The Importance of Praise
Prairie Baptist Church – 10/18/09
P.M. Service
Text: Psalm 8
Key verse: Psalm 8:9 - O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!
Premise: Praise is both a command of God and a necessary part of who we are in our relationship to Him.
The Introduction
The Duke of Wellington, the British military leader who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo, was not an easy man to serve under. He was brilliant, demanding, and not one to shower his subordinates with compliments. Yet even Wellington realized that his methods left something to be desired. In his old age a young lady asked him what, if anything, he would do differently if he had his life to live over again. Wellington thought for a moment, then replied. "I’d give more praise," he said. Bits & Pieces, March 31, 1994, p. 24.
Sometimes, life seems to be going so fast and passing us by, that when we look back, we will wish that we had praised God more.
To praise God is to acknowledge Him:
• His goodness
• His sovereignty
• His holiness
• His salvation
• His grace
Our trouble comes in not finding the time to praise Him, but taking the time to praise Him.
Is something missing in your Christian life? Try praise.
Is discouragement getting the best of you? Try praise.
When we praise, we take the focus off of this life and put it onto God.
That is always a win-win situation.
This Psalm meditates on the glory of God and His creation and of His goodness to man.
1. The Superiority of God – 8:1
2. The Strength of God – 8:2
3. The Supreme Creation of God – 8:3-5
4. The Supervision by God – 8:6-9
Body
1. We Should Praise God Because He Deserves Praise – 1
A. There is no other deserving of praise beside God
B. Listen to the what surrounds the throne of God at all times - Isaiah 6:1-3 - 1In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!”
C. His glory transcends this earth – Isaiah 66:1 - Thus says the LORD: “Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest?
2. We Should Praise God Because It Silences Critics – 2
A. A young musician’s concert was poorly received by the critics. The famous Finnish composer Jean Sibelius consoled him by patting him on the shoulder and saying, ’Remember, son, there is no city in the world where they have a statue to a critic.’ Haddon Robinson.
B. Our determined praise frustrates those who would criticize us
i. Instead of retaliation, we show grace
ii. Instead of hatred, we show love
iii. Instead of judgment, we show patience
iv. All of this is a part of and accompanied by praise.
C. Praise is pleasing to God - Proverbs 16:7 - When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
3. We Should Praise God Because He Has Valued Us – 3-5
A. A story was told of a man who loved old books. He met an acquaintance who had just thrown away a Bible that had been stored in the attic of his ancestral home for generations. “I couldn’t read it,” the friend explained. “Somebody named Guten-something had printed it.” “Not Gutenberg!” the book lover exclaimed in horror. “That Bible was one of the first books ever printed. Why, a copy just sold for over two million dollars!”
His friend was unimpressed. “Mine wouldn’t have brought a dollar. Some fellow named Martin Luther had scribbled all over it in German.” Our Daily Bread, June 7, 1994.
God is of much greater value to us and we are of greater value to Him.
B. Job said in Job 10:12 - You have granted me life and favor, and Your care has preserved my spirit.
i. Out of all the works of creation, man is special (3-4)
ii. Jesus did not die for the anything in creation but man
C. God give us purpose and direction for our lives as His children
D. He put great thought and care into making each one of us - Psalm 139:14 - I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.
4. We Should Praise God Because He Has Called Us To Serve Him – 6-8
A. 1st Peter 2:9 - But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
B. As man was created to serve God in the garden we are to called to serve Him
i. Serve Him in fulfilling our calling (above verse)
ii. Serve Him in worship (proclaim the praises of Him)
5. We Should Praise God Because It Benefits Our Soul – Philippians 4:4-9
A. Momma and the toast A Sunday School teacher asked her class if they knew the difference between kindness and loving kindness. One little girl said she knew the difference. She told the teacher that kindness is like when you ask your mother for some toast and she gives it to you, but loving kindness is when you ask your mother for some toast and she gives it to you with butter and jelly on it. And that’s the way God is. God, in his loving kindness, is an exceedingly generous giver. He doesn’t just give you some blessings, but He gives some blessings with some butter and jelly on it.
We can never out give God in any aspect of our lives
B. Look at what God promises with obedience to these commands
i. Verse 6 – prayer with thanksgiving (praise) (Verse 7 – peace)
ii. Verse 8-9a – right influence and thinking (Verse 9b – presence of the God of peace)
6. We Should Praise God Because It Pleases Him – Hebrews 13:15
A. When God is pleased, things go better
B. We should praise God with our lives, but we should also praise Him with our lips.
C. Our mouth can reveal a great deal about us:
i. It will reveal our heart – Matthew 12:34 - Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
ii. It can be used to praise God - Psalm 19:14 - Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.
Conclusion:
How often do you praise God?
Is your heart and are your lips prone to praise?
When was the last time you just told God that you loved Him?
God is in tune with a life that praises Him and He is certainly worthy of every ounce of praise we can give Him.
