April 18, 2004 Psalm 100
“He is God, and He is good”
INTRODUCTION
I saw an article this week on the internet listing some details about President Bush’s tax return. (How would you like it if the details of your tax return were made available for everyone to see!) It showed his income, how much taxes he paid over the year, and what charities he had given money to. President Bush has obviously attended three different churches over the past year because he gave money to all three. As I read that, I started to wonder what it would be like to have the President of the United States as a part of the congregation each Sunday morning. Is it appropriate to ask the President to take up the offering? What would he say if you asked him to serve in the nursery? It would probably draw a lot of people to the church each Sunday morning. But I would probably always be wondering how many of those people came to be in the presence of the President and how many of them came to be in the presence of God.
That leads me to a question for each of us this morning. Why did you come? Did you come out of guilt? Did you come to be entertained? Did you come because it is what is expected of you? One elderly gentleman who was totally deaf faithfully went to church every Sunday morning. He couldn’t hear the music or the sermon, and he couldn’t carry on a conversation with any of the people. When he was asked why he continued to come, he said, “I come so that my neighbors will know what side I’m on.” That’s a pretty good reason. But let me suggest an even better one.
Ted Malone had a radio talk show. He told of the Idaho shepherd who wrote: "Will you, on your broadcast, strike the note ’A’ on the piano? I’m a sheepherder way out here on a ranch, far away from a piano. The only comfort I have is my old violin. It’s all out of tune. Would you strike ’A’ so that I might get in tune?"
Malone honored the request. Later he received a "thank you" note from the distant shepherd saying, "Now I’m in tune."
Can I suggest to you that the greatest reason for coming to church on Sunday morning is to get our spirits in tune? We come here to see God for who He really is. We come here to worship Him. We come here to allow God to strike a perfect pitch which allows us to see how far off we are and then adjust our lives so that we are in tune with Him.
This morning, we come to Psalm 100. As we look at this Psalm, I want us to see some things about true worship and give you some ways that you can get your spirit in tune with Him.
1. Worship is everyone’s responsibility. “all the earth”
“In every land Jehovah’s goodness is seen, therefore in every land should He be praised.” – p. 233, Spurgeon
Worship is for everyone – not just the Jewish people and not just for those who are going through good times.
“Maybe God had us in mind, too, when this Psalm was written. Did you notice to whom it is addressed? The first verse says that it is addressed to "all the earth," & the last verse says that it is includes "all generations." This message of [worship] is so deep & wide that it applies to every person in every era in every stage of life. I think also that there is a real danger in this season of determining our [worship] on the basis of how much we have. "Do I have enough turkey to gorge myself sufficiently? Is my money in the bank secure? Am I healthy?" And we let these things determine whether we are or aren’t [going to worship]. The Psalmist says that all of these things may change at any time. They may drift away, or burn up, or someone may steal them. The only thing we have for sure is our relationship with the Lord.” – Melvin Newland
Worship is not based on who you are or what you have. It is based on who God is and what He has done. Do you remember how Job reacted when he found out that he had lost everything including his ten children?
(Job 1:20-21 NIV) At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: "Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."
2. Worship maintains a joyful attitude. “gladness...joyful songs”
Which of these four attitudes best reflects your life:
1 – “Make the World Go Away.”
2 – “Raindrops keep Falling on my Head.”
3 – “I did it my way.”
4 – “Oh, what a beautiful morning.” – Ray Ellis
An older sister was sitting next to her younger brother in Church one Sunday morning unsuccessfully trying to keep him still and quiet. Finally she said, “I wish you would calm down.” “I can’t”, he said, “it’s just so boring.” With that his sister turned and said, “It’s supposed to be boring.”
“Men have long tried to be happy without God.” – p. 237, Spurgeon. Others have thought that being with God means you have to be solemn.
Somber Christians are not contagious Christians. Joyful Christians are.
