A Call to Worship, Obedience, and Praise for Our Coming King

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: Psalm 95-96

 

Psalm 96:12-13

Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it.
Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice
¹³     before the Lord.
For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth.
He shall judge the world with righteousness,
And the peoples with His truth.

(NKJV)

 

Disciples of Christ live in a fallen world and are not immune from struggle and tribulation, but we worship and serve Jesus, who overcame the world through his resurrection from the dead (John 16:33). We also have the blessed hope of the return of Jesus to take his disciples home (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18). The psalmists who wrote these psalms lived before Jesus' birth, but they encourage us by living lives of worship and obedience to God, anticipating his coming to judge the world.

 

Psalm 95 begins with a call for the people of God to sing joyfully to the Lord, the rock of their salvation, with a shout (Psalm 95:1). They come to the presence of the Lord with thanksgiving, shouting joyfully to Him with palms, because He is a great God and the great King above all gods (Psalm 95:2-3). In the hands of the Lord are the deep places of the earth along with the heights of the hills and the seas which He made, with His hands forming the dry land (Psalm 95:4-5). Oh, come and worship, bowing down before the Lord our Maker, for He is our God, and we are the sheep of His hand (Psalm 95:6-7). The psalmist then cautions them not to harden their hearts like their fathers did in the wilderness where they tested the Lord, even though they had seen his works (Psalm 95:8-9). They grieved the Lord for forty years, going astray in their hearts, not knowing the ways of the Lord, and why they did not enter into the Lord’s rest (Psalm 95:10-11).

 

Psalm 96 begins with a call to sing to the Lord and bless His name, proclaiming the good news of His salvation day to day (Psalm 96:1-2). God’s people are to declare His glory among the nations and his wonders to all people, for the Lord is great and greatly to be praised and feared above all gods (Psalm 96:3-4). Gods made by human hands are idols, but the Lord made the heavens with honor and majesty before Him and strength and beauty in His sanctuary (Psalm 96:5-6). The families of God’s people are to give the Lord glory and strength, giving the Lord the glory due His name, bringing an offering into His courts (Psalm 96:7-8). God’s people are to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness with all the earth trembling before Him (Psalm 96:9). Declare to the nations that the Lord reigns with the world firmly established and unmoved as the Lord judges the people righteously (Psalm 96:10). Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad, while the sea roars in all its fullness (Psalm 96:11). Let the fields be joyful and the trees of the woods rejoice before the Lord, for the Lord is coming to judge the world with righteousness (Psalm 96:12-13).

 

While the context of the writing of these psalms is not identified, they are a reminder to worship and obey the Lord, for he is coming to judge the world in righteousness and truth.

• Psalm 95: A call to worship and obedience: Worship of the Lord should be joyful, loud, and full of salvation, for He is the great God and King above all gods (Psalm 95:1-3). He is also the creator of all we see, so why would we not bow down and worship, and listen to the God who also made us (Psalm 95:4-7). We must not rebel or harden our hearts, or we risk not entering into the rest of the Lord.
• Psalm 96: Praise to God who is coming in judgment: In addition to worship and obedience of the Lord, we must remember that he is returning, not to die for our salvation, but as Judge, who will judge in righteousness and truth. This psalm ties in with Psalm 95, calling us to worship and obey the Lord who is coming to judge the world with righteousness and truth.

 

While our salvation is not based upon our works (Ephesians 2:8-9), to enjoy an abundant life in Christ, one must live in obedience and worship of the Lord God. However, complete surrender of one’s life can be difficult in a fallen world full of temptation. We live in a noisy world with social media, 24-hour news, videos, and podcasts. While these are not all bad, they can rob us of time in solitude with God. Jesus was incredibly busy in His ministry on earth without these distractions, and even though He was God, he took time to be alone in prayer with God His Father (Matthew 14:13-14; Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16). If Jesus needed to take time for solitude with God the Father, how much more do we?

 

I encourage everyone reading this to make sure they take time out of their busy day to have time alone with God. This may require looking at what happens during the day and eliminating time wasters and distractions. It may also require getting up early and going to bed later to ensure time alone with God. I also want to invite anyone reading this post who has not prayed to ask God to forgive their sins and to make Jesus the Lord of their lives, to do so by praying with me now.

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23). I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9). I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

If you meant what you just prayed, know that God has forgiven all your sins and that you now have a relationship with God and are a child of God (Romans 8:16). Like any relationship, it grows as we get to know each other. While God already knows all about us, we must study the Bible, the word of God, to learn more about Him. If you just prayed, I encourage you to find a Church that teaches the truth of the Bible so you can learn more about the Lord. May God convict, challenge, and bless everyone reading this post.