THE PRIORITY OF PRAISE

Psalm 150 NIV

1 Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. 2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. 3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, 4 praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, 5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. 6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.

INTRODUCTION:

“Would you know who is the greatest saint in the world? It is not he who prays most or fasts most; it is not he who gives most alms or is most eminent for temperance, chastity or justice; but it is he who is always thankful to God, who wills everything that God wills, who receives everything as an instance of God’s goodness and has a heart always ready to praise God for it.”

(William Law)

1. Our praise to God shouldn’t end when we walk out of church on Sunday mornings.

Our praise to Him should be offered everyday. 

Praise should be a priority in our lives as believers.

Praise should be a priority in our lives as believers.

2. And as you come to the end of the Psalms, God doesn’t want us to miss the priority of praise.

3. Each of the last five psalms (146-150) begins and ends with the Hebrew word, “Hallelujah!” 

Praise is the theme of each of these psalms. 

And is the climax of the climax, where we are exhorted 13 times in six short verses to praise the Lord.

It is telling us that ... God’s people should be caught up with praising Him.

God’s people should be caught up with praising Him.

4. But I wonder how many of us could honestly say, “Praising God characterizes my life?” 

I wonder today, how many of us could say that praise is a priority in our lives.

NOTE: As God’s people, we should be focused on Him in every situation, and therefore we should be people of praise.

5. As we study this morning, we are going to see the where, why, how, and who of praise. 

1) The Where of Praise: Everywhere (v 1)

Psalm 150:1 NIV

1 Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.

If we want praise to characterize our lives, the psalmist would have us understand ...

1. God’s sanctuary refers to the place of worship on earth where God’s people gathered.

In the psalmist’s day, this was the temple in Jerusalem...in our day, it is the church.

2. The reference to the mighty heavens or “expanse/firmament” is a call to all of the heavenly hosts to praise God. 

Therefore, the psalmist is saying, “Praise God everywhere! Praise Him on the earth! Praise Him in the heavens!” 

Derek Kidner writes, God’s “glory fills the universe; His praise must do no less” (Psalms [IVP], 2:491).The word “sanctuary” relates especially to the corporate gatherings of God’s people. It means that the praise of God should be our main business when we gather as the church. NOTE: We shouldn’t gather primarily to meet with our friends.We shouldn’t gather primarily to win the lost.We shouldn’t come primarily to have our needs met.We gather primarily to meet with God & to offer praise to Him. :4NOTE: It is my goal every week that through the preaching of God’s Word that we will encounter God.Our corporate worship will be enhanced if each member has been praising God wherever we’re at throughout the week. Our days at work, at home, or wherever we are should be filled with thoughts and expressions of praise. And Sundays should be the great crescendo as all of us gather corporately to praise our great God.2. The why of praise: every act and attribute of God (150:2).Why should we praise God? Because of what He has done (“His mighty deeds”) and because of who He is (“His excellent greatness”).

Derek Kidner writes, God’s “glory fills the universe; His praise must do no less” (Psalms [IVP], 2:491)

3. Now, the word “sanctuary” relates especially to the corporate gatherings of God’s people.

It means that the praise of God should be our main business when we gather as the church. 

NOTE: We shouldn’t gather primarily to meet with our friends.

We shouldn’t gather primarily to win the lost.

We shouldn’t come primarily to have our needs met.

We gather primarily to meet with God & to offer praise to Him. 

Psalm 100:4 NIV - Anglicised

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

:4NOTE: It is my goal every week that through the preaching of God’s Word that we will encounter God.Our corporate worship will be enhanced if each member has been praising God wherever we’re at throughout the week. Our days at work, at home, or wherever we are should be filled with thoughts and expressions of praise. And Sundays should be the great crescendo as all of us gather corporately to praise our great God.

NOTE: We are here to praise God…We are here to meet with Him…We are here to have an encounter & experience with Him.

It is my goal every week that through the preaching of God’s Word that we will encounter God.

