Praise in a Strange Place!

November 1st, 2015

Family of Life

#75

Psalms 137:1By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.

2We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.

3For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.

4How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a strange land?

Hose 10:11 …Judah shall plow…

Judah = praise

Praise plows deep in our lives. Breaks up hardness.

Inhabits the praises of his people

You build a house for God to live in

Create a place of praise.

Praise is more than a song, beat, clap or shout

Praise is supernatural

Praise has nothing to do with the song sang.

Style of music.

What you like or don’t like.

If praise was about what you liked

if praise was about getting you to responded than praise would be self-entertaining.

But praise is about entertaining God!

We create an atmosphere for God to live in!

It’s about God!

If you or I are not here next week, it probably wont matter!

BUT IF GOD DON’T SHOW UP THAT WE ARE IN REAL TROUBLE!

I have never healed anyone, set anyone free, saved anyone…

We praise not to get you here

But to get God here!

You need to understand what the Bible says about praise.

When you look at what praise is said to be today you realize that it has been redefined to

be something quite and choreographed, beautiful and perfectly executed.

You have to try out to join the choir.

You come to church and listen to beautiful singers and musicians.

It is all designed to move you.

But that is not what the bible says about praise!

Praise is rarely quite.

Mostly spontaneous

And from the heart!

Let’s look at our text.

The Children of Israel had been taken captive by Babylon who were a cruel people. They were marching

them away from their homes into a foreign land and as the stopped for a rest, someone began to remember

the songs of Zion.

As the remembered them, they hung their harps on the willow trees because they had no use for

them…

Their captives realizing what was taking place, demands of them that they sing them the songs

of Zion.

They were taunting them. In essence saying, Go ahead and sing to us about the God you

say you love but did not deliver you!

And their answer was simple; How can we sing in a strange land?

What they were saying was, our circumstance will not allow us to sing!

********

How many times is this the picture picture of our life?

We look around us and we wonder, how can I be in this situation?

It is one thing after another

One bad turn and the next

I can’t praise God because I am in a bad situation!

How can I praise God in a strange place!

Let’s look at this more.

David was a man whose relationship with God was amazing.

If I was to ask, what Bible character would you like to most be like many would say David.

Yet there was a period in his life when things did not go so well!

Chaos, adultery, murder, death

Look at some of the writing that he wrote from this chapter of his life.

Ps 38:1O LORD, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.

2For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore.

3There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin.

4For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.

5My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness.

6I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long.

7For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh.

8I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart.

Some scholars believe that David because of his life choices had contracted a STD.

David continues his thoughts on this in chapter 51

Ps 51:2Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

3For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

4Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

5Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

6Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

9Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

10Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

11Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

12Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

Note that not one time did David ask God to heal his broken bones!

God if you don’t heal what is broken in my life, I am still going to praise you!

To many times we only want to praise God when he fixes what is broken rather than praise Him because he is worthy!

Im not concerned about the broken bones, the trouble, the sickness…

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation!

David understood that if I can praise Him than I have the victory!

Watch!

Ps 150:1Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.

2Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.

3Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.

4Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.

5Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.

6Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

Look at all the instruments…

All the talent…

BUT note that there is one there that everyone can do…

Praise him with the dance!

What was he saying?

Even if your life is falling apart and a mess

If you have a dance in you heart for the Lord that you will win!

Wait preacher!

You don’t know my life, my situation, my circumstance.

I know that if you have a dance, you can praise your way through any situation!

Let everything that has breath praise ye the Lord!

Praise was never about you looking good!

Being pretty.

How it sounds.

Praise is about you building a place for God in your life!

Praise begins to break things up that you had hidden away…

Plow things that you thought were already taken care of…

Something takes place when you begin to praise him!

If I was the devil I would be whispering in your ear right now that this is crazy… hype, nonsense,

But if you ever get the revelation of praise, there is no devil in hell that can stop you!

**************

Acts 16

Paul and Silas go into a city and begin to preach.

Met with opposition from the first.

Devil possessed girl begins to speak against them and Paul cast the devil out of here.

Makes those profiting by her angry, they get them beaten and imprisoned.

Get this picture: They have been beaten bloody. Many would even die as a result of these beatings because

they would them put them in stocks. 24 hours a day, unable to move, no bathroom breaks, no shifting their

position…

Infection would set in and many would loose their lives.

On top of that they were in the inner prison. Likely underground.

They were having a bad day!

So they are in this strange place…

I don’t know what went on there. But I would imagine the conversation was pretty interesting.

Maybe Silas was fearful, worried, blaming Paul

We were doing the will of God! Why is this happening to us!

And most not understanding the purpose of God would be asking: What did I do wrong!

Maybe that was the question that jolted Paul out of his worry

But the Bible says “At midnight, Paul and Silas began to pray and sing praises to God!”

It was in this strange place that they began to praise God!

Not after God had delivered them…

Not in the middle of God’s deliverance…

BUT THEY PRAISED HIM IN THAT STRANGE PLACE!

To many times we approach God saying that if you get me out of here, I will praise you!

If you heal me, I will praise you!

If you give me a raise, I will praise you!

Stop worrying, stop complaining, stop fussing and START PRAISE HIM!

************

Satan’s greatest mistake in this story?

He left them together! He should have separated them!

If one can put 1000 to flight, two can put 10,000 to flight!

If two of you agree touching any one thing it shall be done

If two or three are gathered in His name, He will be there

The biggest mistake Satan made was leaving Paul and Silas together!

When you get two believers together, God will not miss that meeting!

Watch!

Paul begins to sing… Silas begins to hum the song… God begins to tap his foot to the beat and the earth began to shake!

Conclusion:

Three things happen when you begin to praise.

Foundations begin to shake

Your problem begins to crumble

If your here today build on fear, anger, addiction…. when you begin to praise the foundations begin to crumble! Door where opened

That which was blocking them - Stopping them opened up Everyone was loosed

Praise creates an atmosphere where foundations shake and doors are opened not only in your life but all around you!

This is the reason why the biggest mistake Satan can make is to let you get to church.

Because there are times when all you can do is drag yourself here and the saints begin to worship around you

and foundations begin to crumble and door begin to open in your life!

Learn to praise him in your circumstance!

Praise proceeds the victory!

Im going through, im going through, i don’t care what the rest of the world decides to do. I've made up my mind that im not gonna turn around. im walking w Jesus and Im gonna go through.