Closing Praise

Introduction

Welcome back. I hope that everyone took advantage of the end of the year rest that we took. I know that it was refreshing for Tahsha and me, and I hope that it was for you too.

How many of y’all were able to take advantage of the studies on RightNow Media over the break, whether for personal studies or for you families? We certainly did, and we found the archeology program surrounding evidence for Jesus’ birth as described in the Gospels quite interesting.

After 6 weeks of Christmas focus and rest, we find ourselves back in the study this series The Way, the Truth, and the Life: Studying Jesus through the Gospels. We have covered roughly a year and a half of Jesus’ three-and-a-half-ish year long ministry. We have seen how Jesus began His ministry by being baptized by John the Baptist. There, the Father spoke saying, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”

After that, Jesus is led into the wilderness, and after 40 days of fasting, He is tempted by Satan directly. Once He’s endured those temptations, Jesus begins His ministry, gathering and calling disciples as He goes.

During the first year-and-a-half of His ministry, Jesus travels throughout Galilee and Judea preaching and performing miracles. The Pharisees and Scribes, the religious leaders of the day, are very interested in Him at first. But soon, they realize that Jesus is claiming to be God as He not only performs miracles, but on occasion, offers forgiveness for sins, something that is reserved for God to do alone.

Since they do not believe that Jesus is God, they have a real problem with Him saying things like, “Your sins are forgiven.” However, Jesus backs up His claims to deity by performing miracles only God can perform. Had the Pharisees and Scribes truly been looking for the Messiah, God’s anointed one, His Chosen one, they would have identified Jesus as Him because the Messiah was to come doing miracles and forgiving sins in fulfilment of the prophecies that had been spoken about Him.

And now, we find ourselves in Matthew Chapter 5 where Jesus has sat himself down on the side of a mountain, being followed by a great multitude of people. He sits, because that is the position that teachers take in that culture, and then begins to teach. This discourse is Jesus’ longest recorded discourse of His ministry and is commonly known as The Sermon on the Mount.

Sermon on the Mount Recap

The content of this sermon is found in Matthew chapters 5-7. Since it has been a little while since we have looked at this, I’d like to do a quick recap of everything we have seen so far. The principle thing to remember as we are walking through this is that even though there were many people listening to Jesus, Jesus’ target audience were His disciples, those who had commited to following Him. Those that were empowered by Him. There is no way that anyone can follow the principles taught here in their own strength.

Chapter 5Beatitudes - Matthew 5 opens up with the Beatitudes. and we quickly learn that none of what follows can be accomplished through our own power. If we are truly to walk with Christ, it will only be through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Salt and Light - The reason for the Holy Spirit developing these beatitudes in us is so that we can be salt and light in this world-boldly declaring the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus and the Law - Jesus clarifies that he is not against the Old Testament laws and prophets, but is here to fulfill the law in all of its aspects - morally (by not sinning), ceremonially (by living out the symbolism of the ceremonial law), and Judicially, by sticking to the laws that set the nation of Israel apart from the other nations around and among them.

Our Righteousness - Then Jesus goes on to say that our righteousness needs to be greater than that of the religious leaders of the day. Understanding the beatitudes is the key to understanding this phrase, as we see that none of us are righteous in-and-of ourselves, but through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, through a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, we are made the righteousness of God in Christ. It is not our doing, not is it our own righteousness, but Jesus’ righteousness is imputed to us.

Spirit vs. Letter of the Law - Then the chapter closes with several examples of following the Spirit of the law rather than worrying only about the letter of the law.

After that we get to Chapter 6, where we are now.

Chapter six started with a warning: “Make sure you do not do your righteous acts for the purpose of being seen by men.” So this warning reiterates a concept that we studied in chapter 5 - The heart, not only the actions, matter. Actions are important, but actions gain their significance (in the eyes of God) by the heart, which only He can see. Remembering that only God sees the heart will be a key part of understanding chapter 7 that deals with judging others.

Giving - We also got into the area of giving and stewardship in chapter 6. Here we saw that the simple act of giving does nothing for us. Paul reiterates this concept in 1 Corinthians 13:3 when he says “3 [If] I bestow all my goods to feed the poor… and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” Giving obviously benefits the object of our gift, but it is not an act of worship nor does it bring us closer to God unless our heart is behind the gift. Mechanical giving profits us nothing. Grudgingly giving profits us nothing. That is why Paul encourages the Corinthian church to give as each man purposed in his heart. Purposeful, heartfelt giving is what will be counted as an act of worship.

