FREEDOM COMES WITH RESPONSIBILITY

 

Ezra 3:1-7

 

V:1. "And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem."

 A. The seventh month was the time of Atonement (Sept-Oct).

     1. The priest offered sacrifices to God for the forgiveness of the sins of the people.

         a. The It was a new start for the nation.  

 B. God had released Israel form 70 years of captivity in Babylon. Ezra 1:1-3

     1. Jerusalem had been destroyed including the temple that King Solomon had built.

     2. The Israelites had the task of rebuilding the temple. (536 BC)

     3. They started the new state of freedom with worship.

         a. They started the new month in the assemble of the saints.

         b. They started the new month in unity.

     4. They started the new month with a commitment to build the church.

         a. They set up an altar for the Lord.

         b. They committed their income to the building of the church.

 C. Every day for a Christian is the start of a new year.

    1. The altar of the Lord should be in our hearts.

    2. We should commit ourselves  to serve the Lord.

    3. We should commit our resources  in faith to the building of God's Kingdom.

 D. The Church should always be in a building program.

    1. The Church should always be reaching out to the lost.

    2. God has called us to the building of His Church.

 

V:2. "Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God."

 A. Someone should be willing to stand up for God.

     1. We should always have a heart for God.

     2. When you stand up, others will stand with you.

 B. God has called His preachers to lead the building program.

     1. We are under the leadership of God's preachers.

     2. The building has to start around the altar.

     3. We must put the worship of God first in our hearts.

 C. God has given us instructions on how to bring our offering to Him

     1. The burnt offering was an unblemished animal completely consumed by

          fire at the altar as a sacrifice to God. Lev 6:9-13

     2. God expects us to bring our very best as a sacrifice to Him.

         a. God gave us His best; His Son.

         b. We owe God our best.

V:3. "And they set the altar upon his bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD, even burnt offerings morning and evening."

 A. All around us is danger.

     1. Therefore we ought to have a continuous offering of worship to the Lord.

     2. The Israelites did not have walls around city at this time.

          a. They were open to predators.

     3. They could only rely on the Lord for their protection.

 B. God is our protector.

     1. God is the wall around us.

     2. God is more than the whole world against us.

 C. Our worship should never cease.

     1. We should never forget that God is always with us.

     2. If we expect to be protected by God, we must honor Him with our offering.

 

V:4. "They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required."

 A. In the wilderness the Israelites lived in tents.

     1. This was a reminder to them of how God had protected and provided for them

          before they came into the promise land.

     2. The tents were a temporary dwelling place until God placed them into their

          permanent home in the promise land.

     3. The feast of the tabernacles was celebrated by offering a number sacrifices for

         seven days. Lev 23: 34-43, 2 Chron 7:8

  B. We should always be mindful of how good God has been to us.

     1. Our offering to God is a token of our gratitude for His grace and mercy that falls

         fresh upon us daily.

     2. Our offering is a token of our gratitude for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

     3. It is our duty to worship God with our substance.

 

V:5. "And afterward offered the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the LORD that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill offering unto the LORD."

 A. Our offerings  to the Lord ought to be continuous.

     1. We should never cease make sacrifices to the Lord.

 B. According to the King James Commentary, "The priest offered morning and

     evening sacrifices and fulfilled their obligations at the beginning of each month as

     determined

      by the new moon." Ex 12:1-2

    1. The Jewish calendar was a lunar calendar.

        a. They knew the time of the year by the position of the moon.

     2. The Israelites understood that the moon, the great light in the sky at night was the

        glory of the Lord.

        a. The moon lights up the sky from evening to early morning.

        b. God commanded a burnt offering be made to Him at each new moon during the

            year. Num 28:14.

    2. Looking at the sky decorated with the moon and the stars ought to put us in awe of

        God's work and cause us to glorify and praise HIm.

 

V:6. "From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid."

 A. Our foundation for success is in the  God's Word.

     1. The Israelites followed God's commands in making their offering.

     2. They began their worship on the first day of the new month with a complete

          burning  of the sacrificial lamb.

         a. Jesus offered Himself completely for our sin.

         b. We ought to offering ourselves completely to the Lord as a living sacrifice.

