WHAT ARE YOU BRINGING TO CHURCH?

TEXT: PSALMS 100: 1-5: Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.  Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.  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.  Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise, be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD, is good, his mercy is everlasting, and his truth endures to all generations.

Psalms 100 is an exhortation to praise, to lay everything aside that hinders us and make a joyful noise unto the LORD. God doesn’t care if we sing or squeak as long as we are opening our mouths and giving Him praise with a cheerful and glad heart.

People bring all sorts of things to church:  candy and toys for kids and cell phones to entertain themselves by texting friends during the service. Many will gladly show up, yet when service begin, in the words of the O’Jays, “your body is here, but your mind is on the other side of town”, and they totally miss the message. Can we agree that some things need to be left at home?

Our text lay out some things we should clearly bring to church. The first thing we should bring to church is the RIGHT SPIRIT which is:

A COMMANDING SHOUT:

·        Psalm 100:1: “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD all ye lands.”

The word “make” (give; produce; create) is referencing music, singing. “Joyful” is confessing (acknowledging; declaring) publicly the God in your life through songs. “Noise” is raising a shout like the noise at a ball game or sports arena.

When you put all this together, the voices of praise, musical instruments, can you see or hear the “NOISE” (loud sound)?  David added:

·        Psalm 47:1, O clap your hands, all ye people and shout to God.”  

In this instance, both clapping and shouting out joyful worship to God are urged.

In fact, clap is the root word taqa’, meaning to clatter, ie slap (the hands together), clang (an instrument); to drive (a nail or tent-pin; a dart, etc); strike; thrust; smite. This word hands (kaph) in Hebrew is defined as “power”!  So release the power of God in you

Remember in the fourth chapter of Judges, Sisera was commander of the Canaanite army of king Jabin of Hazor that was defeated by the Israelite tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali under the command of Barak and Deborah.  He fled to the tent of Heber’s wife Jael and she killed him as he slept.

·        Judges 4:21, Then Jael Jeber’s wife, took a nail of the tent and took an hammer in her hand and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground:  for he was fast asleep and weary.  So he died. 

When we “clap” our hands, we are driving nails into the plots and plans of the enemy that comes against us!!  So “CLAP” those “HANDS” people of God and release the “POWER” of God that combats, drives back and destroys the workings of the devil in our lives!!!  Hallelujah Jesus!!!   As we “CLAP” our hands, we are saying “This far and no further devil”!!!!

·        1Timothy 2:8: “I will (boulom’ai) [desire; mind] therefore that men pray everywhere lifting up holy hands without wrath (orge’)[violent passion; anger; vengeance] and doubting” (dialogismos’) [discussion; internal consideration; debate; dispute].

You realize, these expressions are an actual requirement for worship. So, it’s a commanding shout. If you want to confuse the enemy, then make some loud noise with the voice of triumph and clapping those hands!!!

Anything that’s not like God is warfare. In the Battle of Jericho, the Israelites marched around the city walls six days and seven times on the seventh day, then they shouted and made some noise and the walls fell. When the enemy is on your track, just break out in shouting praise and it’s guaranteed Satan will have to flee. As one song writer said, “Praise is the way I say thanks”!! Sometimes you have to say, “Excuse me if I seem a little giddy or maybe even strange, but praise is the way I say thanks”.  Sure, you might get some strange looks, but that’s alright. It’s because they haven’t yet reached your level. They haven’t yet realized that praise is their weapon against the enemy.

I realize this can be challenging for many of us, to participate in public praise, because I experienced it myself before I came to know who I was spiritually.  Until we come into the knowledge that we are called by God to represent “HIM” in the earth, to worship and praise HIM we will allow barriers to block our praise.

Why? Many of us think praise is for the praise team and aren’t used to raising our hands and making noise in worship. I remember being embarrassed to lift or wave my hands and cry out to God in public worship. I was concerned more about who was looking at me than focusing on my praise to God. When I became more mature in the knowledge of the Word of God realizing that praise is commending God, I know that it’s acknowledging HIS goodness; it’s entrusting myself to HIS care because HE has always proved HIMSELF trustworthy. This knowledge has caused the barriers to fall allowing me to praise God freely. David wasn’t ashamed to praise his God!  II Samuel 6: 14 he danced before the LORD, ridding himself of his kingly robe, wearing only the shortened ephod.

