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How Should I Treat God? - Psalm 100

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How do you treat someone who has loved you consistently and provided for you faithfully? From giving daily blessings to eternal promises, God is pretty awesome to us. The psalmist noted that if we were to number the caring thoughts of God toward us, they would outnumber the earth's sands. How do we treat the One who has treated us so well?

Date Title   ListenNotes Share SaveBuy
10/12/1997
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How Should I Treat God?
Psalm 100
Skip Heitzig
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Message Summary
How do you treat someone who has loved you consistently and provided for you faithfully? From giving daily blessings to eternal promises, God is pretty awesome to us. The psalmist noted that if we were to number the caring thoughts of God toward us, they would outnumber the earth's sands. How do we treat the One who has treated us so well?
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Series Description

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Songs for the Heart

Songs for the Heart

In ancient Israel, the Psalms were poems set to music. They were meant to be sung! Because the Psalms depict the struggles of real people, we turn to them for strength and encouragement. This series provides insight into the character of God and His greatness, and will enhance your praise and worship of Him.

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Outline

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  1. Worship Him Joyfully (vv. l-2b)

  2. Serve Him Gladly (vv. 2)

  3. Live for Him Intelligently (vv. 3)

    1. Know God's Uniqueness

    2. Know God's Creative Power

    3. Know God's Ownership

  4. Walk Before Him Thankfully (vv. 4- 5)

Apply This Stuff:

  1. How would you honestly describe your own worship to God?

  2. How "connected" do you get in a worship service? Are you engaging in it or just watching it (an armchair worshipper).

  3. Is "thanksgiving" a once a year holiday or a continual theme in your life? Why not reverse the trend: Write down all your gripes and spend one day a year complaining and the other 364 in thanksgiving to God.

Transcript

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This past week I was involved in a conference that was very unique. There were over 500 medical doctors from all over America and some different parts of the world back in North Carolina. And what made it so unique is they didn't get together to talk about how great they were. They were there to talk about how great God was and how they could serve the Lord with their medical backgrounds. One of the physicians that stick out in my mind was one of the speakers that we had, Dr. Ben Carson, the Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery from John Hopkins University. A young man, in fact he was appointed to that position when he was only 33 years of age, he headed up the international team that separated those German Siamese twins. A strong believer and as he was talking, toward the end of his message, he talked about with all of his skill and background and medical training and people that come up to him and thank him for his services, his response now is I'm only God's assistant. I'm only God's assistant. And the theme of the conference is now how can we respond to how great God is? Psalm 100 takes that theme. It is simply a psalm of response to God because of how great God is, what God has done for us. You might say Psalm 100 is the grand finale of a whole host of psalms beginning around Psalm 94 where themes are picked up and carried through these psalms and they come to a head in a very short but full psalm---Psalm 100. Certain themes emerge: the greatness of God, our response to Him in terms of service, in terms of worship, and in love. So I've entitled Psalm 100 "How Should I Treat God?" That's the title of this message. Now it takes a lifetime to answer that question. It takes the study of the whole Bible to answer that question. But there are four general ways given in this psalm that we can treat God with.

You know, when somebody does something nice for you, something special, often you respond by asking this question: how can I show my appreciation? They've been so kind. What can I do to show my love and my appreciation for this person? And so we are to have a relationship with God where God acts, God loves, and we respond. There's a cute story about William Jennings Bryan, the great American orator and defender of the Christian faith. He was having his picture painted by an artist who sat him down and was taking out his oils, going to paint a portrait of the great orator. As he began painting, he looked at Mr. Bryan and he said, excuse me for being so bold but why is it that you have your hair covering your ears? It's so long. Why have you chosen that style? And the great orator smiled and said there's a romance connected with that. You see, when I was courting Mrs. Bryan she didn't like the way my ears stuck out so to please her, I grew my hair over my ears. And the artist said, but that was so long ago. Why don't you get it cut now? And the orator smiled and said, because the romance is still going on. Do you love God? Do you have a love relationship with God? Is it still going on? And how do you demonstrate that? Is it obvious that you love God? Could others look at your life and say that person really is in love with God? The romance is still on. As somebody once put it, if you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

Notice at this psalm's beginning it says, "A Psalm of Thanksgiving". This psalm was used during the second temple period in Jewish history every time a special offering was given called the Thank Offering. As you know, Israel had many different types of sacrifices. One of them was this thing called the Thank Offering. It's a spontaneous offering thanking God for the many mercies we have received. And this psalm was recited during that offering. And then it started to be used daily in the synagogues, in the non-Sabbath services, just a daily reading. And if you go to a Jewish synagogue today, Psalm 100 is part of the daily reading. A psalm of thanksgiving. Charles Spurgeon said nothing can be more sublime this side of heaven than the singing of this noble psalm by a vast congregation. And we just shared that experience moments ago. We sang some of the verses from this psalm. In Psalm 100, there are seven imperatives that are given. I've summed them up into four general principles, four ways that we can treat God appropriately.

