What Everyone Should Bring to Church
Psalm 100:1-5
Intro
People bring all kinds of things to church. Some bring snacks, 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 the 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 in Hebrews 10:25 to gather ourselves together and worship Him in His church. 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 take a look.
I. Bring the Right Spirit (vv. 1-2)
a. A Shouting Spirit – we are told to “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord.”
i. First, there is the word “Make”, which means to make music and refers to singing and to the Psalms.
ii. Then, there is the word “Joyful,” which means to give a public confession of the attributes and words of God.
iii. Thirdly, there is the word “Noise,” which means to raise a shout or a ringing cry.
iv. When you add all these things together, we can see that the Psalmist is calling the people of the Lord to raise an anthem of praise from their hearts to the Lord.
1. This is a challenge to participate in the public praise of God’s person and works.
2. Psalm 40:1-3, tells us that when we were saved the Lord put “a new song in our mouth.”
a. No longer are we signing after the world and all it offers; now we are singing of the Lord who sought us and bought us.
b. The right spirit is a spirit of shouting!
c. Remember genuine praise is always vocal, visible, and public!
d. God gets no glory when we hold it in!
b. A Serving Spirit (v. 2a)
i. The word “serve,” means “to be in bondage to.”
1. It refers to doing whatever the master tells the slave to do.
2. It means “to be at His beck and call.”
3. When we got saved, we became the Lord’s property
4. Therefore we are to do what He tells us to do without question or hesitation.
5. Some folks don’t like that already.
6. They don’t like anyone telling them what to do.
7. Well, if you didn’t like that, then you aren’t going like this either!
8. He tells us that we are to serve Him with “gladness”.
a. That word “gladness” means to serve with laughter.
b. 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!
c. A Singing Spirit (v. 2b)
i. Here we are told to approach the Lord our God with “singing.”
ii. This refers to “the ringing cry, the shout of joy.”
iii. 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.
d. These first two verses tell us that when God is in your life, you will not be able to hide Him!
i. You can’t have someone the size of God in your little heart without Him getting out now and then.
II. Bring the Right Submission (v. 3)
a. Submit to the person of God
i. We are told to “know” that the Lord is God.
1. This words means “to make a distinction.”
2. We are to know that He and He alone is God
3. We need to make the right distinction and acknowledge God as the God of your life.
b. Submit to the Purpose of God
i. Next, we are reminded that we are what we are because He has “made us”.
ii. This word simply means “to take some material and fashion something new out of it.”
iii. You see, God took the clay that was us and formed a new creature out of it by His power.
iv. Regardless of what we are tonight, we are what we are by the power of God.
v. Without Him, we are a zero.
vi. We need to remember that God saved us for a purpose.
1. He didn’t save you and me, just so we could feel at ease with your get out of hell pass.
2. God has a plan for each of us and He will use us if we will serve Him.
c. Submit to the Promise of God
i. We are “the sheep of His pasture.”
ii. This statement simply reminds us that we belong to Him and just as a shepherd looks after the welfare of his so, so our Lord looks after us with infinite care.
III. Bring the Right Sacrifice (vv. 4-5)
a. 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.
b. Praise God, we don’t have to make those kinds of sacrifices today.
c. Yet, there is still a sacrifice that the people of God need to bring.
i. It isn’t your money, although you should bring your tithes and offerings.
ii. It isn’t your attendance, although you should be at church at every possible opportunity.
iii. There is just one sacrifice the Lord expects every saint to bring to church when they come and it is revealed in these last two verses of Psalm 100.
iv. We are told to bring the sacrifice of “praise and thanksgiving.”
d. God’s house is to be a place of praise unto Him
i. Verse 5 gives us three reasons for praising Him
1. Praise God for His Goodness
2. Praise God for His Grace
3. Praise God for His Guarantee
Closing
So this Psalm leads me to ask the question: are you bringing the right things to church? Let’s mind the Lord, as He calls you, to come to Him tonight.
