A Heart Of Thanks: Joyfully Praises God

Shout for joy when you remember God's love and faithfulness.

 

Psalms 100:1-5 A psalm of thanksgiving. Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth!  2 Worship the LORD with gladness. Come before Him, singing with joy.  3 Acknowledge that the LORD is God! He made us, and we are His.

We are His people, the sheep of His pasture.  4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name.  5 For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and His faithfulness continues to each generation.

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This world is a noisy place, it is so bad that there are people that have issues with sensory overload, everything begins to sound like fingernails on a chalkboard. It can be very easy to lose your joy in the middle of all of this irritating noise.

The noise that the world makes is not joyful, there are so many people that are angry yelling about whatever, there are cell phones ringing and Facebook notifications and text messages dinging. Construction equipment, political ads, airplanes and gunfire, this world fills up our heads with unpleasant sounds all day long.

The noise that God's people make should be joyful, it is a celebration of who he is and what he has done for us, when you realize how incredibly good he has been it should make you a noisy person. We should be the noisiest people around, clapping our hands, shouting and singing praises, playing instruments and even dancing to express our gratitude with joyful abandon. (Psalm 95:1; 98:6; 149:3; 1 Chronicles 15:28).

Yes, I know, there is a time for quiet reverence in the presence of God and he often speaks in a still small voice but he also delights in us giving it our all to thank him for who he is and what he has done. (Psalm 5:7; 95:6)

Heaven is a noisy place, our voices will not be silent in heaven, we will be joining in with what is already going on there. (Revelation 5:6-14, 14:1-3, 19:1-2) When we break out into song and worship God we are getting a head start on heaven, bringing a piece of heaven to earth, why should we wait until we get there?

Colossians 3:15-17 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom He gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

The only way to maintain our joy is through thankfulness, if we feel like we didn't get something good that we deserved, then our joy will quickly disappear. Counting our blessings and giving God credit for them all brings joy that will last.

The Christmas season is coming when we will be tempted to celebrate our gifts from each other. This can bring joy for a season, or maybe just 5 minutes, but if we focus on thankfulness for the greatest gift ever then we will always have a joyful heart.

Lord help me to make a joyful noise all of the time. You are great and you should be praised greatly for your glory and for your great gifts that you give to us everyday.  I want to sing your praises now and get a head start on what I will be doing in heaven.

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The Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Video: The Doxology | Anthem Lights ft. Selah

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow

Psalms 72:19 Praise his glorious name forever! Let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and amen!

Ephesians 1:3-4 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.

1 Peter 1:3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation,

Praise Him, all creatures here below

Psalms 22:27-29 The whole earth will acknowledge the LORD and return to him. All the families of the nations will bow down before him. For royal power belongs to the LORD. He rules all the nations. Let the rich of the earth feast and worship. Bow before him, all who are mortal, all whose lives will end as dust.

Psalms 66:4 Everything on earth will worship you; they will sing your praises, shouting your name in glorious songs.

Psalms 148:5 Let every created thing give praise to the LORD, for he issued his command, and they came into being.

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host

Psalms 103:20-22 Praise the LORD, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands. Yes, praise the LORD, you armies of angels who serve him and do his will! Praise the LORD, everything he has created, everything in all his kingdom. Let all that I am praise the LORD.

Isaiah 6:2-3 Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!”

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

Father

Ephesians 1:14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

Son

Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Holy Ghost

Ephesians 1:14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

Praise Him - Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!

Video: Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir - Psalm 150

Psalm 150:1-6 Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heaven! 2 Praise him for his mighty works; praise his unequaled greatness!

3 Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn; praise him with the lyre and harp! 4 Praise him with the tambourine and dancing; praise him with strings and flutes! 5 Praise him with a clash of cymbals; praise him with loud clanging cymbals.

6 Let everything that breathes sing praises to the LORD! Praise the LORD!

How Great Thou Art

Then sings my soul, my savior God to thee, How great thou art!

