WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.720 --> 00:00:05.599 Good to see you. Thank you. Have a seat, everybody. 2 00:00:06.240 --> 00:00:09.119 We've got a little bit different service this week. As 3 00:00:09.160 --> 00:00:11.400 you can tell, I've got some friends here on stage. 4 00:00:11.599 --> 00:00:15.400 They're going to help me through this service. One of 5 00:00:15.400 --> 00:00:18.960 my roles as your pastor is not just to teach 6 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:21.960 you new truth, but to remind you of stuff you 7 00:00:22.000 --> 00:00:25.879 already know. We have good forgetters. You agree with that. 8 00:00:27.000 --> 00:00:29.839 Parents have to remind their kids of things they know. 9 00:00:31.120 --> 00:00:36.280 Employers and bosses and supervisors and managers have to remind 10 00:00:36.880 --> 00:00:41.159 you workers what's going on. It's part of my job 11 00:00:41.960 --> 00:00:46.280 to help remind you stuff because human nature is we forget. 12 00:00:47.159 --> 00:00:51.320 Now today, as we start a new year twenty and 13 00:00:51.479 --> 00:00:55.920 twenty two together, I want to remind you of a 14 00:00:56.159 --> 00:01:01.479 powerful habit and the benefits of this important habit, this 15 00:01:01.679 --> 00:01:04.560 morton spiritual habit. It's a habit you're gonna need to 16 00:01:04.760 --> 00:01:08.920 use every single day of your life in twenty and 17 00:01:09.000 --> 00:01:13.959 twenty two. This habit is particularly useful when you're going 18 00:01:14.000 --> 00:01:18.159 through tough times. So today I want us to look 19 00:01:18.200 --> 00:01:23.400 at the awesome power of praise. But we're not just 20 00:01:23.480 --> 00:01:25.760 gonna think about it. I'm not gonna just teach you 21 00:01:25.799 --> 00:01:28.959 on it. We're actually going to practice this. This will 22 00:01:28.959 --> 00:01:31.840 be an unusual service because I'm gonna teach you a 23 00:01:31.920 --> 00:01:34.159 point about praise, and then we're gonna practice it, and 24 00:01:34.200 --> 00:01:36.439 then I'm gonna teach you another one and do that. 25 00:01:36.760 --> 00:01:38.959 So get out your message notes right now. Okay, go 26 00:01:39.000 --> 00:01:43.640 ahead and pull them all out. And not only pull 27 00:01:43.640 --> 00:01:46.560 out your message Jose, but start warming up your voice 28 00:01:46.760 --> 00:01:49.959 because you're gonna use it a lot in this service. 29 00:01:50.280 --> 00:01:53.359 Now at the top of your outline. Psalm one fifty 30 00:01:53.439 --> 00:01:57.439 verse six says this, let everything that has breath, what 31 00:01:58.959 --> 00:02:02.079 praise the Lord? Do you have breath? Yes, then you 32 00:02:02.159 --> 00:02:05.359 are to praise the Lord. Everything in the universe brings 33 00:02:05.400 --> 00:02:10.520 praise to God. Actually, even the stuff that doesn't have breath, trees, plants, rocks, 34 00:02:10.879 --> 00:02:13.560 they honor God. They bring glory to God by being 35 00:02:13.599 --> 00:02:17.080 what God created them to be. Everything brings glory to God. 36 00:02:17.360 --> 00:02:22.919 Only human beings reject that. And so even Jesus once said, 37 00:02:23.039 --> 00:02:26.599 if human beings don't praise me, the rocks will cry out. 38 00:02:27.240 --> 00:02:30.840 Now when it comes to praise, When it comes to worship, 39 00:02:30.879 --> 00:02:34.680 it's not really complicated. In fact, Jesus said, there are 40 00:02:34.680 --> 00:02:37.919 only two marks of real worship. This only thing you 41 00:02:37.960 --> 00:02:41.000 have to remember the entire Bible, there are only two 42 00:02:41.080 --> 00:02:45.479 qualifications for worship to be correct. And Jesus says this 43 00:02:45.599 --> 00:02:48.199 in John chapter four, the next verse on your outline, 44 00:02:48.439 --> 00:02:52.439 verse twenty three. Jesus said, true worshippers worship the Father 45 00:02:53.039 --> 00:02:56.879 in spirit and in truth, circle spirit and truth, In 46 00:02:56.960 --> 00:03:00.840 spirit and truth, that's the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. 