Prayer - Jesus then moves on to the topic of prayer. Here, just as he did with the issue of giving, He gives a warning. Mechanical prayers do us no good. There is no reward for mechanical praying. There is no reward for prayer that is spoken for the purpose of personal glory. The only prayer that will benefit and be considered an act of worship is the heartfelt prayer to the Lord.

After clarifying this, Jesus then teaches His disciples how to pray, and this is where we left off.

The Model Prayer

Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray using a model prayer, something we have come to know as “the Lord’s Prayer.” Throughout this prayer, we find that Jesus teaches us a formula for praying. Now, it is important to remember that this formula is not a formula so that we can manipulate God in any way. This formula, if followed with our hearts intent on seeking God, will conform us more into the image of Jesus Christ, bringing us closer to the Father.

So we have seen that

God is our Father

He is good

He is powerful

We are to worship God

We must seek His kingdom

Righteousness

Peace

Joy

Power

We must seek His will

We must fully depend on Him for our needs and wants

We must regularly confess our sins to God

We must avoid temptation and depend on God to deliver us from evil

So let’s look at the text of all of this. We find it in Matthew 6:9-13. And let’s read it together. Join me as I read:

Matthew 6:9–13 KJV 1900

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

We have studied everything from verses 9 through most of 13, and now we find ourselves in this last phrase: “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.”

Closing Praise

This session, we remember that we entered our prayer by praising God, and now, at the close, we finish the prayer with praise as well. We opened the prayer acknowledging who God is and praising His name, and now, we close the prayer praising God for who He is.

This section of the prayer is reminiscent of the praise that David spoke after all the money and supplies were gathered for the building of the temple in Jerusalem.

1 Chronicles 29:10–13 KJV 1900

10 Wherefore David blessed the Lord before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. 11 Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. 13 Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.

It was something that David had longed for, prayed for, and sought after. HE wanted to be the one that built the temple, but God had plans for Solomon, David's son, to be the one to build it. So David rejoiced in the fact that at the end of his life, everything was prepared to build the temple, and he praises God this way.

Praise, as we had mentioned before, is an excellent preparation for prayer, and we are commanded to always be praying.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 KJV 1900

16 Rejoice evermore. 17 Pray without ceasing. 18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Notice that the phrase "pray without ceasing" is surrounded by rejoicing and thanksgiving. We saw in our second session of the Model Prayer that thanksgiving is a specific type of praise.

We should always be praising God.

The word "praise” is mentioned in the Bible over 240 times, and every time it is either audible or visible or both. So again, what is praise?

Hebrews 13:15

Hebrews 13:15 (KJV 1900)

15 Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

Praise is us verbally giving thanks to God for who He is (thanks to His name) and what He has done and promised to do.

Power in Praise

One of the forms that praise often takes is song. Praising God should be a Spirit led activity. We should allow the Holy Spirit to guide our hearts in praise to the Lord. Music, singing has been known for ages to be of great impact to the soul. Experts have known for a very long time the effect of music and song on our attitudes and states of mind.

Military forces throughout the ages have understood that singing and chanting boosts morale and productivity. Cadences keep soldiers minds of the pain of running or the drudgery of marching. Sea shanties helped to keep sailors on task at a certain rhythm with the rest of the boat, improving productivity and moral.

Military cadences not only improve moral, but embed ideas. It is a tool used to help make a group of people who have been taught all their life that killing is wrong and bloodshed is something to be avoided, that killing is the norm and bloodshed is to be celebrated. Every once in a while Tahsha will catch me singing or chanting a cadence from my army days, and she will look at me with the weirdest look on her face. Sometimes that look is accompanied by the phrase, "I worry about you sometimes..." because in all honesty, the words to some of those cadences are gruesome. But because the words were put into song and sung regularly, the mind adapts to it as something that is normal.

So what does that tell us? That there is power in what we sing. There is therefore power in praising God in song!

Psalm 32:7

Psalm 32:7 KJV 1900

7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.

Look at how the David describes the songs. Songs of deliverance. When do we hide and look for preservation? When there is trouble. David said, when there is trouble, I hide in God. When I hide in God, He surrounds me with songs of deliverance.

What David is talking about is trouble of the soul. This is the kind of trouble that keeps you up at night. This is the kind of trouble you encounter when the doctor says there is nothing they can do anymore.

