September 29, 2019

Before We Worship

One almost wishes Psalm 95 ended before the end of verse 7. For vss. 1–6, and most of v. 7, call us to “make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!” He is supremely worthy of praise, for he is the “great God, and a great King above all gods.” This is not to say there are any other gods than the LORD. But there certainly are the things that people worship as their gods, and compared to them, the LORD is so much greater. Our God also holds the whole world in his hands: “In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountain are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.” Our worship becomes stale when our vision of God is small. But Psalm 95 brings us a vision of a truly great God, and makes him appropriately worthy of our joyful worship.

Not only so, in vss. 6–7 the great and transcendent God of creation is also immanent, or, has drawn near mankind. “For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.” Alec Motyer summarizes well: “The psalm moves from Creation, the realm of the general grace of God, to redemption, his care of his flock, the realm of special grace. Creation excites the voice of praise; redemption, the bowed knee of worship.”

But then come the jarring warnings at the end of v. 7, which continue until the end. The psalmist takes us back to the events recorded in Exodus 17 and Numbers 20, when there was no water in the wilderness for Israel, and they grumbled and tested the Lord. To test the Lord here means to intentionally distrust God: “Let’s see if God can do it this time. I will believe it when I see it!” The problem was that this expressed unbelief has the entire history of God’s miraculous rescue of Israel from Egypt and faithful provision behind it. Faith was the expected and called-for response, not unbelief.

In turn, God stood on a rock before Israel, Moses struck the rock, and from the rock came the water. God himself took the blow that Israel deserved, and that resulted in the saving of their lives. It is, then, entirely appropriate for Ps. 95 to end with these warnings. For the God in whose pasture we are the sheep is the One who supremely deserves our heart-felt faith and worship. So the psalmist cries out: “do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness…” Instead, trust him, believe him, and worship him. And you will enter his rest. Let us heed these words of exhortation and warning, and enter into God’s rest. For Jesus received our blows, and the Rock of Ages was cleft for us that we might live.

Call to Worship

‡ Psalm 95 (p. 499)

‡ Trinity Hymnal #499 “Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me”

‡ Trinity Hymnal #731 “Doxology”

Prayer of Invocation

The Reading and Exposition of the Law

Joel 2:12–13 (p. 761)

The Shorter Catechism Qs. 85–87

[See here for lesson](https://gracefallbrook.church/grace-notes/scq85-87.

Prayer of Confession

The Proclamation of the Gospel

“For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10 ESV)

Bulletin Insert #4 “My Faith Has Found a Resting Place”

Presentation of Gifts and Offering

Pastoral Prayer

The Proclamation of God’s Word

1 Peter 1:1–2 (p. 1014)

Dear Christians…

Rev. Ken Han

The Sacrament of The Lord’s Supper

We participate in the Lord’s Supper weekly. We welcome to the Lord’s Table all baptized believers who have sincere faith in Jesus Christ, and regularly worship in a Reformed or evangelical church.

The Lord’s Supper is a sign and a seal of the new covenant blessings. When we participate in the Lord’s Supper with faith, it strengthens our bond with our covenant Lord, Jesus Christ. Thus we participate properly when we come to our Savior with faith and repentance as we renew our resolve to forsake sin and live for his glory.

The Lord’s Supper also renews our bonds with God’s covenant community, the body of believers in the local church. As we receive the Lord’s Supper, we renew our pledge to give ourselves away in loving service.

During the distribution of the bread we will sing TH #56 “When All Your Mercies, O My God” stanzas 1–3, and stanzas 4–6 during the distribution of the cup.

Trinity Hymnal #466 “I Sought the Lord, and Afterward I Knew”

Benediction

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Growth Resources

Family Devotion for the Week

The September 22, 2019 sermon, John 1:14–18. “The God of Truth” is available on our church website. You can also catch up on older sermons from our Sermon page and subscribe to sermon podcast here.

Upcoming Events and Notices

Join us for “12 for 19” as we read 12 great books in the year 2019. In October we will read Barbara Duguid, “Extravagant Grace: God’s Glory Displayed in Our Weakness”.

September 29 (Lord’s Day): Children’s Catechism lesson will meet after the worships service.

September 29 (Lord’s Day): Please join us as we discuss Winston Smith’s “Marriage Matters: Extraordinary Change Through Ordinary Moments.”

Nursery Volunteers

September 29: Kelly Rogers