Psalms 95

Psalm 95

Sunday, 9/21/25

Big Idea: Anchor your heart to the Rock. 

ATTENTION

Two of the biggest buzzwords of the 21st century are identity and authenticity. The first speaks to a desire to know who we are, that we belong, that we have meaning and purpose. The second, authenticity, reveals that we, as humans made in God’s image, have a desire to be part of something that is real, whole, something that has substance and significance.

And it is no surprise that so many in our day are seeking identity and authenticity. For the past several decades, secular sources have told us that we don’t need others to know who we are. Whether that is a God, a creed/guidebook, family, friend network, etc. “You can form your own identity,” we’ve been told.

And in an age of performing publicly for social media “points/likes”; seeking affirmation for everything we do – our parenting, to our job performance, even our hobbies – it’s no wonder that we long to be part of something authentic, something real, not just a “performance.”

As Christians, we can easily be coerced into the “rat race” of looking for meaning and significance in all the wrong places and in all the wrong ways. We second-guess our parenting choices because of “what will that family think of us?” We hold back from providing that “truth in love” comment from an erring brother/sister because we’re afraid it will kill the “fun vibes” of our relationship. Teens, you’re tempted to imitate that older, cooler guy/girl because you know it will boost your “social score” in other people’s eyes. And you want so badly to be accepted and to belong in that group.

This mentality can affect how we shop for clothes (“will people notice my ‘fit bod?’”; or “maybe this will finally cover up ______ [body part] that I’ve always hated about myself”). Shop for cars (“wait till my buddies get a look at this sweet ride!”).

It can affect how we build and maintain relationships (“if I’m tight with her, I’ll get the ‘in’ to other cool relationships”) or how we avoid them (“if I just stay over here, I won’t be confronted by my insecurities or have to open up about the painful parts of my life right now”). It can result in no one at work knowing you’re a Christian because you’ve been silent about your position in Christ for years!

If we don’t know who we are in Christ, trials will push us away from God. If we’re confused about our standing before God, God will seem like a vindictive, mean dictator, rather than a benevolent Father who often uses hard things to grow us and draw us close to him.

Ultimately, this mindset can leave us frustrated, ungrateful, fearful, and with a “sour” outlook on life. The things we chase after – status and praise from others, satisfaction that “we’ve made it,” or just a sense of comfort/ease that we’re living “the good life” – seem to be just out of reach, floating away in the wind.

Please turn in your Bible to Psalm 95. Psalm 95; that’s page 539 in the black pew Bible.

This psalm was originally written for the nation of Israel (likely after their exile). And in it, there is a call to anchor your heart on God, the Rock.

That’s our big idea for today: Anchor your heart on God, the Rock.

INTRO

Psalm 95 is in a collection of psalms often called “royal psalms,” which hold up God as the Great King of the Universe. They speak of God’s majesty (93 “the Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty”); his right to judge (94 “LORD, God of vengeance, God of vengeance, shine forth!). And 96 (“the LORD reigns…He will judge the peoples fairly”).

The structure of this psalm is quite simple: vv. 1-7a call God’s people to praise him; vv.7b-11 issue a warning from Israel’s past to not rebel against God.

The first half is often used as a call to worship, inviting God’s people to come with praise and thanksgiving. The second half is more of a prophetic challenge to not forget God or forsake his ways.

In our day of competing calls about your identity and what a good “authentic” life looks like, anchor your heart to God, the Rock.

1)        Worship the Creator God (1-5) – read Psalm 95:1-7a

a.        Praise God Passionately

                                                                                         i.         The psalmist urges the nation of Israel to come to God with a full heart of praise and worship. Vv. 1a, 2a, and 6a urge the nation to “draw near” or “come together” to worship God. It is a communal activity, likely for one of the big festivals/feast days.

                                                                                          ii.         The command is also to praise God in a noisy manner. We see this in the words used:

1.        “Sing for joy” is a command to sing with exuberance, expression, with life in your voice and on your face.

2.        The phrase “shout joyfully” in 1b and 2b means that your heart is so moved by who God is that it affects your body. You can’t help but express praise to God.

                                                                                       iii.         To be clear, praising God in a “noisy manner” isn’t the only way to worship God. Verse 6 makes it clear that we also need to come before God, at times, with humbly, reverently, and quietly.

