“WHEN PRAISE AIN’T ENOUGH!”
Tony – Study – Prayer – Meditation: August 2025
When God Calls Our Worship NOISE!
Opening Scripture: Amos 5:21-23 (KJV)
"I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies... Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols (stringed instruments like violins)."
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🔥 Hallelujah, church! Can I get an "AMEN"?
Praise the Lord, saints! We love to lift our voices, clap our hands, and shout to the King of Kings! Oh, there's POWER in praise—yes, sir!
Psalm 22:3 (KJV): "But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel."
God inhabits the praises of His people, and we feel that fire, don't we?
Listen to me, beloved! You don't have to have a degree from Bible college to praise the Lord!
You don't have to be a theologian!
You don't have to be perfect or live completely right!
YOU JUST HAVE TO PRAISE HIM!
The miraculous thing is - God looks past our weaknesses, our errors, even our sins when we praise Him from our heart! God is merciful! He puts up with a lot of foolishness from His people!
But hold on, beloved! Today, the Spirit is stirring me to preach a HARD TRUTH:
SOMETIMES PRAISE ALONE AIN’T ENOUGH!
Can I get a witness?
Sometimes God calls our worship NOISE!
Let's dive into the Word and let the Holy Ghost open our eyes!
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? THE FIRE OF TRUTH: WHEN GOD REJECTS PRAISE
Listen up, church! God is a holy God, and He don't play with half-hearted hearts!
Sometimes we think a loud "Hallelujah" or a fancy song will cover up a cold spirit, but the Lord says, "NO, NO, NO!"
Turn with me to Amos 5:21-23—let's read it with FIRE! [Read with passion]
"I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fatted beasts. Take thou away from me the NOISE of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols."
OH, GLORY! Did you hear that? God said, "I'M SICK OF YOUR PRAISE!"
He called their songs NOISE!
He said He won't HEAR their melodies!
He said He HATES and DESPISES their worship services!
Why? Because their hearts were far from Him—praising with their lips, but living in sin!
Can you feel the conviction stirring? God rejects praise when it's just NOISE without a changed heart!
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🔥 BIBLICAL FIRE #1: LIPS THAT PRAISE, HEARTS THAT STRAY
Jump over to Matthew 15:8-9, echoing Isaiah 29:13—Jesus Himself quotes with holy fire:
"This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."
VAIN WORSHIP! That's what Jesus called it!
Mark 7:6-7 backs it up: "This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me."
Listen to this, saints! These people were:
• Drawing near to God with their MOUTHS - they were praising!
• Honoring Him with their LIPS - they were worshipping!
• Coming to church like good Christians!
But Jesus called their worship VAIN! EMPTY! WORTHLESS!
Why? Because you can't praise God with your mouth while your heart is chasing other lovers!
You can't worship Him with your lips while your mind is on worldly things!
You can't sing "I Love You, Lord" while your heart is pursuing money, fame, and pleasure!
PRAISE IS NOT ENOUGH WHEN YOUR HEART IS SOMEWHERE ELSE!
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🔥 BIBLICAL FIRE #2: MOUTHS THAT LOVE, HEARTS THAT COVET
Now look at Ezekiel 33:31—this will set your spirit on fire!
"And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness."
Church, can you see this? These people were:
• Coming to church like faithful members
• Sitting in service like attentive believers
• Hearing God's word like good saints
• Showing much LOVE with their mouths - they were PRAISING!
But their hearts were going after COVETOUSNESS!
They're singing "Jesus, Take the Wheel" while their hearts are driving toward greed!
They're praising "God Will Provide" while secretly scheming dishonest gain!
They're worshipping the Lord while their hearts are bowing to the almighty dollar!
PRAISE IS NOT ENOUGH WHEN YOUR HEART IS CHASING MONEY!
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🔥 BIBLICAL FIRE #3: WORSHIP ASSEMBLIES THAT STINK TO GOD
Go back to Amos 5:21: "I will not smell in your solemn assemblies."
Did you catch that? God said He "will not SMELL" their worship services!
That means their praise gatherings STUNK to God!
Their worship meetings were like BAD ODOR in God's nostrils!
Their religious assemblies were OFFENSIVE to the Lord!
How can praise STINK to God?
When it's COVERING UP SIN instead of CONFESSING SIN!
When it's PERFORMANCE instead of REPENTANCE!
When it's trying to IMPRESS PEOPLE instead of PLEASE GOD!
You can't use Sunday praise to cover Monday through Saturday sin!
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💥 THE PENTECOSTAL POWER: WHEN PRAISE WITH PURITY PREVAILS!
Oh, saints, praise is a weapon, but it's powerless if our hearts ain't right!
You can shout till the rafters shake, but if you're holding grudges, living in lust, or chasing money over God, the Lord says, "I don't want your NOISE!"
