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[0:00] word in the book of psalms and psalm 100 psalm 100 we're going to look at this psalm together the whole psalm it is a psalm of thanksgiving as a heading in some of the bibles well how we are to give thanks to god for all his blessings to us we ask ourselves the question though how often do we give thanks to god now are we as thankful as we we should be now these questions still surge at hearts as god's questions often do are we as thankful as we should be and how often do we thank god i'm sure for all of us here there's not a day goes past that we're not thankful to god for so many things but today i want us to think of it as a day of thanksgiving not especially a pointed day but a day as with every day that we can see the many reasons we do have to give thanks and especially tonight looking back over the past weekend and giving thanks for god's goodness to us in so many ways it was a blessed time together and still feeling that even today and hopefully we'll keep feeling that in the days ahead that we were blessed by god he was with us through the preaching of the word he was with us as we sat at the lord's table he was with us in our fellowship with one another he was with us in so many ways and truly we have so many reasons to give thanks an encouraging time and a time we pray that will spur us on and keep us going from strength to strength because we have been through as we heard in the prayers a difficult period of not being able to gather in such a way we pray that bit by bit god god is building up his people again giving us the confidence to go forward in his strength and by filling our hearts with thankfulness that gives us a strength to keep looking to him as we go forward we read in paul's letter to the colossians there in chapter 2 these words although i am absent in body as a verse 5 yet i am with you in spirit rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in christ therefore as you received christ jesus the lord so walk in him rooted and built up in him and established in the faith just as you were taught and he concludes that little section abounding in thanksgiving abounding in thanksgiving so you see all the things that are mentioned there the rejoicing in the order and firmness of your faith the things we want to see in all god's people how you received christ how you are to walk in him rooted built up established in faith all of these things that we long to see in each of us as god's children abounding in thanksgiving thanksgiving completes our praise to god there paul is encouraging his people in the midst of great challenges not to lose heart but to press on to press on in this way and to do so abounding in thanksgiving the more we see of what christ has done and the faith that we have received from him to be able to love him as we do because he first loved us let us truly be thankful for all that he has done and with these words in mind i want us to look at at psalm 100 together this evening a psalm of thanksgiving i want to see what it has to say to us it is as we've said a psalm

[4:06] a song of thanksgiving as a thanksgiving psalm both in terms of who god is and what he has done and indeed what he is continuing to do for his people it's a psalm that gives us commands and instructions to be a people who come to him in worship it's calling us to come before him to come into his presence to serve the lord with gladness to come into his presence with singing to go on in worship and thanksgiving to him it's a psalm you could say has has great breadth it's a psalm that's a call to all mankind to come and give thanks to god that is our prayer but it's also a psalm of great depth the depths that there is in the truths of who god is and the depths that there is and how god has been calling his people through generation after generation we can look at it every generation past present and future who are called to come and worship god and our savior the lord jesus christ even though it was a psalm that has its setting in the temple courts of the old testament as the people gathered there to worship god it doesn't stay in the old testament it's very much a psalm that follows into the new testament that we are to be a people who are to come in this way to gather before god in his presence and to do so through christ who has opened the way fully for us to come and to come as we say with thanksgiving and three things i want us to see here in this psalm about the way this psalm instructs us in our thanksgiving the first thing is the way of thanksgiving and the second thing is the reason of thanksgiving and then thirdly we see the endurance of thanksgiving so the first thing is the way of thanksgiving who or what do we give thanks to it's a question we're all able to answer tonight i hope in the same way we give our thanks to god but as we we think of that question in a wider sense in a wider society who or what do people give thanks to we have been experiencing and still experiencing challenging days that make us think of many of life's issues people are looking for purpose in life what is it what is it to have purpose in life people are thinking about the future what will it be like there's so many changes we're seeing in our world what is lying ahead of us we see a day of many troubles and we're reminded of the reality of them we think of people as we should all be looking for hope but what is it in as god's children we know the answer to these questions we know our purpose we are made to worship god the future we know all the promises that are yeah and amen in christ that he has a plan and a purpose that he is preparing a city for his people he plans our ways he plans our steps he guides our paths we look to him for all things in the future in the midst of troubles we know too that jesus has promised we will have troubles but to be of good courage to be of good heart because he has overcome

