Psalm 100 (Part 2) 29 th January 2017 am Hill and Arcadia. Serve the Lord with gladness

Transcription

1 1 Psalm 100 (Part 2) 29 th January 2017 am Hill and Arcadia Serve the Lord with gladness While sitting on the rocks down at the coast in December Carol and I enjoyed watching some local men catch some fish. After sitting there for some time, with a number of fish caught; I shared my thoughts with Carol That reminds me of some people who call themselves Christians. Let me explain Imagine you were one of the fish caught: you are held captive on a sharp barbed hook; you are being dragged through the water. You are fighting for your life; to break the line or somehow get off the hook. You will do anything to escape from certain death to get back to the freedom of the sea. But in spite of every effort you can t snap the line. You can t get yourself off the hook; you try some last effort resistance on the rocks. But all seems in vain; you are at a place of despair and you give up all hope of release.

2 2 And then suddenly and unexpectedly the fisherman takes you into his hands; he removes the hook from your mouth and he releases you into the water. In your fish mind hope stirs as it seems the tables have turned. You relax in your new found wonderful freedom. But what you don t know and realize is that you have been released into a rock pool; you are only being kept alive to be fresh fish in the frying pan later in the day. Just like the fish with false hope having been released into the freedom of a rock pool; many people in our city and elsewhere believe... they are safe from the wrath of God, they are free from the bondage of their sins, they are Christians, they believe they are true worshippers of God but they are deceived. The church they are in feels so right, the teaching makes them feel so good, there are so many others with them who feel the same way about things are here and we can t all be wrong Do you get the point? It is possible to feel you have been freed from the bondage of sin. It is possible to feel you are true worshipper of God. It is possible for you to

3 3 feel all is well because you are amongst many others who feel the same way. But it s a delusion. It is false hope. The bondage is still real. You are still under condemnation and worship is no worship. In the same way that the fish may feel he or she is safe and yet end up in the frying pan; a person may feel he or she is a true worshipper of God and yet end up hearing those words from Jesus in Matthew 7:22 On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' 23 And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' Last week we learned from Psalm 100 that there are certain things (7 imperatives) God calls worshippers to do. We noticed from these imperatives that worshippers of God have: an undeniable focus on God, an obvious exuberance for God, an attitude of gratitude toward God and an expansive vision with God. These activities, attitudes, approaches and practices are the kind of signals you are sending to the world

4 4 and to each other and to God indicating and demonstrating that you are worshipping God. But that is only half of the sermon. It is only half of the Psalm. There is this strong call to worship God. These are the things you are called to do But the other half of the Psalm tells us 1 What you need to know to do what you are called to do The fish in the rock pool feels that he safe. He no longer feels the hook hurting his mouth. He feels he is able to swim around in the water The reality is that he is still held captive. He can t really do what he was made to do; swimming in the bigness of the ocean. Like that fish, worshippers need to see that it is a huge mistake to primarily be trusting feelings when it comes to being a true worshipper of God. If only that fish knew he was in trouble. If only that fish knew that the fisherman who removed the painful hook from his mouth is the man who will take a knife and cut his head off. If only that fish knew that there was a way of escape out of the rock pool.

5 The call to worship is not primarily based on what you feel but it is based on knowing important truth. The call to worship is based on 1.1 Knowing that the Lord is God Am I wasting time and being a little silly saying what seems so obvious to anyone of us sitting in a worship service in a Baptist Church? We would think and assume and affirm: of course we know that the Lord He is God. Do we? Wives and husbands sometimes say of each other: I lived with him or her for years; I thought I knew him I knew him but I did not know him. Casual or superficial knowledge does not constitute meaningful and intimate knowledge of people nor of God. You need to know that God exists. Are you convinced He is real? Is there some doubt in your mind that perhaps all this talk about God is mere myth or primitive escapism? If there is any doubt about 5

