WHAT PRAISE WILL PRODUCE
I CHRONICLES 4:1
As I look at the church today, I am amazed at the attitude that some of us have adopted… It blows my mind how many folks come into the House of God week after week and leave the same way they came… It’s mind-boggling to me how some folk treat the church just like they treat their job… They just show up and put in their time, then complain about everything that’s going on, but do nothing to help the matter… It seems like you ought to get tired of the same old things… You ought to get tired of living from day to day without any joy, peace, and happiness in your life… You ought to get tired of
Being down and out…
Going through…
Going under…
Going backwards…
You ought to be tired of coming in here week after week and leaving the same way you came…
Leaving here with the same ole problems…
Leaving here with the same ole heartaches…
Leaving here with the same ole heartbreaks…
Leaving here with the same ole let downs…
Leaving here with the same ole set backs…
(Don’t know about you but…)
I’m tired of being down and out…
I’m tired of being the tail and not the head…
I’m tired of being the defeated and not the over-comer…
But let me suggest to you the that part of the problem is your response to what life brings you… How it treats you… Part of your problem is your reaction to life itself… Part of your problem is that you won’t praise God in spite of… We all know the saying, “when praises go up…,” but do we really know and understand the Power of Praise…?
Praise can cause walls to fall… (Ask Joshua…)
Praise can stop the fury of fire… (Ask 3 Hebrew Boys…)
Praise can quench the appetite of a lion… (Ask Daniel…)
(Trying to say…) There is Power in Praise…
Understand me when I tell you that Praise is Permeated with Productive Power… True Praise has the Proclivity and the Propensity to be a Powerful Producer… (How is Praise a Producer…?) Look at the text…
The text informs us that Judah had some sons… The name Judah means Praise… But notice there is no mention of the mother anywhere here… There’s a father (producer) present, but no mention of the mother (carrier/ womb) (Sounds like the situation in the church, huh…?) (Point) Judah (Praise) shows up in the worship service and is looking partner (a bride/ womb/ carrier) to help nurture the seed that must be produced (the sons) but he can’t find one… (Secret) Judah ain’t just looking for anybody… Some of you are not attractive to Judah because your heart’s not right… Your motives aren’t right… Your intentions are not right… That’s why it seems like you’re not growing and gaining in the Kingdom Principles…
That’s why:
The church is boring to you…
The devil is beating you down…
The enemy is reeking havoc in your life…
Because you refuse to hook up with Judah and consummate your relationship with him …! But I need to tell you that there are some advantages to hooking up with Judah… Because when you and Judah (praise) hook up look what you produce…!
I. Perez: (Breach, Cut off, Divider)
Understand me when I tell you that when you praise God, He begins to cut-off some things… He begins to cutoff or cut away the things in your life that hinder you from your forward progression in Him… Perez creates a dividing line between you and what the enemy has designed for your life… You do know that the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy… But Jesus said, “I come that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly… (John 10:10)” (Point) If Jesus’ intention is for you to have life more abundantly, then that’s enough reason to praise Him right there…! (Why?) Because when you and Judah (praise) hook up, out comes a Perez (Breach, Cut off, Divider)… And Perez will cut off the tactics of the enemy…
So every time he tries to derail you from the plan of God in your life, your Perez throws him off course…
Every time he tries to remind you of past failures, your Perez steps in and reminds him of his future…
Every time he tries to block you from reaching your full potential in God, your Perez steps in and cuts off his onslaught at the very point of contact…
(Trying to say…) When you hook up with Judah (praise) it will produce a Perez…
II. Hezron: (Shut in, Surround, Shield)
When you hook up with Judah it will produce a shield… (Isaiah 59:19) “… When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard (shield, buffer, safeguard) against him…” (Ps 91) ”He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty…" Understand that Hezron blocks “all the fiery darts of the wicked one…” (Eph 6:16)
Hezron can shield you so that you won’t even see the darts coming at you… You’re so caught up in your praise, that no one and nothing else around you matters… True praise will create such a shield (Hezron) that hell and havoc can be literally on your doorstep and it won’t affect you… Your praise can take you to another place… Into the deep recesses of God… Into the Shekinah Glory of God… Your praise can take into the Holy of Holies… When you hook up with Judah (praise) it will produce a Perez (Divider)… Hezron (Shield)…
III. Carmi (Chelubai/Caleb): (Vinedresser/Harvester)
First of all, you need to understand that there is difference between a farmer and a vinedresser (harvester)… A farmer harvests his own crop, but a vinedresser (harvester) harvests that which he did not plant…! Not only that, but he doesn’t just do it when he gets ready… Understand that harvest time comes in its own season… You don’t just harvest whenever you want to, but it has to be done in its own season… (Point) When you hook up with Judah (praise) it will produce a Carmi…
IOW, as a result of your praise, God will put you in a season to harvest (inherit) that which you don’t necessarily deserve… The Bible calls that Grace…! But another word for it is favor…! Through your praise, God will cause blessings that you don’t even deserve to come your way… (Tell you something else about seasons…?) “Why can’t we tell the difference…?” God said, “I’m trying to tell you stop looking at the seasons, waiting for them to change…” (Why?) Because your season already here…! (Trying to say…) When you hook up with Judah (praise) it will produce a Carmi (Vinedresser)…Folks will begin to look at you and wonder:
How did you…
How come you got…
How come you’re walking in…
How come your household is…
But it’s not because of what you’ve done, or who you are, but it’s simply because of your praise that produced a Carmi…
Carmi will cause folks to look at you funny…
Carmi will cause folks to treat you funny…
Carmi will cause folks to talk about you…
Carmi will cause folks to ask all kinds of crazy questions…
But you need to understand that when you hook up with Judah (praise) Carmi is produced… Blessings will come forth… Folks will trip off of the favor that God has shown you, but let ‘em trip… (Why?) Because “favor ain’t fair…” (Trying to tell you…) When you hook up with Judah (praise) it will produce a Perez (Divider)… Hezron (Shield)… Carmi (Vinedresser)…
IV. Hur: (Noble, Liberty)
(Helped Moses to free Israel from Amelek… Helped hold his arms up as he held the rod up…) When you hook up with Judah (praise) it will produce a Hur (Liberty)… And the thing I like about it is that…
Hur frees me from the opinions of others…
Hur frees me from the past…
Hur frees me from the pain of the past…
Understand that ain’t nothing in this life free except salvation…! And the Bible says, “He whom the Son sets free, is free indeed…” (John 8:26)… So when you hook up with Judah (Praise) it will produce a Hur (Liberty)… But understand that the liberty that Hur gives you ain’t free…!
