The Profit of Praise

As we approach the holiday season, we are, we are on a

journey, journey along the pathway.

We've called the pathway to praise.

And over the next several weeks we are going to look at what the

Bible says concerning giving praise to the Lord Jesus Christ.

And how do we do that? What does it entail?

And last week we told you that we are, we are a Kingdom of

priests. That's Revelation chapter 1 as

Revelation 1 · chapter mention

well as first Peter chapter 2. In fact, Peter calls us a a

1 Peter 2 · chapter mention

royal priesthood. And as priests, we are in the

process of offering sacrifices to our God because that's what

priests do. And the church as a priesthood

of believers have specifically three different sacrifices that

they offer on a regular basis. If you're with us on Wednesday

night, you, you know what those sacrifices are because we talked

about how pleasing they are to the Lord.

The first sacrifice is the sacrifice of of self or my

person. Romans 12 tells us that we are

to present our bodies a living sacrifice unto God, for that is

the only logical form of worship that we will ever have.

And so as priests we offer our ourselves up to God as living

sacrifices. But not only do we offer up the

sacrifice of self, but we also offer up the sacrifice of

substance or our purse. The Bible says in Hebrews

Hebrews 13 · chapter mention

chapter 13 verse #16 And do not neglect doing good and sharing,

for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

And then there's the third sacrifice, and that's a

sacrifice of, of song. Whether it's a sacrifice of

self, substance or song, or person, purse or praise, it's

all costly. Hebrews 13 verse #15 Through

Him, then let us continually OfferUp a sacrifice of praise to

God. That is the fruit of lips that

give thanks to His name. All three of those sacrifices

are costly, but they are compensated greatly by God.

And so as we begin to journey down this pathway of praise, we

recognize that it is a sacrifice that truly pleases our God.

And so in our journey we began last week by looking at the

privilege of praise. What is the privilege behind

praising God? As we continue down this pathway

of praise, we move from the privilege of praise to the

prophet of praise. There is great profit in

praising God. And so many times we we miss

this aspect of praise. For the Bible says in Psalm 92

verse #1 these words it is good to give thanks to the Lord, and

to sing praises to your name almost high, to declare your

loving kindness in the morning and your faithfulness by night,

with the 10 stringed lute, and with the harp, with sounding

music upon the lyre. For you, O Lord, have made me

glad by what You have done. I will sing for joy at the works

of your hands. The psalmist says it is good to

give thanks unto the Lord. He would also say in Psalm one,

O 7 these words verse #1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is

good, for his loving kindness is everlasting.

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from

the hand of the adversary. OO Give thanks to the Lord, for

he is good. Psalm 147 says it this way.

Psalm 147 verse #1 Praise the Lord, for it is good to sing

praises to our God, for it is pleasing, and praise is

becoming. There's something about praise

that is good, and because it's good, it brings profit to those

who give praise to God. This morning I want to show you

why it's good to give praise to God because the benefits are

insurmountable. It's good to give praise to God

#1 because the person of God is good, the person of God is good.

Psalm 1/19/68 God is good. Whenever you give thanks to the

Lord, it is good because the person of God is good.

And so when you give thanks to the Lord, the prophet is, is

that you begin to understand the magnitude of the person of God

himself. So the Bible says that God

himself is good. Listen to Psalm 118 verse #1

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, For his loving kindness

is everlasting. Oh, let Israel say his loving

kindness is everlasting. And let the House of Aaron say

his loving kindness is everlasting.

Oh, let those who fear the Lord say his loving kindness is

everlasting. And then the psalmist concludes

Psalm 18 with these words, Give thanks to the Lord, for he is

good and his loving kindness is everlasting.

The psalmist was saying Psalm 25 verse #8 good and upright is the

Lord. In Psalm 145 verse #9 the Bible

says the Lord is good to all, and then it says in Psalm 32

verse #9 For I will wait on your name, for it is good.

Psalm 34 verse #8 those or excuse me, taste and see that

the Lord is good. The Bible says in Romans chapter

Romans 2 · chapter mention

2 that it's the goodness of God that leads man to repentance.

