Praise – Sunrise to Sunset
4 November 2018 – Psalm 113:3 – Praise – Scott Childs
Introduction: Sunrise and sunset are two of the most beautiful times of the day. I have never been anywhere that has more beautiful sunsets than in Perth. They are amazing!
Sunrise and sunset takes place every single day in every location of the world. Perhaps that is why the Holy Spirit inspired the Psalmist to use this as an illustration to instruct us on the subject of praise to the Lord. Read Psalm 113:3.
I don’t know about you, but I do not praise the Lord as much as I know I should. I get busy and forget to praise the Lord. Sometimes I get self-centred and take the credit for things that God did through me. I pray fervently for a need and when God answers, I fail to praise Him for graciously answering my prayer. Often I take God’s many blessings for granted and don’t even think to praise the Lord for things He does for me.
Transition: This evening as we examine Psalm 113:3, I want us to note several things about praise that can help us praise God as we should.
1. Praise: Its Duty
a. What is God commanding us to do?
1) Praise means to make something shine.
2) It is to boast, to commend, to make praiseworthy.
² Praise is what fans do to their sport’s heroes. They brag about them and make them shine.
² Far more than any sports hero, God deserves and desires our wholehearted praise.
b. We are to praise God’s name.
1) The LORD’s name (Jehovah’s name) is to be praised! This is a universal duty, not just a Jewish duty. It applies equally to all people.
2) We are to give the LORD’s name credit for all that He does in our lives and not take any credit ourselves. As humans, we naturally want to glorify or praise ourselves. Pride hinders praise. In fact, we cannot praise God when we are proud. Pride focuses on ME. Praise focuses on GOD.
3) Note what God said through His prophet Jeremiah. (Jeremiah 9:23-24) “Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.” This is very true for us as well.
c. Repeatedly the Bible says that we must praise God.
1) (Psalms 107:8) “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!”
2) (Psalms 117:1) “O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.”
3) (Psalms 135:3) “Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.”
4) (Psalms 146:1) “Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.”
5) (Psalms 150:6) “Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.”
O Yes, praising the LORD is our duty!
2. Praise: Its Dimension
a. This verse tells us when are we to praise God.
1) Praise the LORD’s name from sunrise to sunset – all day long! As soon as we get up until we go to bed, we are to praise the Lord. All day long note God’s hand in all that takes place in life.
2) This is a daily duty.
b. The verse also tells us who is to praise God.
1) The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. This pictures man’s universal duty of worship God in praise.
2) The fact that the sun is always rising and setting somewhere in the world lets us know that praising God is to be a continual duty everywhere in the entire world.
3. Praise: Its Demonstration
a. Praise begins with an attitude
1) All praise begins with an attitude of gratitude.
2) Before we will praise the Lord as we should, we must see ourselves as guilty sinners saved by God’s grace from rightly deserved eternal damnation in the Lake of Fire.
3) Those who are ungrateful do not praise the LORD.
b. In what ways are we to praise?
1) Praise Him in song. (Psalms 47:6) “Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.”
2) Praise Him in word (testimonies of His goodness). (Hebrews 13:15) “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”
3) Praise Him in prayer. (Psalms 86:12) “I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.”
4) Praise Him by the way we live. (1 Corinthians 10:31) “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
5) Praise Him with our witness.
6) Praise Him with our pen (or typing). We can do this in a journal, email, Facebook, texting, or a note to a friend.
4. Praise: Its Details
a. Note Scripture examples
1) Leah praised God for conception. (Genesis 29:35) “And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing.”
2) David praised God’s greatness. (Psalms 145:3) “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.”
3) David praise God’s worth. (Psalms 18:3) “I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.”
4) David praised God’s character. (1 Chronicles 16:25) “For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods.”
5) Jehoshaphat’s singers praised God’s holiness and mercy. (2 Chronicles 20:21) “And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.”
6) Levites praised God with thanksgiving. (Ezra 3:10-11) “And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel. And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.”
b. Here are a few other ways we can praise the Lord.
1) We ought to praise the Lord for the salvation He has given us. We will never exhaust this. Christ did so much for us (propitiation, redemption, justification, regeneration, reconciliation, sanctification, adoption, etc.)
2) We ought to praise the Lord for His answers to prayer.
3) We ought to praise the Lord for His protection (Illus: 2 tires in the road as we drove, sudden stop of traffic, Atlanta during rush hour, hurricane).
4) We ought to praise the Lord for His blessings.
Conclusion: (Psalms 113:3) “From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD’S name is to be praised.” Have you been praising the LORD as you should? Are you remembering to give Him the glory and praise for all that He does for you? Has praise been the theme of your heart from sunrise till sunset today? We so often forget God truly deserves our praise.
If we have been proud and stealing God’s glory, we need to confess that as sin.
If we have been neglecting our duty to praise God all day long, we need to ask God to help us to begin this evening.
Song: Praise Him! Praise Him!