The kind of trouble that makes you shrink away from everything and everyone because you just can't handle the possibility of any more bad news.

When that trouble comes, what will deliver your mind from that weight and that bondage is hiding yourself in God, and the way He gives that comfort in that time of trouble is through songs of deliverance.

I can thoroughly remember a particular night when I could not sleep. That doesn't happen often. Those that know me understand that when I say "goodnight," and my head hits the pillow with the intention of sleep, it can be literally seconds before I start snoring.

There was a situation, I can't remember what it was, to be honest with you, but I remember an overwhelming stress that would not let me sleep or enjoy anything. It was horrible. It had built throughout the day, and by the time night arrived, I was restless, and felt as if I was drowning. Like I said, I cannot remember exactly what he situation was, but I sat up in bed and prayed.

That night I prayed and gave the situation to God. After praying, I opened up a music app that I have. I don't know exactly how the song came up, because I had never heard it before, perhaps Tahsha had played it on the account we share, but I hit play on a song titled Psalm 46 (Lord of Hosts) by Shane and Shane. This is a song of deliverance. As I listened to this song on repeat, the worry and anxiety began to melt away. My heart lightened as I began to learn it. I looked up the words and began to sing along. It is a declaration of God being the Lord of Hosts, the One who is in absolute control of everything.

I looked up the words and began to sing it there in bed. As I sang praises to God, the weight was lifted away from my heart, the chains of worry vanished, and the tears that fell were no longer tears of exasperation, but of relief, knowing God was in control of everything that was going on. It is a song that is obviously based on the Bible, specifically a portion of Psalm 46, and it goes like this.

Psalm 46 (Lord of Hosts)

O come behold the works of God

The nations at His feet

He breaks the bow and bends the spear and tells the wars to cease

O mighty one of Israel

You are on our side

We walk by faith in God who burns the chariots with fire

Lord of Hosts, You're with us

With us in the fire

With us as a shelter

With us in the storm

You will lead us through the fiercest battle

Oh, where else would we go but with the Lord of Hosts?

O God of Jacob, fierce and great

You lift Your voice to speak

The Earth it bows and all the mountains move into the sea

O Lord, You know the hearts of men, and still You let them live

God who makes the mountains melt, come wrestle us and win

Though oceans roar, You are the Lord of all

The one who calms the wind and waves and makes my heart be still

Though the Earth gives way, the mountains move into the sea, the nations rage, I know my God is in control

Lord of Hosts, You're with us

With us in the fire

With us as a shelter

With us in the storm

You will lead us through the fiercest battle

Oh, where else would we go, but with the Lord of Hosts?

This was my song of deliverance that night, and has been for many other nights since.

Singing praises to the Lord out of a heart of faith and trust in Him can change you.

Psalm 40:1-3

Psalm 40:1–3 (KJV 1900)

1 I waited patiently for the Lord; And he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: Many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.

When we focus on Him, He will put songs in our mouths and surround us with songs of deliverance. Music has power. Praise has power. This is why we open up our services with music and songs that praise God. Because music has the power to hold an image or an idea in your mind. Praising God in song puts our minds in a right perspective to receive His Word that is being sung about and preached or taught about.

Listen, it is so easy to get brainwashed. It is so easy for Satan to distort truth and to feed us lies and exaggerations. I am going to prove it to you in just a few seconds. I am going to brainwash all of you here by telling you a story, and you will not know it happened even though I am telling you it is about to happen. Y'all ready? Now, if I have told you this riddle already, don’t say the answer. Just let everybody see how easy it is to get brainwashed and have images placed into their heads.

And now to set the scene, some music...

[Play royalty free suspense for a few seconds and tell the riddle.]

A man leaves home and jogs a little way and turns left. He jogs a little way and turns left again. He jogs a little way and turns left once more and jogs back home. As he approaches, he notices two masked men waiting for him. They each want something different. Who are the masked men?

You probably thought of the wrong answer, but the music made all the difference. The correct answer will be all to clear as soon as I change the music and re-read the riddle.

[Play the music to “Take me out to a ball game and re-tell the riddle.”]

A man leaves home and jogs a little way and turns left. He jogs a little way and turns left again. He jogs a little way and turns left once more and jogs back home. As he approaches, he notices two masked men waiting for him. They each want something different. Who are the masked men?

