What Everybody Should Bring to Church

Psalm 100:1-5

Introduction

People bring all kinds of things to church. Some bring snack, candy and toys to entertain the kids. I have even seen people read books while the sermon is being preached! Some think this is the time and place to balance their checkbook. Others bring their nail clippers and trim their fingernails. Some things should be left at your house! Of course, in a positive sense, many bring their Bibles.There are some things everyone should bring to church.

Psalm 100 is a Psalm of the future millennial kingdom it describes what worship will be like in the day when the Lord Jesus Christ reigns in glory and power upon the earth. We are not in that glorious day right now, but we are in the family of God and we are commanded to gather ourselves together and worship Him in His church, Heb. 10:25. With that in mind, let it be said that this Psalm tells us exactly what everyone ought to bring to church when they come. Let's look at that together this morning.

I. Bring the Right Spirit (v. 1-2)

A. A Shouting Spirit (v. 1)

We are told to “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord.” Let's break this down and see what He is commanding us to do.

1. First, there is the word “Make” - This word means to “Make music” It is used to refer to singing and to the Psalms.

2. Then, there is the word “Joyful”. This word means “to give a public confession of the attributes and works of God.”

3. Thirdly, there is the word “Noise”. This word means “to raise a shout.” It refers to a “ringing cry” A cry that pierces the eardrum!

When all these things are put together, we can see that the Psalmist is calling on the people of the Lord to raise an anthem of praise from their hearts to the Lord. This is a challenge to participate in the public praise of God's Person and works.

Psa. 40:1-3 tells us what the Lord did for us when He saved us. These verses tell us that He put “a new song in my mouth.” No longer was I singing after the world and all it offered, now I was singing to the Lord Who sought me and bought me and brought me out! The right spirit is a spirit of shouting! Remember, genuine praise is always vocal, visible and public! He gets no glory when we hold it in!

B. A Serving Spirit (v. 2a)

The word “serve”, means “to be in bondage to”. It refers to doing whatever the master tells the slave to do. It means “to be at his beck and call.” When we got saved, we became the Lord's property, 1 Cor. 6:20. Therefore, we are to do what He tells us to do without question or hesitation. Some folks don't like that already. They don't like anyone telling them what to do.

He tells us that we are to serve Him with “gladness”. This little word means “with mirth.” This is a word that we don't use much in our modern times, but it means “gladness or gaiety accompanied with laughter.” This verse is telling us that we are to serve the Lord with laughter! We are to be so filled with love for Him that regardless of what He asks us to do, we are tickled to death to do it! This is the attitude that filled David's heart in Psalm 122:1! He was filled with mirth when it was time to go to church!

The word “gladness” is an interesting word. It carries the meaning of being “wide-eyed with a big grin”. It brings to mind the unvarnished joy of a child. When something happens that they like, it affects the whole body! The mouth flies open, the eyes get wide, the face lights up, the heart lifts and the soul rejoices. Such should be the delight for us old sinners as we come to serve the Lord our God Who has redeemed us from death and Hell by His precious blood!

C. A Singing Spirit (v. 2b)

Here, we are told to approach the Lord our God with “singing”. This little word refers again to “the ringing cry, the shout of joy.” Our hearts should be so filled with the wonder of Who He is and what He has done for us that we allow His praises to burst forth from our inner being.

These first two verses tell us that when God is in your life, you will not be able to hide Him! You will not keep Him a secret for very long! You can't have someone the size of God in your heart without Him getting out now and then! Sometimes He'll run out your eyes. Sometimes, He will show up in your raised hands. Sometimes, He'll run up your throat and over your vocal cords and make you shout. The fact is, you will not be able to hide Him.

II. Bring the Right Submission (v. 3)

A. Submit to the Person of God

We are told to “know” that the Lord is God. This word means “to make a distinction” We are to know that He and He alone is God! Church, do you have it nailed down this morning Who your God is? Is your God the God of the Bible? Who is your God this morning? You might wonder how you might know. Well, the answer is simple: what do you give the most of your time, attention and money to? Whatever answers that question is your God! Have you made the right distinction and acknowledged God Almighty as the God of your life?

By the way, if you ever get it nailed down in your soul that He is God and that He is superior to every other person, thing or activity in your life, then you will have no problem serving Him as you should! The reason some people have trouble tithing, getting to church, or just plain serving God as they should is that they have a different God than the God of the Bible. Who is your God today?

B. Submit to the Purpose of God

We are reminded that we are what we are because He has “made” us. This word simply means “to take some material and fashion something new out of it!” You see, God took the clay that was us and formed a new creature out of it by His power. Regardless of what we are this morning, we are what we are by the power of God, 1 Cor. 15:10. Without Him, we are a zero John 15:5.

We need to realize this morning that God saved us for a purpose. He didn't just redeem us to keep us out of Hell. He didn't redeem us so that we could feel good from time to time. He didn't do it so that we could look down on our long, religious noses at our lost neighbors and feel superior. He saved us so that we might serve Him, Eph. 2:10; James 2:18. He has a plan for your life. He will use you if you will serve Him!

