PRAISE Lesson 19

Subject: PRAISE Lesson 19 Prayer Asks - - but Praise Receives Praise can best be described as the expression of reverence and love due to a perfect and holy God. Gratitude is from our heart telling God that we love him, we are thankful for all He has done, such as provision, care and protection, but gratitude and being thankful is not the same as Praise. Pure praise does not require an emotional fervor. However, it is necessary to realize a display of emotion to God in praise, is perfectly acceptable and even desirable. Emotions are proper and important in their place, for they are given to us by an emotional God. However, a life-style based upon emotions and “feeling” rather than faith is not acceptable and is very dangerous. Let the “Word of God” have first place in your life. Build your life on God's sayings by hearing and DOING. Matthew 7:24 “Therefore whoever HEARS these sayings of Mine, and DOES them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: To enter into praise properly, we must be willing to express our love and gratitude by faith. We praise God, who we have NOT seen in the natural, yet who is very real to us and deserves all of our worship simply because of who HE is. As we consider our study on praise, we will cover four questions: 1. Why praise God? 2. How should we praise God? 3. When should we praise God? 4 Where should we praise God? 1. Why Praise God? - The Scriptures command us to to so. Psalms 150:6 ESV Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Psalms 148:1-14 ESV Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts! Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars! Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the Lord! For he commanded and they were created. ... Psalms 150:1-5 ESV Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! … 1 Peter 2:9  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. Romans 15:11  And yet again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles. Praise him, all you people of the earth.”. B. We Praise God because He is Worthy. Psalms 18:3 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies. Revelations 4:11 “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.” C Our praise glorifies our Lord. Psalms 50:23 Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; And to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God." D God inhabits our praises. Psalms 22:3  But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of your people. Notice the word “Praises” is plural. The Hebrew word used of praises, is Tehillah and comes from the root word Halal (from which we get the word Hallelujah. Halal means to be clear, to shine, to boast, to show, to rave, to celebrate, to be clamorously foolish . . . TEHILLA means to Sing our HALAL. - - NOT just singing. NOT Spirited singing. But singing in the Spirit. God is enthroned upon the “praises” of His people.

E. God is praised in Heaven. Revelation 4:10-11 The twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power - -” Revelation 7:9-12 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God. Rev 19:5-6 Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!” And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! F. All will praise Him in the end. Philippians 2:9-10 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth. However our praises glorifies God for who He is and for all He has provided for us In Christ, regarding our salvation, our spiritual growth, and His spiritual gifts poured out.