The Power of Praise

By Pastor Bob Rasmussen

There are a lot of things going on in the world, as usual it seems. Just when you think that we are free and clear of something, another pops up. Like those darn murder hornets – remember them? Well, I checked and according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture, there have been no sightings and they think they have effectively eradicated the murder hornets.

But just when you think you can rest easy, now we have the flying palm sized Joro venomous spider that apparently can fly for miles – yikes! But apparently, they are shy, so there is that. It’s an election year, so I expect it will get a little more crazy as we go.

But the good news for us and for the whole world is we have the Word of God, which as Pastor Jeff shared last week, “All Scripture is God Breathed”, amen.

This morning I wanted to share a little on praise, which is one of my favorite things to talk about. I was raised in Catholic theology. I have shared a little about this before, but if you have never been to a catholic church service, it is quite different from what we do here.

You get a bulletin – Bulletin – this is actually a bulletin from the church I grew up in. The service is very, the word I am looking for is solemn. It is very restrained and orchestrated – there is not much spontaneity that I recall. The priest is dressed very ornately, and the incense being swung in some sort of incense holder. The organ I remember the most, It was massive. We were at a recital for our granddaughter recently and they had a huge organ as well.

My father played the organ, and he played it in a church. Dad also played the French horn, but the organ always had a special place in his heart. Sunday afternoons our house was filled with classical music, and I wasn’t mad about it, to be honest.

So fast forward a few years, I stopped going to church except on Christmas Eve, because my mother held our Christmas and Christmas presents hostage unless we attended mass on Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve is when we as a family celebrated Christmas, which now in my mind makes no sense, but hey – that is what we did as a family. Whatever relationship I had with God had always been somewhat sterile, and it was not because of Jesus, it was because of me.

So, I met a girl, waayyy before my love Diana. Anyways, I had a “meet the parents” situation going on there. I was there for the weekend as I recall, and she said we “we’re going to church”. Well, we went to this church, and I do not remember the name of it, I do not remember what the sermon was on, what I remembered was the worship, primarily for 2 reasons; One, it was weird – it was uncomfortable, I was like what in the world is going on here. There were people raising their hands, they were clapping, they were shouting for joy – some were dancing. I was super uncomfortable because it seemed so disrespectful based on my knowledge of God, as limited as it was. Where was the guy with the smoking incense, where was the reverence, where was the question and answer – where was the hymnal?

The other thing I will never forget, was that it was… powerful…The joy that people were sharing, the expectation they seemed to have as they raised their voices. There was a powerful sense of joy that really seemed to me – palpable. The power of who they were praising. You could feel it – it is something I will never forget.

It was a while before I went to church again, to be honest. I stumbled through life for a bit and then I met another girl, and yes, this time my wife, Diana. She also said “we’re going to church”, so I went. For those that went there, this was Abundant Life church, and once again, those 2 things happened again. It seemed a little weird, and uncomfortable. People were pretty excited about worshiping Jesus – with dancing and lifting their hands in the air – Pastor Jeff and Pastor Mike were 2 of those “weirdos”, but I think I was a little less uncomfortable.

Again, there was an expectation in their worship that seemed so exciting and palpable. It was not the quality, it was the passion that seemed to be driving whatever that was going on. And that is something I wanted, even though I wasn’t sure what it was. This time, I kept going, I went to another church, and another church. I was then invited to assist with the tech side of things and that was how I worshiped, for a time. Some things in my life happened, and I was kind of stuck at home – ahem, bracelet.

There was this guitar, a Hannah Montana purple guitar, where I started to learn some chords. It was hard to play because it was so small, but I wanted to learn so that maybe I could play music with my wife and some of my friends. I persisted, and to this day, it is still a struggle for me, but I keep trying.

We started playing music with our brother Russ, on the porch. This was down by the fourth ward, on Center Avenue, and we would play for hours at times – we called it praise on the porch. That was when I was getting into the Word much more in depth, and it was manifesting itself, or becoming evident in my worship. And so I too, during worship would sing with a loud voice, I would clap my hands, and I would lift my hands – I had finally become the “weirdo” that used to be uncomfortable. It is also when I realized what that “thing” was that I felt during those times before – it was the Holy Spirit himself inhabiting the praises of His people, amen?

I share my experience knowing that everyone else might be different, but if you are new here or you are watching online, you might be wondering, just as I did, what in the actual heck is going on? Why are they doing that?