The goodness of God leads man to repentance.

Why? Because man is destined for

hell. But because of God's grace and

God's goodness, man can be saved.

So the Bible says it's the goodness of God that leads man

to repentance. As you recall, way back in the

book of Exodus, the 33rd chapter, Moses asked God to see

his glory. I want to see your splendor.

I want to see your majesty. God says I can't let you see the

fullness of my majesty because I have to kill you if you do,

because you'll be incinerated. But I will let all my goodness

pass before you. In other words, the glory of the

Lord is defined by the goodness of God.

It talks about his patience, his loving kindness, his

forgiveness, His mercy, as he would hide Moses in the cleft of

the rock and pass by him, and he could see the afterglow of the

glory of God, and God would proclaim to him all of his

goodness, and Moses would fall down and worship the Lord.

It's good to give thanks to the Lord, because the person of God

is good. And when you realize how good he

is, the prophet that you receive is insurmountable because you

begin to understand the character and nature of your God

#2 Not only is a person of God good, but the Providence of God

is good. The Providence of God is good.

The Providence is that is defined by the hand of God

moving in and among his people. It's the hand of God that that

moves mountains, is the hand of God that moves kings.

It's the hand of God that that moves husbands and wives.

It's it's the out working of God in the daily aspect of everyone

of our lives. God's Providence is always at

work. God's Providence is never, never

not working. God is working in and among your

life, your marriage, your workplace, even as we speak

today through the people and circumstances that you face to

bring about your greater good. That's what the Bible says.

We know that all things work together for good to those who

love God and are called according to His purpose.

That means even sinful things. The Bible didn't say all things

except that which is sin works together for good.

It says that all things work together for good to those who

love God and are called according to His purposes.

Why? Because God is bigger than your

sin. Your sin is never so great that

it that it gets God by surprise. Your sin is never so big that

God can't handle what's going on in your life.

So God will say all things were together for good to those who

love God in a called according to his purpose because God is at

work in the lives of his people. You know the story of Joseph,

you meant it for evil, but but God meant it for good.

Why? Because the Providence of God

was working in my being sold to the Ishmaelites, being thrown

into a pit, being lied to by Potiphar's wife, being thrown

into jail. God used all those negative

circumstances to bring about good for Joseph that he might

save two nations, both Egypt and Israel.

But so many times we can't see the the working of God amidst

all of our conflict and affliction.

But God is working. God's Providence is always

sound. That's why the Bible says in

Psalm 1/19/68 God is good and doest good.

Only a good God can do that which is good.

And that's why the psalmist was going to say it was good for me

to have been afflicted, that I might learn your decrees.

So in, in in the goodness of God, he allowed the affliction

to come my way that I might learn the decrees of God.

Why? Because in the Providence of

God, he is working all things out after the counsel of his

will. That's why the Providence of God

is good, because the person of God is good.

And if I know that, OK, the prophet to me is that I know

that God is intricately involved in every aspect of my life,

through all the negative and all the positive, through all the

evil and through all the good, God is involved in molding and

shaping my life that I might be just like him because God wants

me to be like him. He wants me to be Christ like.

So the Providence of God is good because the person of God is

good. And if both of those are good,

then #3 the proclamation about God then is good.

That's why the Angel said, we bring you good news of great

joy. The good news is the gospel.

And when you proclaim the good news about a good God and His

Providence, it brings profit to your life because you're doing

what God's called you to do, to proclaim the message of the

Lord. Listen to the words of Isaiah

Isaiah 40 · chapter mention

chapter 40 verse #9 get yourself up on a high mountain.

Oh, Zion, bearer of good news here.

Zion is representative of the people of Israel.

If you are reading through the Old Testament, Zion has

mentioned some 152 different times, it refers either to a

place Mount Zion, or to a people Israel, or to the the property

that Israel has, Mount Zion itself.

