Praising Scripture - Dec 1

Introduction...

12/1 Psalm 100:1-5 A Psalm of Thanksgiving Praise
（Memorization Scripture: vv. 3-5）

1 Make a joyful shout (noise) to the Lord, all you lands!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
3 Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
5 For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.

[Sharing] This psalm calls for people to come and worship God. The psalm is not only meant for those who have known God, but it is an invitation to those who do not yet know Him. Why? Because He is the God of all nations and all peoples; He is the savior of all. With passionate cries, the psalmist calls for people to shout joyfully to the Lord, to sing His praise, and to respond to His presence: we belong to Him, we are His sheep, and He is the one true God! Oh that the people would begin their worship by singing this psalm at the top of their lungs! We can only imagine how magnificent that must have been!

The psalmist proceeds to remind everyone to come into God’s presence with thanksgiving and praise. And to come for no other reason but that the Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations. Though all things may change, our God will never change and He is forever the one we can trust and rely on. Thus, let’s all worship and praise Him simply because of who He is.

Have you noticed that this psalm is a charge? (There are seven occurrences of “should” in the Chinese translation.) If you do not know how to enter into God’s presence, try giving thanks, praising and singing with a joyful noise; profess that He is your creator and you are His sheep; believe in His goodness, lovingkindness, and faithfulness. Then, you will surely experience God’s presence.