[8:07] the world and our hope our hope is in christ we have that much to be thankful for that as god's people we come to a living god giving thanks to him and our prayer is that as a church we will be built up to show forth that thanksgiving to others that as the psalm i think psalm 69 the first psalm we sang spoke of that we would be a witness to others that they would see our thanksgiving and wonder of it a couple of years back when covid initially started there was a fascinating article in the scotsman newspaper in these early days people were really challenged and shaken by what was happening and an article was written and the title of it was secular gods are failing so many in the time of covid the article opens with this line it says there are no true atheists in reality everybody worships something this was not a christian writing this article but it was written in a sense where we were being made to think well what are we worshiping everyone was being asked the question what are you worshiping we're not atheists we there's no such thing we all worship something so who do we worship it spoke of how many people were inquiring about the christian faith they were seeing their secular gods failing them failing to satisfy their lives and beginning to question what is it who are we worshiping what is the purpose in life but are these questions still through today so quickly people started just to go back to the old ways to forget about god and any thought of inquiring after him instead of giving thanks to god for coming through when was that day appointed as a national day of prayer by our nation for giving thanks for all that we came through in covid well we're still waiting for a day to be appointed will it happen well we doubt it because of where our nation is at but who are we worshiping tonight who do we give thanks to tonight not just for bringing us through for restoring us for being with us but we pray to build us up to make us stronger to go forward in his strength we worship god not just in the good times but at all times we worship him now seeking better times now but also that assurance of eternity the writer c.s lewis once said god whispers to us in our pleasures he speaks in our consciences but shouts in our pains it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world and hasn't god shouted into our pains he has been shaking us he is still shaking us but are we listening that is what psalm 100 reminds us of that we are able to come and worship him and give thanks to him to make a joyful noise to the lord all the earth serve the lord with gladness come into his presence with singing

[12:08] whatever our circumstances we have much to give thanks for and we have been encouraged in these days and let us stay encouraged let us stay with our hope fixed in our lord jesus christ in his word to have confidence in it in his spirit who is working dwight l moody it was a great servant for god and when they began to build what would later become moody bible institute when they were laying the foundation for it they set a cornerstone and dwight l moody was there at that time and it said that as the stone was laid he offered up a prayer and he gave the cornerstone a whack with a trowel and then he prayed and said thus lord you know what this old world needs more than anything else is thy word we pray that the day will never come when anything contrary to the bible is taught here and that is true for everywhere where god's word is taught and proclaimed this world this old world still needs god's word more than anything else these days remind us of scriptures that speak of god seeing a people corrupt corrupt in sin and the judgment that he brought upon them where you go back to the days of noah or the days of the exodus so you just work your way through scriptures and you see time and time again how god sees a people worshiping false gods turning away from the living god and what does he use to bring them back to their senses he brings judgment and today we see god's judgment on us again and again and may it be that as a people we give thanks that god has not turned away but that he is speaking and may we pray that we will hear as his church and pray to god to pour out his spirit upon us as a people to revive us to quicken us that we would see as the psalm says all the earth all the earth to make a joyful noise to the lord what does he see in our hearts today then is it that shout of joy thankfulness we make sure that we keep our eyes on the lord looking to him our call to worship and thanksgiving in this psalm is a call to remember god and all his gracious benefits all that he has done we can look back just a few days but we can look back further as we heard in prayer to generations we give thanks for god's word down through generations to us and we pray that a generation yet unborn would hear the word of god and rejoice in him the second thing we see here is the reason for thanksgiving we have a call to worship with thanks found in verse 1 and 2 then in verse 3 we're given this this wonderful reason for giving thanks to god know that the lord is 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 first of all we see that again there is this imperative there

[16:10] know know that the lord he is god know with confidence who you have worshipped and are worshipping know with confidence who we are giving thanks to it is god who we met with in word and sacrament it is god who we meet with day by day in thanksgiving and prayer and through his word to us we meet with a living god and that we are thankful for but what does it mean to know god what does it mean for us to know god well one of the things that we see in the scriptures is the gift of god knowing him that we find in psalm 40 verse 1 to verse 3 that psalm says and we could repeat it i waited patiently for the lord he heard my cry he took me from the pit out of the clay and set my feet upon a rock making my steps secure it is the lord who is the god of our salvation it is him who has brought us up it is him who we are thankful for the reason we are thankful is we could not save ourselves but god by his grace lifted us up and as he lift us up he says he puts a new song in my mouth a song to praise our god he gives us a new song a song of praise a song of thanksgiving he reminds us of all the reasons we have to give thanks to god the psalmist then says that we are his people the sheep of his pasture we are his personal possession that's what the psalmist is saying there and why is that well it's the foundation of our reasons for thanksgiving as we have remembered over these past days our reason for thanksgiving is that he gave himself for us titus 2 verse 14 says who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness is that such an encouraging verse thinking back but also looking forward who gave himself for us to redeem us to purify for himself a people for his own possession we are his who are sellers for good works who are sellers going forward in serving the lord we are his by the reason of the fact that he paid the price to redeem us when we were sold under sin we can praise his name that he paid the price he died for us to set us free we are to be thankful that we are his redeemed what does that mean to be redeemed by god there are three different words used in translation of redeemed in the new testament but every one of them the foundation is being bought with a price galatians 4 verse 5 but when the fullness of time had come god sent forth his son he goes on to redeem those who are under the law so we might receive adoption as sons the word there means to take off the market in other words jesus paid the price for us we're no longer for sales

