Sermon Central
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What Praise Will Produce
Contributed by Kirk Devine on Jul 29, 2002 (message contributor)
Summary: This sermon will help the believer understand the awesome power of Prasie.
WHAT PRAISE WILL PRODUCE
As I look at the church today, I am amazed at the attitude that some of us have adopted… It blows my mind how many folks come into the House of God week after week and leave the same way they came… It’s mind-boggling to me how some folk treat the church just like they treat their job… They just show up and put in their time, then complain about everything that’s going on, but do nothing to help the matter… It seems like you ought to get tired of the same old things… You ought to get tired of living from day to day without any joy, peace, and happiness in your life… You ought to get tired of
Being down and out…
Going through…
Going under…
Going backwards…
You ought to be tired of coming in here week after week and leaving the same way you came…
Leaving here with the same ole problems…
Leaving here with the same ole heartaches…
Leaving here with the same ole heartbreaks…
Leaving here with the same ole let downs…
Leaving here with the same ole set backs…
(Don’t know about you but…)
I’m tired of being down and out…
I’m tired of being the tail and not the head…
I’m tired of being the defeated and not the over-comer…
But let me suggest to you the that part of the problem is your response to what life brings you… How it treats you… Part of your problem is your reaction to life itself… Part of your problem is that you won’t praise God in spite of… We all know the saying, “when praises go up…,” but do we really know and understand the Power of Praise…?
Praise can cause walls to fall… (Ask Joshua…)
Praise can stop the fury of fire… (Ask 3 Hebrew Boys…)
Praise can quench the appetite of a lion… (Ask Daniel…)
(Trying to say…) There is Power in Praise…
Understand me when I tell you that Praise is Permeated with Productive Power… True Praise has the Proclivity and the Propensity to be a Powerful Producer… (How is Praise a Producer…?) Look at the text…
The text informs us that Judah had some sons… The name Judah means Praise… But notice there is no mention of the mother anywhere here… There’s a father (producer) present, but no mention of the mother (carrier/ womb) (Sounds like the situation in the church, huh…?) (Point) Judah (Praise) shows up in the worship service and is looking partner (a bride/ womb/ carrier) to help nurture the seed that must be produced (the sons) but he can’t find one… (Secret) Judah ain’t just looking for anybody… Some of you are not attractive to Judah because your heart’s not right… Your motives aren’t right… Your intentions are not right… That’s why it seems like you’re not growing and gaining in the Kingdom Principles…
That’s why:
The church is boring to you…
The devil is beating you down…
The enemy is reeking havoc in your life…
Because you refuse to hook up with Judah and consummate your relationship with him …! But I need to tell you that there are some advantages to hooking up with Judah… Because when you and Judah (praise) hook up look what you produce…!
I. Perez: (Breach, Cut off, Divider)
Understand me when I tell you that when you praise God, He begins to cut-off some things… He begins to cutoff or cut away the things in your life that hinder you from your forward progression in Him… Perez creates a dividing line between you and what the enemy has designed for your life… You do know that the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy… But Jesus said, “I come that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly… (John 10:10)” (Point) If Jesus’ intention is for you to have life more abundantly, then that’s enough reason to praise Him right there…! (Why?) Because when you and Judah (praise) hook up, out comes a Perez (Breach, Cut off, Divider)… And Perez will cut off the tactics of the enemy…
So every time he tries to derail you from the plan of God in your life, your Perez throws him off course…
Every time he tries to remind you of past failures, your Perez steps in and reminds him of his future…
Every time he tries to block you from reaching your full potential in God, your Perez steps in and cuts off his onslaught at the very point of contact…
(Trying to say…) When you hook up with Judah (praise) it will produce a Perez…
II. Hezron: (Shut in, Surround, Shield)
When you hook up with Judah it will produce a shield… (Isaiah 59:19) “… When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard (shield, buffer, safeguard) against him…” (Ps 91) ”He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty…" Understand that Hezron blocks “all the fiery darts of the wicked one…” (Eph 6:16)