Number one, we can worship him joyfully. Number two, we can serve him gladly. Number three, we can live for him intelligently. And number four, we can walk before him thankfully. Let's take the psalm at a full reading and then we'll go back: "Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. 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. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations."

......

We're to walk before God thankfully. "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations." Walk before Him thankfully. This refers to formal worship. As they would crowd into the courts of the temple in Jerusalem, as they would file through the gates, the court of the Gentile into the court of the Women into the court of Men and Israel and the priests finally in the inner sanctuary, were to come in with thanksgiving and with praise. This psalm was explicitly given during the thank offering in the temple. The rabbis had an interesting saying. They said that every single offering of the Jews may eventually cease but even if they all cease, even the sin offering, the thank offering will go on forever. We'll always have something to thank God for. They didn't know how prophetic they were when they said that. For the ultimate sin offering was given 2,000 years ago on a cross outside of Jerusalem's gates. Jesus paid the price for your sins and my sins 2,000 years ago. And a few years later, in 70 AD, the temple was destroyed, the altars were destroyed, there have never been sacrifices by the Jews since that day but we still look back into history thanking God for sending Jesus Christ. In fact, Jesus said when you take communion, take the elements and do it often in remembrance of Me. We still thank Him. How much do we have to give God thanks for? The list goes on, doesn't it? The list would never end. And yet we have this odd holiday established back in 1863 under President Lincoln called Thanksgiving. I love the holiday; don't get me wrong, it's a great holiday. I love getting together, thanking God with my family and my friends, great meal, great time. It's awesome. But when you say we have one day for Thanksgiving, it's almost as if you're implying you could gripe the other 364 days of the year. Because, after all, we have one day to really thank God for everything. Don't you think it should be reversed? I'd like to say we have one day of gripe. Start the trend. We'll start one gripe day and we'll call it Gripe Day. Think about all the things you don't like in life about everybody you know and every situation that ticks you off and bothers you and irritates you and vent it. Get it all out. Get your friends together. Can you imagine? Hey, Happy Gripe Day! And of course, they'd reply, no it's not a happy day. I'm mad! Good... get it all out! And then spend the other 364 days thanking God. Give Him praise and glory for what He's done for us. But besides that, that's God's will. It's not just a clever little joke. It's God's will. Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5, in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. So if you ever wonder, what's God's will for my life---that's it. This is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Walk before Him thankfully. You know, think about it. It's great being a child of God. We have a reason to be joyful. We have a reason to sing. We have a reason to give thanks. Pity the poor atheist who from time to time feels grateful but has no one to thank. You know God! You feel grateful. You can turn your praise to Him. So how should I treat God? With excellence. Excellent attitude, excellent service. Serve Him gladly. Worship Him joyfully. Nothing less. Ever heard of Stradivarius? Who hasn't? If I say the word fine violin and I ask you what word you associate with it you might say violin. You may know nothing about music, nothing about violins, but you know the name Stradivarius. Why? Because Antonius Stradivarius said no violin will leave my shop until it's as near perfect as humanly possible. Why? Here's his philosophy. He said God needs violins to send His music into the world and if any violins are defective, God's music will be spoiled. He summed it up by saying this: other men will make other violins but no man shall make a better one. There are a lot of people on earth. You're called to be a Stradivarius. You're called to represent God and to treat God with excellence. To play His music with the right attitude.