 B. By relying  completely on the Word of Truth, we are building on a solid foundation.

     1. A successful Christian life begins with worship and total dedication to the Lord.

     2. We don't have to wait until we are completely right to worship the Lord.

     3. God accepts our worship just as we are.

 

V:7. "They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; and meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia."

 A. Building God's temple requires our personal financing.

      1. We should give sacrificially to build and maintain God's temple.

      2. We should finance God's house with the best that we have.

          a. Maintaining God's house should be our top priority.

          b. We expect God to give us top priority when we call on Him!!

          c. God gave us top priority when He sent His Son to die for our sins on the cross.

          d. What goes around, comes around.

 B. The Lord used King Cyrus to release the Israelites from captivity and to finance the

      building of the temple.

     1. We have been released from the captivity of sin.

     2. God released us with the blood of His Son. our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

C. God uses us to maintain His temple.

     1. It is a privilege to be in the land of the redeemed.

     1. It is a privilege to give in the offering.

     2. God selected us to be His offering.

     3. God should be our first love.  

 D. Our giving is an indication of our Love for God.

    1. Our giving is an indication of our devotion to God.

    2. Our giving is an indication of our obedience to God.

    3. Our giving is an indication of our trust in God.

       a. Can you trust Him with your finances?

       b. Can you trust Him with you family?

       c. Can you trust Him with your life?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "God Is Not Finished With Us" 6/30/2013

GOD IS NOT FINISHED WITH US

 

Isaiah 65:17-25

 

V:17. "For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind."

 A. God's plan of redemption for man does not end until He creates a new Heaven and

      a new Earth.  1 Cor 15:24

   1. Adam's sin in the Garden of Eden caused all mankind to be separated from God

      and in need of a redeemer. 1 Cor 15:22

      a. Jesus is our redeemer.

      b. Jesus is the bridegroom and all believers that make up the Church are His bride.

  2. Throughout the ages, Jesus has prepared His Bride to be placed in this New

 

      Heaven and this new Earth. John 3:29

B. The old Heaven and the old earth, which is corrupted by sin will be consumed with

      fire.

  1. An unblemished Heaven will be created and the unblemished Church, the bride

      of Jesus will be its inhabitants.

  2. God will not remember the old Heaven and the old earth nor its sins.

  3. The hearts of man will not be able to remember past sins.

     a. Only the new will be present in their minds.

     b. During our life as Christians, we get to start fresh every day. 2 Cor 5:17

     c. God does not hold us accountable for the sins of yesterday, because they are

         covered by the blood of Jesus.

C. God, the Father is active in His creation.

   1. He is always in control.

   2. He is the authority over Heaven and earth and all it's creations.

       a. He has the authority to create and the authority to destroy.

       b. He created this current Heaven and earth and He will replace it with a new

           Heaven and earth.

 

V:18. "But be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy."

 A. The hope of all believers is this new heaven and new earth.

      1. This is the day that the Lord has made and we should rejoice and be glad in it.

 B. The day will come when only joy will exist in the hearts of believers.

     1. This new heaven and new earth will be created after Satan and all his demons are

         cast into the lake of fire forever.  1 Cor 15:24

     2. The only influence of man will be the Holiness of God.

 C. God has elected us to be the people of joy. John 15:11

    1. There will be nothing but Joy in this new Jerusalem.

    2. The focus of the inhabitants of the new Jerusalem will be the Lord.

    3. In this life, we do not know joy without sadness.

    4. In the New Jerusalem, we will know only the joy of the Lord.

 

V:19. "And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying".

 A . The atmosphere in the New Jerusalem will be one of complete serenity.

     1. Jesus will reign.

     2. The environment will be controlled by the Lord.

         a. There will be no circumstances to cause crying or weeping.

         b. All circumstances will result in the joy of the Lord.

 B. We will know only the Lord and all His righteousness.

     1. The glory of the Lord will be constantly in the midst of His people. 

     2. Hearts and minds will praise God continuously.

 

V:20. "There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die a hundred years old; but the sinner being a hundred years old shall be accursed."

