Worship Lesson # 4

Whys And Wherefores Of Praise And Thanksgiving

“I will praise you, O LORD.

Surely God is my salvation;

I will trust and not be afraid.

The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song;

Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;

make known among the nations what he has done,

and proclaim that his name is exalted.

Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things;

let this be known to all the world.

Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,

for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.” – Isaiah 12:1-6

Praise attributes to God the honor and esteem due Him.

God is great and greatly to be praised (Ps. 48:1).

Praise glorifies the person and excellency of God (Ps. 50:23).

It exalts Him as marvelous as He truly is.

It lifts His name on high and glorifies Him.

The sacrifice of praise is the proper ministry of priests.

Peter identified believers as a royal priesthood to declare His praises (1 Peter 2:9).

God is due our praise.

What do we praise? Because of:

• His glory (Eph 1:3 - 6,11-14)
• His name (Ps 54:6, 148:13, 149:3)
• His greatness
• His character of love, mercy, grace, righteousness, truth, holiness, good­ness, tenderness, and so much more
• Especially in hard circumstances, praise is faith in action that God is still God and still on His throne.

Praise was the deep cry of the psalmists (Ps 107:8,15,21,31).

They committed themselves to praise God with fixed hearts (Ps108:1), with their whole hearts (Ps 111:1), with their whole beings (Ps 103:1), continually all day long (Ps 71:6, Ps 35:28).

 David praised intensely.

Five times in three verses, David declared that he would exalt the Lord (Ps145:1-2,6).

Thanksgiving expresses gratitude for benefits received out of the abundance of God's kindness and faithfulness.

Thanksgiving is grateful acknowledgment of good gifts received.

Jeremiah speaks of joy of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord, saying, "Give thanks to the LORD Almighty, for the LORD is good; his love endures forever" (Jer 33:11).

The Psalms are saturated with praise and thanksgiving.

How could the heart of a believer not be occupied with God's praise and thanksgiving for His mercy?

How can we ever get to the end of His riches or to the bottom of His unsearchable goodness?

Right in the middle of a deep lesson on theology, Paul burst into doxology (praise).

He just had to shout!

“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! For from him and through him and to him are all things.  To him be the glory forever! Amen.” – Romans 11:32,36

Praise and thanksgiving are sweet privileges that warm God's heart and ours. No remedy is more effective for a cold heart. Charles Spurgeon said that he praised the Lord at two times-when he felt like it, and when he didn't, for then he did not want to leave his heart in so low a condition. Check out the first occurrence of praise in the Bible. "Melchizedek said, `Blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand' " (Gen 14:20). Listen to the last reference to praise in Revelation. "'Hallelu­jah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are his judgments. `Hallelujah!' `Amen, Hallelujah!' `Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!' `Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!' " (Rev 19:1-7).

Why Praise?

·       It is the atmosphere of the throne room of heaven. – Rev 4, 5:11-12, 7:11-12, 11:17, 19:5

·       Praise establishes His throne in our midst. – 1 Chron 13:6 NASB

·       God's name is holy. – 1 Chron 16:10

·       Praise is an instrument of warfare. – 2 Chron 20:21-22

·       God releases power to defeat His enemies. – 2 Chron 20:20-22

·       There is victory in praise. – 2 Chron 20:20-21

·       Praise silences the enemy. – Psalm 8:1-2

·       God commands it in Scriptures. – Psalm 9:11, 33:2, 34:1,3, 47:1, 67:3,6, 146:1,147:1,7,12; Isaiah 12:5, 42:12; Jeremiah 20:12, Zephaniah 3:14, Romans 15:9, James 5:13

