A PSALM FOR GIVING THANKS
Psalm 100 The time for one of the annual feasts of Israel is near. In obedience to the Law of Moses, you make the pilgrimage to the holy city of Jerusalem. Your destination is the temple. Your purpose is worship. Your motivation is gratitude for what the Lord has done for you and your people. The journey is long. The sun is relentless. The path is uninviting. The animal you have brought to sacrifice is burdensome. The caravan of people you travel with is noisy. And Jerusalem is many miles away. You left home focused. But now you are frustrated. You keep asking yourself: “Why did I leave home for this?” You do not answer that question. You cannot answer it. Your mind is too far from worship. The only reason you are still headed to Jerusalem is because you are too far from home to turn around now. But then you near a noise. It is not the clamor of the caravan. The noise you hear is melodic, harmonious, and beautiful. Nearing Jerusalem, greeters meet you with a song of praise. As you hear the choir lift this song, your nagging frustrations melt away. And you join in singing thanksgiving to God. The song is Psalm 100. The heading of Psalm 100 reads: “A PSALM FOR GIVING THANKS.” This is the only psalm with thanksgiving in the heading. Leviticus commanded Israel to present meal offerings in which they ate a meal and offered sacrifice in grateful remembrance of what the Lord had done for them. The heading of Psalm 100 may indicate this psalm was to be sung during this thank-‐‑offering. But the psalm became an often-‐‑used call to worship for Israel. It has also been so used throughout church history. Psalm 100 is one of the most popular of all the psalms. Its popularity is second only to that of Psalm 23. AUGUSTINE wrote: “The verses are few, but big with great subjects.” This beloved psalm teaches an important lesson about true worship: It is your duty to give thanks to God for who he is and what he has done. Thanksgiving is not a right or option or privilege. It is our duty to give thanks to God. ALL PEOPLE THAT ON EARTH DO DWELL SING TO THE LORD WITH CHEERFUL VOICE HIM SERVE WITH JOY, HIS PRAISE FORTH TELL COME YOU BEFORE HIM AND REJOICE
Psalm 100 issues a twofold call to worship. Verses 1-‐‑3 call for joyful praise to God. Verses 4-‐‑5 call for grateful praise to God.
I. OFFER JOYFUL PRAISE TO THE LORD.
Psalm 100 begins with a call to joy. Joy is not happiness. Happiness is based on what happens. It is thing-‐‑centered, people-‐‑centered, or event-‐‑centered. Joy is God-‐‑ centered. Psalm 100 calls us to joy by leading us to focus on God. Verse 2 speaks of his presence. Verse 3 speaks of his people and his pasture. Verse 4 speaks of his gates and his courts and his name. Verse 5 speaks of his steadfast love, and his faithfulness.
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With this God-‐‑centered focus, Psalm 100 exhorts us to joyfully worship and joyfully witness. A. WORSHIP JOYFULLY. In Treasures from the Psalms, HENRY GARIEPY writes: “Worship is one of the most sacred exercises of life. It ushers us into the presence of God who created the heavens and the earth. In worship, the creature comes to his Creator, the finite comes to the Infinite, a being of folly and sin comes to the One who is all wisdom and holiness.” Worship is serious business. Yet Psalm 100 does not call for a solemn assembly. It calls for joyful praise. Worship should not be like waiting in a doctor’s office, sitting in a traffic jam, or attending a funeral. Worship should be joyful. Verses 1-‐‑2 teach three ways to worship God joyfully. SHOUT. The first four words of verse 1 – “Make a joyful noise” – are but one word in Hebrew: “Shout!” It signifies a shout of triumph, like a shout of victory in battle. This is how we should worship God. When someone gets loud in worship, we think something is wrong with that person. But something is wrong with the person who is not moved to shout the victory in response to the goodness of God. Biblical worship is not subdued, civilized, or sophisticated. It is a celebration. Psalm 66:1-‐‑2 says, “Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise!” With no regard to your tastes, culture, background, personality, or tradition, Psalm 100 commands: “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!” This call to worship was not limited to Israel. All the peoples of the earth are commanded to forsake their idol gods to worship the living God. This universal call to worship is the mission of the church. JOHN PIPER wrote: “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exist because worship doesn’t.” SERVE. Verse 2a says, “Serve the Lord with gladness!” The verb, “serve,” is a synonym for worship. To serve the Lord is to worship the Lord. We worship by serving. Just because you sit through a worship service does not mean you have worshiped. Worship is not a spectator sport. Every member of the church is a minister of Jesus Christ. This call to service transcends our corporate, public assemblies. It is to submit to the divine authority. True worship is life service, not lip service. Romans 12:1 says, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Christians live to serve the Lord. But we must not serve God reluctantly, grudgingly, or mechanically. Psalm 2:11 warns the kings and rulers of the earth: “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.” Psalm 100:2 exhorts God’s people to serve the Lord with gladness. It is a joyful privilege to serve the Lord. SING. Verse 2b says, “Come into his presence with singing.” Ancient Jews read this as a call to enter into the temple to worship God. In that sense, this verse is an affirmation of public and corporate worship. This call to come together for worship extends to the New Testament church. Hebrews 10:24-‐‑25 says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” But is more than a call to a place. It is a call to a Person. Verse 2 says, “Come into his presence.” This is the privilege of worship. Most of us will never