 A. There are two time frames considered in this passage of scripture.

      1. There is the time of the creation of the New Heaven and the new earth which

          is the beginning of eternity future presented in verses 16-19.

      2. There is the time of the millennial reign of Christ, which is presented in this

 

          verse.

      3. The millennial kingdom comes prior to the creation of the New Heaven and the

           new Earth.

         a. The millennial kingdom is the time set aside by God for the restoration of the

             nation of Israel.

        b. God will fulfill His prophecy that all Israel will be saved.  Rom 11:26

     4. The Church, all God's redeemed, will be taken up to be with Christ prior to

          the start of the millennial (1000 yr) reign of Christ.    Rev. 20:6

  B. During the millennial reign of Christ, He will prolong the life span of man.

      1. A person will still be considered a child at 100 years old.

      2. In the beginning, it was not uncommon for a man to live 900 years. 

  C. Even during the millennial reign of Christ, God will not fix the mind of man

      so He cannot sin.

      1. Obedience to God's command will be left to the will of man.

          a. A sinner will be cursed if He only lives a hundred years.

 

V:21. "And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them."

 A. The millennial kingdom will be a time of great productivity and prosperity.

     1. There will be success in every area of life.

     2. Man's labor will yield success.

 B. Man will be blessed according to his works.

 

V:22. "They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands."

 A. During the millennial, man will enjoy the fruits of his labors.

    1. Jesus will reign and evil will have no way to operate in the hearts of man.

     2. In the Garden of Eden, Adam enjoyed the fruits of his labor without
        worry.

     3. In the millennial kingdom, God will restore the confidence that Adam had in the

         Garden.

     4. When Christ rules in our hearts, confidence in life is automatic.

     5. When Christ rules in our hearts, all things work for our good.

 

V:23. "They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them."

 A. God has blessed man with the ability to be successful in all his labors.

     1. We have a choice to do good or evil.

     2. Those who follow the will of the Lord are protected through the troubles of life.

 B. During the millennial period, there will be no troubles of life.

     1. Man will live in peace because he will be in the immediate presence of God.

     2. Believers today may live in peace because we have the indwelling of God.

 C. The children raised in the millennial will not rebel against their parents and will

      have success according to the blessings of the Lord.

     1. The Nation of Israel will be blessed fulfilling the promises God gave to Abraham

          and David.  2 Sam 7:13

     2. We all are the blessed of the Lord.

         a. Our obedience to the Lord prompts Him to do exceedingly abundant things in

 

            our lives.

 

V:24. "And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear."

 A. God knows our thoughts before we ever express them.

     1. God knows our needs and answers our prayers as we are calling on Him.

     2. God is the fulfillment of our needs.

 B. We should always remember to call on the Lord and rely on Him for our help.

     1. Man does not know all that God knows about us.

     2. Man cannot do for us what God has in store for us.

     3. God is our present help. Psalm 46:1

 

V:25. "The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD."

 A. Doing the millennium, God will change the appetite of all animals so that they

    will be at peace with each other.

  1. Man will not fear any animal because they will be at peace with him.

  2. In the Garden of Eden, Adam was in charge of all God’s creations.

  3. In the lion's den, Daniel was not harmed.

      a. God controlled the appetite of the lions and made them peaceful for

          the period that Daniel was in the den.

 4. There is nothing to hard for God.   Ps 59:9

B. God is our peace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

      

 

   

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHAT THE LORD DOES WHEN YOU WANT WORSHIP

Isaiah 29:9-16

 

V:9. "Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink."

 A. There is a drunkenness that comes from ignoring the Word of God.

     1. If you stay in the world, you will become drunk with the things of the world.

         a. The world will have you think that what is wrong is right.

         b. The world will try to persuade you to believe that wrong is ok with God. 

     2. If you follow the ways of the world, you will not be able to make right decisions

         because your mind is corrupt.

  B. When your focus is on the world you will stagger away from the Word of truth.

      1. Focus on the world leads to spiritual blindness.

      2. Our desire to be like the world is a rejection of the righteousness of God.

      3. If you stray away, from the Word of God your conduct and your walk will

 

         become corrupt.

 

V:10. "For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered."

