TOPIC: SERVE THE LORD WITH GLADNESS
Text: Psalm 100
“Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! 2 Serve the LORD with gladness!” (ESV)
Introduction:
Our theme is: SERVE THE LORD WITH GLADNESS. What is serving the Lord with gladness? Read Psalm 100. Before we go to that I would like us to notice that service begins with our heart. Deuteronomy 6:5, “5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” And in Deuteronomy 10:12-13, “12 And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?” In order for us to serve the Lord with gladness we need to have a heart that is right with God. He should be the Lord of our life otherwise our service will become a burden to us instead of gladness. Remember Martha & Mary in Luke 10:38-42 where Jesus commends what Mary’s did than what Martha’s service. The issue here is not on what they are doing but the issue is Mary & Martha’s heart. Same thing in the Ephesians church in Revelation 2:1-7 wherein their service is exceptional compare to what we are doing today & yet in v. 4 Jesus told them, “4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.” That is why we need first to settle the issue of our heart in order to experience gladness in our service, even in everything we do in this life.
From your text we can see at least Three Truths on how we can serve the Lord with Gladness in our heart.
1. Serve the Lord with a Worshipful Heart
In NIV it renders, “2 Worship the LORD with gladness…” Everything we do should be an act of worship to our God even how small it may seems to us or to others. (Romans 12:1., “1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.”) Our service reflects of our relationships with our God. Matthew 24:37, “37 Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'” Our service reflects our love relationships with Him. In Matthew 4:10, “10 Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" It also shows our deep understanding about God, and ourselves (Psalm 100:3, 5, “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. 5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”) The more we know Him, understand His love for us the more we have gladness in our heart in serving Him. Matthew 25:40, “40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'” Paul also said in Ephesians 6:7, “7Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men…” Paul’s motivation in serving God is God’s love that is in him (2 Corinthians 5:14a, “14 For Christ's love compels us…”) That is why the believers in the book of acts were able to serve God, Acts 4:32, “32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.” Wholehearted service to God honors Him and edifies the church.
2. Serve the Lord with a Joyful Heart
I like what the Psalmist declares here, “Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! 2 Serve the LORD with gladness!” (ESV) He is urging us to “Make a joyful noise to the Lord.” When we serve the Lord it should comes from a joyful heart. Why we need to serve God joyfully (I Corinthians 15:58, “58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”) We see our service to God as great opportunity for us to serve the King of kings and the Lord of lords. We should take it as great honor on our part and not something that is a burden to us. In Deuteronomy God expect His people to serve Him joyfully Deuteronomy 28:47, “47 Because you did not serve the LORD your God joyfully and gladly in the time of prosperity, 48 therefore in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and dire poverty, you will serve the enemies the LORD sends against you. He will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has destroyed you.” Many people are making noise but full of murmuring like the Israelites in the deserts. They always murmur to God to what they do or what they have. Many times we serve God and yet in our heart we murmur, we complain, we compare ourselves to others who we thought are not doing small or no service at all base on our judgment. When we serve God it should come from a joyful heart not seeing what we do or what others are doing but the privilege that God gave us to serve Him.
3. Serve the Lord with a Grateful Heart
In Message translation in Psalm 100:4 it says, “4 Enter with the password: "Thank you!" Make yourselves at home, talking praise. Thank him. Worship him.” I like the phrase, “Enter with the password: Thank you!” Our service to God should be out of and from our heart, full of gratefulness to our God not only for who He is but for what he has done to us. We thank Him for His goodness, for His enduring love for us, and for His faithfulness for you and for me. Remember Joshua in His 110 years before he died he called on all the Israel and remind them of what the Lord has done for them (Joshua 24) then on Joshua 24:15 after reminding God’s faithfulness to them he declared, “15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." And the people also declared, “Yes we will also serve the Lord…” Joshua’s service to God comes from a heart that is grateful to his Lord. For him whether others will not serve God, he will serve the Lord. His service to God was not affected by anyone or anything but it only comes from a heart that is so grateful to His Lord and God.
Challenge:
Tomorrow we will cast our votes for people who they say will serve us, but listen to what Jesus said to His disciples concerning true service with gladness in the heart. Matthew 20:25-28, “25 Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-- 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." That is service in the world but it is not with the Lord, our motive should be Christ’s love for us. 2 Corinthians 5:14a, “14 For Christ's love compels us…” Jesus is our example and model in this kind of service to the Lord with full of gladness in our heart. He is the reason why we serve, why we are here today, why we do things, why we give, why we serve. Hebrews 12:2-3, “2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (PPT. Serve Like Jesus)
Our Service begins after the service!!! Let’s SERVE the Lord with Gladness in our Heart. A service that is Worshipful, Joyful and Grateful to our Lord. God bless you!
