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Giving Praise To God
April 13, 2008 – Pastor Ronnie Wolfe
Psalm 22:23 Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye
the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
I. PRAISE COMES FROM THE CHILDREN
Matt 21:16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what
these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of
the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?
People were bringing their little infants into the
temple to hear the Lord, and he was healing those who were blind and
maimed.
But the children (those old enough to do so) were
calling out to Jesus "Hosanna to the Son of David."
The word "Hosanna" means "Please save us."
When the priests and scribes heard the children
yelling out, they were displeased, and they said to Jesus, "Do you
hear what they are saying?" Jesus answered in verse 16:
Mt 21:16 . . . Yea; have ye never read, Out of
the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?
Out of the mouth of babes can come praise to our
Lord.
We should teach the children to praise God, to
reach out to him, to ask him to save. They must give him glory.
Children can give much praise to Jesus, but they need for us to bring
them into the temple, which is the church today, and encourage them to
praise the Lord.
They can sing. They can quote scripture. They can
learn to live godly and holy lives. They can learn about salvation and
learn to tell others about Jesus Christ.
II. PEOPLE WHO ARE HEALED CAN PRAISE GOD
Lu 18:43 And immediately he received his sight,
and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw
[it], gave praise unto God.
What has God done for you lately? Keep a record of
what God has done for you. If you need to, write down God’s blessings
for each day that you live, or at least write something down once a
week.
You may be surprised what God has done. Then you
can give him thanks.
Lu 17:17 And Jesus answering said, Were there
not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
Out of ten lepers who were healed, only one came to
praise the Lord. Where are the nine?
Much of the time only 10% of the membership of our
church come on Sunday evening and Wednesday evening. Where are the
nine? What do they have to do that is so pressing. Yes, I know some
have jobs that require their missing, but many get home and find out
how enjoyable a Sunday can be watching TV, playing video games, going
to the park, entertaining family, etc., but is not our praise to the
Lord important?
What has God done for you? Has he healed you of an
illness? You know, God does still heal people. But then we think of it
as just a passing miracle or something.
When you or a loved one is sick, and they become
well, and the doctor says, "I just don’t understand it," then give
thanks to God, not just for a moment, but for a period of time to
come.
We owe all we have to God and our salvation to
Jesus Christ. Let’s let him know that we are thankful.
Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your blessings
See what God has done
Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your many blessings
See what God has done
III. THOSE WHO SAW HIM PRAISED HIM
Luke 19:37 And when he was come nigh, even now
at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the
disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all
the mighty works that they had seen; 38 Saying, Blessed be the King
that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the
highest.
Those who saw the Lord coming down form the Mount
of Olives were spellbound by his presence. They loved him because of
his friendship to the common person and because he brought a bright
message and healing to them.
They cried out when they saw him riding on a donkey
into the city of Jerusalem.
If we could see Jesus physically today, people
would probably just go about their business and never recognize him.
When we see him in our Bible study, in our church attendance, in our
prayer life, in our daily lives, we should praise him for who he is.
IV. HERE IS THE PROBLEM WITH EVERY GENERATION
John 12:43 For they loved the praise of men more
than the praise of God.
People would rather praise men than to praise God.
We look at movie stars, singing stars, sports
stars, centerfold beauties, and even cartoon characters as people whom
we praise.
We buy their products, wear their clothes, pay to
see them, advertise their products, and talk about them when we get up
and when we lie down; but these are only people.
In the meantime, God is in heaven, and in his
Providence he is caring for our every need. He is available for our
every prayer and provides all of our necessities.
But we turn away from him and worship the creature
more than the Creator (Rom. 1:25).
V. WE NEED A NEW MINDSET
Our minds are stayed upon the world, and we are
being conformed to the world.
Ro 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but
be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what
[is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Then what shall we do?
Phil. 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever
things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things
[are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are]
lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any
virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things.
TV programs, music, teachers, politicians are
guilty of conforming us to the world. The world view that is
destructive is a one-world, socialistic, atheistic government
ruled by an Oligarchy (a few people).
But we are to be transformed, changing our form
to be more like Christ, not the world.
We need to know what is the good, and
acceptable, and perfect will of God in our lives.
The only way we can do this is to change our
mindset and "think of these things."
The world has a standard to live by, and God
has a standard to live by.
For the world’s standards all you have to do is
surrender to the things around you, but for God’s standard, you
must know the word of God and follow it every day of your life.
God deserves our praise. Let us give him the praise
he deserves. Shake your body loose from the world’s lure and lust and
give your whole self over to God and his standard. Be serious about
learning more about God and giving him his due praise.
More about Jesus would I know,
More of His grace to others show;
More of His saving fullness see,
More of His love Who died for me.
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