Thanksgiving And Praise
Notes
Transcript
Doxology:
This is my Bible. It is God’s Holy Word. It is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path, and I will hide its words within my heart, that I might not sin against God. Amen!
Scripture Reference: Psalm 100
Context
Context
As you all know, we have Thanksgiving coming up this week. Thanksgiving is such a special time of the year, because it is time for us to reflect. We reflect on all that God has done for us, all that God is doing in us, and all that God has promised unto us through Christ.
In doing so, our hearts are to be filled with Thanksgiving and praise. God has been so good to us. Much better than we could ever imagine, but God loves us.
Just this week, Keshia and I were in the car driving, and we were discussing how God has just been tremendously blessing us and revealing Himself to us over the past couple of weeks. It has been beautiful to watch God move and work things out for His glory. And then I made the comment… “It is almost unbelievable.”
As soon as I spoke those words, I felt convicted, and I had to apologize for what I had said. Our Father in Heaven loves us so deeply. He has promised that all things will work together for good to those who love Him. Why should we be so surprised when the blessings of God fall from Heaven upon us? Why are we so taken back when God’s glory is revealed unto us in such open and beautiful ways?
We should not say such things as I said, “It is almost unbelievable”. God wants to see us happy. God wants to see us victorious in life. God wants to see us with hearts full of joy. God wants to see us smiling and prosperous.
So during this season that we are in, let us remember how good God has been to us. Let us remember how much God has done so that we might lean in to Him and be blessed by His mighty hand. Let us give Him praise!!
A Psalm of Thanksgiving.
1 Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.
3 Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
5 For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.
Content
Content
Today, our goal is to simply shine the light on God and His love for us. We are going to magnify the name of the Lord!
Psalm 100 is the last in a series of psalms that emphasize the Lord as King (93-100). It describes God’s people going into His house to worship Him, and it spells out what their attitude should be as they go. It also calls out to all the people of the earth, urging them to recognize that the Lord is God and inviting them to receive Him.
This text is going to outline the beauty of praise for all of God’s children, but it is also going to showcase for all of those outside of the family of God what they are missing.
Let’s get to work!!!
We Are To See Him
We Are To See Him
He Is God (v. 3)
3 Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
He made us (v. 3)
Right out of the gate, we understand a vital truth to the Gospel. We did not create ourselves. We do not exist because of some random biological accident that took place millions of years ago. We exist because “He...has made us.”
This speaks to God’s creative power.
DNA
Trillions of Cells
Regenerative Properties
Emotions
Tendencies
Uniqueness of each individual
This also speaks to God’s creative purpose
Mankind is not the result of some divine experiment. Do knew exactly what He was doing when He made Adam. God knew exactly what would happen when He brought together the exact biological mixture that made you… you. You are not a mistake. You are here for a purpose. God made you who you are because He wanted you here right now.
God created man to know Him, to be in relationship with Him. God created us with purpose.
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture (v. 3)
Notice with me the picture here. God says that “we are His people.” He also says that we are “the sheep of His pasture.”
God is saying that He is our shepherd. I would venture to say that most of us here today have never raised sheep, so it is somewhat difficult for us to fully grasp the depth of meaning that this has to offer, but God has graciously given us other Scriptures to help clarify what this means.
When God says that we are His, it means that He is responsible for us. He is saying that He is the one who has brought us into His fold, and as a result, He has also assumed responsibility for our well-being. Because He is my shepherd:
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
I shall not want. He will make sure that I have what I need. He will make sure to supply me with everything that I am in need of (v. 1).
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
This includes the physical needs of my life (v. 2): lying down in green pastures and walking beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
This includes the spiritual needs of my life (v. 3): Restoring my soul and leading me in the paths of righteousness.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
This includes my life (v. 4): He is my protector and my parent.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.
(v. 5) This care that is spoken of is not just to keep them alive, but so that they will thrive. Sheep produce wool, but they do this better when they are well taken care of. So God doesn’t just want His children to make it, He wants His children to live an abundant life.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.