And I believe that our corporate worship will be enhanced if each member has been praising God wherever they’re at throughout the week. 

NOTE: Our days at work, at home, or wherever we are should be filled with thoughts and expressions of praise. 

And Sundays should be the great crescendo as all of us gather corporately to praise our great God.

2) The Why of Praise: Every Act and Attribute of God (v 2)

Psalm 150:2 NIV

2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.

A. We should praise God for His acts of power.

A. We should praise God for His mighty deeds.

Just think through the Psalms and you will be reminded of the great things God has done. 

In , He formed you while you were in the womb, and ordained all the days of your life. 

In , He sent the Messiah to die for our sins. 

shows us His providing for our every need as our good Shepherd. 

tells of the forgiveness of sin which God gives to the repentant sinner. 

describes how God is sufficient in a time of trial. 

exalts God’s Word which He has given to guide us. 

NOTE: God has done some mighty deeds!

But now think about how He has dealt with you. 

He chose you in Christ before the foundation of the world. 

He sought you out when you were dead in your transgressions and sins.

He saved you by His grace.

He brought you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 

He has been gracious and patient with you & brought you to where you are today. 

And the work He began in you He will perform it until the day of Christ Jesus (). 

NOTE: We should praise Him for His mighty deeds!

B. We should praise God for His surpassing greatness.

Apart from His many mighty deeds, God is worthy of praise simply for who He is. 

He is perfect & lacking in nothing. 

He is the eternal King.

He is the only God.

He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

He is worthy to receive glory and honor and power.

NOTE: Our God is great & there is no other that can compare to Him.

Psalm 145:3 NIV

3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.

Psalm

We should praise Him according to His surpassing greatness. 

3)The How of Praise: With Everything You’ve Got (v 3-5)

Psalm 150:3–5 NIV

3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, 4 praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, 5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.

The sense of these verses is, “Pull out the stops and give it everything you’ve got!” Use your breath to blow the trumpet; use your fingers to play the harp and lyre; use your whole hand to hit the tambourine (timbrel); move your whole body in the dance. There are stringed instruments, wind instruments, and percussion instruments (vv. 4-5). It sounds more like a Disneyland parade than a Sunday morning worship service!Maybe, just maybe, we somehow have picked up the wrong idea about worship. Verses 3-5 suggest two indispensable elements of worship:

1. The sense of these verses is, “Pull out the stops and give it everything you’ve got!”

2. Use your breath to blow the trumpet...use your fingers to play the lute and harp ... use your whole hand to hit the tambourine...move your whole body in the dance. 

3. There are stringed instruments, wind instruments, and percussion instruments (vv. 4-5). 

It sounds more like a Disneyland parade than a Sunday morning worship service!

4. These verses suggest two indispensable elements of worship:

A. Our Praise should be Joyful

Worship shouldn’t be some somber, formal exercise, devoid of joy. 

Certainly, we need to be reverent as we enter His presence...but God also wants His people to celebrate His goodness. 

NOTE: We’re not at God’s funeral...we serve a risen Savior! 

Our God is alive, not dead.

We should be excited when we come into His house. NOTE: We should praise God with singing, shouting, clapping, dancing, & lifting our hands. And at this point you may be saying, “That’s not my personality! I’m a quiet and reserved person.” But I can guarantee you that no matter how quiet and reserved are you at this moment you have something that gets you excited.All of us have things that get us excited. But too often, we just happen to get excited about the trivial instead of the crucial.

Therefore, we should be excited & full of joy when we come into His house.

Psalm 100:1–2 NIV

1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

Psalm 47:1 NIV

1 Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.

Psalm 134:2 NIV

2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.

NOTE: We should praise God with singing, shouting, clapping, dancing, & lifting our hands. And at this point you may be saying, “That’s not my personality! I’m a quiet and reserved person.” But I can guarantee you that no matter how quiet and reserved are you at this moment you have something that gets you excited.All of us have things that get us excited. But too often, we just happen to get excited about the trivial instead of the crucial.

