Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. Our desire is for the Word of God to be spread throughout the world so that all may know Christ. Join us now for a portion of one of our services here at Kerwin Baptist Church, located in Kernersville, North Carolina. Dr. Vaughn, let's give Dr.
Vaughn a hand today. We appreciate him. Thanks, brother. Love you. Appreciate him.
Appreciate him. Well Thank you, Pastor Hawtree. What a privilege to be here. He says he likes different stuff and apparently had a meeting with Al Sharpton, so. We'll be conducting a counseling service after the morning here this morning.
But anyhow, good to be here with you this morning. This is Praise Challenge Sunday. My friend Ed Moore was pastor in Shelbyville, Indiana. For about 38 years, I think. And I interviewed him, and he told me that he did a A praise challenge, 21-day praise challenge.
He said it was the best thing he ever did in his church. He said if he was a pastor, he would do this every year.
So I got inspired to put some things together on the subject of praise.
Now, Psalm 147, you have your Bible. Turn there if you would, please. This is a hallelujah Psalm. There's 10 halleluja psalms. They start out with praise the Lord and end with praise the Lord.
It's the hallelujah factor. And the hallelujah psalms are packed with praise principles.
So I want us to go look at a few of these here this morning in Sunday school. Praise, worship, and thanksgiving is a major theme in the Bible. In fact, it's the second most populous theme in the entire scripture, a dominant theme.
So Psalm chapter 147 in your scriptures. And I just want us to pick out about four praise principles here this morning. Notice in verse 1, if you would, it says, praise ye the Lord. For it is good to sing praises under our God, for it is pleasant and praise is comely. But notice in verse 5, if you would, it says, great is, in fact, let's read it out loud together.
Verse 5, great is our Lord and a great power. His understanding is infinite.
Now, what is praise?
Well, number one, praise is proper response to greatness. Say that out loud. Praise is the proper response to greatness. Those who didn't have coffee say it this time, praise is the proper response to greatness. Great is our Lord of great power.
Now praise is esteem for a person, an accomplishment, or a virtue. One of the old reformers said this, he said, where there is no praise, there is no true perception of God. Where there is no praise, there is no true perception of God. And to be silent in the presence of greatness is ingratitude. I believe that praise is one of the best things that we could ever do.
And, you know, whenever greatness is revealed, praise is required.
Now, what is great about God? What is great about God?
Well, in verse 6, he says, he lifts up the meek. Verse 6, he casts down the wicked. Verse 8, he covers the heavens with clouds. He prepares the earth for rain. He makes the grass to grow.
In verse 9, he gives to the beast his food.
Now, what is praise?
It's the echo of God's greatness in the human soul. Praise is the echo of the greatness of God in the human soul. Tozer said, praise is the natural outflow of the heart that is caught a glimpse of the greatness of God. It's a natural outflow. It's a proper response to greatness.
Now, praise makes sense when we see God as he is. It makes sense.
Now, let me just say that praise naturally follows when God is clearly seen. Spurgeon put it like this, when we stop praising God, it's not because he has ceased to be great, but because we have lost sight of his greatness.
Now listen, praise is a biblical mandate. I mean, over 200 times the Bible tells us we're to praise the Lord. And a clear vision of God makes praise mandatory.
Now, why is God great? He's high. He's holy. He's huge. High, holy, huge, and praise is the proper response to greatness.
And the greater the revelation of God's greatness, the louder the praise. Give me a Baptist amen at 9 o'clock on Sunday morning. What about that? And the more we realize the greatness of God, the more and the louder we will praise.
Now, that's why the Bible tells us to enter into his courts with praise. God is to be approached with praise, with applause. His worthiness, his grace, his mercy calls for praise.
Now let me say this. Praise is the instinctive response of the soul when it encounters God's greatness. It's the natural response. Heaven is full of praise. Heaven is roaring with praise.
We will be roaring for eternity with praise.
So we need to jump on it here on planet Earth. You know, if a patriot could meet George Washington, I'm telling you, they would be in awe. You know if a golfer could somehow meet up with Honorable Palmer, if that was possible, they would be overwhelmed. If a financial planner could meet and have lunch with Warren Buffett, I'm telling you, he would absolutely be dumbfounded. And when a man meets God, praise is the first response.
Now, seeing what God does causes us to praise God as we should. It's proper response to greatness.
Now look at these verses before verse 5 in Psalm 147. Look in verse 2. What happens here?
Well, God is building up Jerusalem and gathering together. Verse 3, he's healing the broken heart, binding up their wounds. Verse 4, he counts and names the stars.
So praise is the only response that fits the magnitude of God. It's proper response to greatness.
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. Praise principle number two. Look in verse one. Look in verse one. What does it say?
In fact, read it out loud with me if you would, please. Verse one: Praise ye the Lord, for it is good to sing praises under our God, for it is. And praise is comely, for it is. Pleasant. Pleasant.
And I want to say this. Praise is pleasant. Praise feels right. to the redeemed. Praise is becoming.
It's fitting. It's appropriate. It's pleasant. You know fasting is a discipline that calls for denial. Fasting is a discipline that calls for denial, but praise is a discipline that produces delight.
It's a happy discipline. I'm going to say it's pleasant. It's fun. Praise is pleasant. It's comely.
Now, praise resonates with the redeemed. You know, people praise what they enjoy. If they're sports addicts, that's all they want to talk about. If they're golfers, that's all they want to talk about. If they're pet owners, that's all they want to talk about.
And if you love God, that's really what you want to talk about. I'm just telling you, you praise what you enjoy. You rejoice, it says in 1 Peter, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. I personally love a revival atmosphere. I just tell you what, I'm not into concerts, I'm not into comedians, and I'm not even into cruises.
Except maybe once every couple of years, but you know what I'm into? I love a revival atmosphere. I love a place where God is on the move. I love a place where you sense the tangible presence of God. I will bless the Lord at all times.
His praise shall continually be in my mouth. It's pleasant. Now when bad things happen, you've got a choice. You can panic or praise. Take your pick.
You can panic or praise. Now you can respond with gratitude or you can slip into frustration, anger, and disappointment. Continual praise doesn't just lift your spirit. It rewires your mind to see the greatness of God in every situation. Remember old Charlie Brown?
The eternal pessimist, Charlie Brown, good grief was his favorite go-to phrase. And one comic old Charlie Brown said to Snoopy, he said, Snoopy, you know, one day we're all going to die. One day we're all gonna die. And old Snoopy shot back and said, yeah. but all the other days we're going to live.
And I'm telling you, every day you're alive, you ought to live. And if you ain't praising God, you ain't living, brother. I'm telling you, we can take the Charlie Brown route or the Snoopy route. I'm going with David and Snoopy. Amen.
Now, Snoopy's outlook was far better.
Now, look, praise shifts our focus from what's wrong. to what's right. Praise changes your focus from death to life. It changes from despair to hope. It's pleasant.
Did you know that science backs up the prophet of praise? Science backs up the prophet of praise.
Now, there's something in our brain called neuroplasticity. You ever heard of that neuroplasticity? By the way, they tell us that the older you get, the frontal vortex of the brain, or cortex, vortex, or corvette or something, the frontal vortex of the brain thins out. And the thin, that vortex has to do with filters.
So that's why old people are snappy and grouchy.
Now I don't think my frontal vortex, cortex has thinned. I think it's totally disappeared because I've lost what little filter I have for some reason or other. But the neuroplasticity simply means that repetitive thoughts... strengthen the neural pathways. In other words, repetitive thoughts cuts grooves in our brain that we tend to rehearse and go back to and respond to over and over.
And you know, you can change the neuroplasticity of your brain to make praise your default over time. Bad habits, grumbling, and complaining, they dig deep roots in our minds, but good habits like praise can carve new paths in our mind.
Now the old neural corridors don't disappear, but they weaken with disuse as we place them with new routines.
So repetition is the key. And this is why 21 days is important. Repetitive praise. They said it takes 21 days to develop a habit. I think I can develop a habit in 21 minutes.
What about you? I mean, I just think, and I'm talking about bad habits, but we can develop good habits, and 21 days is the way to do it.
Now, this is going to reset your mental outlook. And it can lift us from negativity and cynicism.
Somebody said, a political amen right there, I said from negativity and cynicism, it can move us from worry to worship, from despair to delight. And who would argue that 21 days of complaining is better than 21 days of praise? Nobody, nobody would say that.
Now, grateful people are pleasant to be around. Are you with me on this radio? Oh, but grumbling people, they drain your energy.
So the soul conditioned by praise can find comfort in every circumstance, but a murmuring heart can find comfort in nothing. When we fix our eyes on God's greatness and goodness, I'm telling you, peace and joy follow.
Now praise is not just a reaction. It's not just a reaction. Praise is a decision. It's a discipline. And it transforms how we experience life.
That's why David said, I will bless the Lord how often? At all times. He had already made up his mind.
Now, he didn't wait for perfect circumstances. He decided in advance that praise would be his default, his reflex.
Now, his praise shall continually be in my mouth. Look, not an emotional high. Give me a Mason-Dixon amen on that point right there. Not just an emotional high, listen up, not just a religious spasm. But David committed to using his lips to praise God continually no matter what.
He trained his soul to boast in the Lord.
Now, he didn't leave worship to chance. He intentionally filled his mind and heart with thoughts of God's goodness and his greatness.
Now look, a life marked by praise is God's will for every one of his children. You know over in Ireland, I used to preach in Ireland twice a year for years and years and years. And they talked about people who had a face like a Lurgen spade. A Lurgen spade, which is that little thin shovel about this big. And they talked about people who had a face like a Lurgen spade.
In the United States, we don't even know what a Lurgen spade is, but I'm telling you, some people look like a Lurgen spade. And I used to think these people are so hard, but I come to find out, no, they're not so hard. The problem is, they're burdened down. They're overwhelmed with burdens. But I'm telling you, praise can lift your heart, can lift your sights, and I'm telling you, it can help your attitude.
I'm telling you, I cut on a little praise music this morning when I got up because I took a sleep aid last night. A little Nyquil. I didn't overdose, but I did take a little bit, amen. And I needed a lift.
So between the coffee and the praise song, my heart was lifted. All right. I'm just telling you, it can help you.
Now, look, morning, noon, and night. Morning, noon, and night, we can turn our hearts to praise God. We have a duty to praise God. And by disciplining ourselves to bless the Lord, regularly we program, we reprogram our minds to default to worship. And you know what that does?
That cuts new pathways in our brains to where praise becomes a habit, it becomes natural, it becomes continual.
Now, look. This is not about denying pain. or pretending Everything is perfect. But it is about choosing to see God's hand every moment, whether things are good or bad. And when praise becomes your first response, You declare that God is bigger than your problems.
You declare that he's more faithful than your fears, and you declare that he's worthy of your trust. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord.
So let's drain our hearts to bless God at all times, letting his praise fall from our lips continually.
So we can rewire our minds through worship.
Now, if you'll do this 21 days, you can watch how God will reshape your perspective. I mean, you're going to think better, and when you think better, you're going to feel better. And when you feel better, you're going to be more pleasant to be around at home. Yes, absolutely. I'm telling you, there's benefits every which away.
Now, I believe that every worship service is just choir practice for heaven. And you know, if you find it difficult to praise God for what's going on, At least you can praise them for what's going to be. Oh, my brother and my sister, praising God is pleasant.
Now, to neglect praise is to dishonor God and damage our souls, because praise has a lifting effect. a lifting effect. And I want to tell you something that we're called to exalt God and when we do, it lifts us up. Matthew Henry said this, praise is not a burden laid upon us. but a delight released within us.
It's a pleasant, a pleasant thing. Number three, praise principle number three. Praise is the heart response that pleases God. Say that out loud. Praise is the heart response.
Now look in verse 10. He delights not in the strength of the horse. He taketh not pleasure in the legs of man. Verse 11, the Lord taketh pleasure in them that... Fear him.
In those that hope. In his mercy. Uh listen, God takes pleasure. in people who fear him and praise him.
Now praise is the applause that heaven deserves. And praise is the pathway to the presence of God. I mean, God loves to be praised. He inhabits praise. He manifests himself in praise.
In fact, praise is God's address. It says in Psalm 22 that God inhabited the praises of Israel. He dwelt in the praises of Israel. Last night we dwelt in the new town place suites. with new carpet spell.
Amen.
I mean, it was a very nice place. It's very, very nice.
Well, where does God dwell?
