Praise ye the Lord

[0:00] Let's talk about praise and worship. Praise and worship. Psalm 9 verses 1 through 2 says,! They might put up posters in their rooms.

[0:33] Some will idolise their heroes as if they were a god. They praise and elevate them highly. Yet for the Christian, God has the first place.

[0:45] The Lord Jesus is our God to be worshipped and adored. He is worthy of honour and of glory. Revelation 4 verse 11 says, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power.

[1:02] For thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. God has a purpose that creation will honour him, value and esteem him and glorify him, praise him, worship him.

[1:20] We've got so many reasons to. Think of it. God has unlimited power. He is present in every place at the same time. He is perfectly holy.

[1:32] He is love, personified, demonstrated. Our first text said, I will praise thee with my whole heart.

[1:46] I put to you, be full on in worship. Luke 10, 27 says, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbour as thyself.

[2:05] It's basically about what makes up your attitude. It's saying be consistent and faithful in living for Jesus. Our worship involves service.

[2:16] Matthew 4 verse 10. It's got that intimation of service as worship. Even though we see what's bad that's going on all around in our world, commit to that daily attitude of praise.

[2:30] Not because things are good, but because God is good. Our God is good. Our God is good. We can have three kinds of attitudes. Revelation 3 verses 15 through 16.

[2:43] We can have a cold attitude. Unthankful, angry, hurt, bitter, rejecting. Or, secondly, we can have a lukewarm attitude.

[2:55] Maybe lackadaisical, uncaring, apathetic, unconcerned, numb. Or we can have a hot attitude. Rejoicing, thankful, serving, fervently.

[3:08] 1 Peter 2 verse 9 says that we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that you should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.

[3:31] 2 Peter 3 verse 10. If you are saved, then show it. 3 Peter 4 verse 10. Let the one who would worship God open his mouth in praise, his heart in receptivity, his mind in contemplation, his purse in dedication, and his hand in fellowship.

[3:51] 4 Peter 5 verse 10. So be a full on Christian, not a half-hearted one. 5 Peter 5 verse 10. Also be filled. Be filled. Filled with praise. Psalm 71 verse 8.

[4:02] The psalmist cries, Let my mouth be filled with thy praise, and with thy honour all the day. Be filled. Filled with power. Ephesians 5 verse 18 through 19.

[4:14] And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit. Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.

[4:30] Whilst a Christian is sealed, preserved by the Holy Spirit, from that moment of salvation, a Christian can be very empty of his power.

[4:42] We need his filling, don't we? Confess and forsake all sin daily. 1 John 1 verse 9. Proverbs 28 verse 13. It's been said, Truly the Holy Spirit fills only clean vessels, or bodies.

[4:59] 2 Timothy 2 verse 21. So, let's determine to present our body to the Lord, as a living sacrifice for him to use in his service.

[5:11] Romans 12 verse 1. Think of some other ways. Some other ways that we need to be filled. A worshipper is thankful. We're meant to have thankfulness, to be a thankful believer.

[5:25] Colossians 3 verse 15 says this, Be thankful.

[5:40] In everything give thanks, we read. Fill your heart and mind with godly thoughts, with godly truths, and his peace. Honour God in your thinking.

[5:52] Retrain your mind to think on things that honour the Lord. Think on these things. And thank God for these things. I know it's a passage I've often referred to.

[6:05] Philippians 4 verse 8 it says this, Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true. Whatsoever things are honest.

[6:16] Whatsoever things are just. Whatsoever things are pure. Whatsoever things are lovely. Whatsoever things are of good report.

[6:27] If there be any virtue. And if there be any praise. Think on these things. Praise is something that should be radiating from the heart of the Christian throughout each day.

[6:42] Concentrate on what promotes virtue and promotes praise. A worshipper is joyful as well. Be a joyful believer.

[6:53] Enjoy God. Enjoy worshipping him. Enjoy fellowshipping where you can. Times of prayer. Times in the Bible can be so full of joy. If you just try to enjoy it instead of endure it.

[7:06] God's word is truly for us. A great source of joy. 1 John 1 verse 4 it says, And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

[7:19] Enjoy worshipping God as a joyful believer. Enjoy worshipping with God at home, with other believers where you can, with your family, in singing, in testimony times, in prayer times.

[7:33] When the preaching is right, say, Amen! And praise God! And even an O me, when it steps on your toes. This is what the congregation did in the Old Testament.

[7:44] At the reading and the preaching of the word of God. In Nehemiah chapter 8. It says from verse 1, And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate.

[7:58] And they spoke unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation, both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.

[8:18] And he read therein, before the street that was before the water gate, from the morning until midday, before the men and the women and those that could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.

[8:33] And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattiah, and Shammah, and Aniah, and Uriah, and Hilkiah, and Masiah, on his right hand.

[8:48] And on his left hand, Paddiah, and Mishael, and Malkiah, and Hashem, and Hashpadana, Zechariah, and Meshulam. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people.

[9:02] And when he opened it, all the people stood up, and Ezra blessed the Lord the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands.

[9:15] And they bowed their heads and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground. What a blessed time, as the word is brought to us, as we open the book.

[9:28] There was a time a preacher noted a small child during the service, turning around and smiling at people. And he wasn't gurgling, spitting, or humming, or tearing the hymn books apart, or rummaging through his mother's purse.

[9:42] He was just smiling. Suddenly his mother jerked him around, and in a stage whisper that everyone could hear said, Stop grinning, you're in church. Now with that she gave him a bit of a tap on the back side, and as the tears rolled down his cheeks she added, That's better, and returned to her prayers.

[10:00] You know, honestly, if you can't grin in church, where can you be happy? A worshipper is meant to be joyful, beautiful, on the inside, to be a beautiful believer.

[10:13] In other words, a beaming, radiant Christian. A shining Christian. A beaming Christian. A radiant, glowing Christian. Psalm 33 verse 1, it says, Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous, for praise is comely for the upright.

[10:30] This word comely, it means beautiful. It means that which is fitting. Now praise is comely, it's a beautiful thing. Psalm 147 verse 1 says this, Praise ye the Lord, for it is good to sing praises unto our God, for it is pleasant, and praise is comely.

[10:49] Praise is pleasing and beautiful. Praise him, it says. Praise him with music, with song. Sing his praises. Steer clear of ungodly music.

[11:00] Rather fill your home and your mind with godly music that brings praise unto God. You wonder why aren't Christians more excited during worship?

[11:12] If they knew what they had in Christ, they could not help but show their emotion and that joy. If Christians fully understood what they have in Christ, we would have to place seat belts in the seats to hold people down, to keep order.

[11:30] We know how, at times, different companies such as Reader's Digest have become famous for giving away millions of dollars in prizes.

[11:41] And each year there's these sweepstakes and they show sometimes the reactions of those who received the prizes. And you see when someone gets such a prize, they get very excited and they shout, they're really happy.

[11:54] Being a Christian is really more beautiful and wonderful than any of that, than winning any kind of prize on this earth. And so, let's be encouraged to be joyful.

[12:06] You can take the most reserved person on earth and announce they've just won some great prize, and they'll go bananas, ballistic. Because the impossible has happened. The impossible has become possible.

[12:17] And he will have a hard time comprehending that it could happen to him. And it's the same for Christians, isn't it? What the Lord has done for us.

[12:28] It sounds impossible. It sounds like it's unbelievable, but no, this is no fairy tale. This is God's wonderful joy and blessing.

[12:39] We have the privilege of heaven, the wonder of Calvary, the promise of eternal life. Wow! These are things to take stock of and to give him praise for. So let's not hold back from praise and worship.

[12:53] Let's not hold back from any of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those