I also share it because sometimes how we worship can change and why it changes over time, or for some, immediately. I will admit, the first time I lifted my hands, it was kind of like a baby bird, maybe. Maybe a penguin? Singing

“I’ll fly away, Oh Glory I’ll fly away; (in the morning) When I die, Hallelujah, by and by, I’ll fly away (I’ll fly away).”

But the more I came to know Jesus,

The more I understood just how much He loved me and everyone in the world
The more I understood His sacrifice for my sin
The more I understood how actually horrible sin is
That without His redeeming blood there was no way out
That when I was filled with His Holy Spirit
How worthy He is

“Holy Spirit You are welcome here, Come flood this place, And fill the atmosphere, Your glory God, Is what our hearts long for, To be overcome, By Your presence, Lord.There’s nothing worth more, That will ever come close, Nothing can compare, You’re our living Hope, Your presence, Lord.”

It’s OK to start as that baby bird, or penguin like I did – whatever it is that it looks like – but it is in the Word to lift our hands.

Psalm 134 Behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord, which by night stand in the house of the Lord. 2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord. 3 The Lord that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion.

Look, I am not the worship police – how you choose to worship God, as long as it’s biblical, that’s between you and God, amen? I just want to share what the bible says about worship and what worship can bring, amen? If you see us praying with one another out loud, with our voices, it is because the bible says:

Acts 4:24 And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:

We have a worship service and an altar call where we sing, and I will say again, we are very blessed with a talented music team – we do all this because it is in the Word.

Psalm 98 O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory. 2 The Lord hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen. 3 He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. 4 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. 5 Sing unto the Lord with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.

I also love that we have song writers here, that verse “Sing unto the Lord a new song”. Diana, Dave and Carmen have all written songs that we sing, including a new one from Carmen today called “I Will” – songs written in adoration of a risen King, hallelujah! “Sing unto the Lord a new Song” All that clapping and that shouting that I thought was weird and not being respectful? Guess what, I was wrong, the bible is clear on how we should worship:

AMP Psalm 47 O clap your hands, all you people; Shout to God with the voice of triumph and songs of joy. 2 For the Lord Most High is to be feared [and worshiped with awe-inspired reverence and obedience]; He is a great King over all the earth.

Again, I am fairly introverted, so outwardly expressing the love and gratitude I have for Jesus and all that He has done, continues to do, and will do in my life and in the lives of those I love – it took a minute, but as my relationship with Him became deeper, it became more natural.

And being raised catholic, I think the only thing I heard in a church besides an organ was a piano, but we play all sorts of instruments.

I wouldn’t be made about an organ though. If you would have asked me how can a cigar box guitar be used to worship God, I would have said no – – but we have one and Wayne brings His worship just as much as anyone else can because it comes from his passion to praise Jesus, for His love of God and his gratitude, amen?

2 Samuel 6:5 And David and all the house of Israel played before the Lord on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals.

I think brother Doug has taken that verse the most to heart – he literally has ALL MANNER of drums, cymbals, cowbells, man, I don’t even know – but like I think like all of us, he wants to bring His best before the Lord.

Psalm 33:33 Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. 2 Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. 3 Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.

Just like I could not play the guitar, maybe your like, I can’t sing – doesn’t matter, just sing. Believe me, there are plenty of folks who can’t sing, they may be horrible in our eyes and ears, but it’s not about us, it’s about who they are singing to, the One who is perfection, just belt it out.

Psalm 66:7 He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah. 8 O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard:

Just praise him with your heart and your words, a masters degree in vocal arts is not a requirement to worship Jesus, just a thankful and contrite heart, amen?

Luke 19:37 And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; 38 Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. 39 And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. 40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

I don’t want to be beat out by some darn rocks, no way – just praise His name! Again, I am not the worship police, but if you choose not to worship, well, that is a choice as well. I would rather be part of praising rather than watching a rock do what I should and could be doing.

Some other thoughts on praising God; Praising God can get the focus off of us and more on Him. It can bring us to a place of humility reaffirming that God is God, and there is none that is greater than Him, amen?

Psalm 95:2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. 3 For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

In a world of me, me, me – it is good to take the focus off of ourselves and lifts our eyes and our hearts towards heaven. We can also praise God in the middle of whatever we are going through, when the enemy attacks, we can usher in the presence of the Lord, and the enemy will flee. We fight a defeated foe, we fight from a position of victory.