3. Worship focuses attention on the LORD. “LORD”
“Just scan the Psalm. In vs. 1 you’ll find the name of the Lord. In vs. 2 you’ll find the name of the Lord. In vs. 3 you’ll find the name of the Lord. In vs. 4 it says, "Enter His gates with thanksgiving." And in vs. 5 you’ll find the name of the Lord. The basis of our [worship] is the Lord.” – Melvin Newland
“Roland Allen tells about a veteran missionary who came up to him one day after he had delivered his sermon. The missionary introduced himself & said, "I was a medical missionary for many years in India. And I served in a region where there was progressive blindness. People were born with healthy vision, but there was something in that area that caused people to lose their sight as they matured."
“But this missionary had developed a process which would [stop the] progressive blindness. So people came to him & he performed his operation, & they would leave realizing that they would have become blind, but now they were going to be able to see for the rest of their lives.
“He said that they never said, "Thank you," because that phrase was not in their dialect. Instead, they spoke a word that meant, "I will tell your name." Wherever they went, they would tell the name of the missionary who had cured their blindness. They had received something so wonderful that they eagerly proclaimed it.
“And that is what the Psalmist is saying. "Suddenly you realize that God has been so good to you that you can’t keep it inside any more. From the depths of your being you shout your joy unto the Lord." – Melvin Newland
4. Worship proceeds from specific actions.
Shout (vs. 1) – a bold affirmation of your complete confidence in God
Excitement, enthusiasm
“glad shout, such as loyal subjects give when their king [or candidate] appears among them.” – p. 233, Spurgeon
One man who used to be the chaplain for the Astros and the Oilers when I was in Houston, Texas told of a time that he went to see the Oilers play in the Astrodome. He said that he watched Earl Campbell run over everybody, his own men included, to get to the goal line. When he got to the goal line, he put the ball down. The place went crazy. People were giving high fives and jumping around. The scoreboard went off. The same thing happened when the Astros hit a home run. It was a ringing shout, because their man scored a touchdown.
Shouldn’t church be something like that? I’m not saying that when you come to church you need to give each other high fives or do cartwheels down the aisle, but worship is a time of anticipation and expectation. We come together because all week God has been knocking home runs and scoring touchdowns in our lives. Worship is a time to celebrate what God has done for us.
Do you remember any times in the Bible when God’s people shouted? [recount the events of the fall of Jericho]
(Josh 6:20 NIV) When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city.
What made the wall fall? GOD
Why did God knock the wall down? Obedience of the people
Why did the people shout? Faith in God
HAVE YOU GOT ANY WALLS THAT NEED TO COME DOWN?
(1 Sam 4:5-7 NIV) When the ark of the Lord’s covenant came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook. Hearing the uproar, the Philistines asked, "What’s all this shouting in the Hebrew camp?" When they learned that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp, the Philistines were afraid. "A god has come into the camp," they said. "We’re in trouble! Nothing like this has happened before.”
(Ezra 4:11-13 NIV) And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.
...and the noise was heard afar off.
Worship / Serve (vs. 2) – a humble submission to the will of God. Depending on what translation you have, it either says “worship” or “serve” here. The two go hand in hand. What was Isaiah’s response when he got a clear picture of who God was? First, he worshipped. Then he made himself available for service. He said, “Here am I; send me.” Our service flows out of our worship. The greater our picture of God is, the more we will be willing to sacrifice anything in order to be able to serve Him.
“It doesn’t say "serve the church." It doesn’t say "serve the preacher, or serve the leaders, or serve the organization." It says, "serve the Lord." The Bible teaches that if we witness on behalf of the Lord, if we feed the hungry, if we clothe the naked, if we do the work of the Lord, whatever it might be, we are serving the Lord. Jesus said, "Inasmuch as you have done it unto the least of these, you have done it unto me." I’m not sure that we grasp that. Maybe we serve at times out of a feeling of obligation or a fear of guilt if we don’t serve, or maybe even because we want to draw attention to ourselves.” – Melvin Newland
And you can successfully serve for all those reasons – for a while. But eventually, your motivation runs out, and you start to check out emotionally and then physically. When your service flows out of who God is in your life and you are doing it for Him, then your motivation will remain strong.