Look at Ananias and Sapphira - Acts 5:1-11:
They came with their offering! They were PRAISING with their gift! They looked super spiritual!
But they LIED to the Holy Ghost!
Acts 5:5: "And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost."
BAM! Struck down! Praise without truth is a clanging cymbal!
1 Corinthians 13:1 (KJV): "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal."
Love must back up your praise, or it's NOTHING!
But Glory to God, There's Hope!
When praise is paired with a REPENTANT HEART, it shakes the heavens!
Look at King David - Psalm 51: After his sin with Bathsheba, he didn't just keep praising like nothing happened!
Psalm 51:10 (KJV): "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."
Psalm 51:17 (KJV): "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."
His praise came back with POWER because he turned from wickedness!
Look at Acts 2 at Pentecost: Praise erupted when they were filled with the Spirit, LIVING HOLY!
Acts 2:46-47 (KJV): "And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people."
Praise ain't enough unless it's from a SURRENDERED SOUL!
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? THE FOUR TIMES PRAISE BECOMES NOISE TO GOD
1. When Your LIPS Praise but Your HEART is Far Away
Matthew 15:8: "This people... honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me."
You can't worship authentically while chasing other gods!
2. When You SHOW Love with Your Mouth but PURSUE Gain with Your Heart
Ezekiel 33:31: "With their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness."
You can't sing about surrender while refusing to surrender your wallet!
3. When It's Just RELIGIOUS PERFORMANCE Instead of RELATIONSHIP
Mark 7:6: "This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me."
You can't worship to impress people and expect to please God!
4. When You're Using PRAISE to COVER SIN Instead of CONFESS SIN
Amos 5:21: "I hate, I despise your feast days."
You can't use church songs to hide unchanged lifestyles!
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🔥 WHEN YOUR PRAISE PLEASES GOD - THE SPIRIT AND TRUTH TEST
John 4:23-24 (KJV): "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."
SPIRIT - Your heart must be engaged, not just your mouth!
TRUTH - Your life must match your lyrics!
God wants:
• SPIRIT - genuine heart engagement, not external performance
• TRUTH - authentic living that matches your worship words
Psalm 9:1 (KJV): "I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart."
WHOLE HEART worship! Not half-hearted, not divided, not distant - WHOLE HEART!
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🙌 THE ALTAR CALL: STEP INTO THE FIRE!
Church, the Spirit is moving tonight! Some of you are praising, but God's saying, "CLEAN IT UP!"
I feel a tugging in my spirit—someone's heart is far off! Maybe you've walked this aisle before, like Ezekiel's people, but never laid down your sins.
Come to the altar if:
• Your lips have been praising but your heart has been straying
• You've been showing love with your mouth but chasing gain with your heart
• Your worship has been performance instead of relationship
• You've been using praise to cover sin instead of confess sin
Don't Let Pride or Fear Hold You Back!
Get on your knees—cry out, "Lord, set me free!"
Psalm 51:1-2 (KJV): "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin."
PRAISE ALONE WON'T SAVE YOU - REPENTANCE WILL!
Make This Commitment:
"Lord, I don't want my praise to be NOISE to You!
Create in me a CLEAN HEART!
Renew a RIGHT SPIRIT within me!
I give You my HEART, not just my lips!
I surrender my LIFE, not just my songs!
Let my worship be in SPIRIT and TRUTH!
Let my praise be SWEET to Your ears, not offensive noise!"
Come to the altar, let the blood of Jesus wash you, and let your praise be a sweet sound to Him!
Hallelujah, step out now—victory's waiting when your heart aligns with your shout!
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💥 CLOSING CRY: PRAISE WITH PURITY PREVAILS!
Praise that PLEASES God:
• Comes from a CLEAN HEART
• Is backed by RIGHT LIVING
• Flows from GENUINE REPENTANCE
• Springs from WHOLE HEART surrender
Praise that's NOISE to God:
• Just moves the LIPS
• Covers up UNCONFESSED SIN
• Flows from PERFORMANCE
• Springs from DIVIDED HEARTS
Psalm 51:10 (KJV): "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."
Search our hearts, Lord! Burn out the dross! Let our praise be acceptable in Your sight!
God doesn't want your NOISE - He wants your HEART!
He doesn't want your PERFORMANCE - He wants your PERSON!
He doesn't want your LIPS - He wants your LIFE!
PRAISE IS POWERFUL, BUT PRAISE WITH PURITY PREVAILS!
Let's praise Him with CLEAN hearts!
Let's worship Him in SPIRIT and TRUTH!
Let's make sure our praise PLEASES Him, not offends Him!
Give God praise that comes from your HEART, not just your mouth!
Hallelujah! LET OUR PRAISE BE SWEET TO HIS EARS!
Amen and Amen!
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"Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols." - PRAISE ALONE FALLS FLAT - PURITY PREVAILS!