C. Submit to the Promise of God

We are “the sheep of His pasture”. This statement simply reminds us that we belong to Him and just as a shepherd looks after the welfare of his son, so our Lord looks after us with infinite care. David had this nailed down in his own life, Psa. 23. You and I need to get that nailed down in our lives also.

If we could ever grasped the truth that “The Lord is my Shepherd.”, it would forever transform us. We would realize that we never have to worry about a need being met. We never have to fear anything that arises in life. We are His promises and His guarantee that all is in His control, Rom. 8:28; Matt. 6:25-34, Phil. 4:6-7; Heb. 13:5. If you are saved, you belong to the Chief Shepherd and He will take care of the needs that arise in your life.

The problem we have is that many of us have not yet learned to trust Him as we should! We pray about a need and then promptly try to meet it ourselves! That is totally impossible! You and I need to get to the place where we have knocked out all the props that support us and totally commit ourselves to a life of faith, trusting the Lord to take care of us and watching over our lives. If you are His sheep, He will take care of you!

III. Bring the Right Sacrifice (v. 4-5)

In the Tabernacle and Temple days, the priest had better not enter the presence of the Lord without the right sacrifice. To do so meant death, Heb. 9:7. Thank God, we do not have to offer a blood sacrifice this morning! Jesus Christ has already taken care of that forever, Heb. 10:10-14. Notice the emphasis on “one and once”. Yet, there is still a sacrifice that the people of God need to bring.

It isn't your money, although you should bring your tithes and offerings! It isn't you attendance, although you should be at church at every possible opportunity. There is just one sacrifice the Lord expects every saint to bring to church when they come and it is revealed in these last 2 verses of Psalm 100. We are told to bring the sacrifice of “praise.”

Notice the emphasis of verse 4. This verse tells us that we are to “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him and bless His Name.” Notice a couple of quick thoughts from this verse.

1. God's House is to be a place of praise unto Him.

2. We are given an invitation to come into His presence.

3. We are told to enter “into His gates”. Gates are defensive weapons and are usually closed to all outsiders. However, through the blood of Jesus, we are no longer the enemies of God, Rom. 8:7; but now we are sons, Rom. 8:16-17; 1 John 3:1-3. The gates which were once closed to us are opened wide and we are beckoned to enter into the presence of God as we bring to Him the sacrifice of praise for our salvation.

4. Next, we are invited to enter "into His courts with praise.” Note that we are not just allowed access to the outer limits of His sanctuary, but are invited to walk into the throne room, where we can meet Him in all of His glory!

5. No wonder the Psalmist challenges us to be thankful and to bless His Name. We are counseled to bring the right sacrifice when we enter. We are told to bring the sacrifice of praise!

6. Verse 5 gives us three reasons for praising His Name.

A. Praise God for His Goodness

We are told that the Lord is “good.” This seems like a limited description for God, but the words means “good, pleasant, beautiful, delightful, glad, joyful, precious, correct and righteous. But,

It can also mean, expensive.” Everything God does is an expression of His goodness! We can praise our God because He is good! Regardless of what happens in life, God is good! No matter how things turn out, God is still good! Therefore, praise Him for His goodness!

B. Praise God for His Grace

Next we are told that God's “mercy is everlasting.” We can praise God because He is constantly extending His mercy to us as we go through life. As you know mercy is defined as “not getting what you deserve.” We live in a time when everyone wants what's coming to them. Not me! If I got what was coming to me, I would get Hell. If I got what I deserved this morning, I'd experience the undiluted wrath and fierceness of the Almighty!

Instead of that, God deals with me in mercy. He holds back His wrath from off my life. Why? 2,000 years ago God's Son, Jesus, took my place on an old, cruel, Roman cross. While He was dying there, all my sins were transferred to Him and He died in my place. As He was dying, God looked at Jesus and saw my sins. He saw me hanging there that day and He poured out His wrath into the Person of His Own Darling Son. God extinguished His wrath toward me that day, and now, I enjoy mercy! And, His mercy will never be exhausted, Lam. 3:22-23. We will never use it up! He makes a fresh batch every day! That is a good reason to praise the Lord!

C. Praise God for His Guarantee

We are told that God's “truth endureth to all generations.” Simply stated, while the years pile up, not a single promise of God's Word will fail! You see, God cannot lie, Heb. 6:18, and what He has promised will be as good in 10,000 years as it was the instant He promised it! When He tells you He loves you, you can count on it. When He tells you He'll save you if you come to Him, you can count on it. If He tells you that He'll take care of you, you can count on it. If He tells you He is coming back to get you, you can count on it. If He tells you He'll keep you saved, you can count on it. Suffice to say that if the Lord tells you anything at all, you can count on it. And, that is a good reason to praise Him this morning!

Conclusion

Are you bringing the right things to church? Has the Lord spoken of areas in your life that need attention? Maybe you are as filled with His praises as you used to be. For some reason, just going to church is more difficult than it used to be for you and you know you need to deal with the before the Lord. Maybe you have never been saved and you want to get to know this wonderful Lord that the Bible talks about in these verses. You come and He'll meet you right down here. I don't know your hearts today, but I know that some of you need to look at what you are bringing to church. Are you bringing the right spirit, the right submission and the right sacrifice? Let's mind the Lord. As He calls you, you come to Him.