“Undergoing Construction: Building A Heart of Praise”
Pastor Jim Lowe III
Sunday Morning, 9:30am Stream 11/10/24 (1st Sunday Message)
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{All scriptures are NIV84 unless stated}
Psalm 96:4
4. For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.
Our God is most worthy of praise.
We should be checking to make sure we have a heart of praise. Giving thanks.
We use November to think about the things we’re grateful for.
We need to make sure we’re thankful for the things the Lord is doing for us!
1 Thessalonians 5:18
16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
In all circumstances… In good times and bad.
Because our God is good… and worthy of praise.
Psalm is a book that talks about MANY reasons to give praise. Let’s talk about 5 reasons to give God thanks..
from psalms.
5 Reasons To Give God Thanks:
5 Reasons To Give God Thanks:
Psalm 107:6
6 In their misery they cried out to the Lord, and he saved them from their troubles.
This is saying that even in the worst of times… if you call out to the Lord…
he will protect and deliver you!
This passage repeats.
Verse 13
13 In their misery they cried out to the Lord, and he saved them from their troubles.
Then it repeats again… Verse 19, 28…
Each time…
When you cry out to the Lord… He SAVES You!
My God Responds When I Call, And Delivers Me!
Psalm 27:3
3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.
Even when it is bad…
We can still remain confident… We don’t have to worry.
we can trust in our God.
Why??
Isaiah 54:16-17a
16 “See, it is I who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its work. And it is I who have created the destroyer to work havoc; 17 no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.
Those who come after you have a creator also.
That thing or that person coming against you was created by our God. This means that nothing exists without him…
Meaning THEY have something that controls them.
THIS is the same God who closed the mouth of the lions for Daniel.
But they ate the people thrown in after him.
Deuteronomy 28:7
7 The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.
And the bible tells us what to do if we know our God to be a protector…
Psalm 107:2 (ESV)
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble.
Be Thankful For A God Who Has Protected You!
5 Reasons To Give God Thanks:
Psalm 23:1-4
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides
me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
He is our shepherd…
makes us lie down. leads to quiet waters
guides in paths or righteousness
even walking through the valley of the shadow of death We have no fear…
for HE is leading us!
Psalm 32:8 (NLT)
8 “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.
He will guide you… The BEST way!
There May Be 100 Ways To Do Something, But The Lord Will Guide You Along The BEST Way!
Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Trust him and not you…
He’ll show us where to go.
Psalm 48:14 (NLT)
14 For that is what God is like. He is our God forever and ever, and he will guide us until we die.
And his guiding us will never end. He will never give up on us!
Be Thankful For A God Who Will Continue To Lead You!
5 Reasons To Give God Thanks:
How many of us know the Lord has done some great things!
Psalm 107:8-9
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, 9 for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
We might not be in the place where we want to be in life.
But we need to be THANKFUL we aren’t where we used to be! This is for the things the Lord has done.
The things he’s protected us from.
The things he brought us out from! The situations we aren’t in any longer.
The Lord Has Done Great Things For Us!
He has kept us alive.
He has protected us and our families. He has made sure our needs were met.
We’ve had some special things we needed. things we prayed for.
And the Lord worked them out!
And when you see the Lord work…
you can’t help but be thankful and grateful!
We are blessed today because of him.
and we need to give him thanks for that!
Others have had to watch while WE were blessed!
Psalm 23:5
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
He prepares a table in front of you…
in FRONT of those who counted you out!
People didn’t think you were good enough. people didn’t think you deserved it.
But God made them sit and watch while YOU got promoted!
Others Might Not Understand It, But You Know It Was The Lord All Along!
And the scripture says that he anoints your head with oil… and your cup overflows.
This means that the Lord didn’t just: give you enough for yesterday… give you enough to get here…
but he gave you enough for tomorrow… He gave you so much…
that those around you can benefit from it!
Be Thankful For A God Who Blesses With An Overflow!
5 Reasons To Give God Thanks:
Psalm 30:2-3
2 Lord, my God, I prayed to you, and you healed me. 3 You lifted me out of the grave; you spared me from going down to the place of the dead.
