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Gladness, Joy, and Thanksgiving
Psalm 100 |
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INTRODUCTION: The first American Thanksgiving didn't occur in 1621 when a group of Pilgrims shared a feast with a group of friendly Indians. On September 16, 1619, a group of 38 English colonists headed by Captain John Woodlief sailed from England aboard the Margaret. They landed at Berkeley Hundred 10 weeks later. This was two years earlier than the Plymouth Colony Thanksgiving. On that first day, Captain John Woodlief held the service of thanksgiving at Harrison’s landing at the Plantation. The settlers were sent by the London Company; it owned thousands of acres in the area, and settled and supported Berkeley Plantation. Exhibit A in the Virginia’s claim to firstness is this sentence in the company's instructions to the settlers -- instructions to be opened upon reaching Virginia: "We ordaine that the day of our ships arrivall at the place assigned for plantacon in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God." These settlers held that Thanksgiving at Berkeley Hundred on December 4, 1619 -- a year before the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth. It was a religious observance in which God was thanked for protecting the settlers and ensuring their safe arrival in Virginia. Surely Woodlief and his followers were equally as grateful as the Pilgrims -- equally schooled in adversity, equally determined to renew themselves with roots in the land. Surely they were equally devout and equally thankful. The first Thanksgiving was held at Berkeley Plantation in Eastern Virginia. Jamestown had been settled in 1607 but had experienced great hardships. By the winter of 1610 Jamestown had reduced a group of 409 settlers to only 60. The survivors prayed for help, without knowing when or how it might come. When help arrived, in the form of a ship filled with food and supplies from England, a prayer meeting was held to give thanks to God. The Pilgrims were Puritans, the religious group that colonized Massachusetts. They created a religious state there, for their own religion only, and persecuted, injured, and killed people with whose religious beliefs they disagreed. Their Thanksgiving day was not strictly religious, but rather a harvest celebration. In Virginia, their Thanksgiving was strictly religious, thanking Almighty God for His provision. The Virginia did not physically harm others who did not agree with them and very tolerant people. Thanksgiving should be the normal daily attitude of Christians who have been forgiven of their sins and received eternal life because of the love and charity of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. In this Psalm and other passages I want us to focus our attention on the word "gladness" in verse 2. The word is the Hebrew word simchah and used 144 times in Scripture which indicates that gladness is an important concept with God. A good example of the use of the word is found in Acts 2 when Peter used Psalm 16:9 to refer to David’s foreseeing of Christ’s coming. "For David speaketh concerning him [Jesus Christ], I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." (Acts 2:25-27)
The New Testament word literally means to jump for joy.
The Lord is reminding Israel of bringing them out of Egypt and restoring them to the land and prospering them in Psalm 105. Verse 43 reads, "And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness:"
The word refers to something that is good. Note the word joy is coupled with gladness. Joyfulness and gladness are companions are principles that will mark the spiritual state of a believer who is obeying the Lord and thus in fellowship with Him.
Joy or a form of the word such as joyful, joyfulness are used by God 187 times to describe the spiritual state of a believer.
The word means refers to glee, pleasure, and rejoicing that produces smiling, happiness, and a merry continence.
You might think it is a verb, but 94 times in Hebrew it is a noun. That means it is a "thing" a tangible and outward express of joy.
In Genesis 31:27 it is the first time the word is used in the Bible and is translated "mirth" as well as joy and joyfulness.
Mirth is a noun defined as gaiety or jollity, especially when accompanied by laughter such as "the excitement and mirth of the holiday season."
Isaiah 51:3 which is a Messianic passage which promises future blessing to Israel. Note that joy and gladness or joined with thanksgiving.
I. Serving the Lord with Gladness. Psalm 100:1
A. "A Psalm of praise. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands." (Psalms 100:1)
It literally means a joyful loud shout.
ILLUS: In March 1967 I boarded a DC-8 at Tan Son Khut AFB, outside Saigon, Vietnam. The passengers were all soldiers who had serve their tour of duty in Vietnam. As the plane taxed to the runway I could sense the excitement and as the plane gained speed and lifted off their was exuberance shouting. We survived and were headed home. I was an experience I will never forget.
God the sinner who hears of the grace of God, of His forgiveness for all his sins, and the wonderful gift of eternal life, this is the joy that should be in his/her life. The burden of sin is lifted, the sting of death is no more, and the once sinner is free.... To me that is a great joy and bring gladness to my heart as it should every believer.
ILLUS: Robert Louis. Stevenson said, "When a happy man comes into a room it is as if another candle had been lighted!" When the spirit of gladness and thankfulness rules the heart, light springs up to dispel the darkness and gloom.
ILLUS: The story is told that one day a lady was crossing a certain London station, when an old man stopped her, and said: "Excuse me, ma'am, but I want to thank you for something." "Thank me!" exclaimed the lady. "Yes'm. I used to be ticket collector and whenever you used to go by you allays give me a cheerful smile and a 'good mornin',' and you don't know what a difference it made to me. Wet or fine, it was allays the same, and I thinks to meself, `Wonder where she gets her smile from; one cannot be allays happy, yet she seems to,' and I know'd that there smile must come from inside somehow. Then one mornin' you comes by and you had a little Bible in yer hand, and I says to meself, `P'r'aps that's where she got her smile from.' So as I went home that night I bought a Bible, and I've been readin' it, and I've found Christ, and now I can smile too, and I want to thank yer."—The Way of Faith.
ILLUS: I notice the checkout clerks when I make purchases. One here in town works at a hardware store. When I come in she always greets me with a happy smile. She is partly crippled, but it doesn’t effect her smile.
