Praise Thanks

Psalm 106:1PRAISE YE THE LORD

Intro: This Psalm is one of the “Hallel Psalms.” These Psalms were sung by pilgrims as they made their way to Jerusalem for the various feast days in Israel. These Psalms were used to prepare the hearts of the pilgrims for worship. They served to remind the worshipers of the greatness and glory of God. They served to remind the worshipers that they were on their way to exalt a majestic, glorious God, and that He was worthy of all the praises they could offer to Him.

As we consider the time of year into which we are entering, we need to stop and take the time to count our blessings. We need to consider the God Who gave us our blessings. We need to assess the state of our worship of God as well.

I want to look at verse 1 of this Psalm today. I want to show you some truths in this verse that speak to us about our having a spirit of thanksgiving and praise for the Lord God Almighty. I want to preach for a few minutes on Praise Ye The Lord.

I. THE COMMAND FOR HIS PRAISES

When the Jews thought about praise, they thought about it in terms of the sacrifices at the Tabernacle. Lev. 7 gives the instructions for an offering known as The Peace Offering. This was an offering given to thank the Lord, because of His great blessings on His people. It was an expression of faith, love and thanksgiving. It offered the one giving the offering the opportunity to worship The Lord and to rejoice with the priests of God. It was a shared offering, with a portion being burned on the altar, and a portion being given to the priests. The Peace Offering was a free-will offering. It was always given out of a heart of gratitude, thanksgiving and love for the Lord.

We are no longer required to observe the Levitical offerings, but we still have an obligation to do offer our praises to the Lord for Who He is and for all He has done for us! The writer of Hebrews refers to “the calves of our lips,” Heb. 13:15. That entire verse says: “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”

The Psalmist says, “Praise ye the Lord.” Hallelujah! Ill. “Praise” - this word refers to “a price, or the value of something.” We praise, we understand, and worship according to, the value of God to us. Your praise says a lot about how much you value The Lord. If you esteem His as valuable, you will find ways to render praises to His name.

We are commanded to praise HIm, both now and forever!

This discussion of praise brings to mind a few questions:

• What motivates us to praise Him?

Fixing the heart upon God, Ps 57:7; 108:1.

Meditation on His works and ways, Ps 77:11 ff.

Recounting His benefits, Ps 103:2.

Dwelling upon His unspeakable gift, 2 Cor 9:15; 2 Cor. 8:9

• How do we praise the Lord?

We praise Him with shouting, Psa. 47:1

We praise Him with up lifted hands, Psa. 63:4

We praise Him with singing, Psa. 135:3, Psa. 47:6-7

We praise Him with our whole heart, Psa. Psa. 9:1-2

• When do we praise?

We praise Him from sunrise to sunset, Psa. 113:3 Ill. The sun is always shining somewhere!

We praise Him all the time, Psalms 34:1

• Where do we praise?

We praise Him in the midst of the congregation, Psa. 135:2

We praise Him before the world, Psa. 35:18

We praise Him in private, Psa. 119:62

Those few verses merely scratch the surface of what we are commanded to do when it come to praising Him. We are way behind when it comes to offering praises to the Lord. We are commanded to praise HIm, and we should get at it!

Ill. “O give...” - Worship and praise are a personal gift from the worshiper to The Lord. Do you ever wonder what you can give to the Lord? Give Him your praises, and give them to Him all the time.

I. The Command For His Praises

II. THE CONDITION FOR HIS PRAISES

Why do we praise Him? We are to praise the Lord because the Bible says, “The Lord is good.” The word “good” means, “acceptable, pleasant, agreeable.”

We praise HIm because He is a “good” God.

His goodness transcends time, places, people, and events.

• He is good all the time, in the face of every event in life.

• He is good in the light, and He is good in the dark.

• He is good on the mountain, and He is good in the valley.

• He is good in the day of blessing, and He is good in the day of pain.

• He is good in peace, and He is good in turmoil.

• He is good in life, and He is good in death.

• He is good in rejoicing, and He is good in weeping.

• He is good in shouting, and He is good in sorrow.

• He is good in plenty, and He is good in poverty.

• He is good in good in health, and He is good in sickness.

• He is good in day, and He is good in the night.

• He is good when I can see Him, and He is good when I can’t.

• He is unchanging, immoveable, undaunted, and unfazed, Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8. The plans of the wicked do not challenge Him. He controls it all, sees it all, wills it all, and does it all. He is God of very God and He is good!

• He is The Lord, and there is none else. He is good to the saved man and the lost man.

• He is good to the Hindu, the Muslim, the Jehovah's Witness, the Mormon, as well as to the true believer.

Those who are His know that they have special reasons for praising His name. Consider all that He has done for you, and rejoice in your relationship with Him.

I. The Command For His Praises

II. The Condition For His Praises

III. THE CONTINUATION OF HIS PRAISES

Those who are in a state of grace will find that they have eternal reasons to praise Him.

• He is to be praised here on earth. We have already discussed that. We are commanded to praise Him!

• He is to be praised for all He has done for us here, Ill. Phil. 2:5-11; Eph. 2:1-10.

• He chose us, Eph. 1:4.

• He called us, John 6:44; Rom. 8:30.

• He converted us, 1 Pet. 1:23.

• He adopted us, Rom. 8:15.

• He placed our names in the Lambs Book of Life, Luke 10:20.

• He keeps us, 1 Pet. 1:5.

• He provides for us, Matt. 6:25-33.

• He is coming for us, 1 Thes. 4:16-18; 1 Cor. 15:51-52.

• He is talking us home to be with Him, John 14:1-3.

• He is, and ever will be, praised in Heaven, Rev. 4-5; 7:9-12; 19:1-4.

Because He is unchanging, His gifts are unchanging as well. What we have now we will always have. He will not forsake us, He will not abandon us. He will not take away from us the blessings we have received in Jesus.

Conc: Praise is everywhere represented in the Bible as a duty no less than a natural impulse and a delight. To fail in this duty is to withhold from God’s glory that belongs to Him, Ps 50:23; Rom 1:20 f.

• It is to shut one’s eyes to the signs of His presence, Isa. 40:26 ff.

• It is to be forgetful of His mercies, Deut. 6:12

• It is to be unthankful for His kindness, Luke 6:35

If we are not to fall into these sins, but are to give to God the honor and glory and gratitude we owe Him, we must earnestly cultivate the spirit and habit of praise.

As you consider your own praise life in the light of the Bible, are you praising Him the way He deserves to be praised? Are you thankful for His grace and blessings to the extent you should be? DO you need to come fore Him with thanksgiving and praise today for His blessings in your life?