A sermon on Psalm 111
By Dr. Charles J. Tomlin
Flat Rock-Zion Baptist Partnership
4th Sunday after Epiphany, January 29, 2012
As is my custom, I took off the week after Christmas to visit a church in the area that was experimenting with a different style of church and a different type of worship. It was New’s Day, and upon entering the Sanctuary, knowing that it was a “contemporary” worship style, I expected clapping, worship leadership, loud music, and of course, participation.
Actually, when my wife and I arrived, I needed to make a quick trip to the bathroom. On my way back, my eye caught the Nursery door and a sign that I really loved. It said: “Let us Love on you Kids, While You’re Loving on God.” Good sign. I liked that. I thought to myself: This church is going to be great.
But when I finally came to enter the Sanctuary, nothing was happening. They were making announcements. That was important. But I didn’t come for that. Even when the two musicians; two well-trained guitarist started the praise and worship music, and were singing, I just didn’t sense any real participation from the congregants. There were about 40 to 60 people in a room that might had seated 200. Everything happening was contemporary. The environment was contemporary. The musicians were on a stage. They were singing good songs. There was a glass pulpit, which didn’t look like a pulpit. The room was dark. The video screen was large and bright. The control room had a couple of controllers present. Everything was set up for a meaningful, explosive, relational, contemporary worship experience, but nothing seemed to connect, with me, nor with the audience. It was lifeless.
After the two musicians’ finished 3 or 4 songs, they sat down. Then, the pastor got up and gave his message. It was a good message, but somehow, I still got the feeling this service, except for the “contemporary” façade, was no different than any other service I’d been in lately.
So, after my visit to the experimental church I came to this conclusion: Worship can be just as spiritually lifeless and dead in a “contemporary” church as it can be a “traditional” church. The most important part of worship is not “how” we worship, but “who” we worship; and the most important question God’s people have to answer whenever they enter the doors of a church or worship center is this: Will God Be Praised!
Unless this happens, nothing happens. Unless we have come to sincerely and singly focus upon God and not ourselves, nor our human agendas; then no matter how we dress it up, what kind of façade we put on it; we have not come to worship God. The most fundamental question of each and every church, every time the doors are open to worship is only this: “Will God Be Praised?”
I. “I will give thanks to God with my whole heart” Psalm 111.1
This is how the Psalmist sees true worship? It must be “whole-hearted”! Do we have any half-hearted worshippers here today? You may be excused. You are hindering the rest of us. Go home and come back when your heart is right. Don’t get me wrong, we want you back! But we only want you to be here, like the Psalmist has said, to worship and to give thanks to God with your whole heart!
Let me tell you why the Psalmist is serious about this, and I am too. Isn’t it amazing how bad things turn out when you are half-hearted about anything?
Try to be “half-hearted” in your marriage and see how it works.
Try to be “half-hearted” at work, and see how long you have a job.
What about being half-hearted with your children, your family, your friends or any other relationship?
Try to be “half-hearted” when you drive a car, focusing on something else. That’s dangerous.
Isn’t it true that being “half-hearted” at the worship of the true God could be just as dangerous to you spiritually and to the spiritual health of this congregation? Didn’t the Spirit of Jesus tell the Church at Laodicea, that he wished that they’d either be “cold” or “hot”, but because they were “lukewarm”, he have to vomit them up. That’s sick. That’s right, but that’s also half-hearted. This can be dangerous for a Christian or for a church.
Worship just doesn’t work when people come “half-hearted” with other real agenda’s on their mind and heart. When our agenda and goal for being here is anything other than “to give thanks to the LORD with (our) whole heart” (Psalm 111.1), then we are just asking for failure in worship, failure in our Christian walk with God, and we are bringing about the failure of our church; because a church exists for only one ultimate reason: to wholeheartedly worship, glorify and magnify the Lord. There is no other more necessary agenda.