Often I get the other reaction. Some clerks act grumpy and bothered to check my purchases out. I try to smile as much as possible and look people in the eye. Most people avoid looking others in the eye. Recently I was at Walmart and was checked out by a lady who did not look grumpy but she appeared very tired. I said you must have worked a long shift as you looked tired. She smiled and said she had missed her break and had to work part of someone else’s shift. When she handed me the my ticket I said, thank you very much. She replied with a smile...thank you Sir for noticing.
I have recently began to watch people and their expressions. Yes, here at church too.... I don’t wish to criticize, but often people come to church and forget their smiles. I am guilty of this too, but I have promised the Lord I will not share my difficulties with others. I will not be a discouragement to others by not showing thanksgiving and gladness of being a child of God. I cannot help but think, if there is no smile on their face, there probably is no joy or gladness in their hearts.
Remember what David said in Psalm 122:1. It is titled "A Song of degrees of David. I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD." (Psalms 122:1)
The phrase "A song of degrees" refers to being lifted up to a higher place or plain. Are you lifted up when you come to church?
B. "Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing." (Psalms 100:2)
This verse speaks of serving the Lord and worshiping Him. Serving the Lord and coming before the Lord should naturally be down with gladness and joy.
I think that most of us had not considered how God looks on our countenance. In our daily lives and surely when we come to worship together. It should be a happy time, a cheerful experience as we offer the Lord our thanksgiving and praise.
Some might say, I don’t feel cheerful, however, cheerfulness is something that can be cultivated and it is the duty of all Christians to show to the world by their happy, cheerful lives that Christianity is the most worthwhile thing in the whole world! We are the Lord’s witnesses and we should both inwardly and outwardly have joy in our lives.
We sing the song, "Count your blessing." I wonder if we are simply singing the words with no understanding of what they mean or imply in the believer’s life?
Joyfulness is characteristic of the soul that lives in communion with God, and that soul unconsciously will persuade others to "taste and see that the Lord is good," and that "blessed is the man that trusteth in Him" as Psalm 34:8 says. The verse says, "O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him." (Psalms 34:8)
Often Christians are concerned for the salvation of their loved ones and pray for their salvation, yet it is possible to nullify our prayers and witness in showing too little thanksgiving with its resulting joy and pleasantness around them.
No grumpy, sullen Christian has any influence in the home, or in the church. How can the world, that is bent on seeking pleasure be persuaded to accept anything that will not add to their lives happiness?
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." (Galatians 5:22-24)
ILLUS: Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit that can’t be faked! You either have it or you don't. You might attempt to hang apples on the pear tree. But it is not real fruit is it? You cannot disquise a pear tree as a apple tree, can you? God doesn’t want you to pretend or play the hypocrite. If you don’t have the joy that God intends for you, go to Him today. Yield yourself to Him, to His will, to His love and He will fill your life with joy unspeakable.
C. "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)
I wonder at times do we who have put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ remember who is He is?
He is our God, our Savior who suffered and died paying the debt of sin we owed. He is our LORD....that means our master. He is our Savior, our protector, our provision of everything in our lives.
Lest we forget who we are, He reminds us that we are His sheep. Paul tells us "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." (1 Corinthians 6:20)
D. "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name." (Psalms 100:4)
Entering into His gates refers to public worship. I the Old Testament people went to the temple to worship. They assembled into the courts that surrounded the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.
Have you considered why God calls us to worship Him?
READ Hebrews 10:1-27
1. To bring us to remembrance of our sins. v1-3
2. To remember the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus and to honor Him and show Him our thanksgiving. v4-12
3. To remember our sins are forgiven forever. V13-17
4. To remember the Lord Jesus is our High Priest who makes intercession for us. v18-21
5. To remember we have the full assurance of God our sins are forgiven through faith. v22-23
6. To consider one another to provoke to love and good works. v24
7. To keep us from not forsaking us from assembling together. v25
8. To warn us that a falling off of our faithfulness will bring sin and God’s chastisement.v26-27
F. "For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations." (Psalms 100:5)
O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. (Psalms 34:8)
Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant. (Psalms 135:3)
The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. (Psalms 145:9)
The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD. (Jeremiah 33:11)
The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. (Lamentations 3:25)
The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him. (Nahum 1:7)
Conclusion:
Carolyn and I watched the movie Pollyanna, based on the best-selling 1913 novel by Eleanor H. Porter. Pollyanna was an orphan who after her parents died went to live with her Aunt Nancy who was "put out" by having to take her in. She showed her no kindness and made her life hard. Yet, Pollyanna’s father had taught her to always look for the good side of things and focus on being glad. She had a sunny attitude and sought to help others who were struggling. When her aunt gave her an attic drab room with only a bed and a small table to show her dislike of Pollyanna. She told her aunt she was glad for the room because it had a window and she could look out on the beautiful gardens below. Many of the people in town lived sad drearly lives. Pollyanna played a little game with others, called the "glad game" seeking to help these town people in overcoming their situations. Through her game of looking for things to be glad of no matter what the circumstances to helped transform the lives of those around her. She would encourage them to look for the good things they could be glad of. Even when she lost the use of her legs when hit by a car, her uplifting spirit brought her through a difficult time.
Folks, God gave us the emotion and great benefit of being able to glad and to have joy and peace in our lives. I think so many people are missing this wonderful blessing God has provided. We have the God given ablity to be a blessing to others and to encourage them, yet often we are selfishly too engrossed in ourselves to even notice others. We are certainly the poorer for it.
Could we too play the "Glad game" and make it a major part of our daily lives. Think about how much we could help others, and in turn ourselves.
Listen to what our Savior says to us!
"Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever." (Psalms 30:11-12)
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