Worship, Know, Thank, Praise the LORD!!!
November 16, 2025
Scripture: Psalm 100
An elderly lady was teaching a four- and five-year-old Sunday school class. During one of the lessons, they were learning about building of the Jewish temple. She explained to the students that when the temple was finished, the presence of the Lord filled the temple. Instantly the eyes of each child got wide and full of excitement. She soon discovered, however, that the source of their excitement was not joy that God had come to dwell in the temple, but rather, delight at imagining that huge building filled with presents from God. One child even asked, “What kind of presents did the Lord fill the temple? Did he fill the temple with PlayStation 5 consoles and games? Big screen TVs? Money?
Why do I tell that story? It is because often we are more excited about our presents from God than being in the presence of God. People often attend church service based on what they can get out of the service rather than worshipping and honoring Him, communing with Him, and learning about Him from His word.
In His book, Experience God in Worship, Christian author George Barna says that the main reason millions of people in America go to church every week is not to worship God but to have a pleasing experience. He states that “most Americans go to church to satisfy or please themselves, not to honor or please God.”
Our text today instructs us how to worship the Lord when we gather, and why we are to worship Him. Now hopefully we will get some benefit and pleasure out of the worship service, but the real reason, our motivation to come to worship, to show up here on Sunday morning, is to HONOR HIM; to know He is God. This is what Psalm 100 emphasizes. So, let’s take a look.
Verse 1, Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Shouting does not mean just a whisper or a mumble. Shout is an interesting command because it was used as a battle cry. In Joshua 6, God instructed Joshua and the Israelites to march around Jericho. On the seventh day, when the trumpets sounded, the people gave a loud shout, and the wall collapsed. What made the wall fall? THE LORD! Why did the people shout? They had faith in the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY!
Shouting for joy to the Lord expresses excitement and enthusiasm to the Lord. Shouting comes from within, from a heart full of joy of the Lord. Matthew 12:34 says, For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. If your heart is full of love and faith in the Lord, then you will have this desire to proclaim, to express your love to Him.
The Psalmist instructs all the earth to shout for joy to the Lord. The text is commanding that you, me, everyone come to Jehovah and joyfully praise him as the only living God. There’s a missionary focus to the verse. For all the earth to shout joyfully to the Lord, they must know who He is. And one way that they should know that He’s worth shouting about is that they see joyful, enthusiastic Christians.
Church worship shouldn't be like sitting in a doctor's office. You should not sit in worship like you're stuck in traffic or attending a funeral. Now, over the years, I have watched a sizable number of sporting events. I have cheered on the Chicago Cubs for over 60 years. Some of you have enthusiastically cheered for Ohio State, Cleveland, Cincinnati, or some other team.
One great, intense rivalry is a Duke/ North Carolina basketball. The campuses are only eight miles apart. A while back before a Duke/North Carolina game, Coach K requested, “Please focus on our team tonight. Better to bring our team up than put theirs down. Especially coming out of timeouts, we need to be incredibly loud. During their free throws in the second half, forget the novelty stuff, just be unbelievably loud. This is a huge game. Stay in the bleachers and go nuts.”
Why do we get so excited about our games and not about our LORD? We have something to learn here about passion and enthusiasm from the sporting realm. So here is an exercise. I want us on the count of three to shout with joy by saying, “Praise the Lord.” We are not going over the cliff, so no need to be reluctant, no mouthing the words or whispering. I want us to apply the command to shout joyfully. Are you ready? 1..2…3... “PRAISE THE LORD!” Amen.
Verse 2, Worship/serve the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
We are instructed to worship the Lord with gladness. We are to look upon our worship to the Lord as a cause for rejoicing. To worship/serve the Lord with gladness comes from a want to attitude. I want to worship and commune with the Lord. I want to joyfully sing unto Him. I want to serve even if it is cleaning the bathrooms. I want to be a cheerful giver. Why? Because it is out of gratitude for what the Lord has done for you.
Here is a thought provoking, particularly challenging verse. Deuteronomy 28:47-48, Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things; therefore, you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you….” The Lord threatened Israel with some frightening consequences if they did not serve Him gladly.
