Premature Praise By: Pastor Lorenzo Edwards
New St. Paul Empowering Life
Luke 1:41
12/13/2009
In just a couple of weeks families will be getting together eating food and having a good time celebrating the day we call Christmas. Christmas is the day that we celebrate the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. Many people are waiting to the 25th of Dec. to exchange gifts. They are eager to see what they are going to have under the Christmas tree. But I want to remind you that this season is not about what’s under the tree but it is about the one who died on a tree. How many know that God has given us the greatest gift of all. His Son Jesus Christ.
My kids just this week handed me their Christmas list. A list that consisted of toys and games. As they came in the room with their list their eyes was wide and there was a smile upon their faces. Why? Because Christmas is near. Christmas is not here but Christmas is near.
So what my children had was a premature praise, on what they were going to get in the future. They have high expectation on what they are going to receive in the future because they gave it to their father. And it is up to the father to fulfill what they had wished for. (I am going somewhere with this)
And if my children have enough faith in their earthly father shouldn’t the children of God have more faith when they put their wish list in the hands of our Heavenly Father. Because the Bible clearly says in 1st Peter 5:7 “Cast all your cares upon me because I careth for you.”
It did not say cast all your cares upon your earthly Father but it is referring to our Heavenly Farther. “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” Matt 7:11 (KJV)
If little children can come before their farther with smiles on their faces and a request in their hand. We as men and women of God should be more confident when we bring a request to our Heavenly father.
The Bible says “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”Phil 4:6-7 (KJV)
And I believe that God would have never asked for your request if he did not attend to fulfill it. (Can I get a witness?)
Just like children coming to their parents with premature praise, we are to be able to praise God before we receive the blessings. When there is a premature praise, you are not waiting for the miracle to happen you are praising God before it happens. Because you believe and trust God so much that you don’t have to wait till the battle is over you can shout now.
That’s why the Bible says speaks though things that’s not as though they were. Because when you speak it you are telling God I believe it. It may be a premature praise but that premature praise will one day grow up as a full grown Blessing. I wish I had some help in here. Tell your neighbor praise God before it happens.
And it is amazing as we look at our text this morning that when Mary ran to tell her cousin Elizabeth about what the Angel Gabriel said unto her. That the Babe John leaped in her womb. Here it is a baby that was only six months old. Don’t just sit in the womb when he hears the good news but began to leap.
It has been discovered through ultrasound that a baby that has been in the womb for six months can move around, sleep stir kick and hear. But in all my findings I could not discover where the baby can leap while in the womb. Now the Greek word for leap here in our text is skeer-tah-o’. Which means to leap for joy, skip, jump, sympathetically move.
Whenever somebody hear the name of Jesus and His coming there shall be some leaping for joy, their shall be some praise, there shall be some sympathetic movement. Whenever somebody hears the name of Jesus and His coming there shall be some shouting. Jesus is coming somebody shout.
Jesus said Himself “I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.” Luke 19:40 (KJV). I don’t know about you but I don’t won’t know rocks crying out for me. I can praise Him all by myself.
John was only 6 months in the womb. He didn’t need a choir; he did not need a praise team. All he needed was to hear that the coming of the Lord was on the way.
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17 (KJV)
All John had to do was hear the word and the Bible says that Elisabeth was full of the Holy Ghost, tell your neighbor your praise can help somebody catch on fire. Verse 41 says when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in the womb and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost.
When you praise God prematurely, that shows your faith that you have in God. And when you show your faith somebody else can catch the power of the Holy Ghost. But if you just sit there like a bump on the log. Than nobody is going to praise Him. But you lift him up he will draw all men unto him. Can you say yeah? If you take the time to give Him some Glory and some honor He will open up the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing you don’t have room enough to receive.
That’s why David said my cup runneth over. Because God pours so much in me that it runs over to others.
Premature praise. Praising God before you get out. John was still in the womb, but he did not wait until He got delivered to give God some praise. He gave Him some praise 3 months prematurely. And I want to tell somebody today, you are right at your deliverance. But the problem is you are waiting for the deliverance, But God wants you to praise Him while you still in darkness, He wants you to praise Him, while you can’t see, He wants you to praise Him while you still bond. He wants you to praise Him. He wants you to praise Him. Why are waiting for some else to bring you out. Because your deliverance is in your praise.
It aint too early for you to come out. I aint too early for you to get released. It aint to early to get to your next level. You can come out NOW in your premature stage.
Elisabeth said in verse 44, for, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Luke 1:44 (KJV)
As soon as she heard the word Mary told her about what the Angel said; He leaped for joy.
And I want to tell somebody here today. As soon as you hear the word of the Lord you better start praising Him. As soon as you hear about His goodness, as soon as you hear about his deliverance, as soon as you hear about His love, grace and Mercy you can shout now and give God the Praise.
Than the Bible says Mary stayed with Elisabeth for 3 months, John was already 6 months old. So that means that Mary stayed with Elizabeth until she delivered John. She did not go home. She did not get some rest, but she stayed right there until she delivered John.
Why because the deliver was in her womb. And I’m here to let you know Jesus won’t leave you until you get delivered, He won’t leave you until you come out, and He won’t leave you until you come out or darkness unto His marvelous light.
She could not leave, because the 4 runner was in Elisabeth and the 4 runner had to run 6 months earlier before the deliver gets on the scene. He had to run and tell somebody “He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.” John 1:15 (KJV)
And I want to ask somebody. Do I have any runners in here that would say He is coming back like a thief in the night and you better be ready, because nobody knows the time or the hour, but He’s coming back? Do I have why folks in here that don’t mind telling somebody that Jesus lives inside of me. Because Greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world.
Can I get a Witness?
And after John was delivered they wanted to call him Zacharias after his father. But his mother said no his name should be called John. Then they turned to his father. The father could not speak because the Angel shut up his mouth because he did not believe. He wrote on a tablet that his name shall be called John. And the Bible says His tongue was loosed and he spake and praised God.
Tell your neighbor say neighbor don’t call me by my father’s name. I am released from unbeliever. Call me by the name that God called me. He called me righteous, He calls me a more than congruous He calls me the head and not the tail. He calls me Holy because he is Holy; He calls me His own... I am not going to be called what my earthly father is called
But I am going to be called a child of God. I got a new name, a new Identity, a new mission in life. John’s father was a priest but he had to be a 4 runner for the high priest.
So he could not be connected to his earthy father’s leanage he had to be connected to Jesus linage. Jesus was Hid earthly cousin but His heavenly father.
I am here to tell somebody forget about what they called you in the past. You are a new creature now. Old things have passed away behold all things have become new.
I am not connect with my past no more, because God than already worked my future out. I press toward the mark of a high calling in Jesus Christ. God has got me moving forward to dare try to take me back.
Because the Bible says touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm. Everything that you are trying to do to me is going to come back at you. Don’t try to abort my praise, because I am trying to praise God prematurely. Don’t try to abort my vision because it hasn’t happened yet.
Don’t try to abort my vision because it hasn’t happened yet. Don’t try to abort my dreams because you want it to be a night mare.
God told me it will be so I am going to praise Him, until the church gets packed; I am going to praise him until my money cometh. I am going to praise him until I come out. I know I don’t have it yet but I got a premature praise
I got a praise that says I am not going to wait until the battle is over I am going to praise him Now. I got a premature praise.
John was still in the womb but he praised h\Him, he was still in darkness but he praised him, he was still undelivered but he praised him, his eyes were not fully developed but he praised him. And if the baby John can give him a premature praise I am going to praise him before Christmas come praise him before the 25th.
I am going to praise him now
