It's In the Praise!!
Notes
Transcript
Scripture Text:
Acts 16 16-26
It’s in the Praise!!
My brothers and my sisters I believe we are living in a season when we have to learn how praise God in the middle of our difficulties. Truth of the matter is it’s easy to praise God when everything is going perfect in our lives. It’s easy to praise God when it’s money in our pocket. It’s easy to praise God when you’re in perfect health. It’s easy to praise God when there is no issues in our lives, But I’ve learned how to Praise God in the middle of my mess. I’ve learned how to not my situation determine my praises. My praise is not predicated on my situation. Because I understand that Praise has the power to change my problem.
This year has challenged us more than any in our lives many of us has lost some things.
Some of us had to deal with some issues this month or even this week.
However, my brothers sister whatever you go through. Whatever you lose. Don’t lose your praise.
Is there anyone here that can say I may have lost some things I Missed some trains but I didn’t lose my praise.
For it was my praise that got me to this point. It was my praise that got me over and through some of the toughest times of my life.
Look at somebody and say don’t lose your praise.
Because when your praise and Gods time collide things have to move.
There is breakthrough in your praise
There is deliverance in your praise
As the old saying, when the praises go up. The blessed comes down.
Background Study:
In the get we find two men by the name of Paul and Silas were on their way to prayer and they were approached by a slave girl who was possessed with the spirit of a Pytho. This was a person who were assumed to have lost their own mind and were controlled by the evil.
Everyday as they went to the house of prayer this spirit continued to taunt them…
-When you make up in your mind you want to be free. When you make up in your mind your going to the house of prayer you can expect opposition.
Paul and Silas after much turmoil from this young lady cast the spirit out of this girl in the name of Jesus.
However, There were men who did not want this girl to be delivered because they would take advantage of this girl by gaining money at the sale of this little girl misfortune.
However, When Paul and Silas noticed that this little girl was possessed he commanded the spirit in the name of Jesus to come out of her and Immediately the spirit left out of her.
When the owners and those who took advantage of this little girl found out Paul and Silas had done this and they could no longer take advantage of this girl. Paul and Silas were immediately put in prison.
Sermon points:
Point 1.
23-24 Paul and Silas chained in prison
Not because of anything they did wrong. Paul and Silas were bound in prison simply for doing the work of God and healing this girl who had been sick for so long.
In prison they laid damp and cold Rusty chains tired to their feet and hands, socks with holes at the top, thrust with an iron collar around their neck.
Locked under the confinement of the guards
Walls and the right and walls on the left almost to the point were they were feeling stuck.
Many of us although we have not been in this place physically but we have been there spiritually.
Although we may have not been bound physically in prison but we have been bound spiritual.
There are many issues that came that bind us spiritually.
What’s was it that had you bound?
A. Did Depression can have you spiritually bond?
B. Did Low self esteem have you bound?
C. Did other people opinions of you have you bound?
D. Grief can bound us
Although we all may not be dealing with the same thing that’s trying to bind us. We are dealing with something.
But no matter what had you bound spiritually.
Jesus has the power to destroy the chain of bondage over your life.
Tasha Cobbs wrote a song that “there is POWER in the name of Jesus to break every-chain”
How many know he’s a chain breaker
“He’s a chain breaker”
Although the jailor had them bound and he probably did a good job chaining them down.
He made one mistake, He put two praisers in the same cell
and the Bible says where there are two are three gathered together in my name THEN i will be in the midst of them.
You need somebody in your corner that’s going to encourage and not give up on you when you’re bound spiritually.
You need someone that’s going praise you through.
The question I have for you today is are you a praiser”
Because I need you to help me release something.
Something happened when two praises came together.
The two preachers could have complained about their situation but they turned their Pity party into a praise party.
You have to know how to do as these two men and turn your pity party into a praise party.
It was Jonah that had a prayer and praise party in the belly of the whale, and the wale had to spit him out on dry land.
