Psalm 100 a Psalm of Praise

Sermon notes from Sunday 25th March 2018

Mr Jackson McVicker

Psalm 100

This Psalm is part of the Royal Psalms.  They start in Psalm 93 and this Psalm 100 is the last of them.  It`s like a crescendo, they build up until this Psalm.  It is like singing in church.  Sometimes can build up to the high notes and some of us cannot do that very well.  The Psalm is really wanting to bring something special concerning the Lord.  The title of the Psalm is a Psalm of praise or worship.  Martin Luther said "this is a Psalm of thanksgiving, a doxology to God."  This is a Psalm of uplifting, lifts us up from the mundane things of the day and sets our hearts and minds on things above.  Thank you is a good word  to use.  I wonder have you said thank you Lord for saving my soul?  Thank you is a word that is sadly in decline today.  It is not as popuar in society as used to be.  The attitude today is "I deserve this, I have the right to demand, I have the right to have such and such a benefit for my success."  This is a word that is seldom used.  It is nice to hear a child when given something say thank you rather than just snatching it out of the hand without a word of thanks.  Our world is becoming more self centred, it doesn`t appreciate the sources and benefits we have.  Our health and strength, the sunshine and the rain, the things we are used to having each day of our lives.  The food on our table - how many of us take it for granted?  Are we thankful for what we have?  It is to the Lord who ultimately produces everything.  Milk comes from the cow but the cow needs the grass to grow but the farmer needs to sow the seed - who gives the farmer strength in the first place?  God himself.  Think of people so brainy, have great intellect.  God gave them knowledge and understanding.  We don`t want to be influenced by the world, we have something to be thankful for today.  This Psalm encourages the practice of worshipping God, saying thank you for all he has given us.

The Psalm opens with the words "make a joyful noise unto the Lord."  Worship is joyful.  In the original word, the meaning is of making a glad shout unto the Lord.  Sometimes we are quiet about what the Lord has done in our lives.  When we come into God`s presence and are with God`s own people we should make a joyful noise unto the Lord.  How the Lord appreciates it!  The picture here is of the king`s subjects.  The people are all gathered around the King, just like our Queen when she comes out onto the balcony of Buckingham Palace sometimes.  The people are below her, they are anticipating her appearance, they wait and then when she appears a great shout arises.  That is the same idea here.  When they see him they shout for joy.  That is the picture of this first verse.  Such a praise of adoration ascends.  Where is the Lord today?  "For where 2 or 3 are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."(Matthew 18 verse 20)  The Lord is in the midst of his worshipping people.  We have come to meet with the Lord and our Savour.  It is as if the king has come into our midst.  He is so pleased to be here.  We should be glad that we are fit to come out today, to lift our hearts unto the Lord.  Our king is standing in our midst this morning.  Our song is sung unto him, our prayers are unto him, our needs are met in him.  As he stands before us we should worship him with a glad shout.  Make your voice known today.  The voice comes out of the mouth but it is coming from the heart.  Some of us cannot sing very well but we can make a joyful noise.  The Lord hears the cry of your heart in your soul.  He has heard the cry of your heart today.  We don`t forget our brothers and sisters all over the world either - "all ye lands".  We are just a speck today.  The Lord says to look at this truly and clearly - your brothers and sisters in  Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales - imagine if they all got together today, imagine if we joined in praise to God - what a noise that would be.  That is what God is hearing today.  We are part of that.  The whole world is encouraged to join in.  It makes us mindful of our brothers and sisters in Christ wherever they meet.  It doesn`t matter about where they meet, it is about the heart of the individual.  We are joining together with brothers and sisters around the globe.  The voice of praise arising this morning to God.  This worship ascends around the globe.  A voice of praise arising this morning to God.  This worship ascends, we are not alone.  

