"Shout for Joy" | Pastor Ben Kellert

⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations."

• Written with each one of us in mind...It is for us...
• Begins with "All the Earth..."
• Ends with "All generations..."
  

“When we sit down at the table of abundance, and give praise to God, We are sacrificing the notion that we have provided for ourselves. We are sacrificing the notion that we have what it takes to take care of ourselves. We are acknowledging our God as the supreme giver.”

Remember, everything we have has been given to us by God.  He is our provider.

Command #1 - Shout for Joy to the Lord

• With Thanksgiving in our hearts...
• "I will tell your name..."
• You realize that God has been so good to you that you have to share it!

Command #2 - Worship the Lord with gladness

• Offer your bodies to God as your living sacrifice
• Serve the Lord willingly and with gladness...
• Serving is worship

"And now the Service Begins"

• When you walk out of the church, your service begins... that is your mission field!
• Matthew 25:35-40  "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

  ³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

  ⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Command #3 - Come

• God, clear the distractions so we can focus on You, come into Your presence and really experience Your love!
• Come and sing
• Draw near unto Him
• Psalm 22:3  "Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises."
• John 4:23  "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks."

Command #4 - Know

• Know who you are worshipping
• Let me tell you all about Him because I have a relationship with Him

Know that:

1. He is our Creator
2. He is our Redeemer

Philippians 3:8 & 10 "What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ."  ^"I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,"

John 10:11-16   “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹² The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. ¹³ The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. ¹⁴ “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶ I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd."

Psalm 100:4-5 "Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations."

3 Keys:

1. Enter
2. Praise
3. Give Thanks

Know That:

1. God is God.  Gospel = Good News.  Those who look to Him are radiant and their faces shall never be put to shame.
2. God is Love.
3. God is Faithful.  He is unchanging... the same yesterday, today and forever!

Worship God and give Him Thanks - He is Good, loving and dependable!

Shout to the Lord all the Earth! He's been good in the past and will always be good!

*Next, click here to watch the full replay of this sermon, "Shout to the Lord".