The Way of Praise
Sermon Series – The Winning Way
O clap your hands, all you people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.
Psalm 47:1
Now thanks be unto God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ, and makes manifest the savor of His Knowledge by us in every place.
2 Corinthians 2:14
NLT – But thank God! He has made us His captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession … Now He uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere like sweet perfume.
Jewish NT – But thanks be to God, who in the Messiah constantly leads us in a triumphal procession and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of what it means to know Him.
The Danger of Sometime Praise
Some people have the opinion that praise is nothing more than a ceremonial exercise that people engage in when they gather for corporate worship. In other words, some people believe that praise is restricted to Sunday mornings or other times for those who love to get their “praise on.” This is not only a narrow view of praise, but also a dangerous view in a couple of ways. First, it ignores the very essence of praise. Praise is not an exercise; it is an expression of a person’s heart-felt thanks to God. Now thanks be unto God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ. If a person is only willing to praise God at certain times and places, then praise is restricted by how a person feels or at best when they feel praise is appropriate. There needs to be some clarity as to what praise actually is. Praise is something that belongs to God. When I praise God, I am expressing my heartfelt thanks unto Him. Praise means to: Exalt, glorify, honor, adore, pay tribute, magnify, celebrate, bless, admire, approve, applause, recommend, worship, adore, lift up, devote, and bless. Who else should I give that kind of praise to except God?
The second thing about sometime praise is that it goes against the teachings of Scripture on praise. The Bible clearly states in Psalm 34:1 states, I will bless the Lord at all times … His praise shall be continually in my mouth. The Scripture not only encourages us to praise God, but also commands us to praise His Name. When you don’t praise God, you miss an opportunity to express gratitude, honor, and glory to the One who loves you most and also loves you best. With that being said there are two questions that should be asked of those who neglect to praise God. First, what do you do when you don’t praise God? Second, how do you express the gratitude, the honor, and the affection toward God without giving Him praise?
There is yet a third problem that results from sometime praise. The lack of praise results in a lack of representation in the work of God. Let me explain this by using the verses in our text. Ancient Israel, especially during the reign of King David, used praise as a war cry. Whenever they would go into battle, they would sing praises to God and send up prayers to God for His deliverance. Certainly, they praised God after the battle, but in their case, praise was required before the battle. It was not so much to get God’s attention as it was for them to pay attention to God. They needed to have their minds on the Lord at all times. Psalm 47:1 declares, O clap your hands, all you people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. That verse of the song of victory was their rallying cry as they went out to face their enemy. When they failed to recognize God going into battle, they always suffered miserable defeat. For example, Joshua and the tribes of Israel had won a tremendous victory at Jericho. (see Joshua 6). After winning the battle, their next conquest was a town called Ai. It was much smaller than Jericho, so they thought that it would be an easy win. They had several problems that would cause them to lose their initial attack and all of them had come as a result of pride and self-reliance. First, Achan in pride had taken some prizes in battle in violation of God’s direct command. Second, Joshua and the other leaders did not pray nor did they praise God prior to their attack on Ai. This resulted in their initial defeat. They did, however, regroup and dealt with the sins but they also consulted God through prayer and praise. They learned a valuable lesson in that you must always consult God and thank Him prior to engaging in anything. O clap your hands, all you people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. You see, the goal is not to get God engaged into what you are doing, but to ask God to engage you into what He is doing. When you and I praise God, we are becoming actively involved in the work of God. Through praise, our eyes are open so that we may march forward in victory.
A Special Kind of Praise
Not only should we praise God in advance and through praise get involved in the work of the Lord, but praise should be continuous. Praise should express our constant attitude towards God. His praise should constantly be on our lips, in our mind, and on our heart. For God has truly done some amazing things for us that we could not do for ourselves. Not only that, no one in all the universe and for all of time could have done the things which the Lord has done for His people. In other words, nobody but Jesus and no one but Jesus is deserving of that kind of praise.
Imagine our praise to be a type of cheerleading for God’s Glory. We not only celebrate His victory, but we do it in such a way that encourages others to join in our procession. Through praise, we invite others to join God’s team. Praise asks the question of “who is on the Lord’s side?” It also invites those who are in defeat to join the winning team. Think of it as you and I being God’s cheerleaders.