David said that he prayed to God… and he WAS healed.
lifted out of the grave and spared.
David is acknowledging what God has done before!
When Was The Last Time You Thanked God For Healing You?
We get colds all the time… we EXPECT to recover
But do we thank God for past blessings?
We lived through COVID. We are still here!
You have survived a lot!
The enemy has come at you all your life… and EACH time…
you have recovered!
Never Forget To Thank God For The Small Things!
He is the one who does it!
Psalm 107:20
20 God gave the command and healed them, so they were saved from dying.
If you are dealing with something…
all you need is a command from the Lord!
Matthew 8:5-13
5 When Jesus entered the city of Capernaum, an army officer came to him, begging for help. 6 The officer said, “Lord, my servant is at home in bed. He can’t move his body and is in much pain.” 7 Jesus said to the officer, “I will go and heal him.”
This man knew that Jesus could heal his servant.
Verse 8
8 The officer answered, “Lord, I am not worthy for you to come into my house. You only need to command it, and my servant will be healed. 9 I, too, am a man under the authority of others, and I have soldiers under my command. I tell one soldier, ‘Go,’ and he goes. I tell another soldier, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and my servant does it.
This man knew that not only could the Lord heal him… He only needed to speak it!
Verse 10
10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. He said to those who were following him, “I tell you the truth, this is the greatest faith I have found, even in Israel.
When You Know The Lord Is A Healer, You KNOW He Can Heal You!
Verse 13
13 Then Jesus said to the officer, “Go home. Your servant will be healed just as you believed he would.” And his servant was healed that same hour.
Another scripture:
Psalm 103:1-3
All that I am, praise the Lord; everything in me, praise his holy name. 2 My whole being, praise the Lord and do not forget all his kindnesses. 3 He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.
He heals ALL our diseases.
Nothing Can Stand Against Us That’s Bigger Than Our God!
If our God has shown himself as a healer before… He’s a healer today!
It doesn’t matter what it is.
Be Thankful For A God Who Has Healed You Before, And Will Heal You Again!
5 Reasons To Give God Thanks:
He gives us true freedom.
He gives us freedom from bondage:
Psalm 107:14
14 He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains.
What chains?
What’s holding you? What has you bound up?
What is that thing you can’t stop doing on your own?
What’s that bad habit?
What that addiction?
is it drugs? is it alcohol? smoking?
negative thoughts
about others?
ourselves?
Is it anger?
fear? doubt?
do these things have a hold on us? Hebrews 12:1 talks about sins that bind us.
These things tie our hands and keep us bound to them.
Our God Is Great At Breaking Bondages!
Ask Shadrach, Meshach and Abendnego.
They were brought before the king because they wouldn’t bow and worship an idol God. These men would not compromise their faith for anyone.
So they were tied up.
Daniel 3:19-21
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace.
They did they best they could at making SURE these men were bound. And threw them into the furnace.
Verse 24-25
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” They replied, “Certainly, O king.” 25 He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
He saw a few things.
The first he saw was someone else with them. THEN he noticed they were unbound.
but he made SURE the strongest men tied them. he KNEW they were tied up!
He calls out to them asking them to come out.
Verse 27(b)
They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
Based on what we’re reading… no fire had harmed them. no hair was burned.
no smell of fire… But they HAD been in it…
the only thing burned off of them…
was the thing that was holding them.
They were bound up and thrown in… but they walked out.
God Can Break Things Off Of You That You Never Thought Possible!
There is freedom in Christ!
Psalm 118:5
5 I was in trouble, so I called to the Lord.The Lord answered me and set me free.
We Should Be Thankful Because Our God Has Made Us Free!
5 Reasons To Give God Thanks:
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He Is A Protector!
-
He Leads Us!
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His Wonderful Works!
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He Is A Healer!
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He Gives True Freedom!
Psalm 145:3-5
3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. 4 One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. 5 They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
Never stop saying thank you. Because your praise does things.
