Praise IS Worship

1 Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! 2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! 3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! 4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! 5 Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! 6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!

What is Praise? How is it different from worship? Is it different from worship?

In the 90’s much of what was sung in churches across America was referred to as Praise and Worship. This language was being intentionally used to for singing in churches in order to make a distinction between upbeat or fast songs and slower songs. Fast songs were praise and slow songs were worship. This of course led to a lot of confusion about music styles in an effort to get away from old school church singing.

When I was saved in 1996 as a teenager, I was a guitarist in a band and immediately went into the church and began to volunteer by playing music. Now sometimes we would refer to that as the music ministry, yet it would be called the worship team sometimes and other times it would be called the Praise band. I think all of these terms have become unhelpful for teaching our people what Worship is all about. It caused our people back then to think we need to start singing praise in an upbeat way, until we are getting into the presence of God then we need to slow things down and reverently worship him. So singing became a formula that was all about hyping our emotions, which becomes manipulation.

This re-enforced the idea that “worship” was the portion of the service when we all sang together. This of course is not right at all. We worship God when we gather, when we talk - fellowship, when we sing, when we give, when we listen to the word preached and read to us, when we pick up our heads off the pillow in the morning and when we lay it back down at night, and everywhere in between.

From the Westminster shorter catechism -

Q1: What is the chief end of man? A1: Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him for ever.

In laymen's terms our chief end is to worship God in all things at all times, that is what we were created for.

Worship is ascribing worth to someone by holding them in high esteem and submitting your life, your passions and desire to them. Worship is a lifestyle not an event

Worship is a lifestyle not an event

The book of Psalms is a combination of songs, poems, prayers. And these all had different emotions connected to them. Some are psalms of lament and mourning, some are hymns and songs or thanksgiving and praise, some are poems of wisdom, poems of praise, and some are prayers against God’s enemies and some are descriptions of God’s salvation in the coming messiah.

But all the psalms help inform our worship of God for different reasons. They express different emotions because life is full of different emotions, and we are called to worship God with our life for all of our life.

So what is praise and how is it connected to worship?

So praise, which comes from the Hebrew word - Halal, means to honor and ascribe worth to something or someone verbally. That is why the word hallelujah - Halal plus Jah (which is short for Yahweh) means to honor and ascribe worth to God verbally. To say “Hallelujah” means Praise to God, Honor and worth to God!

So Worship is ascribing worth to someone by holding them in high esteem and submitting your life, your passions and desire to them, and Praise is to honor and ascribe worth to someone verbally. Do you see the connection.

Worship is your lifestyle and praise is your words.

Praise is worship that can be seen and heard

Praise is always some form of external display. Praise is most commonly verbal worship. This can be loud with a shout and quiet with common expression in speech. Yet for those who cannot hear or see or speak, praise can be done with clapping your hands, and lifting your hands, it can be done with dancing, shouting and even crying. I also would point out that praise for God happens all around us by the rest of his creation, seen and unseen.

The Psalm we have before us today is a poem of Praise. It has no known author, and for very specific reason I believe, hold that thought. It is the last psalm in the psalter and it is meant to the final word in instruction of prescribed praise to our God. The literary styles of parallelism will show that the psalmist is saying somethings that are similar yet different, and there is a layer of multiple meaning when you understand the culture that it was written to and that sang it. For 6 verse that seem on their face to be simple, there is much here to understand and yet a simple message.

This Psalm will tell us Where to Praise God, Why we should Praise God, How we should Praise God, and Who should Praise God!

Let’s dive in!

Psalm 150:1 ESV

1 Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens!

So… Praise the Lord, or Worship God in a way that can be seen or Heard… But Where?

This poem is written in a parallelism style where a similar thought is said in a different way to show movement and emotion. And please remember this was written to Jews who went to a temple to worship God and sung these psalms while going in, while inside and while leaving. We need to get a picture of that before we can import it to our times for application.

Now the correspondence in this verse is obvious… “Praise the Lord”, “Praise God”, corresponds with “Praise him”. And “in his sanctuary” corresponds with “in his mighty heavens”. There is a parallel thoughts here that gives a full picture of what the psalmist is instructing.

