The Perpetuity of Praise, Part 4

The pathway to praise is the the most joyful journey you can ever

travel and we have had the privilege of of looking at the

pathway to praise. Your journey began the day you

confess Jesus Christ as as Lord and Savior on that day when you

gave your your life to Christ. The Bible tells us that in

Isaiah 4321 that the Lord was forming you for himself, and

that the people that He's formed for himself, they will declare

his praise. So your journey along the

pathway of praise began when you gave your life to Christ.

Later Isaiah would say in Isaiah 61 that when the Messiah would

come, He would clothe you with a mantle or a garment of praise.

He would clothe you with the garments of God, which are

called the the robes of righteousness.

So because our Lord has wrapped us in the garments of praise, we

can't help but praise His glorious name.

So Isaiah would go on to say in Isaiah chapter 61 that he would

Isaiah 61 · chapter mention

praise the name of the Lord, and that his soul would exult in God

simply because He was clothed with the garments of praise.

And so we have several months ago looked at some of the

components of the pathway to praise.

We began looking at the privilege of praise, and then

you move from there to look at the prophet of praise.

And then we looked at the purpose and priority of praise,

along with the prerequisites of praise as well as the person of

praise. And we even looked at a portrait

of praise in the Scriptures. But over the last three weeks,

we have looked at what we've called the perpetuity of praise,

that is the state or quality that lasts forever.

Because praise is that which lasts forever.

For once you leave this life and enter into glory, your praise

will be perfect and your praise will fill the glories of heaven.

But until that day, we we journey along this pathway.

It's a pathway that's marked by perpetual praise, never ending

praise, continual praise. In fact, the Bible says that we

are to rejoice always. Philippians 4.

First Thessalonians chapter 5 the Bible says we're to give

1 Thessalonians 5 · chapter mention

thanks in everything. First Thessalonians chapter 5

1 Thessalonians 5 · chapter mention

we're to give thanks for everything.

That's Ephesians chapter 5. The Bible says in Psalm 119 that

Ephesians 5 · chapter mention

seven times a day I will praise thy glorious name.

The Bible also says in Psalm 113 that from the rising of the sun

to its setting, I will praise the name of the Lord.

In Psalm 63 the psalmist says I will praise the name of the Lord

all day long. In Psalm One, O 4, the psalmist

says I will sing to the Lord all day long, and then Psalm 34

tells us these words. I will bless the Lord at all

times, and His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

So over and over again the Bible tells us how praising God and

giving thanks to God and rejoicing in the Lord is to

happen all day long, continually, as long as I live

on this planet, until of course, I enter into glory and that

praise then will be perfected. But the question comes, how is

it that I can perpetually praise the name of the Lord when I

constantly go through trials and turmoil and tragedies?

How can I continue to give thanks to the Lord?

I missed all of my pain and all of my problems, and how is it I

can rejoice always when I find that my life is filled with

difficulties and all kinds of distressing situations?

And so we have sought to answer the question how that happens.

And so by looking at the perpetuity of praise, we are

asking the question, how is it I can continue to live a life of

praise no matter what happens in my life, no matter what external

issues come to me, no matter how how hard things might be from

day-to-day, whether it's hard and with my family are hard at

work or hard at school or just hard physically from day-to-day.

How is it I can live a life of perpetual praise?

And so three weeks ago we began to tell you, you can do this

because God's power is always available.

Power belongs to God. And the Bible tells us that when

the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you shall receive power.

And God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit

of power. Second Timothy 17.

And that power that God has is an unending, unlimited,

unparalleled power that's always available to His people.

So I can live a life of perpetual praise because of the

power of God. The power of God is always

available. And then we told you that the

promises of God are undeniable. All the promises of God are, are

yes, in Christ Jesus. 2nd Corinthians 120 So every promise

that God gives is yes, in a son, in other in other words, his Son

has fulfilled all those promises.

So whether it's the promise of of peace or the promise of joy,

whether it's the promise of of strength or eternal life,

whether it's the promise of his presence, they're always there.

They're undeniable. Because of that, praise then, is

perpetual. So because His power is always

available, His promises are undeniable.

And then #3 His presence is unavoidable.

In other words, even though you walk through the valley of the

shadow of death, you fear no evil.

For thou art with me, thy rod. And they staff, they, they

comfort me. His presence is unavoidable.

So no matter where you go, the psalmist said in Psalm 139, no

matter where I am, you are always there.

So our Lord says, I am with you always, even to the end of the

age. So because his, his presence is

unavoidable, I am able to live a life of perpetual praise.