In 2 Chronicles 20, when Jehoshaphat faced a greater force in a battle, he was afraid – I would be too. He set his face and he sought the Lord, they all fell worshiping God. And on the day that they were to go to battle, what did they do?

2 Chronicles 20:20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. 21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever. 22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.

Long story short, they won – hallelujah and amen, our God is greater! It is just sometimes when we are in the middle of a battle, we can be so focused on the problem, on that mountain, we forget who can win that battle or move that mountain, amen?

Prayer, fasting, and praise – these are the weapons of spiritual warfare.

I know that for me I can be around some fairly negative people. Not my favorite thing, and sometimes it can affect my attitude, which is not a good thing, But if I shift, if I refocus, if I start praising it can start to help get rid of that negativity.

Hebrews 13:15 Through Him, therefore, let us at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.

Through praise, we’re focusing on Him, not allowing too much attention to be centered around our challenges and struggles. We remind ourselves of what He has already done in our lives. We’re reminded that He knows what concerns us and He is more than capable of taking care of all that burdens us. And just like when I first started encountering Jesus so long ago, praise invites His presence.

1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;

When we praise with the knowledge that we are chosen, oh thank You Lord. That we are part of the family? Thank You Jesus. That we are part of the royal family, hallelujah and amen! No wonder people clap, shout and dance. They cannot contain the joy of who they are in Him!

We can’t be talking about praise and not talk about Paul and Silas in Acts 16. They had been out and about and had just cast out a demon from a girl. The slave owner is not pleased so Paul and Silas are beaten. The bible says that they had many stripes laid on them. Remember, back then, that was a beating. They are thrown in prison.

Acts 16:25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

It says that the other prisoners heard them. It says that the other prisoners were listening to them. There is a good lesson here that when I am in the middle of a terrible situation, how I respond – my kids will be listening and watching. My grandkids will be listening and watching. My co-workers will be listening and watching. By praising and thanking God I can influence others. I can join in the gossip train or the poor me mind set, or I can choose to be more like Paul and Silas. And what happened?

Acts 16:26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.

There is freedom that comes through praise. Praise frees the captives and breaks the chains. But also, it continues that the guard is freaked out, he wants to kill himself, but Paul says, whoa, we are all still here. He goes and falls before them.

Acts 16:30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

But there is more to that Scripture, amen – you have to read a little more.

Acts 16:32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

You never know what will happen when we praise our God, in this scripture, the guard and his family got saved. That was a great miracle!

From a church I don’t remember, to Abundant Life, some of you that were praising and worshiping – I got saved, thank you for worshiping like you did and do, it had an impact on my life! That voice that you lift up, that voice that you praise with, that is important to God because that means you are in relationship with him-and that my friends is what He wants. He does not just want a Sunday encounter, he wants a daily or even hourly encounter. Praise and thankfulness makes the way for that. Praise and thankfulness are symbiotic- meaning you cannot have one without the other. I need to remember that I cannot stop praising his name.

I also know this from personal experience, in your deepest and darkest places, if you praise Him, it will not return void. When we praise, He hears it. And that is so amazing, that the God of the Universe, hears our praise, and hears our prayers.

Thorough the power of praise I can change my mindset and focus on Jesus and His victory – He is above everything. Reminding me that we are joint heirs with Christ. My praise reminds me not of my problem, but the One who has the solution to the problem.

Philippians 4:8 8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

When I praise Him, it reminds me of all that He has done and all that He has accomplished. Those things that are true – it is His Word – all of it. From Genesis to Revelations. God is greatly to be praised!

Psalm 145:3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.

You know, last week God laid on my heart to do something. I felt like He was saying praise like you’re healed. And I thought about it, so I talked with Diana, and we decided to stand together during worship. Praise like you’re healed. Praise like your prayer is answered. Praise like that relationship is healed. Praise like that sickness is gone. And the scripture I held onto and meditated and prayed on all week was this one:

Psalm 34:1 I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

His praise will be in my mouth, not my circumstances.

His praise will be in my mouth, not my pain or my sickness.

His praise, and His promises will be in my mouth, not what the enemy is trying to tell me.

His praise will be in my mouth, His hope and strength will be in my mouth, not my fears and my struggles.

His praise will be in my mouth, not what I see in the natural, but what He says in the spiritual.

His praise will be in my mouth, He is greater than anything!

Don’t feel like praising because of xyz? Praise Him anyway

That is the sacrifice of praise.

We’re going to open the altar, for prayer and praising.