Well, God dwells in the midst of unceasing praise. That's his address. And wherever people praise God, he shows up. I mean, it's his dwelling place. God is enthroned in the praises of his people.
It's God's habitation. He makes his abode where people magnify, exalt, celebrate, and bless his name. And wherever we find heartfelt praise, we find a sense of the presence of God. Oh, dear people, he resides in praise. And what is revival?
It's when God shows up and shows off. When God shows up and shows off, we read about this historic revival. And hallelujah. But instead of reading history, wouldn't it be good to make some history and see some history being made before our eyes in terms of kingdom enterprise?
Now look, praise is more than a song or a moment. It's his address, his divine dwelling place. And when we experience heartfelt praise, we step into the very space where the triune God resides, surrounded by unceasing adoration.
So imagine praise as the key that unlocks the doors of heaven. enter into his courts with Praise.
Now, that's the same place where the angels are dwelling. That's where the redeemed are. It's party time in heaven. I'm just telling you, it's a happy place. It's a happy place.
I've got us a supremely happy God. And in thy presence is fullness of joy. And what does praise do? It aligns our hearts with the atmosphere of heaven. I'm so aligned to Earth now with the Iran conflict.
you know looking over there seeing what's going to happen next and all this kind of stuff but you know what praise does it moves us out of time into the eternal it aligns our hearts with god's authority it shifts our focus from uh circumstance to his glory and sets the stage for his will to unfold in our lives now look when you begin your prayer time with praise instead of petitions And you gotta stop, you gotta, you gotta, I know that book, Asking and Receiving.
Okay, and there's truth in that, but I'm telling you, the proper way to pray is not to begin by making requests. The proper way to be in prayer is by praise. And when we fix our eyes on him, our challenges shrink in comparison to the greatness of our God.
So gazing on God reorients our perspective, anchors our hearts in faith. Andrew Murray said this, it is not the greatness of our performance that moves God, but the sincerity of our praise. Oh, dear people, God is not impressed with human might. But he's pleased with humble trust. Appraiser is a magnet.
for the presence of God. It pulls God into the circumstance. When John was exiled on Patmos, he witnessed a breathtaking vision. Here's what he said. He said, I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the beast and elders, the number of them was 10,000 times 10,000 of thousands, saying with a loud voice, listen to this, with a loud voice, worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory.
God's greatness explains heaven's noise. God's greatness explains that holy roar that's going on. And heaven is a symphony. It's a symphony of adoration to the enthroned Lamb. And look, heaven, celestial worship is no quiet affair.
It's not a heart. Recital or organ. Recital. No, heaven's praise is vibrant, unbridled. Intense.
A roaring anthem to the Lamb who's worthy.
Now look, if you're unaccustomed to fervent worship here on earth, Heaven's probably going to be a shock. And if you could have a heart attack in heaven, some of the Presbyterian-like people, they would have one. But I don't think it's possible to have a heart attack in heaven. But I'm just telling you, when you are accustomed to praising God on earth, heaven won't be such a shock. And I'm just here to tell you that's what a revival atmosphere is all about.
Now, we can prepare here by cultivating a passionate lifestyle of praise.
Now, let your praise unlock the courts of heaven. Fix your gaze on him and allow your problems to fade into the background. Praise is a heart response that pleases God. But I got one more right here. Look at this one.
Praise is the only correct response to favor. Say that out loud. Praise is the.
Now look in verse 20. Here's what it says. God hath not dealt so with any nation, and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the Lord. These other people have not known these things, but God's people saw things, knew things, heard things, believed things.
I'm telling you, praise delivers us from blessing blindness. You know you can have a hundred blessings and one problem and Is anybody here prone to think on the one problem instead of the hundred blessings? You know what praise does? It delivers us from blessing blindness.
So here we are, loaded up with favor, loaded up with benefits, loaded up with blessings. But here we get fixed, at least I tend to do this quite often. But praise will open our eyes to see the goodness of God and deliver us from blessing blindness.
Now, Israel was chosen and favored. They had a favored nation status according to this verse right here. Of all the nations, None was singled out like Israel. Of what other nation had more prophets, more visitations, more advantages, and more privileges? None.