And then we said #4 His Providence is unsearchable.

The details in which God works out His plan every day for you.

Things are happening in you, around you all the time that God

has orchestrated everything. It's His Providence, and yet

it's unsearchable. In Romans 11, Paul says it's

unfathomable. You, you can't wrap your arms

around it. So it causes you to trust Him

amidst the pathway of praise. You trust Him as you journey to

each day. And Paul said in Romans 1136

that everything is from God. Everything is to God because

everything comes through God. To Him be the glory forever and

ever. Amen.

So we can say, as Paul said in Romans 8, I know that all things

will work together for good to those who are called according

to his purpose, to those who are, who are loved by God, they

will all come together for good. I might not be able to piece

them all together, but that's not my job.

God does all that, so His Providence is unsearchable.

I just trust Him to work out all the details for His glory and

for my good. And then #5 we said his pardon

is invaluable. Because inevitably as you

journey along the pathway of praise, you, you find yourself

doubting God. You find yourself questioning

God. You find yourself sinning

against God, griping, complaining and mumbling.

But his pardon is invaluable. Bless the Lord, O my soul and

all that is within me. Bless His holy name and forget

none of his benefits. And the very first one he

mentions is he pardons all your iniquity.

And because God is so willing to forgive me of my sins, I can't

help but praise His glorious name perpetually.

Because my sin is perpetual and because His forgiveness is

always invaluable. I praise His name because I know

that when I go to Him, he forgives.

And then we said that is provision is indescribable.

Second Corinthians 915 thanks being to God for his

indescribable gift and the gift of God's eternal life through

Jesus Christ our Lord. That's indescribable.

It's inexhaustible, it's incomparable because it's the

eternal life, the life that God gives, and because that's His

provision for you and me, we receive his life.

We can't help but praise them when we understand that.

So because His, his provision is indescribable, His person,

that's the next point, is adorable, worthy of adoration,

worthy of praise. Why?

Because he's the God of life, He's the God of light.

He is the God who is Lord of all, who is Liberator, who is

Lamb, who is everything. And so because of who he is, I

perpetually praise his name. So that should be 7.

That's the number of perfection, number of completion.

But I'm not done yet. So I'm going to give you 3 more

today, three more principles that will help you along the

pathway of praise, to be able to perpetually give praise to your

God. Here is number 8.

His precepts are desirable. His precepts are desirable.

So when the psalmist says in Psalm 119, these words in verse

#164 he says 7 times a day, I praise you.

Why? Because of your righteous

ordinances. The psalmist says I praise you 7

times a day and we talked about this last week.

It it's not that there are 7 schedules throughout the day in

which you praise the Lord. It just speaks of the perfection

and completion of 1's praise to God.

But his praise is around God's righteous ordinances.

I'm going to praise you because your commandments, your

statutes, your law, your ordinances are righteous.

They're perfect and I will praise you forever.

Put me in your Bible to Psalm 19.

Psalm 19, a very familiar Psalm, but because of its familiarity,

so many times we we miss the the the impact of the Psalm

specifically in our lives. So in Psalm 19, the psalmist

says this in verse #7 the law of the Lord is perfect, restoring

the soul. So God's law is perfect.

It converts the soul, soul. It restores the soul, it saves

the soul. The testimony of the Lord is

sure making wise the simple then verse 8 the precepts of the Lord

are right rejoicing the heart because of the righteousness of

God's precepts. There is great joy in my heart.

In fact, he goes on to say these words.

He says the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the

eyes, the fear of the Lord is clean, and during forever the

judgments of the Lord are true. They are righteous altogether.

They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold,

so sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.

Moreover, by then your servant is warned.

And keeping them there is great reward.

The precepts of God are are desirable.

Why? Because they caused my heart to

rejoice. And David says they are more

desirable than gold. Yes, and much fine gold.

Sweeter also than the honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.

And when I keep them, I'm warned I'm protected, I'm watched out

for. And in keeping them, there is

great reward. Not not just a reward, but great

reward. Turn to Psalm 119 and listen to

what the psalmist says about why the precepts of God are so

desirable, and this becomes essential for you to understand

if you are going to perpetually praise the name of God.

He says this in verse 14. I have rejoiced in the way of

your testimonies as much as in all riches.

I have rejoiced in your testimonies, in your law, in

your commandments as much as in all riches.

And then he says this. I will meditate in your precepts

in regard to ways. I shall delight in your

statutes. I shall not forget your word.

Verse 24, your testimonies also are my delight.

They're my counselors. I delight in the testimonies of

God because they counsel me. They give me wisdom, they make

wise the simple. He said in Psalm 19.

