The Church and Praise

Introduction

Last Sunday if you were here we looked at the subject of the Church and Politics, or the church and government and I will not recap the full message, but we determined from a biblical perspective that the church should be engaged in government, our church should be concerned, our church should pray and be a part of the answer this Tuesday and at all times in our country, our state, our county, our city, and our communities.

We stated based on the Scripture that “we are to love our neighbors as ourselves” and that we should be a part of the answer of bringing about a better world where we live.

And in that message, I took an honest appraisal of many things as citizens we are concerned about, the security of our Social security, immigration-vetting, inflation-will our retirement funds last, crime, will our children and grandchildren enjoy the quality of education we enjoyed, laws contrary to the tenets of our faith and so on. But,

As a precursor to our time together in the Psalm and as we think about this Tuesday’s election, I want you to consider the life of Daniel for a moment.

Daniel lived within the bounds of great change as it relates to government, but life itself. He went from the freedoms of a young Jewish teenager in Jerusalem to being deported in captivity to Babylon. He dealt with government influence as to what he could and could not eat. He dealt with the demands of providing answers to dreams that governmental leaders demanded that he interpret or his life would be at stake. He dealt with subordination changes under eight different leaders over time and making those adaptations. Nebuchadnezzar, Evil-Merodach, Neriglissar, Labaskhi-Marduk, Nabonidus, Beshazzar, Darius the Medes, Cyrus the Great.

Daniel dealt with a great deal of change in government to say the least. His friends were thrown into the fire, he was placed in the lion’s den, must I go on?

Do you have concerns about Tuesday’s election? Are you concerned about the future of America?

Daniel 2:21 “21 And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding.”

Daniel reminds us that regardless of what human is in office that Heaven, the Godhead is still in control. Amen.

This morning we want to take a proactive approach, a pragmatic life prescription of action to keep our minds focused on the Lord rather than letting the politics of the day rob us of the joy we find in Christ Jesus. Last week’s message was the church and politics and I title today’s message, the church and praise. Amen?

Turn in your Bibles this morning to Psalm 146.

Psalm 146:1-10

Psalm 146:1–2 “1 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! 2 While I live I will praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.”

Psalm 146:3–4 “3 Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. 4 His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish.”

Psalm 146:5–7 “5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the Lord his God, 6 Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever, 7 Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners.”

Psalm 146:8–9 “8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; The Lord raises those who are bowed down; The Lord loves the righteous. 9 The Lord watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow; But the way of the wicked He turns upside down.”

Psalm 146:10 “10 The Lord shall reign forever— Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!”

Prayer

Message

This morning we study the 146th Psalm. It is one of the final five psalms called the Hallelujah psalms. All five psalms in Psalms 146-150 in verse 1 begin, “praise the Lord.” Guess what? Every last verse of each of these psalms state “praise the Lord.” Each psalm begins with praise of Jehovah and they end with praise of Jehovah.

This series of psalms were stated to be written during the postexilic period after the return from Babylon. The Israelites had encountered bondage and deportation and dispersion for 70 years. They knew they had worshipped foreign gods, they knew they were wayward and they understood that their captivity in Babylon was chastisement of a God that loved them.

After they came back home, they rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, they rebuilt their Temple and they reestablished the nation of Israel. Interestingly, the journey of the psalms reflect a wide spectrum of emotion and spiritual experiences that moves from lament of their conditions, lament over person sin, to petition, to ecstatic praise. They brought before God struggles of national crisis, personal sin, and the overall harsh realities of life.

We sense that as the Holy Spirit lead the psalmist in their writings and in this particular order that we see that Israel matured in their understanding of God after times of blessings and cursings, and after times of chastisement in Babylon for their waywardness.

