Psalm 100 can be divided into two parts - a call to worship God and give thanks to Him.
Verses 1-2 - urges to come to God with singing, with joy
• Very upbeat, very positive, happy mood...
• All humanity called to worship God – this is what we OUGHT to do.
WHY? Reasons? Verse 3
• KNOW that He is God - we have a God, not alone
• He made us and we are His - relationship
• We are his people, the sheep of His pasture - He is not only God, but a Shepherd who provides
We have a RELATIONSHIP with God – He is our Creator and Provider
We need to KNOW this God.
Not everyone worship God because they are His people. They do not care about Him. They just wanted Him to help them get what they want – they want this god to give them gain wealth and success. Who is this God is really not important, as long as they get what they want. The important thing is not relationship.
It’s like a child who is only interested in getting things from his father. He is not concerned about what the father is working as, or what he likes or dislikes… If he thinks only of what he can get from his father, then it will be like man trying to ask God for things.
But Bible tells us this is not so. Our God is our heavenly Father.
John 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
This RELATIONSHIP is very important – do you know Him?
In life, relationship is very important.
THE EMPEROR IS MY FATHER
The streets were packed with onlookers on each side as the Roman guards formed lines of human barricade to maintain order. The Roman emperor was due to arrive any moment and the air was charged with great anticipation and excitement. The people had come to see the king whom they heard was passing through the village enroute to his palace.
Suddenly a young lad dashed out into the open as the sedan carriage carrying the emperor and his entourage drew near. A Roman guard caught hold of him before he could move any further and said to the young man: "Don’t you know that the emperor is coming? You are not supposed to be here!" The guard looked stern as he pushed the young lad to the side of the street.
Undaunted, the young man brushed the guard aside and said, "He may be your emperor but he is my father. I have every right to see him!"
Actually what really gives us a good life – relationships or things? It is relationship – family, children, relatives, friends, colleagues, boss...
Not really things.
During a concert, Bob sat next to a cancer patient. She was wheeled to the concert because she really loved music and the nurses helped her to get there. She had been confined to bed for more than 6 months but had made an arduous and painful attempt to attend a concert.
He asked, "What have you learned from your experiences with cancer?"
She said, "I’ve learned it is easy to say good-bye to all material things. I am having a difficult time saying good-bye to those people who are closest to me."
People - and our relationships with them - are of central importance. The same holds true for our relationship with God. We need to know God.
Jesus came to this world to show us who God is – and told us our relationship with Him. We are actually SEPARATED from Him – because of SIN. Jesus died on our behalf to that we could be RECONCILED to God. We need therefore to know Jesus and accept His sacrifice.
Only through Jesus can be get back to God our Father.
Ps 100:1-3
Shout 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.
Do you know Him? Do you know that He is there in your life, helping you?
Alex Haley, author of ROOTS - has a picture hanging on his office wall. It was a picture of a turtle sitting on top of a fence post. When asked, "Why is that there?"
Alex Haley answered, "Every time I write something significant, every time I read my words and think that they are wonderful, and begin to feel proud of myself, I look at the turtle on top of the fence post and remember that he didn’t get there on his own. He had help.
Therefore we ought to come to Him with thanksgiving and praise - Ps 100:4
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
• Again very upbeat, positive, happy mood...
WHY? Reasons? Verse 5
• For we have a GOOD God
• Who LOVES us forever - no change.
• His faithfulness continues through all generations.
Living in Israel, the people really need to depend on a good and loving God.
They depend on farming for their livelihood -
• If the rain didn’t come at the right time, they would go hungry without food.
• If the locusts or pests come to devour their crops, they would be famine.
Today you may not know – God is always good, always loving, and always faithful.
GOD IS GOOD
Two men set out on a journey together. They took a donkey to carry their packs, a lamp and a rooster, owned by one of the men.
One of the men was a believer; the second was a skeptic. On the journey they frequently spoke about the Lord. "God is good," said the first companion.
Shortly before dusk the two men arrived in a small village where they sought a place to sleep. Despite their frequent requests, no one offered them a night’s lodging. Reluctantly, they travelled a mile outside of town, where they decided to sleep.
"I thought you said God is good," the skeptic said sarcastically.
"God has decided this is the best place for us to sleep tonight," replied his friend.
They fixed their beds beneath a large tree, just off the main road that led to the village, tethering the donkey about 30 yards away. Just as they were about to light the lamp they heard a horrible noise. A lion had killed the donkey and carried it off to eat it away from the two men. Quickly the companions climbed the tree to stay away from danger.
"You still say God is good?" the skeptic asked with anger.
"If the lion hadn’t eaten the donkey, he would have attacked us. God is good." His friend declared.
They were asleep when a cry from the rooster woke them up and sent them up the tree. From this new vantage point they saw a wolf carrying the rooster away in its teeth.
Before the skeptic could say a word, the man of faith declared, "The cry of the rooster has once again saved us. God is good."
A few minutes later a strong wind arose and blew down the lamp, the only comfort of the men in the black night. Again the skeptic taunted his companion. This time the believer was silent.
The next morning the two men walked back to the village for breakfast. They soon discovered that a large band of outlaws had swept through the town the previous night and robbed the entire village of all its possessions.
The believer turned to his friend and said, "Finally, it has become clear," he cried. "Had we been given a room in the village last night, we would have been robbed along with all of the villagers. If the wind had not blown out our torch, the bandits who travelled the road near the place where we slept would have discovered us and taken all our goods too. It is clear, that in all things, God is good!"
... "Stories for Telling" by William R. White, pg. 23
Rom 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
You need to listen to the Word of God and accept Jesus Christ. For believers, we need to listen to the Word and obey His Word. Then we’ll truly have an abundant life and worship God with joy.
