Rev. Johnson V

Sep 25  2011

As we study from God's word, God will cause our hearts and lives to change by the power of his word. And the bible is so powerful in what it says- When we praise him His presence would come down.

There are different gestures mentioned in the scriptures to praise God.

1. Importance in Singing:

• Psalm 30:4 - Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
• Everybody MUST sing. It is not a suggestion but a commandment.
• Sing Aloud:
• Psalm 81:1 - Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.

2. Shouting for Joy to God.

• Psalm 35:27 - Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favor my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.
• God wants you and me to know that when you shout and praise him, he has pleasure in your prosperity. If people like you, have big dreams for your children, how much more big dreams would God have for his children.
• Psalm 95:1 - O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
• Psalm 98:4 - Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
  • God did command to shout and bring the Jericho walls down.
• A loud voice from heaven did gather around 3000 people for baptism on the day of  Pentecost

3. Praising God with laughter/Joy/happiness:

• Psalm 126:2 - Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.           when you praise God with laughter/happiness, the Lord will do marvelous things in your life that others would say 'their God has done something great for them'
• Job 8:20,21 - Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers: Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.
• Though the whole world forgets you, the Lord will not forget you; He will never cast you away. But he will ensure that there is enough reason to fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with rejoicing.

4. Thanksgiving: Praising God with a thankful heart, An attitude of gratitude

• Psalm 69:30 - I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.
• A magnifying glass has a couple of properties.   
  •  
    • It magnifies whatever we hold it on to: Don’t magnify your problems. Put it on God's word and his presence.
    • It will converge energy and bring down the power of sunlight to one spot that will cause fire: Magnifying God on an issue will bring down God's power strength and anointing to the particular problem and you will be able to burn the issue away.
• Psalm 69:31 - This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.
• Thanksgiving pleases God more than sacrifices that God had commanded the people to do.
• Psalm 100:4 - Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

5. Standing and praising God: An act of reverence

·        Psalm 134:1 - Behold, bless ye the LORD, all ye servants of the LORD, which by night stand in the house of the LORD.

6. Kneeling down: Strongest expression of humility

·        Psalm 95:6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.

7. Clap your hands: An act of praising someone.

·        Psalm 47:1 - O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

·        Don’t let your pride or ego to forsake the word of God.

8. Dancing: Dance that comes from heart like little children do.

• Psalm 149:3 - Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.
• Psalm 150:4 - Praise him with the timbrel and dance.

9. Praising with uplifted hands: An act of surrender/handing over

• Psalm 63:4 - Thus will I bless thee, while I live. I will lift up my hands in thy name. My soul will be satisfied as with marrow and fatness.
• With lifted hands we ask God to take over and do the walking on our behalf just like kids tell their parents to take them when they are tired by lifting their hands to their parents. Lifting hands will make our soul and heart be satisfied.
• Psalm 134:2 - Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and bless the Lord - A commandment

10. Music

·        God is pleased in using instruments in worship [Psalm 150].

New Testament pattern of worship

1.      Worshiping in Tongues

            Acts 2:4 - And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak in tongues.

Effect of Praise:

1. Praise changes us:

God doesn’t change.(Hebrews 5:13) but when we praise God, we change. We do realize who God is and we develop a love towards him and a change would be seen

2. The Power of God will be manifested in our lives.

When you praise God in faith, then the power of God becomes functional in our lives. Praise reveals God.

3.      No one can praise God on your behalf.

   You need to do it for your own benefit.

Principles of praising God

1. Praise must be pure.

            Be pure from idol worship. Any form of idol worship is against the very nature and commandment of God. God is seeking true worshipers who worship him in spirit and in truth.

2. Be pure from murmur and unbelief.

            Do not murmur. But believe in God

3. Purity from pride and disorder.

            Be in order and tune with others who are worshiping.