He says in, in verse #35 make me walk in the path of your

commandments, for I delight in it.

Verse 47, I shall delight in your commandments which I love,

and I shall lift up my hands to your commandments which I love.

I'm going to lift up my hands. I, I'm going to praise your

name. I'm going to honor you because I

love your commandments, simply because they are my soul's

delight. And then over in, in verse #72

of Psalm 119. The law of your mouth is better

to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

Wow, how many, how many of us can say that?

He says in verse #92 If your law had not been my delight, I would

have perished in my affliction. Verse 111 I've inherited your

testimonies forever, for they are the joy of my heart.

Then look at verse #127 Therefore I love your

commandments above gold. Yes, above fine gold.

Verse 143. Trouble and anguish have come

upon me yet. Your commandments are my

delight. Verse 162 I rejoice at your word

as one who finds great spoil verse #174 I long for your

salvation, O Lord, and your law is my delight.

Let my soul live that it may praise you.

Wow, how many of us can actually say what the psalmist said, that

the law of God is more precious to me, more valuable to me, more

treasurable to me than thousands of pieces of gold and silver

pieces? Isaiah and Isaiah chapter 42,

Isaiah 42 · chapter mention

verse #21 said this. The Lord was pleased for his

righteousness sake to make the law great and glorious.

Because of the righteousness of God, he made His law great.

He made his law glorious. So the psalmist says, I have

treasured your word in my heart, that I might not sin against

Thee. I rejoice in the way of your

commandments because they delight my soul.

Everything about what the psalmist is saying is that God's

word is more valuable to him than anything else.

So Proverbs Solomon comes along the Proverbs and says in

Proverbs 2323, buy truth and never sell it.

In other words, purchase that, use all that you have, give all

that you have to to purchase that which is the most valuable

thing on the planet and never compromise it.

Never sell it, never get rid of it.

It's the most valuable thing there is.

Buy truth, never sell it, because truth is everything.

But for the most part we can't say that because there's

something or someone more valuable to us than the truth of

the Word of God. And if there is, there is no way

on God's green earth you can continue in perpetual praise

because that's something or someone will disappoint you

somewhere along the line. But God will not.

His commandments will not. In fact, it was Job, the most

righteous man on the planet, the God fearing man, the blameless

man who lost everything. Literally.

He lost everything. Except for two things, his wife

and his life. Everything else was gone.

Nothing left. Nothing was left.

His business gone. His home gone.

His livestock gone. His children, gone.

Everything. His health worse than anything

you can ever imagine, all gone, sitting in a garbage dump in

ashes with no encouragement from his wife.

She only speaks once and her encouragement is to curse God

and die. That's all she says.

No support from his wife, no support from his friends because

they are continually condemning him, because there must be sin

in his life for him to be in such turmoil.

No prayer group to come around in and pray amidst his battles,

amidst his hardship and pain. He has nothing.

And when I say nothing, I mean nothing.

He says his words. I have not departed from the

commandments of his lips, for I've treasured the words of his

mouth more than my necessary food.

That's what Job says. I've treasured the words of his

mouth more than his necessary food.

There. There is nothing I value more

than what God has already said. And remember, Job didn't have a

Bible to read. You do.

But he treasured the word of God more than his necessary food.

Meaning that God's Word was essential for him to make it.

Amidst all the pain he experienced, amidst all the

tragedy that he faced, amidst all the emotional turmoil of a

wife that will not support him, he had the word of the living

God and he treasured that more than His necessary food.

How about you? What do you treasure more than

the word of God? What do you value more than the

truth of God? You see, as you travel the

pathway to praise, there is all kinds of obstacles that you will

face. Unless God's precepts are

desirable to you, you will throw in the towel.

You will begin to moan and groan and complain and gripe and

bellyache in search for something or someone else to

fill the void in your life. What's the word of God that does

that? Moses had told the nation of

Israel toward the end of his life as he gave the last words

in Deuteronomy 32, he says, what I'm saying to you are are are

not empty words, They're not vain words, they're not idle

words. The words I'm giving to you,

they actually are your very life.

They're your life. So Christ says in Matthew 4, man

shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds

from the mouth of God. We can quote that, but I'm not

sure we believe that. You see, if something is more

desirable to you or someone is more desirable to you, then then

the truth of God's Word, you will not praise the name of the

Lord. But when God's word is

everything valuable, so valuable, you can't wait to

meditate upon it. You can't wait to read it.

You can't wait to study it. You can't wait to sit under the

teaching of it. It's like the psalmist says, I

run the way of your commandments.

