Growing in Praise pt 4
Worship is who we are, it’s part of our DNA and it’s NB to know that ultimately we become what we Worship.
- By worshiping something less than ourselves we ourselves are lessened by the experience.
Psalms 135:18-19 NKJV “Those who make them are like them; So is everyone who trusts in them. Bless the Lord, O house of Israel! Bless the Lord, O house of Aaron!”
Remember praise is not just a song. It’s having a CONVICTION (Faith) that we are created to give thanks to God, to adore Him, to put Him first and to obey Him.
This means that we begin to live every day to DELIGHT ourselves in the Lord:-
Psalms 1:2 NKJV “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.”
- How do we delight ourselves in the Lord? By giving Him first place in everything! (That’s a process of growth)
Psalm 37:4 AMPC “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.”
- Delighting in the Lord is giving Him all your desires (good & bad) (strong & weak) and then He will give you HIS
Proverbs 4:20-22 TPT “Listen carefully, my dear child, to everything that I teach you, and pay attention to all that I have to say. Fill your thoughts with my words until they penetrate deep into your spirit. Then, as you unwrap my words, they will impart true life and radiant health into the very core of your being.”
Matthew 6:30-34 MSG ““If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”
- PRAISE & WORSHIP will cause you to start living your life accurately and with intention (that’s what a disciple is)
Jeremiah 9:23-24 NKJV “Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord.”
- Our worship is our love letter to God as we embrace His Goodness, Mercy & Will for our LIVES!
Psalms 103:7-8 NKJV “He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.”
- WHEN we live with Gratitude, Praise is spontaneous and true worship is the result, now true WORSHIP is intimacy and that’s how God’s nature becomes real to us,
- DO we want to know HIS WAYS or just know His acts, are we going to just wear the cloak of religion or enjoy a real encounter with Jesus…..THE FRUIT OF OUR LIVES display what’s really going on!
Daniel 11:32 NKJV “Those who Do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.”
Do you remember some of the disciples asked Jesus, how to work the works He did…
John 6:28-29 NKJV “Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.””
Acts 4:13-14 NKJV “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.”
Been with Jesus how?
Praise, Prayer, Fellowship
Acts 4:7-8 NKJV “And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, “By what power or by what name have you done this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel:”
Notice “Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit.”
How?
Praise, Prayer, Fellowship, WORKS…..
Acts 4:9-12 NKJV “If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.””
Acts 4:18-21 NKJV “So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done.”
Acts 4:23-24 NKJV “And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them,”
Acts 4:31-33 NKJV “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.” And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.”
Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV “‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and [a]mighty things, which you do not know.’”