BRING A SERVING SPIRIT

·        Psalm 100:2: Serve the LORD with gladness: 

Serve is from the Hebrew root word abad’, meaning, to work for; to be in bondage too; compel.  It refers to doing whatever the Master tells the slave to do or to be at his beck and call. We have been called to serve not ourselves, but God.

Two words that have been misunderstood by most people are ministry and service. Ministry is merely service and not referenced to Pastors, Priest, and clergy only, but to all that has become a member of the body of Christ. If you’re a member of Christ’s body, you are a minister and when you’re rendering service, you’re ministering.  So then, when you got saved, you became the Lord’s property!  I Corinthian 6:20:  For you are bought with a price:  therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.  God redeemed us to do HIS holy work. You were not saved by service, but saved for service.

Our attitude must be like Jesus, “For I, the Messiah did not come to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give my life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). It’s not optional, not something that can be tacked on to our schedule, only if we can spare the time. Service starts in the mind and it requires a mental shift, a change in attitude. We must have the mindset to focus on others, not ourselves. You must think like stewards, not owners, because God owns it all.

Not only do we have to serve Him, but He tells us to serve with gladness, in Hebrew, simchah’, meaning, with mirth, gaiety, happiness, accompanied with laughter. David said, “I was glad (same’ach) [blithe or gleeful; merry-hearted] when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord” (Psalm 122:1).

We are to be filled with so much love for God that regardless of what He asks us to do, it should fill us with laughter. Proverb 17:22: A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.

We should serve with happiness and joy. Understand that happiness largely depends on happenings:  good health, pleasant surroundings, and money in your pocket. If my happenings don’t happen to happen the way I happen to want my happenings to happen, then I’m not happy. Happiness and unhappiness do not exist together.

But Joy comes from the indwelling Spirit, for the joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10). Joy should be spontaneous, a shout of victory. Like when the king returning from the battle ground with good news, and the people are shouting, “Our king has won the victory”. The King with his army marches back to the city and the people are excited, lined along the streets, waiting for the glorious moment when the king ride through the city gate in triumph and the crowd is applauding and cheering.

That’s how our joy in the Lord should over flow. We are to rejoice with those that rejoice and weep with those that weep (Romans 12:15). So, if God has worked a victory in your life, then, shout it out.  If God has answered your prayer, shout it out.

Somebody might say, that’s not my personality.  I’m rather a calm and reserved person. Here’s the thing, “Exuberant joy in the Lord is commanded for all, it didn’t say exuberant personality. The command is “shout joyfully unto the Lord, all ye lands”. When my happenings don’t happen to happen the way, I happen to want my happenings to happen. I still got joy!!

BRING A SINGING SPIRIT

·        Psalm100:2: Come before his presence with singing.

We should express our joy through singing as in “make music.” The sound of music brings healing, improves your response to pain, it reduces anxiety and depression. Music therapy has become increasingly used in hospitals to reduce the need for medication. Why? It’s a distraction and gives the listener a sense of control. It causes the body to release endorphins to counteract and slows the heart rate bringing one to a state of relaxation. In II Samuel 16:14 God sent an evil spirit to harass Saul because of disobedience. Saul calls for David to play music that made him feel better and at peace. See, Saul could see the anointing on David.

When God is in your life you won’t be able to hide Him. You won’t be able to keep Him a secret. You can’t have someone the size of God in your heart without Him getting out. He’ll show up in your raised hands, sometimes, He’ll run out of your eyes as tears of joy, or run over your vocal cords and make you shout Amen, hallelujah. When you need medicine for the heart and you got the blues, here’s your prescription, “MUSIC.”  It heals the soul and lifts your spirit.

BRING RIGHT SUBMISSION

·        Psalm 100:3: 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.

This is the action or fact of accepting, yielding to a superior force or to the will or authority of another person.        

Submit to the person of God – We are to know God and God alone.

·        James 4:7: Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

God has already defeated Satan and he’s trying to win us back. With the power of the Holy Spirit, the Devil will flee from you. Submit your willingness to give up everything for Him and to follow Him – which is obedience to His Word (written/spoken), in your daily walk.