The end of verse 2 states, We are to come before Him with joyful singing. Please note the first part of the command, you are to come before Him. We are to come into His presence. Then he gives a stipulation as you come. Come into my presence with joyful singing. Joy in the lord should be expressed in singing.
We are to sing songs that exalt the Lord whether we sing psalms, hymns, praise songs, country, rap, classical music or whatever else. He doesn't even care if you can't sing. I thank God for people who can sing and edify others, but don't let singers do your worshiping for you. This is not a show for somebody to entertain you. Don't let somebody else do your praising for you.
Robert E. Bruce describes the following incident: “While walking along a busy street one day, I heard someone singing worship songs. His sweet voice was distinguishable even above the noise of the traffic. When I located him, I noticed that he had no legs and was pushing himself through the crowd in a wheelchair. Catching up with him, I said, “I want you to know, friend, that to hear singing from a person in your condition gives everyone else a lift.” He answered with a grateful smile: “When I stopped looking at what I had lost and began concentrating on all I had left; I found much for which I could rejoice and be happy!”
We who belong to the LORD should be people of joy!!!!! Principle 1: Be enthusiastic for the LORD! Worship and serve the LORD with joy! Sing to the LORD!
Now there are going to be times when we don’t feel like worshipping. This is when we need to recall verse 3. Know that the Lord/Yahweh is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
To know is to have faith, to understand, to experience the LORD! Psalm 46:10a commands, Be still and know that I am God. Often, we are rushing here and there or having our minds think about everything but the Lord. We need to stop and know that He is God!
John 17:3 states, Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
God wants each of you to know Him, to experience Him. If you know him, it will change your life. You will be born again of His Holy Spirit and His comforting presence! You will know His amazing love and grace. Your life will change! You will be prompted to worship Him with all your being.
The Psalmist then tells us why we are to know the LORD. The second part of verse 3 states, It is He who has made us, and we are his. Other translations have, It is he who made us, and not we ourselves. The Lord is the Creator of heavens and earth!! He has made you!
A little girl was challenged to memorize Psalm 100. As she was memorizing this verse, she realized He is God and I am not. After this little girl grew to be a senior, she still remembers and reminds herself, He is God, and I am not! He is the LORD.
Alex Haley, the author of "Roots," had an unusual picture hanging on his office wall. It was a picture of a turtle on top of a fence post. When asked, "Why is that there?" Alex 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." May you remember that you got here with the help of God, and that He is the Creator and Provider of every blessing you have.
At the end of verse 3, the Psalmist writes, We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. We are his people. Israel once was not God’s people, but He chose them and called them to follow Him. He redeemed them from bondage in Egypt. We, in the church, were not His people, but He chose us and called us to follow Him, redeeming us from bondage of sin (1 Pet. 2:9-10).
We are the sheep of His pasture. This reminds us of Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.
Jesus said in John 10, I am the Good Shepherd…My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life. God tells us to be the sheep and let Him be the Shepherd.
Principle 2: Worship the Lord with joy and gladness for He is your Creator and your Shepherd!
Verse 4, Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
His gates and His courts refer to the Tabernacle or Temple, where God’s people came together to worship. So, this verse focuses on worshiping Him corporately.
The Psalmist instructs us to enter his gates and his courts with thanksgiving and praise. In fact, the Psalmist states that we are to give thanks and praise to the Lord twice. Now, to enter those gates and his courts with thanksgiving and praise implies preparing your heart beforehand and coming with the deliberate purpose of offering praise to God.
This is to be our attitude when coming here on Sunday morning! We are to come through the doors full of thanksgiving and praise. I am afraid to many people who come through the doors and enter His sanctuary do not have this attitude. I confess that I don’t always have this attitude of praise and thanksgiving. I might be thinking about doing this or that, greeting certain people, or 101 other things. I often find myself being brought to attention while we sing the first or second song.
I am afraid many of us have the same issue. Some of you might come with certain expectations—such as hope the pastor don’t preach to long today. Some of you might be going through the motions. Some of you might be dealing with bitterness, worry, or some difficulty in life which hinders having an attitude of thanksgiving and praise.
There are also some people who will not go to a worship service because they are down and out. Yet, we are commanded to give thanks and praise to the Lord, which implies that we are to do it whether we feel like it or not. So, I encourage you, if you are feeling down on Sunday morning, come anyway and hopefully you will be encouraged.
