Enhancing Our Worship
25 August 2019 PM – Psalm 100:1-3a – Ps100 – Scott Childs
Introduction: The French have a proverb, which states, “A good meal ought to begin with hunger.” It is hard to enjoy a meal when you are not yet hungry. This is true of our worship as well. Effective worship begins with a hunger for God. Source: The Facts on File, Martin Manser
(Psalms 29:2) “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.” In 1828, Webster defined worship as, “Chiefly and eminently, the act of paying divine honors to the Supreme Being; or the reverence and homage paid to him in religious exercises, consisting in adoration, confession, prayer, thanksgiving and the like.”
We ought to worship God when we come to church. However, we must not reserve worship solely for church. It ought to be a significant part of our private time with the Lord each day.
This evening we are going to begin to take a close look at Psalm 100, which is a Psalm of worship.
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)
a. The idea here is to greet the LORD with enthusiastic adoration (a standing ovation).
1) This is similar to the atmosphere at an orchestra concert when the audience gives a standing ovation for the performance.
2) It is like the cheers and ecstatic excitement given to the players of a team when they win a contest.
b. (Spurgeon) The original word signifies a glad shout, such as loyal subjects give when their king appears among them.
c. This is what the Jehovah deserves in every land.
d. Consider these Bible examples.
1) (Joshua 6:5-20) Israel shouted and the walls of Jericho fell down flat. That was an excited shout to God.
2) (1Samuel 4:1-5) When Israel took the Ark into the army camp to aid them in battle, the people shouted a great shout. This was a shout of praise to God.
3) (Ezra 3:10-11) When the builders laid the foundation of the rebuilt temple all the people shouted a great shout.
4) (Psalm 95:1) This psalm calls us to worship which includes making a joyful noise.
5) God deserves far more honour and praise than any music performer or sports player.
O So, the first way to enhance your worship is to begin by giving the LORD a standing ovation or shout of praise, even if it is privately in your heart.
The 2nd direction that will enhance our worship is to…
2. Serve the LORD with gladness: (v.2)
a. We are to serve the LORD submissively with joyful gladness. In other words, we must admit to God that we are His servants. We must serve Him with great gladness.
b. Bible examples of the word “serve” include.
1) (Joshua 24:15) (x4) Near the end of Joshua’s life, he challenged the people to choose the God they would serve.
2) (Judges 2:7) The people DID serve the Lord during Joshua’s life. Sadly, future generations did not.
3) (1Chronicles 28:9) Here, David charged Solomon his son to serve the LORD.
c. To get a better understanding of the word “gladness” note with me a few examples of how it was used.
1) (Genesis 31:2) Laban scolded Jacob for leaving without telling him so that he might have sent them away with mirth.
2) (2Samuel 6:12) David brought the Ark up to Jerusalem with gladness.
3) (Nehemiah 8:12) After hearing and understanding God’s Word, the people went away with great mirth.
4) (Esther 9:22) Once God protected the Jews from Haman’s evil plot, the people had a time of feasting and joy.
5) (Jonah 4:6) While Jonah was pouting up on the hill wishing that God would destroy Nineveh, God caused a gourd to grow and for this Jonah was exceeding glad.
d. Anything you do for the Lord is serving Him, including any act of obedience. It may be tithing, singing, praying, witnessing, helping out at church, ministering to someone in need, or even submitting to your husband, loving your wife, or obeying your parents. These we are to do gladly!
e. Early Christians humbly and gladly called themselves servants or slaves of the Lord: Paul (Ro 1:1), James (Jas 1:1), Peter (2Pe 1:1), Jude (Jude 1:1). We have the privilege of the Lord.
f. Before salvation, we served the devil. He was a cruel, harsh, fearful, lying, deceiving master. He led us into evil and then laughed at us when we fell for his tricks. Those who serve the devil have nothing for which to be glad.
g. Serving the Lord is the opposite. He gives us many reasons to serve Him with gladness. The Lord is not a harsh Master, but a loving, gentle Master whom we should serve Him, live for him, and obey Him with a joyful countenance.
O The second way to enhance your worship is to serve the LORD with great gladness of heart.
The 3rd direction that will enhance our worship is to…
3. Come before his presence with singing. (v.2)
a. We must enter the LORD’s presence with singing or shouts of joy. We are always in God’s presence, but we come before His presence in a special way during prayer.
1) When we pray, we must think about the fact that we are approaching God’s throne.
2) Through prayer, we are speaking to the Sovereign of the entire universe, God Himself.
b. As we approach God, we are to do so with singing. This is kind of singing is very high-spirited and joyful.
c. TWOT calls this a shout of jubilation. The overwhelming respect of the verb is toward God. In any case, Israel’s song would have been somewhat different from ours and perhaps more similar to jubilant shouting.
d. Whether we approach God with a song of praise or a shout of excitement, both fit this directive for worship.
e. Bible examples of this singing include:
1) In Job 20:5, the word describes the triumphing of the wicked.
2) In Psalm 63:1-6 the Psalmist speaks of his passionate desire to have a close communion with the Lord. In verse 5, the word we are focussing on is translated “joyful”.
f. More often, we ought to begin our prayer time with a joyful song of praise to the Lord. Examples may include:
1) “Praise Him! Praise Him!”
2) “Jesus Loves Even Me”
3) “Since the Saviour Found Me.”
O The third way to enhance your worship is to come to God’s presence with a jubilant shout or song of praise.
The 4th direction that will enhance our worship is to…
4. Know ye that the LORD he is God: (v.3)
a. Acknowledge the LORD as God.
1) Jehovah is not one of many gods.
2) Jehovah IS the one and only true God. He is sovereign!
b. Consider some of the many Scriptures that teach this truth about Jehovah God.
1) (Deuteronomy 4:35, 39) There is none else beside Him.
2) (1Kings 18:39) When Elijah prayed down fire from heaven that burnt his sacrifice, the stones and the water in the trench, they all bowed and acknowledged Jehovah and the God.
3) (Isaiah 25:1; 45:21) Isaiah claimed Jehovah as his God, the one and only God.
c. True worship acknowledges Jehovah as God. It is bowing before Him as your Sovereign.
O Acknowledging Jehovah as God is the fourth way to enhance your worship.
Conclusion: Have you been worshipping God by giving Him the honour and recognition that He deserves? Do you praise Him? Do you serve Him gladly? Do you sing joyfully to Him? Do you acknowledge Him as God?
Song: Praise Him! Praise Him! 442