47 00:03:00.879 --> 00:03:03.840 Now what does that mean? To worship God in spirit 48 00:03:03.879 --> 00:03:07.360 and truth. Now, Spirit, it's not a capital s. So 49 00:03:07.400 --> 00:03:10.080 it's not talking about the Holy Spirit. It's talking about 50 00:03:10.159 --> 00:03:14.680 your spirit. You're not just a body. You have a 51 00:03:14.759 --> 00:03:18.840 spirit in your body. And when you worship God in 52 00:03:18.879 --> 00:03:22.479 the correct way, it's from your spirit. You don't just 53 00:03:22.680 --> 00:03:26.479 mouth the words. You don't just mindlessly go through rituals 54 00:03:26.520 --> 00:03:31.639 and prayers that you've memorized and not even think about it. 55 00:03:31.639 --> 00:03:34.639 It comes from your spirit. And it has to be 56 00:03:34.639 --> 00:03:37.599 in truth. In other words, for worship to be accepted 57 00:03:37.639 --> 00:03:40.080 by God, it has to be authentic. You're going to 58 00:03:40.159 --> 00:03:43.759 really mean it, and it has to be accurate, authentic 59 00:03:43.879 --> 00:03:48.360 and accurate, devotional and doctrinal, in spirit and in truth. 60 00:03:49.719 --> 00:03:52.280 The one thing that really ticks God off. If you 61 00:03:52.319 --> 00:03:55.719 want to know what God doesn't like that. God really 62 00:03:55.800 --> 00:03:59.120 hates it. What God hates more than anything else is 63 00:03:59.319 --> 00:04:03.360 luke warm worship, where we go through the motions, we 64 00:04:03.400 --> 00:04:05.280 sing the songs, we say the prayers, we do the 65 00:04:05.319 --> 00:04:07.639 right thing, but we're not even thinking about it. We're 66 00:04:07.680 --> 00:04:11.759 just going through the routine, the ritual without even thinking about. 67 00:04:11.800 --> 00:04:14.719 God says, I'd rather you just mail it in skip 68 00:04:14.800 --> 00:04:17.319 that if you're gonna do it. In the Book of Revelation, 69 00:04:19.040 --> 00:04:23.000 Jesus says, I see that you're neither hot nor cold, 70 00:04:23.199 --> 00:04:26.480 but you're lukewarm. He said, I don't like that. I 71 00:04:26.480 --> 00:04:29.240 don't like lukewarm worship. He said, I'd rather have you 72 00:04:29.279 --> 00:04:33.759 be cold totally against me, or hot totally form me, 73 00:04:34.120 --> 00:04:37.319 just not lukewarm, he said. Because you're lukewarm, I'm gonna 74 00:04:37.319 --> 00:04:39.839 spit you out of my mouth. That's a euphemism that 75 00:04:39.879 --> 00:04:44.319 says you make me sick to my stomach. You nauseate me. 76 00:04:45.120 --> 00:04:47.800 God says. When I see people who are taught coming 77 00:04:47.879 --> 00:04:49.720 to worship, but they don't really mean if they're not 78 00:04:49.759 --> 00:04:52.399 even thinking about he says, it makes me want to 79 00:04:52.439 --> 00:04:54.360 throw up. It makes me want to puke, It makes 80 00:04:54.399 --> 00:04:58.079 me want to vomit because I am so nauseated by 81 00:04:58.839 --> 00:05:02.160 lukewarm worship. It needs to be in spirit and in truth. 82 00:05:02.199 --> 00:05:06.560 It needs to be passionate. Now, God talks about this 83 00:05:06.639 --> 00:05:08.519 in the Book of Isaiah. They're on your outline or 84 00:05:08.519 --> 00:05:11.160 here on the screen Isaiah twenty nine. God says this, 85 00:05:12.040 --> 00:05:16.360 these people claim to be mine, okay, and they praise 86 00:05:16.480 --> 00:05:19.480 me with their lips. They're saying all the right things, 87 00:05:19.920 --> 00:05:22.120 they're singing all the right things, but they don't mean it. 88 00:05:23.399 --> 00:05:26.959 Their hearts are somewhere else. They're thinking about the ballgame, 89 00:05:27.079 --> 00:05:28.759 they're thinking about where we're going to go for lunch. 90 00:05:28.800 --> 00:05:32.040 They're thinking about all these other things said. Their hearts 91 00:05:32.040 --> 00:05:35.519 are somewhere else, far from me, and their worship is 92 00:05:35.680 --> 00:05:43.360 just routine, repeated without thinking. You know, anytime for the 93 00:05:43.399 --> 00:05:45.439 last forty two years, as I've been the pastor of 94 00:05:45.439 --> 00:05:48.480 this church, I'm out on the patio talk to people. 