THE JOY IN PRAISING GOD
In today’s environment, we
need an encouraging word from
the Lord. We can start with
encouraging ourselves with
the Word of God. Tonight,
let’s consider praise.
For the believer, praising
God should be as automatic as
your heart beat. I believe
the heart beat of the Christian is in
his praise.
We should praise God for who
He is, for what He
Has done and what we cannot
conceive Him doing in the
future.
We have a saying; He is
worthy to be praised. There are many
benefits to praising God.
There are psychological, physiological,
emotional, and spiritual
benefits to praise.
The word praise is from the
Latin word pretium which means price
or value. One writer concluded that true praise is the
sincere
acknowledgement of a real
conviction of worth.
In the Old Testament, the
Hebrew word for praise is halal which
Includes praising in prayer,
with musical instruments, singing
and dancing.
Everyone should praise God in
their own ways. The Bible is filled
with ways God designed for
praise.
We must be careful that our
praise is motivated by our love for God,
and our desire to please Him
with an attitude of thankfulness.
It is easy to repeat words of
praise with empty meanings. That is
false praise.
Matt 15:8-9
"These people honor me
with their lips,
but their hearts are far from
me. 9 They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules
taught by men.”
We are in difficult times and
therefore we should seek the Lord
for His guidance to joy. Here
is what He says to us;
Psalms 30:5
For his anger lasts only a
moment,
but his favor lasts a
lifetime;
weeping may remain for a
night,
but rejoicing comes in the
morning.
Praise is the way to joy.
Praise must come from the
heart, out of love and obedience.
Let us spend some time looking
at why we should praise
God.
A COMMAND TO PRAISE
Psalms 150:6
Let everything that has
breath praise the Lord .
Psalms 29:1-3
29 Ascribe to the Lord , O
mighty ones,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the
glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.
PRAISE ORDAINED BY GOD
Psalms 8:2
From the lips of children and
infants
you have ordained praise
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the
avenger.
WAYS TO PRAISE GOD
PRAISE WITH YOUR MOUTH
Psalms 103:1-2
Praise the Lord , O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise
his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord , O my
soul,
WITH SONG
Ps 101:1-2
101 I will sing of your love
and justice;
to you, O Lord , I will sing
praise.
2 I will be careful to lead a
blameless life —
when will you come to me?
WITH YOUR HANDS
Psalms 47:1-2
1. Clap your hands, all you
nations;
shout to God with cries of
joy.
2 How awesome is the Lord
Most High,
the great King over all the
earth!
WITH DANCE
Jer 31:4
4 I will build you up again
and you will be rebuilt, O
Virgin Israel.
Again you will take up your
tambourines
and go out to dance with the
joyful.
2 Sam 6:14
14 And David danced before
the Lord with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.
FROM THE HEART
Deut 4:29
But if from there you seek
the Lord your God, you will find him if
you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.
BENEFITS OF PRAISE
INVITES THE PRESENCE OF THE
LORD
Psalms 22:3
But thou art holy, O thou
that inhabitest the praises of Israel
EMOTIONAL BENIFITS
LIFTS YOU UP
Psalms 42:5-6
Why are you downcast, O my
soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
BRINGS COMFORT
Psalms 22:25-26
26 The poor will eat and be
satisfied;
they who seek the Lord will praise him —
may your hearts live forever!
BRING JOY
Psalms 100:4
Enter his gates with
thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise
his name.
Psalms 4:7
7 You have filled my heart
with greater joy
than when their grain and new
wine abound.
PHYCOLOGICAL BENEFITS
BRINGS PEACE
Psalms 4:8
I will lie down and sleep in
peace,
for you alone, O Lord, make
me dwell in safety.
ELIMINATES ANXIETY
Phil 4:6-7
6 Do not be anxious about
anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present
your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
BRINGS COMFORT TO THE BODY
AND SOUL
Psalms 103:2-6
PRAISE REMEMBERS THE WORKS OF
GOD
Praise the Lord , O my soul,
and forget not all his
benefits —
REMEMBERS GOD’S FORGIVENESS
3 who forgives all your sins
REMEMBERS GOD’S HEALING
and heals all your diseases,
REMEMBERS REDEMPTION
4 who redeems your life from
the pit
REMEMBERS GOD’S LOVE
5. crowns you with love and
compassion,
PRAISE BRINGS SATISFACTION
6. who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed
like the eagle's. ‘
STRENGTHEN YOU SPIRITUALY
Romans 4:19-22
Abraham was a hundred years
old — and that Sarah's womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through
unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and
gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he
had promised.
GIVES YOU COURGAGE
Psalms 56:4
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I will not be
afraid.
What can mortal man do to me?
GIVES YOU VICTORY
Psalms 18:3
I call to the Lord , who is
worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my
enemies.
COOPERATE EFFECT OF PRAISE
BRINGS US TOGETHER
Psalms 149:1-2
Praise the Lord.
Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise in the assembly of
the saints.
Heb 10:24-25
And let us consider how we
may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up
meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one
another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
HUMBLES US
James 4:7-8
7 Submit yourselves, then, to
God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he
will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts,
you double-minded.
MY PERSONAL CONVICTION
Ex 15:2
The Lord is my strength and
my song;
he has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him,
my father's God, and I will
exalt him.
PRAISE THE LORD EVERYBODY
Rev. M. Mitchell
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