 A. If you decide not to worship God by not following His commands, He will give

 

      you over to your own devices.

    1. The Lord will cause you to sleep in the spirit.

    2. You will not be able to hear the Word of God.

    3. You will read the Word, but there will be no understanding.

 B. Before you will be the opportunity to serve, but you will have no desire.

     1. God will cause you to become spiritually sluggish.

     2. You will become blind to the needs of others.

     3. You will become blind to the will of the Father.

 C. What areas of your life are you spiritually blind to the Will of God?

     1. Some Christians are spiritually blind when it comes to the discipline of their

         children.

     2. Some Christians are spiritually blind when it comes to the blessing of giving.

     3. Some Christians are spiritually blind when it comes to serving the Lord.

 

V:11."And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed."

 A. In His Word, God gave us a vision of things to come.

      1. Much of the Bible is a prophecy of future events.

      2. When we ignore the Word of God, His Word becomes foreign to us.

 B. Isaiah gave Israel a prophecy of the destruction of Israel because of their sins,

      but they could not hear him.

     1. The prophecy was given around 725 BC  which occurred in 586 BC at the hands

 

         of  the Babylonians.

     2. Instead of repenting after hearing the prophecy, they continued in their sins.

     3. God keeps His Word.

         a. Thousands of Jews were killed, the city of Jerusalem destroyed and thousands

             taken into captivity.

         b. God gave the Jews a warning when the Assyrian nearly overran Jerusalem in

             701 BC.

         c. God takes his time before executing his judgment  desiring that we all be

 

             saved.

 

         d. However, our repeated sins after His warnings will result in His wrath .

 C. Sometimes God will make an example of us for the benefit of the next generation.

     1. Israel spent 40 years wandering in the desert prior to going into the promise land

         because of their unbelief.

     2. God causes history to repeat itself to get our attention.

 

V:12. "And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned."

 A. God gave us His Word.

     1. We have to study the Word to get an understanding.

     2. Ignorance is not always blessed.

 B. We can't rely on man to give us the correct interpretation of God's Word.

     1. Laziness in studying God's Word can result in awful consequences.

     2. At some point in our spiritual walk, we all should become teachers.

     3. We ought to be able to determine when the Word of God is being perverted.

 C. Ignorance of God's Word is not an excuse because we have the indwelling of the

      Holy Spirit as our teacher.

 

V:13. "Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men."

 A. God commands us to worship Him in spirit and in truth.

    1. When we hear the Word of God, it ought to effect a change in our hearts to give

 

        God honor and glory.

    2. We ought not show up for church for church sake.

        a. Going through the motions does not please God.

 B. Our worship ought to draw us closer to God.

     1. Our Worship ought to be because we love God. The evidence is following His

         commands and loving the brethren.

     2. Our worship should based on our fear of God.

     3. Our worship ought to because we honor God.

 C. God does not want lip service.

      1. God wants true servants who make themselves available to Him.

      2. The traditions of man have no place in the worship of God.

          a. Our worship must be according to the Word of God.

          b. True worship considers God as the supreme being and the

              creator and the owner of all things.

     3. True worship gives God praise for all that He does.

     4. True worship gives thanks to God for His goodness.

 

V:14. "Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid."

 A. God does miracles before our eyes every day.

     1. We do not have to rely on the limited wisdom of man to understand the works of

         God.

     2. Man tries to understand the works of God from a logical stand point.

         a. God does not follow man's logic.

         b. God's ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts.

 B. We can only understand God through our faith.

      1. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

      2. The just live by faith and not by sight.  

 C. If you don't know the Word for yourself, you can easily be mislead.

     1. The Spiritual person understands God because the spirit of God lives within.

     2. The Spiritual person has a continuous diet of Bible Study.

 

V:15. "Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?"

 A. You can't hide any thing from God.

     1. God knows what you are going to do before think of doing it.

     2. God made you, so He knows your heart.

 B. You do not have a front before God.

     1. God sees you and not your makeup.

     2. Your heart is an open book before the Lord.

 C. You can deceive man but not the Lord.

     1. You can only deceive yourself and others around you.

     2. There are consequences to any attempt to deceive the Lord.

     3. God has a way of calling you out.

     4. He will lay you out on the carpet for all to see.

 D. Everybody looks good in a suit.

      1. Since God is the tailor, He knows who fits in His suits.

      2. Some of us wear the suit, but the fit is not right.

  C. Truth brings life and a lie bring God's wrath.

 

V:16. "Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?"