Now let me note this. If you never want to praise the Lord, something serious is wrong with your Christian life! There are times when you must begin praising God because He commands it. The feelings will follow. I encourage you to give thanks and praise to the LORD and He will spiritually tune you! True worship will get your spirit in tune with the Spirit of God. Then, as you grow to know Him better and experience His love and faithfulness more deeply, you will praise Him more.
In verse 5, the Psalmist reminds us why we should give thanks and praise. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
From day one, Satan has been on a campaign to smear the truth about God’s goodness so that people will not follow Him. When he tempted Eve in the Garden, his main ploy was to get Eve to doubt that God intended good for her by forbidding her and Adam from eating the fruit. Satan told her (Gen. 3:5), “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” The slander was, “God is trying to keep you from a good thing.” And the extension of that thought is, “God is not really good.” The devil has used this falsehood in varying forms to keep people from following the Lord.
The Bible attests to God’s goodness in His creation (Gen. 1:31); in His salvation and deliverance of the Jewish people (Exod. 18:9; Num. 10:29, 32); in providing for His people; and, in His Word, which instructs us in how to live so as to be blessed (Ps. 25:8; Deut. 30:15-16). His goodness is especially shown in the person of Jesus Christ as he was willing to die on a cross for our sins. Then he gives us his Holy Spirit and gives us the assured hope of eternal life.
Now to say God is good is easy, but do you really believe it when so many things are going wrong. Yet, Romans 8:28, 29 states, 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. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.
If you love the Lord, you can be certain that He is using the trials in your life to work together for your good. His goal is for you will be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. In our afflictions may we trust God and affirm his goodness.
Remember the Evil One knows that if he can get you to doubt God’s goodness, you won’t trust Him. And if you don’t trust Him, you won’t obey Him.
The Psalmist then mentions two facets of God’s goodness: His lovingkindness and His faithfulness.
The phrase, His love endures forever, is used forty-four times in Scripture. For example, in II Chronicles 5:13, 14 states, The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang: “He is good; his love endures forever.” Then the temple of the Lord was filled with the cloud, 14 and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God.
God’s goodness is also seen in his faithfulness. As Lamentations 3:22-25 states, Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” 25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him.
God is good by showing his love and faithfulness. Oh, how I pray you will grasp the extent of his love and faithfulness!
Principle 3: Give thanks and praise to the LORD for He is good, loving, and faithful!
If you’re grumbling or griping about your circumstances, you need to remind yourself God is good! Take to heart as the Overcomer song states,
You're an overcomer
Stay in the fight 'til the final round
You're not going under
'Cause God is holdin' you right now
You might be down for a moment
Feeling like it's hopeless
That's when He reminds you
That you're an overcomer
You're an overcomer..
You are an overcomer because Jesus has overcome sin and death! So as James writes, Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Will you shout for joy to the Lord? Will you worship him with gladness? Will you give Him thanks? Will you praise His name? Will you serve Him with gladness? To better glorify God, remember that it is He who has made you; you are His people, redeemed by His Son; remember that He is good and faithful.
Scripture indicates that we were designed and created to worship. Yet, why is it a big deal to worship? Why should we take time to worship and praise God? Let me give you a few reasons.
1. Almighty God is worthy of our praise and worship. Worship is not based on who you are or what you have. It is based on who God is and what He has done. He is the Creator. He is the Shepherd, and we are the sheep. He is good, loving, and faithful! To put it simply: He deserves it.
2. We should worship because it is a privilege to enter the throne room of the Creator, Jehovah God, and commune with Him.
3. We should worship because worship brings us closer to God, but a lack of worship blinds us from knowing God.
4. Through worshiping God, we come to know him better and experience His love, His healing, His power! Worship changes us.
You might not have thought about this before, but you become like what you worship. If you worship superficial things, your life becomes superficial. If you worship perverted things your life becomes perverted. If you worship evil things, your life becomes evil. If you worship the true God, you become godly. As we worship, we can defeat the enemy as evil spiritual forces cannot handle praise to Almighty God.
So, let us shout with joy, worship with gladness, come into His presence with joyful songs because He is the great I AM!!! He is worthy!!!
