Psalm 150:1-6
Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament!
2 Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!
3 Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp!
4 Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!
5 Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
The Bible talks a lot about the praise and worship that we should be engaged in. Even when God created us He created us to praise Him.
Praise is something that is woven into our DNA. We get or give praise in so many ways.
1. If we play sport our coach are the people on the sidelines will give us praise when we make the shot or good.
2. A teacher may give us praise for something that the student did well on.
3. We did something special for someone and the appreciate it.
The point is that we all love to hear praise from time to time. Four Condition of Power Of Praise
1. Praise Meets God's Expectations
Psalm 100:4
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
This verse is taken from the tabernacle that was built and carried around for many years. In that tabernacle there was only one gate to enter into. If we examine that tabernacle we will find that it was divided into three parts. The Outer Court, The Inner Court, and the Holy of Holies where God showed himself.
In those day Moses was the only High Priest that could enter into The Holy Of Holies. No one else could access this area.
Hebrews 4:14-16
14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Now the gate that you come through to talk with God is thanksgiving and the court you enter is praise.
Praise is not the main course of your meal it is the appetizer that leads you into the main course. Another words praise is to get you prepared for what God has to say.
2. Praise & Worship Prepares You
Praise & Worship should be what changes you and sets you up for the great things of God. When you praise it is a time of crying out for what God has done for you. God has given us so much. Not just money, air, cars, or house, but He has given us a way out of the Holy of Holies. He has sacrifices His only son to die on a cross so that we would no longer have to do so our selves.
God expects us and has created us to worship Him.
Psalm 66:1-12
66 Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!
2 Sing out the honor of His name; Make His praise glorious.
3 Say to God, “How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You.
4 All the earth shall worship You And sing praises to You; They shall sing praises to Your name.” Selah
5 Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.
6 He turned the sea into dry land; They went through the river on foot. There we will rejoice in Him.
7 He rules by His power forever; His eyes observe the nations; Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah
8 Oh, bless our God, you peoples! And make the voice of His praise to be heard,
9 Who keeps our soul among the living, And does not allow our feet to be moved. 10 For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined.
11 You brought us into the net; You laid affliction on our backs.
12 You have caused men to ride over our heads; We went through fire and through water; But You brought us out to rich fulfillment.
To praise God means to honor Him for what He has done. He has created us and gave us great abilities and functions. He has given us material things or gave us the jobs to get those things. God is might and should be praised.
When we start a service with praise it is a thankful heart and a heart that is preparing itself for the main course of life which is the word of God.
3. Our Praise Is A Relationship With God
Psalm 81:10
I am the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
Notice that He says I am the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt. This is telling us that God has brought us out of the grasp of the pits of hell. Open up your heart to Him and He will fill it with those Rivers Of Living Water.
Exodus 25:8
8 And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.
When God told Moses to build a sanctuary He did not say to build something that was a magnificent building or a massive cathedral. He said to build a tent were He could gather and be there for His people.
God is looking for us to praise Him!
4. Praise Stomps On The Devil's Head
John 16:33
33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
In this scripture it says that in the world we will have tribulation. Meaning that if we live in the world we will have trouble coming our way. The Devil is out to steal, kill, and destroy. However, through Christ all things are possible and we will have peace, because we can rebuke Satan from harming us and send him back to hell where he came from.
Praisers know that their Lion of the Tribe of Judah is the real thing and He has already overcome every single enemy that may come in their path.
What are you battling today? Fear? An unsaved spouse? A co-worker? Your kids? Your weight? Your self-defeating thoughts?