But again, when we lose this agenda, when we get preoccupied with other things, then we can start losing our focus; grasping after other things. This past week I made a mistake putting the Scripture down. I wrote to the Secretary Psalm 61 instead of Psalm 62. Let me make this clear: that won’t the last time I make a mistake. What if you came to church only to focus on my mistakes or I only came to focus on your mistakes. We’d never be able to praise God, would we? You might like “correcting” my mistakes, but I bet you wouldn’t like me correcting your mistakes. Let me make this clear: We are not in this church to correct each other’s mistakes. We will make mistakes. In one church that like to focus on people’s mistakes, I wore a T-shirt that said: Build a bridge and get over it? That’s a good attitude for worship. We are here to worship God and to let God help us build a bridge over the mistakes, failures, and shortcomings of our lives.
Do you see what can happen when people worship God half-heartedly? We focus on all the wrong things; and then none of us are happy about anything, nor with each other. But when you give God you “whole” heart, then nothing is yours and you can be free and happy and you don’t focus on little things; but you focus on the big things. Remember what Scripture says: “Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you. (Phi 4:8-9 NRS). Do you see it? Unless you focus on the one who is worthy of praise….you don’t get the peace of God; all you get is discord, strife and discontent. I don’t want that; and I don’t believe you do either.
Let me explain it to you this way: I’ve been in churches where the bulletins were sloppy. I’ve been in churches where the music was bad, real bad. I’ve been in churches where the preaching was not at all what it needed to be. I’ve been in churches where the testimonies were silly. I’ve been in churches, where the fellowship was a little stiff. But when those people in that church, even with the bad music and the bad preaching, came to worship and they gave their whole heart to give thanks to God, none of those weaknesses mattered. But on the other hand, I’ve also been in churches where the bulletins were normally perfect, or expected to be. I’ve been in churches where the music was well practiced and rehearsed. I’ve been in church where the preacher was well-prepared and polished; where people gave testimonies or should I say “talks”; and where everybody smiled and shook each other’s hands; but because those people did not come into that church to give God their “whole heart” the worship fell flat.
To put this as plain and simple as I can: If you did not come into this worship place today with only one agenda; this true agenda on your mind and heart; if you did not come to give your “whole heart” to God in worship; then it would be better if stopped worship; at least until you get things right. Now, what I’m saying might sound shocking and crude; but isn’t this what Jesus told his disciples? Jesus said his sermon on the mount (Matt. 5.23-24): “So when you are offering your gift at the altar (that’s worship), if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. The point is this: that if there is anything that “hinders” you from worshiping with your whole heart; go deal with it, get it worked out, in a Christian way, find the person and try to come to an understanding; be reconciled; settle things in a positive way, and then you can worship.
Maybe, one Sunday a month, if we ought to follow Jesus’ literally, rather than figuratively, we can do worship differently, for once. If we do this, at least one Sunday we ought to have the Invitation before we have the offering and the sermon. Isn’t Jesus saying what the Psalmist has said: You can’t give thanks to God; in fact, you can’t give God anything; until you given him your whole heart. God does not take “half-hearted” gifts.
Can’t we recall what really brought down King Saul’s kingdom? Maybe David is remembering this, when he wrote this Psalm. God had command Saul to defeat the Amalekites and to completely take them out; with nothing left; not even spare one single sheep (1 Sam. 15.2). Now, we don’t take the call for “holy war” literally for us today, but there is a spiritual “remainder” that does carry over.
Samuel came to Saul, asking him whether or not he carried out the command of the Lord. Saul said that he did. But then the prophet said: “If you did, then what then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the cattle that I hear.” (1 Sam. 15.6) Instead of following God’s command, and instead of giving his whole-hearted devotion to God, Saul spared the Ameletkite King Agag, (Did I say a-GAG! As in vomit), and being “lukewarm” in his devotion to God, he spared some of the animals to make a profit too. So, the prophet came to him in righteous anger, as prophet’s do, when people lose full devotion to God following their own agendas. King Saul said he followed God’s command; but his actions proved he didn’t. This is why he lost the kingdom. Let me ask you today: What do our actions show; half-hearted or full devotion? Are actions speaking louder than words? Are we losing the kingdom call in our churches because we only answer the call half-heartedly? The Psalmist makes it clear: You worship the true God with half a heart.