 A. You can't turn the Word of God into your way of thinking.

      1. We would turn things upside down if we had our way.

      2. We would tell the potter what to do with His clay.

      3. We have to be careful not to act as if God is not our maker.

 B. God made you so he knows all about you

      1. You can't pervert the Word of God and get away with it.

      2. God is not pleased when we try to make His Word fit our way of thinking.

 C. We can't fit God into our will.

     1. We have to fit into God's will.

     2. We can't fit God into our plan.

         a. We have to fit into God's plan.

     3. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.

         a. We are not the way.

         b. We are not the truth.

         c. We have no life other than Jesus.

 D. We cannot tell God what commands we will accept.

     1. We have to follow and accept all of God's commands.

 E. God is supreme and we must treat Him with honor.

     1. We must glorify God in all our doings.

     2. God has been good to us, so we owe Him praise and honor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "Praise The Lord", 6/9/2013

PRAISE THE LORD

 

Isaiah 12:1-6

 

JESUS, MY SALVATION

V:1. "And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me."

 A. In the eleventh chapter, Isaiah gave the prophecy of the reign of Jesus Christ; His

      first coming.

    1. The word "day" refers to the time when Jesus came, established His Church and

        made salvation available to all through His death on the cross.

    2. The Father should be praised for His love for us.

        a. His love is shown for us by sending His Son to the cross.

        b. The death of Jesus is the only acceptable sacrifice for sin.

    3. Only God can rescue us from the penalty of our sins.

 B. God made a perfect world, but sin corrupted His creation.

    1. After the initial sin of Adam, man became progressively more sinful and

 

       disobedient.

    2. God destroyed all mankind except for Noah and His family with a great flood and

        the genealogy of man continued through Noah.

        a. God has reason to be angry because the sins of man continue and

            multiply even to this day.

        b. This prompted God to say, "there is none righteous, no not one."   Rom 3:10

  C. Isaiah looking forward to the "Day" when the Messiah would come said, "O Lord

       I will praise you."

      1. It is our job to praise the Lord.

      2. He favored us with His Son as the perfect sacrifice for our lives.

      3. Everything that has breath should praise the Lord.  Psalms 150:6

  D. Before Jesus came to our rescue, God was angry with us. 

     1. Our destination was a fiery burning hell.

     2. The death of Jesus on the cross put an end to God's anger with us.

     3. Jesus is the only one who can reconcile us to the Father.

     4. Jesus is the only one who can cool God's anger against us.

  E. Now that we have Jesus, we can have comfort in our state as a child of the King.

 

V:2. "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; He is also my salvation."

 A. "Behold": Look, see, take notice, let me have your attention.

    1. We need a good understanding of this truth; God is our salvation.

       a. He is my deliverance from sin.

       b. He is my victory in life.

       c. He is my prosperity.

 B. I will trust the Lord.

    1. Is there anybody I can trust with my salvation other than Jesus?

    2. We have a decision to make; trust Jesus or trust the world.

    3. God won’t make that decision for you.

 C. I will not be afraid.

    1. In the hands of the Lord we are safe.

    2. God is the source of our confidence.

 D. God is my song.

    1. All praises belong to God.

    2. There is none worthy of praise but the Lord.

 E. God is my Salvation

     1. Salvation =yeshuwah= God's act of help which has already happened.

     2. Yeshuwah is the same root word we get the name "Jesus" (yeshuah).

JESUS, MY JOY

V:3. "Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation."

 A. "Ye shall draw". The Jews used this phrase to describe the Holy Spirit.

     1. The gift of the Holy Spirit is given to every believer.

         a. He is the indwelling teacher of God's Word.

         b. He is our resident comforter. John 14:26

         c. He is our helper in making daily decisions and He is our power to resist the

 

            devil.