Video: Home Free - How Great Thou Art

O Lord, my God

When I in awesome wonder

Consider all the worlds thy hands have made

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,

Thy power throughout the universe displayed

Then sings my soul,my savior God, to thee,

How great thou art, how great thou art

When through the woods, and forest glades i wander,

And hear birds sing sweetly in the trees

When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur

And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze

Then sings my soul,my savior God, to thee,

How great thou art, how great thou art

It is well

It is well

With my soul

With my soul

It is well

It is well

With my soul

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation

And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart

Then I shall bow with humble adoration,

And then proclaim, My God, how great thou art!

Psalm 145:1-7  I will exalt you, my God and King, and praise your name forever and ever. I will Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power.

I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor and your wonderful miracles. Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue;

I will proclaim your greatness. Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness; they will sing with joy about your righteousness.

Who Is Like Our God

Come let us remember what our King has done.

Come let us remember what our King has done
Let us remember His everlasting love
Let us remember He alone has overcome

Come let us remember He rules His enemies
Let us remember we share His victory
Let us remember we were slaves but now we’re free

We will sing through the night
Til the darkness breaks
We will rise up and shout
Til the heavens shake

Majestic holiness
Glory and righteousness
Who is like our God
Who is like our God

Unending strength displayed
Forever He will reign
Who is like our God
Who is like our God
No one

Come let us remember our God will never change
Let us remember His Kingdom will remain
Let us remember the power of His name

No one above Him, beside Him
There’s no one like our God

Praise The Lord

Psalms 113:1-9  Praise the LORD! Yes, give praise, O servants of the LORD. Praise the name of the LORD! Blessed be the name of the LORD now and forever.  3  Everywhere--from east to west--praise the name of the LORD. For the LORD is high above the nations; His glory is higher than the heavens.  Who can be compared with the LORD our God, who is enthroned on high? He stoops to look down on heaven and on earth. He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, even the princes of His own people! He gives the childless woman a family, making her a happy mother. Praise the LORD!

Give Thanks To The Lord

God's chosen people should be grateful and tell everyone about his greatness. 

 

1 Chronicles 16:7-36  On that day David gave to Asaph and his fellow Levites this song of thanksgiving to the LORD:

Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim His greatness. Let the whole world know what He has done. Sing to Him; yes, sing His praises. Tell everyone about His wonderful deeds. Exult in His holy name; rejoice, you who worship the LORD. Search for the LORD and for His strength; continually seek Him. Remember the wonders He has performed, His miracles, and the rulings He has given, you children of His servant Israel, you descendants of Jacob, His chosen ones.

He is the LORD our God. His justice is seen throughout the land. Remember His covenant forever--the commitment He made to a thousand generations. This is the covenant He made with Abraham and the oath He swore to Isaac. He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, and to the people of Israel as a never-ending covenant: "I will give you the land of Canaan as your special possession."

He said this when you were few in number, a tiny group of strangers in Canaan. They wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another. Yet He did not let anyone oppress them. He warned kings on their behalf: "Do not touch My chosen people, and do not hurt My prophets."

Let the whole earth sing to the LORD! Each day proclaim the good news that He saves. Publish His glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things He does. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods. The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the LORD made the heavens! Honor and majesty surround Him; strength and joy fill His dwelling.

O nations of the world, recognize the LORD, recognize that the LORD is glorious and strong. Give to the LORD the glory He deserves! Bring your offering and come into His presence. Worship the LORD in all His holy splendor. Let all the earth tremble before Him. The world stands firm and cannot be shaken.

Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Tell all the nations, "The LORD reigns!" Let the sea and everything in it shout His praise! Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise, for the LORD is coming to judge the earth.

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever. Cry out, "Save us, O God of our salvation! Gather and rescue us from among the nations, so we can thank Your holy name and rejoice and praise You."

Praise the LORD, the God of Israel, who lives from everlasting to everlasting! And all the people shouted "Amen!" and praised the LORD.

