Lift Praise!
Notes
Transcript
Reading:
1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!
3 Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!
5 For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Introduction:
A pastor friend of mine had told me about a time when he was so full of joy in his heart towards the lord that he sang.
It was something that he hadn’t done in a long time.
It happened like this:
It was a hot summer day and his kids were gone, his wife was as well.
The lawn needed to be mowed, so he grabbed his headphones connected them to his phone and hopped on his zero turn and began to mow.
Only, while mowing he began to sing...very loudly.
He was asked about what his neighbors thought of him screaming over the mower to whatever songs were playing.
He said: I don’t care, I was singing praises to the Lord because I wanted to.
Is there moments in our lives that we just want to praise God because He is God and we recognize how awesome and how worthy He is?
Those moments usually follow great victory or blessings in our lives, and it is the right response for what the Lord did.
Unfortunately it isn’t something that we do very often.
With our whole being praise Him because of who He is.
But we should!
We have recorded for us in Exodus the praise that Israel offered after the closing of the sea onto the Egyptian army.
They praised the Lord with:
A Song in their Heart (1-18)
A Song in their Heart (1-18)
This song expresses 4 different parts.
all are giving glory to the Lord.
God’s Victory is Announced (1-5)
1 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying, “I will sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider He has thrown into the sea.
2 The Lord is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
3 The Lord is a man of war; the Lord is His name.
4 “Pharaoh’s chariots and His host He cast into the sea, and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea.
5 The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone.
We have the reason for this song:
1 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying, “I will sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider He has thrown into the sea.
God conquered the might and power of Egypt and they saw it.
He removed the actual threat to Israel’s bondage.
The fear to their whole nation, gone.
Why did God do that?
God told Moses at the burning bush what He would do.
19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand.
20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go.
God showed His might, through Pharaoh and Egypt until they got the message that God is all powerful!
God also told Moses He would remove the object of fear for Israel.
17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen.
18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
God’s words rang true in the ears of all Israel, He made promises and He kept them.
He's trustworthy!
They sang the words to the God they serve , since He fights for them.
He is the same God their fathers worshipped.
2 The Lord is my strength and my song, and H has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.
He is known to them and their national identity is attached to His character and might.
The next few verses depict the moment He conquered their fear:
3 The Lord is a Man of war; the Lord is His name.
4 “Pharaoh’s chariots and his host He cast into the sea, and His chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea.
5 The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone.
He is described as Lord and a Man of War.
This phrase is something that was used to declare the Lord as the Divine Warrior.
The divine warrior term came from the statement God made in Exodus 14:14
14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
It is a term used to depict Jesus as well.
With the victory He delivered at the cross: Colossians 2:15
15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him.
Also foreshadowing the future victory at His return.
As the Divine Warrior He conquered the might and wisdom of Egypts military with the sea.
God’s deliverance came by water.
In 6-10:
God’s Weapons are described (6-10)
in this section there is a shift in the song, it is sung to Him not just sung aloud for others to hear.
He becomes the object of the praise.
6 Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power, your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.
The phrase used depicts a position of power equal to His authority:
The phrase “right hand”.
This statement God made 7 previous times from chapter 3 to 14 about how God would bring them out from Egypt: With a mighty hand or strong hand.
Typically the right hand of an person in authority is the position of strength.
When we hear of this term in the New Testament it’s about Christ:
1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,
2 but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the Heir of all things, through whom also He created the world.
3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
4 having become as much superior to angels as the name He has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
Christ is the strength of the Lord.
Piece this together for a second:
To Israel God revealed His strength by using His strong hand against their enemies.
To us Christ conquered death and the grave with the strongest thing: His Love; by a sacrifice.
What songs do we sing because He conquered our spiritual enemy?
We have a lot to praise God for!
This song thanks Him for the victory and proclaims that nothing is equal to His greatness.
7 In the greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries; you send out your fury; it consumes them like stubble.
8 At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up; the floods stood up in a heap; the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them. I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.’
10 You blew with your wind; the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters.
They praise the method that shows His wisdom to conquer them all at once.
If you were the general leading the Israelites, is that how you would’ve defeated the Egyptians?
Draw them into the sea and drown them?
It shows His power and also His wisdom.
The song shifts from praising His abilities to Praising:
His character (11-16a)
His character isn’t like any of the gods the Israelites knew of in Egypt.
11 “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?
12 You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them.
He is holy and has glorious deeds.
That must be such a contrast to the false gods they knew in Egypt.
Have you ever noticed that when someone meets Jesus He is unlike any idols they previously knew?
You can find a commonality amongst the idols that people worship.
Fear of that god drives you and you’re constantly sacrificing or performing to make that idol happy or appease it’s anger.
If there is ever a benevolent act that idol does, it isn’t from love for their subjects it is perceived that they “earned” it through sacrifices or proper worship.
Even though there aren’t physical “idols” we put out for people to worship in our society people still do this.
This principal is what makes the Catholic church appealing.
You can get out what you put in.
God is always an angry miser and you need to appease His anger.
This is also a niche for Islam and Mormon.
Islam has an always angry God ready to strike unless you are “doing good”.
Mormons can earn a specific level of Heaven according to their performance on earth.
Hindu is similar in the fact that if you are a really good person you can be reincarnated as a cow, the most sacred animal; but if your’e a bug then you weren’t good.
God’s character was unlike any of the false idols they knew.
What a breath of fresh air to have a God that does things because He loves you and you don’t have to do anything to appease Him and make Him happy, He isn’t angry!
He is worth our praise.
Especially since His promises aren’t contingent to whether or not we deserve it.