Additional Messages in this Series

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Date Title   Watch Listen Notes Share Save Buy
6/8/1997
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What Makes You Happy
Psalm 1
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6/15/1997
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When God Laughs
Psalm 2
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6/22/1997
completed
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Man and His God
Psalm 8
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6/29/1997
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How Firm is Your Foundation?
Psalm 11
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7/6/1997
completed
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How does God Communicate?
Psalm 19
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7/13/1997
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Psalm for a Suffering Savior
Psalm 22
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7/20/1997
completed
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Confessions of a Happy Sheep
Psalm 23:1-3
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7/27/1997
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Follow the Leader
Psalm 23:3-4
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8/10/1997
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Being God's Guest of Honor
Psalm 23:5-6
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8/17/1997
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Singing in the Battle
Psalm 27
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This is one of the best known and most comforting of all the Psalms. It was born from crisis and that's probably why every one of us can relate to it so well. All Christians find out shortly after they're saved that life isn't a playground, but spiritual battleground. How do we survive? Better yet, how can we win those battles?
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8/24/1997
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Happy to be Forgiven
Psalm 32
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One of the greatest feelings there is in life is to have a clear conscience, especially in relationships. The absence of grudges, petty grievances and the open heart of forgiveness brings relief to the soul. Yet many walk around with a guilt complex because of "vertical insecurity"-their relationship with God isn't cleared up. Sins of the past or present remain unconfessed and unforgiven which leads to a heavy conscience due to guilt. David's been there. He knows!
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8/31/1997
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Feeling Down, Looking Up
Psalm 42-43
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"Down in the dumps and singing the blues" is an experience common to us all. Depression is no respecter of persons unless, of course, you live in a perpetual state of managed denial. Thoughts tumble in from the mind and rush the soul. Circumstances mount themselves around us putting us on emotional alert. Then the doubts rush in like a river. Sound familiar? Then this psalm is for you, friend!
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9/7/1997
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How Can I Pray at a Time Like This?
Psalm 59
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One of life's toughest places is in the place of being misunderstood. You've tried to do everything right. You were diligent and pedantic in the way you went about a certain project and then "Wham!"—like a hurricane, the criticism hit you. When you're misunderstood, you have no defense—or do you? Maybe there's a lesson to be learned from someone who has "been there, done that!" Let's see what happens.
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9/14/1997
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When the Tables of Fairness Are Turned
Psalm 73
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What do you do when what you believe is challenged by what you experience? Let me be specific. When evil abounds seemingly without restraint how can you believe in a God who is good? And on a more personal note, what good is it to follow God's plan when those who practice evil seem to be so carefree? Let's read of a spiritual person who also struggled with this.
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9/21/1997
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I've Just Gotta Go to Church
Psalm 84
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Someone once scribbled a little poem about his feelings on church. He put it this way, Every time I pass a church I stop in for a visit, so that when I'm carried in The Lord won't say, "Who is it?" Such sentiments aren't exactly of a person who loved to go to church now, are they? The above author would no doubt have problems with the author of Psalm 84. This guy loved to go to the place of worship—in fact, everything in his being desired it. Why? Let's see!
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9/28/1997
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Life Is Short, Pray Hard!
Psalm 90
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The contemporary Christian band, DC Talk sings, "Time is tickin' away...tick, tick, tickin' away!" Indeed it is. Life is short and uncertain as far as time is concerned. This psalmist understands that truth and in light of it, he utters a prayer that sheds insight on how we should live our lives to their maximum capacity.
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10/19/1997
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God is Alive and Well
Psalm 115
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Today in postmodern America, spirituality is a smorgasbord of deities. In the mid-1960's a movement flourished that stated "God is dead." Though the movement is itself dead nowadays, it has been replaced by interlopers--gods manufactured by man himself. Paul said "For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God." (1 Cor. 8:5-6) The psalmist explains the power of such a truth:
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10/26/1997
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The Power of the Word of God
Psalm 119
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One of the first purchases a new believer makes is a bible. But how important is the Bible to you? Martin Luther once wrote, "The Bible is alive—It speaks to me. It has feet—It runs after me. It has hands— It lays bold of me!" Clearly the writer of this longest psalm would wholeheartedly agree. Do you? What are the benefits the Bible can produce if read and obeyed?
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11/2/1997
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What Do You Want, a House Or a Home?
Psalm 127
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John Henry Jowett must have had Psalm 127 in mind when he wrote, "Anyone can build a house: we need the Lord for the creation of a home." There is a huge difference between the construction of these two: one is built with earthly materials and anxious thoughts while the other is the building of relationships.
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11/9/1997
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United We Stand
Psalm 133
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A proverb from antiquity states, "Weak things united become strong." That applies to weak people as well as weak things. When we are a united front, in regard to spiritual things, we increase our ability to stand against the real enemies that would destroy our souls.
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11/16/1997
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What an Awesome God
Psalm 139:1-18
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We sometimes sing, “Our God is an awesome God...” What is it about Him that makes Him so awesome? To discover this, it helps to think about His attributes. That’s what David does: he thinks about the character of God and then about God’s thoughts towards us.
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11/30/1997
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The Weight of our Words
Psalm 140-141
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Words can bless and they can bite. We all know what it’s like to be around people who have a “colorful” and sharp vocabulary. We also know that the more we’re around that kind of vocabulary, the easier it is to fall into the trap of using it. How do we counter that tendency? These two little psalms will give us some help.
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12/21/1997
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Hallelujah!
Psalm 150
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This is the time of year when believers are often more aware of praising the Lord. We sing Christmas carols and hymns, gather with family and friends, and offer prayers of thanks to the Lord. But the psalmist doesn't indicate that there is a particular season set-aside for praising the Lord. Instead he exhorts us to break out in excitement and praise of the Lord for the great and mighty God He is in all seasons!
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There are 23 additional messages in this series.
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