We have covered Praise the Lord, but what is meant by, “in his sanctuary” and “in his mighty heavens”?

CM328 Preaching the Psalms Saying a Similar Thing with a Difference

“Praise God in his sanctuary”—that is, the earthly sanctuary. So this poem is calling upon earthly worshipers to praise God, but it’s not enough for God to be worshiped in the earthly sanctuary. As grand and as glorious as that might be, God is worthy of a worship that far transcends the worship that can ever be given to Him in an earthly sanctuary. No, we must also praise God in His mighty heavens—that is, in the heavenly sanctuary. And so, there’s movement from calling on earthly worshipers to calling on angelic, heavenly worshipers.

While they were calling for this to happen, we have a glimpse into the heavenly sanctuary this has happened and is happening. In John has a vision of a scroll that cannot be opened except by the Lamb the was slain, and then praise for him and worship happens in the mighty heavens! is prescribing something to God’s people that has been and will continually be done! But let’s not mention it… you have to hear from the scriptures.

Revelation 5:1–14 ESV

1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” 6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” 11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” 14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Where Should God be Praised??? on earth as he is in Heaven! In our gatherings like he is in that gathering!

Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; Praise him in his mighty heavens!

As much as the psalmist is telling them to praise God in the heavens he is encouraging praise here to be like it is there!

But why would we praise God like this?

Psalm 150:2 ESV

2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!

So here we have it again, some parallel thoughts that correspond to each other and show a full picture of worship to God.

“Praise him’ corresponds to “Praise him”, and “his mighty deeds” correspond to “his excellent greatness”. What does that mean?

His mighty deeds, are the the things he has done, they are his works… Yet his excellent greatness is who he is, that is his worth. What God has done, he has done because of who he is! His works are because of his worth!

Praise God for his works because of his worth!

What does that look like? Well, what are his works?

God created the heavens above and the earth below, the sun moon and stars, and the light they give off. the expanse of the land and the rising of the mountains to the deepest of oceans.

He made humanity in his image and likeness, and everything that lives and breathes and moves on this planet.

He did not stay far off and uninvolved in this life he gave us, he was gracious to Adam and Eve when they sinned, he was gracious to cain after he killed his brother, he was gracious to Noah who immediately sinned after the ark came to rest. He was willing to have a covenant with his creation and swear by himself when he covenanted with Abram in . He graciously gave him a son in Isaac and then another one Jacob. He sovereignly delivered Joseph into Egypt’s hands in order to providentially save his people through Egypt’s wealth that Joseph was in charge of. God saves Moses from death as a child and then calls him to deliver his people from Pharaoh’s slavery. God delivers his children BEFORE giving them the law by which to live by. God gives them the power to take the promised land under the leadership of Joshua, and then raises up Judges to help rule the people who are constantly following other gods and falling away from their true deliverer. When his unfaithful people want a king he gracious raises up kings for them to follow, and when the kingdom is divided and he has to judge the sinfulness of his people he raises up prophets who declare that one will come to fight the battles that they cannot win and restore them as a people to God who is Holy even though they have no hope of being Holy like God is. God destroys every nation that tries to harass and kill his people and ultimately sends his son to save us from our sins.

In one epic moment he takes on flesh and does for us what we cannot do for ourselves, which is to be perfect and never sin and yet die for sinfulness in order to beat death, hell and the grave once and for all who believe… Which are those he has predestined since before the foundation of the world that he created. He sends his Spirit to reside in those he has saved and promises to empower us to endure to the end when he will judge the living and dead and ultimately welcome his children into the closest of all relationships, where we will worship him forever… Those are just some of his works!

But none of this is because of our worth, rather it is all because of his worth, his excellent greatness!

God does not do his mighty deeds because we are so special and worth while, because we have disobeyed and are in a sinful state and do not deserve his love. Yet it is the very nature of God who is...

