“Undergoing Construction: Building A Heart of Praise pt. 3”
Pastor Jim Lowe III
Sunday Morning, 9:30am Stream 11/24/24 (4th 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. We now have 9 reasons to give God thanks!
Let’s review them.
9 Reasons To Give God Thanks:
9 Reasons To Give God Thanks:
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He Is A Protector!
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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!
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He Has Power Over Our Storms!
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He Has The Power To Meet Our Needs
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He Can Save Us From Our Own Distress
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He Still Sits On The Throne!
To finish up the series:
We’ll give a few more.
We Can Never Run Out Of Reasons To Give Our God Thanks!
If I had 10,000 tongues…
Psalms 40:5 (NCV)
5 Lord my God, you have done many miracles. Your plans for us are many. If I tried to tell them all, there would be too many to count.
Based on Psalms:
More Reasons To Give God Thanks:
Psalm 116:1-2
1 I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. 2 Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.
I love the Lord…
for he heard my voice.
he hears our cries for mercy.
We serve a God who HEARS us when we call!
Jeremiah 33:3
3 ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.
When we pray.
when we intercede for others.
when we cry out through or own pain… Our God HEARS us!
Psalm 31:21-22 (NLT)
21 Praise the Lord, for he has shown me the wonders of his unfailing love. He kept me safe when my city was under attack. 22 In panic I cried out, “I am cut off from the Lord!” But you heard my cry for mercy and answered my call for help.
In our panic.
sometimes life hits us hard. it can be unexpected…
and we don’t know what to do. But even in we don’t know what else to do…
When we call him.
He HEARS us!
You would think the God who keeps the universe running… would be a little too busy for our every day issues.
Yet he is there!
He is listening!
When No One Else Is Listening, Our God Is!
Your prayers do NOT go unheard! When we call, he will HEAR!
And when he HEARS, He will ANSWER!
1 John 5:14-15
14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
What do we pray for?
We pray for health…
we pray for protection…
we pray for his hand to be on us.
Is that in his will??
Jeremiah 29:11
Plans to prosper us NOT to harm us!
we can be thankful that God hears us!
Be Thankful For A God Who Hears Us When We Call!
More Reasons To Give God Thanks:
Psalm 107:31
31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.
This is similar to his “wonderful deeds” but specific to what we have!
What has the Lord done?
Psalm 107:35-38
35 He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs; 36 there he brought the hungry to live, and they founded a city where they could settle. 37 They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest; 38 he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased, and he did not let their herds diminish.
He turned the desert into water.
the dry ground became flowing with water.
He gave his people a place where they could plant and reap. he BLESSED them!
How Many Of Us Know The Things We Have Are Because Our God Has Blessed Us?
Deuteronomy 28:2
2 All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:
There are many blessings listed here…
Deuteronomy 28:8
8 The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.
The Lord will bless our barns. What is in our barns? Where we keep our things.
Where we store what we have. What are our barns today?
our bank accounts!
The things we have are because God has his hands on us! And even if we are in a place of need now,
the Lord can turn our desert into flowing water!
And he’s NOT done!
Psalm 23:1-2
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He MAKES me lie down in green pastures. This isn’t past tense!
He CONTINUES to lead us to good things!
Psalm 23:6
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
God’s goodness…
God’s love…
these things will follow us… ALL the days of our life!
We will have tough times…
but as long as his hand is on us… He will CONTINUE to bless us!
Be Thankful For A God That Has Blessed You And Isn’t Finished!
More Reasons To Give God Thanks:
We have to set this up:
This isn’t to be confused with faith.
Faith “is the substance of things HOPED for.” but then what is hope?
Hope (Dictionary of Bible Themes) -
A confident expectation for the future, describing both the act of hoping and the object hoped for.
When grounded in God, hope provides the
motivation to live the Christian life even in the face of trouble.
The purpose of hope is not based on where we are… but where we’re going…
For example:
Why do we save our money?
because we HOPE it will help us at sometime in the future.
Why do we exercise?
because we HOPE this will keep us healthy… and living longer.
Why do we lock our doors/set our alarms at night?
because we HOPE it will provide some protection for us and our families.
Let’s make it biblical.
Why do we pray when we’re sick?
because we have HOPE that God will heal.
and we have FAITH because he said he would!
Why do we PRAY for our nation?
because we HOPE that God will change it!
and we have FAITH because he has the power.
Hope Is The Thing That Keeps Us From Living In Fear!
Many people live in fear because they don’t have any hope. Eph 2:12 says that those who don’t know God don’t have hope.
they don’t have anything to trust other than “man.”
this is why some can get so disheartened by their circumstances. who their boss is.
who their neighbor is.
who the president is.
But those who know God don’t have to fear… because those who know God have HOPE.
We said last week that regardless OUR God is on the throne!
Any time we are afraid…
we have HOPE in our God!
that things will be better. that he will keep us.
and we have FAITH in that!
So what does Psalms say about hope?
Psalm 71:1-6
1 In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. 2 Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me. 3 Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. 4 Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of evil and cruel men. 5 For you have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth. 6 From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you.
Lord you have been my “hope.”
You are the thing that keeps me from being totally lost.
Psalm 33:20-22
20 We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. 21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. 22 May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.
Some of us are dealing with something right now…
while we are WAITING on God to change things… we are waiting in HOPE.
Are We Afraid Of The Future? That’s Where Hope In The Lord Comes In!
We mentioned Jeremiah 29:11 earlier…
plans to prosper us, not to harm us.
This is our HOPE.
When we say “2024 is the year of Favor for the Faithful,” HOPE is what we stand on!
That God WILL do something big in our lives!
Be Thankful For A God Who Gives Us Hope To Calm Our Fears!
More Reasons To Give God Thanks:
Psalm 136:1-4
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Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.
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Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.
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Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.
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to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.
We give thanks for our God is good! and his love endures forever!
We give thanks…why?
he does great wonders!
and shows us, “his love endures forever!”
This entire book is his love letter to us… to tell us of his loving sacrifice!
Of why he gave his son…
even when we didn’t deserve it!
So we give thanks…why?
Psalm 136:23-26
23 to the One who remembered us in our low estate His love endures forever.
24 and freed us from our enemies, His love endures forever.
25 and who gives food to every creature. His love endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.
We are to give thanks to the Lord… to the God of heaven!
to the great God!
to the King of Kings!
and Lord of Lords…
why?
because he is GOOD.
But not only for what he’s done…
but his LOVE ENDURES FOREVER!
{Recap}
13 Reasons To Give God Thanks:
-
He Is A Protector!
-
He Leads Us!
-
His Wonderful Works!
-
He Is A Healer!
-
He Gives True Freedom!
-
He Has Power Over Our Storms!
-
He Has The Power To Meet Our Needs!
-
He Can Save Us From Our Own Distress!
-
He Still Sits On The Throne!
-
He Hears Us When We Call Him!
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He Gives Us Material Blessings!
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He Gives Us Hope!
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His Love Never Fails!
Let us remember to always be thankful… For a God who is GOOD.
And we have 13 reasons to thank him!
