Dr. Dwight Garrett, "PRAISE the LORD ... PRAISE the LORD" (February 10, 2008)



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"PRAISE the LORD... PRAISE the LORD" Based on Psalms 148 - 150 A message given by Dr. Dwight Garrett on Sunday February 10, 2008 at, Friends Of Truth Christian Fellowship Church. Psalm 148 1: Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD from the heavens, praise him in the heights above. 2: Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts. 3: Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars. 4: Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. 5: Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created. 6: He set them in place for ever and ever; he gave a decree that will never pass away. 7: Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, 8: lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, 9: you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, 10: wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, 11: kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, 12: young men and maidens, old men and children. 13: Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens. 14: He has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his saints, of Israel, the people close to his heart. Praise the LORD. Psalm 149 1: Praise the LORD. Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints. 2: Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King. 3: Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with tambourine and harp. 4: For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation. 5: Let the saints rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds. 6: May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands, 7: to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, 8: to bind their kings with fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron, 9: to carry out the sentence written against them. This is the glory of all his saints. Praise the LORD. Psalm 150 1: Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. 2: Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. 3: Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, 4: praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, 5: praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. 6: Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD. MESSAGE The principle and earnest act of Praise is one of the most important elements of the Kingdom of God and of being a Child of God. Praising God – and doing so earnestly and sincerely gives honor and respect to God. When we give honor and respect to God – through Praising Him - we will receive honor and respect in return from God. When we minister to others through Praising and honoring Him – God in turn – ministers too – and honors us. When we Praise God in our everyday living, God shows us favor and miracles begin to take place and to form a pattern in our lives. When we Praise God, His Love encompasses us – and empowers us – and we can do anything and be anything – and nothing nor nobody can stand in our way. When we Praise God, in and through our thoughts – He gives us comfort, satisfaction and completeness from within. When we Praise God with our tongues – through our sincere words of Praise – it instills how awesome He is to the world around us. When we Praise God, by, through and from our hearts – through willingness - wanting too - and desiring too – it proves His mighty and powerful Love to a dying and decaying world. When we Praise God – in the good times – it makes the good times better. When we Praise God – in the bad times – difficult times – trying times – it makes even the worst of the worst of times – better than ANY time. When we Praise God – in the bad times – difficult times – trying times – it is then that He wraps His Loving Arms around us – and gives us – peace – and comfort like we have never known or experienced before. When we Praise God through the sincerity of our hearts and minds, it is then that He tears down the walls of anxiety, struggles, and uncertainty that separates us from all His Glory. And when we Praise God ALL the time – and through our EVERY time – it is then that His Love and deep compassion for us shines the light of Victory in our life – no matter what. When we Praise God, in and throughout our time of need – He is faithful and just in meeting those needs and (listen to this) … He will exceed our expectations – every single time – and without fail. Praising God isn’t just a “good thing for Christians to do” – and it isn’t something we should do for “show” – instead it should be a true conviction of our heart and a deep and burning desire from deep within us. Praising God should come natural to every Christian who truly Loves Jesus – and realizes how truly awesome He is through our relationship with Him. Praising God isn’t just something He “thinks” we should do – but it is something He commands us to do – and expects us to do – and desires from us - in and especially when He shows His greatness to us. But even given that – Praising Him is something that He desires to be a true and natural expression from deep within our hearts. God wants Praise … Desires Praise … Deserves Praise … Is worthy of Praise … Is honored through Praise … Loves Praise … Should be Praised … And I’ll say it again … our Praises should be … and needs to be … a natural action and reaction that is true and sincere from deep within us. And Praising Him should be part of a Christians everyday walk with Him … and should be continual – consistent – and should be a “Love offering” to our Precious Savior. It should be our “sacrifice of Love”, if you will - to and for Him in our everyday walk as true and sincere – God fearing – God Loving – God honoring people. Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that confess his name.” Most importantly, when we Praise God – He is enthroned in our praises, Psalms 22:3 says, “Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel.” When we Praise God from the deepest and most sincere places of our heart – we put Him right where He belongs – and deserves to be - at the very top of – and before everything! When we show sincere Praise for God – it proves without a doubt that we place Him first and foremost in our lives – and that is exactly where He should be – and needs to be. When we Praise God from our hearts – and with the sound of our voices – and when we mean it – know it – and feel it, He will show forth … His Goodness to us … His Greatness in our lives … His Faithfulness to us … His Provisions for us … And most importantly … His Love FOR and toward us. Recently I had a personal struggle in my life – one that had a direct effect on not just me but on my family as well. Years ago, before I fully accepted Christ as my loving Lord and Saviour, and before I fully trusted Him and before I had a committed and un-wavering Faith in Him - it may have very well destroyed me. But because God has brought me to a place of understanding and of peace and comfort. I didn’t get all down and depressed with a “poor – poor pitiful me” attitude – Instead, … I kept my chin up high … kept my priorities in line … kept my eyes fixed on God … and my heart focused on Him And I knew without a shadow of doubt that He would see us through and that He would prevail and would provide for us … and that we would be ok. And I Praised Him, continued