When Jehosaphat was was informed that a coalition of armies was adavancing toward him he informed his army to go into battle with praise.
Praise is so important to God, that Jesus said in Luke 19:40 that if we don’t priase him, the rocks will cry out.
Praise is so important that David wrote on it in Psalms. In the song of psalms David has different experiences. However no matter what he experiences he was consistent with his praise.
A Psalm 9, a song of praise to God, we find “I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart.”
In Psalms 13, 15, 16 and 19, we run the gamut from despair and trust to living a blameless life, to finding our joy in the Lord and worshipping God as the rock, our faithful redeemer.
“How long, O Lord, how long? Will you forget me forever?” These, the opening lines of Psalm 13, find David losing his patience in waiting for God’s help. The last verses remind us of trusting in God as he writes, “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation ....”
David goes from despair to trust to joy in Psalm 16:11 when he writes, “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
With David, we see the path of our own emotions, when we too are in despair and lose patience in waiting for God. However, God in his perfect timing makes an answer that leads us back to his love and protection. With God, we find joy.
I come to tell you that God inhabits our praises however the devil is terrified of our praises. It confuses the devil, it frustrates the eneym.
I come to tell you that God inhabits our praises however the devil is terrified of our praises. It confuses the devil, it frustrates the enemy.
Parallel texts:
Illustration
Point 2.
in spite of how it look we can still give God praise we can still find something we can say Thank you Lord for. David said I will enter into his gates with Thanksgiving and enter his courts with praise. I’ll be thankful unto him and bless his name.
25..midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sing hymns(Praised God)
My brothers and sisters Paul and Silas begin praising God at the darkest hour of the night. (Midnight).
They were going through a natural midnight but in spiritual terms some of us have been through some spiritual midnights.
Your midnight comes in all shapes and fashions
When a loved one dies,thats a spiritual midnight.
When you have more bills than money. Thats a spiritual midnight
A.Family issues, is a spiritual midnight.
B.Relationship issues is a spiritual midnight
C.Depression and stress is a spiritual midnight.
Can anyone here testify that I have had some spiritual midnight seasons in my life. I have had some spiritual midnights even in 2021.
However, my brothers and sisters there is something that takes place at midnight that doesn’t take place at any other time of day.
Midnight is the transition from night unto the morning. Midnight is the first minute of a new day.
It’s impossible to start a new day without first going through midnight.
It’s impossible to start a new week without first going through a midnight.
It’s impossible to start the first day of a new year without going through a midnight.
So your spiritual midnight was preparing you for what’s new.
Every midnight season you had was preparing you for the new.
Midnight is usually the darkest hour of the day and here they are praising God.
Because they understood that darkest hour is sometimes jus before the morning.
Parallel texts:
David understood this concept when He said, “ WEEPING MAY ENDURE for a night but JOY cometh in the morning.
My brothers and sisters can I encourage you when you go through a midnight season don’t quit on God, When you go through a midnight season in don’t through in the towel but rather do like Paul and Silas did and begin to praise God.
When we praise God it moves him to shake up some situations in our life.
Psalms 22 and 3 states that he inhabits the praises of his people
Word-Inhabit comes form the word habitation which means to rest and finds safety in.
Paul and Silas welcomed God to intervene in their situation.
How you respond at midnight can determine your miracle
If you want to welcome God to increase your capacity. It begins with your praise.
If you want to welcome God to heal your body it begins with your praise.
If you want to welcome God to intervene in your family it begins with your praise.
I’m sure many of us have some things we are expecting God to do i dare you to do as Paul and Silas did just before midnight...
Because they understood that midnight was the transition from one phase to the next phase.
Those of you who are looking for God to loose some of your chains “take a moment and praise God even if you are going through a midnight season.”
I don’t know what song they song,
Maybe they pulled out a mother Holloway song and said”work it out” I don’t have no doubt the lords gonna work it out.
