Let's Just Praise the Lord, Part 1

Recently Chuck Swindoll began at the Holy Spirit called flying closer to the flame today on Insight for living and again on the next program. Chuck will present the closing message at his 14 part series in light of what we've learned. Chuck decided to finish with more information with worship. Remember our primary goal is to cultivate intimacy with the spirit and worship is a fitting expression of our affection, Chuck titled today's message. Let's just praise the we have one last flying lesson to offer soaring on the wings of Paris's know I can guarantee you practice this spiritual discipline regularly, you will develop your wings to fly higher and farther and closer to the Lord, then you have probably never flown before. Are you afraid of flying so high of veering out of control and into uncharted lands. I really want you to take part with this message because with just a little basic training from the Psalms we can overcome these obstacles, enabling you to take off and actually fly solo as you soar on the wings of praise flight school will be held in the last five chapters of God's hymnbook known as the Psalms that would be Psalm 146 through Psalm 150 read for you from Eugene Peterson's paraphrase, the message sections of all five of the song. 146 begins hallelujah all my soul. Praise God. All my life long I'll praise God singing songs to my God. As long as I live. Don't put your life in the hands of experts who know nothing of life, of salvation, life mirror, humans don't have what it takes when they die. Their projects die with them instead.

Get help from the God of Jacob, put your hope in God, and no real blessing God made sky Amsoil C and all the fish in it. He always does what is right.

He defends the wrong he feeds the hungry and then moving to 147. It begins hallelujah it's a good thing to sing praise to our God praise is beautiful.

Praise is fitting a little later in the song we read sing to God a Thanksgiving him play music on your instruments to God who fills the sky with clouds preparing rain for the earth, then turning the mountains green with grass feeding both cattle and Kroger's. He's not impressed with horsepower. The size of our muscles means nothing to him. Those who fear God, get God's attention, they can depend on his strength 148 begins in a similar way hallelujah praise God from heaven praise and from the mountain tops, praise him, all you his angels praise him, all you his warriors praise him, sun and moon praise him, you morning stars praise him high heaven praise him heavenly rain clouds praise O let them praise the name of God.

He spoke the word and they were there.

He set them in place from all time to eternity. He gave his orders and that's it. The song concludes praise from all who love God. Israel's children intimate friends of God hallelujah and then the 149th Psalm in a similar way begins hallelujah sing to God a brand-new song praising the company of all who love him. It continues let true lovers break out in praise sing out from wherever they're sitting shout. The high praises of God brandish their swords in the wild sword dance. The portent of vengeance on the God defying nations a signal that punishment is coming their kings trained and hauled off to jail. Their leaders behind bars for good the judgment on them carried out to the letter and all who love God in the seat of honor. Hallelujah.

And now for the complete 150th Psalm you must listen carefully. Hallelujah praise God in his holy house of worship, praise him under the open skies praise him for his acts of power, praise him for his magnificent greatness, praise him with a blast of the trumpet praise by strumming soft strings praising with castanets and dance prison with banjo and flute praising with symbols and a big bass drum praising with fiddler Samantha Lynn let every living breathing creature. Praise God hallelujah few people could express my closing thoughts on the Holy Spirit better than the late great Charles Haddon Spurgeon hear his words common to common is the sin of forgetting the Holy Spirit that is folly and ingratitude as God. He is good. Essentially, he is good benevolently, tenderly, bearing with our waywardness striving with our rebellious wills, quickening us from our death in sin and then training is for the skies is a loving nurse fosters her child. He is good operatively.

All his works are good in the most eminent degree. He suggests good thoughts prompts good actions reveals good truths applies good, promises, assists in good attainments and leads to good results. There is no spiritual good in the world of which he is not the author and sustainer they will yield to his influence become good they who obey his impulses do good. They who live under his power, receive good let us revere his person and adore him as God over all blessed forever. Let us on his power and are need of him by waiting upon him, and all our holy enterprises.

Let us hourly seek his aid and never grieve him, let us speak to his praise whenever occasions occur, the church. He concludes will never prosper until more reverently. It believes in the Holy Ghost. Join me in prayer. Will you good father.

We know of no other words to use in expressing our gratitude, then these words, we have used we simply praise your name not just because of what you do but because of who you are, which is a far more profound thought because you were faithful even when we are not because you were good even when we feel and are downright bad because you are immutable, even when we change and move with the moods of the moment and father because you are who you are because you do what you do, especially these recent days in our lives. We gather today just to praise your name make it a time of inestimable value in our faith as we are strengthening one another.