95 00:05:48.680 --> 00:05:50.480 When somebody comes up there and say, you know, Rick, 96 00:05:51.120 --> 00:05:54.079 I really didn't get anything out of that service. Today, 97 00:05:55.040 --> 00:05:58.639 when somebody says that to me, I always ask the 98 00:05:58.720 --> 00:06:02.079 exact same question question and I get the same answer 99 00:06:02.279 --> 00:06:05.279 every single time. When people say I didn't get anything 100 00:06:05.319 --> 00:06:09.519 out of worship, I say this, did you attempt to 101 00:06:09.720 --> 00:06:15.360 sing all of the songs with your whole heart or 102 00:06:15.399 --> 00:06:19.720 did you just stand there watching other people sing? And 103 00:06:19.759 --> 00:06:24.319 I've gotten the same answer every single time. The answer 104 00:06:24.360 --> 00:06:27.120 is I just stood there, I didn't try to sing. 105 00:06:27.560 --> 00:06:31.519 And I reply, that's your problem. That's why you got 106 00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:34.720 nothing out of the service. You didn't put anything into it. 107 00:06:34.759 --> 00:06:37.639 You didn't put your heart into it. Now, let me 108 00:06:37.680 --> 00:06:41.920 tell you this worship isn't for you anyway. Worship is 109 00:06:41.959 --> 00:06:46.120 for God. When we come to worship, we're expressing our thanks, 110 00:06:46.199 --> 00:06:51.360 our gratitude, our praise to God. Worship is not about you. Now, 111 00:06:52.480 --> 00:06:55.560 anytime you do anything that God wants you to do, 112 00:06:56.079 --> 00:06:59.319 God always builds benefits into it that will bless you. 113 00:06:59.360 --> 00:07:01.720 So yes, you're going to get something out of it. 114 00:07:02.439 --> 00:07:04.639 And we're going to talk about some really big things 115 00:07:04.639 --> 00:07:08.480 you get out of praising God today. But the point 116 00:07:08.639 --> 00:07:11.639 is I worship God because he deserves it. I wouldn't 117 00:07:11.680 --> 00:07:15.199 be alive, I wouldn't be able to breathe, my heart 118 00:07:15.240 --> 00:07:18.480 would not be beating everything in my life. I owe God, 119 00:07:18.720 --> 00:07:21.120 so certainly, on the first day of each week, I 120 00:07:21.319 --> 00:07:25.680 pause from you a few minutes ago, Thanks God, Thank you. 121 00:07:25.879 --> 00:07:30.839 I wouldn't have anything without God. Now when you do that, 122 00:07:31.240 --> 00:07:34.240 you will get something out of it. But it's got 123 00:07:34.279 --> 00:07:36.720 to be in spirit and truth. It's got to be authentic. 124 00:07:36.759 --> 00:07:38.519 It's got to be from your heart. That means you 125 00:07:38.560 --> 00:07:43.079 put some emotion into it. Now in the Bible, I 126 00:07:43.120 --> 00:07:46.519 can give you a list of over fifty different benefits 127 00:07:47.360 --> 00:07:54.399 physical benefits, financial benefits, relational benefits, emotional, mental benefits, all 128 00:07:54.519 --> 00:07:56.959 kinds of benefits for your life when you do what 129 00:07:57.040 --> 00:07:59.519 God tells you to do when he says, let everything 130 00:07:59.560 --> 00:08:03.680 that has breath praise the Lord. There. We could look 131 00:08:03.680 --> 00:08:05.680 at a lot of them, but I'm only gonna give 132 00:08:05.680 --> 00:08:10.399 you seven today. I just picked out seven benefits that 133 00:08:11.360 --> 00:08:13.120 and the reason I only picked out seven because I 134 00:08:13.120 --> 00:08:15.079 want you to have the time to not just listen 135 00:08:15.120 --> 00:08:18.279 about it. I want you to practice these forms of praise. 136 00:08:18.759 --> 00:08:21.240 So you're gonna get your exercise today. You're gonna do 137 00:08:21.279 --> 00:08:24.040 a lot of bit of standing thing. Now, here's your 138 00:08:24.040 --> 00:08:31.879 instructions for this service. Even if you have never, ever, ever, 139 00:08:32.080 --> 00:08:37.159 ever in your entire life sang a song in church, 140 00:08:38.840 --> 00:08:42.639 I want you to give it your best shot today. Okay. 141 00:08:43.120 --> 00:08:47.759 I want you to try to sing praise to God 142 00:08:48.080 --> 00:08:51.399 today with your mouth. Okay, I don't want you to 143 00:08:51.440 --> 00:08:54.399 stand there with your mouth kind. I'm cool. I'm cool. 144 00:08:54.440 --> 00:08:58.919 Look at everybody else. Okay, no, now, because some of 145 00:08:58.960 --> 00:09:01.279 you have had a hard time with this, let me 146 00:09:01.320 --> 00:09:03.840 answer the three most common excuses. It's not like I 147 00:09:03.840 --> 00:09:07.960 haven't heard them for not singing in church. Okay, here's 148 00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:10.279 the first one. And this particularly comes from men, but 149 00:09:10.399 --> 00:09:13.799 women can do it too. Rick, I'm not really an 150 00:09:13.840 --> 00:09:18.960 emotional person, and I don't feel comfortable with my emotions, 151 00:09:19.399 --> 00:09:22.200 so I don't want people watching me, and I certainly 152 00:09:22.240 --> 00:09:25.480 don't want to get emotional in front of them. I'm 153 00:09:25.519 --> 00:09:29.120 not an emotional person. Well, the answer is this, You're wrong. 