Maybe they sang one of Dec. Mathis songs. I need you now. Not another hour not another minute but lord I need you right away. Maybe they song I’ve had some good days I’ve had some hills to climb. I’ve had some weary days and some sleepless night. But when I look around I’ll say Thanks you lord I won’t complain.
When your going through a midnight there’s three things that Paul and Silas taught us to do.
Pray
Praise and sing.
Find you a song. Say a prayer and find your praise.
Maybe the song
Point 3. Earthquake came and all the prisoners bands were loosed.
Illustration: an earthquake is the result of a sudden release of stored energy in the earth when there is so much energy in the earth crust but once the energy has no were to go and when its strain for so long it has to be released to the earth and when it is released in the earth it causes a shaking.
If we understood this in the spiritual realm that our praise will cause all of the things that’s been stored from us that God has been waiting to release.. to be released and shake off the chains that has us bound.
It was not until they begin to praise God that he sent the earthquake and things begin to shake up things and things begin to move.
Is there anyone looking for God to move some things around for you?
Is there anyone looking for God to shake up something’s for you?
things may not have moved how you expected.
my praise and prayer life is going to push me to my purpose and shake up whatever the enemy had me bound in.
Sometimes we wonder why things are not happening for us. Sometimes it’s because when we praise God moves.
As I begin to read the text it explains the effect of Paul and Silas prayers. Their praise not only effected them but it loosed everyone in the prison wall.
Because the bible says that ALLL the prisoners chain were loosed not just Paul and Silas.
If you understood how powerful your praise is to God you would come into the doors praising him.
The reason some of us made it is because somebody was praying and praising God for us when we didn’t have sense enough to praise him and pray for ourselves.
Your praise not only effects you but it effects your family, you’re praise not affects you but it affects you’re living situations. When they praise all the people that were connected to them were blessed because they were connected to praiser.
Look at somebody and say because I’m a praiser everything that is connected to me is going to win. Because Im a praiser everybody that is bound when they connect to me their bands will be loosed. Because Im a praiser my children are blessed.
Because I’m a praiser my body is going to be healed
Paul and Silas understood what happens when their Praise met their time.
Summary conclusion
I have a question for you do you have another praise left.
I have a question for
It’s time for God to shake and rock the chains off of your life.
I have a question for you do you know what time it is.
It’s time for you to to be free.
It may be ___________ in the natural but in the spiritual realm there is about to be a midnight rock.
If you can open up your mouth and praise him he step into your situation.
We are about to praise him. and when you praise him
God is going to rock some things in your life.
When you praise him God is going to rock your finances.
When you praise him God is about to rock some things in your family.
When you praise himGod is about to rock some things on your job.
When you praise him God is about to rock some things in your health.
When you praise himGod is about to rock some things in your ministry..
if you praise God he was come in and shake and Rock some things in your life and every chain will be
Psalm 150:1–6 gives us a command to praise
Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his Temple;
praise him in his mighty heaven.
2 Praise him for his strength;
praise him for his greatness.
3 Praise him with trumpet blasts;
praise him with harps and lyres.
4 Praise him with tambourines and dancing;
praise him with stringed instruments and flutes.
5 Praise him with loud cymbals;
praise him with crashing cymbals.
6 Let everything that breathes praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord!
If your breathing if you have breath that s your only requirement.
The spirit of the lord is upon me.He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion … to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, AND A GARMENT OF PRAISE INSTEAD OF A SPIRIT OF DESPAIR” ). No exercise or medicine will cure the ill of discouragement like praise. Depression and praise cannot long live in the same heart. They are absolutely incompatible roommates! If I am to take this literally, I am to assume comfortably that there is a spirit of despair or depression—or many! Nothing terrifies the devil and his demons like praise. Praise brings the consciousness of the presence of God with all that accompanies it. The liars from the pit cannot effectively market their wares in an atmosphere of praise. Since it is a garment, we can make a choice to put it on as we do a shirt, a blouse, or a coat. The constant wearing of it will ward off the spirits of depression, discouragement, and despair.
Praise your way out!
Praise your way through!
Praise your way over!