The Power Of Praise

THE POWER OF PRAISE

Ps. 40:3

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR:

1. A police officer jumps into his squad car and calls the station. “I have an interesting case here,” he says. “A woman shot her husband for stepping on the floor she just mopped.”

2. “Have you arrested her?” asks the sergeant.

“No!” “Why not?” “Because she’s in the house and the floor’s still wet!” [Rose Mattix]

B. TEXT

1. “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness” Ps. 48:1.

2. “Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous: for praise is comely (fitting) for the upright” Ps. 33:1.

3. “And he has put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord” Ps. 40:3.

4. “Let the people praise You, O God; let all the people praise You” Ps. 67:3.

5. “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” Ps. 107:8.

6. “Seven times a day do I praise You because of Your righteous judgments” Ps. 119:164.

7. “Every day will I bless You; and I will praise Your name for ever and ever” Ps. 145:2.

8. “While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being” Ps. 146:2.

9. “Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand” Ps. 149:6.

C. THESIS

1. Today I want us to talk about Praise & Worship. When we praise the Lord, God inhabits our praises.

2. It makes the devil mad, but makes God glad, when we come into the presence of the Lord.

3. The enemy knows that with God’s presence comes His Power, His Anointing, and His Blessings!!! Amen?

4. And then the miraculous starts to take place. And the Devil doesn’t want you to start experiencing the miraculous because He wants you to live defeated lives!

5. So we’re going to look at the 3 types of worship, the hindrances to praise, and then how we can let praise usher us into a walk of victory.

6. The title of this message is, "The Power of Praise."

I. THREE TYPES OF WORSHIP

A. PRAISE

1. Praise is excited, exuberant, and noisy. It’s characterized by rejoicing, singing, shouting, uplifted hands, clapping, dancing. Praise is Celebration.

2. We watched the Houston Texans play their division rivals, the Indianapolis Colt a week ago. In a crucial play, 3rd down and long, just as he was tackled, Deshaun Watson threw a 40 yard pass and amazingly, DeAndre Hopkins stretched out and caught it.

3. The place went crazy. It was celebration time. That’s what PRAISE is.

B. THANKSGIVING

1. Thanksgiving is different than praise because its motivation results from something God has done. How wonderful it is when a long-sought answer to prayer arrives, and creates in us a tremendous feeling of thankfulness!

2. HUMOR

a. In North Dakota there was a clever old preacher who always amazed people, because no matter how bad the circumstances, he could always find something to give thanks for.

b. One cold December morning, he arrived late to church because his car got stuck in the snow drifts. The power went out and the piano player wasn’t there.

c. The parishioners were eager to see what the old preacher could come up with to be thankful for on that dismal and frigid morning. "Dear Lord," his prayer began, "I thank You, that not all days are like today.”

C. WORSHIP/ ADORATION/ LOVE

1. Then there’s worship. When you and God are alone together, face to face, and have shared a long and intimate relationship -- almost a romantic love is felt, except it’s reverential.

2. THE PROGRESSION OF WORSHIP

a. At the Temple in Jerusalem, Praise occurred in the outer courts. That’s where the sacrifices took place and the cleansings. That’s why Psalm 100:4 says, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”

b. Next the priests, with sacred garments, moved into the Holy Place to fellowship with God. There stood the Table of Shewbread and the Lampstand/ Menorah. They symbolized our fellowship with JESUS as the LIGHT OF THE WORLD and as the BREAD OF LIFE, which came down from heaven.

c. Lastly came the worship within the veil. The only offerings that penetrated the veil were the Blood of Christ, sprinkled 7 times, and the smoke of the incense on the Altar of Incense.

Hebrews 10:19-22 tells us we are not to stay outside the veil, but go boldly in to worship in the very Presence of God. Here the believer comes before the very Throne of Majesty and worships before the Living God in the Spirit.