You know, the Bible says that angels told Mary that she was blessed above women, all women, and highly favored. Can I just tell you something, child of God? You're highly favored too. And it says this right here in 1 Peter 2, you're a chosen generation. You us, we're a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a peculiar people, that's the truth, that you should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
You're talking about favorite. You're talking about blessed. Man, we're a holy nation, man. We're a kingdom of priest unto our God. Spurgeon said, those who recognize God's favor cannot remain silent.
Praise becomes their testimony. Mercy calls for praise. Forgiveness calls for praise. Favor calls for praise. And praise attracts the presence of God.
It says in the Old Testament in 2 Chronicles 5, the glory of God filled the house.
So much so, as they thank God and praised God. And it was when Israel lifted their voices in unified praise that the glory of God filled the temple so powerfully that they couldn't even stand on their feet. They were all laid out on their feet. During the Canadian revival, Ralph Satura, powerful move of God, went from 250 to 4,000, seven weeks, day and night meetings, day and night. And his wife, Esther, she was the prophet in the bunch.
She's passed on. But she said to me one day, she said, Harold, the presence of God was so thick in those meetings that nobody could utter a word.
Sometimes for 30 minutes, there was a stunned silence. Nobody left. Nobody said nothing. There was such a sense of the immensity and the magnitude and the presence of God among his people. And that's what happened in Chronicles.
Man, they couldn't even stand in the presence of God.
Now, in Judah is God known. The word Judah means praise. And in praise, God reveals himself. He makes himself known. It's in praise that he comes feelingly near.
And worship creates an atmosphere where God can reveal himself.
Now the manifest presence of God refers to those moments. When God is so clearly among his people that everybody knows it. The tangible presence of God. I know that's too mystical for some of the brethren. I don't care.
And you know something? God comes where he's wanted. Yeah, amen. God has a history of being rejected.
So Adam and Eve rejected. Satan and a third of the angels reject it. Israel rejected over and over. God has a history of being rejected.
And the truth is, most of Christians today, they want God if he's willing to come on their terms. Right. They're turf. And their time. I'm telling you, God ain't got nothing to do with my terms, my turf, and my time.
I better get in sync with Him. And however He wants to come is good with me. He comes where he's wanted. He comes where he's wanted. Now, men and women, why is it?
In our country, where we have such a heritage, a revival heritage, that we go for years and years and years and years. And rarely, rarely, rarely do we hear of seasons, seasons, weeks, months where the Spirit of God hovers over a congregation. God comes where he's wanted. Now I'll tell you one thing, instead of dictating to God how he's got to show up and it's got to fit into our cultural preferences, we'd be better off if we just said, now, Lord, blessed be your name. God, you have your way.
You have your will. You do what you want to do. It's your glory, your name, your kingdom that we're all about. It ain't about what we're doing down here. It's about what you're all about.
And Lord, would you have mercy and would you come and swing by here and do something? I tell you what, I just love a revival atmosphere. And if revival breaks out, build it in, I'll be down. You know something. It's good to be in town when God is.
And praise is deeply attractive to God. Listen, praise invites eternity into time. It's like a divine magnet. We got to finish up here this morning. But praise also has a cleansing effect.
Let me just say that praise repels the devil. And Satan cannot tolerate an atmosphere. of adoration to God. Satan is allergic to praise. He's drawn to grumbling, complaining, negativity, cynicism, unbelief.
But I'm telling you, he is allergic to praise. During the Shangtung Revival, they had so many demon-possessed people. They could not deal with them.
So the strategy came that they would take all the demon possessed. And bring him into uh place where Cleansed, revived saints were singing praises to God. And they said that no demon could hold his ground for over an hour. in the presence of unbridled praise. Praise repels Satan.
I'm telling you, but it's a magnet, a magnet to the very presence of God. It's heaven's native air. And when Jesus is lifted up, he draws people to himself. When his name is exalted, we draw near to him. He draws near to us.
Praise is the only correct response to greatness.
So Thank you for listening today. We hope you received a blessing from our broadcast. The Kerwin Baptist Church is located at 4520 Old Hollow Road in Kernersville, North Carolina. You may also contact us by phone at 336-993-5192. or via the web.
at Kerwin Baptist Church.com. Enjoy our services live and all our media on our website and church app. Thank you for listening to the Kerwin Broadcast today. God bless you.