                                                                                       iv.         But this kind of full-voiced exclamation of praise in shouting and in singing is appropriate when hailing a president or cheering on your team on their game-winning drive, or when excited at the announcement of your first grandchild!

                                                                                          v.         How much more so when you are focused on the greatness of your God!

                                                                                       vi.         Application: There are extremes in “worship” that we see on TV or the internet. People who stir themselves up into an emotional fervor. If they haven’t been stirred up into an ecstatic state, they feel that they haven’t “worshipped God properly” that Sunday. We’re not all about that:

1.        We ought to worship together in an orderly manner (1 Cor. 14:40 “But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner.”).

2.        When we worship God together, we do so with an eye of encouraging and building others up [1 Cor. 14:26, 33 “When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification… for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.”]

                                                                                    vii.         Application (cont.): However, I think we can violate commands about worship and praise like this one when we assemble as God’s people to hear God’s Word read, listen to fervent prayer, and have the opportunity to praise God.  If your response to all of that is to shrug, or mumble along, or stand with a posture that says, “I dare you to make me feel anything!” – you are violating God’s command to worship him as he deserves!

                                                                                  viii.         App (cont.): He commands you to worship with your mind, heart, soul, and strength. We have the privilege of serving our amazing Creator, Savior, and Lord. So give God what he deserves! Again, it’s not just when it comes to singing/music, but also is in the area of prayer, Scripture reading, and response to the preaching. But in this context, it is especially in singing truth back to God! Praise God passionately!

b.        Praise God Mindfully

                                                                                             i.         Setup

1.        We need to praise God passionately – get moved a bit while you sing, pray, and testify!

2.        Also, we ought to praise God willingly. See the psalm as an invitation to join the greatest thing going on in the universe: “come and praise; come and sing; come and shout!” The thing we will be doing with all the saints for all eternity (read the end of Revelation).

3.        But we also need to see the basis for the praise. That we do so based on truth, what God has revealed. That we praise mindfully, that is, with our mind/heart that leads to affection/emotion and actions.

4.        Many religions practice a “mindless” form of singing, chanting, or subconscious meditation (think yogis and transcendental meditation).

5.        But God-honoring, authentic worship is not mindless repetition of words or beats or driving guitar riffs that whip people up to say, “Wow, the worship was amazing today!” But when someone asks, “why was it so amazing?” All they have to say is, “That solo was incredible. Or the band was spot on. Or that new song was just so cool!”

6.        Or, on the flipside, if your standard is “did we get to sing all the songs I like today?” (whether that’s all songs written before the 19th century or all songs written in the past 19 months!), then I’d urge you to reconsider your standard of worship.

                                                                                          ii.         Reflect on God’s Greatness (3-5)

1.        Friends, brothers and sisters, we need to be moved to worship God by something more solid than that!

2.        And the psalmist gives us reasons to worship God. In vv. 3-5 he points to God’s greatness and power.

3.        “The Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods” – he is not just a God to Israel. He is the Ruler of the universe. So many times Israel was drawn away to serve other gods, the god of the Amorites, Philistines, and Canaanites. The psalmist reminds them that ours is the true God!

4.        God not only created the universe, but he also sustains it (4-5). There is nowhere on this earth you can go that God is not already there.

5.        When we see a beautiful sunset, when we hike in the majesty of the mountains and pine trees, when we hear the crash of the ocean surf, our hearts ought to respond in worship and praise. We serve a great God!

6.        And this incredible power and authority is behind the commands and truth that God reveals. Don’t divide God’s power from the heart behind his commands.

                                                                                      iii.         Remember God’s Goodness (esp. 1a, 2a)

1.        We need to think about and be moved by God’s greatness and power. But also remember his goodness.

2.        The author opens the psalm by describing God’s goodness to us. We ought to sing, and shout, and testify because God is a refuge (“rock of salvation” 1b) and because he invites us to come into his presence with thanksgiving.

3.        He is not a distant god who can’t be known, who stands aloof from his creation. He is close to his children. And because of his goodness, we have so much to be thankful for!

RECAP: So we are to praise God with our minds and hearts full of truth about God – that he is great and good and worthy of our praise and worship.

OBJECTION/APPLICATION: You might be thinking, “Pastor Tim, I see the need to praise God and to be driven by truth – God’s greatness and goodness. But what does this have to do with the opening concerns about identity and authenticity?”