And it refers to very different aspects of the things relate to

Israel. But here it refers to the

people. Oh Zion, my people bear bearer

of good news, lift up your voice mightily.

Oh Jerusalem, bearer of good news, lift it up.

Do not fear, say to the cities of God or the cities of Judah,

here is your God, you're a bearer of good news.

The Bible then says in Isaiah 52 verse #7 which Paul quotes in

Romans chapter 10, How lovely. On the mountains are the feet of

Romans 10 · chapter mention

him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good

news of happiness, who announces salvation and says his eye on

your God reigns. How?

How beautiful are the feet of those who proclaim good news?

Listen, if you want beautiful feet, you don't need a pedicure.

You just need to proclaim the gospel that makes your feet

beautiful. Save your money on your pedicure

and make sure you're that money is used to proclaim the gospel

because that's what makes the feet of those who bring good

news beautiful. Why?

Because you're bringing the people that which they need to

hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So the person of God is good, The Providence of God is good.

The proclamation about God is good and the promises of God are

good. Back in Joshua chapter 23,

Joshua 23 · chapter mention

listen to what Joshua says. Joshua chapter 23 as he

Joshua 23 · chapter mention

concludes his ministry of leading Israel to the promised

land. He says the verse #14 Now

behold, today I'm going the way of all the earth, and you know

in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of

all the good words which the Lord your God spoke concerning

you has failed. All had been fulfilled for you.

Not one of them has failed. What a testimony here Joshua is

going to weigh of all the earth he's about to depart into the

presence of the living God, and he wants to assure the people of

Israel that not one good word that God has spoken has failed

them. Earlier he would say in verse

#45 chapter 21, not one of the good promises which the Lord had

made to the House of Israel failed.

All came to pass. That's just such a remarkable

statement that Israel would know that what God has said to you

has come to be. So we trust the promises of God

because it's the good word of God.

The promises of God are good. If the person of God is good,

then the promises he make, he makes are good as well.

The promise of forgiveness, the promise of of his mercy, the

promise of his love, the promise of His grace.

All of God's promises are true, even the promises that are in

the negative, that if you don't do this, this will happen.

Why? Because God is faithful and true

to His word. And so God, when he makes a

promise, he fulfills that promise because he is true to

His Word. Psalm 8411 says no good thing

will the Lord withhold from those who walk uprightly.

Talk about the prophet of praise.

No good thing will the Lord withhold from those who walk

uprightly. That's very, very important.

A lot of you know, know about my testimony and, and the my, my

first wife died after after 4 1/2 years of marriage of cancer.

After she died, I, I, I went to the Lord and prayed.

Psalm 8411. Lord, the Bible says no good

thing will the Lord withhold from those who walk uprightly.

And the Bible also says that God is good and he does good.

So Lord, you are good, you do good, and no good thing does the

Lord withhold from those who walk uprightly.

The Bible also says, if I present my body as a living

sacrifice, it is good and acceptable unto God.

And the Bible also says that he who finds a wife finds a good

thing. So, Lord, because you withhold

no good thing from those who walk uprightly, and I desire to

present my body as a living sacrifice to you, which is good

and acceptable, and you are a good God who does good, I would

ask that you bring a good thing to me.

And the Lord brought Lori to me. It was no longer than a week

after that that she knocked on my office door and she and her

boyfriend were at the door. Little did the boyfriend know,

his days were short. You know what I'm saying?

But the Lord brought her to me because I believe that when you

wait on God, He will always bring to you that which you

need. We, we spend all of our energy

searching for that which we think is good.

And if you're single, you search for a wife.

Why? You search for a husband, the

Bible says seek after God, then say seek a husband, search God,

seek after God, be consumed with God and watch what God does.

No good thing does the Lord withhold from those who walk

uprightly. Focus on your walk with the

Lord, focus on honoring him. Because those who honor me, God

says I will honor for Samuel 2:30 So honor the Lord and watch

and see how the Lord honors you. But we spend all of our energy

seeking that which we think we need instead of searching after

the God we need to worship and adore.

