I AM CREATED TO PRAISE
Human praise of God is a central theme in Scripture. The word praise is listed over 330 times in the Bible. It comes from the Latin word meaning to “value”. Therefore, when we praise God, we are proclaiming His greatness and His goodness. The book of Psalms means “Praises”, and comes from the same Hebrew root word as “hallelujah” which means “Praise the Lord.”
We learned in the last life truth that we are to be the servants of God. The Scriptures declare that the servants are to praise the Lord. Psalm 113:1-3 (NIV) 1 Praise the LORD. Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. 2 Let the name of the LORD be praised, both now and forevermore. 3 From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised. The New Testament reveals that the name of the Lord is Jesus, so we are to Praise Jesus! This truth is declared over and over in the Scriptures and is one of the main reasons each one of us has been created. The name of the Lord is to be praised and God’s creations are created to declare praise to God!
No one is excluded from praising God. Isaiah 43:21 (NIV) 21 the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise. Psalm 150:6 (NIV) 6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Jesus told us that the greatest purpose for our lives is in Matthew 22:37-38 (NIV) 37 … "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. When we love God with all of our being this causes us to worship, praise, rejoice, be thankful, and glorify. Each of these attributes has a different meaning but they are all closely related.
Worship is to acknowledge the presence of God. Praise is a response of worship. Thankfulness is a part of praise and a response to blessings given. To glorify is to bestow honor, praise, and admiration. Rejoicing is to have great delight and give praise.
Matthew 4:10, Jesus says, "Worship the Lord your God and serve him only." - Psalm 29:2 says, "Give unto the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness."
We are not only to be praising God but we are to be rejoicing in Him every day! Many times we think praise is just something we do as a congregation on Sunday, but God commands it to be a daily part of our lives.
Philippians 4:4 (NIV) 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
1 Chronicles 16:8-10 (NIV) 8 Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. 9 Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. 10 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
When we think about worship and praise, we may only think about singing. But it is so much more. It is shouting, declaring, telling, bowing, clapping, making God known, being prostrate, praying, living a holy life, and more. It is about who you are and what you love. If you are passionate about Jesus and what he has done for you, then you will worship and praise Him!
Praise is tied into the first two of the Ten Commandments where God says that we should have no others gods before Him and we are not to have any idols. This keeps us focused on giving God the praise due his name and our hearts from being drawn away to love something more than Him.
WHERE DOES WORSHIP AND PRAISE COME FROM?
a. It comes from our new nature
As we learned in our second Self-Government life truth there is no one who seeks God. Within our corrupt nature we do not want to praise God. The Scriptures declare in, 1 Corinthians 12:3 (NIV) 3 Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. Christ in us is what enables us to fulfill our responsibility to praise the Lord. Without the Holy Spirit in us, we will not praise the Lord. The phrase “Jesus be” or “Jesus is” is more about the character changes within us and not just saying the specific phrase. Do we acknowledge God for our blessings? Or do we think that somehow we have deserved them? Or that we deserve better than we have?
b. It comes from a heart fully committed to God.
We are to crucify what we want to do and be fully committed to Christ. This is the process of praise! As we surrender everything to God, we realize that His design for every one of us is to praise Him! 1 Kings 8:61 (NIV) 61 But your hearts must be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time." 2 Chronicles 16:9 (NIV) 9 For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV) 15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.
We must remember that we are corrupt. We desire to be the center of attention. We desire for worship and praise to be directed towards us. All of us deal with this self-centered attitude. Some have the “look at me” attitude for what I have done; and some have the “woe is me” attitude for not being praised enough for what I have done. This self-focus attitude needs to die and Christ alone needs to be praised!
We are told that to be a servant of God we must make ourselves the slaves of all. If we are seeking to receive the praises of men, we are not servants of Christ. Christ's servants are to be the instruments of God’s praise. It is our corrupt flesh that fights against this new nature. Our hearts must be fully committed to God. But whose heart can do that? Not one of us can by ourselves. That’s why we must humble ourselves and ask for God’s assistance in this matter. Only Christ in us can fulfill such a request! We praise when we become passionate about God.