That’s a great question and my answer is simple: everything! You see, God made us to be worshipers. We can’t not worship certain things that we see and hear and experience. That’s why you see evidence of worship in even the most primitive societies. They worship a god of fish (thinking it will bring a bountiful catch) or they worship a “rain god” (with the goal of getting enough rain for their crops).

And we’re the same in our day. Today, we just worship other things:

-              people worship their weekends and bow down to the god of the NFL or their kids’ sports leagues

-              they worship the god of comfort and do everything to “make it happy”

-              people worship their body’s appetites and feed it substances and images/videos to get the chemical hits that make them feel good

-              they worship the god of their self-esteem and fill their minds with phrases of affirmation and mantras that make them feel good about themselves.

-              they worship the god of freedom – “ain’t nobody telling me what to do!” – so they fail to submit to the authority in their lives, or subject themselves to the care and support of a community of people (church, society, etc.).

We have a problem today – both outside and inside the church – and it’s a worship problem! People fail to know who they are (identity) or what they’re supposed to be/do (authenticity) because they don’t know where they came from and who gives them meaning and purpose.

As we know and praise our Creating, Saving God – our identity and authenticity problem goes away. We know who we are and what we should do.

TRANSITION: The psalmist calls us to worship passionately because of God’s greatness and his goodness to us. In vv. 6-7 he focuses on another reason to praise God: the covenant promise that God makes to his people.

2)        Worship the Covenant-Making God (6-7c)

a.        Setup

                                                                                          i.         Verse 6a is another call to worship. A second round of calling the people to focus on praising God.

                                                                                          ii.         This call is a bit more subdued: the call is to “bow down and kneel before the Lord our Maker.” So we see that both noisy, passionate worship and subdued, reverent, reflective worship are honoring to God. (BTW, we aim to have both elements as part of our worship culture here at Life Point!)

                                                                                       iii.         If the first 5 verses discuss more general things that everyone could praise God for (his creative power and goodness), vv. 6-7 are specific to the nature of God’s covenant relationship with his people, Israel.

                                                                                       iv.         While we are not ethnic Israel and don’t share the same promises as the OT people, we are a people that God has redeemed, added to his family, and sealed under the New Covenant found in Christ.

b.        Reflect on his saving mercy (7a “he is our God”)

                                                                                            i.         First, we should reflect on God’s saving mercy.

                                                                                          ii.         The psalmist is very personal and intimate. God is “our Maker” (v.6b). He can call Israel to reflect on the truth that the God we praise and serve and obey is “our God and we are his people” (v. 7a-b)

                                                                                       iii.         And that is only true because of God’s saving mercy. Multiple times, God reminds Israel that he didn’t choose them because they were great; rather he chose them while they were weak and nothing to magnify his power and love and goodness.

1.        Listen to Deut. 7:6-8 (on screen):

a.        6 For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 7 “The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the Lord brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

                                                                                       iv.         And the same is true for us, NT saints, as Eph. 2 points out (on screen):

1.        “1And you were dead in your trespasses and sins… and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)… For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast… 13 now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

                                                                                          v.         Friends, how amazing is it that God saved you by his mercy, if you are in Christ?! “He is your God!”

                                                                                       vi.         It also reminds us that God has put us together into a family, a community of believers in Jesus. He isn’t just my God and your God and your God. He is OUR God, together.

APPLICATION: Again, this has huge implications for your identity – how you view yourself – and the idea of authenticity – living consistent with how you’re designed.

If God has purchased me, adopted me, given me his family name, and promises to keep me safe in Christ until the end – that roots my heart in something deep and unchanging. I can anchor my heart to that reality and weather any storm of life that breaks over me.

And if God has purchased us, adopted us, given us his family name, and has promised to keep us safe in Christ until the end – that roots us in our commitment to one another. You are not a solo Christian; he’s put you together with his people. So remember that, praise God for that, and anchor your heart in that amazing truth!

Reflect daily on God’s saving mercy. Stir your memory with reminders of how God has redeemed you and why he keeps you in Christ.

c.        Remember his faithful care (7b “people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand”)

                                                                                             i.         The psalmist builds on the reality of God’s saving mercy to remind us of God’s faithful care.

                                                                                          ii.         Verse 7b reads “we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.”

                                                                                       iii.         It brings to mind the beautiful truths of Psalm 23, of a faithful shepherd who tends to his sheep, feeds them, guards them, and guides them.

                                                                                       iv.         There’s a possessive quality to the words he uses:

1.        “people of His pasture” – we are kept in his safe place, where the “good grass” grows, where he can watch over us, and protect us.

2.        “sheep of His hand” – it is his close, careful attention that shows his love for us. His hand tends to our hurt and wounds; it also feeds us and protects us.

RECAP/TRANSITION: We ought to rejoice loudly, passionately, and joyfully because we have a great God who creates, sustains, and saves.

We also, at times, need to quietly, humbly, and reverently stop and consider God’s faithfulness. To lower our heads and bow before our Maker in reflective worship.

Each of these postures is appropriate and anchors our souls to our God. When we do so, it shapes our view of him, the world, and ourselves.

TRANSITION: From here, the psalm takes an interesting and surprising turn. The psalmist transitions from loud praise and reverent worship (1-7c) to a history lesson and a stern warning (7d-11). What’s going on?!

Let’s read vv. 7d-11 and then I’ll make the connection.

God knows that our hearts are prone to wander, so quick to forget God’s greatness and goodness. When we’re drawn away to focus on self, we start seeing all of the things that we’re not getting that we think we deserve; what others have that we don’t; or hard things in your life that seem to go so easily for others.

When this happens, we stop worshipping God as he deserves and start complaining, grumbling, harboring resentment, lashing out at others.

The psalmist urges Israel to guard their hearts from drift. Instead of anchoring their hearts on the rock, their God, they can unmoor themselves and drift into self-centeredness, self-worship, and self-pity.

3)        Guard Your Heart From Drift (7d-11)

a.        Listen to God’s Voice (7d-8a)

                                                                                            i.         I think the shift in language and focus hinges on two verbal phrases in 7d and 8a: “hear his voice” and “do not harden your hearts.”

                                                                                          ii.         “Hear his voice”: to “heart” God’s word is a key aspect of worship. To “hear” is tied to the Hebrew idea of obedience. It is a hearing that leads to believing and doing. When Moses commands the people to “Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is one” it is more than just listening; it is taking heed, following the Word.

                                                                                       iii.         The issue is not about whether God’s voice is going forward; it is a matter of them listening and following God’s voice.

                                                                                       iv.         App: and so, for us, the command is to listen to God’s voice in his Word, to take heed to, and follow his commands – rather than our own path and our own wisdom.

b.       Learn from the Past (8b-9)

                                                                                            i.         Setup

1.        The call is for the current generation (years after the Exodus’ generation) to not follow the pathway of their fathers. And so, for us today, we need to learn from the past, so we don’t make the same mistake!

2.        The first command is to listen to God’s Word; the second command in 8a is to “not harden your hearts” or close yourself off from God’s truth and his ways.

3.        The rest of Psalm 95 uses Israel’s past to illustrate what a hard heart looks like, what it looks like to drift from honoring God in your heart and obeying him in your actions.

4.        Turn to Exodus 17; p. 65 in the Pew Bible. The second book in the OT (beginning of the Bible; Genesis, then Exodus).

5.        Meribah and Massah mentioned in Ps. 95 are the names of a place that is synonymous with complaining, rebellion, and hard hearts towards God. Meribah means “to quarrel” and Massah means “to test.”

6.        They show up in two important instances in the Pentateuch.

                                                                                         ii.         First instance – Ex. 17:1-7

1.        The first time, in Ex. 17, Moses had led Israel to a stopping place in the wilderness, called Rephidim.

2.        Let’s read Ex. 17:1-7.

3.        The text says in v.1b that “there was no water for the people to drink.” So the people started to complain and quarrel with Moses, demanding that he get them water to drink.

4.        Moses responds with irritation, “Why are you quarreling (meribah) with me? Why do you test (massah) the Lord?” Notice that Moses starts with himself, but then points out that it is the Lord that you’re really offending!

5.        But their grumbling only got worse, when they cried out in v. 3, “Why have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”!

6.        What a ridiculous accusation! Of course, Moses (and the Lord) didn’t bring them out of Egypt for that reason. V. 9b says that they tested God “even though they had seen [His] work! The plagues, parting of the Red Sea, Pharoah’s army destroyed. But the people are so worried about their situation that they doubted God’s purposes in saving them from Pharoah and Egypt.

7.        Moses is worried that the people will kill him! So he appeals to God for help (4).

8.        God commands him to take his staff (same one he used for the signs in Egypt) and strike a rock with it; water will gush forth to supply all the people and their livestock.

9.        But notice what God says in v. 6a: “I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb.” He reminds Moses that he’s not alone; and that it is he – not Moses – that the people are really doubting.

10.  Moses strikes it, the people are supplied, and the place gets the name Massah (test) and Meribah (quarrel) because of their actions.

11.  And notice what was behind their attitude, in v. 7b: “because they tested the Lord, by saying ‘Is the Lord among us or not?”

APPLICATION: Isn’t that at the heart of our “heart drift?” We think that God has abandoned us, his path isn’t working out for his, or his care seems to have left us.

In our hearts, we might cry out, “God, are you really with me here?! Because it doesn’t seem like it!”

It is in these moments that we need to remember God’s greatness – his power and authority and majesty and glory. But also reflect on his goodness: saving mercy and tender care.

Like with Israel, he has saved you from your sin and rebellion; he guards you from the worst of your flesh and sin nature; he’s changing you to look more like Christ. And all the ways God has shown his tender love and care for you.

Don’t forget! Don’t drift! And don’t let your heart grow hard towards God and others. Remember that God is your rock. He told Moses that he would “stand with him” on the rock. He tells us that He is the rock we need to anchor our trust in.

In those moments of fear and doubt and despair, remember that God is your rock and run to him! Hide in the shelter of his presence, come to him with songs of lament and hope. Shout joyfully to the “rock of your salvation” with psalms and songs; but also kneel before him in humble worship, and in silence “be still and know that he is God!”

                                                                                       iii.         Second instance: Numbers 20:1-13 (p. 141 in Pew Bible) – turn to Num. 20:1-13. (2 books to the right from Exodus).

1.        The first instance at Meribah/Massah involves the people’s rebellion. The second time we see Moses himself losing focus.

2.        Exodus 17 was early in Israel’s journey in the wilderness; Numb. 20 is towards the end, roughly 40 years later.

3.        But they find themselves in a similar situation, v. 2, where there is no water for the people.

4.        Look at v. 3: the people “contend” or fight/quarrel with Moses. Read vv. 3-5. They throw harsh criticism at Moses, casting doubt on his (and God’s) promise to bring Israel into a Promised Land flowing with milk and honey. There’s not even water here! (5b).

5.        Moses and Aaron seek God’s presence and God, in his glory, appears to them and give them a message; read v. 8.

6.        Like before, Moses is to take his rod; this time Aaron is to join him. But instead of striking the rock, Moses is to speak to it and then the rock will flow with water.

7.        Read vv.9-11. Moses started out right, but in his anger and frustration, he struck the rock 2x. We see his heart of anger at the people when he called them “rebels” (which they were BTW; a name by which God had previously called them!) and his sarcastic language as he struck the rock.

8.        Water did come out to nourish the people (11b), but God was not pleased with Moses and Aaron.

9.        He speaks to them in v. 12 (read it). Because of their actions (Aaron too), they would not be able to enter the Promised Land!

10.   Notice the reason for God’s punishment on Moses and Aaron “you have not believed me and have not treated me as holy.”

11.  They had failed in the same way that the people had: they failed to believe and honor God as the holy God that he is! Moses’ disgust was likely fueled by their rebellion and God’s inaction; he didn’t judge the people right away like he had before.

12.  Another aspect to note is that God’s presence was there in the rock. In 1 Cor. 10:4, Paul writes that “all [Israel] drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ [the Messiah].”

13.  So as Moses lashes out verbally and strikes the rock 2x, he hits the physical picture (the rock) of God’s grace to his people, a symbol of God’s faithfulness to his people.

APPLICATION: The people – and even Moses and Aaron – failed to believe what is true about God.

They forgot that God is a rock: a refuge and source of life.

They forgot that he is their Savior and source of spiritual life.

They forgot that he is their Shepherd who lovingly waters his sheep and leads them to the best pastures.

They failed to come before God in joyful, reverent worship.

Friends, we need to guard our hearts, too! Just like Israel, just like Moses and Aaron, our hearts can drift. We can forget his character, lose sight of his promises, fail to root our hopes and joys in what he holds out for us.

