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[a];
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.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalm 100
Sheep -- not too smart but quite lovable!
The psalm gives us several commands that will lead us how to live worshipful lives.
1. Shout for joy! to the Lord all the earth!!
"This is a joy so big it has to come out large.
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
5 make music to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn--
shout for joy before the Lord, the King." Psalm 98:4-6
Think of when David was dancing before the ark of the Covenant. He got this verse! A man after God's own heart! He loved God. We need to love God too.
2. Worship the Lord with gladness.
Be happy we have the King we have.
21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.Come and share your master’s happiness!’" Matthew 25:21
This is how we should be looking at God. Sometimes we forget to praise.
3. Come before the Lord with singing.
Sing no matter what the circumstances.That singing will lift your heart!
"God sets the lonely in families,[a]
he leads out the prisoners with singing;
but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land." Psalm 68:6
4. Know that the Lord is God.
My body knows it needs to breathe. It does it on its own. We can get our spirits to the same place where praise becomes second nature!
"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27
When we aren't listening for someone in a place of distraction we won't hear them. If we want to hear from God we need to be listening for Him. His whisper will be like a roar in our ears.
5. Enter His gates with Thanksgiving.
David was a shepherd who became king. Jesus was the King who became The Shepherd.
Be grateful you have a gate to go to.
"Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep." John 10:7
Jesus is our gate!
6. Be thankful unto Him.
"give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:17
7. Bless His name.
"and said: “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
wisdom and power are his." Daniel 2:20
The names of God are powerful.
The word "god" is a generic term. The specific names of God mean something. We lose a lot in our English translations. We are the sheep. Sometimes we are frustrating. We need a shepherd to herd us. We were not meant to be without Him, not meant to be alone. We don't do well without God. Jesus is always with us doing His job as our Shepherd.
We have not only a shepherd. We have The Shepherd.
A wandering lamb was a problem -- could cause others to wander. Break its leg and carry it until it was healed. It would learn to follow because of its total dependence on the shepherd for everything. The discipline is for our benefit (not God's.)
1. Certified Shepherd by the Great Shepherd 40 times God is called The Shepherd and Jesus is the Son of God.
2. The Chief Shepherd 1 Peter 5:4
3. The Crucified Shepherd Matthew 26:31
4. The Caring Shepherd 1 Peter 5:7
5. The Common Shepherd Genesis 46:34
A shepherd is not a high position. In fact, it was the lowest position.
6. The Compassionate Shepherd Mark 6:34
Jesus didn't have to heal or preach to the big crowds. That wasn't exactly why He came to earth. He did because He loved them. He had compassion on them.
7. The Good Shepherd John 10:11-14
Hebrews 13:20
John 10:1
John 10:35