Prayer as Praise and Thanksgiving

Intro

As we kick off the New Year, we really wanted to start the year off right. I really want us as a church to grow in our confidence and comfort with prayer. In fact, you will notice that throughout the year we are going to be incorporating more prayer opportunities into regular church life. I really want us to become a “Pray First People.” Instead of resorting to prayer as a last resort, or when we’ve exhausted all other options, we run to God in prayer first. Instead of a mentality of, “there’s nothing else I can do,” step into a “what else can I do?”

This aligns with our mission and vision to help you have biblically healthy relationships because all of our relationships get better when we have a healthy relationship with God. The only way we have a healthy relationship with God is when we have a healthy prayer life.

So for the next 7-8 weeks, you are going to be immersed in prayer. The sermon series, the Hearing God Seminar, and even the 21 Days of Prayer reading plan are all intentional to help you grow in your understanding of prayer. Whether it is seeing how the people of the Bible prayed or discussing why it is that God doesn’t answer your prayers, the hope is that as you have opportunity to understand and practice different elements of prayer, you will become more comfortable and confident in this very important privilege you have been given as a child of God.

So I encourage you to bring your questions, bring your concerns, and let us as a community grow as a people who pray. Isaiah prophesied that the temple of God would be called a house of prayer. Well church, you are that temple, and you are called to be a house of prayer. That is the goal, that is the trajectory of 2024, and I can’t wait to see the result.

So with all of that we, are kicking off the series today with:

Prayer as Praise and Thanksgiving

in Luke 11:2, Jesus taught his disciples to prayer, and He started the prayer this way.

Luke 11:2 NLT

Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon.

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Jesus teaches his disciples, and by extension his church, that you are start your prayers with, “Our Father, may your name be kept holy,” or “hallowed be your name.”

This one line communicates two very important aspects of our relationship with God

First, it reminds us that God is a loving Father, that wants to have a relationship with us. It reminds us that God is closer then we may realize or feel at times

Second, it reminds us that our Father in heaven is not someone to be taken lightly. This is the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. Our Father is holy, set apart from all of creation. Though He is your Father and you can approach Him with confidence, you can’t forget who He is.

But not only is the prayer emphasizing that you remember He is holy, but that the world would recognize He is holy through you. The thing you need to remember is that there are only two options. Either the world is going to praise your Father in Heaven because of you, as we see if Matthew 5:16

Matthew 5:16 NLT

In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

OR, the world is going to prophane the name of God because of you, as the prophet Ezekiel points out in Eze 36:20-21

Ezekiel 36:20–21 NLT

But when they were scattered among the nations, they brought shame on my holy name. For the nations said, ‘These are the people of the Lord, but he couldn’t keep them safe in his own land!’ Then I was concerned for my holy name, on which my people brought shame among the nations.

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it is either going to be one or the either.

How Do You Pray That God’s Name Be Kept Holy?

that is a great question and I am so glad that you asked. Such an intuitive group!

1. Ask God to keep us from dishonouring His name.

1 Corinthians 10:31 NLT

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

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if the only options in life is to glorify God’s name or cause it to be prophaned, the easiest way to make sure you are not bringing shame to the name of God is to intentionally bring Him honour in everything. This is not a an easy task; in fact it is something you will take your whole life finetuning, but it is a worthwhile venture, I promise.

2. Ask the God is glorified among the nations as He is glorified among you

Daniel 9:17 NLT

“O our God, hear your servant’s prayer! Listen as I plead. For your own sake, Lord, smile again on your desolate sanctuary.

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Daniel’s prayer wasn’t for the sake of Israel or for the sake of of Daniel’s reputation among the Babylonians. Daniel is praying that Jerusalem and the temple be rebuilt because it is going to bring honour to God in Heaven.

Daniel’s prayer is that as he lived his life devoted to the Lord, the world would see it and be inspired to glorify God in response. His hope was that as Israel rebuilt the temple in God’s name, the temple would not only inspire praise among the Israelites, but also among the nations around the world.

3. It means we manifest our gratitude to God

few things obscure the glory of God like our ingratitude.

In the story of the 10 lepers that we healed by Jesus, how many returned to give God the glory? One.

To keep God’s name as holy is not merely to live a righteous life, but to have a heart of grateful joy toward God.

to keep God’s name as holy is to maintain an attitude of praise and thanksgiving. For those who are wondering how praise and thanksgiving are different, praise centres on who God is, while thanksgiving focuses on what God has done.

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even though the two may be different, they certainly intersect because God often reveals who He is precisely by what He has done!

Why Should We Praise God?

1. Because He is a great God, worthy of our praise

Psalm 96:2–5 NLT

Sing to the Lord; praise his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods. The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens!

this is one example of how the Psalms remind us of the reasons we sing praises to God

He is worthy because of His marvelous deeds

He is worthy because He is real, not like the idols or other gods

He made the heavens

the psalmist would go on to talk about how God will rule with equity, righteousness, and truth

the reasons God is worthy of praise are endless. Even in your own life, you could probably come up with inumerable reasons to praise Him.

