There is Victory in Your Praise

OPENING

Psalm 34:3 NKJV

3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.

What does it mean to magnify the Lord? Let’s think about it in terms of a microscope and a telescope. Both tools are used to help us see things in a different perspective. A microscope is used to make small things appear larger than they really are. A telescope, on the other hand, is used to make big things begin to appear as big as they really are. When David says, “magnify the Lord with me,” he does not mean, “make God look bigger than He really is.” He means, “make a big God begin to look as big as He really is.”

We are not called to be microscopes, we are called to be telescopes. We are to magnify the Lord and make His true greatness known!

And this morning I want us to begin to focus on praise. God has been dealing with me recently about the culture of this house. The culture of an organization is its true heartbeat. What it is really all about.

We can have the best mission statements. We can have the most motivational vision statements. We can have the most innovative ministry strategies. All those things are good. But we can have all those things and miss the point.

As I said Wednesday night at Bible Study, if you boil it all down, the main thing we should be focused on is whether we are pleasing the King. I want Jesus to be satisfied with what we’re doing. If Jesus is happy, no disrespect intended, but I could care less about what anyone else thinks.

The apostles in the early church, when they were questioned by the religious establishment, said, “should we obey God or man?” I think you know the answer to that question. This house is going to obey God. We are going to make pleasing the King our only priority.

And I believe that God is wanting to lead this house to a higher place of praise. We are going to magnify the Lord! We are going to exalt His name together. We are going to worship Him in the beauty of holiness. And bring the sacrifice of praise unto the Lord.

The old timer’s used to say, “When the praises go up, the glory comes down.” We’ve seen God begin to do some great and mighty things in this house and through the ministry of this house. And the devil doesn’t like it. And the enemy is on the warpath. He is roaming about, like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

But I came to tell you something this morning that the devil doesn’t want you to know. There is Victory in Your Praise! When you and I begin to magnify the Lord, we realize just how big our God is and how small our problem is compared to Him. That’s why the devil doesn’t want you to magnify the Lord. That’s why the devil tries to silence your praise. It’s because he knows that There is Victory in Your Praise!

SCRIPTURE

Psalm 44:5–8 NKJV

5 Through You we will push down our enemies; Through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us. 6 For I will not trust in my bow, Nor shall my sword save me. 7 But You have saved us from our enemies, And have put to shame those who hated us. 8 In God we boast all day long, And praise Your name forever. Selah

MESSAGE

The Devil Doesn’t Stand a Chance

Through God’s power we can overcome the enemy

“Through You we will push down our enemies;”

“Through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us.”

But we cannot depend on our own strength

“For I will not trust in my bow,”

“Nor shall my sword save me.”

The devil doesn’t stand a chance against God’s power

“But You have saved us from our enemies,”

“And have put to shame those who hated us.”

We can rightfully brag about our God

“In God we boast all day long,”

“And praise Your name forever. Selah.”

Ordained Strength is Found in Perfected Praise

Jesus, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, when he quoted Psalm 8:2, changed the wording from “ordained strength” to “perfected praise.”

Ordained Strength

Psalm 8:2 NKJV

2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

Perfected Praise

Matthew 21:16 NKJV

16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise’?”

Jesus essentially said that the ordained strength of God’s people is perfect praise.

Praise is a powerful weapon.

The more thorough our praise, the greater our strength.

When we offer up praises to God, we effectively silence Satan.

The enemy cannot stand to be around when the name of Jesus is exalted.

There is Victory in Your Praise

Victory in Battle

In 2 Chronicles 20, we read where the Moabites and Ammonites came up against King Jehoshaphat and Judah.

King Jehoshaphat called a fast, and

Prayed for God to deliver them from their enemies.

But the Spirit of God came upon Jahaziel and he prophesied:

“Do not be afraid”

“The battle is not yours, but God’s”

“You will not need to fight in this battle”

“Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord”

The next day, King Jehoshaphat appointed singers:

Those who should praise in the beauty of holiness.

And they were singing, “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.”

And he sent them out.

God confused the enemy and they ended up killing each other.

When Judah arrived on the battlefield, the battle had already been won.

Judah took the spoils of the enemy and it was more than they could carry.

THERE IS VICTORY IN YOUR PRAISE!

Don’t be afraid!

The battle is not yours, it is the Lord’s!

Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord!

Just begin to praise Him in the beauty of holiness!

You might find that God has already defeated the enemy!

He can turn the enemies strategy into your victory!

And He can turn that battle into a blessing!

Victory Over Strongholds

You all know the story of the walls of Jericho

Jericho stood between Israel and the Promised Land.

But the city was surrounded by strong impenetrable walls.

But God gave the command to march around the city:

Once per day for the first six days,

Then on the seventh day they were to march around seven times.

On the seventh day, God instructed them to march quietly the first six times.

But on the seventh time around, the priests were to blow the trumpets.

And when the people heard the sound of the trumpets, they were to shout with a great shout.

And when the praises went up, the walls came tumbling down!

THERE IS VICTORY IN YOUR PRAISE!

It may feel like Day No. 6, but Day No. 7 is coming!

Shout with a voice of triumph!

The walls are coming down!

We’re taking back the territory the enemy has tried to steal!

You are coming out of defeat and you are walking into victory!

Victory Over Bondage

Paul and Silas had been thrown into prison

They had done nothing wrong.

They had simply been preaching the gospel.

And they set a young girl free from demonic possession.

As a result, they were thrown in prison.

They were beaten, thrown in the innermost prison cell, and their feet were fastened in stocks.

But at midnight, Paul and Silas started singing some old hymns.

And suddenly there was a great earthquake.

The foundations of the prison were shaken.

All the doors of the prison swung open.

And everyone’s chains fell off.

THERE IS VICTORY IN YOUR PRAISE!

If you are a threat to Satan’s kingdom, he is going to come after you!

He will try to shut you down and shut you up!

And it may feel like sometimes he has you bound up in a spiritual prison!

But we don’t have to live in bondage to the enemy!

We can be like Paul and Silas!

Magnify the Lord!

Start singing songs of praise!

Even in the middle of your midnight, God is listening!

God will shake the foundations of your prison cell!

He will open up the doors!

He will break every chain!

And he will set you free!

CLOSING

The Devil Doesn’t Stand a Chance

Ordained Strength is Found is Perfected Praise

There is Victory in Your Praise

ALTAR CALL