Gratitude, Praise and Worship defined Pt.2

Messages for November 2018: Our Month of Gratitude and Praise

Message for Sunday 11^th November, 2018

Theme: understanding the Mystery of thanksgiving, Praise and Worship

Topic: Gratitude, Praise and Worship defined Pt.2

Introduction: Last week, we commenced this series looking at the mystery of thanksgiving. Today, we shall continue by looking at praise. Please understand that we already established that thanksgiving, praise and worship relates to three different aspects of the nature of God. Thanksgiving relates to the goodness of God, Praise relates to the greatness of God while worship relates to the holiness of God. Today, we continue this series by looking at praise. I believe God that by the time we are done today, God would have imparted to us the grace to praise Him always because of our new understanding.

Praise

Ps.48:1 “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.” 

We can never exhaust the power and possibility of praise because it relates to God’s greatness which is really immeasurable. When we assess God through thanksgiving and praise, it has the effect of helping us build our faith for answers to our prayers even before we begin to ask. This is why we must follow the protocol outlined in Ps.100:4 when we approach God in prayer because thanksgiving, praise and worship are all aspects of prayer.

Why should we approach God with this protocol? The bible tells us in Isa.60:18 and Ps.100:4-5 as follows:

1.     The Lord is good.

2.     His mercy is everlasting.

3.     His truth endures to all generations.

4.     God’s City is fenced by Salvation and assessed through the gates of praise.

5.     Without praise, you cannot assess any salvation from God.

6.     Thus praise is the only way to get to the presence of God.

Seven truths the bible teaches about praise

1.     God dwells in our praise. In Ps.22:3 where we learn that God inhabits the praises of Israel, the word translated inhabit means to sit enthroned in. the scripture could then mean God is Holy who sits enthroned on our praise. So each time you come to praise God, picture yourself as building Him a throne to sit over your life.

2.     Praise is one main purpose why God blesses us. Ps.5:11-12 and Lk.17:17-19

3.     Praise brings us into His victory. Praise is a major element in the revelation of God in relation to the keys of the Kingdom of God. See Ps.106:47 – the word used here is triumph which has the meaning of jubilitating or celebrating a victory that has already been won. This was the habit of the ancients when they won battles over nations. They returned in a triumphal procession just like the Lord already did for us through His Calvary experience. See Col.2:14-15 and 2Cor.2:14. Thus through praise, join the Lord’s victorious chariot and we celebrate our victory fought by the Lord for us. If you find it difficult to praise God, reading the book of Psalms out loud to your hearing and personalizing it and offering it up to God as your praise would help.

4.     God delivers us from sackcloth and mourning so that our glory may praise Him. Ps.30:1-2. What is our glory? The bible also defines it for us. Let us explore some scriptures to this effect. Ps.16:9 talks about the glory of the Psalmist rejoicing. In the rendering of the same text of Scripture in Acts, Apostle Peter puts it this way in Acts 2:26: “Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:” Thus your glory is your tongue. Praise is referred to as the fruit of our lips as we glorify God [Heb.13:5]. Any use of the tongue that does not glorify God therefore is a misuse because He put the tongue there for you to glorify Him and it is your glory when you use it to glorify Him.

5.     Praise is the means by which God rids us of the spirits that cause mourning and depression. He gives us the garment of praise instead of the spirit of heaviness. Isa.61:1-6. So if you are tempted to be depressed or moody, you can overcome the temptation by putting on the garment of praise. At this point, praise becomes a sacrifice because you do not feel like it. Ps.38:1; Jer.33:1. David once said to a man that he could not offer unto God what cost him nothing. Sacrifices are costly but another way we can see sacrifice is giving up to go up. Therefore if you do not even feel like praising God, do not let your feeling dictate to you. As a matter of fact, praise is most acceptable to God when it costs you most. Heb.13:15-16. Like the case of Paul and Silas in the prison at Ephesus in Acts 16:25-31.

6.     Praise is a very powerful spiritual weapon that God uses to silence the enemy; the avenger. As a matter of fact, God imposes silence on the devil when we praise Him. Ps.8:2. This same text in the New Testament is translated as God perfecting praise out of the mouth of babes. Mt.21:15-16 – the ordained strength of God’s people is praise. Even the weakest believer would impose silence on the devil when they praise God.

7.     Praise prepares the way for God’s supernatural intervention. Ps.50:23; 2Chron.20:21-22 and Jonah 2:2-10. For several verses in Jonah’s text, he prayed and complained but was not heard but at the eight verse, as he began to praise God, the Lord ordered the fish to vomit him and he was rescued. Anyone who offers praise prepares the way for God to show His salvation. In Acts 16:25-31, we see the account of Paul and Silas offering the sacrifice of praise to God and How God released the earthquake to set them free. It was their praise that prepared the way for the earthquake that released them from prison.

When do we need to praise God?

We need to praise Him every day forever and ever. 

We need to praise Him always/at all times.

We need to praise Him continually.

How do we praise God?

1.     With the whole heart

2.     With understanding

3.     With lifted hands.

4.     With our lips

5.     With the dance

6.     With Timbrels.

Who are to praise God?

Ps.148 gives us a list different kinds of creatures who are to praise Him.

Who do not praise God?

The dead do not praise God. Thus if you are refusing to praise God, it is an indication that you are dead.

We shall close here today. By God’s grace next week, we shall conclude this theme looking at worship. Meanwhile there is someone reading this blog that is yet to enter into covenant with God that would permit Him to consider you His child. If you are that person and you want to make peace with God today, you can do so right away taking off with this prayer below:

Heavenly Father,

Have mercy on me a sinner. Today, I believe that Jesus died for me and you raised Him from the dead for my Justification. I therefore declare that Jesus Christ is my Saviour and Lord and from today, I renounce the fatherhood of Satan and embrace Jesus Christ as my Saviour and Lord. Thank you for this father in Jesus’ name! Amen.

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