HOW TO PRAISE AND WORSHIP THE LORD

Key Scripture: 2 Chronicles 5: 13-14 person of God than on His blessings to us. Like thanksgiving, praise is not
Key Truth: Praise and Worship are the highest expressions of faith and silent; it must always be vocal.
a celebration of the resurrection of our Lord. Psalm 47: 6; Psalm 48: 1; Psalm 92: 1; Psalm 66: 8 ; Hebrews 13: 15 ;
Psalm 54: 6 ; Revelation 19: 6
Ministering to the Lord:
(Deuteronomy 10: 8); (Acts 13: 2) Why should we praise the Lord?
1. We Praise God because of Who He is:
The subject of Praise and Worship is one of the most important of all Psalm 149: 1 - Praise the Lord
Bible themes. It is also one of the most neglected. To fall short of a Psalm 48: 1 - Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised
full appreciation and practice of Praise and Worship is to fore-go a vital Psalm 96: 4 - For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised.
aspect of our ultimate calling in Christ. In other words, we praise Him because He is the Lord. He is the ultimate
authority, the highest power, the King of Kings and Lord above all Lords.
God is looking for people to minister to Him and worship Him in spirit He was before all things and is the maker of all things. Therefore He is
and in truth. The Bible shows us that our first ministry is to the Lord and greater than all things.
second ministry is to man. 2. We praise God because it glorifies Him. Psalm 50: 23
3. We praise God because He commands us to.
* Our Ministry to man must flow from our ministry to God if it is to be “Praise the Lord” is not a suggestion or a request. It is a commandment.
effective. 4. We praise God for all His benefits - (Psalm 103: 1-3)
We must minister to the Lord by offering Him our Praise and Worship. 5. We praise God for His goodness - (Psalm 107: 21)
* God is interested in a love relationship with us and not dead ritual. 6. We praise God for His mighty acts - (Psalm 150: 2)
We love Him because of who He is and because He first loved us. 7. We praise God because it is a good thing to give thanks (Psalm 92: 1-2;
We love and appreciate His character and His goodness to us. Psalm 147: 1)
* Isaiah 6: 3 8. We praise God because He is worthy of our praise (2 Sam 22: 4;
Psalm 18: 3)
The purpose of the Church: 9. We praise God because it magnifies Him (Psalm 69: 30)
* To minister of the Lord
* To minister to believers in Christ - the Body of Christ 10. We praise God because praise is “beautiful” for the upright
* To minister to the unsaved. (Psalm 33: 1)
John 4: 23-24
Biblical ways to Praise the Lord:
God is a Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in 1. With our voices - Psalm 66: 8, 17; Psalm 98: 4; Acts 16: 25
truth. In order to do this, we need the supernatural enabling of the Holy 2. With shouting - There are many passages where the psalmist urged
Spirit. Human works are too limited, that is why God has given every everyone to shout unto the Lord with the voice of victory. Psalm 47: 1;
spirit-filled believer, the supernatural language of the Spirit. (Acts 10: 46) Psalm 35: 27; Psalm 95: 1
For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. 3. With singing - There are countless scriptures that show singing as one
of the main forms of praise. Psalm 47: 6
Thanksgiving: The Attitude of Gratitude: (Psalm 107: 1, 21-22) 4. With thanksgiving - Psalm 69: 30; Psalm 50: 23; Jonah 2: 9;
Thanksgiving is distinct from Praise, which is distinct from Worship. 1 Thess.5: 18
Thanksgiving relates to God’s deeds and what God has done for us. It 5. With a joyful noise - god’s people have always been joyful even when
simply means to count our blessings with audible appreciation to God - circumstances warrant otherwise. Regardless of the situation, they can
for example, remembering with thanks all the benefits and blessing God rejoice and make acclamations of joy. Psalm 66: 1; Psalm 95: 1
has given us in Christ (Psalm 103: 1-5). 6. With musical instruments - Psalm 150; Psalm 33: 2; Psalm 57: 8
7. With clapping of hands - Psalm 47: 1; Psalm 98: 8
Praise on the other hand, relates to God’s person and character. It 8. With uplifted hands - Psalm 63: 4; Psalm 134: 2; Psalm 141: 2
centres on who God is. Lifting up our hands is a picture of “surrender”. We are surrendering all
to Jesus. We are consecrating and dedicating our whole being to love
There are many scriptures that encourage us to give thanksgiving to Him and serve Him.
God. 1 Thes. 5: 18; Jonah 2: 9;Psalm 105: 1-3, 5 9. With dance - 1 Samuel 6: 14; Psalm 30: 11; Psalm 149: 3; Psalm 150: 4
10. By bowing and kneeling before Him - Psalm 95: 6; Ephs. 3: 14;
Remember the wonders He has done, His miracle and the judgments Phil. 2:10-11
He pronounced.” (Leviticus 22: 29 ; Psalm 100: 4 ) 11. By falling prostrate before Him - Nehemiah 8: 6; 2 Corinthians 7: 3
12. With tongues - Acts 10: 46; 1 Corinthians 14: 16-17
True thanksgiving is not complete until it is expressed. It must become 13. With our finance - Prov. 3: 9; 1 Chron. 16: 29; Psalm 96: 7-8; Exo 25: 2
vocal. There is so much discouragement in the world today. Most
people are too quick to complain, but slow to give thanks and praise to Understanding Worship:
God. Thanksgiving must be expressed. Remember the ten lepers of * Worship means “to pay homage or respect, to exalt, to esteem, to adore or
Luke 17. to magnify.”
Worship relates to God’s holiness, it is like an advanced form of praise
The Power of Praise : Psalm 138: 2; Psalm 99: 9; Philippians 3: 3; 1 Timothy 2: 8; John 4: 23-24
(Psalm 145: 1-3) Worship involves fellowship and is a response to an intimate relationship
Praise centres on who God is - His person and His character. it with God. It is the outpouring of inner thoughts to God, often accompanied
involves magnifying the name of the Lord. Praise is not an act of by expressive actions of the body.
emotions but begins with an act of our will; we decide to put on the
garment of praise (Isaiah 61: 3). We praise God not because of the way Colossians 1: 12; Rev. 5: 12-13 ;Isaiah 6: 1-4 ; Revelation 4: 8-11
we feel but because of who He is . Praise focuses more attention on the