Subject: Prayer #10
Title: Prayer Through Praise
Text: Hebrews 13:15
Hebrews 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that
is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
Introduction
The definitions for “praise” are: “commendation of worth; approval expressed; honor
rendered because of excellence or worth; especially the joyful tribute of gratitude or homage
rendered to the Divine Being; the act of glorifying or extolling the Creator; worship
particularly by song in distinction from prayer and other acts of worship.”
The word “praise” comes from the Latin word “pretium,” meaning “price or value.” Praise
may be bestowed upon unworthy objects or from improper motives, but true praise consists
in a sincere acknowledgment of a real conviction of worth.
Man may be the object of praise, and may receive it either from God or his fellow man. In
the former case, the praise is inevitably just, as resting on a Divine estimate of worth:
Romans 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the
heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who
both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the
counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
In the latter case, its value depends upon the grounds and motives that lie behind it. The
wrong use of this praise is called the “praise of men,” of which we are warned to shun as
being incompatible with the praise of God.
Matthew 6:1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them:
otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the
hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men.
Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall
reward thee openly.
John 12:42 Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but
because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the
synagogue:
Galatians 1:10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if
I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
Praise is used in the Old Testament about 300 times and 34 in the New Testament. Praise is a
great Old Testament theme, especially in the Psalms. In Psalm 50:23, praise is made a duty,
“Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I
shew the salvation of God.”
Of course, biblically, it is God who is especially brought before us as the object of praise.
His whole creation praises Him, from the angels of Heaven,
Psalm 103:20 Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his
commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.
Revelation 5:11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the
throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times
ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and
riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
To those lower existences that are unconscious or even inanimate:
Psalm 19:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory
of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.
In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
Psalm 148:1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him
in the heights.
2 Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.
3 Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.
4 Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.
5 Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created.
6 He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall
not pass.
7 Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps:
8 Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word:
9 Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars:
10 Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl:
Revelation 5:13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under
the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying,
Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne,
and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
But it is with the praises offered to God by man, and with the human duty of praising God,
the Scriptures are principally concerned.
Reasons We Are to Praise the Lord
1. It is one of the chief functions of a blood-bought, eternity-bound Christian.
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:
2. We are commanded to offer praise to God.
Hebrews 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually,
that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
Revelation 19:5 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his
servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.
Psalm 150:6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.
3. It is the example of the principle Psalmist, David.
Psalm 34:1 A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who
drove him away, and he departed. I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall
continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be
glad.
3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.
4. It is taught by the clear example of the earliest of Christians.
Luke 24:51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and
carried up into heaven.
52 And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:
53 And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.
5. Through praise, our bad attitudes will be changed to glad gratitudes.
Psalm 113:3 From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD’S
name is to be praised.
Psalm 119:62 At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous
judgments.
Psalm 119:164 Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments.
Psalm 107:22 And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his
works with rejoicing.
Psalm 116:17 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the
name of the LORD.
Psalm 66:8 O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard:
1 Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ
Jesus concerning you.
6. He is worthy to be praised.
Psalm 18:3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved
from mine enemies.
Praise is everywhere represented in the Bible as a duty no less than a natural impulse and
delight. To fail in this duty is to withhold from God a glory that belongs to Him. To fail here
is to shut one’s eyes to the signs of His presence, to be forgetful of His mercies and to be
unthankful for His kindness.
Isaiah 40:26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things,
that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness
of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.
27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD,
and my judgment is passed over from my God?
28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the
Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of
his understanding.
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up
with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not
faint.
Deuteronomy 6;12 Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth
out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
Luke 6:35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again;
and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is
kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
If we are not to fall into these sins, but are to give to God the honor and glory and gratitude
we owe Him, we must earnestly cultivate the spirit and habit of praise. From holy men of
old, we learn that this may be done by:
1) Arousing the soul from its slothfulness and sluggishness.
Psalm 57:8 Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake
early.
Psalm 103:1 A Psalm of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is
within me, bless his holy name.
2) Fixing the heart upon God.
Psalm 57:7 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give
praise.
Psalm 108:1 A Song or Psalm of David. O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing
and give praise, even with my glory.
3) Meditation on His works and ways.
Psalm 77:11 I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember
thy wonders of old.
12 I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.
13 Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?
14 Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among
the people.
15 Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and
Joseph. Selah.
4) Recounting His benefits.
Psalm 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
5) Above all, for those to whom He has spoken in His Son, by dwelling upon His
“unspeakable gift.”
2 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
Some Noteworthy Scriptures Dealing with the Subject of praise
1 Chronicles 29:13 Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious
name.
Psalm 7:17 I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing
praise to the name of the LORD most high.
Psalm 9:1 To the chief Musician upon Muthlabben, A Psalm of David. I will praise
thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.
2 I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.
Psalm 13:6 I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.
Psalm 18:3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved
from mine enemies.
Psalm 18:49 Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and
sing praises unto thy name.
Psalm 28:6 Blessed be the LORD, because he hath heard the voice of my
supplications.
Psalm 33:1 Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.
Psalm 35:18 I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among
much people.
Psalm 35:28 And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the
day long.
Psalm 40:3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many
shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.
Psalm 47:6 Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.
Psalm 56:4 In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear
what flesh can do unto me.
Psalm 69:30 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with
thanksgiving.
Psalm 71:14 But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.
Psalm 92:1 A Psalm or Song for the sabbath day. It is a good thing to give thanks unto
the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:
Psalm 100:1 A Psalm of praise. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful
unto him, and bless his
Psalm 107:8 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his
wonderful works to the children of men!
Psalm 145:1 David’s Psalm of praise. I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will
bless thy name for ever and ever.
2 Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
Psalm 150:1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the
firmament of his power.
2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.
There appears to be a progressive order of praise climbing from thanksgiving to adoration,
and finally to worship, which last named is expressed not only verbally as appreciation, but
also bodily as dedication.
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service.