The songs and in the words and in the time of quietness before the praiseworthy name of your son, we commit to you this time together today and again on the next program. Chuck Swindoll is presenting the final message in our study about the Holy Spirit flying closer to the flame. The sermon was delivered on the heels of an exciting announcement for the church that Chuck served as senior pastor.

Last Sunday we experienced a major miracle of this Sunday we are about to experience a minor miracle. The major miracle last Sunday was the provision of $62,000 plus. When we ask God for 50,000 for down payment on our land minor miracle is my preaching through five songs in 25 minutes so turn faster. Psalm 146 this morning. If you will. And let's work our way through these great songs switch Charles Haddon Spurgeon called the hallelujah section of God's hymnbook and I'll tell you why. He said that because you will observe in these Psalms the same beginning and the same ending in each one of these five, 146 through 150 you will find the same words praise the Lord.

But why would Spurgeon call this section. The hallelujah section because the words praise the Lord or the translation words of the one Hebrew term.

Hallelujah, hallelujah, is not an English word as much as we might like to take credit for it. It is in fact a Hebrew term from two words Hollowell which means to post to X so to X all yeah the first three letters that represent Jehovah in the Hebrew Bible, boast in Jehovah. That's what hallelujah mean all the way through these five songs. The word praise appeared. In fact, there are 59 verse and 44 references to praise. It is filled. It is flooded with thoughts and words of praise that we live in a day in which hallelujah has been cheapened by talkative saints. The word has turned into a Christian slang. Unfortunately we in fact even use it with an irreverent tone when we refer to something and say well hallelujah that happened it was never designed for such a profane use as a matter of fact it is one of the few words few one-word exclamations throughout the Old Testament that are just that one words that are designed for specific praise to God, let's put a checkpoint on our tongue as to how we use that word to learn about praise in these five songs together as one other thought. I want to get you forget the whole section which Graham strike.

He calls the pentad of praise the last five hymns in God's hymnbook that is the Psalms are all very realistic but they are joyful in other words what I'm saying is that those who literally give praise to God are not unrealistic people they unrealistic people who live in realistic times, but their hearts overflow with joy that is incongruent as far as human experiences concern when under the load. We don't usually praise, but in the Christian way of life went on the load.

God has one formula to keep joyful and that's praise. I hope it comes through when you harmonize your thoughts with the blending of God's hymnody this morning that you realize God has one basic harmony praise harmonize with joy without one. You will never have the other.

Let's go to Psalm 146 and I purposely not given you an insert for your bulleted I want to make the notations in the Psalm itself. So get your pen handy are your pencil and if it is just a word or two that strikes a chord in your mind put it down here by the Psalms for all you know. These may become a quiet resting place for you in the year or so, that's ahead of you when we face this program together. Psalm 146 talks about when to praise you were asked me to give a title for the Psalm. It would be simply those three words when to praise, praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord, O my soul. You will observe the praise is not simply lipservice, though, it comes from the lips.

It is sold.

Service the psalmist is saying to himself before God also down in the so God praise that oh so lift yourself. Praise to God. When do I do it while I live verse two. While I have my being. Verse two. In other words, crazies are not designed for the dead, but for the living, not for the unborn, but for the living. I would like to use it even more specifically, and say it is for now. Right now, don't think of it like this post someday in the future I will be able to praise the Lord. Or I remember those days back in 1950 60 wow great days. I gave God praise. That's not the purpose of praise praise is built for now. Today, there is only one qualification that you are alive. Most of us qualify at that point that you have your being.

Most of us think God have our being.

Have our minds if you're alive and you have your mind give God praise these circumstances, I can't do that. What you doing under there, God has designed a life that's about the circumstances looked down at verse five. How blessed the word means happy and every time it appears in the Hebrew it's in the plural. Although happiness is many times over. Is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord that Psalm is directed to those that need help in the whole praise is the answer. You say I'm in need of help, Jacob will O Lord God, that's the answer for you. Learn to X still, the father learn to give him praise me back often take a moment to explain it because we are strangers to praise. I would venture to say that it would be a safe guess that the majority of you do not praise God simply because you don't understand. It sounds Pentecostal, brightly's. It sounds unusual because you don't know how it differs from thanks.

Oh, but God's written the Bible to the site, not to a denomination. It's for all God's saints what is it mean to praise to praise the father means to express words of adoration to him for what he does for who he is self is out of the picture. Praise isn't Thanksgiving when you fight the Lord to thank you for something he did for you are gave you your in the picture when you praise the Lord. You say to him.