2. Because praise is an acceptable sacrifice to give to the Lord

here is a list of things considered acceptable to the Lord

a broken and contrite heart (Ps 51:17)

doing what is right and just (Pro 21:3)

offering our bodies as living sacrifices (Rom 12:1)

giving (Phil 4:18)

a sacrifice of praise Ps 50:14

Psalm 50:14 NLT

Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High.

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3. Because through praise we come into and experience God’s presence

as further evidence of how good and worhty of praise our Heavenly Father is, not only is praise an acceptable sacrifice to offer God, praise also benefits us

Psalm 27:8 NLT

My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”

4. We experience the joy of the Lord and peace through praise

Philippians 4:6–7 NLT

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

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it amazing how quickly fear, anxiety, and discouragement seem to melt away when we allow ourselves to really praise our Heavenly Father

It is the difference between merely singing the songs on the screen, and really meaning the words you are singing.

5. Praise increases our faith to pray expectantly

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when you wholeheartedly praise and give thanks to God, you enter into the presence of God

when you are in the presence of the Lord, you experience the fullness of joy and peace

joy and peace are powerful emotions that in turn give us strength

Nehemiah 8:10 NLT

And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”

6. Praise is a spiritual weapon against the dark forces of evil

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before I give you the scripture to this one, I want to clarify something, and I really need each of you to hear this. We don’t sing at the beginning of service to create atmosphere or because I can’t preach for the full hour. Trust me, I can fill an hour! Music is not just a nice way to kick things off. We start our service with praise because this is one of the weapons God has given us against the enemy. There is spiritual warfare happening when we praise God

1 Samuel 16:23 NLT

And whenever the tormenting spirit from God troubled Saul, David would play the harp. Then Saul would feel better, and the tormenting spirit would go away.

Psalm 149:5–9 NLT

Let the faithful rejoice that he honors them. Let them sing for joy as they lie on their beds. Let the praises of God be in their mouths, and a sharp sword in their hands— to execute vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, to bind their kings with shackles and their leaders with iron chains, to execute the judgment written against them. This is the glorious privilege of his faithful ones. Praise the Lord!

do not underestimate the power of your praise

How Should You Praise?

1. With your whole heart

Psalm 9:1 NLT

I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.

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praise is not just filler, but you praise God with everything. If at any time, you were thinking, “I have not experienced anything that Pastor Matt just listed,” I would ask if you were worshiping with your whole heart, or were you holding back?

2. You may speak, shout, or sing your praise

Psalm 147:1 NLT

Praise the Lord! How good to sing praises to our God! How delightful and how fitting!

Psalm 33:3 NLT

Sing a new song of praise to him; play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy.

Psalm 47:1 NLT

Come, everyone! Clap your hands! Shout to God with joyful praise!

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there is no right or wrong way to praise God, just find the way you are comfortable with and express your praise to Him. Not everyone is comfortable with singing, and some people just need to let out a shout. However God has made you, praise Him in your comfort zone, just don’t hold back your praise.

3. Corresponding Posture

Psalm 95:6 NLT

Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,

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kneeling and bowing are postures that acknowledge greatness

Psalm 141:2 NLT

Accept my prayer as incense offered to you, and my upraised hands as an evening offering.

2 Samuel 6:16 NLT

But as the Ark of the Lord entered the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked down from her window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she was filled with contempt for him.

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It is interesting, one pastor pointed out that it is often our pride that gets in the way of dancing before the Lord. I think it is our pride that gets in the way of all expressions of worship. I don’t want shout to the Lord, what if someone hears me? I can’t kneel right now, what if someone think I’m putting on a show and drawing attention to myself?

What if a heart that truly loves the Lord and wants to offer Him the very best praise doesn’t care what anyone else thinks and only worries what He thinks? What if your refusal to kneel before God is getting in the way you experiencing just how great He is?

You are not praising God for man’s approval. You have to give yourself permission to worship God however you feel is appropriate in the moment.

I want to close with this. Praise and thanksgiving is not something that we do only when we come together on Sundays. It is something that we should be doing on our own, everyday, all day long. What happens on Sunday shouldn’t the exception to our lives, it should be a maginfication of what is happening. Imagine if your 3 favorite bands came together to make music together, that would probably excite you. Why? Becuase the collective talent would make something truly special. Well what happens when 30 people who regularly praise God come together to worship? There should be an explosion of praise because you simply cannot contain yourselves.

This morning, instead of discussion around the tables, we are going to close with a song. We are going to close with praise and I encourage you to consider everything we just talked about. How can you worship with your whole heart? How can you praise God differently?

My challenge for you this week: When you have your quiet time with God, incorporate a little worship music. Get some praise into your devtions, and see if it doesn’t grow a greater heart of praise before the Lord

Let’s Pray