Real Praise is both a noun and a verb – it is an action and a state of being versus a place, person, or object. Praise is the state of mind for the believer in Christ. I love the way 2 Corinthians 2:14 is expressed in the New Living Translation. But thank God! He has made us His captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession … Now He uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere like sweet perfume. When we praise God, we are expressing that we have taken our place in the triumphant procession of Jesus Christ. We first express to the world who we were but also who we are now. We were once captives to the world but now we are set free by the Power of God. Every time we praise the Lord, we are saying, “look where He brought me from.” He brought me out of darkness and into His marvelous light. That is victory. We also express that God has given us a place among His people. Each time you praise God, you give thanks that He has included you among His people. You are accepted. You are loved. You now belong to the One who redeemed you. Paul uses the strong word: captive. We have been captured by Jesus Christ and we have joined His ranks in triumph over sin. You and I must understand that through praise, we are saying that the Battle belongs to the Lord. The only way for us to win is to trust God. So, praise simply says, I’m trusting God for the victory. There is another expression in the verse that demonstrates what praise does. The other expressions had to do with attitude and mentality. It dealt more with the frame of mind and gratitude. When we praise God, we release an aroma that impacts others. Praise is a fragrance. But thank God! He has made us His captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession … Now He uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere like sweet perfume. Each time you offer praise, there is a release of spiritual perfume in the world.
Your praise expression reveals what is in your heart. Let me explain. When the Apostle Paul speaks of that sweet perfume, he is not talking about your style of praise, or the actions in your praise, but the aroma of your heart. People can tell when your praise is genuine or if it is fake. For those who are genuinely grateful to God for His deliverance, they have a certain way they live and act. They live like they are saved and that they know Jesus. They don’t use their aroma to brag about who they are and what they have accomplished. They don’t use their praise as a way to show they are somehow better than others. They praise God because they are just glad to be among the Saints and to be with Christ. When the praise is offered, it becomes a sweet smell that God is pleased with. When God saw the sincerity in Noah’s offering, it was a sweet aroma to the Lord. That aroma is expressed through obedience to God’s Word, gratitude that comes from the heart, and determination to always recognize God’s Goodness and Greatness.
We should never approach any situation without the aroma of praise. But thank God! He has made us His captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession … Now He uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere like sweet perfume. Through that heart-felt praise, we express that we know Christ and we seek to make Him known.
Praise is the Winning Way
We begin with praise and we conclude with praise. This was demonstrated very clearly in one of the battles that the Children of Israel faced. By the way, they are now engaged in another battle in 2023. This is a battle against militant extremist who have vowed to annihilate Israel from the face of the earth. We are confident that God will protect His people. Let us pray for peace and pray that innocent lives will be spared on both sides. We must also remember that God’s long-standing relationship with Israel is still in effect. The Lord made an irrevocable promise to Abraham that He would bless the nation of Israel. To that end, we join them in prayer for victory.
There are some lessons to be learned about praise from 2 Chronicles 20. As the king and the people of Judah faced an enormous enemy presence that threatened to destroy them, God spoke to their troubled hearts and gave them peace. First, praise should be the approach to face every problem knowing that God will do what is right. Second, praise should become the highest priority so that the problem can be viewed from God’s perspective. In our eyes, we may see defeat, but when we praise the Lord, we are using the lens of Glory to open our eyes to God’s Strength and Mercy. Lastly, when praise is engaged, victory is certain. We are told that as the children of Judah began to praise God, the Lord set an ambush against their enemies. 2 Chronicles 20:22. Praise is more than words used to express thanks to God. This praise released something that touched the Heart of God, and the Lord gave them victory over their enemies. That is the impact of Praise.
Perhaps you have taken other approaches to help you deal with your difficulties and life situations. Today, I am asking you to join the procession of those who are giving praise to God. Join them in giving thanks and leave the battle in God’s Hands. Begin by thanking God for His redeeming Grace. Then praise God as you approach your difficult situations knowing full well that He will never leave you nor forsake. Then continue the praise the Lord as you move forward from one victory to the next. In other words, take praise with you every day and in all your days.God bless you in your life of praise.