But there’s something else the Psalmist says about true worship:
II. I will give thanks….in the company of the upright, in the congregation (Psa 111:1 NRS)
Not only must worship be “whole-hearted”, but there is another issue connected to it: we are not able to give “wholehearted” thanks to God unless “in the congregation” we are “in the company of the upright”. Unless the atmosphere of worship is right, our attitude of worship will not be right.
What does it mean to have the right “atmosphere” for worship? What kind of “congregation” can rightly carry that title, “upright?” Sounds like a pretty tall order in our day and time, when we so many angles on truth and so many differing viewpoints about church, morality and ethics. Can we even dare define what it means to be in the “company of the upright”?
I think we can get an answer from another Hebrew Bible passage in Joshua 7 which was about the full “devotion” to God in a time of Holy War. This is a passage known as the “Sin at Ai”. The “sin” at “Ai” almost wiped out Israel? In the biblical story, Joshua had given Israel the command to attack the Amorites, as God instructed, but then something bad happened. They were not winning. They were not just losing, but getting slaughtered. Joshua complained to God and fell on his face before God: “Ah, Lord God! Why have you brought this people across the Jordan to hand us over to the Amorites so as to destroy us? (Josh. 7.7). But then, the Lord spoke to Joshua: “Stand up! Why have you fallen on your face? Israel has sinned. They have transgressed my covenant…and taken some of the devoted things!...They have put them among their own belongings.” The problem of half-hearted devotion is hear again; but this someone was holding back and keeping for themselves the things that they were supposed to devote fully and completely to God. It’s one thing to worship half-heartedly, but it’s another to hold back, and to intentionally refuse to give God what belongs to him.
What could a “congregation” hold back from the Lord? Think about it this way: The opposite of being “upright”, is being “downright”. Using this word picture might help you understand being “upright” with it’s contrasting word. When I’m “downright”, I’m downright sure I’m doing what I want, even before I ask God. When I’m “downright” certain that I can hold on to what I have---all for myself, and I don’t have to think or consider at all what Jesus said, when he said: “sell everything, give everything and follow me!” Of course, that was a word then, not for now. Are you “downright” sure he’s not calling you to do something? If you are “downright” sure you know everything you have all you need before you come into this place of worship, you can’t be upright. When we are “downright” we come to church with our own “opinions”, our own “decisions”, and our own “choices” and “lifestyles” and that we don’t have a care to think one thing about what God says, wants, or what is needed. We’ve got life “downright” the way we want it and God can’t get a word in edgewise. This is the difference between coming to worship in a way that is “downright” prideful and selfish, instead of being “upright”, humble, giving or forgiving.
People don’t worship “freely” or “fully”, giving their full devotion to God, when they are part of a church where everyone is “downright” sure of everything already. But when you are “in the company of the upright” there is a willingness to humble ourselves before God; there is a desire to ask God what he wants first; and there is a desire to listen and learn; ever new “what the Lord is saying to me”? “Downright” people stick their heels in the ground and say, this is mine and I won’t move. Upright people say, what can we do to follow God’s in this moment. “Downright” holds back and has nothing new to bring to God, but we are only focused upon ourselves. “Upright” people are focused “upright” on God; open, transparent, and willing to consider the voice of God, moving in them in this moment.
Which are you; a “downright” or an “upright” Christian? Only in “the company of the upright” can people fully focus on God to praise him with their whole hearts, rather holding back and focusing on themselves.
III. Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them. (Psa 111:2 NRS)
There is one more thing. For God to be praised; we must come “whole-heatedly” and we must come opening our hearts together, “in the company” of the “upright”, but finally, we must also come “to study” and to “delight” in the “great” “works of the LORD.”