The closing to the song expresses joy for:
God’s promises fulfilled (16b-18)
16 Terror and dread fall upon them; because of the greatness of your arm, they are still as a stone, till your people, O Lord, pass by, till the people pass by whom you have purchased.
17 You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain, the place, O Lord, which you have made for your abode, the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established.
18 The Lord will reign forever and ever.”
What promises has He made to you?
Do you believe Him?
Do you praise Him for those promises?
How about promises like:
10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
8 It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
33 I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
9 But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
We have plenty of promises to praise Him for.
He is our God and Father, He cares for us as a perfect loving father does.
Transition:
The song of praise ends and tells why they have:
Freedom to Praise (19-21)
Freedom to Praise (19-21)
The victory is what caused the song; but it considers the Hebrews and the Egyptians:
The two are contrasted (19)
19 For when the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them, but the people of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea.
The motivations for entering the split sea was different.
The Hebrews entered by faith.
The Egyptians entered in pride.
The system of traveling was different.
The Hebrews were walking on dry ground.
The Egyptians drove their chariots hard in the mud.
There are a lot of differences that are very distinct.
Our motivations for our decisions should be different than than unbelievers.
Illustration:
A believer and a non believer go to work, they do the same job.
What’s the difference?
One may be motivated by a paycheck that results in a sour attitude or bare minimum work effort.
The believer should uphold what’s written in Ephesians 6:5-7
5 Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ,
6 not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
7 rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man,
This mindset is that you are working as if your are employed by the Lord, because you are.
The kind of worker you are is different than the one who just works for a paycheck.
The Hebrews and the Egyptians entered and exited very differently.
That outcome is the overflowing cup we hear of Miriam.
20 Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing.
21 And Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.”
She began a praise time with song and dance.
The ladies followed Miriam, repeated and sang loud the first line of Moses’ song.
What a great victory He provided to the Israelites.
Transition:
There is a saying:
If your on a mountain top the only way to go is down into the valley.
The life of a believer has been described as “Hills and Valleys”.
The idea is that with every victorious moment in your life that God provides, the next moment will be a trial or testing of your faith.
The Israelites venture into the wilderness a little further to a place with water.
At this spot:
God sets a Precedent (22-27)
God sets a Precedent (22-27)
He sets a precedent for Israel and also for us!
22 Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water.
23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah.
Illustration:
In middle school I went on a camping trip with my friend and his family.
We camped at a place on the west side of the state near Holland.
It was called Warren dunes.
It wasn’t like we were in a dessert but it sure felt like it on that hot summer day.
I think it was about 90 degrees and over 100 on the sand.
When we got back to the campground from tromping the dunes and swimming in the lake, I was very thirsty.
It felt like sand was in my throat and I needed to rinse it.
Imagine that kind of thirst for 3 days in the hot dessert.
Day 1, it’s a concern but not the prominent thought.
Day 2, it’s a prominent thought and a little worrisome.
Day 3, your not thinking of anything else other than you need water and your attitude probably changes into a very sour direction towards the person leading you to your death.
Your mind is there you can empathize with the Israelites.
Finally your leader reaches water for you all.
Yet it’s undrinkable.
(?) What’s your mindset towards Moses?
Listen to what the Israelites thought:
24 And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”
The Israelites in their grumbling showed their ungratefulness, self-centeredness, immaturity, and insecurity.
Moses responds correctly:
He sought the Lord for what water they could drink since this water was bitter.
Moses was probably a little concerned about what to drink as well.
But He believed the Lord would provide.
Which He did. He provided for their need through a tree.
25 And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there He tested them,
The Lord provided drinkable water to meet their physical need.
Then He revealed to them a principal that would be a rule to abide by.
26 saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in His eyes, and give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.”
God offers a rule for them to keep, very similar to the scenario Adam and Eve had.
The test of obedience was presented.
Listen to His voice.
Do what is right according to His point of view.
Hear and do His commandments, and statues.
Easy-peasy!
Before we get all high and mighty lets put this in perspective of the New Testament:
13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,
15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
How you doing according to this?
What can make it possible to live up to this calling?
1 The Holy Spirit’s guidance.
The Bible’s direction and truth.
Our mind to protect us from becoming carnal once again.
To protect our body as the temple of the Lord.
Keeping it sanctified to Him and not being given over to anything else.
As we are tested God strengthens these different areas of our lives.
He reveals the weak areas to us to protect it and strengthen it.
By using the tools He provides for us: His word, The Spirit, and One another.
The Lord provided the place of rest and clean water for their camping.
It was a place for refuge from the sun with clean water.
27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.
Conclusion:
We all have moments when we could praise with our whole being the Lord and His victories and His blessings.
Why don’t we?
We should!
It should be a joyous song and dancing of His wonderful works.
We are told that the heavenly hosts rejoice at the salvation of 1 soul.
7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
As should we.
With every victory we shouldn’t be naive to think that we have arrived.
We should be preparing on the mountain top experiences for the upcoming valleys.
Memorizing scripture, surrounding ourselves with likeminded believers, building those relationships to rely on in hard times.
building new routines preparing for the moments when our schedules get crazy so we can’t fail.
All for the purpose to live up to the calling of 1 Peter to be Holy because He is holy.
Knowing that perfection isn’t possible; but we continue to keep a short leash on our flesh.
When your mowing lawn or driving your car turn up the music and sing loudly.
Praise your God because He is worthy of it.
Also let this reveal to you how our emotions can shift quickly and dictate our thoughts and attitudes.
Don’t allow your life to be upheld by your emotions, keep your life planted firm on the truth of God’s word!
-Pray
