Sermon Tone Analysis

Title: ‘Tis the Season for Praise

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Go to verse 4 - …Let those who fear the LORD say: ‘His love endures forever.’

In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and He answered by setting me free.

The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?

The LORD is with me; He is my helper.

I will look in triumph on my enemies.

It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.

It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.”

(Psalms 118:1, 4-9)

This Psalm is a triumphant song of praise and it is to be sung with great joy and expression.

It is a call to communal thanksgiving.

Many believe it was written by King David after a period of anxiety.

When he saw the Lord bring about victory and a fulfillment of His promise, David calls the nation to praise God for His goodness and faithfulness.

(Matthew Henry; The Treasury of David; The Expositors Bible Commentary) What we do know for sure it that it is to be sung to God and Him alone.

The writer of this psalm is very careful to give recognition to the Lord.

It is right that the whole body of Christ gathers in public worship and sings and gives thanks unto the Lord.

There should be no murmuring spirit and no forgetting to praise Him.

All complaining should come to an immediate halt and all self-glorification is to be destroyed.

Why?

Because in at least eight places we read in the Bible that God is good.

(1 Chronicles 16:34; 2 Chronicles 5:13;7:3; Ezra 3:11; Psalm 106:1; 107:1; 118:1,29;136:1 KJV) Goodness is His nature and those who only praise the Lord when He does well for them should rise to a higher note and praise God because of who He is.

He is good all the time.

The children of God should never tolerate one moment of unbelief, but rest upon what the Bible says about God, Christ and the Holy Spirit’s influence.

And the Holy Spirit moves all with ears to hear and a heart to obey to;

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Go to verse 4 - …Let those who fear the LORD say: ‘His love endures forever.’

In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and He answered by setting me free.

The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?

The LORD is with me; He is my helper.

I will look in triumph on my enemies.

It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.

It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.”

(Psalms 118:1, 4-9)

I would propose to you that those who learn to praise the Lord in every season of their lives are the ones who walk joyfully and victoriously over life’s situations down here.

They walk in a renewed strength, a continued hope and in full assurance that God’s promises are true.

Just what are reasons for continually praising God?

Praise Him Because He Loves to Hear from Us

We can give continued praise to God because when we pray according to His will He is pleased to answer those prayers according to His plan.

It is Christians who do not use the Lord as a bellboy; meeting childish whims they are the one who give heartfelt praise that is pleasing to God.

1 John 5:14-15 says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

And if we know that He hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of Him.”

Christians often miss the importance of having the same heart in prayer that Jesus did, “Father… yet not My will but yours be done.”

(Luke 22:42; Matthew 6:10; Mark 14:36) When prayer is kept in its proper perspective, Christians can know that God longs to hear from His obedient surrendered children.

Christians not only can walk in confidence in Jesus Christ for their salvation and the sure hope of the resurrection, but they can have a special fellowship of prayer with the Lord as long as they stay linked to the qualifying clause, which is asking according to His will.

Prayer becomes not only a time for petitioning but of yielding their lives to the will and work of the Lord.

When Christians learn to want God’s will as Jesus did, they will have the joy of receiving His answer to their prayers.

(The Expositors Bible Commentary; Matthew Henry; Barnes notes;)

Now that the foundation has been laid, let us focus on the very special kind of “confidence” (parresia) Christians have in God hearing their prayers.

This “confidence” means to have a freedom to enter into the “Throne of Grace” (Hebrews 4:16) with a freedom to speak all that is on the heart.

We need never force our way in or compel God to hear us; He is waiting for us to come.

(The Complete Word Study Dictionary; William Barclay)

Let this truth be placed deep within your heart.

Christians who surrender to the will of God are able to enter the presence of God, know God personally and intimately.

They have the same confidence as the beloved John who wrote, “And if we know that He hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of Him.” (1 John 5:15) They know the joy of actually having the Lord guide and direct, look after and care for them just as parents care and look after their children.

They have full assurance of the Lord’s provision and protection, and strength, a grasp of His joy and victory over trials and temptations.

(Practical Word Studies in the New Testament)

Their assurance in approaching God is in Christ’s name and under His authority is absolute.

It must be understood that some answers, whether no or yes are recognized immediately, others later and some are not recognized in our lifetime.

(The Expositors Bible Commentary) The prayers that are offered up will not be disregarded and will be answered in the faithfulness of God according to His plan and timing.

(Barnes Notes; The Pulpit Commentary; Thru the Bible)

The Lord just loves to hear from Christians who pray like George Muller who wrote, “I spend hours in prayer every day.

However, I live in a spirit of prayer.

I pray as I walk and when I lie down.

His answers are always coming.

I have seen prayers answered time and time again.

When I am persuaded that a thing is right, I go on praying until I get a clear answer from the Lord.

I never give up.

I have been praying every day for fifty-two years for two boys, sons of a friend of my youth.

They are not converted to Christ, yet, but they will be.”

(God’s Revivalist)

When you live a life in a spirit of prayer, rest assured that the Lord hears those prayers and they will be answered according to His good purposes.

It is the Holy Spirit who moved the apostle Paul to write this closing instructions to the Thessalonians, “Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

(1 Thessalonians 5:16)

Praise Him Because of His Enduring Love

God is worthy of praise because of His attentive ears toward our prayers and because of His enduring love.

Psalm 118:2-4 says, “Let Israel say: ‘His love endures forever.’

Let the house of Aaron say: ‘His love endures forever.’

Let those who fear the LORD say: His love endures forever.’”

(Psalm 118:2-4)

“Love” is better translated as “loving-kindness” in the New American Standard Bible.

“Loving-kindness” (hesed) meaning to give acts of kindness and show mercy on the repentant.

(The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the Old Testament) The application is that the Lord God made an everlasting covenant of “loving-kindness” through the forefathers of Israel and goes on down to those who are Abraham’s descendants by faith.

(Genesis 15:5-6; Romans 4:11-12,16; Galatians 3:1-14; Who’s Who in the Bible)

Israel sinned.

This caused them to end up in Egypt and they sinned in Egypt.

They provoked the Lord to anger in the wilderness, went astray again and again under the time of the judges, transgressed time and time again, and yet the Lord still regarded them as His people.

He was faithful to chastise them to draw them to repentance.

God put His rod away every time Israel repented and He showed His compassion and His favor toward them.

(The Treasury of David)

The Lord’s “loving-kindness” is the national hymn to all who know Jesus Christ as personal Savior and Lord.

How many times has God looked upon your sin and still called you His child?

How many times has the Lord laid upon you His chastisements, as a Father would discipline his son? (Hebrews 12:5-7) How many times have you been found walking in and enjoying the favor of God on your life when you really did not deserve it?

Just as the psalmist tells the nation Israel to praise God for His goodness to them in Psalm 118:2, Americans whose motto is “In God We Trust” are to praise the Lord for His “loving-kindness.

God has blessed this nation greatly because of the reverent fear of God our founding fathers had and because of those who are in politics today seeking His will and direction.

Just as the psalmist tells the house of Aaron to praise the Lord, those who are called into the ministry are to praise the Lord.

(Barnes Notes; The Pulpit Commentary; The Treasury of David) They are to praise God by defending God’s truths, and keep up the Christian faith by worshiping in Spirit and truth according to the written Word of God.

Just as God had called great prophets of old and great revivalists in our lifetime, He is still raising up true shepherds who know that their calling is to preach and teach the Word of God.