A Song of Grateful Praise

Intro

- Corrie ten Boom in The Hiding Place relates an incident that taught her always to be thankful. She and her sister, Betsy, had just been transferred to the worst German prison camp they had seen yet, Ravensbruck. On entering the barracks, they found them extremely overcrowded and flea-infested.

That morning, their Scripture reading in 1 Thessalonians had reminded them to rejoice always, pray constantly, and give thanks in all circumstances. Betsy told Corrie to stop and thank the Lord for every detail of their new living quarters. Corrie at first flatly refused to give thanks for the fleas, but Betsy persisted, and Corrie finally succumbed to her pleadings. During the months spent at that camp, they were surprised to find how openly they could hold Bible study and prayer meetings without guard interference. It was not until several months later that they learned the reason the guards would not enter the barracks was because of the fleas

- We often fail to be thankful for things in our lives

- This morning we are going to be looking at Psalm 100- a song of grateful praise

- Knowing who God is and what he has done in our lives should lead us to offer him our praise and thankfulness

Knowing who God is should lead us to joyful praise

A. Shout with Joy (v.1) joyful noise- not just tone deaf people singing

1. Our praise is not quite

a. There is a place for personal, quite praise

b. But we should not hide our praise to God- remember Psalm 40- our praise is a tool to lead others to God

2. The call is to all the earth

a. God is the reality for all men, whether they believe or not

b. Specific call is to God’s people- the church

c. Why is it so hard for people to praise God?

(1) We live in a world that goes to great lengths to push him out of society- to explain him away- to attribute his works to others

d. Through praise we acknowledge that we are not the lords of our lives and that, not only is God a reality, but we need God

3. A call for unity

a. In a world that seeks to divide and categorize, we are called to unify behind what is truly important- that we are all created in God’s image- that we are all created for a purpose- that we are all under the authority and care of a great God

- Not only are we to shout to the Lord with our praise, but we are also called to…

B. Serve the Lord with gladness (v.2)

1. The word serve used here can also be translated worship

a. our worship of God should include our actions

(1) a lot of times we like to separate these things

(2) like most things in life- if words aren’t backed up by actions, they lack sincerity- vegetarian

(3) if we come on Sunday morning and sing praises to God, but the rest of our week proves that we don’t really want him as the king in our lives, our praise is empty

b. Rom. 12:1 - Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.

c. The Israelites were constantly facing this dilemma- Who would they serve?

(1) Joshua 24:14-15- who will you serve? “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord

(2) Judges 2:11- “The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight and served the images of Baal.”

(3) Our culture is similar- we may not have idols to Baal and Ashtaroth, but so many things are trying to pull our attention, our service, our worship away from God

d. In fact, this is the first commandment- to serve no other god’s

- Not just about serving- doing the right thing- getting it done

2. Serve with the right attitude

a. illustration- kids moping around after being told what to do

b. In the ancient world, servants were often executed simply because they looked sad in the presence of the king

c. Serving God should not be seen as a burden

(1) Psalm 84:10- “A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.”

(2) Have you ever met someone like this- enjoys doing their job- what a difference!

d. Our joy comes from an understanding of what God has done for us

3. God has equipped us to serve

a. If we have placed our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, He has literally given us a new life

b. Part of that is that every believer possesses spiritual gifts

c. 1 Peter 4:10- “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.”

d. “No one can long worship God in spirit and in truth before the obligation to holy service becomes too strong to resist.”- A.W. Tozer

C. Come before him, singing with joy

1. An invitation to come into his presence- our God is personal

2. Praise and worship in the presence of God

3. God is with us

D. Our praise should be marked by joy

1. Where does this joy come from?

a. It is not manufactured joy- “put on my happy face for church”

b. It’s not a joy that comes from my circumstances

c. It’s a joy that comes from within- not something I have to put on in order to come into the presence of God, but something God draws out of us when we truly feel his presence

d. Psalm 43:4- “There I will go to the altar of God, to God—the source of all my joy. I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God!”

2. The presence of God changes our thinking- the burdens, negativity, and hopelessness of this world are changed into joy marked by hope and freedom through Christ’s work for us

E. The motivation for our praise comes from knowing who God is (3)- Who is this God we sing about and learn about? Only in truly knowing God can we give him the praise he deserves

1. Not just intellectual knowledge- we can fill our heads with a lot of facts

a. The Hebrew word did not distinguish between intellectual and practical

b. Hosea 4:1-4- “Hear the word of the Lord, O people of Israel! The Lord has brought charges against you, saying: There is no faithfulness, no kindness, no knowledge of God in your land. 2 You make vows and break them; you kill and steal and commit adultery. There is violence everywhere— one murder after another. 3 That is why your land is in mourning, and everyone is wasting away. Even the wild animals, the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea are disappearing. 4 Don’t point your finger at someone else and try to pass the blame! My complaint, you priests, is with you.”

c. Means to follow the way he has called us to live

2. Know that He is God

a. not jut Israel’s God, not just one god among many

b. he is the only true God

3. Know that He is our Creator

a. We owe our very existence to God

(1) To deny this robs God of the honor due his name!

b. And as his creations, he has control over us- illus.- Eliana making something

c. This can be hard for a lot of us. “I’m not someone else’s possession- “we are not our own”

4. Know that He is our King

a. He is our sovereign ruler and judge

b. Next metaphor is most often used of royalty

5. Know that He is our Shepherd

a. He gives us care, guidance and protection

b. Ps. 95:7- “for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. If only you would listen to his voice today!”

- He created all things, rules over all things, and sustains all things- He alone is God

- When we fail to praise God for who he is, we rob him of the glory he deserves

Understanding what God has done for us should lead to overwhelming gratitude

A. Enter his gates with thanksgiving- his courts with praise

1. Again, a picture of entering God’s presence

2. Not all of the Jews were able to enter the Holy Place in the temple. Only the priests

a. The others were only able to enter the court surrounding the Holy Place

b. But when Christ died the curtain separating was torn and we can now be in his very presence- he is with us

c. How much more reason to be thankful!

B. Give thanks and bless his name

1. A lack of thanks is often due to a sense of entitlement- “I deserve this”

2. God’s word tells us, “In everything give thanks”

3. Blessing his name- making sure our thanks is directed at the right person- so you and others don’t forget

C. The motivation for our thankfulness comes from understanding what God has done for us

1. His goodness

a. He is Good- everything that is good comes from God

b. So often we focus on what is going wrong in our live that we forget to focus on the good that God gives to us

2. His unfailing love

a. Hesed

b. It never runs out- we will never reach the end of his mercy, grace, and love

3. His faithfulness

a. God will accomplish what he has promised

- His character has been proven to every generation and will continue

- This is the gospel

- We will never run out of reasons to praise him

So What?

- Do you know God?

o Having a relationship with him

- Do you have joy?

o Is it evident to people around you?

o As we think about that joy that he gives us and who he is and all he has done for us…

- Are you giving him the praise he deserves?

- Are you thankful for what he has done for you?