Psalms 100 “The Covenant of Grace”
When you know the truth about something even when lies are prevalent around you there is a certain confidence you walk in. People can make up all kinds of things to get you to think or act a certain way, but when you know the truth there is a freedom you live in because at the end of the day you stand on what is solid and unshakeable. There is a gift of Grace we are given. As a result of that Gift, we respond with adoration to the Giver. This grace is not something that we have earned because we have been so good but the grace we’ve received is because as the Psalmist indicates He alone is good.
100 number of Psalms is a very familiar passage that I grew up hearing as a young boy in my grandfather’s small Baptist church in Watts. He was a deacon in the church and head of the deacon board. Every Wednesday I would go to prayer meeting with him while I was still in elementary school. The one thing I remember about prayer meetings were that they would sing and they would pray all night long. I don’t remember a message being preached I don’t even remember the pastor being present during that time but what I do remember is the church showing up for prayer meetings that were lead by the deacons of the church. In that prayer meeting my grandfather would open up the service with a scripture and every Wednesday it was the same one. Psalms 100 which is the text we are talking about this morning.
As I think about it now it was probably because my grandfather didn’t have past a 3rd grade education as the son of a slave in Mississippi back in 1933 when he had to leave school at age 8 to work on the farm. So in God’s infinite wisdom he would know that my grandfather would be preparing me for such a time as this to preach this morning from Psalms 100. It was necessary for them who had migrated from the segregated south out here to California to gather on Wednesdays to repeat the Psalms each week because they understand this covenant of grace. After he read the text they would starting singing some of them old negro spirituals like
“Guide me over oh Great Jehovah.”
In the text this morning I’d like to walk backwards into the truth of scripture. I want to start at the last verse where the writer says, “For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”
This language that is expressed here is covenant language. His love endures, his faithfulness continues through all generations is an indication for the hearers to be confident in the truth of God’s agreement with them as a people. This agreement was established in with Abraham when God promised that all that nations would be blessed through him. He said in Genesis 12:1-3 “Now mthe Lord said1 to Abram, “Go from your country2 and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 nAnd I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 oI will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and pin you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”3
It was continued with Moses and the children of Israel at Sanai. In particular, the exodus proves that the Mosaic covenant is rooted in the covenant of grace. God is clear that nothing in the Israelites themselves moved Him to choose the nation and deliver it from Egypt. Instead, the Lord chose Israel simply out of His good pleasure and love, the same pleasure and love by which He swore oaths to the patriarchs. Such is God’s electing grace at work.
In other words, God chose us. While we were yet sinners Christ died. He didn’t wait for us to get it together he delivered us out of Egypt and through the Red Sea and then established the law. So when the Psalmist writes this 100 number of Psalms I’m inclined to believe this was a reflection of God’s enduring love for them as His people. This covenant of Grace is not predicated on whether or not I can keep up my end of the bargain. It was established on Cavalry when Christ died and sealed it with his blood. Luke 22:20 while Jesus was breaking bread and drinking wine with them having the first communion service he said, “In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”
When we look at the Psalms from the back end at start at the 5th verse it makes so much more sense why we have all these commands and invitations from the writer. When you can come to grips with the truth about how much God loves you, the lies that the enemy tells you cannot shake you or convince you otherwise. In other words, when I know whose hand I’m really in I can stand firm on the promises of His Word and respond in such a way that is appropriate to my understanding. When I know who I am and whose I am there is a praise and a worship that matches my belief.
Look at the Psalmist response to this understanding. The writer understands the promise of the covenant and as a result he responds.
1Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness; COME before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
If I had time this morning, I would walk through each verse and dissect the richness that is there but that’s for another time and another setting. I want to you walk with him and pull out the verbs in this text. The writer at the beginning of each verse uses a verb to indicate his response to the covenant of grace. A few of the major verbs we find here in this text are: Shout, Worship, Know and Enter.