And the promises of God are very, very good.

God always keeps His word. And so the person of God is

good, the Providence of God is good, the proclamation about God

is good, the promises of God are good.

Oh, by the way, the property of God is good.

Did you know that? If you're still in Joshua

Joshua 23 · chapter mention

chapter 23, it says this in verse #15 It should come about

that just as all the good words which the Lord your God spoke to

you have come upon you, so the Lord will bring upon you all the

threats until He has destroyed you from off the good land which

the Lord your God has given you. Notice he calls it the good land

that God has given you. It says in verse 16, when you

transgress the covenant of the Lord your God, which He

commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them,

then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and you will

perish quickly from off the good land which He has given you.

Which land did God give Israel? He gave them His land.

Leviticus 25 verse #23 The land God says is mine.

As he talks about the promised land, He says the land is mine.

OK, now we know that God owns the earth.

He created the earth. Everything about the earth is

his right. But never does God say America

is mine, Canada is mine, China is mine, Russia is mine.

Never says that. But it does says say that the

promised land, the land of Israel, is mine.

That's why there are 38 different descriptions of that

land in the Old Testament, to make sure there is no mistake.

Which land is God's in? The land he gave to Israel from

the river Nile to the great river, the Euphrates, God says

is my land. That's the good land that I've

given to Israel. Why?

Because if the person of God is good, then his Providence is

good. When you proclaim Him, that's

good. His promises are good.

Therefore his property, that which he owns, is good.

You see, everything about God is good.

That's why. That's why the rabbi came to him

and called him good teacher that.

That's why in John 10 he's called the Good Shepherd,

because everything about God is good, and therefore we, we are

the benefactors of his goodness, because no good thing does the

Lord withhold from those who walk uprightly.

So therefore we begin to understand the Providence of

God, the promises of God, the property of God, the person of

God, the proclamation about God. We begin to understand all those

things and say, wow, God's in charge, God's working.

Look what God has done. That's the prophet of praise.

And as you journey down the pathway of praise, you begin to

recognize all the benefits that come your way when you praise

the name of God. How about this?

The precepts of God are good. The precepts of God are good.

Book of Nehemiah 9th chapter in Chapter 9 is one of the three

national prayers recorded in the Old Testament.

Ezra 9, Daniel 9, and Nehemiah Chapter 9.

Nehemiah 9 · chapter mention

It's a prayer of praise to God. It's a prayer of praise about

God and His creation, about God and His choice of Abraham, about

God and His care and compassion for His people, Israel.

In fact, it's a prayer about the commandments he gave to Israel.

Listen to what is said. Nehemiah 913 Then you came down

on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven.

You gave them just ordinances and two laws.

Good statutes and commandments, the precepts of God are good.

The statutes of God, the commands of God, they're all

good. That's right.

John would say in first John 5 verse #3 that God's commands are

not burdensome. They can't be.

Why? Because a good God has given

good commands. In fact, in Psalm 111 verse #10

it says those who do them have a good understanding.

So those who obey the commands of God have a good

understanding. Why?

Because the precepts he gave are good.

And only a good God can give good precepts, good commands,

good statutes. And so when you obey the the

statutes of God, it's to your benefit because you gain good

understanding. This is the prophet of praise.

To praise him for he is good. Give thanks to the Lord, for he

is good. And so the person of God is

good, the Providence of God is good, the proclamation about God

is good, the promises of God are good, the property of God is

good, the precepts of God are good, the power of God is good.

The Bible says in Psalm 62 verse #10 the power belongs to God.

So if the person of God is good, then the power of God is good

because it comes from a good God.

The Bible says the Romans 116 that the gospel is the power of

God unto salvation. In First Corinthians one verse

#18 the cross is the power of God to those who believe in

Psalm 62. Power belongs to God in Psalm

77. Psalm 77.

I shall remember the deeds of the Lord surely.

I remember your wonders of old. I will meditate on all your work

and muse on your deeds. Your way, O God, is holy.

