How To Praise God
Exodus 14:10-18,31; 15:1-18
Purpose: To show the elements of genuine praise.
Aim: I want the listener to be more conscious of how they are praising God.
INTRODUCTION:
Psalm 150 1 Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty expanse. 2 Praise Him for His mighty deeds; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness. 3 Praise Him with trumpet sound; Praise Him with harp and lyre. 4 Praise Him with timbrel and dancing; Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe. 5 Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with resounding cymbals. 6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord! (NAU)
The Bible commands us to praise God, but exactly HOW do we do it? There are some exercises we must be willing to do, but praising God is not an option for a believer
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Let me tell you the true story of a duke who lived during the fourteenth century named Raynald III. Raynald III lived a life of indulgence and was obese. His Latin nickname was Crassus, which means, “fat.”
One day Raynald and his younger brother, Edward, got into a vicious fight and Edward planned and executed a triumphant revolt against Raynald. Edward took his older brother into custody but did not take his life. Edward decided to construct a room around Raynald in the Nieuwkerk Castle and promised his brother that he would enjoy freedom once again when he was able to leave the room.
Now for the average Joe this wouldn’t have been much of a challenge, because the room Edward built had a number of windows and a door of near-normal size. Neither the door nor the windows were locked - - they weren’t barricaded. So you’re getting the picture by now: In order to experience his freedom again Raynald needed to loose weight. But his brother Edward was no dummy, because he knew just how to keep Raynald imprisoned. Every day he would send Raynald an assortment of tasty foods. And what took place is just sad: Instead of dieting his way to freedom, Raynald grew more overweight and he stayed in that room for ten years until his brother died. But by that time his health was so awful that he died within a year. We can say that Raynald III was a prisoner of his own appetite for food.
If we are not careful, we can become prisoners to our own appetite for pleasure and for being in control.
I. An Enemy of Praise is Fear
Exodus 14:10-18,31
A. The evidence of fear
Read verses 13:17-18, (God knew they had a problem with fear) 21-22 (God gave them a visible reminder of His power), 14:4-9 (then God tested their faith
Vs.10-11 1. Blaming God’s will on a person “you have taken us”
Vs.12a 2. Going back on a decision to follow God “serve the Egyptians”
Vs.12b 3. Longing for an easier life “have been better for us”
B. The solution to fear
Vs.13-14; 17-18 1. Know that God means for you to be where you are “He will accomplish for you”
1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. (NAU)
We must learn to love watching God work more than we love comfort.
Vs.15-16 2. Do what you know to do “go forward”
Obey God and give Him time to work. Look at every hard situation as a faith builder.
Vs.31 3. Remember that the impossible brings the most glory to God “power which the Lord had used”
If the glory of God really is our most important desire, then we should be willing to go through impossible situations.
Expect God to work in unique ways.
II. The Principles of Praise
Exodus 15:1-13
Vs.1 A. Praise God when He acts “He has hurled into the sea”
2 Samuel 22:1 And David spoke the words of this song to the Lord in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. (NAU)
Work at being alert enough to praise the Lord WHEN He answers prayer.
Vs.2 B. Praise God for His personal greatness “LORD is my strength”
The word “my” is used four times in this verse. God doesn’t just do good things, He does good things for me.
Psalm 107:1-2 1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary (NAU)
Psalm 107:8-9 8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men! 9 For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good. (NAU)
Psalm 107:43 Who is wise? Let him give heed to these things, And consider the lovingkindnesses of the Lord. (NAU)
Vs.3-5 C. Praise God for His protection “the LORD is a warrior”
Romans 8:35-39 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NAU)
Vs.6-10 D. Praise God for His power “majestic in power”
Isaiah 43:1-2 1 But now, thus says the Lord, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! 2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. (NAU)
Vs.11-13 E. Praise God for His uniqueness “Who is like You?”
Isaiah 6:3 And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” (NAU)
Psalm 86:8 There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord, Nor are there any works like Yours. (NAU)
III. The Results of Praise
Exodus 15:14-18
Vs.14-16a A. The lost will fear God “Terror and dread fall upon them”
When we give God the credit for what He does, then the lost can learn that our God is real.
Vs.16b-18 B. The Lord will provide for His people “You will bring them”
The Jews were able to conquer the Cannanites largely because they were scared to death of them. God brings victory through our praise.
☛ 2 Chronicles 20:20-25 20 They rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa; and when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, put your trust in the Lord your God and you will be established. Put your trust in His prophets and succeed.” 21 When he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the Lord and those who praised Him in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said, “Give thanks to the Lord, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.” 22 When they began singing and praising, the Lord set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were routed. 23 For the sons of Ammon and Moab rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir destroying them completely; and when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another. 24 When Judah came to the lookout of the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude, and behold, they were corpses lying on the ground, and no one had escaped. 25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found much among them, including goods, garments and valuable things which they took for themselves, more than they could carry. And they were three days taking the spoil because there was so much. (NAU)
CONCLUSION: Perhaps you have a "Red Sea" in your path at this present time. ✔ Praise is your path to safety. Are you in the habit of praising the Lord at work, at church, at home? How much has Juniata heard us praise the Lord?
Let’s look for opportunities to brag on our Lord this week.
