Alright y’all welcome to our new series “Y2K.” Last year we had our back to the 90’s series where we went through the 90s chapters on the book of Psalms. This year we wanted to dive into the 100 chapters in the book of Psalms. And to give some background information on this book:
Psalms
Purpose: Poetic book that was used to guide God’s people on how to approach God no matter what they were going through.
Authors: David (about 70 of the Psalms mention his name), Asaph and “the sons of Korah” wrote several other chapters. Others named are Moses, Solomon, Heman, and Ethan.
Themes: Praise, thanksgiving, lament, trust, wisdom, and kingship.
Source - Kendell H. Easley (The Ultimate Bible Guide)
We read the word “praise” in the Bible (mentioned about 248 times). For a word that is used quite often, what exactly does it mean?
Hebrew terms for praise:
Yadah - praise, give thanks, or confess
Zamar - sing praise
Halal - root of hallelujah, to praise, honor, and commend
Tehillah - praise, song or hymn of praise
The one I want to focus on the most is “tehillah” which is the one used for this Psalm.
What brings you to a position of praise? We praise every time we give thanks, confess, honor, commend, and sing to our God. And it isn’t a suggestion, all throughout Scripture we are commanded to praise the Lord:
Psalm 150:6 ESV
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
Let’s start this series in Psalms 100:
Psalm 100:1-2 ESV
1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!
Big Idea: God calls us to
Him and serve Him with gladness.
Tonight I am giving you three points on the why we praise God and serve Him with gladness:
Point #1: We praise and serve the Lord with gladness because He is
Psalms 100:3a ESV
3 Know that the Lord, he is God!
All throughout Scripture indicates the nature of God and His attributes:
God is
Psalm 90:2 ESV
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
God is
Colossians 1:18 ESV
18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
God is
Psalm 147:5 ESV
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
God is
Hebrews 4:13 ESV
13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
God is
Proverbs 15:3 ESV
3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.
Point #2: We praise and serve the Lord with gladness because He
Psalm 100:3b ESV
3 Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us
Look at how David praises God for how God created him:
Psalm 139:13-16 ESV
13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
God personally took the time to create you, mold your body to what it is. And the beauty of this is that as you grow He continues to build you physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Point #3: We praise and serve the Lord with gladness because we
Psalm 100:3 ESV
3 Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Our God has made Himself not only available to you, but desires to care for you. This last part of the verse shows the perfect picture of who God is and who we are in Him. We belong to Him like how sheep belong to a shepherd.
John 10:11, 14-16 ESV
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
The beauty here Elevate Students is that He mentions everyone after the ones that He is currently speaking to, making this promise for future generations.
So we shared the why, now the how and the why is expanded a bit more towards the end:
Psalm 100:4-5 ESV
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! 5 For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Hebrews 10:11-22 NLT
11 Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. 12 But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 13 There he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet. 14 For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy. 15 And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. For he says, 16 “This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” 17 Then he says, “I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.” 18 And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices. 19 And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20 By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. 21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
Further Study:
What was the tabernacle of Moses?
https://www.gotquestions.org/tabernacle-of-Moses.html
What does it mean to praise God?
https://www.gotquestions.org/praise-God.html