Not only are we to make a joyful noise we are to "serve the Lord with gladness." (verse 2)  We have to admit that we are not always enthusiastic in worship.  Sometimes we don`t feel 100%.  We are going through a bit of trial before coming to church.  Sometimes that trial has lasted for weeks.  Sometimes we are under the weather.  Sometimes we get weary in the work and especially preachers and Christian workers.  That is natural.  We are not weary of the work, we love to do the work.  That is why Jesus told his disciples "come aside and rest awhile".(Mark 6 verse 31)  Sometimes when we are ill we need that rest.  Sometimes we have to be sick before we actually take rest but it is needed.  We are told to serve the Lord with gladness.  We do get weary, need to get priorities right that we can prove the Lord in order to worship him.  We are paying homage to the king with joyful hearts.  Spurgeon said "worship not with sadness as at a funeral parade but worship as though bidden to a marriage."  There is a story in the bible, an example of weariness found in Luke 24 verse 13.  The disciples of Jesus were on the road to Emmaeus.  The Lord was crucified, their leader and friend was dead and they are sad.  As they walked they would have been weary.  Jesus came alongside and walked with them.  He talks with them and speaks to them in verse 17.  They are weary and are sad.  Jesus notices these wearisome disciples yet Jesus walked with them.  They didn`t know it was him.  He was with them all the time.  They were unaware until their eyes were opened - verses 31 and 32 "did not our hearts burn within us?"  What took place between verse 13 and verse 31?  They were sad and weary, lonely, hurting.  What happened?  Jesus Christ came and walked with them.  It was only when he left that they realised the Lord had been with them.  Some of us are going through trials and tribulations and it is hard.  When we come through the other side we can say "the Lord was with me."  Remember the story of the footprints in the sand.  The little boy and his father started off walking together and there were 2 sets of prints in the sand.  Then the little boy notices as they go on further that there is only one set of prints.  He says to his father "why did you leave me?"  The father replies "that was the time when I was carrying you."  Sometimes we are going through difficult times and don`t see him or sense his presence but God is carrying us at that moment.  If the Lord wasn`t there how much worse would it really be?  Jesus was in the midst, he brought joy to their hearts.  Jesus is in our midst today.  The disciples were out in the boat when there was a storm.  Think of those fishermen going crab fishing.  They go out in the harshest of weathers, when the waters fill their boats yet they are out working in it.  For Jesus` disciples the storm appeared.  It became very rough and they were scared so much so that they went to the Lord and asked him "do you not care we are going to die?"  What did Jesus say and do?  He rebuked the storm and said "peace be still."  Would he allow anything bad to happen to them?  Jesus was with them all the time.  "Serve the Lord with gladness" even in those times when it gets rough.  These portions of scripture are what we should turn to when things are difficult.  Remember the Lord is in our midst, we need to get our priorities right.

It also says "come before his presence with singing."  There is nothing more rewarding than when we come together in a service like this.  When we open our hymn books and lift those first few words of praise.  There is a joy as we worship and sing before the Lord.  Sometimes it is not enough to sit quietly.  We need to express our love and devotion to the Lord.  One of the ways to do so is by singing, making melody in our hearts to the Lord.  It has been said our singing down here is an anticipation of our singing in heaven.  Revelation 5 verse 9.  Here they are singing in heaven and what are they singing about?  Redemption.  They are singing about the worthiness of the blood of God that taketh away the sin of the world.  Anticipation of what heaven is going to be like.  A new song, a perfect song, singing in perfect harmony.  You will have no frogs in your throat then, it will be the best song you ever sung.  All joining together singing the song of the redeemed.  We will experience the presence of God in worship as never before experienced.  Singing happily unto the Lord.  

He reminds us in verse 3 we were created lovingly.  "It is he that hath made us and not we ourselves."  God is the creator and that is another reason to worship and magnify the Lord.  He has created us and given us what we have today.  Some people say "I am a self made man."  Nobody is self made.  God created man and woman, Adam and Eve.  God is reminding the world we were created and created lovingly.  "and not we ourselves" what we have, what business we have, the wealth we have is all because of the Lord.  He has created us, given us life in our mothers wombs - it all comes back to him.  The world has the wrong order in things.  No-one is self made.  God created us lovingly.  Man is full of his own arrogance and pride.

