Do You Really Worship? (Sermon Notes)
GIST: The natural response of the truly saved is wholehearted thanks to God for who He is – no matter how you’re feeling.
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 33:1-9
Today, we’re going to walk through the first part of Psalm 33. Though we’re not 100% certain who wrote this song, it points to the importance and nature of worship. Worship is such an important aspect of Christian life. Unfortunately, it’s often either overlooked or misunderstood. This morning, I want to walk through what these first nine verses have to teach us about worship. It won’t be an exhaustive discussion, but I feel like it gives a solid foundation for the what, why, and when of worship.
Here’s our gist: The natural response of the truly saved is wholehearted thanks to God for who He is – no matter how you’re feeling.
Let’s just dive in. First, let’s look at the→
I. WHAT? (1-3)
Look at verses 1-3. “1 Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. 2 Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! 3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.”
There are several observations I’d like to make about these verses. First, we’re told that worship or praise or shouting for joy in the Lord should be the natural response of the truly saved.
It befits the upright because it is central to who we should now be – people who rejoice not in the things of this world but in the Lord.
Verse 2 then gives us a little clarity on how that worship will be practically expressed in our lives. Before we get into the specific mode of worship the Psalmist addresses, let’s pay attention to what this praise is accomplishing— thanksgiving. The natural response to the one who has been rescued from Hell and called to a life of hope because of an intimate relationship with Jesus he or she could never deserve... is to overflow with thanksgiving! We miss this, don’t we? If you were walking across the street and a truck came speeding toward you out of control, and someone pushed you out of the way at the last second while taking the impact themselves – you would never forget that sacrifice. Yet, we’ve experienced amazing Grace but fail to be thankful.
See praise at its root is thanksgiving. Now, the psalmist specifically addresses what that should look like in musical worship, so I want to address that first. However, worship is more than music, and there is a broader implication here as well.
The references to give Him thanks with lyres and harps aren’t prescriptive but expressions of music commonly used. However, how we’re told to worship with music does have some directive qualities. Let me break down three terms here: new song, skillfully, and loud shouts.
First, let’s chat about this “new song” concept. I can already see people jumping to conclusions here. Am I going to stir up the age-old debate about styles of music in worship? I guess, but I’m not going to use this verse to argue for the use of only contemporary songs either. Though I definitely see passages like this supporting including that, it’s bigger than any particular style. Here’s the crux. If you know me at all, you know I love music. For me, worshiping through music is incredibly important. It’s part of how God has wired me. That being said, singing a “new song” has a lot more to do with the attitude of our worship than the style. All kinds of music should be sung in praise to God, but no matter what is sung it has to be sung purposefully. Just singing songs because that’s what we do— old or new— is not worship. We must think about those words and, regardless of style, lift them up to Him.
Those next two concepts, skillfully and with loud shouts, tie into the same thought. Our worship shouldn’t be an afterthought. It’s meant to be done passionately which is really the broader implication here. Worship through songs or in how we live should be offered as a wholehearted thanks! Thoughtless praise is never genuine worship.
So that’s the “what”. Now, let’s look at→
II. WHY? (4-7)
Short answer: because God is awesome! Let’s walk through the images here. These are snapshots of God’s praiseworthy qualities, but it’s just a tiny list!
“4 For the word of the LORD is upright…” His word is upright. It’s pure and good… And actually true! We can trust what he says and what He spoke through the Bible because His words reflect His character — and He is the truth! As such, we can also trust him because He is faithful. “...and all his work is done in faithfulness.” What He promises will come to pass. And→
“5 He loves righteousness and justice…” which we all desire. We want to see the world “put right”… so does He. Only He actually understands what that will really look like. And, like I say so often, if we open our eyes will see his patient love all around us. “...the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.” Oh, praise him for that patience with me! And→ ☺️
“6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.” This is a picture of His power in creation. He spoke into existence everything we see. How easy it is for us to forget that nothing in this world, including us, would exist apart from Him. The next verse further emphasizes His power over all He created. “7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses.” He made it and holds it together. It’s a picture of Him keeping the waters from taking over the entire planet and using those same waters as reserves to send rain wherever He sees fit.
See, we praise because thanks should be the natural reaction of those who have been rescued and who know who God is! So the last question we’ll look at together is→
III. WHEN? (8-9)
Obviously, you know I’m going to tell you “always” ☺️. This is more implicit than anything here, but I want to make sure we see it. Look at verses 8-9. “8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! 9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.” This call to fear Him and stand in awe is a call to stand in holy reverence with no time tables or conditions. This is a natural result of knowing him. And it should be the core of who we are… Even when we don’t feel like it.
Let me make this last point before hitting our takeaways. I know there will be times when we don’t feel like praising. I’m not excluding myself from that condition. What should we do in those moments? Praise anyway. Remind yourself of the truths of who He is and thank Him for His goodness even if you’re not feeling especially thankful at that moment. When your emotions are taking you away from His truth, you need nothing more than to have your eyes refocused on Him. I love that classic hymn “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” because these words are so true.
O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
(I’d say they weren’t “feeling it” here, right?)
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free.
(So…→)
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
TAKEAWAYS
- Wholehearted thanksgiving should be the passion of our lives. It should impact how we sing and how we speak and how we interact with people and the decisions that we make.
- So remember who He is, and praise Him— even when you’re not “feeling it”. I know I’ve said this pretty much every week for almost a month now, but we need to hear this. When what you’re feeling doesn’t line up with what you know is true, cling to His truth, and let Him transform your heart!
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