to give Him the Honor and Glory that He deserves … Trusted Him – and remained Faithful to Him and remained true to His Word, And when it mattered the most - He shined His mercy and grace upon me and my family and HE provided and made everything ok once again. And in and during my time of struggle and uncertainty – I continued to thank Him - not because of what we didn’t have – or needed … … but for and through everything He had already blessed us with – and for the blessings I knew down deep inside of my heart that were yet to come – from God. When it looked like all hope was gone – and in a time where hope seemed to be non-existent – not only did I not give up hope – but I continued to give Him Praise – Honor and Glory because… With my precious Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ first and foremost in my life – and with my eyes and heart fixed on and focused on Him – hope never diminishes and Peace through Hope reigns supreme! And Halleluiah – Praises to Jesus – He didn’t fail us – and He provided and He prevailed – and this morning I can proclaim Victory in and through Jesus Christ! So many times – we fail Him by not having Faith in Him, by not Trusting in Him – by not giving Him His rightful place in our lives and by not Praising Him or Thanking Him enough … and we cannot see the Victory that is at Hand and right before our very eyes … even and especially in our darkest moments”. That isn’t when He fails us though because Jesus never fails … Instead, that is when we fail ourselves and that is when we feel like we lost the race – feel as though we have been defeated by the battle and so many times that is when we “throw in the towel” and are ready to give up on the Victory. Instead of allowing ourselves to sink in the quicksand of life’s heartaches and struggles – and fall victim to defeat at the hands of the father of evil … We should stand firm on the solid rock of Jesus … Standing Ready and in confidence at the Gate that leads to Victory … expecting Victory … and knowing that Victory is ours through our Loving and Merciful Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. And we should readily and willingly offer Him our most sincere Trust Remain Faithful TO Him … Remain Faithful IN Him … Because … where there is Faith – there is Love ... where there is Love – there is Peace ... where there is Peace – there is God. And where there is God ... there is no need and no want too great that God cannot help us overcome. And we should ... Praise Him … Honor Him … And give Him the Glory through it all ... and give Him ALL the Praise and recognition that He deserves for ALL of how He has worked in our lives and for ALL of Who He is. There was a time in my life where I did not know His Goodness – His Greatness – I didn’t understand His powerful and unending Love and I did not have the assurance of Victory in my life – like I do today! There was a time in my life where I didn’t even have the assurance of life itself. I’m not perfect – not even close. I don’t know it all – and in fact I know very little … I’m still not where I need to be – but Praise’s to Jesus – I’m not where I used to be – but I know I’m going to be OK because with Jesus in my life – I know, I’m on my way! And I Praise Him – because He brought me to a place of comfort – peace – and joy in my life - in and through His tender Love and Mercy. And I Praise Him for keeping me and my family safe, sound and secure in the safe sanctuary of His Loving Arms. See, it isn’t just enough that we ask Him to see us through certain situations and reach out for His Loving Hand to guide us (that is the easy part) But He also wants us to Praise Him from the highest mountain top – from the deepest depths of the sea - no matter what comes our way in life (and sometimes that can be the hard thing to do). You know - we can have all have Victory in our lives … We can all experience a never ending Peace, Joy and Happiness in our lives, we can all feel complete and whole … We can have the ever present desire to Praise Him – give Him Honor and Glory throughout all of our lives … And we can know what it means to have a non-waivering – steadfast Faith in Him that will make our lives ok again. We can have and desire a true and perfect peace that surpasses all understanding … How do we do all of this – how can we seemingly know and live a glorious and wonderful life – even in the face of adversity? This isn’t an alter call – or a call of confession, but instead I am encouraging you to … Let Jesus take the lead in your life … Make Him #1 over and above all else … Make Him your reason for living … Make Him the center of your very existence ... Fix your eyes and hearts on Him and let Him become your primary focus. And that doesn’t mean just in the good and exciting times of life, But it also means when the storm clouds gather – and when life seems to be “not so good”. Tell Him you want Him to be first in your life … Tell Him you want to know His Peace, His Comfort, His Joy, His Goodness and Greatness … and that you want to know the special kind of Love that only He can offer … and so freely gives. Tell Him what is bothersome, and troublesome to you … tell Him your cares – worries – anxieties and concerns – and have Faith in Him and have Trust in Him that He will prevail. And then … and THEN … Expect Victory – Accept Victory – and through Christ Jesus – Proclaim Victory ... … and Praise Him – Honor Him – and Give Him all the Glory in and through your life – because through Christ our Lord ... Victory will be yours - now, forever, and always. And then watch Him work in your life – and expect and know that amazing and awesome things will begin to unfold right before your very eyes. I encourage everyone to offer sincere sacrifices of Praise – ALL the time, and especially in times of; Doubt, Struggles, when Facing Obstacles and Temptations and even when you “lack the desire” to Praise. Your Praise has been accepted by God when Joy and Comfort comes, your burdens lift and peace reigns in and throughout your life and heart. And Praise God continually in the Spirit so that the Spirit won't be "quenched", 1 Thessalonians 5:19 says,“Do not put out the Spirit's fire;” You enter into the very presence of God through offering thanksgiving and Praise - Psalms 100 verse 4 says;“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with Praise; give thanks to him and Praise his name.” God truly honors sincere Praise. I’ll say again … Praise God in the face of adversity, as well as in time of need - prosperity and plenty. Even praise Him for seemingly small things - In ALL things, Praise Him. Persevere in Praise. Praise Him in song. Speak His Praise boldly. Praise Him when you awake. Praise Him as you lie down to sleep. Praise Him when you are tempted and continue until the temptation is gone. Praise Him in sickness. He will glorify Himself and will raise up the sick. Praise Him for doing things even before it is done. Give thanks to God and Praise Him continually. And then expect God to begin ministering to you and to give you Peace, Joy…and Victory! Expect Him to Bless you as you Praise Him in your time of need …… just as He Blesses you in times of Victory. We sing a song which says … “God is Good all the Time” and that’s true … but even moreso … “God is Great all the time … ALL the time” And as the Psalmist said, "PRAISE THE LORD ...PRAISE THE LORD "