Participants:
Series Code: IIWSS
Program Code: IIWSS024012S
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00:16 >>Eric Flickinger: Welcome to "Sabbath School," 00:17 brought to you by It Is Written. 00:19 We're studying lesson number 12 this week, 00:21 very nearly at the end of our quarter together, 00:24 and this week it's "Worship That Never Ends," 00:27 something that we are most certainly looking forward to. 00:30 Let's begin our study today with prayer. 00:33 Father, we ask that You'll be with us today as You have 00:35 in the past and guide us through our study. 00:38 Help us to learn more about worship and how we can gain 00:41 depth and strength in our worship from the book of Psalms. 00:45 We thank You in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:48 Well, we're glad that you could join us today, 00:50 and we're also glad that we could have our guest 00:52 with us once again, Dr. Dragoslava Santrac. 00:55 She is an expert-- 00:57 we'll call it an expert-- in the book of Psalms 01:00 because by now, 12 weeks into it, you know a whole lot 01:04 more about it than most of us do. 01:06 And we're grateful for you sharing some of your knowledge 01:08 and wisdom and experience with it. 01:10 A PhD in Old Testament doesn't hurt, either. 01:13 And so we're grateful to have you. 01:14 Slava, let me ask you this question. 01:16 As we're looking at "Worship That Never Ends," 01:18 what is worship in the book of Psalms? 01:21 >>Dragoslava Santrac: Well, I would like to read two texts 01:23 from the Psalms that will give us the essence 01:28 of what worship is in the Psalms. 01:31 And these are very, very beautiful verses, 01:34 actually my favorite, if I could say I have favorite verses 01:38 in the Psalms. 01:39 So the first text will be Psalm 104, verse 33. 01:46 And the psalmist says, "I will sing to the Lord 01:50 "as long as I live; I will sing praise 01:55 to my God while I have my being." 01:59 And then another one, 116, verse 2: 02:05 "Because He has inclined His ear to me, 02:08 therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live." 02:14 So as long as I live, with my whole being, 02:17 while I have my being or breathing in me-- 02:22 all these expressions point that the worship in the Psalms 02:28 is not just a sporadic event, but it's a way of living, 02:35 it's a way of breathing, it's a way of approaching Lord 02:40 and having this eternal song of gratitude and praise 02:45 in our hearts. 02:47 And indeed, when we spend time with the psalms 02:50 on a daily basis, which I really encourage all of us 02:55 to embark on this journey, we will have this continual 03:00 worship in our hearts. 03:03 Of course, the worship also happens at particular place, 03:07 like in the temple or in the church today, 03:10 on particular occasions, but that worship-- 03:15 communal worship is fueled by this individual worship 03:21 that we have in our heart. 03:23 And we have these outward expressions of worship mentioned 03:27 in the Psalms on so many places. 03:30 They include coming up to the temple, 03:32 bowing down to the Lord in prayer, 03:35 bringing gifts and offerings, singing praises. 03:40 But all these outward expressions are based 03:44 on the inward recognition of who the Lord is, 03:49 that He's our Creator, our Lord, our Judge, 03:53 our Savior, the one who-- whom we worship 03:57 for all the wonderful things that He has done. 04:00 >>Eric: Slava, you mentioned about worship, 04:02 and part of worship being singing. 04:05 The Psalms talks about, among other things, 04:07 singing a new song. 04:09 What is this new song that we are encouraged to sing? 04:12 How does that impact us? 04:14 We're talking about worship that never ends. 04:16 What's this new song? 04:18 >>Dragoslava: Yes, a wonderful question. 04:21 Throughout the book of Psalms, we read about the many songs, 04:25 and the psalms themselves are songs. 04:27 Therefore, when the Psalms mention a new song, 04:31 what is that new song indeed? 04:34 And there are many mentions of the new song in Psalm 33, 04:40 Psalm 40, 96, 98, and so on. 04:44 But I would like to read just one verse to give us a context 04:50 of this new song, and in Psalm 40, verse 3, 04:56 we read that it is the Lord "who has put a new song 05:02 "in my mouth, praise to our God; many will see it and fear, 05:08 and will trust in the Lord." 05:10 This verse gives us a little bit of a definition of a new song. 05:14 It is a song that the Lord puts in our heart. How? 05:20 By performing a new intervention, 05:24 a new deliverance, a new act of kindness in our lives. 05:29 And by doing that, inspires us to sing this new song to give 05:34 this new fresh testimony of His goodness to other people, 05:40 who then by hearing our new song get to trust the Lord even more. 05:46 So this new song is a song that represents a new experience 05:52 with the Lord, a new, fresh recognition of His grace, 05:57 of His goodness. 05:59 And it is so important that we have these new songs 06:04 in our experiences. 06:06 Sometimes we share these past events from our lives 06:12 and say, oh, when the Lord did this and this, 06:15 this and that 5, 10, 20 years ago-- 06:18 but what about now? 06:20 The Lord is available to put new songs in our hearts to sing 06:26 and share with others. 06:27 And also, I would like to mention Revelation 14. 06:32 So it is not just the Psalms that mention a new song. 06:35 It is also the New Testament. 06:37 And let's read, just quickly, Revelation, 06:42 chapter 14, verse 3 because we will learn something 06:49 new there about the new song. 06:53 Yes, so here it says about the saved, 06:57 about the 144,000, these special people who were redeemed 07:04 from great trouble. 07:06 >>Eric: And it says here also they saw the Lamb 07:08 standing on Mount Zion. 07:10 So there's that connection to Mount Zion again. 07:11 >>Dragoslava: With Zion, exactly. And verse 3 says that, 07:15 "They sang as it were a new song before the throne, 07:20 "before the four living creatures, 07:22 and the elders"-- and here's the key-- 07:25 "and no one could learn that song 07:28 "except the hundred and forty-four thousand 07:32 who were redeemed from the earth." 07:34 Now, this new song represents a unique experience that 07:40 these people--and I would like to say 07:42 each and every one of us-- have with the Lord. 07:46 It is a unique context in which we live and sing 07:50 in a strange land, and it represents, as I said, 07:54 this unique testimony that each one of us can share. 07:59 This means, Eric, if I keep quiet about what the Lord 08:03 has done for me, no one can say that song because it is 08:08 my unique experience, and my unique testimony will be missed. 08:13 But, you see, the Psalms invite us to sing this new song 08:18 and glorify God. 08:20 >>Eric: So it's a new song. 08:22 Each one of us should, by the grace of God, 08:24 be able to sing that song, and through that song 08:27 be a blessing to others and help them to get to know Jesus 08:30 a little bit better. 08:33 When we talk about here standing on Mount Zion with the Lamb, 08:37 we're--it seems like there's some communion with God here. 08:41 Who is it that gets to commune with Him? 08:44 Who is it that gets to worship in God's presence? 08:47 We're over in the book of Psalms, 08:49 spending much of our time here, but we're also coming over here 08:52 into the book of Revelation, which is more our day, 08:54 as it were. How does this all fit together? 08:56 >>Dragoslava: Yes. We mentioned, I believe, last week 08:59 Psalms 15 and 24, where they ask a question: 09:03 Who may ascend to the Lord's holy hill? 09:08 Who may dwell in His holy presence? 09:10 And then the list that is given is a list of simple 09:16 ethical standards of behavior in everyday life. 09:21 So I will not repeat that, but this is just a reminder 09:24 of what we already spoke. 09:26 Instead, I would like us to read Psalm 111, verse 1, 09:32 which also gives us an invaluable insight 09:37 into the people who abide in the Lord's presence 09:43 and have fellowship with Him. 09:45 The psalmist says, "I will praise the Lord 09:49 "with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright 09:54 and in the congregation." 09:57 The first element here is "I will praise the Lord." 10:01 How? "With my whole heart." 10:04 Therefore, we are called to praise the Lord 10:07 with this holistic, pure attitude, 10:12 which the whole heart represent. 10:14 Other text in the Psalms say "with a perfect heart." 10:19 "Tamim," also "perfect," means "whole," 10:23 holistic, which means that there is no defect, 10:27 that the holistic devotion is given to God. 10:31 So this is the first aspect that's very important. 10:35 The second one is "in the assembly of the upright." 10:41 Now, the Lord in the Psalms is called upright. 10:46 He is upright Lord. He is upright in what He does. 10:50 And by calling the assembly of the believers the assembly 10:55 of the upright means that we are called to reflect 10:59 God's character in our inner self, in our character, 11:04 and also in our actions. 11:06 And these are the people who know God and who abide 11:10 in God's presence, who reflect who God is. 11:14 >>Eric: So this group could conceivably include us. 11:18 >>Dragoslava: Absolutely. 11:19 >>Eric: So he's calling us to be upright. 11:21 And in and of ourselves, we don't have the ability to be 11:23 upright, but if we invite Jesus to come into our hearts 11:27 and take over not just a corner of our hearts 11:29 but, as you said, in its entirety, all of us, 11:33 a whole experience, then we can experience this, 11:36 being in the assembly of the upright 11:38 and in the congregation as well, 11:41 so something very much for us to look forward to. 11:45 Let me ask this question here. 11:47 And we may not be able to cover it all before our break. 11:51 We'll come back and get a little bit more of it. 11:53 But we're talking about the assembly of the upright. 11:55 Let's delve a little bit into individual worship 11:59 versus communal worship. What's the difference? 12:02 Are there--is one more important than the other? 12:04 Do the two go together? How does that balance out? 12:07 >>Dragoslava: Yes, that's a question that people 12:09 frequently ask, and I would like to say that sometimes with hopes 12:15 that the answer would be, "Well, the individual worship 12:19 is just perfect and just enough." 12:23 In this individualistic culture, we have this tendency 12:27 to approach worship exactly in this individualistic way 12:33 and perhaps prefer to stay at the comfort of our home and read 12:38 the Scripture and worship the Lord from our arm chair, 12:44 which is all right. 12:47 And many people don't have the opportunity to join 12:49 the community of believers and have fellowship there. 12:54 So the individual worship is crucial, 12:57 as we mentioned, because it is with a whole heart, 13:01 with my inward recognition of who the Lord is 13:05 that I approach the worship. 13:07 But the ideal form of worship in the Psalms, 13:11 I have to say, is the communal worship. 13:14 Let's take just Psalm 22. 13:17 And this is the psalm, the prayer of Jesus 13:21 on the cross, and the first part of the psalm 13:25 is this prayer for deliverance. 13:28 So this--we can say, like, it's individual worship. 13:32 We must have individual worship. 13:34 That's the root, that's the heart of spiritual life. 13:39 But then look how the psalm progresses. 13:42 The psalmist moves towards communal worship. 13:48 And then in verse 22, he says that once the Lord has answered 13:54 his prayer, what will he do? 13:57 "I will declare Your name to my brethren; 14:00 in the midst of the assembly I will praise You." 14:05 And then verse 25: 14:07 "My praise shall be of You in the great assembly; 14:11 I will pay my vows before those who fear Him." 14:16 And then, "The poor shall eat and be satisfied." 14:19 Meaning that the others who are maybe poor spiritually 14:24 will eat of that testimony and that praise 14:27 and be satisfied, meaning brought closer to God, 14:31 so yes, the individual worship is the heart 14:35 of our spiritual life, and it feeds the communal worship, 14:39 but the individual worship finds its full realization 14:44 in the worship in the community, 14:47 in the fellowship of the believers. 14:49 And the book of Psalms ends with Psalm 148, 149, 14:56 and 150 with the entire universe and all the angels 15:00 and creation worshiping the Lord. 15:03 >>Eric: So individual worship, very important-- 15:06 >>Dragoslava: Yes. 15:07 >>Eric: ...but don't neglect the communal worship. 15:08 >>Dragoslava: Absolutely, yes. >>Eric: You miss out on a lot. 15:10 >>Dragoslava: Yes, yes. >>Eric: Very good. 15:12 We're going to come back in just a moment as we continue 15:14 taking a look at the book of Psalms, 15:16 a deep look at the book of Psalms, 15:18 and how we can continue to worship here on Mount Zion. 15:23 But don't miss the opportunity to pick up the companion book 15:26 to this quarter's "Sabbath School" lesson. 15:28 It is, of course, called "Psalms," 15:30 and you can find it at itiswritten.shop. 15:33 Again, that is itiswritten.shop. 15:35 And it will give you a deeper dive into everything 15:38 that we are talking about week by week. 15:41 We're going to be back in just a moment as we continue looking 15:43 here at week number 12, "Worship That Never Ends." 15:46 We'll be right back. 15:47 ♪♪♪ 15:51 >>John Bradshaw: He had it all-- 15:53 extravagant wealth, immense power, 15:56 and wisdom far greater than any person before him. 16:00 He'd seen the glory of God, had spoken personally with God, 16:04 and was told by God he could have anything he wanted, 16:07 but as his focus shifted over time, his life collapsed. 16:12 As he contemplated his existence, 16:14 he concluded that all was vanity. 16:17 Don't miss "Great Characters of the Bible: Solomon" 16:21 as we look at the story of the wisest man 16:23 who ever lived, a man who wrote three books of the Bible, 16:27 a man who was revered by monarchs and feared 16:29 by his enemies, the man who constructed what may have been 16:33 the most beautiful temple ever built, and yet turned away 16:36 from faithfulness to God, but God didn't turn from him. 16:40 The story of Solomon is a tragedy and a victory. 16:43 Don't miss "Great Characters of the Bible: Solomon" 16:47 brought to you by It Is Written TV. 16:51 >>John: More and more people are watching It Is Written TV. 16:55 They're watching their favorite It Is Written programs, 16:58 listening to inspiring sermon series, 17:01 and much more. 17:03 They're watching them here, here, and even here. 17:07 See for yourself why people are turning to It Is Written TV 17:10 to watch their favorite Christian programs 17:12 live and on demand. 17:14 Watch It Is Written TV for free anytime on Roku, 17:18 Apple TV, and at itiswritten.tv. 17:21 ♪♪♪ 17:26 >>Eric: Welcome back to "Sabbath School," 17:27 brought to you by It Is Written. 17:29 We are looking at "Worship That Never Ends" 17:31 here in lesson number 12. 17:33 Slava, what's one of the not-so-obvious aspects 17:37 of worship that Psalm 96 talks about? 17:41 Dig into that with us because there-- 17:44 worship is very personal to a lot of people, 17:47 and there are some opinions, one way or the other, 17:49 on things that are appropriate and inappropriate. 17:53 What about Psalm 96? What sometimes gets missed there? 17:56 >>Dragoslava: Yes. So, 17:57 obviously, when we say the word "worship," 18:00 people rightly assume it is something very personal, 18:04 like prayer, study of the Word of God, 18:07 singing to the Lord, and, of course, 18:10 then in the church, in the community, 18:12 the worship with songs, praise, the Word of God, 18:17 but sometimes we tend to forget one very important aspect 18:21 of worship, and we don't think of it as a part of or an act 18:26 of worship, but the Psalms stress the importance of that 18:30 and especially Psalm 96. 18:33 I will read few verses, and I believe just the text will speak 18:38 for itself, and the people will be able to draw 18:41 the conclusion for themselves. 18:43 So I will read Psalm 96, verse 2. 18:47 "Sing to the Lord, bless His name; 18:51 "proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. 18:56 Declare His glory"--verse 3-- 18:58 "among the nations, His wonders among all peoples." 19:04 Verse 10: "Say among the nations, 19:08 "'The Lord reigns; the world also is firmly established, 19:13 "'it [will] not be moved; 19:15 "He shall judge the peoples righteously.' 19:19 "Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; 19:22 "let the sea roar, and all its fullness; 19:26 "let the fields be joyful.... For He is coming, 19:28 ...He is coming." 19:30 So, here we see in the midst 19:32 of a worship service, which includes joy on one side 19:37 of the brackets like an envelope, 19:39 and then rejoicing in the Lord's salvation. 19:44 In the midst of that, there is a message 19:47 as part of the worship: Declare to the nations. 19:52 "Tell--proclaim the message of the Lord's salvation 19:56 to all the peoples. 19:58 So part of the worship that's maybe an unusual, 20:02 from our understanding, is evangelism. 20:05 Evangelism, sharing the good news of the gospel 20:09 with the people, is an act of worship. 20:13 If we want to give the Lord true praise, 20:16 we will tell others about Him so that they also can join us, 20:21 and our praise to the Lord is multiplied. 20:26 >>Eric: So this gives us another way that we can actively 20:29 be engaged in worship. 20:31 And if we're not sharing God's love with others, 20:34 we're missing out on maybe another depth of what worship 20:40 could and really should be. 20:43 If we truly love the Lord with all our hearts, mind, 20:46 soul, and strength, part of that 20:49 is gonna manifest itself in sharing 20:51 that good news with others. 20:53 >>Dragoslava: Yes. And communities that have 20:55 an active evangelistic life, they're active in sharing 21:00 the gospels with their neighbors, et cetera, 21:03 or supporting overseas missionary travels, 21:07 supporting ministries that are committed to sharing God's Word. 21:13 I've noticed, and many will agree, 21:15 these churches, these communities have such vibrant 21:19 worship services on Sabbath and prayer meetings. Why? 21:24 Because they have fresh experiences to thank God for. 21:29 They have new people to introduce 21:31 to the wonderful things we do as the community. 21:35 And all of that really brings a new life into our worship. 21:39 >>Eric: I think when we share our faith with others 21:41 and they begin to understand what genuine Christianity is, 21:45 what a genuine walk with Jesus is, 21:47 you see that light in their eyes, 21:50 that spark, and that encourages you, and it really just benefits 21:54 well, really, everyone. 21:56 So talking about worship, this can get a little bit sticky 21:59 sometimes with people. 22:01 They say, "Well, that's inappropriate for worship," 22:03 or, "This is appropriate worship." 