We sense that this series of psalms were written out of jubilation and overflow of the gracious God that brought back His people from almost extinction. They had experimented so much in this life. They thought grass was greener over there and over there and had to come around to the fact that life stood right before them in the worship of the one true God, Jehovah. They had ventured away and were adulterous in their love and loyalty to the Lord, but the Lord had always been faithful, the Lord had been true, the Lord never had let them down nor left them and was always opened arms to take them back.

Oh dear church, may we as a country never have to learn the same lessons Israel had to learn in such harsh fashion. May we realize as a country, as a people, as a church in humility that the answer for America, the answer for our communities and the answer for us is found in our praise and worship of the Lord.

The Challenge to Praise

Psalm 146:1–2 “1 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! 2 While I live I will praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.”

Many times when we sing or are expressive in worship, we say the word “hallelujah.”

The word hallelujah means “praise the Lord” in Hebrew. Hallel is the word praise and jah is the abbreviated form of Jehovah. The psalmist writes both individually as a personal commitment, but he writes corporately as an imperative.

The congregation would sing this psalm in temple worship.

He states, “praise the Lord, praise the Lord O my soul!”

Without going into the overall journey of Israel, we know they were times that Israel was in a wilderness wandering as it relates to sin and waywardness.

The psalmist writes as one who realizes the err of his ways and from life’s experience determines his answer for life.

May I ask you this morning, what is your answer for life? What or who is your mind stayed on to cope in this life?

C.S. Lewis, in Reflections on the Psalms, observed that the Psalms, especially those focused on praise, shift the believer’s perspective. He wrote, “Praise is the mode of love which always has some element of joy in it… It is the little love that is poor and low.” Lewis's insight helps illuminate Psalm 146 as a psalm that reflects deep joy and trust in God's goodness, reminding us that human strength fades but God’s care endures.

Charles Spurgeon, a well-known preacher, wrote of Psalm 146 in The Treasury of David, "Praise is the soul in flower...the overflow of a heart filled with the glory and goodness of God." Spurgeon’s insight into Psalm 146 captures its essence as a jubilant response to God’s ongoing acts of mercy, justice, and kindness toward His people.

In another psalm, the psalmist writes:

Psalm 103:1 “1 Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!”

I reference this verse and in light of the first part of verse 1 due to the fact that what our minds are focused on is what will rule our lives.

The truth is we cannot focus on two things at the same time. We really are simple people. Why is this idea of praise in our soul such an important imperative this morning?

Matthew 6:24 “24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Everyone that walked into this congregation came here with some form of struggle. There is not one sitting in our midst this morning that could avoid potentially worrying about something that is not quite right in your life. You could be stressed about finances, not feeling good or health scares, some loneliness, who is going to take care of me when I can’t anymore, others overwhelmed with life demands, relationship issues, family concerns over children, grandchildren, some may be fighting depression and the list goes on.

So, if everyone in this room has all of these types of concerns combined with worries over our election, concerns about health cost, immigration, social security, world power tensions, crime; if all of that is a constant for each of us, then what is the variable? What is the difference in how one copes over another?

How does one person who sits in our midst seem joyful, at peace and in constant jubilation while another is always stressed, always tenuous, always on edge from the struggles of this life?

The variable is what our minds are stayed on. You have met those that regardless of the struggles they face they just stay so secure and happy in Jesus. Exactly. They keep their mind stayed on their Savior.

The Bible addresses this mindset in detail:

I will review 5 verses, but I want you to dial in on two especially. Romans 8:5-6 & Isaiah 26:3.

Proverbs 23:7 “7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you.”

Matthew 6:21 “21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Romans 8:5–6 “5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

Philippians 4:8 “8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”

Isaiah 26:3 “3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.”

Notice the psalmist commitment to praise. He writes it as an imperative, but he continues that his life will be a personal example of praising God, with all his being for all his life.

In other words:

Praise takes practice.

We need to make the effort for our lives to live in a state of praise. He states for us to sing praises to the Lord.

I get a unique vantage point up here during worship service. Some sing and some do not. Some smile and some do not. If you do not sing, may I challenge you to sing.