Submit to the Purpose of God:

The Psalmist said:  “It is HE that hath made us and not we ourselves” (Psalm 100:3). God is our Creator!  Many people live as though they are creator and center of their own little world. Their mind-set leads to a greedy possessiveness. Mark 3:14, And He appointed/ordained twelve, that they should be with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach. Let’s be clear, God calls us to Himself, not to people. He sends us forth to represent Him, so then, we must totally surrender by submitting:

OUR MOUTH

The most powerful member of the body, says James 3 6-8. The true source of the unruly evil produced by the tongue is hell.  At one end the tongue spits deadly poison, and at the other end it is manipulated by wicked spirits and no man can tame it. Then, Proverb 18:21 tells us, “Death and life is in the power of the tongue.”

Note! The tongue was the first thing to be anointed at Pentecost because God clearly understood that it was the unruliest member Acts 2:3, “divided tongues, as of fire”.  Tongues symbolize speech and the communication of the gospel. The fire symbolizes God’s purifying presence, which burns away the undesirable elements of our lives and sets our heart aflame to ignite the lives of others.

OUR MIND

Romans 12:2 “But be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind (thoughts), so you can think and act like Christ. Jesus never had to pray about the will of God because He walked in the mind of God. It’s fascinating about the Godhead. Fact:  God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost walked in perfect agreement because they are “ONE.” Our goal should be to walk in perfect agreement with God’s Word and God’s Will so that it becomes a part of us, so we can think and act with the level of spiritual maturity God desires.

OUR MEMBERS

Paul said, “Romans 6:13 “Neither yield ye your member as instruments of unrighteousness” unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God as being alive from the dead (meaning regenerated, born again), and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. You see, we have a continual choice day after day whether to yield ourselves to sin or to God. Joshua didn’t have a problem letting the world know, “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:18).

So, yield your whole body. “What! Know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost” (1 Corinthians 6:19). We’re no longer under the Law, but Grace and now free from sin. Under the law, sin was out master, and law can’t justify us nor help us overcome sin. Under grace, Christ is our Master and He gives us power to do good rather than evil. When members are submitted, the greater chance we have of defeating the enemy in our lives and more effectively answering God’s call.

OUR MONEY

Mike Murdock, author of the One-Minute Pocket Bible Series stated this principle he has governed his life by. “What I make happen for others, God will make happen for me.” Jesus said in Luke 16:10 “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much”. God release additional resources to us based on how we handle what we currently have.

Money is one of the most important resources in ministry. If our money is not surrendered, it will greatly stifle the growth of ministry. Remember, what you are doing with what you have currently determine what you will do when you receive more. Know that God saved us for His purpose and didn’t redeem us to keep us out of hell. He didn’t redeem us so that we could feel good from time to time. He didn’t do it so we could look down our long religious noses at our lost neighbors and feel superior. He saved us so that we might serve Him (Ephesians 2:10; James 2:8), because He has a plan for your life and will use you if you will serve Him.

TO HIS PROMISE 

“We are His people, the sheep of His pasture” (Psalm 100:3), and we belong to Him.  Just as the Shepherd looks after the welfare of his flock, so, our Lord looks after us with infinite care. If we could or when we grasp this truth “The LORD is my shepherd” (Psalm 23:1), it would forever transform us. We would realize that we never have to worry about a need being met and we never have to fear anything that arises in our life.

We are His promises and guarantee (formal promise in writhing that certain conditions will be fulfilled) that all is in His control (Romans 8:26) The Spirit helps our infirmities; (Matthew 6:25-34) Don’t worry about tomorrow, what to eat, drink, wear; (Philippians 4:6, 7) Be anxious for nothing, just make your request known; (Hebrews 13:5) Don’t have a covetous spirit, be content in the things you have and learn to live with less rather than more.  The problem is that we haven’t yet learned to trust God. If you are His sheep, He will take care of you and watch over your life.

Lastly, BRING THE RIGHT SACRIFICE

In the Tabernacle and Temple days, the priest had better not enter the presence of the Lord without the right sacrifice. To do so meant death, Hebrews 9:7. The one sacrifice that was needed, our Big Brother, Jesus the Christ has already taken care of that forever, Hebrews 10:10-14, Praise the Lord!

But now, there is still a sacrifice that the people of God need to bring. It isn’t your money, although you should bring your tithes and offerings! It isn’t your attendance, although you should attend church at every possible opportunity. There is just one sacrifice the Lord expects every Christian to bring to church revealed in the last two verses.