(v. 6) This is proven by the fact that He says goodness and mercy will follow us. Literally, as a child of God, this means that God will chase after me. He cares so much, that even when I make bad decisions and get myself in a pinch, He will still be there to take care of me. He will take what was meant for evil and make it for good. Praise God!!! There may be a whooping involved, but it will be for my benefit. What a wonderful God we serve!
4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
His gates and His courts (v. 4)
When a Shepherd goes back home, He takes His sheep with Him. This means that we are invited to come into His presence. We are invited to the throne of Grace. This means that as the children of God, we are never apart from Him. We never have to worry about being separated from our Shepherd, the giver and keeper of our souls. He is always near. He is always accessible.
Isn’t this good news? This is a great news. When we are on top of the mountain in life and we feel the urge to share our blessings with others so that we can celebrate, God is available and wants to celebrate with us. When we are in the deepest valleys in life and feel the urge to share our struggles with others, God is available and wants to help us in our time of need. He is always there, if we will but include Him in our life.
His name (v. 4)
Because He is all of these things to us, we come together so that we might praise His Holy Name!
That is the greatest purpose and blessing of all creation… to praise the name of the LORD.
When we get to heaven in Revelation, it says that we will gather around the throne and praise His name continually. It will be nonstop.
This may seem dull and nonproductive, but Psalm 150:6 tells us that everything that has breath must praise the LORD. And when we are in His presence, there will be nothing to stop us. There will be nothing to stand in our way from praising God.
But while we are here, we need to do this. It is when we praise God with the fruit of our lips that we are reminded just how much He has accomplished for us. It reminds us how good God really is, and how deserving He is of our praise. It reminds us of His love for us, and how He has shown that love to us in all of life. It reminds us how patient He is with us in our stubbornness. It reminds us how merciful He is to us in the midst of our sin.
We are invited to see that He is God, but also that He is Good
He Is Good (v. 5)
5 For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.
His mercy is everlasting (v. 5)
This takes us all the way to the cross. This speaks of the lengths that God went through to show us His love. He didn’t just tell us how much He loved us, He showed us. He painted the picture to us vividly, so that we might never forget it.
God knew that our sin had separated us from Him. It hindered our relationship. He knew that in our own strength, we would never be able to return to Him fully, so He made a way for us. He sent Jesus, His only begotten Son to pay the penalty of our sin. Jesus died in our place at Calvary, bearing upon Himself the fullness of God’s wrath against sin. As we believe and trust in God’s plan for securing our salvation through Jesus we become covered by the blood of Jesus, which serves as the atonement for our sin.
This opens the door for us to now come into a full relationship with God, which was the desire of God from the very beginning. We are now able to see Him for all that He is, and enjoy a right relationship with Him. Through Jesus, we are able to secure victory over sin and cross the great divide that once separated us from our Heavenly Father, and in Him, we are able to stand before God in righteousness.
God’s mercy is boundless. It is applicable to anyone… anyone who is willing to acknowledge their sin before a Holy righteous God… anyone who is willing to acknowledge that they need His saving grace… Anyone who is willing to humble themselves before the Creator… anyone who is willing to submit to Jesus as Lord of their lives… anyone who is unashamed of that commitment and is willing to share it with the world.
We are to see that He is God, and that He is good.
We Are To Seek Him
We Are To Seek Him
Come Into His Presence (v. 2)
2 Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.
It is an invitation… Come!! All of God’s children are invited to come into His presence. Matter of fact, this is the best place for us to be. It is in His presence that everything just feels right. It is when we are in His presence that we are at peace. It is when we are in His presence that everything feels as it should be. There is nothing greater as a child of God than coming into His presence.
It is a privilege. God Almighty of the universe is inviting us into His presence. My creator wants to meet with me. My Heavenly Father wants a relationship with me.
Enter His Gates (v. 4)
4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
As we come into His presence, we are to remember that the first thing on the agenda is Thanksgiving and Praise.