·       God inhabits praise – Psalm 22:3

·       God is due it.-Psalm 29:1-2

·       God inspires it. – Psalm 40:3

·       He is the King. – Psalm 47:1-2

·       Praise prepares the way of the Lord. – Psalm 50:23

·       It is an obligation. – Psalm 65:1

·       Praise pleases God. – Psalm 69:30-31

·       Praise provides access into His presence. – Psalm 100:4

·       We are saved to glory in His praise. – Psalm 106:47

·       We celebrate His goodness. – Psalm 107:1, 1 Chronicles 16:34

·       We are fearfully and wonderfully made. – Psalm 139:14

·       He delights in it. – Psalm 149:1,4

·       Praise executes upon spiritual rulers judgments already written. – Psalm 149:6-9

·       There is healing power in praise. – Isaiah 61:3

·       God gives the garment of spiritual joy in exchange for mourning. – Isaiah 61:3

·       Jesus modeled it. – Matthew 6:9

·       Praise opens prison doors. – Acts 16:25-26

·       Praise stirs up faith. – Romans 4:20-21

·       We are created for praise. – Ephesians 1:12; Isaiah 43:21

·       We are chosen for praise. – 1 Peter 2:9

·       For His might – Psalm 21:13

·       For His word – Psalm 56:4

·       For His good name – Psalm 54:6

·       For His great and awesome name – Psalm 99:3

·       For His wonders and His faithfulness – Psalm 89:5

·       For His mighty deeds – Psalm 150:2.

·       For His excellent greatness – Psalm 150:2

·       For His acts of power – Psalm 150:2

How To Praise And Give Thanks

·     With song and instruments – Psalm 9:11, 33:2,147:7

·     With a fixed heart – Psalm 108:1.

·    With a whole heart. – Psalm 111:1

·    With our whole being. – Psalm 103:1

·    Out of a clean heart. – Psalm 119:7

·    Righteousness and praise together. – Isaiah 61:11

·    He is our praise. – Deuteronomy 10:21

·    With our mouths. – Psalm 145:21

·    With singing lips. – Psalm 63:5, Ezra 3:11

·    With shouts of joy. – Ezra 3:11, Psalm 42:4, 98:6

·    In loud voices with joy. – Luke 19:37

·    With trumpets and ram's horns. – Psalm 98:6

·    With dancing, tambourine, and harp. – Psalm 149:3

·    With the harp and lyre. – Psalm 71:22

·    With the strings and flute – Psalm 150:4

·    With resounding cymbals. – Psalm 150:5

When Should We Praise And Give Thanks?

·       In everything – 1 Thessalonians 5:18

·       Continually – Psalm 71:6, Hebrews 13:15

·       All day long – Psalm 35:28

·       At all times – Psalm 34:1

·       Seven times a day – Psalm 119:164

·       When we have yet to see the answer – Psalm 71:14

·       In faith for the answer – 2 Chronicles 20:20-25

Where Do We Praise And Give Thanks?

·       At the gates of the Lord's dwelling – 2 Chronicles 31:2

·       In the congregation with our brothers – Psalm 22:22

·       In the great assembly, among throngs of people – Psalm 35:18

·       Among the peoples of the nations – Psalm 57:9

·       In the council of the elders – Psalm 107:32

Who Is Commanded To Praise?

·       All the created universe – Psalm 148:1-10

·       Everybody on earth that has breath – Psalm 148:11-12,150:6

·       All nations – Psalm 47:1

Who Praised?

I love a little song that says, "Ain't no rock gonna sing my praise. As long as I have breath, I will praise the Lord."

·       Job – Job 1:20

·       Abraham – Genesis 22:5

·       Jacob – Genesis 47:31

·       Moses – Exodus 15:1-3,11

·       The psalmists – Psalms 96, 100, 103, and 150, and many more

·       Isaiah – Isaiah 6:3, 25:1

·       Jesus – Matthew 6:9

·     The eleven – Matthew 28:16-17

·     The children – Matthew 21:16

·     The crowds – Luke 19:37-39.

·     The church in Acts – Acts 2:47, 13:2

·     Paul and Silas – Acts 16:25

·     The stones – Luke 19:40