SERMON: THE POWER OF PRAISE
Psalm
100:1-5
1Make a joyful noise unto the
LORD, all ye lands.2Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before his presence with singing. 3Know ye that the LORD he is God:
It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; We are his people, and the
sheep of his pasture. 4Enter into his gates with
thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: Be thankful unto him and bless
his name. 5For the LORD is good; his mercy
is everlasting; And his truth endureth to all generations.
Psalm
150:1-6
1Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in
his sanctuary: Praise him in the firmament of his power. 2Praise him for his mighty acts: Praise him according to
his excellent greatness. 3Praise him with the sound of the
trumpet; praise him with the psaltery and harp. 4Praise him with the timbrel and
dance: Praise him with stringed instruments and organs. 5Praise him upon loud cymbals: Praise him upon the high
sounding cymbals. 6Let everything that hath breath
praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.
What is Praise?
Praise means “to commend, to applaud or
magnify.”
What is praise to God?
Praise to God is an expression of worship, lifting-up and
glorifying the Lord.
It is an expression of humbling ourselves and centering our
attention upon the Lord with heart-felt expressions of love, adoration and
thanksgiving.
High praises unto God bring our spirit into a pinnacle of
fellowship and intimacy between ourselves and God;
Praise magnifies our awareness of our spiritual union
with the most High God.
Praise transports us into the realm of the supernatural
and into the power of God.
Psalms 50:23
“Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me:
and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I show the salvation of
God”.
When we praise God it may be in;
a.
Verbal expressions of adoration and
thanksgiving,
b.
Singing, playing instruments, shouting,
dancing, lifting or clapping our hands.
But true Praise is not “merely” going through these
motions.
The Bible says in Matthew 15:8
This people draweth nigh unto me with
their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
Genuine praise to God is a matter of humility and sincere
devotion to the Lord from within.
John 4:23
...the true worshipers shall worship
the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him”.
Praise to God should be a Lifestyle not
a religious exercise
·
All too often, praise to God is
something that many people leave at church, an event that happens only when
they come together with other Christians.
·
However, praise should be a part of a believer’s
lifestyle, inter-mingled as a part of their daily prayer-life. At work, in the
car, at home in bed, or anywhere;
·
Praise to the Lord brings the
refreshing of the Lord’s presence, along with His power and anointing.
Psalms 34:1
...I will bless the LORD at all times:
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Praise to God should be an expression
of faith and declaration of victory
·
When we praise God we are declaring
that we believe God is with us and is in control of the outcome of all our
circumstances.
·
Praise is a “sacrifice,” something that
we offer to God sacrificially, not just because we feel like it, but because we
believe in Him and wish to please Him.
Hebrews 13:15
By him therefore let us offer the
sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving
thanks to his name.
THE EFFECT OF PRAISE
·
Praise elevates us into God’s Presence
Paul and Silas knew the secret of how to lift their
hearts above their troubles and enter into God’s presence and power. Through
praise and worship their hearts were raised into the joyous presence and peace
of God, and thus provided God a channel for his power to operate in their
circumstances.
Psalms 22:3
“The Bible says
that God inhabits in the praises of His people”. (In other words, God
“dwells” in the atmosphere of His praise. This means that praise is not merely
a reaction from coming into His presence - Praise is a vehicle of faith which
brings us into the presence of God and also activating the power of God)
Praise and worship is the “gate-pass” which allows us to
enter the sacredness of His glory. The psalmist writes in (Psalms 100:4), “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and
into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name”.
·
Praise is a weapon of deliverance.
Paul and Silas (Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego) tapped into God’s delivering power by praising instead of com-plaining
even when all hope seems lost.
Praising brings a display of God’s
power into our circumstances, while complaining enables the enemy to defeat us!
·
Praise Sends the Enemy Running
Since praise manifests God’s presence, we also realize
that praise repels the presence of the enemy, Satan.
2 Chronicles 20:22
...when they began to sing and to
praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount
Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.
· Praise also keeps us in an attitude of faith and
expectancy when trusting God for the manifestation of His power.
Abraham’s life style shows a man with
so much faith and trust in God.
Romans 4:20-21
20He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief;
but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21And being fully
persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
·
Praise also helps us keep our eyes on the Lord and off of
our circumstances in the difficulties of life.
In Conclusion
·
And a lifestyle of praise and worship
is the key to walking in the abiding presence of God.
·
Allow the kingdom of God to envelop
your life today by making a choice to offer up continually the sacrifice of
praise.
·
Choose to walk in the rest that God has
provided for you by living a lifestyle of praise.
Heb 13:15
By him therefore let us offer the
sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
PASTOR LANRE AREOLA
Kindly like our facebook page and follow our post at www.facebook.com/gacikeja and tweets at www.twitter.com/gacikeja.
No comments:
Post a Comment