Enhance your praise

Topics: praise God, majestic King, gracious Lord, faithful Provider

I. Praise Him as your majestic King

* Lift up praise to our ultimate King as a legacy for generations!

1. Review Psalm 145:1-7.
2. "Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all" (1 Chronicles 29:11).

II. Praise Him as your gracious Lord!

* Celebrate the multi-faceted beauty of the Lord's personality!

1. Review Psalm 145:8-13.
2. Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations" (Exodus 34:6, 7).

III. Praise Him as your faithful Provider!

* Rejoice in the Lord's sustaining strength and provisions!

1. Review Psalm 145:14-16.
2. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18).
3. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds (Psalm 147:3).

IV. Praise Him as your personal Comforter!

* Call upon the Lord in truth and enjoy His kindness and comfort!

1. Review Psalm 145:17-21.
2. How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways. When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands, you will be happy and it will be well with you (Psalm 128:1, 2).

Sermon by Pastor Rod Akins, February 4^th, 2024

Life group flow and discussion questions

"Enhance your praise"

An important Guideline of Life Groups: Since worship and praise are our ultimate priorities, how can your Life Group help each person "enhance their praise"?

Getting Started:

1. What are some creative ways to praise the Lord? Praise (Hebrew = tehillah) means to attribute glory, offer words of homage, speaking of God's splendor and to celebrate God being praiseworthy.
2. Which attributes of our Lord inspires awe and wonder in you the most?

Discussing Truths:

1. What kind of legacy of praise do you want to leave to the generation behind you?
2. How does the Lord's interaction with Moses demonstrate His transcendent holiness and our finite humanity (Exodus 33:18-23)?
3. Why do you think that God chose to quote Exodus 34:6 more in the Old Testament than any other verse (eight times: Num. 14:18; Neh. 9:17; Ps. 86:15; 103:8; 111:4; 145:8; Joel 2:13; and Jonah 4:2)?
4. How can you praise the Lord as your majestic King (1 Timothy 6:13-16)?
5. When has the Lord picked you up when you had fallen (Psalm 145:14; Proverbs 24:16)?
6. Why is it important to praise the Lord in tough times as well as good times?

Now What? Application:

1. Make a list of the attributes of the Lord and meditate on His majestic splendor. (Helpful hint: A. W. Tozer has a great set of books on His attributes).
2. Develop a habit of blessing, extoling and praising the Lord every day (Psalm 145:2) since we will be worshipping Him forever and ever.