   B. Jesus is the living water. (Samaritan woman at the well).

      1. Jesus is the answer to our thirst for life and its abundance.

      2. Without water all the inhabitants of the earth would die.

           a. Without water there can be no produce from the ground.

           b. Without water all plant life would cease to exist.

      3. Jesus is the giver of this life-giving water.

      4. Jesus is the giver of His Word, which is life to all believers.

         a. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

         b. We continue to draw life giving water from Jesus.  John 4:14

   C. It should give us joy to call on the Lord.

      1. He is our present help.  Heb 13:6

      2. It is a privilege to have a knowledge of Jesus and  be able to trust Him.

          a. No one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him.

          b. It is the Father who draws us to this life-giving source.

 

EXALTING THE LORD, MY PRIVILEDGE

V:4. "And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that His name is exalted."

 A. "In that day" is the time when Jesus made salvation available to all who believe.

     1. We are "In that day".

     2. We are living in the "Church Age".

         a. This is the time when Jesus is building His Church.

         b. This is the time when disbelievers become believers in the salvation of Jesus.

         c. This is the time when Jesus, the bride-groom is preparing His bride, the

 

             Church, for Himself.

 B. We should Praise the Lord.

     1. We should give praise for our life.

     2. We should give praise for His goodness to us.

     3. We should give praise for our eternity.

     4. We should give praise just "Because".

         a. Because He is worthy to be praised.

         b. Because He is God.

         c. Because He died for our sins.

         d. Because He is our provider.

         e. Because He is all things we need.

 C. We should call on His name.

      1. There is no other help I know.

      2. We should call on Him because He is the truth.

      3. We should call on Him because He is righteous.

      4. We should call on Him because He is our friend.

      5. We should call on His name because He is the only one who can provide

          salvation.

 D. We should declare His doings.

      1. We have been commissioned to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

      2. Someone needs to know the Jesus we serve.

      3. We need to tell others that there is life in Jesus.

      4. We have a duty to tell others that Jesus died and that they might have eternal

 

          life.

      5. We have a duty to tell others that Jesus is the solution to our troubles.

 E.  We should proclaim that name of Jesus, which must be exalted.

     1. At the name of Jesus, every knee should bow and every heart should be

         brought low.  Rom 14:11

     2. God hates the proud but He exalts the humble.

         a. Before Jesus, we must have a humble spirit.

         b. He is high and we are lower than dirt.

     3. God loves a cheerful giver.

         a. God loves those who take time to offer a sacrifice of praise.

         b. God loves those who honor Him with their service.

 

WE ARE GOD'S PRAISE TEAM

V:5. "Sing unto the LORD; for He hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth."

 A. Sing= Zamar= play an instrument, celebrate with song and music.

    1. The word "zamar" is a verb in the imperative form. This is a command from the

        Lord.

    2. It is our duty to praise the Lord in song and with instruments.

        a. Every day for believers is a day to celebrate the Lord.

        b. Every day His grace and mercy falls fresh on us.

 B. We should praise the Lord because all of His works are excellent.

     1. When we consider His creation, we know it is excellent.

     2. When we consider His work in our lives, we know His work is excellent

     3. When we consider His love for us, we know His love is excellent.

     4. When we consider His Son, who died for us, we know He is excellent.

     5. When we consider all that God has done for us, we know He is excellent.

 

V:6. "Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee."

 A. Cry out and shout.

     1. Those who love the Lord should never be silent.

     2. We should express joy and pleasure praising the Lord.

     3. Our praise should be loud and with excitement.

 B. We are the inhabitants of Heaven.

    1. Jesus has prepared a place for us.

    2. We should be excited because Jesus is our Lord and Savior.

C. There is none Holy but the Lord.

     1. This Holy Lord has claimed us as His people.

     2. This Holy Lord has made a way for us out of our trouble.

 D. Jesus is in our midst.

     1. Jesus said, “Where two or more are gathered in My Name, I am in the midst.

     2. Jesus lives in us.

         a. He said, If you abide in Me and my Word abide in you, ask what you will

            and it will be done for you.  John 15:7

     3. We should be excited because the Lord hears our prayers.

 

 

 

 

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