Verse 1: Shout to the Lord all the earth. In Hebrew its Todah Rooh Jehovah Kole Ha Eretz. Which literally says Lift your hands and shout so loud that you split the ears of those who hear and do this unto God all of the land. When you know that you have been redeemed there is no other response but praise. It’s not just some type of controlled sophisticated heady polite praise. No the poet in the song said lift up your hands and make a noise that will sound the alarm that will demonstrate to all who hear that we serve an awesome God!
Being in a multiethnic church sometimes that part is a bit challenging. Sometimes being at a church where we have some educated folks with college degrees shouting can be a little unnerving. That’s why I love the Bible because it doesn’t need me to get you out of your comfort zone. I’m just telling you what the poet tells me which is to Shout!
Verse 2: Worship/Serve/Work Yaweh with gladness. That word gladness is translated as glee, hilarity, or mirth. Which literally means when we come to the house of God we should be coming to shout and praise and worship or serving with a cheerful heart. Not only does it mean worship with a cheerful heart but it says do it with spontaneous outburst of laughter and joyfulness. I don’t know whom it is that needs to hear the word of the Lord this morning but be encouraged to joyfully serve God. It can be difficult but you can still walk through difficulties with joy. That’s why two different instances the Bible says something about this joyful worship in the midst of trials.
“fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God”
Then we have another biblical witness that confirms our mindset when we go through stuff.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,”
My worship doesn’t depend on my circumstance. My serving God doesn’t depend on my comfortably or whether or not I’m ready to serve. I do it because it is a response to God’s covenant of Grace.
Then the text says COME before his presence with signing. This is the poet’s invitation to relationship with the creator. Come its not a command or a forced action. It is a gentle reminder that God waits for our response to His goodness. This word is an entering into that place where the Spirit dwells. Come into His presence. If you read the Psalms you will notice the progression of Praise, Worship, Come and then PRESENCE.
Shouting or Praising doesn’t mean you have experienced the presence of God. There are a whole lot of churches who praise and shout all day long on Sunday but it doesn’t mean that presence of God was there. Praise is like the door that gets you to the next dimension. Worship is like a key that unlocks the door. So the Psalmist says Shout (door) and Worship (key) and then come into where we find the Presence of God in our midst. He says come into his presence or his “face” with shouting/singing.
Verse 3: Says KNOW that Yahweh is Elohim. Know that the Lord is God. That word KNOW is Yawdah in Hebrew which means to make oneself known or to know by experience. Your going to know or your going to experience God because there will be a revelation of himself to you in your life. It’s important to not miss this point. The only way that God can be known is if he reveals himself to you. You cannot KNOW God based on my experience. You cannot KNOW God because of your momma and daddy’s relationship. The poet said KNOW/Yawdah experience God and you will come to find out that yes he is who he said he is. When God decides to reveal himself there will be no doubt that he was here. When Jesus decided to reveal himself in the flesh it was no doubt that he showed up. That’s why the gospel of John says he tabernacle amongst us and we beheld his glory. In other words, when Jesus showed up in the lives of his people they knew it because they felt the weight or the glory of his presence. When they were hungry and 5,000 got feed they felt the weight of his presence. When the were sick and blind and lame and couldn’t hear and got healed they felt the weight of his presence. When you experience a move of God in your life there is no doubt that he was in yore life because you feel the weight of it even after it already passed.
Verse 4: says ENTER into the gates and give him thanks and give him praise and BLESS or bow down before him. Then the psalmist gives us the reason why we do it. Its not because we want something out of Him. Its not because he gave you a better job or he provided you with stuff. We SHOUT, we WORSHIP, we COME, we ENTER, and we BLESS
BEACAUSE….
The Lord is good. We do it because of His Covenant of Grace on us. We do it because it wasn’t because I was so good but because of His steadfast love and his enduring patience not just for me but for my children and the my children’s children. We do it because the covenant is not based on my obedience but because Jesus was obedient to the point of death even death on the cross so that I am secure by the truth of that promise. So no matter how many times the enemy tries to play games with my mind and tell me that I’m no good, that I’m not worth saving, that because I messed up I blew it. I do it because Jesus paid it all on Calvary by sealing me in the Covenant by His blood.
AMEN!
