Praise and worship is first of all, the giving of thanks.
1. Refer to the story of the leper who came back to thank Jesus for healing him (Luke 17:11-21). Where are all the “believers” who have been healed, saved or delivered? Why do they not come and give Him praise?
2. Entering His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise describes the initial stages of a progression into the Holy of Holies, the place where the glory of God dwells (Psalm 100:1-4).
3. The primary function of a priest is to minister to God (Exodus 28:1).
- The church is a nation of priests. The church performs her priesthood ministry as a spiritual house, describing the corporate nature of her ministry to God (1 Peter 2:5).
- Sacrifices of praise are a soothing aroma to God (Genesis 8:21). Why? They comfort Him (Genesis 6:3, 13). They remind Him of the sacrifice of His Son. When we, the fruit of Christ’s work, give praise to God, He is again reminded of the sacrifice His Son.
- When we praise God corporately, we participate in the divine exchange between the Father and the Son as Jesus gives praise to the Father (Hebrews 2:9-13).
God responds to praise.
1. (Zeph 3:14-17) For God to “rest” or “be quiet” (v. 17) seems incongruous with Him exulting over us and rejoicing “with shouts of joy”. The Hebrew word “rinnah” can also be translated “speechless” or “ringing cry”. God is so moved by our praise (v. 14), and He loves us so much (v. 17), that He is speechless, and He can only let out a ringing cry.
This is a summary of a message brought at Christ the King Church on May 22, 2011. The complete audio is available here: http://www.mercychristianfellowship.com/html/audio1.html.
