TEACHING NOTES Introduction In the last few weeks of this series we have been learning to change how we think. Followers of Jesus should be the most thankful people in the world. Instead of being negative, complaining, and being entitled, believers choose to be humble and thankful. Today, we’re going to learn about practicing thankful worship. Worship is often misunderstood in modern Christianity. But learning to practice genuine worship helps us to renew our minds. ‌ Romans 12:1-2 (my translation) 1 Therefore brothers, I appeal to you, in view of the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrificial gift, holy and pleasing to God, which is your genuine worship. 2 Do not be conformed to the ways of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, by testing to discern the will of God, which is good and acceptable and perfect. ‌ Psalm 100:1–2 ESV Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! ‌ Make a joyful noise = Heb. hariu - The English phrase “make a joyful noise” is actually one Hebrew verb that means “cry out, loud public shout.” Worship in ancient Israel was joyous and loud. ‌ Serve the LORD = The Hebrew word for “serve” (abad) is the same word used for worship, but literally means “to work.” This is the same Hebrew word used in Gen. 2:15 where God put Adam in the garden to “work it” (abad). Modern people often limit worship to singing at church. While singing is a form of worship, serving God by living a faithful and obedient life is the foundation of worship. Singing on Sunday is a celebration of all that God has done. ‌ With gladness = The Hebrew word for “gladness” is simhah, which means joy or jubilation. It is the same idea as the word “rejoice” or “re-joy-ce.” ‌ Come into his presence with singing = Literally, “gather before His face with rejoicing.” When God’s family gathers in worship, He directs His gaze toward us. ‌ Psalm 50:14–15 ESV 14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, 15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” ‌ Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving = Sacrifices were simply a gift offered to God. If a person had sinned and repented they would offer a sacrifice/gift to show their repentance. Other sacrifices were gifts to God to show gratitude for His blessings. ‌ And perform your vows = One of the central problems in ancient Israel was that they were offering sacrifices in the temple, but not obeying God’s Word in their daily lives. We see the same problem in modern Christianity—we offer worship to God at church but go on disobeying God during the week. ‌ Call upon me = Israel had a long history of calling on God for deliverance while also being completely disobedient to Him. They lived in sin and in worship of other gods, but expected God to deliver them when they were in danger. This Psalm is calling us to be faithful to God first, and then we can call on Him in the day of trouble. ‌ Psalm 100:3 ESV 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. ‌ Know = Heb. yadah - to learn in order to know fully. When the Psalmist says, “Know that the LORD, he is God!” it is a call to study and learn who God is and what He calls us to do. ‌ He made us, we are his = This is a call to realize that God is our Creator and everything and everyone belongs to Him. This is important because we often forget and live as if we belong to ourselves. We live as if we are self-made people with a self-made life. Those who are faithful to God know that we belong to Him and all we have comes from Him. ‌ We are his people = This clearly speaks of a family relationship. We are not merely servants of God, but we are also His people (children). The entire goal of the Biblical story is that God wants us to be in His family. ‌ The sheep of his pasture = God is our Good Shepherd. He leads us and feeds us as His sheep. Knowing that we are God’s sheep is meant to keep us humble and dependent on God. Sheep cannot provide for themselves and must be led to what they need to survive and flourish. Sheep must also be protected by the shepherd from predators. ‌ Psalm 100:4 ESV Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! ‌ Enter his gates, courts = The gates and courts here are the literal gates and courts of the temple. In the Old Testament, the temple was God’s house on the earth where His people could worship and spent time with Him. In the New Testament, God’s people are His house on the earth. When God’s people gather, we’re told that He “inhabits the praises of His people” (Ps. 22:3 my translation). ‌ With thanksgiving = Heb. todah - a sacrifice/gift or song of gratitude. ‌ With praise = Heb. tehillah - song of adoration. ‌ Give thanks = Heb. hodu - praise and confess. ‌ Bless his name! = To bless is to speak good things over another. We are told to “bless his name” because in the Bible a name communicates character. God’s name is YHWH (Yahweh), which means “He who brings into being.” God’s name means that He is our Creator. This is why verse 3 says to worship Yahweh for “it is he who made us.” God’s name reminds us that He made us. To “bless His name” is to acknowledge that we belong to Him and not to ourselves. ‌ Psalm 100:5 ESV For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. ‌ The LORD is good = The Hebrew word for “good” is tov, which is the same word God says seven times in Gen. 1. We worship God with thanksgiving because we know that He is good and all that He does is good. ‌ Steadfast love = Heb. hesed - loyal love, loyal grace. ‌ Faithfulness = Heb. emunah - faithful, trustworthy, permanent. ‌ All generations = God was faithful to Israel, who constantly failed. If God was faithful to such an unfaithful family, He will certainly be faithful to those who are faithful to Jesus. The Gospel is not just for us, but also for our entire household. It is for all generations of people all over the world. ‌ Conclusion As a response to what we have just learned from God’s Word, we are going to put it into practice. We will sing a song of thanksgiving that reminds us of the Gospel story. We will take Communion to participate in Christ’s sacrifice for us. This is our sacrifice of thanksgiving. As the band prepares to lead us, take a few moments to pray and confess your sins before God. ‌ Psalm 136:1 ESV 1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. ‌