Praise is deeper than just singing songs to God. It is the attitude of gratefulness and gratitude towards God. It flows from new hearts of humbleness, thankfulness, and awe directed towards the awesome God who created us, loved us, and gave himself for us.
SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF PRAISE
Humility - 1 Chronicles 29:20 (NIV) 20 Then David said to the whole assembly, "Praise the LORD your God." So they all praised the LORD, the God of their fathers; they bowed low and fell prostrate before the LORD and the king.
Dancing - Psalm 149:3 (NIV) 3 Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with tambourine and harp.
Singing - Psalm 135:3 (NIV) 3 Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant. Psalm 147:1 (NIV) 1 Praise the LORD. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him! Psalm 149:1 (NIV) 1 Praise the LORD. Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints.
We are commanded to sing praises to God individually and together as congregations. This is why churches have services which include congregational singing. Some people are gifted singers. Some people have the ability to lead others in worship. Sometimes we sing out loud and at other times we sing in our hearts to the Lord.
Lifting up hands - Psalm 63:4 (NIV) 4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.
Standing - Nehemiah 9:5-6 (NIV) 5…: "Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting." "Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.
Living a righteous life - Romans 12:1-2 states, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God -- this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will." –
a. Love for one another - Romans 15:7 (NIV) 7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
b. Abstaining from Immorality - 1 Peter 2:11-12 (NIV) 11 Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
c. Good deeds - Matthew 5:16 (NIV) 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
As Christians, we are to be the light illuminating Jesus. Picture a dark room with several people struggling to find their way. Then picture someone turning on a flashlight. After your eyes focus on the object in the light you see Jesus. This is to be our lives. The things we do and say should point people to Jesus. Our sacrificial serving of others should not only point people to Jesus but also bring Him praise. This is the meaning of 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV) 31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Colossians 3:17 (NIV) 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Everything that we do is to bring praise and glory to God. What does your flashlight illuminate?
HOW CAN WE MAKE SURE THAT OUR PRAISE (OR LIGHT) ILLUMINATES JESUS?
1. UNDERSTAND THAT PRAISE IS POWERFUL
Psalm 29:2 (NIV) 2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness. Ascribe means to give credit where credit is due. God is the creator and sustainer of all and therefore is He is due all praise. When we praise God, it pleases Him, and He begins to move on our behalf.
Psalm 67:5-6 (NIV)5 May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. 6 Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. The Bible declares that the land yielded a harvest because the people praised God. Notice what this passage says about the rebellious in Psalm 68:6 (NIV) 6 God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.
God’s provisions and blessings are released and sustained when we praise him. We are told in Deuteronomy 8:10 (NIV) 10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. If we do not, we become arrogant and proud, and we begin to believe that we have somehow deserved the blessings of God.
When was the last time that you thanked God for his many blessings in your life? Do you thank him daily? Do you praise him for your blessings? Notice what this self-government passage tells us about God’s will for our lives. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV) 16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
We are to be joyful, prayerful, and thankful always! I AM CREATED TO PRAISE.
2. ADMIT THAT GRUMBLING AND COMPLAINING IS SIN
A.W. Tozer said, "Without worship, we go about miserable." How would people define you? Do you have a downcast spirit that grumbles and complains or one that is joyful, and thankful?
The opposite of praise is grumbling and complaining. Do you remember the Israelites whom God delivered out of Egypt? As He was leading them to the Promised Land, they grumbled against God. At first, they grumbled about the food so God gave them quail and manna. Then they grumbled about the land, flowing with milk and honey, being inhabited. They were to eat from plants they did not plant. But they could only see the BIG people. They did not remember how BIG GOD was and that He could remove them. They forgot the miraculous power of God in the plagues and what the Lord did to Pharaoh’s army. Eventually, God had enough. Numbers 14:26-33 (NIV) 26 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: 27 "How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. 28 So tell them, 'As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very things I heard you say: 29 In this desert your bodies will fall--every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. 30 Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. 31 As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. 32 But you--your bodies will fall in this desert. 33 Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the desert.