I am actually running all the way of your commandments that I

might hear them, see them, understand them, follow them.

I am running that way. But for the most part, we, we

don't even walk that way, let alone run that way.

Yet we wonder why, why I go through life and, and I can't

muster up the power to praise the name of the Lord.

It's simply because, and it's just this simple.

It's not rocket science. There's something more desirable

to you than the Word of God. It's someone else or something

else. But it is something other than

the truth of the Word of God. His precepts are desirable.

When we recognize that everything changes, my

perspective changes, my attitude changes, and my circumstances

will will not change. But they don't need to change.

My situation is not going to change, but it doesn't need to

change. Why?

Because at the psalmist said, if your commandments had not been

the delight of my soul, I would have perished in my affliction.

We read it earlier when you are perishing under your affliction,

when you were able to, unable to hold your head above water, when

the anxieties of life are weighing you down so much that

you can't handle the difficulties.

It's because there is something or someone else that's more

desirable to you than the precepts of God.

It's just that simple. Just look at Joe.

Compare your life to Joe. But you can't do that.

Why can't you do that? Because you will never suffer

what Job suffer never will. But He recognized the value of

the Word that came from the lips of His God, and He had nothing

compared to what you and I have. By holding in our hands the

living and abiding truth of God, which leads to point #9 and that

is, His peace is attainable. His peace is attainable.

Now listen carefully, because it falls right on the heel of the

previous one. Psalm 119, 165 says it this way.

Those who love your law have great peace, and nothing causes

them to stumble. You see that those who love your

law have great peace. It falls right on the heels of

verse 164. Seven times a day I will praise

you because of your righteous ordinances.

And those who love your law, they have great peace.

Listen, amidst all of your anxiety, if you're not at peace,

there is a simple solution. You do not love the law of God

like you think you do because the Bible says those who love

the law of God have great peace and nothing causes them to

stumble. You can say whatever you want to

say. You can give whatever excuse you

want to give. It does not hold water when it

comes to the truth of the living God.

God's word is true and He says that those who love the law of

God have great peace. Not just peace, they have great

peace. And amidst all your anxiety,

amidst all your difficulty, amidst all the issues you go

through day after day after day, peace is attainable.

That's why you praise His name, because it's His peace.

My peace I give unto you, not as the world gives.

So whatever the world has, they, they can't duplicate this, they

can't imitate this. They, they can't, they, they

can't do anything to give you the peace that I can give you,

because I'm going to give you my peace.

My peace I'm going to give you. And so the Kingdom of God is

what righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

It's not eating and drinking. Paul says the Kingdom of God,

God is not centered around your physicality.

It's all centered around your spirituality.

What's happening on the inside the Kingdom of God is

righteousness. And those who are righteous have

peace, and those who have peace have joy.

See that. And so those who love thy law

have great peace. Let me ask you a question.

Do you have that? Do you have great peace in your

soul? The Bible says these words in

the book of Isaiah. Isaiah is speaking to a nation

just about to go into captivity, and he gives prophecy concerning

the future and what the future has for them.

And Isaiah 26 verse #1 he says in that day.

And that is a phrase that describes the the day of the

Lord, the time of tribulation, the time in which God is going

to destroy Israel's enemies and restore Israel to Himself.

In that day. This song will be sung in the

land of Judah. We have a strong city.

He sets up walls and ramparts for security.

We have a strong city. He's protected us.

He's put up the walls and ramparts around us.

Song that will be sung. Open the gates the righteous

nation may enter. The one that remains faithful.

The steadfast of mind. You will keep in perfect peace

those whose mind is fixed on you, those whose mind is

completely focused on you, you will keep in perfect peace,

peace, peace. In the Hebrew, it's the

constancy of God's peace. It cannot be imitated.

It cannot be copied. The world cannot give it.

No amount of money will suffice. No amount of relationships will

suffice. Only the God of peace, the

steadfast of mine, you will keep in perfect peace.

Because He trusts in you. His peace is attainable, but you

most completely focus upon Him so that you will only trust Him

and no one else, and nothing else.

For in God the Lord, we have an everlasting rock.

Let me ask you a question today. Do you have peace in your soul?

You have peace because you're no longer an enemy of God, but

you're now a friend of God because you've been reconciled

to God, that you are now a child of the Kingdom of God.

Is that you? Do you have that kind of peace?

You have the kind of peace that allows you to live in situations

and circumstances that even though they're they're filled

with turmoil and filled with all kinds of difficulty.

Your soul is at rest because it trusts in the Lord.

