn’t pleasing to God because you neglected to worship for some time. Let’s say for a 3-4 Sundays in a row your mind was totally distracted, and you felt like you were here physically, but mentally and spiritually you were somewhere else. The enemy will try to convince you that you shouldn’t worship the next Sunday by telling you that you God is disappointed and doesn’t want to hear it now. That’s not true. God never wants you to not worship, because not worshipping is disobedience. He desires that you worship Him regardless of whether or not you have recently. He deserves all the praise and honor that we could ever lift up, and more. All we must do is obey this commandment, and God will use it to grow our love for Him and our desire to worship Him.

2.) We have reason to worship our God

On one hand, yes, we are commanded to worship. And if we are to obey God, we are to worship Him. But it isn’t just a matter of obedience. We should want to worship Him because we have reason to worship Him. And it isn’t hard to think of reasons as to why we should worship God. There are infinite reasons. This Psalm gives us 2 categories of reasons that we should worship Him. 

First, we should worship Him because of who He is. Because God is God, and by simply being God He should be worshipped. We see this throughout this whole Psalm. The Psalmist says God is great, strong, beautiful, glorious, and holy. All of these things describe who He is, what His character is, what He is like. And there are endless more things we could say about who He is that give us reason that we should worship Him. 

Second, we should worship Him for what He has done. All of God’s amazing works are reason for us to worship Him. Whether that is specifically in our own lives, or general works that He has done throughout history. Look at the works mentioned in this Psalm. His salvation, His creation of the heavens, His reigning as King, and His perfect Judgement. 

And really these 2 categories, and a few other things, should sort of guide what the content of our worship should be. Imagine singing a song that says this. “God you are so good, and I give you thanks for creating Jesus.” That isn’t worship at all, that’s heresy. Jesus wasn’t created, He is eternal. And so we don’t praise God for things that aren’t true of Him, but we praise Him for who He is and what He has done. In John 4:23-24 Jesus says this. “23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” This is what He is conveying here. If we want to be true worshippers, we worship Him in Spirit and truth.

That is why here, at Covenant, we will never sing shallow songs that glorify us. That isn’t true worship. And we won’t sing songs that have theological errors in them. We will sing songs that are true. Whether the truths are simple, or complex doesn’t matter, the point is that they are true. God is glorified when we do this, and we will never run out of true reasons to worship Him where we need to make up things that aren’t true. There are endless reasons that have been given to us in the Scriptures about who He is, what He has done, and what He promises He will do. 

I thought it would be good for us to see how many reasons are provided to us in just this Psalm, after trying to show what this Psalm is showing us more generally. So I’m going to read the Psalm again, and I want you to do read along with me. And just think about think about how many things you could praise God for in these 13 verses alone. 

Church, we have reason to worship God. He is so great, He is so glorious, He is so kind, and He has done so much for us. If you know God, you know you have reason to worship Him. Be a person whose entire life is an act of worship. Continually working unto the Lord. Singing to Him and about Him. Praising Him in your prayers and conversations. Live a life of worship.

3.) We long for the day of perfected worship

There are many themes that can be seen throughout this Psalm, but there’s one that I didn’t notice the first time I read it. That is the theme of the range, or scope, of the worship of God. This Psalm doesn’t just call the people nearby to worship. It calls the entire world to worship. Every person in every place. That is how wide the call is to worship God.

And we should be mindful of this. One thing we should always want is for more people to worship God. I mean that is why we started this church. For the specific purpose to worship God together, and to see more people come to worship Him. We want more people to join in our one voice as Covenant Community Church, as we sing to the God who tasked us with this work. We are to, as the Psalm says, declare His glory among the nations. We are to tell people who God is and what He has done. And we do this one as an act of worship ourselves, but also as the means by which God will save people and they begin to rightly worship God. It begins and ends with worship.

But let me say this, it’s easy to stand up here and say all this, I know. It’s easy to say, “Don’t you know that it’s matter of obedience to worship? Don’t you see how good He is? Don’t you see how much He has done?” And all that is good and true, and clearly from this Psalm, is something we need to hear. But I don’t have to remind you of this, things are broken. This world and the people in it are not as they should be. There is something wrong. When sin entered the world, it did more than just bring evil in. The effects are deep.

Our bodies don’t function right. They ache and hurt and break. Our minds lie to us, our emotions overwhelm us. Something isn’t right. And all of this brokenness and hurt, in us and around us, can make it hard to worship at times. But it won’t be like this forever.

Look at how Psalmist ends this Psalm, starting in verse 11. Why will the heavens glad, and the earth rejoice? Why will the sea roar, the field exult, and the trees sing for joy? The answer is right there in the text. For He is coming. He is coming to Judge the world. These final verses are speaking of the day when our Jesus comes back to judge. And in that day, His creation will rejoice because it knows there will be no more brokenness. And in that day, God’s people will rejoice, because we will know there is no more brokenness. Listen to these powerful words from Revelation chapter 5, telling of what that will look like.

“Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

"6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth. 11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,  “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” 14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.”

Every living creature, every angel, and every person worshipping God. My mind cannot conceive of how that will be, but I promise you it is going to be amazing. There will be no nagging thought in the back of your mind about how you could be spending your time doing something else, and your feet won’t hurt from standing. No, you will be filled with a joy that is incomprehensible to us now, and you will worship God. All things will be made right, both us and the creation, and will live on a new earth. Our bodies will be perfected, and our earth will have no affects from the fall, and we will spend an eternity living a life of worship, unhindered.

I long for that day, I really do. This past week I saw my uncle lose his wife, and gosh it made me long for that day in a way I hadn’t previously. I want things to be made right, and I know that God is going to do this in His time. And until then, even in the face of hardships, I am to worship. And you, church, you are to worship. Sing with your imperfect voice until the day you sing with a perfect voice. Sing truths you have a hard time believing until you see them before your very eyes. Our God and King is going to come for us church, worship Him for that until He comes. 

And one act of worship that we have been given to remind us of this future day, is the Lord’s Supper. A tangible reminder that Christ came and died on the cross for our sins so that we could be made right with a Holy God, and dwell with Him forever.