“Does not all nature around me praise God? (Ps 98:7) If I were silent, I should be an exception to the universe. Does not the thunder praise Him as it rolls like drums in the march of the God of armies? (Ps 68:33) Do not the mountains praise Him when the woods upon their summits wave in adoration? ( Isa 55:12) Does not the lightning write His name in letters of fire? Has not the whole earth a voice? (Ps 96:11-12) And shall I, can I, silent be?” (Lk 19:40)
—Spurgeon
It is the praise of God’s Character
O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.
—Isaiah 25:1
Through Him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.
—Hebrews 13:15
We praise what God does before we praise who God is.
What God does is because of who He is!
Enter [the Lord’s] 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.
—Psalm 100:4-5
Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done and proclaim that his name is exalted.
—Isaiah 12:4
It is God’s character that is represented in everything.
Even the laws of the universe are reflections of the rythms of God’s Character…
It is God’s character that shapes and disciplines.
I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.
—Psalm 119:7
Discipline comes from seeing who God is and aligning ourselves with his character.
Obedience to his character operating in our lives is an act of praise.
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
—Romans 15:7
Praise is a deep and meaningful expression of WHO God is!
Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
—Psalm 146:1-2
Genuine praise is a supernatural expression of our Divine God.
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.
—John 4:24
The Four Elements of Praise
1) MY GOD IS FOR ME (Goodness)
2) MY GOD IS WITH ME. (Presence)
3) MY GOD FORGIVES ME. (Grace)
4) MY GOD CAN DO ANYTHING. (Power)
1. We Praise His Goodness.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
—Jeremiah 29:11
When we live in a Posture of Praise, we know God is for us!
We don’t hide from God. (Adam/Eve)
We don’t live for God’s approval; we live from His approval.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
—Romans 5:8
We don’t fear what happens to us because we know God is working in us!
For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
—Philippians 2:13
I WILL LIVE WITH OVERFLOWING APPRECIATION AND DIVINE APPRECIATION
2. A Posture of Praise Keeps Us Aware of His Presence
My God is With Me!
Talk to Him.
Listen to Him
Receive From Him
Enjoy His Presence
I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.
—Isaiah 48:17
“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”
—Isaiah 30:21
GOD GUIDES YOU WHEN YOU ARE LOST AND GIVES YOU REST WHEN YOU ARE WEARY.
3. A Posture of Praise has us living forgiven.
God removes our sins completely.
He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.
—Psalm 103:12
God forgives our sins immediately.
I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.
—Isaiah 43:25
LIVING FORGIVEN PROPELLS US TO CHANGE OUR HEARTS’ AFFECTION AND CHANGE OUR LIFE’S DIRECTION.
4. A Posture of praise displays that we believe our God can do anything.
My God Can.
“Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.”
—Jeremiah 32:17
My God Will.
David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head…All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”
—1 Samuel 17:45-47
EVEN IF GOD DOESN’T, WE STILL BELIEVE.
The Four Elements of Praise
1) MY GOD IS FOR ME (Goodness)
2) MY GOD IS WITH ME. (Presence)
3) MY GOD FORGIVES ME. (Grace)
4) MY GOD CAN DO ANYTHING. (Power)
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