Enter His Gates With Thanksgiving
Jeremy Bell
August 28, 2022
Psalm 100
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Truth Claim #1 – “It is He who made us”
Application #1 – “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!”
Truth Claim #2 – “We are His”
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:1-2
Application #2 – “Serve the Lord with gladness!”
Truth Claim #3 – “We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture”
Application #3 – “Come into His presence with singing”
“Singing enables us to combine doctrine and devotion; head and heart. Singing is meant to stir our thoughts and emotions.” Bob Kauflin
Truth Claim #4 – “The Lord is good”
“The goodness of God is infinitely more wonderful that we’ll ever be able to comprehend.” AW Tozer
Application #4 – “Know that the Lord, He is God”
Truth Claim #5 – “His steadfast love endures forever”
Application #5 – “Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise”
“Just as men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it: “Isn’t she lovely? Wasn’t it glorious? Don’t you think that magnificent?” The Psalmists, in telling everyone to praise God, are doing what all men do when they speak of what they care about… I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed.” — CS Lewis
“We praise what we enjoy because the delight is incomplete until it is expressed in praise. If we were not allowed to speak of what we value and celebrate what we love and praise what we admire, our joy would not be full. So, if God loves us enough to make our joy full, He must not only give us Himself; He must also win from us the praise of our hearts — not because He needs to shore up some weakness in Himself or compensate for some deficiency, but because He loves us and seeks the fullness of our joy that can be found only in knowing and praising Him, the most magnificent of all beings. If He is truly for us, He must be for Himself! God is the one Being in all the universe for whom seeking His own praise is the ultimately loving act. For Him, self-exaltation is the highest virtue. When He does all things “to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:12, 14), He preserves for us and offers to us the only thing in all the world that can satisfy our longings.” — John Piper
Truth Claim #6 – “His faithfulness [is] to all generations”
Application #6 – Give thanks to Him; bless His name
Questions for Discussion/Application:
- Re-read the text, Psalm 100. What initial insights and observations do you have from reading this passage?
- How does this psalm apply to our attitude and mindset regarding worshipping with God’s people on Sunday?
- What does it mean/look like to “serve the Lord with gladness” in the home, the workplace and the church? How do you want to grow personally in this area?
- “We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” Consider reading John 10:11-14. What does it mean that Jesus is our shepherd? How can this knowledge encourage us and comfort us?
- Re-read verse 5. In what ways is God good? In scripture, how is His goodness most clearly expressed? Take time to share how God has been good to you personally and specifically.
- Consider taking time to pray, thanking God for His goodness and His watchful care for us as our Great Shepherd.