154 00:09:29.519 --> 00:09:35.000 You are an emotional person. You're just frightened by your 155 00:09:35.000 --> 00:09:39.200 emotions so you deny them. You're made in God's image. 156 00:09:39.279 --> 00:09:43.000 God is an emotional God. God gets angry, God gets frustrated, 157 00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:47.679 God gets impatient. God loves, God weeps. The only reason 158 00:09:47.720 --> 00:09:50.440 you have emotions. What makes you a human being is 159 00:09:50.480 --> 00:09:53.360 you have emotions. Now, the question is are you in 160 00:09:53.399 --> 00:09:58.240 touch with them? Are you denying them? Are you are 161 00:09:58.279 --> 00:10:01.159 you can you feel your emotions and a true man 162 00:10:01.720 --> 00:10:04.919 or a true woman? Or are you are you scared 163 00:10:04.919 --> 00:10:08.360 to death? You're frightened. You were taught to push your 164 00:10:08.399 --> 00:10:11.480 emotions down, shut them down. I want to tell you, 165 00:10:11.600 --> 00:10:14.480 saddleback Church is a place that you need to set 166 00:10:14.519 --> 00:10:18.879 yourself free to feel the feelings you have. Okay, this 167 00:10:19.039 --> 00:10:22.440 is a safe place for you to feel the feelings 168 00:10:22.480 --> 00:10:25.120 that you have. What because you're made in God's image. 169 00:10:25.360 --> 00:10:27.360 If God didn't want you to feel him, he wouldn't 170 00:10:27.399 --> 00:10:30.840 have given you those feelings. But maybe you were taught 171 00:10:30.879 --> 00:10:33.799 by your parents and somebody else to shove them down. Now, 172 00:10:34.000 --> 00:10:37.200 let me just say this, you don't have to worry 173 00:10:37.279 --> 00:10:40.799 about how you look to other people when you're praising God, 174 00:10:41.000 --> 00:10:46.600 because guess what, They're not looking at you worship. They're 175 00:10:46.639 --> 00:10:50.720 focusing on God. Nobody is looking at you right now. 176 00:10:51.240 --> 00:10:56.679 Nobody in this auditorium is thinking about you. Nobody. So 177 00:10:56.799 --> 00:11:02.000 why are you so concerned? How do I look? Look? Cool? Am? I? All? Right? There? 178 00:11:02.159 --> 00:11:05.879 You know what everybody's thinking about themselves. Nobody cares how 179 00:11:05.919 --> 00:11:10.120 you worship God. Nobody cares how you praise God. Why 180 00:11:10.159 --> 00:11:13.240 they're focusing on God not you? By the way, you know, 181 00:11:13.320 --> 00:11:17.120 sometimes people raise their hands when they praise God. People, 182 00:11:17.480 --> 00:11:20.679 what's that all about? Is this some kind of wooooo 183 00:11:21.399 --> 00:11:25.120 weird thing. They raise their hand, they're going to a trance. Now, 184 00:11:25.360 --> 00:11:28.200 it's just a symbol of joy. You do it all 185 00:11:28.240 --> 00:11:31.519 the time. It's forced games. You go to a game, 186 00:11:31.559 --> 00:11:35.200 you go touchdown, or you go to a soccer game 187 00:11:35.240 --> 00:11:37.559 and your kid, you know, hits a go. What do 188 00:11:38.320 --> 00:11:42.759 you know? It's it's just saying touchdown Jesus, yay God. 189 00:11:43.159 --> 00:11:45.320 Now let me tell you what. Why do you go 190 00:11:45.399 --> 00:11:47.639 to a game and when you go to a game 191 00:11:47.759 --> 00:11:49.799 you raise your hand when you're full of joy, you 192 00:11:49.960 --> 00:11:52.519 called a fan But if you came and you dared 193 00:11:52.559 --> 00:11:55.080 to raise your hand in church, you're called a fanatic. 194 00:11:58.279 --> 00:12:01.799 So really it's okay us joy to other people, but 195 00:12:01.840 --> 00:12:04.600 it's not a Kate express joy to God. Come on, 196 00:12:04.720 --> 00:12:09.559 get over it. Grow up. And if you feel like Raisianda. 