6 6 the existence of God it will have a direct negative bearing on you as a worshipper. Psalm 100:3a Know that the Lord, He is God. You need to know and be convinced that God is. Hebrews 11:6 whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. True worshippers know that God is not a figment of his or her fertile imagination. God is not an idol. He is not the product of human hands. Yes there are idols that are made of silver and gold. Yes these idols and gods and objects of worship are fashioned according to personal likes and dislikes. But idols are useless. They do not have life or eyes to see, ears to hear 1.2 You need to know what God is like Not only does God exist but God is who He is. God has a certain nature or character. We refer to the aspects of His nature as attributes or perfections. It is

7 7 important to sort out in your mind that each of those attributes are what they are. You need to know that God is before all things, above all things, after all things, independent of all things, working in all things, the cause of all things, in control of all things the master of all things, perfect in all His ways and much more. The Bible is filled with revelation about the truth of God that you and I can know. But our passage exposes some fundamental truth about God. God is the creator God who is in the beginning created the heavens and the earth. The magnificence of the earth and the universe is not due to chance evolutionary processes. It is God who made this beautiful world and the universe and all that is in it. God keeps the world and all of creation spinning and in place. Paul addresses this issue with a crowd of religious people in Athens Acts 17:16 a city that was full of idols ; even having v23 an altar with the inscription to an unknown god. He boldly proclaims

8 Acts 17:24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. God is in a category all of his own. He is mysteriously unique and infinitely transcendent, distinctly independent and indescribably superior in His creative ability; which includes his design and making of people Psalm 100:3b It is He who made us. You exist because God gave you life. Psalms 139:13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearful and wonderfully made. But more than physical life; God creates spiritual life in people who are dead in their transgressions and sin. Ephesians 2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- Throughout the Bible, as in this Psalm, the thread of God creating and redeeming a people for himself is evident. 8

9 9 It is God who calls Abram with the promise Genesis 17:7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. Psalms 100:3 It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. You need to know and see that being his people and the sheep of his pasture is due to God s handiwork. He is the potter we are the clay. He is the Shepherd we are the sheep. You need to be convinced that what is true about God in creation is also true about God in redemption. God creates the world and God creates Israel and then the church. Matthew 16:18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, God s grace to redeemed sinners is amazing because Ephesians 2:10 we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Knowing that God exists, knowing the greatness of God in creation and redemption, knowing the blessing and

10 privilege of being the people of God is the foundation of worship. Knowing this will constrain you to Psalms 100:1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! 2 Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Puny man made fabrications and imaginations of God will not stir you to God exalting worship. But what more do you need to know and be convinced of and confident to Psalms 100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! You need to know (factually) and you know (experientially) that God is good. Psalms 100:5 For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. Jesus response to the rich man who addressed him as good teacher describes God as uniquely good. Mark 10:18 And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 10

11 So many of us so easily get angry and confused and discouraged about some of the hard doctrines we read about in the Bible. Teaching of election and predestination wrath and judgment and hell can so easily get under your skin and be a real irritation. That irritation will be go away when you know and accept and believe that the Lord is uniquely and infinitely good! God s goodness here is given substance by adding a description of the love (mercy) of God that is unending and God faithfulness (truth) without end. This is something the Psalmist knew when he sang about The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. Psalms 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. We are not left guessing and speculating about the goodness and steadfast love and faithfulness. Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 11

12 John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Conclusion I hope you have seen the danger of basing your worship of God on the way you feel. Don t be like the fish in the rock pool feeling all is well when it isn t. Certain songs can make you feel good. Friendly people can lead to feel included. An eloquent speaker can leave you feeling inspired but it may be nothing more than the external stimulus of been cranked up like a jack in the box. You are called to worship God; but in doing so there are things you need to know and not just feel. This Psalm of praise teaches the crucial truth that worship is not an overflow of experience but an expression of faith. Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. Experiences absent from the impact of truth and faith will be short lived. 12

13 See from this Psalm that delighting in God and knowing God are like Siamese twins that cannot be separated. Be sure that your worship is built on and flows from the truth of God and what He has done. 13