Praiser or a Paperweight

Text: Acts 3:1-10

Acts 3:1–10 ESV

1 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. 3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. 4 And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” 5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 8 And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. r 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

INTRODUCTION:

Imagine holding a rock.

Heavy, lifeless, immovable.

Not capable of doing much of anything.

It cannot think

It cannot talk.

It isn’t good for much of anthing by holding down paper when the fan is on.

That’s what a paperweight is.

It sits still.

It holds things down.

It doesn’t move,

it doesn’t breathe,

and it certainly doesn’t praise.

But being a praiser—that’s a different story.

Praise lifts.

Praise moves.

Praise draws attention,

Praise changes atmospheres,

and Praise shakes the very foundations of house and prisons.

So today, I’m preaching on this simple choice:

Are you a Praiser or Paperweight?

Let’s begin in Acts 3:1-10, where a unnamed lame man was lying at the Beautiful Gate.

He had no idea his life was about to change—

not because of silver or gold,

but because of the power of Jesus' name and the explosive response of praise.

POINT 1: YOU CAN'T STOP PRAISE

The man in Acts 3 had been lame from birth.

His situation seemed permanent.

People were used to seeing him there according to the text.

When he came leaping and praising God in the temple

They recognized him.

Hey, that’s the lame man we pass every time we come here.

He had been there since he was born.

Still, unable to move

Unable to walk

Unable to leap

He was like a fixture—like a rock,

Like a paperweight.

But the moment Peter said,

"In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk,"

everything changed.

He didn’t just stand up.

He didn’t just walk.

He leaped up, stood up, and began to walk about,

and then he entered the temple with them,

walking and leaping and praising God.

That’s a chain reaction of praise that you can’t hold down.

You can’t stop it.

It is the natural expression of someone who has been changed by God

And he was certainly changed

He went from being a Paperweight to being A praiser

He went from being a rock, to one crying out

Notice the first place he went.

He went into the temple

He went to the House of God

That is a great place to praise him

You can praise him anywhere

but let me tell what

When you come into the House of God

With like-minded people

People that used to be rocks

People that had some seasons where they felt like paperweights

People that are blood bought

People that are have been healed, filled, and delivered

You can’t help but Praise God.

Jesus said, If I be lifted up, I’ll draw all men unto me.

I know that was talking about the cross

But I think Jesus was also talking about praise

If we lift him up with praise

We are going to see people being drawn to it.

And they will go where praiser go

They will go where people who used to be rocks want to go

They will go to house of God to praise the God who makes even the rocks cry out.

Jesus said it in Luke 19:40, "If these were silent, the very stones would cry out."

Luke 19:40 ESV

40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

That lame man was a “stone”—

he had sat still for so long,

just like a rock.

But on that day, the rock found a voice.

Because you can’t stop praise

God will be praised.

Even if he has to make rocks learn to talk

God will be praised.

Praise cannot be stopped.

The real children of God, are the ones that praise him.

And Jesus said in Matthew 3:9 that God could raise up children of Abraham from stones.

Matthew 3:9 ESV

9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.

That means even the ones you think are the furthest gone—

lifeless, and unmoving—

They can suddenly become praisers!

God can take you from any circumstance

any situation

and turn you from a rock into a praiser

You can go from being a rock to being a child of God.

So, don’t think your praise doesn’t matter just because you can walk and talk.

Don’t think someone else will handle it.

You are already saved, healed, and delivered, so maybe you can be quiet??? no, no, no.

If you don’t praise, the rocks will cry out.

But you weren’t made to be a paperweight!

You were made to praise!

And if you don’t praise him, he will find someone else that will.

Even if he has to convert them from being a rock

Praise can’t be stopped.

Every time someone tries to stop praise,

it just finds another outlet.

In Acts 2, they tried to mock it—“These men are drunk.”

But the mockery just turned into a microphone.

Peter preached the Gospel, and 3,000 more were baptized.

Why?

You can’t stop praise!

At Azusa Street, they mocked the revival and called them “Holy Rollers.”

Mocked them in all the papers.

And today they still call us “emotional.”

They say, you aren’t praising God, you’re just hyping people up

and running on emotionalism.

But that’s fine with me—because the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace...

and all of those are emotions!

We aren’t meant to be rocks with no emotion!

We were made to feel this.

We were made to praise.

And you can’t stop Praise.

it’s contagious.

POINT 2: PRAISE IS CONTAGIOUS

In Acts 2 after the Holy Spirit was poured out,

it says it was “noised abroad”—

Meaning, it started to spread like wildfire.

Soon, 120 became 3,000.

Then in Acts 3, this one man leaping and praising turned into 5,000 more praisers in Acts 4:4.

When that lame man praised, everyone took notice.

Acts 3:10 says…

Acts 3:10 ESV

10 and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

That’s what real praise does—

it makes people wonder.

It makes people watch.

It makes people want what you have.

And it causes praise to spread

Because Praise is contagious.

They tried to put a stop to this praise in chapter 3,

and the story continues on into chapter 4.

And that’s where we find that this one incident brought a revival of 5,000 souls.

Acts 4:4 ESV

4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.

Today, the Pentecostal movement is the fastest-growing Christian movement in the world.

While many churches are shrinking,

and closing their doors,

and selling their facilities

the United Pentecostal Church International is growing at a rate of over 5% per year.

You know what doesn’t grow?

Rocks.

That’s right.

Paperweights don’t grow.

But Praise does.

Praise leads to harvest.

Because Praise is contagious.

So, call us emotional if you want

but you know what else doesn’t have emotion?

A rock.

You want revival?

It starts with one person who refuses to sit still.

One person who says, “I’m not going to be a paperweight in this pew.

