Enhancing Our Worship
15 September 2019 PM – Psalm 100:4 – Ps100 – Scott Childs
Introduction: During the yet future Tribulation, all those in God’s presence will worship the Lord. (Revelation 7:11-12) “And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.” We note that the content of their worship resembles the directions for worship in Psalm 100:4.
Transition: In this short Psalm, God gives us several directions that will enhance our worship if obeyed.
The 1st direction that will enhance our worship is to…
1. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands (v.1)
As you approach the Lord, give Him a glad shout of praise.
2. Serve the LORD with gladness: (v.2)
Humbly and gladly bow in service to the Lord.
3. Come before his presence with singing. (v.2)
As you enter His presence, give Him a shout of jubilation.
4. Know ye that the LORD he is God: (v.3)
5. It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
6. We are his people, (v.3)
7. And the sheep of his pasture. (v.3)
The 8th direction that will enhance our worship is to…
8. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, (v.4)
a. We now enter the Lord’s gates. This may have referred to the temple, but in prayer, it is our personal approach to God when we begin talking with Him.
b. We should approach the LORD with thanksgiving.
1) The Hebrew here means literally to raise up our hands.
2) It portrays the idea of verbally acknowledging the facts we admitted in verse 3. Here we take verse 3 a step farther to confess to the Lord that he is God, our Creator, our Master and our Shepherd.
3) Note with me how this word is used elsewhere.
a) (Psalms 26:7) “That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.”
b) (Psalms 69:30) “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.”
c) (Psalms 107:22) “And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.”
d) (Amos 4:5) “And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim and publish the free offerings: for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.”
e) (Jonah 2:9) “But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.”
4) Do you see a pattern in these verses? This thanksgiving seems to capitalise on thankfulness for who God is.
c. As we begin speaking to God in prayer, we should begin by thanking Him for who He is. Jesus recommended this in His model prayer. (Matthew 6:9) “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.”
The 9th direction that will enhance our worship is to…
9. And into his courts with praise: (v.4)
a. Here the worshipper moves from the gate or door of God’s temple into His courtyard. We approach close to God in prayer.
b. Picture again in your mind, Queen Esther fearfully entering King Ahasuerus’s throne room. (Esther 5:1-2) “Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king’s house, over against the king’s house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house. And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre.”
1) What had Esther done to prepare herself for that entry? She fasted, prayed and put on her royal dress.
2) In a similar way, we must prepare our hearts if we expect to have an audience with the King of Glory. (Isaiah 59:1-2) “Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”
c. The Psalmist reminds us to enter the LORD’s courts with praise.
1) This Hebrew word for praise focusses on making the Lord shine through our words and actions.
2) It is praise and adoration intended to lift up and honour the Lord. While praise is closely related to thanksgiving, with praise we commend the Lord for His virtues and worthy actions.
3) We find a classic example of this during the reign of King Jehoshaphat. When facing a HUGE army, he prayed and sought the Lord. God sent a prophet who promised victory. (2 Chronicles 20:21-22) “And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever. And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.”
4) Has it been a while since you told God that He is awesome and that you love Him? God delights in hearing praise from your lips. Praise is a key part of true worship.
The 10th direction that will enhance our worship is to…
10. Be thankful unto him, (v.4)
a. This brings us to the foot of God’s throne.
b. As the Psalmist again reminds us again to be thankful, we note that thankfulness is to be the theme of our worship.
1) We owe the Lord everything. We have nothing without Him.
a) He has given us life.
b) He has sustained us and provided our needs.
c) He has forgiven our sins.
d) He rescued us from the damnation of hell.
e) He promises us a home in heaven and an inheritance.
c. We can praise the Lord in several ways.
1) (Psalms 33:2) “Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.”
2) (Psalms 86:12) “I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.”
3) (Psalms 107:8, 15, 21, 31) “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!”
d. We enjoy it when people thank us for things we do, how much more this is true of our God who rightly deserves ALL the praise.
The 11th direction that will enhance our worship is to…
11. And bless his name. (v.4)
a. The primary meaning of the Hebrew word translated “bless” is to bend the knee to kneel in homage.
1) God blesses us with many benefits.
2) We are to bless God with humble adoration.
b. Specifically, we are to bless the LORD’s name.
1) We do this by honouring His name, His character and His person.
2) This will be the action of the saints in glory. (Revelation 4:11) “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
3) If we are God’s child, we wear His name as Christians. The way we live either blesses His name or disgraces His name. We either honour His name or blaspheme His name.
c. There is something special about kneeling in prayer to God. If you do not regularly kneel when you have your quiet time of prayer with God each day, I challenge you to begin. It will seems odd at first, but you will soon enjoy the specialness of it.
Conclusion: This evening we have learned from Psalm 100:4 the wording of prayerful worship. Worship is expressions of thanksgiving for who God is. It is expressions of praise for all God has done for us. It is saying thanks for the many benefits God has given us. It is kneeling and blessing God’s name for His great worth. If these are lacking in your prayer, adding them will greatly enhance your personal worship.
Song: Praise Him! Praise Him! 442