Singing Praises to God: A Believer's Requirement for Spiritual Growth

The importance of singing praises to God for spiritual growth.

The Bible instructs believers to sing praises to God.

Singing praises to God is a requirement for believers.

God's people are to sing praises to Him for who He is and what He has done.

Thank you. There seems a time that all of us who are called children of God go through a significant trial in our lives that is reminiscent afterwards of great rejoicing and the freedom that we have come through in this crucible of testing that we have experienced. One morning a few weeks ago, my husband Lee, upon awakening from a dream, recounts how he heard this in the dream. He heard the Spirit of the Lord say over and over again, Sing praises to God. Sing praises to God. So he heard that throughout the night in a dream. Now, we have learned that through these many years, when God speaks, even in a dream, we will listen and take heed of what he is saying. So looking within the scripture, The Bible is full of many and hundreds of verses that tell the reader and the follower of Jesus Christ to sing praise or sing praises to God. Since the Bible is the written word of God, the instruction to mankind, and whatever is stated is to be followed and heeded as a command, a requirement, or a mandate. So then, to sing praises to the Lord ought to be a part of our daily life. We're going to open the word today with Psalms 126. In Psalms 126, and investigate what our great God and Father may be wanting us to see or to know and to implement daily into our lives if this is indeed a missing ingredient in our act of worship of Him. In verse 1, and restore our fortunes, O Lord, as the streams in the south, the Negev, and are restored by the torrents. Verse 5, They who sow in tears shall reap in joy and singing, and he who goes forth bearing seed and weeping at needing his precious supply of grain for sowing shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. So looking within the scripture, this account tells us that there was a generation of Jews who God took into the promised land to conquer it and to find their rest and freedom as promised by the Lord. God took them in this promised land because they were true and faithful to God's commands and so were their children who went in. But after a time, it was the third generation of Jews who broke covenant with the Lord. They turned to the idols of the inhabitants of the land and the lands of the people around them. Sounds familiar today, doesn't it? Like some who turned back to the world after they'd come to Christ, and yet they know the truth of God's only way of life. God Almighty punished his people in the land by allowing seven nations to invade, to rob, and to destroy them. And when these people's rebellion became so great, the Lord said, enough. The continuation of the story is found in Jeremiah chapter 3 verses 9 and 10, where the scripture tells us that in verse 3, Israel treated it all so lightly. She thought nothing of committing adultery by worshiping idols made of wooden stone. So now that the land has been polluted, but despite all of this, her faithless sister Judah has never sincerely returned to me. She has only pretended to be sorry. I, the Lord, have spoken. so God saw that they had become so hardened and said the land itself became defiled by their worship of idols made of wooden stone so he took them out of the land and sent them to Babylon for 70 years and now as the account goes they have been set free and they couldn't believe what was happening to them and prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah had promised a second exodus but it seemed too good to be true and they'd waited they lamented all those long years of yearning and dream of returning back to their homeland now the day came where they had experienced the reality of their dreaming our gracious God and Father in his almighty grace had forgiven them because they repented of their great sin against the Almighty. In Isaiah chapter 40 verse 1 and 2, we see the kind heart of our eternal God. The Lord says, Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to the heart of Jerusalem and cry to her that her time of service and her warfare have ended and that her punishment is accepted and her iniquity is pardoned and that she has received punishment from the Lord's hand double for all of her sins. In Isaiah chapter 44 verses 20 through 23, we see as well that God had forgiven them and allowed them to make a new beginning since they had learned from their sins that they cannot serve Satan and his idols. Reading in verse 20, the scripture starts, That kind of man feeds on ashes and finds his satisfaction in ashes. A deluded mind has led him astray so that he cannot release and save himself or ask, Is not this thing I am holding in my right hand a lie? remember these things earnestly O Jacob O Israel for you are my servant I formed you you are my servant O Israel you shall not be forgotten by me verse 22 I have blotted out like a thick cloud your transgressions and like a cloud your sins return to me for I have redeemed you sing O heavens for the Lord has done it shout you depths of the earth, break forth into singing you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it. For the Lord has redeemed Jacob and he glorifies himself in Israel. The scripture, the Lord in verse 23, tells his people to sing because God has given them the new opportunity to begin anew. and looking at a few scriptures which show the heart and the love of God for his people, we find that a people who are sincere God hears their prayers and cries as they call out to him Psalms 18 verse 6 In my distress when seemingly closed in I call upon the Lord and cried to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple, his heavenly place, and my cry came before him into his very ears. Hallelujah. In Psalms 91, verse 14 through 16. Because he has set his love upon me. Therefore I will deliver him. I will set him on high because he knows and understands my name, has a personal knowledge of my mercy, love, and kindness, trusts and relies on me, knowing I will never forsake him. No, never. He shall call upon me and I will answer. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation. Hallelujah. Amen. Also, Psalms 116, verse 3 and 4. The cords and sorrows of death were around me, and the terrors of Sheol, the place of the dead, had laid a hold of me. I suffered anguish and grief, trouble and sorrow, and then I called upon the name of the Lord. O Lord, I beseech you, save my life and deliver me. And also to edify us one more time with the love, the mercy of God for his people. James 5.13 Is anyone among you afflicted, ill-treated, suffering evil? He should pray. Is anyone glad at heart? he should sing praise to God. Hallelujah. This is really speaking to us. Amen. Give out a hoot or a holler. We'll praise the Lord. People had lost their song and joy in Babylon. Babylon represents the world. They lost their joy and presence of God because they strayed away from him and eventually turned their backs on him when he had been so good and kind to them. He blessed them with his loving kindness and even with the riches of the land. They knew full well all of these good things had come from the Almighty. But now the time had come and they were shouting, they were laughing, and they were singing. Oh, what a witness of God's faithfulness to keep his promises. well why is it you may ask that God instructs us human creatures of clay to sing praises to him well we learn as we grow in the knowledge and the love and the wisdom of our Lord that the praise of God is an act of worship or an acknowledgement of the wonderful virtues and the deeds that God Almighty should be recognized and extolled or blessed and exalted for. Hallelujah. The praise of man towards God is the means by which we express our joy and our appreciation for the Lord. And we are to praise God for both who he is and what he has done for us. In Psalms 150 verses 2 through six. We see the mandate God gives us in this instruction. And the scripture starts out in verse two by saying, praise him for his mighty acts. Praise him according to the abundance of his greatness. Praise him with tambourine or a single group dance and praise him with a string and wind instruments and flutes. Praise him with resounding symbols. Verse 6, let everything that has breath in everything of life praise the Lord. Hallelujah. Praise God. So praising God for who he is is called adoration. So when we sing and we praise God, we are adoring him. Amen. He is worthy. Praising God also for what he does for us is known as thanksgiving. Has God done anything for you that you can give him thanks and praise for? How about the most important fact of all? That he has given you his precious son, Jesus Christ, who died for you in order that you might have eternal life. this is a good place for all of us to begin. In fact, when we truly understand the sacrifice of our precious Jesus for us personally, when he went to the cross like an innocent lamb to the slaughter, this should make us bow our knees in praise and adoration of him and his selfless sacrifice of love for us individually. Personally, he did this for us. As we discuss the subject of praising God, this may be in song individually, or it could be collectively and can either be spontaneous or prearranged, which can originate from the heart or an emotion of gratitude. King David said, My praise shall be continually of you, and I will praise you yet more and more. Well, for your notes, that's Psalm 71, verses 6 and verse 14. We should all emulate David's heart towards God in this attitude of singing praises to God. And probably the book of Psalms is the greatest place in scripture where it shows us the example of how important it is to praise God. psalms 92 david makes it very clear and i've chosen the living bible translation for this particular psalm because i like the simplicity of these verses in psalms chapter 92 beginning in verse 1 david exclaims a song to sing on the lord's day It is good to say thank you to the Lord, to sing praises to the God who is above all gods. Verse 2. Every morning I tell him, thank you for your kindness. In every evening rejoice in all of his faithfulness. Sing his praises, accompanied by music from the harp, the lute, and the lyre. Verse 4. You have done so much for me, O Lord. No wonder I'm glad. I sing for joy. O Lord, what miracles you do! How deep are your thoughts! Unthinking people do not understand them. No fool can comprehend this. And although the wicked flourish like weeds, there is only eternal destruction ahead for them. Verse 8, but the Lord continues forever, exalted in the heavens, while his enemies and all evildoers will be scattered. But you have made me as strong as a wild bull. How refreshed I am by your blessings. Hallelujah. So, for one thing, these verses richly point out the importance of giving God every morning a sincere thank you for everything and also to acknowledge that he is above all gods and that there is no other like him it is out of appreciation that we tell God as well according to the psalm all that he has done for us amen being grateful full of gratitude just telling God how rich our hearts are and full with his kindness and