Light and Love! God who is eternal, self sufficient and self existent! God who is Holy, righteous, and transcendent (meaning there is none who compare to the uniqueness of our God.) God who is Omnipresent, Omniscient, and omnipotent… (he is everywhere, all powerful and all knowing). God who is immanent, and immutable… (meaning he is ever presently at hand to work through the smallest of details and he never changes his mind on his plan.) God who is Love, Mercy, Grace and Justice… Meaning he is the essence of Love and yet doesn’t give us what we truly deserve (hell), while also giving us what we do not deserve (Christ’s righteousness and entrance into his family) and still executes true judgement over the lives and acts of all people everywhere.

That is his Worth and those are the reasons his Works have come to be and we are the thankful recipients who are called to Praise him for who he is and what he has done! That is WHY we praise the Lord!

But with what shall we Praise him?

Psalm 150:3–5 ESV

3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! 4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! 5 Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!

psalm150

Now this is where there is meaning that is straightforward and also associations that has double meaning in which culturally can be interpreted to bring forth a more full understanding of how and who will praise God.

Different instruments are used by different people for different occasions and yet all of them are universally used to Praise God because he alone is worthy of praise!

Praise him with a trumpet sound… What was the trumpet sound used for? In that culture it was used for when they were being called together. When they fought the trumpet sounded. When they conquered the trumpet sounded. When they assembled the trumpet sounded. When they proclaimed his Word the trumpet sounded and when the celebrated Jubilee and their debts were forgiven the trumpet sounded! No matter what life threw at them the trumpet was sounded.

The trumpet had the loudest and clearest notes.

“Let us call the people with the loudest and clearest notes. All need to know that we are not ashamed to worship. Let us summon them with an unmistakable sound, to bow before their God… If we cannot play this instrument, at least we can let our praise be as decided and bold as a blast on the horn. Let us never sound the trumpet for our own honor, but reserve all our trumpeting for God’s Glory”

Charles Spurgeon

And once people have been assembled by the sound of the trumpet… “Praise him with the Lute and Harp!” This is with the stringed instruments. Not ones that requires breath, but instruments that require dexterity and strength. Instruments that tell of a story as they play a melody and build in in repetition. As different parts of your body are used to play it, different parts of our bodies shall Praise him, and different parts of the Body of Christ will express different sounds, yet all praise him and point him as being worthy.

“Praise him with tambourine and dance”… For that culture this would bring up an association with the deliverance at the Red Sea, a form of worship that is the most exuberant and jubilant. Hands and feet are used as well as your entire body moving with the music. What a picture and prescription for Praise that is not tame. Shouldn’t we have season of life where there is pure Joy and delight in all the blessing s of this life and all the emotions of joy overflow into loud and visible praise! A tambourine is a drum if you don’t know, and should be beaten in rhythmic patterns to describe movement that builds to a crescendo!

“There is enough on our holy faith to create and justify the utmost degree of rapturous delight. If people are always dull in the worship of the Lord, they are not being consistent with the character of their religion”

Charles Spurgeon

“...praise him with the strings and pipe!” Here we have strings and pipes? These instruments are are for both the wealthy and the poor. Stringed instruments needed to be taught and practiced, and were commonly associated with wealth, yet in contrast the pipe was a simple instrument that lowly shepherds would play, (equivalent to a cowboy with a harmonica). It doesn’t matter how fancy the instrument of the one playing it, nothing is common and nothing is unclean, but all may be sanctified to the highest use, which is Praise to the Lord!

“Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!”

Cymbals do not declare a specific note but are the loudest of sounds that cut through all other instruments and proclaim the highest joy or the deepest sorrow. They are the exclamation point in any emotion. Let the clash of the loudest music be for the Lord! Let the ringing out of cymbals be the true reverb through the camp of the church as his praise echoes to our hearts!

Praise has beaten the drums and tambourines, swept over the strings and harps, and used all the breath to sound the notes from the trumpet… And now for the last effort, awaken the heaviest of slumberers, startle the most indifferent onlookers with the cymbals that ring through all the music that plays together.

Praise is Loud emotions that worship God

Praise is loud emotions that worship God

This praise declares truth, this praise warns others of impending doom lest they turn and behold him. This praise cannot be dismissed and it cannot be overlooked, even in mourning it is evident and consistent.

Yet there is one more layer to these instruments that an understanding of the culture it was written to may help us see more fully what Praise is...

