Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!

Transcription

1 PSALM MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE I. JOYFUL NOISE Psa. 100:1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! What exactly is a joyful noise. As they say, I may not be able to define it but I know what it is when I hear it. What kind of joyful noises come to your mind? Maybe the sounds of children laughing at the playground, or the joyful cry when you passed your test, or maybe the sound of celebration heard when the Saints won the Superbowl, or even the shouts of joy at your wedding. Joyful noises come in all different sizes, shapes, and flavors. The one thing they have in common; it is that distinctive, unmistakeable feeling of unrestrained joy. I ll never forget the revival services that began in our church in August of I had never seen such joy anywhere, especially in church. There were shouts of laughter, belly laughs, giggles, laughter which took people s breath away, laughing with tears, and howls of laughter. There was laughter accompanied by jumping, running, and falling into trance like states on the floor. There was laughing in their sleep (my favorite), laughing when trying to preach or testify, and even laughing in the midst of horrible trials of every stripe. It was hard if not impossible to understand, but one thing everyone knew was that it was supernatural in nature. Some accused the joy of being the flesh (pretty hard to fake that kind of joy), and others said it was demonic. I guess the thing that sold me was that most everyone effected by this joy found a new intimacy with the Lord. They talked about Jesus, sang about Jesus, and wanted to read their Bibles more and going to church became quite addictive. The conclusion that I came to was that God was being glorified, it had to be Him. Charles Spurgeon spoke about this joyful noise in his comments on this verse.

2 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. The original word signifies a glad shout, such as loyal subjects give when their king appears among them. Our happy God should be worshipped by a happy people; a cheerful spirit is in keeping with his nature, his acts, and the gratitude which we should cherish for his mercies. I am so glad the Lord visited our church with the joy of heaven. I know there is more of God available to us in this life. How can I be sure? The Lord Who pours out His presence, which is literally chock full of joy, is putting a hunger in our hearts for more. I think the hunger itself is proof that more joy is on the way. II. SERVE THE LORD WITH GLADNESS Psa. 100:2 Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! John 4:32-35 But he said to them, I have food to eat that you do not know about. So the disciples said to one another, l Has anyone brought him something to eat? Jesus said to them, m My food is n to do the will of him who sent me and o to accomplish his work. Do you not say, There are yet four months, then comes the harvest? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that p the fields are white for harvest.

3 III. COME INTO HIS PRESENCE WITH SINGING Psa. 100:2 Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! 2Chr. 5:13 and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the LORD), and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the LORD, For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever, the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, IV. THANKSGIVING, PRAISE, AND BLESSING HIS NAME THE ESSENCE OF OUR FAITH Psa. 100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!

4 There is nothing worse than lukewarm praise. If you think about it, the Lord put up with all sorts of sin when He was here on earth. He had former tax collectors, prostitutes, religious zealots, and all sorts of scoundrels following them. He was patient and always brought mercy and love. His love changed their lives. Then there was the way He treated the religious crowd. He was furious at their lukewarm worship. How could someone be apathetic about this majestic God. It seems that that is the one sin that stands out above all others on God s radar. He doesn t allow apathy. That s why David was a man after God s heart. David was passionate and demonstrative in his worship. David appreciated the presence of God. Today, we have all been given access into God s very presence. How do we draw near. Through faith in the blood of Jesus and worship that comes from a pure heart. Check out Spurgeon s thoughts on today s verse. In all our public service the rendering of thanks must abound; it is like the incense of the temple, which filled the whole house with smoke. Expiatory sacrifices are ended, but those of gratitude will never be out of date. So long as we are receivers of mercy we must be givers of thanks. Mercy permits us to enter his gates; let us praise that mercy. What better subject for our thoughts in God s own house than the Lord of the house. And into his courts with praise. Into whatever court of the Lord you may enter, let your admission be the subject of praise: thanks be to God, the innermost court is now open to believers, and we enter into that which is within the veil; it is incumbent upon us that we acknowledge the high privilege by our songs. Be thankful unto him. Let the praise be in your heart as well as on your tongue, and let it all be for him to whom it all belongs. And bless his name. He blessed you, bless him in return; bless his name, his character, his person. So it s time to worship God. Put off all of your excuses, draw near with a full heart. Let s enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. This is the new and living way that Paul spoke about in Hebrews. Let s draw near today.

5 V. THE LORD IS GOD Psa. 100:3 Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Psa. 100:5 For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations. For many years now I have read from the book of Psalms almost everyday. Most are written by David and are still permeated with his love and pursuit of the presence of God. In today s two verses from Psalm 100 we see an incredible revelation of our God. Here are some comments from Matthew Henry on this amazing Person and some of my observations following Henry s quotes. Enjoy! 1. That the Lord he is God, the only living and true God; that he is a being infinitely perfect, self-existent, and self-sufficient, and the fountain of all being. Wow! We are sustained and satisfied by this unspeakable person. 2. That he is our Creator: It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves. We do not, we could not make ourselves; it is God s prerogative to be his own cause; our being is derived and depending. This is why we are totally dependent on the Lord.

6 3. That therefore he is our rightful owner. The Masorites, by altering one letter in the Hebrew, read it, He made us, and his we are, or, to him we belong. Put both the readings together, and we learn, that because God made us, and not we ourselves, therefore we are not our own but his. The fact that He created us gives Him ownership. What a place of safety, owned by God. 4. That he is our sovereign Ruler. We are his people, or subjects, and he is our prince, our rector or governor, that gives laws to us as moral agents, and will call us to an account for what we do. He rules all things, this too is a place of safety and assurance in times of trouble. 5. That he is our bountiful Benefactor;we are not only his sheep whom he is entitled to, but the sheep of his pasture, whom he takes care of. No one can touch me, I live in the Shepherd s hand. 6. That he is a God of infinite mercy and good; The Lord is good, and therefore doth good; his mercy his everlasting. His presence is a manifestation of these qualities, mercy and goodness. 7. That he is a God of inviolable truth and faithfulness; His truth endureth to all generations, and no word of his shall fall to the ground as antiquated or revoked. His words are guaranteed, I can base my life on His written word.