Now, in making that statement I realize we all have different gifts and some have the talent or ability to sing better than others and I get that. Furthermore, I realize we all have within us the awareness that some have the ability to sing while others do not. I know there are those that someone told you at a young time in your life that you can not sing and scarred you and you choose not to sing. I get it. How unfortunate.

But let me say something here. Your singing is not about what you enjoy, but what the Lord enjoys. Our singing is pleasing in the Lord’s sight. Now, by all means, do not misunderstand me in thinking that singing is the only form of praise to the Lord because that would not be true. But the Lord appreciates our praise in the form of song.

Psalm 147:1 “1 Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.”

Psalm 149:3–4 “3 Let them praise His name with the dance; Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp. 4 For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation.”

Ephesians 5:19–20 “19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,”

A.W. Tozer – "Without worship, we go about miserable. Singing that flows from a spirit of worship fills the soul with joy and lifts the heart."

Now, to this point how does this message in any way tie into your first message of the Church and Politics? I would quickly respond, exactly. Your mind can not be burdened over the problems of this world, the politics of this world, the petty, the pitiful, the poisons, the pits of this life and at the same time praise the Lord. Oh dear church, let’s just praise the Lord!

How can we practice praise?

Start Each Day with Gratitude: Begin the day by thanking God for His blessings, both large and small.

You practice in your mind as I practice aloud: Lord, thank you for another day to wake up. Lord thank you that my spouse woke up beside me. Lord thank you for a home and a place of peace. Thank you that groceries are in the refrigerator and I do not live in a place of war or poverty. Lord, thank you for meeting me this day and walking with me with all I face. Lord, you are so good, you bless, bless, and keep blessing. Thank you for our children, our grandchildren, thank you for happiness in their homes, and go on.

A simple prayer of gratitude sets a tone of praise and helps to keep our focus on God’s goodness throughout the day.

Memorize and Reflect on Scripture: Scripture passages like Psalm 146 encourage us to remember God’s works and character. By committing verses of praise to memory, we equip ourselves to turn our thoughts to God throughout the day, especially in challenging moments.

Use Music and Worship: Singing songs of praise, whether alone or in a congregation, aligns us with the spirit of the psalmist’s commitment to “sing praises.” Songs of worship remind us of God’s character, His love, and His sovereignty, and can be uplifting, even transformative.

Commit to Regular Worship Gatherings: Attending worship services or prayer meetings with fellow believers is another way to commit to a life of praise. Corporate worship strengthens our praise by uniting us with others, creating an environment where we can be encouraged and uplifted together.

The Caution in Praise

Psalm 146:3–4 “3 Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. 4 His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish.”

The psalmist cautions us against making earthly leaders the object of our praise. Man lacks the ability to “help.”

Help

A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible 8668. תְּשׁוּעָה

8668. תְּשׁוּעָה teshûwʿâh, tesh-oo-aw´; or

תְּשֻׁעָה teshûʿâh, tesh-oo-aw´; from 7768 in the sense of 3467; rescue (lit.) or fig., pers., national or spir.):—deliverance, help, safety, salvation, victory.

Oh dearly beloved, there are some human leaders for a small season that may offer help in the temporal, but real rescue, real salvation, real victory is found in the Lord. Human leaders come and go, but Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

In America today, many people place significant trust in the political, the economic, and cultural leaders of the day. The trend we see is that in America we place great reliance on human systems and ideologies to solve societal issues and guide our moral perspectives.

Political Leaders and Parties: Many Americans look to the political figures that we will vote on Tuesday to bring real answers. Dearly beloved, real answers are found in a life in Christ. Real answers are found when we take the church to our country and to our communities.

The political divide today is a picture of how much people rely at unhealthy levels on elected officials.

Celebrities and Cultural Icons: In the age of social media and widespread influence of entertainment, many Americans admire and trust the perspectives of celebrities, influencers, and cultural leaders.