Spurgeon quotes a contemporary of his, in explaining this added layer of meaning here.

"The ancient inhabitants of Etruria used the trumpet; the Arcadians, the whistle; the Sicilians, the pectid; the Cretians, the harp; the Thracians, the cornet; the Lacedemonians, the pipe; the Egyptians, the drum; the Arabians, the cymbal. May we not say that in this Psalm's enumeration of musical instruments, there is a reference to the variety which exists among men in the mode of expressing joy, and exciting the feelings? “

May we not say that in this Psalm's enumeration of musical instruments, there is a reference to the variety which exists among men in the mode of expressing joy, and exciting to feeling? —Andrew A. Bonar.

—Andrew A. Bonar. 1859

To understand that these instruments were not just used at different times, for different emotions and styles of music, but by completely different people groups means that this Psalm is declaring the Who of Praising God!

Praise is corporate worship

All kinds of people, especially when gathered, like an orchestra playing a moving symphony, congregations praising God together build our worship into a moving story of brokenness being redeemed.

In the congregation some are loud and some are quieter, some are more expressive and other more reserved, yet all should be praising the Lord.

Which brings us to the last verse.

Psalm 150:6 ESV

6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!

There is no room for any to deny him praise. If there is breath in your body, you are informed of your duty in worshipping God… Praise the Lord!

Let all living beings praise him! He gave us breath so let us return our breath to him in Praise. God gives man life by breathing into him, and breath is representing life… Without breath there is no life.

This final verse of the book of psalms lets no one off the hook. Because of that, it is where I have decided to start us, by reminding us that no one is exempt from Praising God.

Everyone should Praise God

This of course brings us a tension because we know that not everyone will praise the Lord, not everyone will acknowledge his Lordship, and not everyone will be willing to fulfill their chief end in glorifying God and enjoying him.

I would submit to you that if we know this to be true and it breaks our hearts, then how much more should we Praise him and worship him?!

Let us not only give him praise when life has gone the way we wanted, because we are not the ones on the throne over all the things this life brings, he is! Let us not only praise the Lord when we feel good, because in our last breaths on this earth this command will be just as much for us then as it is now, no matter how painful those last breaths we breath are. Let us not allow the volume or the frequency of our Praise define our identity, but let our identity in Christ define the practice of our hearts in loud time and quiet times, whether it be once a day or once a minutes for days…

Because of Jesus… We belong to him because of his mighty deeds and his excellent greatness, and for that... Everyone who has breath; every race, every tribe, and every tongues will praise the Lord here on earth as his is enthroned in praises in his mighty heavens, and no one has an excuse for not joining in.

Praise is worship and only God is worthy!

How do you Praise the Lord?

IS this something you do on a regular basis? Is this something that others can see and hear?

Why do you Praise the Lord?

This is not something we do because “we have to” or because “we are supposed to”, rather it is something that we get to do. Yet there have been real things that Lord has done in our lives that cause us to Praise him. What are those things. Compare them to the Mighty deeds he has done and his excellent greatness… Think about what the Bible declares about the nature ofd our God and the work of our God. Now why do you Praise the Lord.

How do you Praise the Lord?

Is it really ok to be quiet about it and never be seen doing it? Is there is right time and place? Does this mean you need to pretend to be someone different than you are in order to fulfill this command to praise the Lord? Is this something you think not everyone has to do? Is this something you think everyone should do and you need to get those around you to join in? Is this a matter of your heart or your voice or both? How do the convictions of your heart that have been shaped by the Gospel help your lips praise the Lord?

How do the convictions of your heart that have been shaped by the Gospel help your lips praise the Lord?

In what ways can you this week practice praising God?

Can you acknowledge the little things and remember to praise God for them? Can you encourage those you meet with this week, maybe by sending text messages or making phone calls, to praise God for all his blessings? When can you be most mindful of your desires to praise God? Can you find ways to praise him more? (not because it makes you a “real Christian” but because he deserves more praise than we often give him.)

David Dickson - When we have said all we are able to say for God’s praise, we are to begin again! By the renewing of the exhortation at the close of many psalms, here at the end of this Psalm, we are taught, PRAISE THE LORD!!!!