I’m going to praise like I’ve just been healed!”

I’m going to praise like I’ve just been delivered!”

I’m going to praise like I’ve just been Saved!”

I’m going to praise like my prayers have all just been answered!”

When others see it, they’ll follow.

Because, Praise is contagious.

But don’t wait for someone else to start it.

You be the one who begins the chain.

You set the spark.

Let your praise be the ignition for someone else’s breakthrough.

You never know when just walking and leaping and praising God is going to win 5,000 souls!

That’s what Praise Does!

Because Praise is contagious.

POINT 3: PRAISE CHANGES CIRCUMSTANCES

Now here’s the real power of praise.

In my final point, Not only can it not be stopped…

not only is it contagious…

but praise has the power to change your circumstances.

Acts 16:25 “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,”

And what happened?

The prison shook.

The doors flew open.

Their Chains fell off.

They were all free

And then the jailer and his whole household was baptized,

and became a new Praisers too.

Not because they protested.

Not because they escaped.

Not because they had a legal strategy.

But because they praised.

So, don’t think that you need to be in a perfect situation to praise God.

In fact, I have found that most people who have everything going for them…

Don’t praise God.

That’s right, if you never face a test,

You’ll never have a testimony.

And it is often our testimony that gives us a good reason to praise.

Paul and Silas didn’t wait to praise God when the doors flew open

They started praising God while they were in chains

and behind bars.

And it was their praise that initiate their delivery.

Because, Praise changes circumstances

Praise changes situations.

Praise can turn your situation around 180 degrees

and then give you something new to praise God about

You see, we have it backwards

You think, well, I’ll praise him WHEN I’m delivered from my addiction

I’ll praise him WHEN I’m healed

I’ll praise him WHEN my promise comes

I’ll praise him WHEN my prayer is answered

And you should praise Him when those things happen

but, what if you praised him WHEN you are in prison

What if you praised him WHEN you were in pain

What if you praised him when you didn’t feel like it

What would happen if you praised him in the middle of the storm?

I know what would happen.

Chains would break

Doors would fling open wide

the very foundation of your circumstances would begin to shake

Because Praise changes circumstances!

So, be a Paperweight if you please, but I’m going be a Praiser!

Jericho didn’t fall from battering rams.

It fell from praise.

They shouted.

They lifted up their voices.

They made music.

And huge walls that had stood for generations crumbled.

Praise Changes Circumstances

Praise is not passive either.

Praise is a weapon.

Praise is not just decoration

Praise is dynamite.

And that’s why the devil wants you to stay quiet.

That’s why he wants your praise shut down, numbed, silenced.

Because he knows what happens when you open your mouth.

and begin to praise the LORD.

Psalm 150:6 says, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” If you’re breathing today, you’ve got a job to do… Praise Him.

Praise doesn’t ignore the problem.

Praise declares who is bigger than the problem.

Praise lifts Jesus higher than the sickness,

Higher than the depression,

Higher than the debt, the drama, and the disaster.

Praise elevates Jesus to a principle position in your life

You begin to magnify Jesus

and Everything else because to move out of focus

You may feel like your life is locked up—but if you’ll praise,

God can shake the very foundations of what’s holding you down.

or hanging you up.

POINT 4: EVERYONE HAS SOMETHING TO PRAISE ABOUT

You might say,

“Well, I’m not the lame man who just got healed.

I haven’t had my miracle yet.

I’m still waiting on the breakthrough.”

Friend, you still have something to praise God about.

You can praise Him FOR healing, FOR deliverance, or FOR provision.

But even if you haven't seen any of those miracles happen yet,

you can praise Him for the cross.

The greatest miracle already happened 2,000 years ago.

Jesus Christ, God manifested in flesh,

bore your sins on Calvary’s cross.

He shed His blood so you could live for eternity.

He died, was buried, and rose again so that you could have hope of eternal life in the New Testament.

Romans 5:8 says, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

That alone is enough to praise Him forever.

You don’t need a new car to praise Him.

You don’t need the perfect job, a clean bill of health,

or the answer to your prayer.

You have the Gospel. You have the cross. You have Jesus!

And that is all you ever need to justify your praise.

And if that’s not enough, let me give you this

—praise Him for who He is.

Praise is not just a reaction to what God has done.

True praise flows from a revelation of who God is.

Psalm 100:5 says, "For the Lord IS good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations."

So, the LORD IS Good.

That’s who my God is.

He is GOOD.

Psalm 145:3 says, “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.”

The LORD IS Great.

That’s who my God is

He is GREAT, and greatly to be praised!

Revelation 4:8 says, “Day and night they never cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!’”

The angels aren’t praising Him for what He did in their life.

They don’t have the Cross as their miracle

They have never been healed or redeemed

They’re praising Him simply because He is holy.

Because He is worthy.

He is the Almighty God.

So, You don’t have to wait for a blessing to praise Him.

He is the blessing!

David said in Psalm 34:1, "I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth."

Not sometimes.

Not only when things are going well.

At all times.

You have breath.

You have the Gospel.

You have a God who is worthy.

That’s more than enough to lift your hands, lift your voice, and praise!

CLOSING:

So today, what are you going to be?

A paperweight? Heavy. Silent. Lifeless.

Just holding down a seat,

and keeping it warm?

Or are you going to be a praiser?

Are you going to leap like the man at the gate?

Are you going to start a chain reaction like the Upper Room?

Are you going to be the spark that lights up your row, your church, your city?

Don’t let the rocks cry out in your place.

Don’t let your breath go unused.

Don’t sit there when you could be standing, leaping, praising.

This altar is open. And it's time to choose:

Praiser… or a Paperweight?