Outline
Praise is boasting about what you enjoy. —C.S. Lewis
Praising God is one of the highest and purest acts of religion. In prayer, we act like men; in praise, we act like angels. —Thomas Watson
- Praising God is a matter of
- Praise should fill the
- Proper praise requires more than
Worship is communion with God in which believers, by grace, center their minds’ attention and hearts’ affection on the Lord, humbly glorifying God in response to his greatness and his word. —Dr. Bruce Leafblad
- Praise comes with many
- Praise participation is the expectation for everything that has
The fuel of worship is a true vision of the greatness of God; the fire that makes the fuel burn white hot is the quickening of the Holy Spirit; the furnace made alive and warm by the flame of truth is our renewed spirit; and the resulting heat of our affections is powerful worship, pushing its way out in confessions, longings, acclamations, tears, songs, shouts, bowed heads, lifted hands, and obedient lives. —John Piper
Application
- Do you know the God you claim to praise?
- Are you obeying the command to praise the Lord?
- How would you assess your praise life?
Questions
- What does the location of God’s praise (“in his sanctuary” and “in his mighty heavens”) reveal about the nature of God?
- What does it reveal about a person’s heart if they are not concerned with the praise of God?
- What roles do faith and reason play in the Christian life?
- Why are music and singing important parts of one’s praise to God? Does praise always require music and singing? Why or why not?
- Compile a ‘praise inventory.’ For what things are you praising God? What things have you failed to include? What is your praise like? What can you do to make it better?