A Heart Positioned For God’s Presence. Psalm 100:1-5

Good Morning!

Grab your Bible and say this with me:

This is my Bible

I am what it says I am

I have what it says I have

I can do what it says I can do.

Today I will be taught more of the Word of God

I boldly confess:

My mind is alert,

My heart is receptive.

I will never be the same.

I am about to receive the incorruptible, indestructible, ever-living seed of the Word of God.

I will never be the same—

I'll never be the same, in Jesus’ Name!

Amen.

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“A Heart Positioned for God’s Presence”

Open your Bible to Psalm 100:1–5 and say, "Amen" when you are there.

There are many Scriptures that call us to worship, but Psalm 100 is special because it teaches us *how* to come before God and why we can trust Him with our whole lives.

Listen to the words:

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

Serve the Lord with gladness: come before His presence with singing.

Know ye that the Lord He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations.”

This Psalm is not merely a worship invitation—

it is a life invitation

to enter God’s presence

with the posture that brings His power into our situation.

1. “Make a Joyful Noise”—Worship Opens the Door

The Psalm begins with action:

“Make a joyful noise…”

Not a polished song. Not perfect harmony.

Just joyful.

Why joyful?

Because joy is faith expressing itself before the breakthrough.

Joy says:

“I believe God is working—even if I don’t see it yet.”

2. “Serve the Lord with Gladness”—Praise is an Attitude, Not a Performance

Serving with gladness means we do not serve God out of duty.

We serve out of gratitude.

The enemy attacks your joy because your joy is your strength.

If he can drain your joy, he can weaken your praise.

But this Psalm teaches us that gladness is not based on circumstances—

it is based on relationship.

3. “Know that the Lord is God”—Identity and Security

This is the heart of the Psalm.

Know—be convinced beyond doubt—

that He is God

and you are His.

“We are His people…”

You belong to Him.

You are not forgotten.

You are not abandoned.

You are not on your own.

You are the sheep of His pasture—

and sheep always have a Shepherd.

4. “Enter His gates with thanksgiving”—Gratitude Brings Breakthrough

Thanksgiving is how you enter.

Praise is how you go further.

Worship is how you encounter Him deeply.

Thanksgiving doesn’t just open the gates to God—

it opens the gates of your heart.

Thanksgiving loosens worry,

shifts perspective,

and prepares you to receive from God.

5. “For the Lord is Good”—This is the Foundation

Everything in Psalm 100 rests on this truth:

God is good.

Not sometimes.

Not when life is easy.

Not when everything is working out.

His goodness is constant.

His mercy is everlasting.

His truth is unchanging.

That’s why we praise.

That’s why we trust.

That’s why we can walk through storms with confidence.

“The Power of One Praise in the Dark”

I once heard about a woman named Maria who was going through the hardest time of her life.

She lost her job unexpectedly, her husband left, and she had no idea how she would provide for her two children.

One night, with bills on the table and tears running down her face, she remembered Psalm 100 from her childhood.

With no choir, no music, no strength left, she whispered:

“Lord, I choose to enter Your gates with thanksgiving.”

She listed three things she could still thank God for:

Her children.

Her health.

Her salvation.

As her whispered thanks became soft praise, peace filled that little room.

A week later, someone she had helped years before reached out with a job opportunity—higher pay, flexible hours, and benefits she had never had before.

Maria’s testimony was simple:

"My situation didn’t change first. My heart changed first. Then God opened the door.”

Your praise may feel small,

but Heaven hears it loudly.

ALTAR CALL

Today, I want to invite two groups of people to the altar:

1. Those who need to return to the Shepherd

You’ve been walking on your own…

but Psalm 100 says, *“We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”

God wants you back in His pasture—

back in His covering,

back in His presence,

back in relationship.

2. Those who need strength, breakthrough, or peace

You’ve been carrying a heavy burden,