Walk the Talk in Service

Good morning Wesley,

I just want to remind you The Gospel Harmony Boys will be here today at 6:00. Who are you planning on bringing with you? It is going to be a great night of Christian Music with a group that has been on the Christian Music scene for over 70 years.

I also want to remind you about the Fall Clean up day. Josh is looking for volunteers to come out and help us to clean up our church.

We also want to mark of calendars for our Senior Sunday on Nov. 3 20224. This is a first for us.

Can you believe we are now three weeks into this series Walk the Talk.

The first week we looked at Walk the Talk in Prayer. We learned we need to

1. Approach God With Joyful Praise 2. Acknowledge God Sovereignty 3. Adopt a Posture of Humility

Last week we discovered how to Walk the Talk in Prayer. We discovered to

1. Seek for God’s Comfort 2. Depend on a Caring Response from God. 3. Cleave to Our God.

That brings us to today. This morning we will learn about Walking the Talk in Service.

Doctor Martyn Lloyd-Jones, in his book, Christian Conduct, wrote,

Worship and service are interchangeable terms. Indeed, we ourselves say both that we are going into the house of God to worship God, and that we are going to a service in the house of God.

This morning, we are going to look at Psalm 100.

This is a fun fact: This Psalm 100 is also known as Jubilate, which means (O Be Joyful). It is a psalm used in liturgical worship. So you would hear this psalm during Lutheran, Episcopalian, and Catholic worship services.

I want to suggest three ways Worship and service are interrelate.

1. Serve with Praise

Psalm 100:1–2 NASB95

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing.

Circle the words Shout, Serve, and Come.

For the writer of Psalms, This is what worship is all about.

First, we are to shout joyfully. We are to shout loudly, exuberantly to the Lord.

The German commentator, Franz Delitzsch, described this call as “a blowing of the trumpets” for the earth’s population to come to worship the Lord. All the people of all the lands should praise the Lord and Him alone.

We are called to Serve the Lord, but not just serve the Lord, but to serve the Lord with gladness.

Paul understood worship as service.

Romans 12:1 NASB95

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

The word Paul uses is Latreia.

A Pocket Lexicon to the Greek New Testament λατρεία

λατρεία, service rendered to God

By holy joy we do really serve God; it is an honour to him to rejoice in him; and we ought to serve him with holy joy. Gospel-worshippers should be joyful worshippers; if we serve God in uprightness, let us serve him with gladness.

One summer, I went to a local fair, and I was struck by the joyful screams of children on rides. They were laughing and shouting with pure excitement! This joyous abandonment is akin to how God desires us to worship Him. Psalm 95 expresses a similar sentiment; we should approach Him with the same enthusiasm and delight! Worship should feel like an exhilarating ride!

2. Know our Shepherd

Psalm 100:3 NASB95

Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

God is our shepherd.

Jesus is our shepherd.

Luke 15:3–6 NASB95

So He told them this parable, saying, “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? “When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. “And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’

When I was a teenager, my family got a pet goat named Billy. He was curious, playful, and always managed to get into mischief. One day, I forgot to close the gate, and he wandered off into the neighbor's yard. As I chased after him, I realized that, just like Billy needed a shepherd to guide him back home, we too need Jesus, our Good Shepherd, to lead us in the right direction. In times of wandering, we can have light-hearted trust that He’ll always come looking for us.

3. Worship Through Service

Psalm 100:4 ESV

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!

Serving is an act of worship when done in gratitude for Christ's love and sacrifice.

Several of us showed up at Christ Church for the last two years to help with the Feed my Starving Children. We began to work. And it was hard work. But while we were serving, our serve became worship. Christian music was playing. Everyone was joking. Working, joking, loving of each other, and loving the people who would get the food. It was a great, worshipful, fatiguing day.

Trust God’s Faithfulness

Psalm 100:5 ESV

For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

We are called to serve joyfully, because of God’s steadfast love, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Imagine a wedding reception filled with friends and family celebrating a couple deeply in love. Everyone is buzzing with joy, volunteering to arrange flowers, serve food, and create a beautiful atmosphere. In much the same way, God invites us to serve joyfully in His kingdom, showcasing His love and faithfulness through our actions, just as these friends reflect that love in their service to the newlyweds.

First, we serve with Praise.

Why do we serve?

Because we know our Shepherd, Jesus.

Because our Service is Worship

Finally, Our God is always Faithful

How does the sermon illustrate the concept of serving joyfully?

Have you found yourself overwhelmed by the daily grind at home, feeling like your chores are just tasks, not acts of worship? Take 15 minutes at the beginning or end of your day to intentionally turn those tasks into praise. As you do the dishes or fold laundry, pray and thank God for the provision of your home and family. This simple shift can transform your attitude and remind you that every act of service, no matter how mundane, is a way to honor God. Try choosing a specific Scripture to focus on while you work.

At work, you may feel isolated or discouraged, especially if the atmosphere is negative or competitive. Make a conscious effort to serve your coworkers with a spirit of praise, even during difficult times. Start each week with a prayer asking God to help you see your job as a calling. Find small ways to encourage someone who’s struggling, maybe by bringing in coffee for your team or complimenting a job well done. This can create an uplifting environment and reflect the faithfulness of God to those around you.

Amen.