197 00:12:09.679 --> 00:12:12.799 If you don't, don't. It's no big deal. It's not 198 00:12:12.919 --> 00:12:15.720 some special uiguey thing. It's just the Bible says we 199 00:12:15.759 --> 00:12:18.480 lift our hands and praise to God and says touchdown God, 200 00:12:18.600 --> 00:12:22.399 yay God. You know I'm feeling this right now at 201 00:12:22.399 --> 00:12:27.000 this moment, and you will. Your heart moves when your 202 00:12:27.039 --> 00:12:30.679 body moves, So don't be afraid to move your body 203 00:12:31.039 --> 00:12:35.200 in worship. Now another excuse people here say is this one. 204 00:12:35.519 --> 00:12:39.600 You know, Rick, I'm not really a musical person. I 205 00:12:39.759 --> 00:12:44.279 can't sing. I can't carry a tune in a baggy. Okay, well, first, 206 00:12:44.360 --> 00:12:47.919 let me just say this. God is moved by the 207 00:12:47.960 --> 00:12:52.720 sincerity of your heart, not the sound of your voice. 208 00:12:53.600 --> 00:12:56.840 So you don't have to be a metropolitan opera singer 209 00:12:57.240 --> 00:13:01.000 for God to like your worship. Okay, let me just 210 00:13:01.000 --> 00:13:05.320 say it this way. God wants to hear your voice 211 00:13:05.600 --> 00:13:10.480 because He gave you that voice. What do you think 212 00:13:10.519 --> 00:13:13.759 you got your voice? God gave you your voice. He 213 00:13:13.799 --> 00:13:17.080 wants to hear your praise in your voice, not in 214 00:13:17.159 --> 00:13:21.679 somebody else's voice. What if my wife Kay said to me, Honey, 215 00:13:22.399 --> 00:13:25.559 I don't really like the sound of my voice, so 216 00:13:25.759 --> 00:13:29.240 I'm going to stand silently and let other people tell 217 00:13:29.279 --> 00:13:35.080 you how much I love you. Would that make sense? 218 00:13:35.919 --> 00:13:39.480 Because I don't like the sound of my voice, then 219 00:13:39.600 --> 00:13:42.720 I'm not gonna tell you how great I think you are. 220 00:13:43.279 --> 00:13:47.519 I'm gonna let other people say it and I'll nod. No, 221 00:13:47.759 --> 00:13:49.840 I want to hear it in my kid's voice. I 222 00:13:49.840 --> 00:13:52.200 want to hear it in my wise's voice. God wants 223 00:13:52.240 --> 00:13:57.639 to hear your voice, not somebody else's. Some of you 224 00:13:57.840 --> 00:14:03.480 have never used your voice to praise God. Today is 225 00:14:03.519 --> 00:14:07.159 your day, all right. Now, here's the third excuse that 226 00:14:07.240 --> 00:14:12.080 people give for not singing in church. I don't know 227 00:14:12.360 --> 00:14:16.679 the tunes. Okay, it doesn't matter if you know the 228 00:14:16.720 --> 00:14:19.600 tunes or not. Let me ask you this. Can you read? 229 00:14:22.200 --> 00:14:25.559 Can you read? Because if you can read the lyrics 230 00:14:25.559 --> 00:14:29.200 on the wall, you can say them aloud without any 231 00:14:29.240 --> 00:14:33.440 tune to it. And that's praise too. You hear what 232 00:14:33.480 --> 00:14:36.559 I'm saying. You don't have to sing the words, but 233 00:14:36.639 --> 00:14:40.360 you do have to say the words. So if you 234 00:14:40.399 --> 00:14:44.919 don't have a voice or you got laryngitis, what I 235 00:14:44.960 --> 00:14:46.879 want you to do. I want you, and you've never 236 00:14:46.919 --> 00:14:50.000 done this before. I want you to read the words 237 00:14:50.120 --> 00:14:53.200 aloud of the songs we're gonna sing. But I want 238 00:14:53.240 --> 00:14:54.960 you to read them with a little bit of emotion 239 00:14:55.120 --> 00:14:58.200 and passion, not like, Oh God, you're a great God, 240 00:14:58.240 --> 00:15:01.440 You're incredible, you really do great things. I'm really glad 241 00:15:01.440 --> 00:15:05.039 to be one of your kids. Now, good God, thank 242 00:15:05.120 --> 00:15:10.679 you God. This is You're amazing. You rose from the grave, 243 00:15:11.240 --> 00:15:14.399 you got power, you could change my life. Say it 244 00:15:14.440 --> 00:15:18.360 with a little bit enthusiasm, so I'm telling you, if 245 00:15:18.399 --> 00:15:21.679 you can't sing, you don't know the tune, say the 246 00:15:21.759 --> 00:15:25.320 word aloud, but just say it from the heart. Okay, 247 00:15:25.759 --> 00:15:28.080 you don't have to sing for this to work, but 248 00:15:28.120 --> 00:15:30.600 you do to receive all the blessings that I'm going 249 00:15:30.639 --> 00:15:33.639 to share with you. And there's some really big blessings 250 00:15:33.759 --> 00:15:36.720 that you're going to miss out on in twenty twenty 251 00:15:36.720 --> 00:15:39.519 two if you don't learn the habits that I'm going 252 00:15:39.600 --> 00:15:42.000 to teach you or remind you of today. But you 253 00:15:42.080 --> 00:15:44.559 have to put your heart into it. So read it 254 00:15:44.679 --> 00:15:50.720 dramatically like you actually mean what we're saying. Now. For 255 00:15:50.759 --> 00:15:52.600 those of you who are still thinking that you can 256 00:15:52.679 --> 00:15:55.120 opt out of this and you don't have to say anything, 257 00:15:55.480 --> 00:16:02.120 you're dead wrong because I am watching you. More important, 258 00:16:02.480 --> 00:16:05.879 God is watching you to see if you will praise 259 00:16:05.960 --> 00:16:08.320 Him or not. It doesn't really matter what I'm watching. 