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receive a WHITE HOUSE invitation to the OVAL OFFICE to meet the PRESIDENT. Yet the Lord has opened the door to his throne room to welcome you in. He only gives one stipulation: “Come into his presence with singing.” We should not come into God’s presence with questions, complaints, or requests. We should come into his presence with songs of praise. Not every worshiper can sing. But every worshiper should have a song in his heart and on his lips. B. WITNESS JOYFULLY. Verse 3 says, “Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” Our worship should be joyful. For worship to be joyful, it must be God-‐‑centered. But worship cannot be God-‐‑ centered if you do not know the God you claim to worship. True worship acknowledges three truths about the Lord. THE LORD IS GOD ALONE. Verse 3 says, “Know that the Lord, he is God!” The phrase, “he is God,” is emphatic. It is not a statement of the obvious, that God is God. It is a declaration of the fact that God is God alone. The God of Israel, Christ, and the church is the one, true, and living God. Exodus 20:3 says, “You shall have no other gods before me.” Deuteronomy 6:4 says, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” Isaiah 45:5 says, “I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God.” The affirmation of monotheism is essential to the proper worship of the living God. It acknowledges the exclusive nature of God. It also denounces anything that would rival God. WALTER BRUEGGEMANN said it well: “To praise is to reject alternative loyalties and false definitions of reality. Praise is relentlessly polemical.” THE LORD IS OUR CREATOR. Verse 2 says, “Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his.” The Hebrew words for “not” and “his” are similar. So there are alternative readings of this verse. THE KING JAMES VERSION reads: “It is He who has made us, and not we are ourselves.” But it is more accurate to read the statement as a declaration and conclusion: “It is he who has made us, and we are his.” Some people think the theory of evolution is the only logical explanation for the creation of the world. It is a popular theory not because it is provable science, but because it is self-‐‑centered theology. If the world was created by intelligent design, we are subject to a higher power. Sinful humanity would rather believe we evolved from monkeys, rather than accepting that we must answer to God. But the Bible unapologetically claims that God created us and we belong to him. THE LORD IS OUR REDEEMER. Verse 3 begins with the transcendence of God: “Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his.” The verse ends with the immanence of God: “we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.” With a sense of amazement, the psalmist declares, “We are his people…” Then he describes what it means to be the people of God: “and the sheep of his pasture.” Ancient kings were often called “shepherd.” To call God “shepherd” is to acknowledge his sovereign authority. God rules the world as sovereign creator. But God cares for believers as gracious redeemer. Humanity has rebelled against its Creator. The wages of sin it death. But God satisfied his wrath and showed his love by sending his only Son to die
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on the cross for our sins. To trust the Lord Jesus Christ is to be graciously saved, eternally secure, and fully satisfied. If you can sincerely sing, “The Lord is my shepherd,” you can joyfully sing, “I shall not want.”
II. OFFER GRATEFUL PRAISE TO THE LORD.
Psalm 100 begins with a call to joy. It concludes with a call to thanksgiving. Joy and thanksgiving are inextricably connected. But there is a subtle distinction. Joy is rooted in who God is. Thanksgiving is rooted in what God has done. Verses 1-‐‑3 call us to worship in acknowledgement of who God is. Verses 4-‐‑5 call us to worship in remembrance of what God has done. ALTON MCEACHERN said it well: “May God who has given us so much give us one more thing – a grateful heart.” We should approach God and adore God with thanksgiving. A. APPROACH GOD WITH THANKSGIVING. Verse 4 says, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” The holy God who warns guilty sinners to stay way is the gracious God who invites forgiven sinners to enter in. “Gates” and “courts” are the precincts of the temple. The redeemed people of God are commanded to assemble in God’s house to worship him. The emphasis of verse 4 is on how we enter: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!” To approach God with thanksgiving requires emotional engagement. But emotions should be a passenger in the vehicle of worship, not the driver. True worship is a determination of the will, not a response of the emotions. Psalm 34:1 declares, “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Bless, praise, and thank God no matter what! The Puritan commentator, Matthew Henry, was robbed while walking down the street. The thieves took everything of value. Later that night, Henry made the following entry in his diary: “Let me be thankful – First, because I was never robbed before. Second, because although they took my wallet, they did not take my life. Third, because although they took my all, it was not much. Fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.