[20:10] for sale we are no longer slaves to sin in that way that we have been redeemed and bought and purchased with a price not just bought for a time but bought for eternity because he intends to keep us and he will keep us preacher robert murray mcshane who was in dundee who died very young himself he said he said if christ had not chosen me i would never have chosen him if christ had not shed his blood for me i would never have shed a tear for him if christ had not sought after me i would never have sought after him if christ had not loved me i would never have loved him the transforming power of grace robert murray mcshane knew it and if we know it as i hope we all do then it makes us thankful to god for all that he has done that he has redeemed us that he has paid the price for us that we might praise his name and as we see in this verse too we are his people of his pasture he gives us that assurance here in this psalmist we see so often through the scriptures that we are his sheep that he will look after jesus says i lay down my life for my sheep and we are a reminder of that constantly of the the way that he will supply our every need and it's summed up really in psalm 23 for us the lord is my shepherd i shall not want i shall not lack it covers it all the list is endless of the reasons that we have to give thanks because the lord is my shepherd i shall not lack may we go on giving thanks to god with that reason of thanksgiving that we have in christ jesus the third and final thing we see in this psalm then is the endurance of thanksgiving and we see that in the in the closing verses verse four and five enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise give thanks to him bless his name for the lord is good his steadfast love endures forever ever and his faithfulness to all generations when we have this thankful knowledge of god he opens the gates for us the experience of the psalmist was to enter into praise and worship of god was to go through the gates into the presence of god and we have that access through christ we come through him who is the door we come through him who is the way we enter boldly into the presence of god through his name we have access in this way no longer do we come with sacrifices no longer do we come with bull and oxen and all the rest because the price has been paid the sacrifice has been given given we come in the name of the lord jesus christ we come to remember his precious name and to give thanks to him and to go on giving thanks to him this is ongoing praise god's love is steadfast and endures to all generations and that is a reason god is faithful and worthy

[24:11] of all our praise and thanksgiving and that's what he's calling us to today as well to come and worship him to come and give thanks to him because all other secular gods are worthless they are idols dumb as the scriptures describe them but we read here for the lord is good and that is what we have known that is what we know and that's what we pray we will go on knowing that he is good and are we able to say that today because if we know him you surely can can we not come and say the lord has been good to us so may we go forward remembering that we are his that we are his people that his love endures forever and his faithfulness to all generations the lord is saying to us you are mine and i will keep you just like it says in malachi in the old testament there in chapter 3 verse 16 it says then those who feared the lord spoke with one another it speaks there of fellowship of reminding and encouraging one another and then it says the lord paid attention and heard them and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the lord and esteemed his name and he said they shall be mine says the lord of hosts in the day when i make up my treasured possession and i will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him he will make up his treasures and you as his people as his children will be part of that treasured possession we have that assurance the endurance of praises that we will ever praise the lord the parents of a young man who was killed in the second world war they were at a memorial service in the church after the war and they made a payment to the church of 200 pounds as a memorial to the son that they'd lost and that was a great sum of money at that time but in the service that day was another mother of a son who had been to war but that son had come home but she whispered to her husband who was sitting beside her and said let us give the same for our boy the husband turned and said well why what are you talking about our boy didn't lose his life and the mother said that's just the point the ones who had lost a son were thankful the ones who still had their son were encouraged in that moment to give thanks for what they had and so often in our life as we live we forget the price that has been paid the one who gave his life we live because he died and as we think of that the endurance of our thanksgiving should go on we have life through him by faith and for that we give thanks

[27:56] God alone is worthy of all our praise may he fill our hearts with thankfulness there was a minister in Edinburgh many years back he was known he was called Alexander White he was quite a famous minister in his day but he was always knowing for uplifting prayers in the pulpit he always had a reason to give thanks well there was this Sunday morning one Sunday morning as they gathered for worship and the weather outside was horrendous rain and wind gales blowing and there was someone sitting in the church whispered to the person beside them well surely the preacher he won't have anything to give thanks for today not on such a wretched day as this as he began to pray his words were we thank thee oh God it's not always like this and as we look back over these last number of years are we given thanks to

[29:04]  God in the midst of all the challenges it's not always like this and as we go forward may we see his son rising on our church and on our people to make us thankful and bless us and give our thankfulness even more going forward praising his name for all that he has done may we be thankful evermore for all his goodness to us let us pray our father in heaven you bless us so much and we thank you that even in the darkest of days we can say thank you lord it's not always like this and we pray lord that you will make your face to shine upon us anew that you will fill our hearts with a true sense of thankfulness to be able to praise your name and to go on oh lord in your strength saying the lord is good we are blessed as so much and we are humbled by you and so we pray lord keep us in your presence and in your strength as we ask it in jesus name amen thank you