Verse 3: "Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture."
Pursing our 7 key command words, we have seen: (1) "shout" in verse 1; (2) "worship" in verse 2; (3) "come before" in verse 2; and now (4) "we are his people"; and (5) "we are...the sheep of his pasture."
There are 5 things we know in verse 3. We know: (1) "that [he] is God"; (2) "he...made us"; (3) "we are his"; (4) "we are his people"; and (5) "we are...the sheep of his pasture."
Let's just take a moment this morning to meditate upon these 5 things.
(1) "Know that the Lord is God." Paul says in Philippians 3:10: "that I may know Him, and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death" (NASB).
(2) "It is he who made us." Make no mistake about it, He's the creator and sustainer of the universe, and of each of us as well.
Paul tells the Colossians: "For by him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things have been created by Him and for Him" (1:16 NASB).
(3) "we are his." We belong to Him as His possession because He made us. He redeemed us with the blood of His Son. We are twice His, one by creation and second by redemption.
(4) "we are his people." 1 Peter 2:9, 10: "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy" (NASB).
(5) "we are...the sheep of his pasture."
John 10:14: "I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and My own know Me" (NASB).
Isaiah 40:11: "He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young" (NIV).
The key word in verse 3 is "Know." The things we are to know are 5 in number: (1) "[he] is God"; (2) "he...made us"; (3) "we are his" (possession); (4) "we are his people"; and (5) "the sheep of his pasture."
What a great and glorious God! The more you know the more you love Him. You don't have to worship Him, you get to worship Him.