What God is great, like our God. You are the God who works

wonders. You have made known your

strength among the peoples. You have by your power redeemed

your people, the sons of Jacob, the sons of Joseph.

Listen to the words of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel chapter

Daniel 4 · chapter mention

4 when he says this. At the end of the period, a very

specific time in which Nebuchadnezzar had been for

seven years crawling on his hands and knees, I,

Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my reason

returned to me. And I blessed and praised the

Most High, and honored him who lives forever for his dominion

and his everlasting dominion. His Kingdom endures from

generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth

are Canada's nothing. But He does according to His

will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the

earth, and no one can ward off his hand or say to him, What

have you done? Verse 37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar

praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are

true in his ways just, and he is able to humble those who walk in

pride because the person of God is good, then the power of God

is good and God always is demonstrating his power, whether

it's through the gospel that's preached or how he moves that

his Providence to orchestrate and rearrange all kinds of

things in your life. God's in charge of all that.

That's why the power of God is good.

Next, the purposes of God are good.

Book of Numbers 23rd chapter verse #19 God is not a man that

he should lie nor a son of man that he should repent.

Has he said and will he not do it, or has he spoken and will he

not make it good? No one can ward off the hand of

God. God has a purpose.

He fulfills that purpose. Isaiah chapter 46 Remember the

Isaiah 46 · chapter mention

former things long past, where I am God and there is no other.

I am God and there is no one like me.

Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times

things which have not been done. Saying My purpose will be

established and I will accomplish all my good pleasure

calling the bird of prey from the East, the man of my purpose

from a far country. Truly I've spoken, truly I will

bring it to pass. I've planned it.

Surely I will do it. That that just speaks loudly

about about the purposes of God. God speaks to fulfill his

purpose. God does what he does because

the ultimate purpose is that he will be glorified and honored.

God has a purpose behind his providential working.

God has a purpose behind the power that he enacts.

God has a purpose behind the proclamation that is given that

others might hear the gospel. God has a purpose behind all the

promises that he gives. And it's all about the glory of

God, that somehow he might be put on display, that he might be

seen through his people. God will receive the glory

because His purpose is that he be magnified.

And that's why everything is moving to that great crescendo

toward the end where every knee will bow and every tongue will

confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the

Father. The purposes of God are good.

How about this? The provisions of God are good.

The provisions of God are good over in the the book of

Nehemiah. Nehemiah chapter 2.

Nehemiah 2 · chapter mention

By the way, Nehemiah chapter 1 begins with the prayer.

Nehemiah 1 · chapter mention

Nehemiah ends with the prayer. There are 12 prayers in the book

of Nehemiah. The book of Nehemiah is about

leadership can't lead unless you're a prayer warrior.

Fathers can't lead their children or their wives unless

they're men of prayer. They can't lead in the

workplace, in the church, on their team, no matter where

they're at, unless they're people of prayer.

That's why the these 12 prayers are recorded in the book of

Nehemiah, as Nehemiah exemplifies great leadership

among the people of Israel. In chapter 1, Nehemiah begins to

pray. He's concerned about the nation.

He has heard about the destruction of Jerusalem and all

that's taking place, and he is burdened greatly.

So he prays for four months. Most of us can't pray for 4

minutes, but he prays for four months.

And in the Providence of God, as he's before the King, his

countenance is sad, which is not a good thing because if that's

the case, the king would take offense and recognize that you

were sad because you were in his presence and you'd need to be

demoted or you'd be killed. But something unique happens in

chapter 2 of Nehemiah, because the queen appears with the king.

Only time in the book of Nehemiah that the queen appears

with the king. She appears there with him in

the province of God. To soften the hardness of the

King's heart. God places people in certain

positions for his purposes. There are no accidents in your

life. They're just divine

appointments. You don't have a car accident.

You have a car appointment, right?

No one dies by accident. They die because there's an

appointed time for man to die. Everything is about a divine

appointment. So the queen is with the king.

God in his Providence allowed that to happen.