It is quite interesting that the Psalmist says “the Great works of God” are “studied” by all who delight in them. What do you think he means by this word: “studied”? Who has time to study anything at church, anymore? All statistics tell us that “Sunday School” or “Bible Study” in churches is in serious decline, so when does anyone come to church to figure out what “great works” God is doing in our lives? Taking time for deeper, serious, contemplative or consideration of God’s will and works in a serious study seems to be a thing of the past? Is there any wonder people can follow God’s will when they don’t have time to study God’s works?
This Psalm 111 is a very interesting Psalm in how it is put together. It is what bible scholar’s call alphabet acrostic Psalm. It is put together in the order of the Hebrew Alphabet so that it goes something like this: Aleph: Alleluia! I will praise you God. Beth: Blessing you name give me great joy. Gimel: Great are the works of God! Daleth: Daily your goodness is on my mind. This is the type of Psalm a parent would teach their child so they would learn both how to praise God and how to know their ABC’s. The Psalmist believes that only when you take time out of your life to “study” and to “recognize” the “great works” of God in your life; will you take time to praise God, or give him your full, wholehearted devotion. The source of worship comes from taking the time to “study” and “delight” in the “great works of the Lord.” For a person of faith, learning to praise God is something you must learn to do, like learning your ABC’s. Then when you daily study it, it becomes “second nature” (Idea from Patrick J. Wilson, The National Presbyterian Church, Washington, D.C, in his sermon, “Primer of Praise”, Lectionary Homiletics, Vol. 23, Number 1, p 70).
But what is the Psalmist studying and teaching? What are the ABC’s of praise? He gives us a list of things that he studies in his life that brings out praise to God. He can see so much: His righteousness endures…..The Lord is gracious and merciful… He is mindful of his covenant… He has given us a heritage… He is faithful and just…. He is redemptive. God is “awesome” and he deserves our respect. These are just some of the things that the Psalmist has “studied” that move him to praise.
What do you “study” that moves you to praise; to give God your full devotion, so that you to hold nothing back? Soon a movie will come out, that I want to see, entitled: “Of God’s and Men.” It includes a picture of a style of worship most of us know little or nothing about. It’s a true story of a group of monks who live at the edge of a village in Algeria, Africa. They meet regularly in their chapel, sitting, facing each other in rows. They sing beautiful songs and chants in praise to God. But as they worship they also wrestle with a dilemma. There is a bitter war going on outside their chapel between radical Muslims terrorists and the government. The army has asked the monks to leave because it cannot guarantee their safety, and the terrorists have DEMANDED that they leave.
Some of the monks would gladly go, whereas others realize how much the villagers depend on them for medical services, since one of the monks is a doctor. During one prayer service they hear the roar of a helicopter overhead, almost drowning out their worship. However, they continue to sing all the more lustily, affirming that God is still with them. Both in the praise and in their decision to stay despite the danger, they affirm these words of the psalmists, “Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the LORD with all my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation, Great are the works of the LORD studied by all who delight in them! (From Edward MucNulty in Lectionary Homiletics, Vol. 23, Number 1, 2012, p. 69).
Surely if they, being in such danger, can still give their “whole hearts” to God, can we not do the same when, at least today, there is no great threat upon us? Funny, isn’t it? It’s a lot harder to “study”, be “upright” and give you “whole heart” to God, when you think you have so many other options or you have your life in you own hands. But take away all those other options, find your life under threat, and you see God as he really is and his works as they really are: Great!
Is there anyway other way to gain this true perspective without the threat of losing our lives? I guess not, because the Psalmist concludes: “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” That’s the way it was then, and that’s how it still is today. Without holy reverence, respect, and even some element of fear, it’s hard to give our whole hearts, be upright in the congregation, and take time to “study” God’s great works. Maybe this is why most of us get old, weak, and face the decline of our lives before we die. I heard Jay Leno say the other day: “I’m a still a young guy on the inside, but on the outside my body is quickly becoming a disaster. Maybe, we humans just can’t finally get the truth any other way. In order to truly worship God, we need a little fear. Life does that to people; and hopefully with that wisdom, people will learn again to worship God with their whole heart! Amen.
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