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Psalms 95:1-2 ESV
Do you know that you don’t have to be a great singer to do this? You could be totally tone deaf musically and still do what this is saying here. For, this has nothing to do with performance. This has nothing to do with how good you sound.
Do you know also that you could have the best voice ever, with great instrumental accompaniment behind your voice, and that you could not be doing this at all? You could, in fact, be failing miserably to do what this is talking about here.
Why? Because this is about relationship with God/Jesus Christ. This has to do with what is in our hearts, and who is in our hearts. This has to do with our attitude, our mindset, and our actions toward God/Jesus Christ. Are we living for him or for ourselves?
For the praise God accepts from us comes from the lips of those who are walking in the fear of the Lord and who are honoring the Lord with their lifestyles. And that is because true praise/worship is not lip service only. He wants us to give our all to him as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him, which is our acceptable worship of him (Rom 12:1-2; Eph 4:17-24).
Psalms 95:3-5 ESV
In America, and probably in other countries, too, the church at large has lost the fear of the Lord. God is now presented as a doting grandfather in the sky there to grant our every request, kind of like the false god Santa Claus. Or he is presented as a genie who serves us and who gives us what we want.
The gospel has been so adulterated that what is largely being taught now is that we are NOT to repent of our sins and that we are NOT to obey the Lord, and that we are NOT to submit to his Lordship over our lives, for they call that “lordship salvation” or “works-based salvation.”
They are teaching a faith in Jesus Christ, thus, which is man-made, i.e., it is being created in the minds of humans who are, in essence, serving Satan, and who are doing his bidding, for what they are teaching goes totally against the dignity, honor, and the divine character of Almighty God.
And people are buying into this false (cheap grace) gospel by the thousands because it allows them to continue living in their sins and doing what they want, only now without guilt or fear of punishment. But it is a big fat lie. And believing it will cost you your life for eternity.
Psalms 95:6-7 ESV
As I already said, the worship that our Lord accepts from us has to do with us surrendering our lives wholly to him as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him, no longer conformed to the ways of this sinful world, but transformed by the renewal of our minds so that by testing we may discern what the will of God is for our lives (Rom 12:1-2).
And bowing down to God has to do with humility, submission, and surrender, too, which is what Jesus and his New Testament apostles taught, too. And if we are his sheep, Jesus said that his sheep listen to him (they heed his words) and they follow (obey) him (John 10:27; Lu 9:23-26).
Psalms 95:7-11 ESV
Do you know that this is quoted for us in the New Testament in Hebrews 3:7-11? And that Hebrews 3 and 4 then teach on this subject? And that it was written to those who professed faith in Jesus Christ? And that this kind of teaching is repeated for us in pretty much all of the books of the New Testament?
Do you know that in Hebrews it states that we are God’s house if indeed we hold fast our confidence in our hope in Christ Jesus? And that it says that we are to take care lest any of us have an evil unbelieving heart leading us to fall away from the living God?
And then it strongly encourages us to exhort (urge, prod, insist, goad, encourage) one another daily so that not one of us may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. But where is this happening today in America’s churches? Too many of them are teaching us, instead, to “stay in your own lane.”
So, who didn’t enter God’s rest? Those who were disobedient. They were not able to enter because of unbelief. Do you see what this is saying here? Disobedience equals unbelief. And the New Testament states that if we are not obeying our Lord, as a matter of practice, that we don’t know the Lord.
So, what’s the bottom line here? The New Testament teaches us that if we walk (in conduct, in practice) according to the flesh, that we are going to die in our sins. If we make sin our practice, we will not inherit eternal life. For we will all be judged by what we do (Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; 1 Co 6:9-10; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; 2 Co 5:10).
But, if we walk according to the Spirit, and if we walk in obedience to our Lord, and not according to the flesh, then we have eternal life with God. And we will want to sing praises to him for what he has done for us in delivering us from our slavery to sin so we can now be slaves of his righteousness.
A Believer’s Prayer
An Original Work / July 31, 2012
With my whole heart, Lord, I pray
To be Yours, and Yours always.
Lead me in Your truth today.
May I love You, and obey.
Lead me in Your righteousness.
When I sin, may I confess;
Bow before You when I pray;
Live for You and You always.
Love You, Jesus, You’re my friend.
Life with You will never end.
You are with me through each day,
Giving love and peace always.
You will ne’er abandon me.
From my sin You set me free.
You died on that cruel tree,
So I’d live eternally.
Soon You’re coming back for me;
From this world to set me free;
Live with You eternally.
Oh, what joy that brings to me.
I will walk with You in white;
A pure bride, I’ve been made right
By the blood of Jesus Christ;
Pardoned by His sacrifice.
“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!”
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!”
Do you know that you don’t have to be a great singer to do this? You could be totally tone deaf musically and still do what this is saying here. For, this has nothing to do with performance. This has nothing to do with how good you sound.