And the king begins to ask the question, Nehemiah, what is

wrong? Why are you so sad?

Why are you downcast? And Nehemiah begins to explain

to him all that's taken place. The king said to me, the queen

sitting beside him. Chapter 2 verse #6 How?

How long will your journey be? And when you will return?

Because he says, I want to go back to, to Jerusalem.

So the king asked him, how long will it take you?

And it pleased the king to send me.

And I gave him a definite time. And I said to the king, If it

pleases the king, that letters be given me for the governors of

the provinces beyond the river, but they may allow me to pass

through until I come to Judah. And the letter to Asaph, the

keeper of the King's forest, that he may give me timber to

make beams for the gates of the fortress which is by the temple,

for the wall of the city, and for the house to which I will

go. And the king granted them to me

because think carefully. The good hand of my God was on

me. Nehemiah gives credit to the

good hand of my God that was upon me.

God, God was going to provide, He provided a, a Commission for

me to go back. He provided letters so that I

could get through those who might be my enemies.

He provided wood so we can build the, the, the, the necessary

elements around the city. God was good.

He provided everything, but he also provided an army to protect

him. Verse 9.

Then I came to the governors of the provinces beyond the river

and gave them the King's letters.

Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and

horsemen. God provided everything Nehemiah

needed to go back to build the walls around the city of

Jerusalem. Why?

Because all the provisions of God are good.

God will provide all of your needs according to his riches in

Christ Jesus. But God is the provider, and

when you when you begin to pray to him and seek his face and ask

the Lord to do a great and mighty work, which God did you

able to give him all the credit, because God in his good hand was

upon you. The Bible says that in James

chapter one that every good thing given and every perfect

gift comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no

variation or shifting shadow. Every good gift, every perfect

thing comes down from God above. God doesn't give bad gifts,

doesn't do that. He gives only good gifts.

You'll embark on the Christmas season and you probably receive

a lot of bad gifts. Gifts that you don't want to

have, gifts that you don't need. God doesn't give you anything

you don't need. God only gives you good gifts.

Why? Because the provision of God is

good. How about this?

The plan of God is good, is it not?

A verse specifically given to Israel, which by way of

secondary application we can apply to us, but it was

specifically given to Israel as God would reassure them?

Of his plan for the life. And he said in Jeremiah 29, I

know the plans I have for you, plans for prosperity and not for

calamity, plans to give you a future.

And the hope that was specifically given to Israel so

that they would know that the plan of God that would take them

through 70 years of captivity would end up being such a

perfect plan for them because it would be for their prosperity.

The plan of God is always good. Sometimes we we find ourselves

in the midst of that plan and we wonder where God is and we ask

him, what are you doing? But but God has a purpose behind

the plan, like he has a purpose behind us Providence, like he

has a purpose behind his promises, like he has a purpose

behind his proclamation. God has a purpose for

everything. And in his plan He is

orchestrating all things for his glory.

And lastly, the paradise of God is good.

That's where we're going. We're going to glory, Christ

said to the thief on the cross. Today you will be with me in

paradise. Paradise in, in the in in

paradise. Revelation 2 verse #7 is, is the

tree of life in the tree of life?

Is that what you partake of throughout all eternity?

Because it's a life giving tree. It's the eternal tree, and

therefore paradise only comes from a good God whose presence

dwells in that place. It is good to give thanks to the

Lord because the prophet that it brings is insurmountable.

As you journey this week down the pathway of praise, don't

forget the privileges of praise, and certainly don't forget the

prophet of praise. Let's pray together.

Lord, thank you for today. Thank you that we can spend a

brief moment in your word. So so many things to be said

about each of these principles. So many things to to meditate

upon our prayer Father, is that we would be a people of praise

for the Bible says that the people I have formed for myself,

they will declare my praise. And those of us who know you as

Lord and Savior have been formed by you and you're still working

in and through our lives. And one of the ways you work is

that we would declare your praises.

May we be those people this week and for the rest of our lives

until you come again, as you know surely will in Jesus name,

Amen.