I WILL BLESS THE LORD AT ALL TIMES
Ps. 34:1-10
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. A man from the city bought a farm and saw a beautiful horse on another guy’s farm. He bargained with the farmer, an old deacon, and the farmer finally sold him the horse.
2. The city man jumped on the horse and said, “Giddyup!” The horse didn’t budge. The old deacon explained, “He’ll only go forward if you say, ‘Praise the Lord.’ To stop him, you have to say, ‘Amen.’”
3. Keeping this in mind, the new owner yelled, “Praise the Lord!” whereupon the horse took off with great speed.
4. Soon horse and rider were headed for a cliff. He went through a dozen phrases before he finally remembered to say “Amen!”
5. The horse came to a screeching halt right at the edge of the cliff. Relieved, the rider wiped the sweat off his forehead and exclaimed, “Praise the Lord!”
B. OPENING TEXT
I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. 3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. 4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. 6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. 8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. 9 Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. 10 The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. (Vss 1-4, KJV; Vss. 5-10, NIV 1984)
C. THESIS
1. Many Christians suffer defeat because they don’t know the power of praise. David had discovered it and it changed his perspective on troubles.
2. As a matter of fact, David found praise to be so empowering that he declared that he would continually praise God, no matter what circumstances he faced.
3. So let’s take a few minutes and look at David’s revelation, “I Will Bless the Lord at ALL Times!”
I. MODERN SITCOM PHRASE & REAL MEANING
A. YADA, YADA, YADA
1. A few years ago the hit sitcom Jerry SEINFELD coined a new phrase that came into popular use. Elaine Benes, the character in SEINFELD played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, said this classic line:
2. “Yeah, I met this lawyer. We went out to dinner. I had the lobster bisque….Yada, yada, yada. I never heard from him again.”[urbandictionary.com]
3. Since being used on this & companion sitcom “Nanny,” “Yada, yada, yada” has come to mean “boring or empty talk,” something similar to yackity-yack or blah-blah-blah.
4. Both sitcoms had Jewish actors and writers. In old times the phrase had a glorious meaning, but after centuries had devolved down to meaningless words.
5. “Yada” is actually the Hebrew verb (in the Bible) that means “praise, (give) thanks, or confess.” It’s the most common word for “thanks”(39x), the 3rd most common word for “praise”(46x), and a main word for “confess”(18x).
B. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO “PRAISE GOD?”
1. DEFINITIONS
a. Praise means to "speak well of, to glorify especially by ascriptions of perfections."
b. Praise is exciting! After all, when you come before the Living God, it’s a moment that’s awesome, exciting, enthusiastic, and even scary, if you really take to heart Who God is.
2. OTHER “PRAISE” WORDS. Other Hebrew words used in the book of Psalms are:
a. Tehillah – laudation by hymn, to praise.
b. Zamar -- to "touch."
c. Halal -- "to shine, to boast, to celebrate clamorously."
d. Towdah -- "to extend the hand (in worship), to adore;" used especially of a choir of worshipers.
e. Shabach -- "to address with a loud voice."
f. Barak -- "to kneel, to bless God."
3. Praise is the joyful experience of coming before God's presence to worship him, of touching Him and Him touching you!
4. In Psalm 34, David praises, blesses, boasts in the Lord, magnifies the Lord and seeks Him. Then David talked about all the blessings that come from trusting in God! (Take fears/ helped/ delivered/ taste & see/ lack nothing.)
5. As some of the other words for praise indicate, praise should be a celebration; at times a noisy one and at other times a quiet and reverential.
6. WHY DO WE WORSHIP GOD?
a. Because He is worthy of our praise.
b. Because it’s pleasing to God because it’s right.
c. God inhabits our praises (Psalm 22:3).
d. It’s our expression of love to our Creator. Praise NOT expressed isn’t love at all!
e. It keeps our minds off of ourselves.
7. A lively praise service stirs up excitement. It's almost impossible NOT to praise God!
8. ILLUS.
a. A "full Gospel" widow settled near a quiet country church with a timid pastor.
b. When she'd get blessed during the sermon, she'd say, "Praise the Lord!" That would always throw the preacher off his subject and disturb him.
c. The weather got cold and she was poor. The preacher made her a deal: I'll buy you a blanket if you'll stop saying, "Praise the Lord." After consideration, she said, "Yes, I'll try."
d. She did good for a while, suppressing her urges when she felt the Spirit. But then one Sunday, the preacher actually got anointed and stirred her up.
e. The Living Waters of the Spirit began to flow; the joy bells in her soul began to ring, and the cork was about to pop out of the bottle.
f. At last she could stand it no longer; her hands shot up in the air and with joyous exclamation she said, "Blankets or no blankets; Praise the Lord!"