We are to See Him
We are to Seek Him
We Are To Serenade Him
We Are To Serenade Him
Our Praise Should Be Vocal
Joyful Shout (v. 1)
Singing (v. 2)
Our Praise Should Be Visible
Clapping Hands
1 Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph!
Lifting of Hands
4 Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.
2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, And bless the Lord.
Dancing
14 Then David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod.
4 Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!
There is nothing wrong with any genuine, visible expression of praise and glory toward the Lord as long as it if from the heart and sincere. We are not here to put on a show, but we are also not here to be sticks in the mud. We are to express our praise to God from the sincerity of our hearts, and if we do not do just that, we are being sinful against God. He deserves our praise and is worthy of it.
Our Praise Should Be Voluntary
Our praise should not be forced. Our praise should be easy. It should stem from point 1, which is that we see Him. Once we see how good God is, there should be no issues with giving Him praise. Lifting our hands, clapping our hands, dancing, swaying, tapping, crying, or any other form of praise should be as easy as breathing.
Sometimes it is good to just close your eyes and imagine there is no one else in the room except for you and God. When you do this, it takes away the pressure of others looking at you. Some people do these things because others are looking and they want some attention. Others do not do these things because others are looking and they do not want any attention. Either way is sinful. Just praise God from your heart and it will be good praise.
We Are To Serve Him
We Are To Serve Him
Serve Him With Gladness (v. 2)
2 Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.
One of the ways we show our praise to God is through our service. We are to serve Him with gladness. What better privilege could we possibly have than to serve Almighty God? What more important task could we ever possibly hope to do than to serve Him with eternal purpose?
As we serve, we are to do so with smiles on our faces, showing others how wonderful it is to be a part of God’s kingdom and God’s mission.
We serve with gladness because:
We are His people (v. 3)
We are His. What a beautiful truth to behold… Amen! I am a child of God!!!
If this isn’t enough to put a smile on your face, I really don’t know what can. I belong to God. I am His and He is mine.
Someone told me this week, “Even the demons believe and tremble”. The difference between demons and disciples is not an issue of belief, but an issue of obedience. The demons know who God is, without any doubt. But they are unwilling to do it God’s way.
As a child of God, I am saying, “I may not fully understand, but when You speak I will listen. I may not know all of the details, but when you speak I will listen. I may not know why you are asking me to do this particular thing, but when you speak I will listen.” It is a matter of obedience.
His Truth Endures to all Generations (v. 5)
Can we really say that about anything else in this life? I’m not sure that we can. The only thing that will remain consistent in all of life is the Word of God. That is why I give it so much weight. That is why ascribe to it so much value. That is why it is the foundation of all things I believe and do.
Because God is consistent, I will gladly serve Him.
The Sermon Notebook: Old Testament A Call to Thanksgiving (Psa. 100:1–5)
A good example of praise is set forth for us by the prayer of an elderly saint of God at a prayer meeting one evening. He said,”O Lord, we will praise Thee; we will praise Thee with an instrument of ten strings!” People wondered what he meant, but understood when he continued, “We will praise Thee with our two eyes by looking only unto Thee. We will exalt Thee with our two ears by listening only to Thy voice. We will extol Thee with our two hands by working in Thy service. We will honor Thee with our own two feet by walking in the way of Thy statutes. We will magnify Thee with our tongue by bearing testimony to Thy loving kindness. We will worship Thee with our heart by loving only Thee. We thank Thee for this instrument, Lord; keep it in tune. Play upon it as Thou wilt and ring out the melodies of Thy grace! May its harmonies always express Thy glory!”
Commitment
Commitment
Some of you are out of tune. Maybe you need to come and let God tune you up, so that when you leave here today, you will be truly expressing His glory.
Maybe for others of you, you never been in the band at all. You have never surrendered to Christ as Lord of your life. Now is the time to do that. Come, as the Word says, Come into the presence of the Lord. This is an invitation for you to come. The Word says in another place, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” I invite you to come, pray, and give your life to Him.
