Psalm 100[i]
Songs shape
and reflect culture.
Songs
reflect culture by capturing the mood, the thoughts and values of the day. Songs shape culture by influencing the mood,
the thoughts and values of the day.
We as
Christians have our own songs and culture.
God has
provided us with a unique songbook. We
know it as the book of Psalms. It is
included in the wisdom literature of the Old Testament because it has a unique
ability to shape our hearts and transform our lives. These songs can capture our mood, thoughts
and values on any given day. They also
have the ability to influence our mood thoughts and values.
Today we
are going to look at just one of these Psalms, Psalm 100.
Psalm 100
is a song of thanksgiving and praise.
Over the millennia, it has been a favorite of God's people as an
expression of our worship. This Psalm
calls us to praise the Lord. This call
to worship includes two things. It
includes delighting ourselves in the Lord, and it includes entering into his
presence with thanksgiving.
Psalm 100
opens with, “Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy.”
This is
both an exhortation and a prophecy.
It is a
prophecy because a day is coming when the whole earth will worship God. Romans 14:11 says, "'As surely as I
live,' says the LORD, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will
confess and give praise to God.'" The implication here is that in the end, when
God judges the hearts and motives of all people, everyone will acknowledge that
the Lord is God.
However, we
are blessed to be able to do this now.
We can willingly, from the heart, acknowledge that the Lord is God. This Psalm commands or exhorts us to do just
this. At this point, God is not saying,
“Do this or else!” He is saying do this
because it is the source of joy and rejoicing.
Taken from
this Psalm, worship can be a shout or song.
We do not have to feel joyful to begin singing the praises of our God. Worship can be the source of our joy. The Psalms are full of the praises of the
Lord. These praises give us joy and
strength. Psalm 28:7 says, “The LORD is
my strength and shield. I trust him with
all my heart. He helps me, and my heart
is filled with joy. I burst out in songs
of thanksgiving.”
This joy
and this thanksgiving start with acknowledging that the Lord is God. Psalm 100:3 says:
Acknowledge that the LORD is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Acknowledging
that the Lord is God is exactly what the world does not want to do. Humanity has dreamed up the theory of
evolution so that there is no need to acknowledge God. Romans chapter 1 verses 18 -19 tell us:
But God shows his anger from heaven
against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has
made it obvious to them.
The
principle thing that keeps them from acknowledging God is self. We know that all that the world offers is
summed up in the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride
of life. (1 John 2:15-16) Philippians 3:19 says of these people, “They
are headed for destruction. Their god is
their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this
life here on earth.”
Although
the things this world has to offer are very attractive, they lead to
destruction. This is more obvious with
the destruction that comes with the unrestrained pursuit of appetites. Alcoholism, drug abuse, sexually related
social problems and diseases cost our world more economically, emotionally and
in terms of lost human life than any of us can imagine.
If we talk
just in terms of alcohol consumption, the United States Centers for Disease
Control estimates that in 2006 excessive drinking cost the United States $223.5
billion, or about a $1.90 per drink.[ii] Mind you, this is talking only about the
United States, not the problem worldwide, and it is talking about only one
problem.
According
to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, there are about 2.5
million alcohol-related deaths annually worldwide.[iii] To give you an idea of how huge this problem
is, this amounts to 4.5 out of every 100 deaths worldwide.[iv] Again, this is only one problem and it is
only the loss of human lives, and does not include the economic impact.
The book of
Ecclesiastes explores the emptiness of pursuing all that the world has to
offer. However, not only is there misery
and destruction in this life, there are eternal consequences as well. Jesus asked a question we all need to
face. “And what do you benefit if you
gain the whole world but lose your own soul?”
(Mark 8:36)
We see in
our culture, on our televisions, in our schools, and on our streets the
promotion of the unrestrained exercise of our appetites. Correspondingly, all around us, we see the
consequences of destruction that comes as a result. The answer, the solution is right here before
us today. It starts with acknowledging
God. It starts with finding our joy, our
satisfaction, our fulfillment in the God who created us. We are his people the sheep of his pasture. Until we humbly acknowledge this, all other
pursuits will only lead to destruction.
This call
to worship that we find in Psalm 100 resonates with the hearts of God's people
because we know that this is our very life.
