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by elizabethaudet

by elizabethaudet

Psalm 100:1-5

Praise God! Psalm 100 is one of the most profound Psalm of PRAISE AND WORSHIP as it covers thanks-related words. "In the Bible there are 75 times that the word thanks is mentioned; Thanksgiving is 28 times; Thank is 27 times; Thankful is 3 times; Thanked is 3 times; Thanksgivings is 2 times and Thankfully is 1! In all there are 139 references to these words... Jesus healed the ten lepers and only one returned to Thank Him, Luke 17:12-17." (Quote from Sermon Seeds from the Enrichment magazine, Fall, 2008.).
   God has given us our intelligent possibilities, our thirst for knowledge, and our ability to appreciate truth. We choose how we use these for God, or not. Old Testament worship was usually verbal and loud with trumpets, timbrels, singing and gladness. The only sad moments were when they were facing their sins as on the Atonement Day. Then calmness, sadness and fasting were observed once a year.
   However Psalm 100 is all about PRAISE AND WORSHIP, loud and verbal, as the people moved in a processional movement entering the gates of the city to the temple into the Presence of God. There they offered PRAISE AND WORSHIP and thanksgiving to God.
   First, we incorporate SOUND as a way of Praise. So we begin with Psalm 100:1-(NKJV)-"Make a JOYFUL SHOUT TO THE LORD, all you lands!" (Loud public shouts of Praise; Psalm 95:1; 9:1; Luke 2:10-11; MAKE suggests "Do it! It's a command; Psalm 103:1-5 tells why we shout!; Psalm 150:1-6). This command is given to ALL THE EARTH, "ALL THE LANDS!" Joyful abandon was important. Some churches have forgotten this and restrain the people when in God's House. Where did they get their license to turn down the volume of Praise??? Hallelujah! He has saved me from sin and I will SHOUT! No one will stop me!
   Then comes Psalm 100:2-(TEV)-This involves our SINGING and SERVICE TO GOD! "Worship the Lord GLADLY," (WORSHIP is our SERVICE TO GOD; Psalm 40:1-3; John 1:12 tells why; 1 John 3:2-3)
"And COME BEFORE HIM WITH JOYFUL SONGS!" (Enter His Presence=Come before Him; Philippians 2:9-11; Romans 10:13; John 3:16; All this is our SERVICE TO GOD; The Singing entailed Joyful Singing; Acts 16:25- it worked for Paul; Ephesians 5:18-20- includes the-when and how; James 5:13 tells the when.)
The first concern in Psalm 100 the SHEEP and the SUPERNATURAL. So we will tackle verse 3 of Psalm 100-(TLB)-"Try to realize what this means-THE LORD IS GOD! HE MADE US-WE ARE HIS PEOPLE, THE SHEEP OF HIS PASTURE." (In the SUPERNATURAL we see as John 1:1-5 shows, it is still God in control-He IS GOD!; Colossians 3:16 still in HIS NAME- the Controller; The Creature we are is evident in Genesis 1:27-28; 2:7; 2:18 male and female both His creatures; Then the SHEEP concerns us as WE ARE THE SHEEP OF HIS PASTURES; John 3:1-16-personal relationship to the Shepherd; Protected by Him- Psalm 23:1; John 10:11-THE GOOD SHEPHERD; John 11:25-26; the SHEEP must obey -Ephesians 2:10; Ezekiel 34:30-31-"YOU ARE MY FLOCK, THE FLOCK OF MY PASTURE, YOU ARE MEN AND I AM YOUR GOD..."; (Ending with this verse in Psalm 95:7 which says very appropriately- "WE ARE...THE SHEEP OF HIS HAND.)
   The SHARING comes out next IN Psalm 100:4-(CEB)-"ENTER HIS GATES WITH THANKS! ENTER HIS COURTS WITH PRAISE! THANK HIM! BLESS HIS NAME!"
(The command here is "ENTER." So many stand outside His Presence and many rebel against His control. They do it their way and end up with regrets! Next He suggests we come with THANKS. There is a lot to be thankful for, so this is necessary. Decent respectable citizens use "thank you" to one another, so why not Christians saying it to God? (Psalm 106:1; Thanks in Hebrew is "todah" which is derived from "Yamah" meaning " to throw or cast , acknowledge, or confess or praise." God's goodness deserves all of these, brought to Him with love! As we cast or throw our burdens at His feet, we acknowledge He Is God and confess our shortcomings which results in Praise! We are forgiven, brought back, and full of joy; Psalm 103:2-remember this?; 1 Thessalonians 5:18; The Personal part is Romans 10:13; John 14:6; Psalm 116:18-19)
   Last we come to verse 5 of Psalm 100-(KJV)-"FOR THE LORD IS GOOD ; HIS MERCY IS EVERLASTING; AND HIS TRUTH ENDURETH TO ALL GENERATIONS." (The STEADFASTNESS of God never changes or runs out; His GOODNESS is FOREVER-Psalm 34:8; Nahum 1:7; HIS MERCY is in Lamentation 3:22-23; HIS TRUTH is 2 Samuel 7:28; Titus 1:1-2; HIS TRUTH is established by HIS MERCY, and HIS MERCY BY HIS GOODNESS.)
   Psalm 23:6-"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever!" That is the truth of it all!
   We have followed God and heard the SOUND of Joyful noise; we have provided SERVICE to Him with gladness; we have heard SINGING when we came before His Presence; we have acknowledged HIS SUPERNATURAL acts of creation; we are His SHEEP whom He cares for; we are SHARING our Praise; and, we have found Him STEADFAST in His GOODNESS, MERCY AND TRUTH!
   When we are thankful we extend His blessings! Failure to be thankful may end in disaster. "COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS, NAME THEM ONE BY ONE. COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS , SEE WHAT GOD HAS DONE. COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS, NAME THEM ONE BY ONE; AND IT WILL SURPRISE YOU WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE!" (Song I love!)
   Our prayers should begin and end with PRAISE & WORSHIP! GOD IS GOOD; GOD IS STEADFAST AND HIS LOVE ENDURES TO ALL GENERATIONS AND FOREVER!!!

   Next time...