Realizing our moment-by-moment dependence on God the Creator for our very existence makes it appropriate to live lives of devotion, commitment, gratitude, and loyalty toward him, and scandalous not to.

—J. I. Packer, Christian theologian

In this season and all year long we should be overwhelmed with gratitude for the greatness of our God which is beyond our comprehension. Our gratitude should inspire us to worship, that is the only appropriate response for the deep level of gratitude that we should have to someone who has done so much for us.

Privileges Of God's Children: Access - Part 2

It's your job to offer a sacrifice but it's not a dead animal that God wants.

1 Peter 2:4-5 You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God's temple. He was rejected by people, but He was chosen by God for great honor.  5  And you are living stones that God is building into His spiritual temple. What's more, you are His holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.

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In part one of this post about our privilege of having access to God I learned that we are all priest and that we have direct access to God ever since the temple veil was torn at the time of Jesus death. (Matthew 27:50-51) Christ was an acceptable sacrifice and he makes us acceptable so that we can have access beyond the veil directly to God.

Now instead of a priest at the temple I am personally responsible for offering sacrifices to God! One of the jobs of the Old Testament priest was to make sure that the sacrifice met the requirements to be pleasing and acceptable to God and now that I am a priest that is my job. The question is: "How can I know whether my spiritual sacrifices really honor God and what kind of sacrifice does he want?"

Romans 12:1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Present your body as a living and holy sacrifice.

Because of God's great mercy I should be willing to give God everything about my body and my mind, I should be keeping my mind clean and my body in good shape so that I can offer a pleasing sacrifice. I should use every part of my body for his glory and his service. (Romans 6:13)

We are to sacrifice ourselves, not by climbing on an altar but by submitting our lives to God, our thoughts, words and actions should display a willingness to let God be in control. We need to be willing to deny self to serve God and people. The apostle Paul was a great example of this, he said "my life has already been poured out as an offering to God" and he told the church in Philippi that their service to God is an offering. (2 Timothy 4:6, Philippians 2:17)

Sacrificing self comes down to whether I have given my whole mind and body and all my faculties as a living sacrifice to God to do with as He will? All my hopes and dreams included?

Hebrews 13:15-16 Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to His name. 16 And don't forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.

Bring the sacrifice of praise.

A phrase that can be over used in church circles is "praise the Lord." Bringing a sacrifice of praise goes a lot further than that. The book of Psalms shows us a great model for praising God. The praises focus on who he is, what he has done or they focus on thanksgiving for who he is and what he has done.

Romans 15:16 I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit.

The sacrifice of new disciples.

Paul told the church in Rome that his work which created many new Christ followers was done so that he may present the new converts as an offering to God. Paul had a huge offering of new converts!

This must be the most neglected offering that we give, there are a lot of good Christ followers that are doing well in the areas of praise and living good clean lives but most of us don't consider the importance of this offering. It has been too long since I have lifted up the sacrifice of a new disciple to offer to God.

The only reason the church exists is to stimulate your priestly function. The church is not the end in itself. If all you do is come and go, that's not it. Unless you go out of this place to offer up spiritual sacrifices, we have failed and you have failed to respond.

-John MacArthur 

What are our spiritual sacrifices? Our whole self, praise, good works, sharing, generosity and the souls of redeemed people.

Top Ten Songs Of The Lukewarm Christian

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have in my hands a copy of today's top ten list."

"Today's list is the top ten songs of the lukewarm church."

1. Blest Be The Tie That Doesn't Cramp My Style
2. Pillow of Ages, Fluffed for Me
3. I Surrender Some
4. I'm Fairly Certain That My Redeemer Lives
5. Sit Up, Sit Up For Jesus
6. What An Acquaintance We Have In Jesus
7. Where He Leads Me, I Will Consider Following
8. He's Quite a Bit To Me
9. Oh, How I Like Jesus
10. It Is My Secret What God Can Do

Let's be fired up this Sunday when we sing. Our Savior was passionate for us and we need to be equally as passionate for him.

Taken from "Way of the Master"

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