II. PRAISE AT THE TEMPLE OF GOD
A. TEXT
34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 36 In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; 37 but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. 38 So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels. Exodus 40:34-38
B. BUILDING A HOUSE FOR GOD
1. Verse 33 says (KJV), "So Moses finished all the work God had given him to do." When the cloud covered the
tabernacle, Moses couldn't enter. Why?
2. Was it because he wasn't used to God's presence? No! It was because God's presence was too powerfully upon it. They took the Tabernacle with them everywhere they traveled for 38 years.
3. David wanted to build a permanent house of worship, but God didn't allow him. It was Solomon that God raised up to build it.
4. It was a great dedication. 120 trumpeters, a massive choir in robes, with cymbals and instruments of music. As they sang and played, the Shekinah glory-cloud of God fell.
5. “When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2 The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it. 3 When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, ‘He is good; his love endures forever’” 2 Chr. 7:1-3
6. King Solomon offered 22,000 oxen, 120,000 sheep and goats, etc. But wealth and sacrifices do not guarantee God's presence.
7. Jesus told His disciples that the Temple would be destroyed. So God would have no Temple? Yes, but not a man-made one!
III. WORSHIP IN GOD’S NEW TEMPLE
A. N.T. TEACHING
1. “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” 1 Cor. 3:16. Our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Ghost!
2. “Do you not know that your body is a Temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body” 1 Cor. 6:19-20.
3. When you woke up this morning, YOU WERE
ALREADY AT THE TEMPLE! God doesn't just come into our hearts, but into our bodies.
B. FIRE ON THE SACRIFICE
1. “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Acts 2:1-4.
2. Fire sat upon them, just as the Glory fell on the Old Temple, and they could minister as before -- but began to speak in tongues.
3. “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ….But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” 1 Peter 2:5, 9.
4. Elaborate: we each are the stones of a spiritual Temple being assembled from all peoples; we’re the real Priests, clothed in white garments, who offer up pure spiritual sacrifices to God.
C. HOW MUCH BETTER?
1. “How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty. 2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. 3 Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young -- a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you” Psalm 84:1-4.
2. David was a little jealous of the birds for their open and easy access to the most sacred areas of God’s House.
3. Aren’t we blessed that we don't have the problem of separation from God’s Temple! Our bodies ARE the Temple of God now! We can be in God's presence continually if we want to be!
4. MAY GOD HELP US NOT TO NEGLECT SO GREAT A PRIVILEGE!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: “Praise Him in the Storm”
1. Funnel clouds had been sited. Suddenly, everything grew strangely calm. Then the wind started to blow fiercely. Trees were bent over and the very walls of the house began to flutter. Windows rattled and hail beat on the car port.
2. "Gene and Gail Mummert got into the hallway, linked arms with their 2 grandchildren, and covered themselves with blankets and pillows. "Nana, I'm scared," cried their five-year-old grandson, William. "Jesus will take care of us. Don't be afraid," Gail told him. Suddenly sirens began to go off all over town.
3. A mighty rushing wind was all around us and sucked us together into a ball. "Pray! Keep praying," Gene said. "God Almighty, help us!" we screamed. Explosion!
4. Windows shattered, glass flew everywhere. Another explosion. The walls caved in. Debris shot everywhere like arrows.
5. "Jesus, help us! You are our Savior! You are our King!" Gail cried. I looked up - the roof was falling on us. A ladder crashed down on my husband's back. "Now start praising Him," Gene shouted through the wind.
6. The next blast was the worst. There was nothing we could do. Only God could save us. Everything was out of control, but we knew the sovereignty of God. We knew we were at the point of death but we shouted, "Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, Lord!"
7. “Suddenly,” Gail said, “peace filled me. A sweet voice filled my heart, ‘I've heard your cry for help. I've bent the heavens for you. No matter what happens around you, I'm here protecting you.’ Tears flooded my face and I knew Jesus was protecting us. It seemed His arms had surrounded us. I knew we would be safe.
8. The tornado was over. The rain beat down on us. "Nana, I see the sky," little William said. "That's because the roof is gone.” No walls either. Jesus had protected them! They were buried under tons of debris but had only
a few minor injuries.
9. The Lord protected the Mummert family. The Dallas Morning News printed Gail’s testimony about how God protected them. [Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets, p.84-86.]
B. THE CALL
1. Prayer for needs.
2. Salvation call.
[The “Yada Yada” idea in part 1 came from David Reynolds]
