1. Earlier in this Psalm the writer reflected upon various ways in which: a. God demonstrated His mighty power b. God demonstrated His providence. 2. After doing so the writer determined that he would do 3 things. a. First, he would sing praise to the Lord as long as he lived (vs.33). b. Second, his meditation of the Lord would be sweet (vs.34a). c. Third, he would "be glad in the Lord" (vs.34b). 3. In our lesson we are concentrating on the 3rd activity -- being "glad in the Lord." 4. Gladness: feeling of joy or pleasure, cheerfulness 5. While we are to be glad in the Lord generally, more specifically: a. we are to be glad in the Lord as we hear His Word b. we are to be glad in the Lord as we worship Him c. we are to be glad in the Lord as we face difficulties. Discussion: I. FIRST, WE ARE TO BE GLAD IN THE LORD AS WE HEAR HIS WORD
A. In Acts 2:41 we read about a large group of people on Pentecost who "gladly received his word." 1. Peter had preached a great sermon in which he showed that Jesus is the Christ (see vs.36). 2. This sermon pricked the hearts of those who heard it (see vs.37). 3. (vs.38) Peter told them what they needed to do. 4. According to vs.41, about 3,000 people "gladly received his word." a. They responded by being baptized. b. They were added to the Lord's church (vs.41b, 47b). B. We need to examine the way that we hear the Scriptures (Luke 8:18 -- Jesus said, "Take heed therefore how ye hear"). 1. God's Word is not "grievous" (1 John 5:3). 2. Those who hear God's Word with gladness will be blessed (Psalm 19:7-11). 3. We need to be like the people we read about in Mark 12:37 -- "And the common people heard Him [Jesus] gladly." II. SECOND, WE ARE TO BE GLAD IN THE LORD AS WE WORSHIP HIM
A. The proper attitude toward worship is expressed in Psalm 122:1 -- "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord." B. Reflecting upon God's power and providence as the writer of Psalm 104 did will lead us to be extremely thankful. C. Thankfulness will lead us to worship the Lord with "gladness" (Psalm 100). D. Notice how glad the people were in Acts 2:46-47. III. THIRD, WE ARE TO BE GLAD IN THE LORD AS WE FACE DIFFICULTIES
A. Jesus dealt with this in Matthew 5:10-12. B. By following the instructions given in Philippians 4:4-8 we can respond to difficulty with "gladness." 1. (vs.4) The Lord's will is for Christians to "rejoice" [be glad] always. 2. To accomplish this we must: a. demonstrate forbearance unto all men (vs.5a) 1) To help us do this we are reminded that "the Lord is at hand." 2) We must look to His example and call upon Him for help. b. avoid being anxious (vs.6a) The alternative to being anxious is talking to God through prayer. c. think upon the right things (vs.8). 3. A special blessing is in store for those who follow these instructions (vs.7). Conclusion:
1. According to Psalm 104:34, "being glad in the Lord" requires determination. 2. Let us begin each day with the words found in Psalm 118:24.
