A GOD WHO DESERVES OUR PRAISE
1. All of us have done some deed or had an experience that deserved
some honest praise from friends, family or the public. Although
most of us get at least a little embarrassed by the expressions of
deserved praise - we may blush or even cry, we all have some
strong reactions and feelings about it. Describe some of the things
that happen within you when you receive appropriate praise.
What are some of the good things that proper praise does in your
life?
2. When God receives praise from His creation, what kinds of thoughts
and feelings do you think He might have concerning it? What do
you think is His inner response to praise?
What might be His feelings about a particular portion of His
creation that did not praise Him? How might He respond?
What might He do to it?
3. Read I Peter 2:9. In this passage are listed five reasons to praise
God. Identify each of the five and see if you can define them in
your own words:
1 Pet 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Reason #1 We are a chosen people
Reason #2 A Royal priesthood
Reason #3 A Holy Nation
Reason #4 We belong tobGod
Reason #5 We are called out of darkness into light
Summary: Why is it proper to praise God for the items listed
above? Why should God alone receive praise for them?
4. In the following passages are listed some of the ways and means for
praising God. In your group, identify as many of them as you can:
Psalm 9:11
Psa 9:2 I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
Psa 9:3 My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you.
Psa 9:4 For you have upheld my right and my cause; you have sat on your throne, judging righteously.
Psa 9:5 You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.
Psa 9:6 Endless ruin has overtaken the enemy, you have uprooted their cities; even the memory of them has perished.
Psa 9:7 The LORD reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment.
Psa 9:8 He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice.
Psa 9:9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
Psa 9:10 Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.
Psa 9:11 Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done.
Psa 9:12 For he who avenges blood remembers; he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.
Psa 9:13 O LORD, see how my enemies persecute me! Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,
Psa 9:14 that I may declare your praises in the gates of the Daughter of Zion and there rejoice in your salvation.
Psa 9:15 The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.
Psa 9:16 The LORD is known by his justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.
Psalm 33:2
Psa 33:1 Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
Psa 33:2 Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
Psa 33:3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.
Psalm 52:9
Psa 52:9 I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints.
Isaiah 42:10-12
Isa 42:10 Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who live in them.
Isa 42:11 Let the desert and its towns raise their voices; let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice. Let the people of Sela sing for joy; let them shout from the mountaintops.
Isa 42:12 Let them give glory to the LORD and proclaim his praise in the islands.
Hebrews 13:15
Heb 13:15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name.
Heb 13:16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Luke 19:37
Luke 19:37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
Luke 19:38 "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
5. Reviewing the passages mentioned in the previous question,
suggest answers to the following:
What is the most common means of praising God actually
used by believers today?
Song and Music
What is the least common means used?
6. What method of praise do you think God prefers? Why?
Given the various ways that God can be praised, what type or
types need to be increased in this day and age?
7. This week's focus on care and prayer...
Literally dozens of times we are commanded to “Praise the Lord!”
(sometimes rendered “Hallelujah!”) in the scriptures - especially in the
Psalms. The reason for this is not stated specifically, but only given by
way of example: it is good for God, it is right, and it is good for us.
Regarding its impact on us, the example of the Scriptures is that we are
strengthened and are given greater advantage over evil when we practice
praise.
With your group, talk about some of your strengths and weaknesses in
the matter of praise. See if you can identify one method of praise
which you might improve upon.