For example, how many of our young generation have been impacted as a “Swiftie?” How much of an impact has Taylor Swift had on the world as it relates to empowerment and self expression, social and political issues, for example, advocating the LGBTQ + rights, gender equality and voter participation to name a few.

Financial and Corporate Leaders: Business moguls and financial leaders, such as CEOs of major companies, are increasingly seen as problem-solvers for societal challenges. People like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerburg, Bill Gates or Warren Buffet are where society places confidence.

Ill. Article in today’s paper about Warren Buffet and the level of cash that Berkshire Hathaway has was an actual determining factor of analyst as to how secure keeping money in the stock market is.

Psalm 118:8 “8 It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man.”

Isaiah 2:22 “22 Sever yourselves from such a man, Whose breath is in his nostrils; For of what account is he?”

Oh dearly beloved, I am so thankful for those that God has in gifted to be great change agents in our world and they are a gift of God. But what the psalmist is saying do not be guilty of placing too much stock in man. Man at his best is finite and mortal.

Even when I think of the great men of God that I quote and I reference, they have breathed their last. Dr. Billy Graham, Dr. Adrian Rogers, CS Lewis, John Wesley, D. L. Moody and the list goes on. Great men? But oh dearly beloved, in respect for them, they are no more as it relates to here on earth. Great saints in heaven, oh yes. But no more here to rely on for daily security.

The Cause for Praise

Psalm 146:5–10 “5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the Lord his God, 6 Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever, 7 Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners. 8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; The Lord raises those who are bowed down; The Lord loves the righteous. 9 The Lord watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow; But the way of the wicked He turns upside down. 10 The Lord shall reign forever— Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!”

The psalmist revealed many reasons for his cause of praise. Oh listen dear church, we have more reasons than we can comprehend to praise His Holy Name. Oh listen dear church, the Lord is worthy of our praise!

V. 5

Help

Firstly, He is your help. Do you need help this morning? Do you need real help that no one else has been able to help? God can. Practice calling on the Lord for your help. Asking Him to help in the small things. If you verbalize in your prayers the help you need, you will then be reminded of the help He answers when you ask.

Psalm 46:1 “1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.”

V. 6

Creator

“Who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them.”

When we consider that fact, we quickly realize that if God created everything in and on this earth, that He can correct anything that has gone astray.

Ill.

For this life I live I have this Owners Manual, God’s Word. It reminds me I am His and He cares for me. He created me. He has the answers. He has a troubleshooting section in here when I am acting faulty.

Dearly beloved, God’s Word is the Owner’s manual of our lives. Begin with looking at the Owner’s manual, God, His Word to find answers. But what I love about the One who created me and commands my life; He has an 800 number 24/7/365. I am never put on hold and I always get an answer.

It’s called prayer. There are times I do not fully understand the owner’s manual and I need additional instruction, but I can talk directly to the owner of my life and He will provide answers.

Judge

“who keeps truth forever, who executes justice for the oppressed.”

Oh dear church, God helps the helpless. He answers for those less fortunate.

Psalm 40:1–3 “1 I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. 2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. 3 He has put a new song in my mouth— Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the Lord.”

Oh, dear church, I could go on. He is worthy of our praise. With the Lord you win in this world. Whether you are wayward

Whether you are weighted down,

Whether you are worn out

Whether you are worried

Whether you’ve lost your winsome personality

Whether your life is on a one way spiral downward, Oh dear friend today, praise the Lord.

The Lord loves you and He is worthy of your praise.

In closing, the thought you might have is “Brother Luke, I am listening to you. I believe you. I believe the Lord is worthy. The issue I am having is with my worthiness. If you only knew my life. If you only knew about some of the choices I’ve made. If you only knew about my failures.

No, I do not know of your past, but I know of an awesome future available to you. I know you can be found anew today. I know Christ loves you and wants to save you.

Let’s pray.