Psalm 100 A Call to Worship

Psalm 100
A Call to Worship

"Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.  ² Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing.  ³Know 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.  ⁴ Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name. ⁵ For the Lord is good; His loving kindness is everlasting, And His faithfulness to all generations."

     Alright, for those of you who are you into sports? Who is your favorite team? Is it a basketball team, or a football team, baseball, or maybe hockey, Do you absolutely love to see a great play? Do you get excited and shout when you see a touch down, a home run, a goal, or a slam dunk? Do you enjoy entering the gates of a ball park, a hockey rink, or a stadium? Do you love the excitement? Then again, do you like going in and sitting down in front of the tube and getting all psyched up for the "big event"? The rose bowl? the World Series? or the playoffs? etc. Do you know all the names of the players on your favorite team along with their hits, errors, or fouls? Do you know the batting averages of 5 or more players? Do you vicariously bask in the glory of your team's victory? Do you praise the wonders of your pitcher, your goalie, your quarterback? Do you love talking about them? Do you get excited?
     There are different things that get us excited, that cause us to shout for joy. For me its a new computer program or a good book. For others it could be new clothes, a new car, going to a party, buying a new C.D., or maybe..."getting even or seeing someone get what's coming to them. It could even be gossip, envy, talking behind someone's back...
     Let me ask you, are you excited about God? Do you love Him? Do you know all about Him? Do you enjoy entering His gates with praise? Do you shout for joy and praise His name with joyful songs? I hope so.
     It isn't wrong to shout for a team, to support them, to talk about how great they are. But the question is, "Do you know that you are called to give the same, if not more, devotion and dedication to the Lord as you do to your favorite team?"
     You are called to glorify the Lord, to spend the same kinds of energy on Him. In fact, He even tells you how to glorify Him.  Did you know that you are called to glorify the Lord and that the Lord even tells you how to do it?

Turn with me to Psalm 100.

1. You are called to Glorify the Lord -- BY...
2. You are called all to Glorify the Lord -- BECAUSE...
   1. v. 3, IT IS HE WHO MADE US, AND WE ARE HIS AND NOT WE OURSELVES; WE ARE HIS PEOPLE, THE SHEEP OF HIS PASTURE.
   2. He made you -- He is the creator.
      1. Psalm 95:6, Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;
   3. You are His people -- He is the Savior.
      1. Psalm 71:23, "My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you -- I, whom you have redeemed.
   4. You are His sheep -- He is the Shepherd.
      1. Psalm 79:13, "Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will praise you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise.
      2. Psalm 95:7, "...for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care."
3. You are called all to Glorify the Lord -- BY...
   1. ENTERING HIS GATES WITH THANKSGIVING AND HIS COURTS WITH PRAISE v. 4
   2. Being in the presence of the Lord.
      1. the gates and courts of his temple?
      2. in church
      3. among believers
      4. in prayer
         1. earlier I said that Doctrine was important to have a fuller understanding of God; prayer is important for having a fuller experience of God.
   3. (YOU ARE CALLED TO GLORIFY THE LORD BY) GIVING THANKS TO HIM AND v. 4
   4. Why do you give thanks?
      1. Being in the presence of the Lord should result in thanksgiving...
   5. Do you always offer up needs in prayer or is there also praise.
   6. (YOU ARE CALLED TO GLORIFY THE LORD BY) PRAISING HIS NAME v. 4
      1. ...and praise
         1. Who else is worthy of such great praise?
         2. Praise be to God because of His great mercy in Jesus our Savior.
4. You are called to Glorify the Lord -- BECAUSE
   1. THE LORD IS GOOD AND HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER; HIS FAITHFULNESS CONTINUES THROUGH ALL GENERATIONS v. 5
   2. True worship is an acknowledgement of (as well as a flow from) the knowledge of the goodness of the Lord.
   3. It should flow out of the abundance of the love, gratitude, and appreciation that dwells in your heart--because of Jesus!!
   4. The salvation of the Lord will be eternal. We will enjoy the fellowship of the holy Lord in His presence forever.
5. Conclusion:
   1. Through Psalm 100, you are called to worship and you are even told how to worship. Hopefully, your excitement for the Lord will match that of sports, or whatever it is you shout for joy about.
      1. True worship comes from the heart.
      2. Will you shout for joy to the Lord?
      3. Will you give Him thanks?
      4. Will you praise His name?
      5. Will you serve Him with gladness?
   2. To better glorify God, remember that it is He who has made you; you are His people, redeemed by His Son; remember that He is good and faithful.
   3. That way, it will be easier for you to shout for joy, give Him thanks, praise His name and be glad.
1. v. 1, SHOUTING FOR JOY TO THE LORD, ALL THE EARTH
   1. Such shouting comes from within, from a heart full of joy.
      1. Matt. 12:34 says, "...out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."
   2. All the earth is a proclamation that all creation is to praise Him.
      1. Psalm 65:13, "The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing.
      2. Isaiah 49:13, "Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains!
   3. Shouting to the Lord is here is to be done in a concert with others--corporate worship.
2. (YOU ARE CALLED TO GLORIFY THE LORD BY) SERVING THE LORD WITH GLADNESS v. 2 [worship in the NIV; it is better as 'serve' KJV, NASB]
   1. Your hearts are to be filled not only with joy, but with gladness which is coupled with service.
      1. Rom. 12:1 says, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God -- this is your spiritual service of worship. "
3. (YOU ARE CALLED TO GLORIFY THE LORD BY) COMING BEFORE HIM WITH JOYFUL SONGS. (Singing) v. 2
   1. Remember, you are coming before the Holy Lord, entering into His presence.
   2. Songs that come from the heart filled with joy.
   3. Songs that overflow out of the abundance of grace that has been given you, first of all, in the cross of Christ, and second all the other blessings you receive.
      1. health, love, food, children, work, etc.
   4. Songs that exalt the Lord.
      1. whether hymns or praise songs, country or classical.
      2. music that honors, exalts, and glorifies the Lord.
4. (YOU ARE CALLED TO GLORIFY THE LORD BY) KNOWING THAT THE LORD IS GOD. (experiencing) v.3
   1. You can only know the Lord God through the Son Jesus Christ. In Matt. 11:27 Jesus said, "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. John 17:3, "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. Doctrine is important for a fuller understanding of God.
      1. you must know who He is: Trinity, hypostatic union, Holy Spirit, salvation by grace, the resurrection, etc.
   4. "Taste and see that the Lord is good " (Ps. 34:8)