Psalms of Praise /Sacrifice of Praise
Last week we had a very light overview of the Psalms, not in content of genera but in general.
The big idea was that when we read the Psalms we are looking at the Temple hymnal. We also focused on the idea that when we read poetry in scripture we need to know it is poetry and it contains figures of speech, similes, and metaphors. Poetry may teach history but, it is not a history book.
Today we are going to look at the connection of praise using the Psalms.
We opened the service with Psalm 100, if you were listening to the words it is full of instructions for all the earth to sing songs to god. It describes the Lord as creator and us as sheep of the pasture. It speaks of entering His Courts…Church…heaven with thanks giving and praise. It reminds us that his faith fullness is forever. All that in 5 verses…..
In the Old and New Testaments the people of God are instructed to offer God a “Sacrifice of praise.” The idea is that we offer praise to God as a spontaneous response to noticing God in our lives.
Today we are talking about praise instead of thanksgiving. We will talk about that in a couple of weeks.
Praise can be planned. It can be celebrated and relived and many of the Psalms lead worshipers to do. But I feel like most to the time, praise is sort of instant, automatic or perhaps a response to the presence or the recognition of God working.
Some people offer praise to God because they find a parking spot right in front of the door of the store they are going into. That is Great….that they think of God when some small favor happens. I think it is good that they are thinking like that but, isn’t it a little arrogant to think that god cared about my parking space….Aren’t there other things that should have his attention. Like nearly having an accident …. That is one of my personal favorites.
In ancient Israel, praise was commanded in the law and in order to be able to offer God the praise, one had to be prepared…Sacrifices were offered so that the person could offer praises to God in the Temple.
Let me make this really clear. For a person to be able to express praise to God, to keep their duty to obey scripture…It cost them something.
For a person to be able to enter into the presence of God meant that they had to reach a state of holiness.
Otherwise, how can a normal, sinful human being ever enter into the presence of God?
Israel’s theology defined three states or conditions of all things, Unclean, Clean and Holy.
In general, it was easy to become unclean. Did any of ya’ll ever have coodies….when I was in elementary school if you touched a girl, You had coodies!!! You could not see them and it was almost impossible to avoid them all together. The general remedy was to catch someone on the play ground that had not had heir coodie shot that day.
It was a kid version of clean and unclean.
In Leviticus a process was taught that could make an unclean person or object clean. It involves time, offerings and ritual washing. The goal was to remain coodie free, clean as much as possible.
But in order to enter into the presence of God, a person had to become Holy. This is where the sacrifice system took on very precise processes and meanings.
The sacrifice of an animal was not magic, it was not just an automatic ritual, A then B gives C.
The sacrifice was offered, accepted by God, guilt was removed and communion was achieved between God and the person.
But, the act of sacrifice only represented the real repentance and inward faith and repentance that was already visible to God.
The sacrifices themselves were performed as an act of worship.
They were performed in public as a part of the communities worship.
Often the act of sacrifice allowed the person the ability to rejoin the community. A person pronounced a leper (any skin disease) went to the priest to be examined to see if they had been healed and to make an offering as a thanks to God and so that the community could see and accept the healing.
Sacrifices were made at the temple everyday in the morning and evening. On the Sabbath additional sacrifices were offered on behalf of the community. And once a year on the Day of Atonement all of Israel was to make their way to the temple to offer a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins.
In order to go to church an offering had to be made to make the worshiper holy so that they could enter into the presence of God…so that a person was suitable to worship. God is that Holy.
It seems like we have forgotten about the holiness of God in our worship.
I am not sure that as we come to worship on any given Sunday that we come expecting to enter into the manifest presence of God.
When we come to worship, we don’t have a real sense that our attendance requires us to go through a process of sanctification in order to be worthy to worship.
I wonder if we sometimes almost say, God showing up I can spare today, you better just take what you can get…
I am not saying that we are supposed to bring any kind of animal sacrifice to worship.
I am saying that we need to bring the same intent and radical change of our inward selves.
God’s requirement to enter into His Holy presence is to realize whose we are and where we stand in comparison to God.
We need to come wanting to be changed from what we are to something holy.
--It sounds like I am off topic a little this morning, except that the use of the Psalms for worship, wither individual or corporate, requires the worshiper to realize that we are not prepared to enter in to the presence of God!
Any worship that is offered from an unclean or “only clean” state and not from a sanctified, Holy state falls short of God’s expectation.
Don’t get me wrong, we don’t make ourselves right before God.
All we do is realize that we are unrighteous and unworthy and God does the rest.
God provide in the Law a process where sin is recognized and covered. Now He provides the means of the complete removal of our sins.
When we come to worship we need to come realizing what God has done and is doing and willing to let God act in us to be made holy and acceptable in his sight. We need to come with the understanding of what he has done so that we are ready to praise Him no matter what our personal situation may be. (We will talk more about that statement next week.)
Last week I asked how many people liked poetry…(varied response). Even fewer felt like they could write poetry.
How many love poems are original?
Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
Sugar is sweet.
And so are you.
If a young man reuses a poem when writing or speaking to a girl-friend, does it have any less meaning?
If he is tongue tied and unable to think and finds an expression of how he feels are the words any less meaning full or sincere?
But, if the guy just writes and recites great poetry without the inner feeling of love and devotion, it means less.
It seems to me that it is the preparation of the heart that makes a difference.
When we come to worship, we come to make an offering to God. The this the physical offering of our material resources which need to be given freely just as God has given to us freely.
The most physical offering for us that is most often expressed happens in the songs we sing. It happens when we read and speak scripture. The psalms often express our inward feelings toward God even though they were written by others thousands of years ago.
Don’t you think it is odd that a person that lives in a different culture, perhaps as a king, would have the same emotions and feelings toward God? Personally I think that it says more about God that about people.
Do we offer genuine praise as a part of our worship service?
Do we mean the words of our shared prayers, our affirmation of faith, of the songs we sing?
Does any of it contain part of our inner feelings of praise for what God has done for us and individuals or as a church?
Nearly every Psalm includes some amount of praise no matter the situation it describes. But, there are at least 24 that are only connected to pure praise of God as creator, as protector as provider.
I would venture a guess that everyone here feels like they have received some blessing from God…or at least I hope you do.
IF you received a blessing from God and don’t praise Him don’t you think that would be a sin?
Worship is about praising God of His actions in our lives, if you come just as a obligation then worship has no real meaning for you and your presence has little in any meaning for God.
It is important that we all remember that relationships always require us to pay attention. To offer praise and repentance as an ongoing part of a living relationship.
Let me read out scripture as an act of praise to your God. Please sit with your eyes closed and after a few moments of meditation on the scripture we will approach the lord’s table this morning.
Psalm 96
1 Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Sing to the LORD, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
4 For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and glory are in his sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come into his courts.
9 Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns."
The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.
11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it;
12 let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them.
Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy;
13 they will sing before the LORD, for he comes,
he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples in his truth.
(Silent meditation)
All Glory be to God!
Prayer of Confession:
Being your saints is seldom easy, God.
You call us to love,
even when we are hated.
You call us to forgive,
even when we are condemned.
You call us to pray,
even when we are persecuted.
Forgive us when we neglect or ignore your call.
Forgive us when we fail to be your saints.
Guide us on this journey of discipleship,
that we may grow as your children
and live in your love.
With faith in your mercy, we ask these things in the name Of Jesus Christ
Amen. (Please Join me on Page 7 of UMH)