Do you know also that you could have the best voice ever, with great instrumental accompaniment behind your voice, and that you could not be doing this at all? You could, in fact, be failing miserably to do what this is talking about here.
Why? Because this is about relationship with God/Jesus Christ. This has to do with what is in our hearts, and who is in our hearts. This has to do with our attitude, our mindset, and our actions toward God/Jesus Christ. Are we living for him or for ourselves?
For the praise God accepts from us comes from the lips of those who are walking in the fear of the Lord and who are honoring the Lord with their lifestyles. And that is because true praise/worship is not lip service only. He wants us to give our all to him as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him, which is our acceptable worship of him (Rom 12:1-2; Eph 4:17-24).
Psalms 95:3-5 ESV
“For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land."
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land."
In America, and probably in other countries, too, the church at large has lost the fear of the Lord. God is now presented as a doting grandfather in the sky there to grant our every request, kind of like the false god Santa Claus. Or he is presented as a genie who serves us and who gives us what we want.
The gospel has been so adulterated that what is largely being taught now is that we are NOT to repent of our sins and that we are NOT to obey the Lord, and that we are NOT to submit to his Lordship over our lives, for they call that “lordship salvation” or “works-based salvation.”
They are teaching a faith in Jesus Christ, thus, which is man-made, i.e., it is being created in the minds of humans who are, in essence, serving Satan, and who are doing his bidding, for what they are teaching goes totally against the dignity, honor, and the divine character of Almighty God.
And people are buying into this false (cheap grace) gospel by the thousands because it allows them to continue living in their sins and doing what they want, only now without guilt or fear of punishment. But it is a big fat lie. And believing it will cost you your life for eternity.
Psalms 95:6-7 ESV
“Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.”
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.”
As I already said, the worship that our Lord accepts from us has to do with us surrendering our lives wholly to him as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him, no longer conformed to the ways of this sinful world, but transformed by the renewal of our minds so that by testing we may discern what the will of God is for our lives (Rom 12:1-2).
And bowing down to God has to do with humility, submission, and surrender, too, which is what Jesus and his New Testament apostles taught, too. And if we are his sheep, Jesus said that his sheep listen to him (they heed his words) and they follow (obey) him (John 10:27; Lu 9:23-26).
Psalms 95:7-11 ESV
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
when your fathers put me to the test
and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
For forty years I loathed that generation
and said, ‘They are a people who go astray in their heart,
and they have not known my ways.’
Therefore I swore in my wrath,
‘They shall not enter my rest.’”
do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
when your fathers put me to the test
and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
For forty years I loathed that generation
and said, ‘They are a people who go astray in their heart,
and they have not known my ways.’
Therefore I swore in my wrath,
‘They shall not enter my rest.’”
Do you know that this is quoted for us in the New Testament in Hebrews 3:7-11? And that Hebrews 3 and 4 then teach on this subject? And that it was written to those who professed faith in Jesus Christ? And that this kind of teaching is repeated for us in pretty much all of the books of the New Testament?
Do you know that in Hebrews it states that we are God’s house if indeed we hold fast our confidence in our hope in Christ Jesus? And that it says that we are to take care lest any of us have an evil unbelieving heart leading us to fall away from the living God?
And then it strongly encourages us to exhort (urge, prod, insist, goad, encourage) one another daily so that not one of us may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. But where is this happening today in America’s churches? Too many of them are teaching us, instead, to “stay in your own lane.”
So, who didn’t enter God’s rest? Those who were disobedient. They were not able to enter because of unbelief. Do you see what this is saying here? Disobedience equals unbelief. And the New Testament states that if we are not obeying our Lord, as a matter of practice, that we don’t know the Lord.
So, what’s the bottom line here? The New Testament teaches us that if we walk (in conduct, in practice) according to the flesh, that we are going to die in our sins. If we make sin our practice, we will not inherit eternal life. For we will all be judged by what we do (Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; 1 Co 6:9-10; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; 2 Co 5:10).
But, if we walk according to the Spirit, and if we walk in obedience to our Lord, and not according to the flesh, then we have eternal life with God. And we will want to sing praises to him for what he has done for us in delivering us from our slavery to sin so we can now be slaves of his righteousness.
A Believer’s Prayer
An Original Work / July 31, 2012
With my whole heart, Lord, I pray
To be Yours, and Yours always.
Lead me in Your truth today.
May I love You, and obey.
Lead me in Your righteousness.
When I sin, may I confess;
Bow before You when I pray;
Live for You and You always.
Love You, Jesus, You’re my friend.
Life with You will never end.
You are with me through each day,
Giving love and peace always.
You will ne’er abandon me.
From my sin You set me free.
You died on that cruel tree,
So I’d live eternally.
Soon You’re coming back for me;
From this world to set me free;
Live with You eternally.
Oh, what joy that brings to me.
I will walk with You in white;
A pure bride, I’ve been made right
By the blood of Jesus Christ;
Pardoned by His sacrifice.