·        Psalm 100:4: Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise:  be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

Understand that “gates” are defensive weapons acting as a barrier and closed to all outsiders. In the Old Testament only the priest could enter the sanctuary and only the high priest could go into the throne room. Here’s the good news, through the blood of Jesus, we are no longer the enemies of God. Because the carnal mind is enmity (hostile) against God:  for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be (Romans 8:7).   Now we love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30).  We are also now His children (sons) (Romans 8:16-17; 1 John 3:1-3. The gates which were once closed to us are opened wide and we are invited to enter into the presence of God as we bring to Him the sacrifice of praise for our salvation.

Then, He invites us to enter “into His courts with praise” (tehillah), meaning, celebration, praise of exaltation of God; praises, songs of admiration. Get this, we are not just allowed access to the outer limits of the sanctuary, but now can walk into the throne room, where we can meet Him in all of His glory! Somebody ought to be shouting, Hallelujah! Think about this! The Hebrew title of the Book of Psalms is Tehillim, literally the Book of Praises, the songbook for worship events in the temple in Jerusalem.

The Psalmist encourages us to be thankful and to bless His Name. God alone is worthy of being worshiped and we must bring the right sacrifice.

What’s your attitude toward worship? Do you willingly and joyfully come into God’s presence, or are you just going through the motions, reluctantly going to church? We got so much to praise God for and I can back it up with verse 5.

·        Psalm 100:5: For the LORD is good, his mercy is everlasting, and his truth endures to all generations.

PRAISE HIM “FOR THE LORD IS GOOD”! God is the original definition of good. He is good in and of Himself. David praises Him for His goodness, “Thou art good and doest good”, meaning pleasant, beautiful, delightful, glad, joyful, precious, and righteous. The streams of God’s goodness are inexhaustible. We call all kinds of things good - “This steak is good; she is a good friend; today is a good day; that was a good movie.”  All that we call “good” in today’s society is tainted and imperfect, because Jesus said, ”There is none good but one, that is, God” (Mark 10:18).

Everything God does is an expression of His goodness! Regardless of what happens in life, God is good! No matter how things turn out, God is still good! So, praise Him for His goodness.

Praise Him for His Grace!  In Hebrew it’s chen (khane), and Greek it’s “charis” meaning, both meaning God’s unmerited favor, kindness, to rejoice. It is a God-given resource that makes possible “holy living” when our life, circumstance, or character is under fire by the adversary. We can praise Him for His grace. It is God’s grace that become our enablement or empowerment to achieve His plan, endure hardship, or access Him in our life. His grace is sufficient (arke’o), meaning the idea of “raising a barrier” or “warding off” (2 Corinthians 12:9). It’s God giving us the grace, the supernatural ability or miraculous faculty/power to sustain, endure, or maintain our call in Him.

His mercy is defined as “not getting what we deserve.” One writer said, “We live in a time when everyone wants what’s coming to them.” Not me! If I got what was coming to me I would get hell. If I got what I deserved, I would experience the undiluted wrath and fierceness of the Almighty God! Instead of that, God extended His everlasting mercy towards me. He held back His wrath from my life all because 2,000 years ago God’s Son, Jesus took my place on and old, rugged, Roman cross. While He was dying there, all my sins were transferred to Him and He died in my place.

My God deserved and deserves to be praised. As He was dying, God looked at Jesus and saw my sins. He saw me hanging there that day and He poured out His wrath into the Person of His Own Dear Son. For that, I can enjoy mercy and it will never be exhausted (Lamentations 3:22-23), because He makes a fresh batch every day! That’s a good reason to praise the Lord.

Praise God for His Guarantee – meaning, a formal promise in writing that certain conditions will be fulfilled. We are told that God’s “truth endures to all generations” (Psalm 100:5). Simply stated, while the years pile up, not a single promise of God’s Word will fail. You see, God cannot lie, Hebrews 6:18, and what He has promised will be as good in 10,000 years as it was the instants He promised it. When He tells you He loves you, you can count on it. When He tells you He’ll never leave you nor forsake you, you can count on it. Look! If God tell you anything at all, count on it. And, that is a good reason to praise Him on today.

In conclusion, ask yourself the question, “Am I bringing the right thing to church”?  Maybe, you have been saved and want to get to know more about this wonderful God you hear about in this message. You come and He’ll meet you right at the point of your need, bringing the right spirit, the right submission, and the right sacrifice.  Amen.

Evangelist Brenda Hansley