NOTE: We should praise God with singing, shouting, clapping, dancing, & lifting our hands.

And at this point you may be saying, “That’s not my personality! I’m a quiet and reserved person.” 

But I can guarantee you that no matter how quiet and reserved are you at this moment you have something that gets you excited.

All of us have things that get us excited. 

But too often, we just happen to get excited about the trivial instead of the crucial.

B. Our Praise should be Wholehearted

Iow’s, you’ve got to be all there.

But it can also mean

You’ve got to be all there. You must focus your mind on God. You must concentrate on the significance of the songs and the words of Scripture. You have to shake off apathy in worship as a soul-killing sin. You must make praise your priority and dedicate your whole being to the process.When the billionaire Howard Hughes died, the public relations director of his Summa Corporation asked the casinos in Las Vegas, where Hughes had vast holdings, for a minute of silence out of respect for Hughes. The message went out over the public ad-dress systems, and the normally noisy casinos fell silent. House-wives stood uncomfortably, clutching their paper cups of coins at the slot machines; the blackjack games paused; and at the crap tables stickmen cradled the dice in the crooks of their wooden wands. Then a pit boss looked at his watch, leaned forward, and whispered to the stickman, “Okay, roll the dice. He’s had his minute.” (From “Our Daily Bread,” 1977.) But I can’t help but wonder if that isn’t the way we often view worship: “Let’s give God His hour,” so we can get on with the things we’d really rather be doing. But we ought to come with the fervency and expectancy as if Jesus Himself were going to be present, because He is here. He deserves our giving Him everything we’ve got in worship.

You must focus your mind on God.

You must concentrate on the significance of the songs and the words of Scripture.

You have to shake off apathy in worship as a soul-killing sin.

You must make praise your priority and dedicate your whole being to the process.

When the billionaire Howard Hughes died, the public relations director of his Summa Corporation asked the casinos in Las Vegas, where Hughes had vast holdings, for a minute of silence out of respect for Hughes. The message went out over the public address systems, and the normally noisy casinos fell silent.

House-wives stood uncomfortably, clutching their paper cups of coins at the slot machines; the blackjack games paused; and at the crap tables stickmen cradled the dice in the crooks of their wooden wands. Then a pit boss looked at his watch, leaned forward, and whispered to the stickman, “Okay, roll the dice. He’s had his minute.”

(From “Our Daily Bread,” 1977.) 

NOTE: I can’t help but wonder if that isn’t the way we often view worship: “Let’s give God His hour,” so we can get on with the things we’d really rather be doing.

The reality is that many of your minds are already planning where you’re going to eat…or what you’re going to do after service.

In all honesty, some of you today have already checked out mentally in this service.

NOTE: When we come together as God’s people we ought to come with expectancy as if Jesus Himself were going to be present, because He is here.

And He deserves our giving Him everything we’ve got in worship.

We should come ready to give Him our best.

4) The Who of Praise: Everything that Breathes (v 6)

Psalm 150:6 NIV

6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.

The only qualification for praising God is that you breathe. Again the most striking feature of this psalm is the fact that in six short verses we are commanded to praise God no less than 13 times!The fact that God can command us to praise Him means that praise is not just a feeling based on your mood or circumstances. Praise is a matter of obedience to our great God. NOTE: If you are breathing, praising God is not an option...it is your responsibility.

1. The only qualification for praising God is that you breathe. 

2. Again the most striking feature of this psalm is the fact that in six short verses we are commanded to praise God no less than 13 times!

And the fact that God can command us to praise Him means that praise isn’t just a feeling based on your mood or circumstances. 

Praise is a matter of obedience to our great God. 

NOTE: If you are breathing, praising God isn’t an option...it’s your responsibility.

CONCLUSON:

1. The message of the psalms, and especially of , is that God’s people should be caught up with praising Him. 

2. Everyday we should focus on who He is & what He has done for us.

3. We should exalt Him & lift Him up.

4. He has been good to us & He deserves our praise.

5. Will you make praise a priority in your life?