How to Profit by Praise (2)

33. How to Profit by Praise

“From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised” (Ps. 113:3).

I. Praise Activates Faith

“In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust” (Ps. 56:4).

A. Praising the Lord may require a step of faith. One may not feel like praising the Lord, but to do so generates and activates faith.

B. Praising God overrides doubts and says, “I believe God, anyhow.”

C. Praising God breaks down Satan’s defenses.

II. Praise Stimulates Hope

“Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him …” (Ps. 42:5).

A. Praising the Lord automatically and necessarily brings one to hope in God. Hope follows praise.

B. Praising God is a positive step, an upward look, a declaration of faith. These things bring hope into focus.

C. Jesus Christ is the hope of the world. Money, power, and war cannot meet our needs, but He can.

III. Praise Increases Love

“Let them also that love thy name be joyful with thee” (Ps. 5:11).

A. It is difficult to praise the Lord and hold a grudge at the same time. Hostility and resentment and praise do not go together.

B. When we praise the Lord, He becomes the object of our affection, thus increasing our love toward Him and others.

C. The angels of God and the redeemed of all ages shall praise God eternally (Rev. 19:1).

Russell E. Spray, “How to …” Sermon Outlines, Pulpit Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1984), 51.