260 00:16:08.360 --> 00:16:11.240 God is watching you. Nobody else is, but God is. 261 00:16:11.559 --> 00:16:14.639 But if you don't sing in this service, I may 262 00:16:14.679 --> 00:16:17.600 have to put a cameraman on you to focus on 263 00:16:17.639 --> 00:16:21.159 you and put your lovely picture on the screen so 264 00:16:21.240 --> 00:16:29.120 everybody't see you standing there like a mannequin. I'm just kidding. Okay, relax, 265 00:16:29.440 --> 00:16:31.519 take a deep breath. I would never do that. That 266 00:16:31.559 --> 00:16:35.120 would be embarrassing. Embarrassing is not loving. I would never 267 00:16:35.240 --> 00:16:38.879 embarrass you, So I would never do it, but I might. 268 00:16:41.960 --> 00:16:46.879 So just read the words aloud with authentic feeling. Don't 269 00:16:46.960 --> 00:16:49.240 give lip service. Remember God says, I'd really have you 270 00:16:49.279 --> 00:16:53.200 a hotter cold, not lukewarm. Read the words while you're 271 00:16:53.240 --> 00:16:57.200 thinking of something else, No, while you're thinking of him. 272 00:16:58.080 --> 00:17:00.279 So I'm one thirty eight. They're on your outline. Verse 273 00:17:00.320 --> 00:17:04.799 one says I will praise you Lord with what my 274 00:17:04.880 --> 00:17:08.160 whole heart circle that. So that's what we're gonna practice today. 275 00:17:08.359 --> 00:17:11.720 This is gonna be an exercise, and when you finish here, 276 00:17:12.440 --> 00:17:14.720 you're gonna know how to praise God. By the way, 277 00:17:14.920 --> 00:17:16.920 you know what we're gonna do in heaven. One of 278 00:17:16.920 --> 00:17:18.839 the things we're gonna do in heaven is praise God. 279 00:17:19.039 --> 00:17:21.559 So what we're gonna do here is practice. So when 280 00:17:21.599 --> 00:17:25.559 you get to heaven you're not a dufus. Okay, you 281 00:17:25.720 --> 00:17:27.880 know how to do this. When you get to heaven, 282 00:17:28.240 --> 00:17:29.880 you don't want to get down. Oh I never really 283 00:17:29.960 --> 00:17:33.799 learned how to praise God. Now today, as I said, 284 00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:36.440 God gives benefits when we do what he tells us 285 00:17:36.480 --> 00:17:40.319 to do. I'm gonna share with you is seven incredible 286 00:17:40.759 --> 00:17:46.319 benefits and blessings to your life that God guarantees when 287 00:17:46.359 --> 00:17:49.480 you praise God with all your heart. Now, I'm gonna 288 00:17:49.519 --> 00:17:52.519 start with a couple real simple, real obvious ones right 289 00:17:52.599 --> 00:17:55.720 up front. But as we move through these seven, we're 290 00:17:55.759 --> 00:18:00.880 gonna get into some heavy duty, major, macho blessings of 291 00:18:00.920 --> 00:18:05.480 God that you have been missing out on if you 292 00:18:05.519 --> 00:18:08.240 haven't been praising God as a habit of your life. 293 00:18:08.240 --> 00:18:10.759 All right, let's get right into this number one. This 294 00:18:10.839 --> 00:18:13.279 is a real simple, kind of obvious one. Number one, 295 00:18:13.440 --> 00:18:17.839 Praising God lifts my spirit. That's the first thing that does. 296 00:18:18.119 --> 00:18:21.160 Praising God lifts my spirit. If I came to church 297 00:18:21.200 --> 00:18:27.839 today tired, exhausted, discouraged, fatigued, praise is a mood enhancer. 298 00:18:28.400 --> 00:18:31.920 In fact, praise, particularly with other people. Worship with others 299 00:18:33.519 --> 00:18:37.000 is an energizer, which is why you need to come 300 00:18:37.039 --> 00:18:41.759 to worship, not simply passively watch a service online. So 301 00:18:42.200 --> 00:18:44.559 you're the smart people. There are a lot of our 302 00:18:44.720 --> 00:18:47.839 members right now who stayed home today and they're watching 303 00:18:47.960 --> 00:18:52.519 online and they're pj's, eating cheerios. They're not gonna sing, 304 00:18:52.559 --> 00:18:55.039 they're not gonna get involved. They're not gonna get the benefit. 