his love Amen, towards us. So it's good to recount the good things that our Heavenly Father has blessed us with. Did you notice that in these verses that most of David's praises of God are centered in God and not in himself or his own needs. And this is why it's important that we sing praises to God and what the word really tells us to do as children of the living God, instructs us, basically. So looking Psalms chapter 47, verses 5 through 9, we're going to see several things that are mentioned that are really key for our fellowship here with God. In verse 5, God has ascended amid the shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding trumpets. Sing praises to God. Sing praises to God. Sing praises. Sing praises to our King. Sing praises, for God is the King of all the earth. Sing him a psalm of praise. God reigns over the nations. God is seated on his holy throne. The nobles of the nations assemble as people of the God of Abraham, for the king of the earth belonged to God, and he is greatly exalted. So this bespeaks of our risen Lord, Jesus Christ. Sing praises. Sing praises, the scripture says, three times in a row. our savior has shown himself to be our king and he is indeed worthy of our praise hallelujah now these verses are a call for us to all celebrate the praises of god especially as he has made possible for his people to triumph over their enemies did you hear that god has given you and me the power and the authority to triumph and have victory over satan the devil hallelujah hallelujah second timothy declares for god did not give us a spirit of timidity of cowardice of craven and cringing and fawning fear but he has given us a spirit of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control. Praise God. The scripture says, sing praise unto our king who has shown himself to be the king of his people and rules in their behalf and intercedes for their deliverance on their account when they are in danger. Ever been in danger before? Many times. So thank you, Holy Father. And Lord Jesus, for giving us your Holy Spirit, who works in our lives and is our comforter in times of trouble and sorrow and danger. Praise God. Have you ever wondered, I ask again, why God desires for his people to sing? God, why do we read this? We even sang all of our songs today in beginning our service. and the songs were all speaking about singing praise, giving praise to God, giving thanks to God. Amen? And so when we sing to God, we're actually worshiping him. And this is why it's so important to God. And the Bible shows that this is actually the most important part of being a Christian and a child of God. We have the clue in the title of this message today, which is called Sing Praises to God, and it's a requirement for believers. So the word requirement alludes to the word obedience. When we sing to God, we are actually obeying him. When God tells us to sing praises, this isn't a suggestion or an offer that we try out, but rather it is a command. So as God's people, we are commanded to sing. And when we do, we are doing what God asks of us. This pleases God. Because we're showing him that we agree with his commands and are faithful to fulfill what he desires. And this is also called being in the will of God. Hallelujah. When our small home group were all recently invited to a neighborhood cookout gathering, which was hosted by a couple who had invited family members and friends from our neighborhood, which they had met over the last couple of years. Many people present ask about our ministry and also inquired as to what we taught in the way of scripture. And they ask if we sang. So I explained that Shining Light Ministries was a foundational truths and principles ministry, which meant that we teach the whole Bible, not just a part of it, but we teach the whole Bible. And when I told them as well, yes, we do sing, they asked if we would bless them with our song. When we did sing, our choices in song were uplifting and encouraging to those who were present. Jesus Christ was glorified. God's people present were joyful and excited. They were actually encouraged in their faith. The song which glorifies the Lord our God actually builds others up. And this is the importance of true ministry in our Lord Jesus Christ. It must build people up. Ephesians 5, 19 declares, Speak out to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, songs, offering praise with voices and instruments and making melody in all your hearts, hear this, to our Lord. Make melody with all your hearts to the Lord. So all that is in us, we give praise and we sing unto the Lord. People present were genuinely touched by the presence of God in the songs that were sung. One man said he wanted to have more meetings and to have us sing so he could hear us again. We did one song in both English and Spanish. It was truly an interesting thing. With all humility, I say this for myself and for others that were present with us from our ministry who did sing that afternoon, that none of us count ourselves as experienced or professional songsters or vocalists. It just really blesses God to bless others because ultimately we are glorifying and blessing God and we know that it pleases Him and the evidence is His manifested presence when we do sing. All glory be to God. He alone is worthy. And another point in hearing and seeing the evidence of singing to God also helps to build our own faith, but also it helps to build the faith of others. In Psalms chapter 105 in verse 1 through 3, the word declares, O give thanks unto the Lord. Call upon his name. Make known his doings among the people. Sing to him Sing praises to him Meditate on and talk about