Not only did the grumbling generation not enter into the Promised Land but their children suffered for it. Complaining and grumbling is a sin and it does not reflect a people who have been redeemed from the grave by God. Philippians 2:14-15 (NIV) 14 Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe. If you are complaining you are sinning! If you are complaining you are not praising. This life truth is not I AM CREATED TO COMPLAIN! We are not only to praise God ourselves, but we are to teach our children to praise God. (Psalm 78)
3. REALIZE THAT PRAISING GOD CAUSES US TO BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT
The Scriptures tell us that we have a responsibility to be filled with the Spirit in Ephesians 5:18-20 (NIV) 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Then in verse 19 Paul reveals to us how we are filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. When God’s people praise He enthrones himself in their midst. Psalm 22:3 (NIV) 3 Yet you are the Holy One enthroned on the praises of Israel.
When we praise Him, He takes delight in us, and He moves on our behalf. Psalm 149:2-6 (NIV) 2 Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King. 3 Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with tambourine and harp. 4 For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation. 5 Let the saints rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds. 6 May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hand.
This is some of the power that we can experience through praise:
a. It pulls us out of depression
Psalm 42:5 (NIV) 5 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. The Psalmist repeats this same verse in Psalm 42:11, and 43:5. We need to keep telling our downcast souls to praise, even forcing them to praise at times. The Holy Spirit longs for us to give praise to Jesus. We must crucify our old flesh and let our praises ring out! Sing, declare, tell of His works, shout, and dance before the Lord our God!
b. It begins a healing in our afflictions
Psalm 69:29-31 (NIV) 29 I am in pain and distress; may your salvation, O God, protect me. 30 I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. 31 This will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hoofs. Psalm 34:1-3 (NIV) 1I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. 2 My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. 3 Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.
c. It empowers us in our trials
Acts 16:22-26 (NIV) 22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose.
d. It gives us endurance in our persecutions
Matthew 5:11-12 (NIV)11 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
e. It brings the presence of God
2 Chronicles 5:13-14 (NIV) 13 The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: "He is good; his love endures forever." Then the temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud, 14 and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God. Today we are the temple of the Holy Spirit and the awesome presence of the almighty God fills us when we praise Him.
PRAISE IS NOT OPTIONAL
As we talked about the evidence of salvation earlier, we must understand that praise is not optional in a believer’s life. One of the evidences that we have been born again is that we declare the praises of God. Serious reflection needs to be taken in the life of a believer who does not praise. If you do not praise the Lord, there is a good possibility that you do not have a new nature.
Evidence of your salvation is that you praise the Lord. 1 Peter 2:9 says, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."
If the only thing God did for us was to send His son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins, saving us from an eternal hell, then that alone would be enough to praise Him for all eternity. But God did so much more than that! He gave us life twice. He created us and then He redeemed us from the grave. He never treats us as our sins deserve. God gives us new mercies every day. He purifies us from all unrighteousness and crowns us with love and compassion. He is close to the broken-hearted and is a father to the fatherless. He heals all our diseases and defeated death for us. He frees us from the power of sin. He anoints our heads with oil and He restores our souls. He has given us His Holy Spirit and has made us co-heirs with Christ!
You might say where do I start? I know I am not praising God enough! Don’t feel alone. All of us can grow in this area. Confess your ungratefulness to the God, who took your sin upon himself to free you from an eternal hell, and declare His praises!
It is in our obedience that we see God move. Obedience equals blessings. We must obey God’s command to praise, to experience His blessings in our lives. Remember the story of Jericho in Joshua 6:2-5 (NIV) 2 Then the LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in."
God gave the command to the people and they had to obey. What if the people decided not to march around the city? What if they decided we are only going to go around three times and that will be enough? What if they shouted every time they went around? The walls would have remained! It is by obeying God’s Word that we see results.
The people obeyed the Lord and look what happened in Joshua 6:20 (NIV) 20 When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city.
When they had obeyed God, just as He prescribed, the wall collapsed. Are you struggling with depression, an affliction? Are you going through a trial, a persecution? Or do you just desire the presence of God more in your life? Then obey God and realize that you are created to praise!
Psalm 30:10-12 (NIV)10 Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me; O LORD, be my help."
11 You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, 12 that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.
Psalm 86:12-13 (NIV) 12 I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. 13 For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.
