“A Psalm of praise. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.” (Psalms 100:1)

 

“Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.” (Psalms 100:2)

 

“Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” (Psalms 100:3)

 

“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” (Psalms 100:4)

 

“For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” (Psalms 100:5)

 

Men have written many different steps, they say, to worship God. However, the correct manual has already been written by God; it is the Holy Scriptures. God, in His Revelation to man of Himself, has taught us of His demands to be worshipped; they are found in numerous texts throughout the Word of God.

In the first devotion, worship was defined as “to make obeisance”; “to do reverence to.” (The Greek word most frequently translated as “worship” is “proskuneō.” It comes from “pros,” which means “toward”; and “kuneō,” which means “to kiss.”)

Jesus explained to the devil that worship is directed only to “the Lord thy God”:

“Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” (Matthew 4:10)

Jesus also gives us more light on worship, as He explained it to the woman at the well (John 4:21-24):

“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.” (John 4:23)

“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24)

 

The writer of Psalms 100:1-5 defines the How of worship:

A.    The Duty of Worship (here we see the five commands):

1)    “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD” (verse 1)

2)    “Serve the LORD with gladness” (verse 2a)

3)    “Come before his presence with singing” (verse 2b)

4)    “Know ye that the LORD he is God” (verse 3)

5)    “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving” (verse 4)

 

B.    The Design of Worship (which includes):

1)    The Foundation of Worship;

2)    The Fruit of Worship.

 

The First Guide of Worship is the Duty of Worship:

1)    To “make a joyful noise,” you must first have the ability to “make,” or to perform. This originates in the spirit. This ability in a man’s spirit is from the Deposit of the Seed (Christ) in his heart by the process of Regeneration (Romans 8:14-16). The Desire to worship God originates with God living in you. This Desire is internal, in the inner man.

2)    To “Serve the LORD with gladness,” your inward desire must turn into submission to Christ. A mental Decision must be made that you will “serve the LORD.”

3)    Then, based on this inward Desire and this inward Decision to serve God; the next step is to “Come before his presence.” This is internal also. That is, you bow before the Holy God; standing in His Righteousness; having confessed your sins.

4)    The next step is to Acknowledge that the Lord is God, He is Sovereign; and to Acknowledge before Him of your understanding that you are a Child of God, you are one of His sheep.

5)    Then lastly, “Enter into his gates”; here is the Performance (service) based on Salvation and Submission. This is the Duty of Worship.

 

The Second Guide of Worship is the Design of Worship:

1)    The Foundation of Worship: the Deposit of the Seed; “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD.” Joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Joy flows from the Holy Spirit living in you and not from yourself.

“For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” (Romans 14:17)

It is “joy in the Holy Ghost.” Therefore, the Foundation of Worship is when the Seed (Christ) is implanted in you by the work of the Holy Spirit in Regeneration (Romans 8:14-16). Unless Christ lives in you, you have no desire to worship God; for you have no ability to do so.

2)    The Fruit of Worship is found in:

a)    The Delight; “Serve the LORD with gladness.” Gladness is joy with delight. This delight flows from “the Beloved” (Christ) who lives in the Believer, for Christ is the Seed of Joy. This gladness, or joy with delight, is indicative of the Believer’s full submission based on the Love of God in his spirit. The Child of God is not forced to serve God, for he does it with gladness (or joy with delight).

b)    The Declarations:

i)      “Come before his presence with singing”; this means to sing; to sing aloud; to cry out; to be heard. This is an expression of the inward joy (Isaiah 12:6).

ii)     “Know ye that the LORD he is God… we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” When we come before His Presence, we acknowledge that He is God (the Sovereign One); and that we belong to Him, we are His People and the sheep of His pasture.

iii)    “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving.” When you come to worship, you come before Him with thanksgiving; which is an attitude of praise and an action of praise. “And into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” To worship God, you must be Thankful. Be ready to Praise Him and to Bless (Praise) His Name (Hebrews 13:15). Bow before Him; surrender your will to Him, that He is God; submit your entire being (body, soul, and spirit) to Him; obey His Word; and endure in the same. Praise Him with your whole heart. Praise Him with your body and soul, in bringing them into subjection and living in Holiness (Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27); and walking in Righteousness.

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