Praise Principles!

Key Scripture:1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

SUMMARY

St. Paul was a man of thanksgiving; he never ceased in praising and giving thanks to God irrespective of the place and circumstance. From addressing the churches to being in the darkest prison cells, his epistles were underlined with a heart full of thanksgiving and praise to God. Rev. Billy Graham once said, “A spirit of thankfulness is one of the most distinctive marks of a Christian whose heart is attuned to the Lord. Thank God in the midst of trials and every persecution.” Therefore, as believers no matter what life holds for us, in every ups and downs let us keep thanking and praising the Lord for He deserves it; The One, who has made us worthy and able to be the heirs of His kingdom!

SERMON POINTS

Luke 17:11 – 19 (KJV) And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

In the gospel of Luke we read that Jesus enters into a certain village where He encounters ten lepers who were banished from the society as unclean and that they stood afar off. However, as the lepers acknowledged and valued the presence of God and His power they cried out in desperate need of help for healing.

Understand that Jesus was also interested in the simplicity of the village and attitude of the lame and needy lepers. Today though the world has become a complicated zone with humans more tangled remember that God is interested in simple, plain, upright and a heart that longs for Him. The scripture records that as soon as the lepers cried out and praised Jesus as ‘The Master,’ He saw them and responded with compassion and provided the healing.

What is Meant by Praising the Lord?

Praising the Lord comes with a greater and immeasurable experience in the Lord; it is intimate and personal. We see Him alive in every situation, good or bad and in everything we give Him thanks.

Principles of Praise 

1) Praise Signifies the presence of Christ in our Life:

Luke 17:11-14 (KJV) And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

We read that Jesus entered into a certain village and met the lepers. Jesus told them to go to the priest as they lifted their voices for healing; as they went to the priest  they received the healing and were cleansed. Here the Lord teaches us a great lesson of faith; the lepers took the word of Jesus in faith and were touched. Today, do we listen to the voice of God and His will? If not then sadly, we will not be touched, healed or cleansed wholly by God.

All ten received the healing. The healing manifested in their bodies. Yet only one came back to say thanks. Praise is the sign of allthose who recognize the presence of Christ. Only one saw Christ while others were satisified with the healing. Only one came back to give praise, thanksgiving and glory to God because he experienced the person of Jesus. Today when the world is losing out in a simple ‘Thank You’ gesture, let us as believers fill in the void with praise and thanks giving for His presence in our lives.

Luke 19:40 (KJV)And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

Like Merlin R Carothers who was a remarkable person of praise, are we glad that Jesus died for us? Are we glad of His nail pierced hands & feet?  Do we express our thanks to God,that our mouths will praise and worship God, for who He is. In the word of God (Luke 19:40)our Lord Jesus mentions that stones will cry out and praise God if we fail to do so.

2) Praise Reveals the Sincerity in Prayer:

Luke 17:13 (KJV)And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

As Jesus met the lepers they lifted their voices in prayer. They all wanted healing but only one prayer was deeply sincere of them all. Only that person returned to give thanks. Others wanted healing but was not sincere enough to appreciate and acknowledge the healing.

Philippians 4:6 (KJV)Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

In Philippians we read that everything should be made known by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving and praise to the Lord. When we submit our weakness and brokenness through praise and worship, His power will give us rest that will reveal the sincerity in our prayer.

Psalm 116:1,2 (KJV) I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.

The Psalmist loved the Lord and gave thanks as the Lord heard his prayers. Praise reveals the sincerity of faith we have and the sincere desperation we have for His touch. Once He answers our prayers, we are glad and we rejoice.

3) Praise will Come from Those who have a Wholesome Healing:

Luke 17:17 (KJV) And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

Sin closes the heart from seeing the presence and power of God. However, praise shall come only from those with a wholesome healing.

All ten were healed on the outside but only one experienced wholesome healing. Only one chose to be broken on the inside to be thankful to God. Only those who are healed inside of their ego, pride and hurts can praise God on the outside. The nine were free on the outside but were still bound on the inside that they could not see the Lord who healed them.

Psalm 33:1 (KJV)Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.

The Psalmists says that praise comes from an upright heart; if we have Christ in us, we will automatically ignite the praise to God.

Psalm 51:15-17 (KJV) O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

The brokenness in heart and jubilation both should come from praising God. God delights when we come with a broken and a contrite heart with trembling.

Out of the ten healed lepers only one returned with a loud voice glorifying God. He fell down at Jesus’ feet and gave Him thanks. Therefore, the coming back of the leper signifies that our praises will come from those who are wholly healed, touched and cleansed by the Lord. The good news is a wholesome healing is available to those who believe in Jesus by His precious blood!

4) Praise is Individualistic and is a Way Back:

Luke 17:18 (KJV)There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

Out of the ten lepers whom Jesus had healed, only one returned to give praise and glory to the King. He understood the greatness of the person of Jesus and made his way back to praise God. Our Praises are personal moments with God- Its always a way back; We make our way back to God by praises in the jight for His mercies during the day. We make our way back to praise God on a sunday for His blessings during the week. However, making our  way back to praise is not that easy. It might also prick our self-esteem. We should make our way back to the cross from where it all began. All our blessings come with a tagline “From the cross of the Lord Jesus.’ Our healing, deliverance and provision all comes from the cross

5) Praise Attests Our Faith:

Luke 17:19 (KJV) And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

As the leper returned with thanksgiving, praise and valued his healing, the Lord blessed him to arise and go; for his faith had made him whole. Faith causes us to be grateful; it is a divine influence from God. Every hallelujahs and amen that we proclaim to the Lord, it attests our faith.

CONCLUSION

Being a child of God we should always have a routine of giving praises and thanksgiving to the Lord. If the hallelujahs and an amen can plunder the plans of the enemy then it can also bring in the presence of God in our life. Our praises brings the sincerity in our prayers; we hear God’s voice which will manifest as a wholesome healing. It also builds our personal relationship with the Lord and when we choose to return to Him remember all our praises are tagged the cross. Therefore, lets us praise God today so that it attests our faith and imprint a testimony to the world!