all of his marvelous deeds and devoutly praise them Glory in his holy name Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek and require of the Lord as their indispensable necessity Praise God There were people there that afternoon who were weak in their faith. Singing makes an impact on someone who doesn't know Jesus very well, or not at all. Unbelievers in the crowd were being touched by the word of God in the melody of the songs that we did sing. They heard the testimony of Jesus Christ, dear one. They didn't hear us. They heard the testimony of our Lord Jesus Christ. God called the Israelites to be a light unto the nations. And today he calls all of his people to come out from under the thing that they are hiding behind or under to be a light to others. He instructs us, sing to him, sing praises to him, tell of all of his wondrous deeds, of his wondrous works. Psalms 47, verse 7 again, sing praises to God sing praises sing praises to our king sing praises for God is the king of all the earth sing praises with understanding God reigns over the nations God sits on the throne of his holiness the princes of the people have gathered together the people of the God of Abraham for the shields of the earth belong to God he is greatly exalted Hallelujah. Did you know that when you personally sing to God in your times of devotion, you actually invoke the presence of God? When your heart and song are within the will of God, and he sees your pure devotion directed to him, the necessity and utility of this awesome privilege to honor and adore the one who created you, no words could sufficiently express. Impossible. Proverbs 30 declares, Every word of God is pure, and he is a shield around those who trust in him. When God Almighty directs us as his human creation to sing praises to him, it is not without a cause that our only safety is calling upon his name, since by his name we invoke his presence of his divine providence to watch over our lives and interest. Hallelujah! Our Heavenly Father's power is sufficient to sustain us at all times, but especially when we are weak and anxious and, yes, tired and even unaware of the enemy's plan to attack us. Oh, the joy and the privilege to sing praises unto our great God who makes all and the best provision for us. It is always best for us to understand that singing is a command. We sing psalms, we sing hymns and spiritual songs together. we are promised that the word of God will dwell richly in us which is what we should desire above all things taste and see that the Lord is good the word tells us years ago we went to Germany to celebrate a feast of tabernacles people from every nation were there singing the songs and hymns in their own language and it was the most outstanding and rewarding example at being at peace as a body of Christ, who were exalting and glorifying the King of kings, the Lord of lords. It was absolutely beautiful. The very divine manifested presence of God was so beautiful. People were so joyful. And there were so many reasons, according to scripture, in why we are commanded to sing praises to our God. And the ones that I have covered today are probably primary ones, but they are not, doesn't encompass all of them by any means. Lastly, I think it's very important to mention that when we do sing, we drive back the darkness and the spiritual warfare that comes with our territory of being called a child of God. In Ephesians 5.16, Paul instructs us, make the very most of the time, buying up each opportunity, because the days are evil. Verse 17, therefore, do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what is the will of the Lord. so the days are evil and the enemy is as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour so we need to grow in discernment and stay in the will of God in order that we can guard our hearts against sinful practices that give Satan the devil an open door to harass us and take us off the straight or narrow path It is very difficult to be on the wrong path when one gets into lying, looking at something or someone inappropriately, when you are singing and making melody to the Lord within your heart. So a heart that is doing the will of God does not give in to the temptation of the devil. A child of God who has a tender singing heart towards the one their heart loves is one who is at war with the evil one and the power of sin. Satan hates this kind of person. and they are focused on their direction and they are in the will of God and they cannot be shaken by the temptations that he throws at them. So when you sing praises to God, you are spiritually strengthened for the trials that come your way. Just as we see in the scriptures with Paul and Barnabas when they were in prison, they sang and the chains fell off. When we sing, we are at war with evil. Amen? Hallelujah. We are at war with evil. They sang, chains fell off. And this is so with those who struggle with the cares of the world or have been overwhelmed by them. If you struggle for joy, sing hallelujah. If you have anxiety, sing hallelujah. And thank the Lord for his goodness. And if you have joy and peace, sing the Lord and thank him. If you have joy and peace, sing and thank the Lord for his goodness and his kindness toward you. So no matter what our condition, dear ones, we must be obedient to the commands of our great creator God. We must get into the habit of singing praises to him. He requires us of us. We glorify him when we do sing to him, and in return we are expressing our obedience to his command. He alone is worthy of our praises. Ask him to give you a heart of praise. Hallelujah. .

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