Father, I praise you, you are faithful you are immutable you are praiseworthy you come to my rescue.

You take care of my every need.

You lift my heart with joy.

You do all these things. I praise you for your work. I praise you for your person. I praise you for my life. I praise you for your word. I praise you for your plan the whole dimension is missing and it is conspicuous by its absence from our kneeling time. The psalmist says. When are we to praise him whenever you need help whenever you need hope that's all the time. That's a marvelous therapy when you're under the weather.

Psalm 147 talks about whom to praise, not where not help but whom 146 talked about when as long as you have your brick Psalm 147 tells us to pray that here's the answer right in verse one the Lord is good to sing praises to our God is pleasant. Praise is becoming.

You know what we just did in the early part of the service brought pleasure to God.

It did. It tells us in verse two that it's the inverse one that we do that in fact it is pleasant and it is becoming the Hebrew word means lovely God looks at the praise of a congregation such as this and he says that's lovely that's beautiful because we are praising him. Let me level warning because it's timely in our day and age we are so enamored with praising people that the come together without praising people has almost become an unusual thing. God is pleased that we praise him read the average church newsletter look at the average church bulletin listen to the average church conversation is shot through with praises for people attend the average church service and you will hear words and people in names given as praiseworthy. Now I realize there are times that thanks and praise is even do certain individual, but I believe the heart of God must at times be wrong and almost broken that his name is so seldom praised without some person's name attached to it's good that we praise our God is becoming. It is lovely.

We live in such a horizontal lock that our mindset links us only with the praising of people and I think it times the vertical channel is so clouded so foggy as a matter of fact I believe God gets left with the leftover when it comes to praise how much time if you spend the last week giving him praise alone just him. How many of you when you got the news concerning the provision of this marvelous amount of money and I commend you for the kind of giving you demonstrated. I think that information spreads like wildfire to saints that are discouraged. So many left the last Sunday night saying all this is strengthened me in areas that are not even related to this church. I needed that object lesson of what God did. I needed. I wonder how many on their way home. Over the time you got home, got alone and so praise me praise your work for what you have done my hands in the hands of our loving friends and saints to get you see. He says it is more verse two tells you he builds up man doesn't gather the outcasts.

We don't we reject the heels we don't is understanding getting some understanding.

That's why when you go to praising the father. You just need to open the Psalms and read to when good things happen, we often tend to look horizontally perhaps give our friends and family. The credit the Bible teaches that when good things happen God above all deserves the praise you're listening to Insight for living and to learn more about this ministry, we invite you to visit us online@insideworld.org.

Today's program features the final message in Chuck Swindoll's teaching series about the Holy Spirit. It's a 14 part study that concludes next time. And if you're prepared to cultivate your understanding of the spirits role in your life.

I highly recommend reading Chuck's book called embraced by the spirit. The untold benefits of intimacy with God. In Galatians 525 Paul wrote these words, if we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the spirit. The strong counsel from Paul about cultivating our walk with God and Chuck's book, you'll discover the wonderful outcomes. When we walk right alongside God keeping in step with the spirit to learn more about walking in this way request a copy of embraced by the spirit by Chuck Swindoll. It's available for purchase when you call us if you're listening in the United States, call 800-772-8888 or visit Insight.org/store will Chuck will be starting a brand-new teaching series soon so be sure, listening for this time sensitive study called, clinging to hope in closing, I'll remind you that your generous donations are what empower Insight for living to deliver these daily Bible studies, when you give your actually making it possible for others in our country to have access to Chuck's Bible teaching a day never passes without hearing from someone who writes or calls to tell us how much they value spiritual lessons and encouragement they receive through Insight for living. So thanks so much for getting generous to this nonprofit ministry to give a donation today. Call us if you're listening in the United States, call 800-772-8888 or you can get online@insight.crew ships leave the harbor for Alaska all the time, but there's only one that's hosted by Insight for living ministry, you're invited to travel with Chuck Swindoll this summer.

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July 1 through July 2023: 1-888-447-0440. That's 188-847-0444 or learn more Insight.org/events the tort of Alaska is paid for, made possible by only those who choose to attend my Bill Meyer urging you to join us. When Chuck Swindoll concludes his series called flying closer to the flame Wednesday on Insight for living. The preceding message. Let's just praise the Lord was copyrighted in 1975, 1993 and 2003 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2003 by Charles R. Swindoll. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited