Psalm 95 Why Hearts Go Astray…

Dennis Mock
Sunday, September 13, 2009

Why is it so easy to lose our spiritual intensity? To drift away? To lose interest in things
that really matter? To have a hard heart towards the things of God? Psalm 95 is often
called and “enthronement psalm”. Perhaps used as a dedication psalm by Zerubabbel at
the completion of the foundation of the 2nd temple.

Perhaps we should say “When hearts go astray…”. Martin Luther said he was more afraid
of his own heart than anything else.

Read Psalm 95
– May echo Psalm 100
– Notice the complete change of emphasis between v. 7 and 8. It might seem a
disconnect but it is not! If we don’t do the first half we will fall into the second half.
– “Today if you hear His voice do not harden your hearts.” The author of Hebrews
uses this same language multiple times.

I. (1-7) We have the Privilege of Worship

a. An incredible call to worship.
b. v. 1 – Jesus is the rock of our salvation.
c. v. 2 – Eternally grateful
d. v. 3 – there is quite simply no other god!
e. v. 6 – Not just the creator of the universe but our individual maker.
f. v. 7 – He is incredibly our shepherd. This set Christianity apart from all other
religions.
g. We have engaged in this type of praise this morning in our service. Then
comes that pesky word, “Today”. Moving us from our wonderful worship
experience today into an incredible personal challenge for each one of us.
II. (8-11) We have the Potential for Going Astray
a. An Incredible warning.
i. Not in regards to salvation but in regards of wandering or drifting away
from the Lord.
ii.Based on the history of the Israelites in their rebellion at Meribah and
Massah.
1. That generation did not enter into the Promised Land.
2. The writer of Hebrews tells us their remains a “Sabbath rest” for
God’s people but not if we harden our hearts.
iii.APP: We all have the potential to go astray. None of us would say
there is never a time when we felt distant or cold towards God. When
we have lost our first love or are simply out of sorts. When we say
“What is the use if this is the way things will work out”.
b. How does the heart become hard?
i. It happens over time.
ii.We become desensitized to sin.
iii.There are two episodes mentioned here:
1. In both cases they had run out of water and were grumbling over
the real hardships they were encountering. In one case God tells
Moses to strike the rock and it brings them water. In the second
incident God tells Moses to speak to the rock but Moses strikes it
 twice out of anger and loses his privilege of entering the
promised land.
2. Massah and Meribah (Ex. 17:1-7)
3. 2nd Incident (Numbers 20:1-13)
iv.Hebrews 3:7-4:13 –
1. Three times – “Today if you hear His voice do not harden your
hearts.”
2. The author of Hebrews is warning that we can have the same
exact problem that the ancient Hebrews had.
v.APP: (v. 12 – 16) Even after great acts of God’s deliverance in our lives
we can be guilty of having a hard heart and turning away from God.
vi.What else would we want to see to know God was faithful? Remember
they had experienced the Passover, The pillar of fire and smoke, God’s
presence on Sinai, Manna and Quail, etc.!
vii.(v. 4:1-2) Let us be careful . . . We also had the gospel preached to us,
just as they did; but the message was of no value because they did not
combine it with faith.
1. The disconnect is between the experience and faith leading to
obedience.
viii.Our heart hardens when we don’t act out of faith.
ix.Do we give attention to this matter of keeping our hearts from
becoming hard? As much as we do to avoid high cholesterol or
hardening of the arteries? It is so much more important to guard and
keep our spiritual heart in good shape!
c. Reasons our hearts become hard:
i. Disbelief –
1. We know the truth but are unwilling to act in faith on it.
2. Our physical needs overwhelm our faith.
ii.Disobedience –
1. Simply raw disobedience to God’s Word.
2. Moses was guilty of this in the second incident in Num. 20.
3. APP: Your worship is absolutely worthless if it is not followed by
obedience!
iii.Deceitfulness of Sin (Hebrews 3) -
1. Sin entices, lures, tricks and promises pleasure but it leads to
spiritual death.
2. APP: Our current generation is much less sensitive to sin than
previous generations. We know believe sin is not serious or not
sin at all. The fact that everyone does it does not make it right.
a. Whatever is not of faith is sin!
b. Anything that violates the holy character of God.
c. Jeremiah said the people no longer know how to blush.
d. We all could think of many things that used to be
considered sin by the church but now are overlooked or
even embraced. Nothing has changed about God or His
Word only our societal standards have changed.
e. We establish patterns that don’t match the standards of
God’s Word.
3. Satan can only use sin because it is deceitful. It is a lie we
believe.
iv.Desire for other things –
 1. They had been in slaver for 400 years under brutal oppression
yet they want to go back! Just for some leeks and garlic.
2. A priority or goal other than God will cause us to harden our
hearts. We can pursue God or our own agenda.
3. It may appear innocuous at first but will lead you down a path
away from God.
v.Dismissing what God has already done for us and the way in
which God operates (v. 9-10) –
1. We must acknowledge God’s ways are not our ways and His
thoughts are not our thoughts.
2. Moses asked to see God’s glory and to know His ways.
3. We dismiss God’s ways for our own.
4. Works, Word and Ways of God are all important and should not
be dismissed.
vi.Disregarding basic spiritual disciplines –
1. Just begin to neglect prayer, time alone with God and in His
Word, gathering with other believers, and your heart will begin to
grow hard.
2. Today about 18% attend church on any given Sunday. This lack of
spiritual discipline alone could account for some of what is
happening in our country today.
3. Haggai and Zechariah preached and prophesied to a people who
had quit building God’s house and were working on their own.
The people responded by rearranging their priorities and building
God’s house first.
vii.Discontentment –
1. This comes from disillusionment and disappointment. We thought
things would be one way and they are not.
2. The Israelites were not content with what God had provided.
When we do the same we set ourselves up for the hardening of
our heart. We will find ourselves murmuring, complaining and
grumbling.
3. We must realize that there is nothing in our lives that God has
not caused or allowed. What are we grumbling or complaining
about? The Psalmist says it is good to be afflicted so that we can
learn the precepts of the Lord.
4. We can praise God for what He is teaching us or will teach us or
we can murmur.

This Psalm takes us to the very throne of God in worship then harshly warns us not to
harden our hearts.

Let’s close with a passage from Proverbs 28:14 - Blessed is the man who always fears
the LORD, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.