Sermon Notes: Praise

 “PRAISE!”

1 CHRONICLES 29:10-13; Revelation 5:13

Introduction

How and why you praise The Lord can influence the quality and quantity of your life. The enemy and your carnality will influence you to undervalue and misunderstand the power and purpose of praise. Today, we “blow the whistle” on our ignorance and ignite a new and accurate understanding and, subsequent, practice of praise.

In 1761, John Wesley wrote “Directions for Singing” for his worshipping community of faith. One of the directives is: Sing lustily and with good courage.  Beware of singing as if you were half-dead or asleep; but lift up your voice with strength.  Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of it being heard, than when you sung songs of satan.

Today’s message, when properly applied, will BOTH enrich your personal and public life AND enlarge God’s presence in your life.

PRAISE THE LORD ROYALLY!                                                  Psalm 150:6

1. As members of God’s Kingdom, it is our duty to praise The Lord.
2. Although we tend to view praise as an option, it really is not an option. Based on the Scriptures, we, as believers, are actually obligated to bless and praise The Lord, The King.
3. When we choose not to praise Him, we are out of compliance, out of order.

PRAISE THE LORD RATIONALLY!                                                Psalm 103:1

1. To the Greeks, the soul was psuche, literally the “breath of life.”
2. For Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle, the soul, or anima, was that which animated the body.
3. Isaac Newton saw the soul as energy and breath to and for the body. Newton argued that the soul is the entity that maintains vitality to the body and imbues life to our limbs.
4. Newton also argued that the soul gives breath to your intellect. As a result, your soul gives breath to your power and will to create, understand and relate.
5. When we praise The Lord, our very being is infused and enlivened with His power.

PRAISE THE LORD REMARKABLY!             Genesis 1:1-3; Exodus 15:1-3

1. God created order out of chaos.
2. In both Hebrew and Greek traditions, chaos implies a gap, uncertainty and instability.
3. When we praise The Lord, gaps are closed, uncertainties are clarified and instabilities are steadied.

PRAISE THE LORD REBELLIOUSLY!                         Exodus 15:14, 15, 18

1. 1. Miriam and the Hebrew women sang a song, a doxology, of deliverance immediately after the Red Sea experience.
   2. If The Lord reigns, then Pharaoh has been dethroned. He is without authority and there is no more free brickmaking.  Pharaoh lost his social status.
   3. Praise both glorifies The Lord and de-glorifies the enemy.
   4. When you praise The Lord, you rebel against the evil empire. You also go against your personal demons.

PRAISE THE LORD RICHLY OR REWARDINGLY!                 Psalm 67:5, 6

1. 1. God’s blessings (to us) are a direct function of His grace. No grace, no blessings!
   2. The increased productivity which flows from our minds and hands – not to mention the production itself – is a blessing from God.
   3. While you may have worked hard to get what you have, you have what it takes to get what you have because God gave it to you. You could not earn it.  Even if you think you deserve it now, that has not always been the case.
   4. When you praise The Lord, He grants increase (as He sees fit).

CONCLUSION

Praise The Lord for the manifestation of I Chronicles 29:10 – 13 both in your life and the life of The Windsor Village Church Family!

Source: Israel’s Praises by Walter Brueggemann; The Mind of God by Dr. Jay Lombard; and Word Biblical Commentary Psalms 51 -100 by Marvin E. Tate

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