What’s Praise All About?
Psalm 66:1-20
Intro:
1. ILL: Mom’s praise about my Sunday messages.
2. Praise is a natural response to God’s grace.
a. Rom 15:9 - the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name.”
b. Lk 19:37 - When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
5. God loves the praises of His people!
I. What is Praise?
A. It’s called adoration when you praise God for Who He is.
1. He is the great Master of the Universe, the creator of everything. Ps 95:2-3 - Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods.
2. He is your Heavenly Father Who loves you dearly. ILL: The prodigal son comes home (Lk 15:20-24).
B. It’s called thanksgiving when you praise God for what He has done.
1. Psalm 100:4-5 - Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
2. It should be very natural for you to say, “Thank you” to Him often!
II. Why Does God Want It?
A. How does it make you feel when your child looks up at you and sincerely says, “Thank you, daddy”?
B. Because God is worthy of your praise.
1. God created you, gave you everything you have & have ever experienced.
2. He, then, went to the cross to redeem you.
3. You can live victoriously with Him now & forever in heaven.
C. Because He needs it.
1. It’s hard for us to think of God needing anything.
2. He may have similar needs emotionally that you & I have because:
a. We were created in His image & likeness. Gen 1:26-27 - Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
b. Image (צֶלֶם) = lit. a statue or replica - a duplicate.
c. Likeness (דְּמוּת) = resemblance, model, a shape made from a pattern.
d. We are far from being a replica of God - but maybe we share some characteristics like emo- tional needs.
3. The Bible mentions God having human emotions.
a. Anger. Heb 3:10-11 - That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ So I declared on oath in my anger, They shall never enter my rest.’”
b. Laughter. Ps 2:4 - The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.
4. I believe God created you to satisfy His loneliness & to have companionship with.
a. God walked with Adam & Eve in the cool of the day (Gen 3:8).
b. God wants your time & your conversation - your prayers & praise.
III. How Can You Give Him Praise?
A. Through singing.
1. Neh 12:27 - At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from where they lived and were brought to Jerusalem to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanks- giving and with the music of cymbals, harps and lyres.
2. Singing is an expression of adoration we can all do together in worship. We are His redeemed family!
B. Through talking to Him.
1. Phil 4:6 - Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanks- giving, present your requests to God.
2. I Tim 2:1 - I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone . . .
C. Through worship on Sundays.
1. Our whole purpose for gathering together on Sundays is to express gratitude to the Lord.
2. Partaking of the Lord’s Supper is, in part, an expression of thanksgiving. I Cor 10:16 - Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?
Talk to God often!
Sing to Him often!
Study His word often!
Let Him know how much you love Him often!