305 00:18:56.759 --> 00:18:59.640 You get the benefit by being involved in the family 306 00:18:59.680 --> 00:19:04.240 to get and there is power in corporate worship. One 307 00:19:04.319 --> 00:19:06.920 of the reasons that I wanted to look at the 308 00:19:07.039 --> 00:19:10.519 habit of praise and our first service out out of 309 00:19:10.559 --> 00:19:14.839 the gate in twenty twenty two is because the thing 310 00:19:14.880 --> 00:19:17.400 I've been hearing most from people in the last two 311 00:19:17.440 --> 00:19:20.759 or three weeks, the week before Christmas and even since then, 312 00:19:22.279 --> 00:19:24.079 the thing I've heard the most people saying, you know, Rick, 313 00:19:24.319 --> 00:19:28.200 I'm feeling a little discouraged right now, I'm feeling a 314 00:19:28.200 --> 00:19:32.599 little down. I'm feeling a little discouraged, a little dismayed. Well, 315 00:19:32.680 --> 00:19:35.720 there's a lot to be discouraged about. If you look 316 00:19:35.720 --> 00:19:38.000 in the world, there's a lot of problems out there, 317 00:19:38.359 --> 00:19:40.839 But if you don't keep your eyes on God, you're 318 00:19:40.880 --> 00:19:46.400 gonna get discouraged. And so praise takes your focus off 319 00:19:46.599 --> 00:19:50.240 of the problems around him and put your focus back 320 00:19:50.359 --> 00:19:54.640 on God. Recently, there was a cover of Business Week magazine, 321 00:19:54.920 --> 00:19:59.000 and the cover of BusinessWeek magazine said searching for hope. 322 00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:01.920 That's what the world's looking for right now. This is 323 00:20:01.960 --> 00:20:05.759 not a Christian magazine. The world is searching for hope 324 00:20:06.039 --> 00:20:09.400 right now, Well, we know where it is. So let 325 00:20:09.400 --> 00:20:11.599 me ask you a couple of personal questions right off 326 00:20:11.599 --> 00:20:15.359 the bat, as we start a new year together. What's 327 00:20:15.440 --> 00:20:20.759 discouraging you right now? Whatever that is, we're going to 328 00:20:20.839 --> 00:20:24.599 deal with it in this service. That problem, what's discouraging 329 00:20:24.599 --> 00:20:28.440 you these days? And the second question is what are 330 00:20:28.519 --> 00:20:32.039 you looking to for the source of your hope in 331 00:20:32.079 --> 00:20:34.160 the new year? What are you going to put your 332 00:20:34.240 --> 00:20:37.559 hope in in the new year? If you put your 333 00:20:37.559 --> 00:20:39.319 hope in the wrong thing, you'll just be more and 334 00:20:39.359 --> 00:20:45.240 more disappointed. Now, if you're feeling a little down, a 335 00:20:45.240 --> 00:20:49.799 little depressed, a little tired, a little empty, that's typical 336 00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:52.079 in the first few weeks of January. It's after the 337 00:20:52.119 --> 00:20:56.079 holiday hangover where you spent so much time and energy 338 00:20:56.119 --> 00:20:58.160 and all the holidays. Now you've taken all the Christmas 339 00:20:58.240 --> 00:21:01.240 lights down, and you know, and we're just kind of 340 00:21:01.279 --> 00:21:04.880 going through and you're feeling a little discouraged. I recommend 341 00:21:04.920 --> 00:21:09.279 to you Psalm forty two. It's there on your outline. 342 00:21:09.599 --> 00:21:12.079 Psal I'm forty two. Verse five and six says this, 343 00:21:14.920 --> 00:21:20.000 Why am I discouraged? Why am I so discouraged? Why 344 00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:26.519 am I so troubled and upset. Instead, I will put 345 00:21:26.759 --> 00:21:29.799 my hope. Remember the world's looking for hope. I will 346 00:21:29.799 --> 00:21:34.039 put my hope in God, and I will praise him 347 00:21:34.519 --> 00:21:40.119 once again as my savior and my God. And when 348 00:21:40.200 --> 00:21:42.960 my heart is breaking, maybe your heart's breaking right now, 349 00:21:43.759 --> 00:21:48.759 I remember your kindness. Now, if you're taking notes, circle 350 00:21:48.799 --> 00:21:53.599 three words in that passage, Hope, praise, and remember, because 351 00:21:53.599 --> 00:21:57.359 those three go together. If you want hope in your life, 352 00:21:57.400 --> 00:21:59.759 you want to be a hopeful person, you gotta do 353 00:21:59.799 --> 00:22:04.240 the too. Praise and remember. When you praise and remember, 354 00:22:04.680 --> 00:22:09.680 it builds hope in your life. Now, when you praise God, 355 00:22:10.319 --> 00:22:14.039 Here's what God offers to you. It's the next verse 356 00:22:14.079 --> 00:22:18.119 in your outline Isaiah sixty one. It says, to all 357 00:22:18.160 --> 00:22:21.200 who mourn in Israel, I mean, what's morning? It's grief 358 00:22:21.200 --> 00:22:23.559 when you lost something. You lost a lot the last 359 00:22:23.640 --> 00:22:26.839 couple of years because of COVID and other things. There 360 00:22:26.839 --> 00:22:29.799 are things that you lost out on this year, past 361 00:22:29.880 --> 00:22:33.039 year and the year before that. To all who mourn 362 00:22:33.119 --> 00:22:39.640 in Israel, he gives beauty for ashes, joy instead of sadness, 363 00:22:40.359 --> 00:22:43.960 and praise instead of despair. God gives your choice. What 364 00:22:44.000 --> 00:22:47.519 do you want, beauty or ashes? You know, praise instead 365 00:22:47.559 --> 00:22:51.559 of despair, joy instead of sadness. Now we're going to 366 00:22:51.680 --> 00:22:56.839 start with a song of hope. It's actually called living Hope. 367 00:22:56.920 --> 00:22:59.920 And if you're going to sing it, or if you're 368 00:23:00.119 --> 00:23:02.839 going to read it aloud as your praise, let me 369 00:23:03.000 --> 00:23:06.559 show you how to read it aloud. Don't just read 370 00:23:06.599 --> 00:23:08.960 it in your mind. Say the words aloud, but say 371 00:23:09.000 --> 00:23:11.279 it expressively. Okay, put it on the screen. Here's some 372 00:23:11.359 --> 00:23:17.519 of the words of the song we're about sing. Who 373 00:23:17.559 --> 00:23:21.599 could imagine so great a mercy? You think about that? 374 00:23:21.720 --> 00:23:24.160 Who could imagine so great a mercy God's wished to be? 375 00:23:24.880 --> 00:23:30.160 What heart could fathom? Such boundless grace? God's grace to me? 376 00:23:30.240 --> 00:23:34.480 You're thinking about this? The God of ages step down 377 00:23:34.559 --> 00:23:39.599 from glory. Let's eat Christmas, to wear my sin and 378 00:23:39.759 --> 00:23:46.839 bear my shame. Oh, the cross is spoken. I'm forgiven, 379 00:23:47.799 --> 00:23:51.480 completely forgiven. The King of Kings calls me his own 380 00:23:53.240 --> 00:24:01.799 beautiful savior. I'm yours forever, Jesus Christ, You're my living hope. 381 00:24:02.000 --> 00:24:04.680 That's how you sing it, or that's how you read 382 00:24:04.720 --> 00:24:08.839 it aloud. Okay, Now there's another benefit. This is just 383 00:24:08.880 --> 00:24:10.799 a little one. We're gonna get to the heavyweight ones 384 00:24:10.839 --> 00:24:14.119 in a minute. But this is another benefit of developing 385 00:24:14.200 --> 00:24:16.880 the habit of praise in your life, and it says, 386 00:24:16.920 --> 00:24:21.519 write this down. Praising God helps me sense his presence. 387 00:24:22.680 --> 00:24:27.480 Praising God helps me sense God's presence. Now, notice I 388 00:24:27.519 --> 00:24:31.519 said sense because God is always present with you, whether 389 00:24:31.599 --> 00:24:34.920 you feel it or not. God is always with you. 390 00:24:35.160 --> 00:24:38.319 There's never been one second of your life that God 391 00:24:38.480 --> 00:24:42.359 was not with you and paying attention to you. But 392 00:24:42.519 --> 00:24:46.240 I don't always feel it, and neither do you. And 393 00:24:46.359 --> 00:24:50.759 sometimes I feel like God's a million miles away. He's not. 394 00:24:52.240 --> 00:24:55.160 God says, I am always with you, I'm always near you, 395 00:24:55.279 --> 00:24:58.039 I'm always close with you, But I don't always feel 396 00:24:58.279 --> 00:25:02.240 God's presence. And I want to feel God's presence. What 397 00:25:02.319 --> 00:25:05.319 do you do when you want to feel God's presence? 398 00:25:05.319 --> 00:25:08.839 What should you do? What you're doing right now? First place, 399 00:25:09.160 --> 00:25:13.240 get together with some other people and praise God with 400 00:25:13.359 --> 00:25:17.000 your whole heart. I guarantee you by the end of 401 00:25:17.039 --> 00:25:22.079