We are secure in him - "we are his people and the sheep of his pasture."  We are his people.  The Old Testament tells us that - Ezekiel 34 verses 11 and 12.  He is the shepherd and everybody knows what sort of shepherd he is.  He is "the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep." (John 10 verse 11)  The New Testament teaches the same - John 1 verse 27 "my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me."  What happened when you heard the voice of the shepherd?  You followed him.  Remember the story in the Bible of the 100 sheep and one being lost.  You find that sheep was caught in the thicket and the shepherd heard the cry of that one sheep.  He heard it and he called to it and the sheep came.  He became our shepherd.  There are lots of goats among the sheep today.  Goats pretending to be sheep today.  Only the sheep follow not the goats.  The goats are made up to be like sheep.  False professors.  Sheep hear and follow.  I will give them eternal life, they are never going to perish "neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.  I and my father are one." (John 10 verses 29 and 30)  We are in Christ, in God thoroughly secure in him not in ourselves or in the church or in any religion.  In him and in God eternally.  Thankful chosen by the Lord.  The Lord has passed by others we know, our friends and families, they are still not saved but God picked us.  Why?  Because he loves us, he reaches out and provides for us in a daily fashion.  He gives us the manna and the quail, we feed on the finest of the wheat today.  He has provided for us, granted us wisdom and knowledge through his word.  That knowledge is the gift of God.  How do you know you are saved?  Because God says now I have put something in your heart, not earthly knowledge, not accumulated but through him the knowledge of the gift of God through his Holy Spirit.  1 John 5 verse 13 "these things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that ye may know that ye have eternal life."  It is not worked up, educated into our lives.  It is the gift of God to each and every one of us, the earnest of our inheritance.  In the Old Testament days you bought a piece of land and were only given part of it until you secured the rest of it.  What will it not be like when we get into the fulness of the blessing of God?  When we behold God in all the splendour of his fulness.  "Eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither have entered into the heart of man the things which  God hath prepared for them that love him."(1 Corinthians 2 verse 9)  There are no words for it, to explain it.  That is why it says "For God so loved the world."(John 3 verse 16)  He has accepted us freely.  

"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise." verse 14  That is why you are accepted in him.  This is the picture of the tabernacle or tent in the wilderness.  Outside the tent there was a gate and when you enter into the gate the first thing you come to is the brazen altar.  That speaks of judgment, where the animal is slain.  When you go past you come to the laver which speaks of cleansing, washing.  From there you go into the Holy of Holies.  We are entering into the courts of God`s presence.  Only the priest could go into the Holy of Holies, no-one else was allowed there and he was only allowed in there once a year.  He could not go in unless there was the shedding of blood.  Today that is all done away with.  When we enter into the presence of God, the judgment of God has been laid on Jesus.  He has been judged for our sins.  We have been cleansed at the laver.  Then we go into the Holy of Holies.  We are not always there.  There are special times in our lives when we are in the very presence of God himself.  Now even coming into it is because of this nature and this earth.  The potential is there for us.  How we avail ourselves of it.  How much time we spend seeking the Lord.  We can live outside the gate, be nominal Christians and still get into heaven.  On earth we could enter into that by faith but there are special occasions when everything seems to be so real with God`s presence.  When we love to speak to God in prayer, when we can sit in his presence and enjoy his nearness.  We are accepted freely in him.  Today we are entering through Christ.  Hebrews 10 verse 12 "but this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God."  There is no more need for the tabernacle.  We have the real thing.  We can enter into that place beyond the veil.  

That is why we worship the Lord.  Joyfully singing, happy.  We have been created lovingly.  We are secure in him, accepted freely.  The reason?  Verse 5 "for the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting."  The unmerited favour and love of God.  Our sins which are many have been forgiven. Psalm 103 verse 17 "But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children` children."  We can never experience that, it is not an earthly thing, it is the unmerited love and favour of God.