24 October 2000

PSALM 100
A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF OUR WORSHIP OF GOD

A. THE KIND OF WORSHIP THAT WE SHOULD GIVE

1. Praise in worship
"Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Serve the LORD with gladness; come before His presence with singing." Vs 1,2
a. Our praise should be one of great exuberance and joy... "a joyful shout".
b. Our praise is to be given to the Lord.
c. In fact, there is the consciousness of the Lord's presence in praise.

2. Thanksgiving in worship
"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name." Vs 4
a. Worship should also involve thanksgiving.
b. We should be thankful for what God has done for us.
c. Our worship should also seek to lift up the name of God.
d. There is a reference made to the house of the Lord.
e. There must be a sense of purpose as we enter the Lord's house...to worship the Lord.

3. Service in worship
a. Service is seen as part of worship.
b. Our focus should be on the Lord as we serve.
c. Our disposition should be one of joy. Each time when we serve, our hearts should be filled with joy.

B. CULTIVATING KNOWLEDGE-BASED WORSHIP
Our worship of the Lord should be based on our knowledge of Him. In vs 3 we read of how the Psalmist knew God deeply..."Know that the LORD, He is God;..." (Deut 4:35, 46:10) It is because of a deeper understanding of the Lord that we may be able to cultivate the kind of worship that we should offer....awe-filled worship.

There are a number of things that we want to know deeper about God...

1. God is our eternal Lord.
"Know that the LORD, He is God;..." Vs 3
a. The word "Lord" (Jehovah) really means the eternal and self existent God.
b. It is our challenge to know and discover this great God for who He is.
c. This phrase is taken from Deut 7:9.
d. We should be very thankful that this Lord is our God.

2. God is our creator.
"...it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;..." Vs 3
a. It is God who made us.
b. This is a humbling perspective. Whatever success we may experience, it is God who is the One who made us. We are nothing before Him. (Psalm 8)

3. God is our king
"...we are His people..." Vs 3
a. We are considered His people or subjects.
b. This shows that we belong to the Lord.
c. This shows the love that the Lord has for us.
d. God is seen as the king of Israel.

4. God is our Shepherd
"...and the sheep of His pasture." Vs 3
a. We are the sheep of His fold.
b. The Lord is thus seen as our shepherd. (Cf. Psalm 23, Isa 40:11)

5. God has shown us His goodness
"For the LORD is good;..." Vs 5
a. This is a reference to the goodness of the Lord.
b. The Lord has shown His goodness to those who are His.

6. God has shown mercy always
"...His mercy is everlasting,..." Vs 5
a. Throughout our life, the Lord's mercy is well-evidenced.
b. Mercy is given to us indefinitely. (Cf. Psalm 136)

7. God's true word.
"...and His truth endures to all generations." Vs
a. The Lord's truth will endure to the end.
b. It will not fail.
c. Confidence in the Lord's truth.

Let's be challenged to have a deeper understanding of the Lord that we may offer worship that is knowledge-based. Let's be encouraged to offer worship, as the Psalmist taught.