However, the Psalm does not end here; there is a second part to this
call to worship. The first part of this
call to worship was to delight ourselves in God. The second part is to enter into his presence
with thanksgiving.
Psalm 100:4
says, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.”
Before we
talk about thanksgiving, let us consider that this is an invitation to enter
into the presence of God.
Psalm 24:3-4
asks a question. It says, “Who shall
ascend the hill of the LORD? And who
shall stand in his holy place? He who
has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is
false and does not swear deceitfully.”
Although
not one of us fits this description perfectly, we are each and every one
invited to come into the presence of the Lord.
This is made possible through what Jesus Christ did on the cross. Romans 3:21-22 says:
“But now God has shown us a way to
be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was
promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our
faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true
for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.”
Psalm 100
invites us all into the presence of God, and we are instructed to come with
thanksgiving. These instructions come
with an explanation.
There are
those among us who like to ask why. In
this case, we are given the why. Why
should we come with thanksgiving? Psalm
100:5 says, “For the LORD is good. His
unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each
generation.”
Our
thanksgiving is in response to God’s goodness.
This is
describing God’s character. Goodness is
one of God’s attributes. It is something
that is true about God.
God is
infinite. He has no limits and no
boundaries. When we say He is Holy or
loving, His holiness and love know no limits or bounds. They are measureless and perfect. The same is true of God’s goodness. Everything He does is good, perfect and
pure.
It is
important for us to understand this because the world asks us questions. Why does God allow evil? If He could stop a crime from happening, why
would He not? In the face of such
questions, we assume the answer still rests in the goodness of God. God is good and He does not do anything that
is not good.
Psalm
37:7-9 says:
Be still in the presence of the
LORD, and wait patiently for him to act.
Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked
schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper—it only leads to
harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but
those who trust in the LORD will possess the land.
While we
are instructed to wait patiently for the Lord and trust in His goodness, in
Psalm 100, the Psalmist points out two truths about God’s goodness. First, “His unfailing love continues forever.” Second, “His faithfulness continues to each
generation.”
The phrase,
“His unfailing love,” is speaking of God’s kindness or mercy. It is because of the Lord’s mercy that we are
not consumed. (Lamentations 3:22) All we like sheep have gone astray and the
Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
(Isaiah 53:6) This mercy is part
of what we mean when we say that God is good.
It is great cause for thanksgiving and praise.
God has not
and will not let one evil act go unpunished.
His justice is absolute. However,
for the one who accepts Jesus, He tells us that He has laid our iniquities on
Him. Jesus accepted our punishment for
us. This is God’s goodness at work.
As if this
is not enough cause for thanksgiving, the truth of God’s mercy is coupled with
the truth of His faithfulness. Psalm 100
says, “His faithfulness continues to each generation.”
The word
translated “faithfulness” here, is translated, “steadfastness,” “firm,” “truth,”
and “stability” in other places. It
refers to the fact that God never changes.
His promises never fail. He is
the same yesterday, today and forever.
(Hebrews 13:8)
The same
God that parted the Red Sea before the children of Israel is watching over you
today. The same God that was with David
when he faced Goliath is with you today.
The same God that raised Jesus from the dead is a God that we worship
today.
Psalm 100
calls upon us to praise the Lord. We do
this by acknowledging him, and we do this by thanking him.
The Psalms
are a great source of songs to praise, thank and worship the Lord. These songs will influence our thoughts, our
mood and our ideas about God. This is
exactly what Romans 12:2 is talking about when it tells us to be transformed by
the renewing of our minds.
Don't let
this culture, this evil day, squeeze you into its mold. Rather, let God transform you by the renewing
of your mind and heart. Start with the
Psalms. Read them. Find one that expresses your heart to God and
use it as your own prayer before him.
Soon you will find the blessing of entering into his Gates with
thanksgiving in your heart and into his courts with praise.
[i]
Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New
Living Translation. Copyright © 1996,
2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
[ii]
www.cdc.gov/features/alcoholconsumption/
[iii]
https://www.ncadd.org/blogs/in-the-news/2-5-million-alcohol-related-deaths-worldwide-annually
[iv]
Worldwide annual death statistics taken from:
www.ecology.com/birth-death-rates/
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