(Umpire and Catcher)

See how easy it is to have images implanted into your head? Music has the ability to send a message. And because there is power in music, there is power in music that is meant to praise the Lord.

There is power in music. Since before Thanksgiving, we have been inundated with images of Christmas, so I want everyone to do something. I want you to picture a Christmas scene. In fact, let me build that scene for you.

Picture, if you will, a house that is decorated on the outside with decorations in the yard and lights all along the outline of the house. As you approach the front door, you see a beautiful wreath hanging on it. You walk in, and suddenly, the smells of Christmas flood your senses. You can smell the scent of the real tree in the corner of the living room, decorated with lights, tinsel, and ornaments. There is a smell of cinnamon and apples as you are served a hot cup of apple cider. You move further into the house and see the dining room with decorative plates at each setting. People are milling around in their Christmas sweaters and flannel shirts, waiting to be called for dinner.

Everyone have that image in your mind? Good. DO NOT LET THAT IMAGE GO. We are thinking about Christmas.

I, however, am going to try to change the image in your mind. As soon as you have another image in your mind, raise your hand and shout it out.

But first, let me build the scene again for you, this time, close your eyes and focus on the image of Christmas...

There is a house that is decorated on the outside with decorations in the yard and lights all along the outline of the house. As you approach the front door, you see a beautiful wreath hanging on it. You walk in, and suddenly, the smells of Christmas flood your senses. You can smell the scent of the real tree in the corner of the living room, decorated with lights, tinsel, and ornaments. There is a smell of cinnamon and apples as you are served a hot cup of apple cider. You move further into the house and see the dining room with decorative plates at each setting. People are milling around in their Christmas sweaters and flannel shirts, waiting to be called for dinner.

[Play the Pink Panther music]

No one is thinking about Christmas anymore? What happened? This music held an image with it. It broke up what you were thinking about. You can try to think of the scene I built for you a while ago, but as long as that music is playing, that is the image you will continue to go back to.

In our life, we are met with troubles, trials, temptations, anxiety, and all sorts of things that Satan will do to try to paint a bleak picture in your mind. What is the answer? Praising God. Double points for if you do it in song; triple points if you make up the song on your own!

Isaiah 61:10 KJV 1900

10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

There is nothing like singing praises to the Lord, and it must not be reserved for church only.

Ephesians 5:18–20 KJV 1900

18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

People get drunk for several reasons, but a common enough reason is to forget their problems or diminish their anxiety. What does the Bible offer as an alternative to drunkenness? SINGING!!! Not just any songs, but hymns, psalms, spiritual songs, and songs of thanksgiving.

Why? Because God's is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, amen!

And because it all belongs to Him and we belong to God's family, then He makes us partakers and owners in this kingdom. You and I have stock in the kingdom of God!

Luke 12:31–32 KJV 1900

31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. 32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Colossians 1:12–13 KJV 1900

12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

Don’t forget to praise God.

I think it is interesting that we start our prayer with praise. That helps us focus so that when we do start to ask for things that pertain to us, we do not do so selfishly. Then we move into the confession of sin and ask God to help us not fall into more sin. This part of the prayer is an acknowledgment of our weakness and our imperfection, and our tendency to fall. Ending on that note could be rather defeating and debilitating, but to counter this, Jesus directs us back to praise.

We close out our prayer just as we started it for the same purpose - to have a right focus and a right perspective. We start with praise to have the right perspective as we seek God’s will in our wants and needs. We close in praise to have a right perspective as we face the world around us again.

Invitation

I’ll ask everyone to bow your heads and close your eyes. We are going to have a short invitation. This is an invitation for you to do a self-examination. Where is your focus? Is it on the things of this world? Is it on the difficulties? Is it on sickness, on trials, on pleasure seeking? Turn you eyes upon Jesus, and if you find it difficult to do, turn your praise to Jesus.

As we mentioned at the beginning, Jesus was speaking to His disciples only. This message of prayer was for them, because only those that have a personal relationship with Jesus can call God “Father.”

If you are here and have never accepted Jesus as your personal savior, trusting in His person as the Son of God and in His atoning work as He died on a cross, was buried, and rose again from the dead, then you cannot approach God as your Father.

But today is the day that you could get that settled with Him. If you are here this morning and would like to know more about salvation, I will be sitting in the fireplace room after this sermon and as soon as we are dismissed, I would love to speak to you and set up a time where we can talk more in depth about knowing God as your Heavenly Father.