It waits upon the Lord. It's at peace, inner peace.

The Bible says in the book of Romans.

I'm sorry, the book of Second Thessalonians.

My bad. Second Thessalonians 3 verse

number #16 Now may the Lord of peace himself continually grant

you peace in every circumstance. What a prayer.

Now may the the Lord of peace grant you peace in every

circumstance, in every situation.

May you be at peace in your soul.

May you be at rest in your soul because you trust in the Lord

who is your rock. His peace is attainable.

The steadfast mind will be kept in in perfect peace, will be

kept in the kind of peace that God himself experienced while he

went through trials in this life.

Because God's peace is attainable.

I can't help but praise Him. I can't help but thank Him.

I can't help but rejoice in the name of God.

Perpetual praise happens because because His precepts are

desirable. More desirable than than fine

gold, Yes, then the drippings of the honeycomb, more valuable to

me than thousands of gold and pieces of silver than all the

spoils in the world. Because his precepts are

desirable. His peace, then, is attainable

because great peace have those who love.

Thy law. If you do not have peace, it's

because you love something more than you love the law of God.

If if you have something more desirable to you than the

presets of God, you will not praise His name.

You just won't. But if they are, then praise is

given 7 times a day. From the rising of the sun to

the to it's setting. The name of the Lord will be

praised and #10 this will be our last one.

I have many, many more, but I don't want to have a the

perpetuity of sermons on the same subject, so I'm going to

give you the last one. OK, listen carefully.

It has to be AP word because all the other ones begin with P,

right? So here it goes.

Listen carefully. His parocia is inescapable.

His parocia? What is that?

It's just coming. It's the word in the Greek that

describes the coming of God and the subsequent presence.

So you can actually say his, his second coming is inescapable.

But to maintain the alliteration, his parousia is

inescapable. His, his coming again is without

a doubt our our Lord is coming again.

And if this doesn't help you learn to praise the name of the

Lord perpetually, then I have no hope for you because everything

centers on the future in the coming Kingdom of God.

That one day we will see Him face to face and we'll be like

him, for we'll see Him as He is. And every, every New Testament

writer had this hope in him. This was the anticipation that

motivated them to live for the glory of God, to keep their

lives pure before God, knowing that Jesus could come at any

moment. They they live in anticipation

of that. It is the, the glorious

appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord.

So many times you, you talk about the coming of Jesus and

you talk about his return and, and, and people, people can

become numb to that. I don't understand that because

the crown of righteousness is available to all those who long

for his appearing. There should be this longing in

your in your heart, this line in your soul to to lead this life

and enter into God's glorious presence should motivate us.

And Paul would say these words very familiar to us.

First Thessalonians 4 verse #16 For the Lord himself will

descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the

Archangel, and with the trumpet of God.

And the dead in Christ will rise first.

Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with

them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

So shall we always be with the Lord.

Therefore comfort one another with these words.

With what words? The words of the arrival of the

Messiah. He's going to come.

And those who have already died in Christ, those of you who've

had husbands or wives, who have already gone to the presence of

the Lord, they're bodies of rise first.

And we who are alive remain, shall be caught up together with

him in the clouds, in the air. And so shall we ever be with the

Lord. That great reunion and glory.

His parousia is inescapable. It's coming, it could be at any

moment. And for those who do not live in

light of his return, those who do not love His return, those

who do not long for His return, will have a hard time living a

life of perpetual praise. But those who do, they wake

every morning from the rising of the sun to its setting.

Today could be the day Jesus could come at any moment, and

we're always living in anticipation of that.

We praise the fact that because we're his children, that one day

we will be with Him for all eternity.

May God give us the grace to understand these principles so

that as we travel the pathway to praise, our praise for Him will

be perpetual. Let's pray together.

Lord God, we thank you for today.

We thank you, Lord, that we've had this opportunity to be

together and to be reminded once again of how it is we are to

rejoice. Always give thanks in everything

and for everything to sing all day the praises of His name, to

magnify the name of the Lord continually.

We thank you, Lord, that as we open your word, you're able to

help us move along the life of perpetual praise.

My prayer, Lord, for all of us, myself included, that Lord, our

lives would be marked by exulting in our God and that

those who see us and watch us, they would see a joy and

excitement, a life filled with praise to our God, that they

might wonder what is it that causes you to live that way in

such joy and excitement for your God.

And we would have the opportunity to explain to them,

we are at peace with God. We understand the person of God,

His provision indescribable. But let me try to describe it

for you. For the gift of God's eternal

life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Pray this in the name of our soon coming King, Jesus Christ

our Lord, Amen.