God judged that generation for their actions; he said that he “loathed them” for their rebellion (v.10). While we cannot lose our standing in Christ, we can fail to know the joy and blessing that comes from honoring God in our hearts and actions. Don’t be like Israel; don’t drift away from God’s presence and revealed truth!

As we near the end, I’d like to focus on three commands rooted in vv. 10-11: cultivate gratitude, pursue God’s ways, and rest in Christ.

c.        Cultivate Gratitude (10a)

                                                                                             i.         It wasn’t just the 2 instances at Meribah/Massah where Israel failed. V. 10a says that for 40 years they “erred in their heart.” Time and time again they forgot God’s provision. Instead of being grateful, they complained.

                                                                                          ii.         Cultivating gratitude is a command found over and over again in God’s Word.

                                                                                       iii.         1 Thess. 5:18 “give thanks in all circumstances.” Heb. 12:28 “since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.”

                                                                                       iv.         Illust: I chose the word cultivate carefully. Out here in the desert, weeds grow up so quickly; one rain shower and they’re popping up all over my yard. The same is true with complaining/grumbling; it easily pops up in our selfish hearts.

                                                                                          v.         But gratitude, just like a tender flower, takes cultivation, intentionality, and constant nourishment.

                                                                                       vi.         So feed your heart the ingredients it needs for gratitude: remember God’s truth, reflect on God’s kindness, read/meditate/memorize God’s Word, fill your heart with rich songs and sing them out loud, talk to others about God’s goodness, journal it for later reflection and praise, etc.

                                                                                    vii.         Parents/grandparents/teachers: remember that your words and attitude are cultivating the young ones around you. Are you filling them with thoughts of gratitude, or are they picking up on your grumbling, your “sourness” towards God and life?

                                                                                  viii.         It takes effort, but the beauty of the “flower” of gratitude is worth it!

d.       Pursue God’s Ways (10b)

                                                                                             i.         There were many other instances of Israel’s rebellion, besides the 2x at Meribah/Massah. They questioned God’s care and, therefore, doubted his words.

                                                                                          ii.         They stopped going after “God’s ways” because they failed to know them (10b).

                                                                                       iii.         Despite all of the evidence God gave them, they failed to embrace his goodness; they constantly questioned his heart and, therefore, his commands.

                                                                                       iv.         Illust: Think back to some teachers you had in school. If you had a teacher who was a jerk, always grumpy, seemed to thrive on making life miserable for everyone in the class, and generally just disliked everyone – how would you view the instructions he gave you? With suspicion, at best, or with disdain – because you knew that he couldn’t stand you!

                                                                                          v.         Illust: But, maybe you had a teacher who was caring, encouraging, sacrificed her time after school to make sure you understand a concept, was a cheerleader at your games after school, and just genuinely cared for you. How would you view her instructions? How well would you receive her critique of your paper? Vastly different than teacher #1 – because you saw her heart and good intention behind it.

                                                                                       vi.         It’s the same way with our view of God and his Word. Keep his heart ever before you; know his love and care and incredible mercy – and you’ll properly understand and pursue his ways, as taught in his Word.

                                                                                    vii.         You’ll see him as the “rock of your salvation,” you’ll want to gather with his people and “shout/sing about the joy of your salvation.” You’ll humbly bow before God, trusting his Shepherd’s heart, and gratefully live in peace with the other sheep in his pasture (7b).

e.        Rest in Christ (11)

                                                                                           i.         Finally, you’ll find rest in his presence. The generation of the Exodus failed to enter the rest that God promised. In their unbelief, they all died in the wilderness – save Caleb and Joshua. Even Moses, his brother (Aaron), and sister (Miriam) did not enter the rest of the Promised Land.

                                                                                          ii.         They failed to see God’s good character, to honor his holy presence, and to obey his commands.

                                                                                       iii.         Hebrews 3-4 picks up on this theme of entering “God’s rest.” The author commands all who claim to be “Christian” to watch out for an evil, unbelieving heart that leads some to fall away from the living God (3:12). Jesus said that, on the final day, many will say, “Lord, we did this for you and that for you. But Jesus will say, ‘Depart from me; I never knew you.’” Instead of drifting into unbelief and self-centeredness, we are to encourage one another every day, while it is still called “Today” (cf. Ps. 95:7d), to hold fast to God’s truth, the promises that he offers to his children.

                                                                              &nbs