(Trying to say) Sometimes even in the midst of your praise, you’ve got to fight to get free… Sometimes you’ve got to fight to get:
Free from distraction…
Free from disruption…
Free from disappointment…
That’s why P&W is so important in the life of a believer… Understand that praise is your weapon… (Why?) Because the Bible says that, “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places…”
(Question…?) When was the last time you grabbed flesh and blood… When was the last time you kicked a principality… When was the last time you punched spiritual wickedness in the high places…?
Paul said that, “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal… But mighty in God for four things:
Pulling down strongholds…
Casting down arguments…
Casting down every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God…
Bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)
Praise is the weapon that we use to get through the hell and havoc that the enemy tries to bring our way… It’s through our encounter and experience with praise that we are able to produce a Hur… The liberty that frees us from bondage… You better learn how to praise God through your adversity…
Learn how to praise Him through trails and tribulations….
Learn how to praise Him through hell and havoc…
Learn how to praise Him through sickness and pain…
Learn how to praise him through… (Personal)
Why? Because when you hook up with Judah (praise) it will produce a Perez (Divider)… Hezron (Shield)… Carmi (Vinedresser)… Hur (Liberty)…
V. Shobal: (Embracer of Corn, Wanderer, Traveler, Pioneer)
Shobal has several meanings… The first one I want to show you is “An Embracer of Corn…” Understand the in the day and time of our text, there was no money system in place… They used a system of barter and trading, and corn was used by the wealthy as a form of currency… (Trying to say…) When you hook up with Judah (praise) and produce a Shobal; God will use new ways to make you wealthy… (Not always money…) To make you prosperous… God will use Shobal to bring you into the position to start that business…
God will use Shobal to bring you into the position to go forward in ministry… God will use Shobal to bring you into the position to be all that God has called you to be…
Not only does it mean “Embracer Of Corn,” but Shobal also means Wanderer, Traveler, Pioneer … (Star Trek Monologue)… (Point) When you hook up with Judah (praise) and produce a Shobal, you will find yourself going into places that you’ve never been before… Not only will He do it, but He’ll do it in a way that other people won’t understand… When you hook up with Judah (Praise) and produce a Shobal; doors will begin to open for you that no one can close… When you hook up with Judah (Praise) and produce a Shobal; you take on the attitude of Joshua…
(Can I let you in on something…?) I didn’t know what God was doing when moved me here… I thought He was just answering my prayer (Explain)… But I didn’t know that He was setting me up… You see it was through my act of Praise for Him answering my prayer that a Shobal was produced in me…! (You missed it…!) Through my praise, God put me in a position to go where I had not been before (Physically & Spiritually)… I told you Shobal means Pioneer… (One who leads the way; One who breaks new ground…) (Trying to say…) God told me (as well as you) to possess the land…! God told me to go and take back the Kingdom from the enemy… (What God has called me to do…)
If you think I’m bragging, I AM…! Not because of me, but because of what God told me… (Joshua 1:2-7) The Lord told me (Just like He did Joshua): "Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan… (You do know what Jordan represents…?)
“…(and) Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you … From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river; all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory...” (Make boundaries personal…)
When I hooked up with Judah (Praise) and produce a Shobal; I realized that… “No man shall be able to stand before me all the days of my life; as He was with Moses… So will He be with me… He will not leave me nor forsake me...”
Because I hooked up with Judah (Praise) and produced a Shobal; I can… “Be strong and of good courage, for to this people I shall be able to divide as an inheritance the land which He swore to our fathers to give us… I can be strong and very courageous, and observe to do according to all the law which I was commanded…”
Because when I hook up with Judah (Praise) and produced a Shobal; and don’t… “Turn from the right hand or to the left… I will prosper wherever you go…”
(Trying to tell you…) There is Power in Your Praise… I dare you to praise God…
In the midst of your circumstances…
In the midst of your confusion…
In the midst of your crisis…
I don’t know about you but I’ve got to Praise Him…
Because He’s Almighty…
Because He Blessed Me…
Because He Cares for me
Because He Delivered me…
Because He Erased the penalty of sin that was against me…
Because He Forgave me…
Because He Gave me eternal life…
Because He Heard my cry…
Because He Justified me…
Because He Kept me…
Because He Loves me…
Because of His Mercy…
Because He Never left me…
Because He Opened doors for me…
Because He Paid the price for me…
Because Redeemed me…
Because He Saved and Sanctified me…
Because He Took my place at Calvary…
Because of His Undying love for me…
Because He gave me Victory…
Somebody ought to praise in this place… (Why?) Because there’s Power In Your Praise…