There is always a reason to give thanks. Every day is a day of thanksgiving. You always have so much to thank God for. Verse 4 commands: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name.” We often come to corporate worship down, defeated, and discouraged. We wait for something to happen in the service to get us in the mind or mood to worship. But we should approach God with thanksgiving and praise. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says: “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Ephesians 5:20 says be “giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” STEVEN J. LAWSON said it well: “Worshipers should live under the constant theme of gratitude to God.”
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But what if you cannot find anything to thank God for? Verse 4 says: “bless his name!” Psalm 103:1-‐‑5 says: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” B. ADORE GOD WITH THANKSGIVING. Verses 1-‐‑4 record seven imperative calls to worship: shout, serve, come, know, enter, give thanks, and bless. Verse 5 explains why God is worthy of our worship. Verse 5 says: “For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” This psalm is not about the physical, material, or relational blessings we have received. God is the source of these benefits. And we should give thanks to God for them. But that is not the focus of this call to worship. The psalmist exhorts us to give thanks and praise to God for God’s sake, not ours. True worship is God-‐‑centered. It is rooted in the person, nature, and character of God. Verse 5 gives three reasons why we should adore God with grateful praise. GOD IS GOOD. James 1:17 says: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” Everything God gives is good. His plans are Good. His providence is good. His provisions are good. His protection is good. His patience is good. His pardon is good. But Psalm 100:5 is not a statement about what God gives. It is about who God is. God is good. Nahum 1:7 says, “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.” When bad things happen, God’s goodness is demonstrated in the fact that he is a stronghold in the day of trouble. The goodness of God is not always obvious by sight. But it is always evident by faith. Psalm 34:8 says, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.” GOD IS LOVE. Verse 5 says: “His steadfast love endures forever.” “Steadfast love” is loyal love. God’s love is not based on our performance. It is based on his promise. God does not love us because we are worthy of his love. God loves us because God promised to love us and God always keeps his word. Malachi 3:6 says, “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.” If God changed his mind about us, we would be consumed forever. But his steadfast love endures forever. People love you until you give them a reason not to love you. Romans 5:7-‐‑8 says: “For one will scarcely die for a righteous person – though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die – but god shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God has every reason not to love you. Yet God still loves you. And his steadfast love will never give up on you! GOD IS FAITHFUL. Verse 5 ends: “and his faithfulness to all generations.” God is a God of truth. Every thing God speaks is true. God only and always acts according to the truth. This is the faithfulness of God. Lamentations 3:22-‐‑23 says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every
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morning; great is your faithfulness.” God’s faithfulness is great because it endures to all generations. God was faithful to past generations. God will be faithful to future generations. Psalm 100 begins by broadening our perspective to all the earth. It concludes by lengthening our perspective to all generations. We acknowledge the faithfulness of God by thanking him for what he has already done. We also acknowledge the faithfulness of God by trusting him for what he it yet to do. Psalm 100:5 is a summary of the character of God. God is good. God is love. God is faithful. But there is a better way to see the character of God than these statements of his attributes. God’s goodness lived in a human body. God’s love’s died on an old rugged cross. God’s faithfulness conquered the power of sin, death, and hell. The Lord Jesus Christ is the walking, talking, breathing incarnation of divine goodness, steadfast love, and faithfulness. 2 Corinthians 9:15 says: “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” This is the reason why we offer grateful praise to the Lord when there is no other reason to give praise. • • • • • • • • • • •
Thank God for the eternal Sonship of Jesus. Thank God for the virgin birth of Jesus. Thank God for the righteous life of Jesus. Thank God for the divine revelation of Jesus. Thank God for the mighty miracles of Jesus. Thank God for the atoning death of Jesus. Thank God for the victorious resurrection of Jesus. Thank God for the glorious ascension of Jesus. Thank God for the intercessory ministry of Jesus. Thank God for the imminent return of Jesus. Thank God for the matchless name of Jesus.
HOW CAN I SAY THANKS FOR THE THINGS YOU HAVE DONE FOR ME? THINGS SO UNDESERVED YET YOU GAVE TO PROVE YOUR LOVE FOR ME. THE VOICES OF A MILLION ANGELS COULD NOT EXPRESS MY GRATITUDE. ALL THAT I AM, AND EVER HOPE TO BE, I OWE IT ALL TO THEE. TO GOD BE THE GLORY, TO GOD BE THE GLORY TO GOD BE THE GLORY FOR THE THINGS HE HAS DONE WITH HIS BLOOD HE HAS SAVED ME, WITH HIS POWER HE HAS RAISED ME TO GOD BE THE GLORY FOR THE THINGS HE HAS DONE JUST LET ME LIVE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE PLEASING LORD TO THEE AND IF I GAIN ANY PRAISE, LET IT GO TO CALVARY WITH HIS BLOOD HE HAS SAVED ME, WITH HIS POWER HE HAS RAISED ME TO GOD BE THE GLORY FOR THE THINGS HE HAS DONE
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