A Gratitude Attitude (November 5, 2023)

Sermon Outline for Sunday, November 5, 2023

Pastor Andy Lambert

PASSAGES: Psalm 100:1–5; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 5:19; Hebrews 10:25; 1 Peter 2:9; Psalm 122:1

Psalm 100:1–5 “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”

Every Sunday, a beautiful thing happens all around the world: millions and millions of people gather in churches to worship and praise the Lord. Whether in structures great or small, magnificent or simple, extravagant or beautifully plain, out in the open or in secret, people from all walks of life gather in God’s holy name.

On the other hand, millions and million do not follow this pattern. Millions worship false or no god at all. Their eyes are blinded to the truth. They cannot see or do not want to see that the Lord is their Creator and God and Savior and Friend.

2 Corinthians 4:4 “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Psalm 100 describes God’s people going into His house to worship Him and it spells out what their attitude should be as they go. It also calls out to all the people of the earth, urging them to recognize that the Lord is God and inviting them to receive Him.

In a very practical sense, this psalm teaches us the actual purpose of the church: to joyfully express praise and thanksgiving to God, to present ourselves for God’s service and to urge all people of the earth to come into a relationship with God through His Son.

Acknowledge the Lord: Praise Him Alone

• Serve Him With a Glad Heart ~ a vital part of worship is presenting ourselves to the Lord for His service. The New Testament instructs us to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to Him. “Worship leads to service and true service is worship” (Warren Wiersbe). We should not serve the Lord our of duty or obligation, but out of the gladness of our hearts. Because of God’s great love and mercies, we should serve Him willingly and with joy. We should also remember what a tremendous privilege it is to be the servants of such a great King!

• Approach Him with Joyful Songs ~ We should come before the Lord’s presences with songs of joy on our lips. This command is directed to our demeanor or attitude when we come to God’s house for worship. We are to approach Him reverently, yes, but also with joyful hearts and joyful songs. The Lord’s presences was centered in the temple in the Old Testament. Now, both the church building and our bodies are designated as the House of God.

• Our attitude about going to church should be one of anticipation and joy and expectation. We should NEVER say, “I have to go to church today.” To the contrary, serving the Lord and going to His house is a high privilege and ought to be among the greatest joys in our lives. We should serve the Lord cheerfully and worship Him wholeheartedly. Anything less is unworthy of God and His great love for us.

Ephesians 5:19 “addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,”

Hebrews 10:25 “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

Psalm 122:1 “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”

Receive the Lord: Confess and know that He is the only true God

• He is our Creator: We are His ~ The Psalmist appealed to the people of the earth on the basis of creation. God is our Creator. He made us; therefore we are His. He formed our bodies and our souls (Psalm 139:14-16). He crafted our spirits and blew His breath – the only source of life – into us (Genesis 2:7). We live, breath and exist because of Him (Acts 17:28). We are not self-made; we are made by God, who personally and individually created us for fellowship with Him, to enjoy the fullness of the glory of His presence forever and ever.

• He is our Shepherd: He guides and cares for us as His sheep ~ The psalmist appealed to the people of earth on the basis of God’s guidance and care for them. The Lord is a shepherd who deeply loves and cares for His sheep (Psalm 23). He loves us so much that He was willing to sacrifice His one and only Son to lay down His life for us (John 3:16; John 10:11, 15). Through His creation, His Word and the circumstances of our lives, He seeks to guide us into a relationship with Him.

Enter into the Lord’s presence, His temple, with a thankful heart

• Because He is worthy of praise ~ As our Creator and Shepherd, the Lord is worthy of praise. He made us and He guides and cares for us throughout our lives. More than that, however, He is our Savior. When we – the most special objects of His creation – strayed from Him by sinning. He made a way back for us. He provided for our salvation by offering His Son as the sacrifice for our sin. He provided for our salvation by offering His Son as the sacrifice for our sin. Without question, God’s power in creating us and His faithfulness in caring for us merit our unending praise. But His love for us as demonstrated at Calvary exceeds every other reason for offering out thanks and praise to Him.

• Because He is good and loving: His love near fails ~ We should enter God’s presence with thankful hearts because He is good and loving. Every day, the LORD displays His goodness to us. He is even good to those who do not know Him (Matthew 5:45; Romans 2:4). He especially delights in giving good gifts to His children, though (Matthew 7:11). Every good thing in our lives is a gift from Him (James 1:17). Additionally, we should give thanks to God for His mercy (chesed)—His unfailing, covenant love. God’s love for us never fails; it is everlasting or eternal. We may fail Him, but He never fails us. Nothing can overcome His love for us (Romans 8:35–39).

• Because He is faithful and true to every generation ~ Finally, we should enter God’s presence with thanksgiving for His truth or faithfulness. The LORD is faithful and true to every generation. We can count on God and we can count on His truth. He and His Word can be trusted. From generation to generation, He is always the same (James 1:17; Hebrews 1:12; 13:8).

Pastor Andy Lambert ~ pastorandy@cvcog.church

Call/Text: 205.642.8744 ext 101