22:05 And you go to different parts of the world, 22:07 even same part of the world, diff--maybe across town-- 22:10 and you find that different groups, different churches 22:13 have different ideas of what is appropriate for worship. 22:17 Do we find any guidance in the Psalms 22:20 of what's appropriate, what's inappropriate? 22:23 Is everything appropriate? 22:25 How does that kind of shake itself out 22:26 in the book of Psalms? 22:28 >>Dragoslava: Yes, yes, you are right. 22:30 Different cultures, different groups around the world have 22:34 different ways of worshiping the Lord that are completely 22:38 appropriate and acceptable in their regions. 22:42 When we read the Psalms, people will find expressions 22:46 like "clap to the Lord," "shout to the Lord with joy," 22:51 "sing loudly," "make [the] music to the Lord," 22:56 "make [the] joyful noise." 22:58 And as I am now listing all these various verses 23:02 from the Psalms, some people would say, 23:05 "Whoo, this is too loud. This is such a huge commotion. 23:09 I don't want to see that in my church." 23:11 And that is all right. 23:13 That is all right because we-- Lord has created us differently, 23:19 and there are different cultures and different ways in which 23:23 we express joy and praise and appreciation. 23:27 So, the Psalms reflect this biblical 23:30 ancient Hebrew culture that involves all these movements, 23:36 and--but we also notice that all of that is done in appreciation 23:43 and awareness of the Lord's holiness. 23:46 It was done in peace and order. 23:49 So we are not to imagine some kind of partying or celebration 23:54 that's almost worldly. It is not. 23:59 So these clappings and rejoicings and shoutings 24:03 are holy celebrations done in awareness of God's holiness. 24:09 But, Eric, you touched on one very important question, 24:13 and that a worship service can become inappropriate 24:19 and unacceptable to God. 24:22 >>Eric: So what would that-- without digging a hole too deep 24:27 because, of course, we are talking 24:28 with a worldwide audience here-- address some of the questions 24:32 about outward expression of that, that might 24:37 or might not fall on the inappropriate side of worship. 24:41 >>Dragoslava: Well, when we turn to Psalm 50, 24:45 we realize that the Lord is unhappy 24:50 with His people's worship-- 24:53 and I'm reading from verse 7-- when the Lord says, 24:56 "Hear, O my people, ...I will speak, 24:59 "O Israel, ...I will testify against you; 25:02 I am God, your God!" 25:04 And then the Lord says, "I will not rebuke you 25:07 "for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, 25:11 which are continually before me." 25:14 So, the Lord actually does not judge harshly 25:18 the outward expressions of worship of His people. 25:23 He says, "I don't complain about the sacrifices." 25:27 And then He says, "I will not take a bull 25:31 "from your house, nor goats out of your fields. 25:34 For every beast of the forest is mine." 25:37 Verse 12: "If I were hungry, I would not tell you; 25:40 "for the world is mine, and...its [all] fullness. 25:43 Will I eat the flesh of bulls, [and] drink the blood of goats?" 25:49 So the Lord is saying 25:51 you are hiding behind these outward expressions 25:55 of worship that now become formalistic in its essence. 26:00 Why? Because the inward appreciation, 26:04 the true inward motivation is missing. 26:09 And the Lord says, verse 14, "Offer to God thanksgiving, 26:14 "and pay your vows to the Most High. 26:17 "Call upon me in the day of trouble; 26:20 I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me." 26:24 The Lord longs for us to truly call upon Him. 26:30 When we pray, He longs that we mean what we say in prayer. 26:35 When we offer thanksgiving, that we are faithful 26:39 and obedient to His instruction. 26:42 So when can a worship become unacceptable? 26:45 It's when it is formalistic. 26:48 When it is without the true inner appreciation 26:52 and recognition of who the Lord is. 26:56 >>Eric: And we're grateful that God has inspired 26:59 the psalmist to give us some guidance 27:01 and some direction in this. 27:03 And we hope that this has been beneficial to you as 27:06 we have taken a look at worship today in the book of Psalms. 27:10 It's something that should be individualistic, 27:13 it should also be communal, and it should be heartfelt. 27:18 And by God's grace, it will really be all of us 27:23 that is involved in that worship. 27:26 So we pray that you will experience that as well. 27:29 We have one more week this quarter. 27:30 We'll be back again next week as we continue and bring 27:33 to a close our study of the book of Psalms 27:36 here on "Sabbath School," brought to you by It Is Written. 27:39 ♪♪♪ 28:24 ♪♪♪ 28:26 [Captions provided by Aberdeen Captioning www.abercap.com] |
Revised 2024-03-13