Come (vs. 2) – “Come into His presense” = “Come before His face.” It is a gracious invitation to come face to face with God. “The invitation to worship here given is not a melancholy one as though adoration were a funeral solemnity, but a cheery gladsome exhortation as though we were bidden to a marriage feast.” – p. 233, Spurgeon
The verse says to come into His presence with singing.
“Robert E. Bruce describes the following incident: “While walking along a busy street one day, I heard someone singing. His sweet voice was distinguishable even above the noise of the traffic. When I located him, I noticed that he had no legs and was pushing himself through the crowd in a wheelchair. Catching up with him, I said, “I want you to know, friend, that to hear singing from a person in your condition gives everyone else a lift.” He answered with a grateful smile: “When I stopped looking at what I had lost and began concentrating on all I had left, I found much for which I could rejoice and be happy!”
Know (vs. 3) – an intelligent understanding of the God you worship. The more I understand about God, the more I will be motivated to worship Him. Worship is not just blind praise of the uninformed.
GOD’S ACTIONS (VS. 3)
Produces us – “made us”
“I don’t understand why, but somehow in God’s providence He decided that He wanted a medium sized man, not too good looking, not outstanding in anything, but just a faithful father & husband who would keep plodding along. So He made me. Someplace along the way He had you in mind, & He made you.
“And He is still making us. That is important, too. He’s not satisfied with the unfinished product. He’s not satisfied with your temper. He’s not satisfied with the weak areas of your life where you are giving in to temptation. So He’s still making us. He’s still working on our lives. – Melvin Newland
(Phil 1:6 NIV) being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
“Neither in our first or second creation dare we put so much as a finger upon the glory, for it is the sole right and property of the Almighty.” – p. 234, Spurgeon
(Eph 2:8,9 NIV) For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith --and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast.
Protects us – “his people”
(Psa 103:14 NIV) ...he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
Provides for us – “sheep of His pasture” – “You must be redeemed [in order to] become a sheep.” – p. 822, Thru the Bible
GOD’S CHARACTER (VS. 5)
The LORD is God
(Isa 37:18-20 NIV) "It is true, O LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands. They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are God."
“many Christians act as if He is not God.” – p. 822, Thru the Bible
The LORD is good
“mercy is everlasting” – It doesn’t run out. For all those who want to experience His mercy, there is always a fresh supply. His patience on the other hand does run out. There is a day of wrath that is coming. There will be no mercy on that day.
“truth endureth to all generations” – God’s truth doesn’t get outdated or out of style. What was true for past generations is true for this one and every generation to come. What worked for them will work for now and for ever. “No fickle thing is He, promising and forgetting.” – p. 234, Spurgeon
Ad from President Bush – “Steady leadership in times of change.”
Enter (vs. 4) – a dwelling in the presence and person of God. You can understand this in one of two ways. Either as you’re going in, you do so with praise and adoration on your lips. It is the proper way to enter. Or, as you praise and as you give thanks, the effect will be that it will bring you into the presence. Are you having trouble getting into the presence of God? Try singing. Try thanking.
5. Worship is applicable to any situation.
(1 Cor 10:31 NIV) So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
CONCLUSION
I want us to end this morning by singing a song – a song of worship. It’s there in your song sheet. Sing it from your heart. As you sing, remember who you are singing it to. Remember what He has done for you. Forget about all the things that you don’t have, and concentrate on the one who made you and all that He has given you in your life. Let’s sing.
[sing “Worthy of Worship”]
Now, as the music continues to play, I wonder, have you got anything to be thankful for? I want to give you the opportunity to come to this altar a lay the sacrifice of praise here. Tell the Lord your list of things that you have to be thankful for.
Do you need to ask Him to forgive you for your complaining and your envy? You can come to do that too.
Get your hearts in tune this morning so that you will be able to sing on key in worship all week long.
