### Summary

Good morning, CLC family! Today, we delved into the essence of praise and worship, exploring how it transcends mere songs and becomes a fundamental principle of our faith. We began by acknowledging the importance of lifting high praises to God, setting the tone for a service filled with heartfelt worship. Our series, "More Than a Song," emphasizes that our worship must be deeply rooted in the Word of God. Today, we focused on the song "Everything That's In Me," which calls us to praise God with all that we have.

We discussed how praise is not just an inward feeling but an outward expression of approval, admiration, and commendation. Authentic acts of praise are evident in our daily lives, whether it's celebrating a favorite artist, a sports team’s victory, or personal milestones like graduations and promotions. However, our praise for God must surpass all these because He is a jealous God who commands our highest praise.

We explored Psalm 148, which calls all of creation to praise the Lord, emphasizing that praise is a natural state for us as God's masterpiece. When we don't praise, we are in an unnatural state. We must assume our natural posture of praise, which is more than a song; it is an interaction with God in real-time.

We also examined the benefits of praising God. Firstly, God hears the praiser, as seen in the story of Hezekiah, whose life was extended because he desired to praise God. Secondly, God inhabits the praises of His people, demonstrated by Paul and Silas, whose praises led to their miraculous release from prison. Thirdly, God remembers the praiser, illustrated by the woman who anointed Jesus with costly oil, an act that Jesus said would be remembered wherever the gospel is preached.

Finally, we discussed the power of corporate worship and unity in praise. When we come together in unified praise, the presence of God fills the house, as seen in 2 Chronicles 5. We concluded with a challenge to spend seven minutes each day in praise, using a curated playlist to help unify our worship.

### Key Takeaways

1. **Praise as an Outward Expression**: Praise is not just an internal feeling but an outward expression of approval, admiration, and commendation. It is a natural state for us as God's creation, and when we don't praise, we are in an unnatural state. Our praise for God must be intentional and surpass all other forms of praise in our lives. [35:42]

2. **God Hears the Praiser**: When we praise God, He hears us. The story of Hezekiah shows that God extended his life because Hezekiah desired to praise Him. This teaches us that our praise positions us to be heard by God, and it can lead to miraculous interventions in our lives. [46:22]

3. **God Inhabits Our Praise**: God lives in the praises of His people. The story of Paul and Silas in prison illustrates that when we praise God, His presence inhabits our praise, leading to freedom and deliverance. This shows the transformative power of praise in our lives. [51:08]

4. **God Remembers the Praiser**: The sacrificial act of the woman who anointed Jesus with costly oil demonstrates that God remembers our acts of praise. Our praise should come from a place of sacrifice, reflecting our deep love and reverence for God. [55:19]

5. **The Power of Unified Praise**: Corporate worship and unity in praise are powerful. When we come together with one voice, the presence of God fills the house, as seen in 2 Chronicles 5. Unified praise not only blesses us individually but also creates an atmosphere where others can experience God's presence. [01:03:48]

### YouTube Chapters

[0:00] - Welcome
[29:09] - Opening Praise
[29:42] - Introduction and Welcome
[30:16] - Worship Pastors Introduction
[30:55] - Series Overview: More Than a Song
[31:24] - Recap of Previous Sermons
[31:53] - Today's Focus: Everything That's In Me
[32:21] - Personal Connection to the Song
[32:48] - Reciting the Lyrics
[33:18] - Principle of Our Faith
[33:53] - Revelation and Manifestation
[34:29] - Prayer for Illumination
[35:07] - Celebration and Praise
[35:42] - Definition of Praise
[36:25] - Authentic Acts of Praise
[37:03] - Examples of Praise in Daily Life
[37:59] - Continual Praise on Our Lips
[38:52] - Praise for God Above All
[39:45] - God's Jealousy for Our Praise
[40:36] - Natural Posture of Praise
[41:23] - More Than a Song
[42:20] - Testimony Service
[43:46] - Psalm 148: Call to Praise
[45:02] - Repetition in the Bible
[46:22] - God Hears the Praiser
[48:02] - Hezekiah's Story
[49:39] - God Inhabits Our Praise
[51:08] - Paul and Silas in Prison
[53:33] - The Power of Praise
[55:19] - God Remembers the Praiser
[57:02] - Sacrificial Praise
[58:34] - Corporate Worship
[01:00:53] - Music and Memory
[01:02:19] - Unity in Worship
[01:03:48] - Unified Sound in Worship
[01:05:28] - Seven-Minute Challenge
[01:06:33] - Everything That's In Me
[01:08:16] - Invitation to Receive God's Love
[01:09:38] - Closing Prayer and Blessing

### Bible Reading
1. **Psalm 148:1-13**: "Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for at his command they were created, and he established them for ever and ever—he issued a decree that will never pass away. Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and women, old men and children. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens."

2. **Isaiah 38:1-5**: "In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, 'This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.' Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 'Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.' And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: 'Go and tell Hezekiah, This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life.'"

3. **Acts 16:25-26**: "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose."

### Observation Questions
1. According to Psalm 148, who or what is called to praise the Lord? ([45:02])
2. What was Hezekiah's response when he was told he would die, and what was God's reaction to his prayer? ([46:22])
3. What happened when Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns in prison? ([52:46])
4. How does the sermon define praise, and what are some examples of praise in our daily lives? ([35:42])

### Interpretation Questions
1. Why is it significant that all of creation is called to praise the Lord in Psalm 148? How does this relate to our natural state of praise? ([45:02])
2. What does Hezekiah's story teach us about the relationship between praise and God's response to our prayers? ([46:22])
3. How does the story of Paul and Silas illustrate the power of praise in difficult circumstances? What can we learn from their example? ([52:46])
4. Why is it important for our praise to be intentional and surpass all other forms of praise in our lives? ([39:45])

### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your daily life. Are there moments when you naturally express praise, such as celebrating a personal achievement or a favorite sports team? How can you redirect some of that praise towards God? ([36:25])
2. Hezekiah's life was extended because he desired to praise God. How can you make praise a more integral part of your prayer life, especially in times of need? ([46:22])
3. Paul and Silas experienced freedom through their praise. Is there a challenging situation in your life where you can choose to praise God despite the circumstances? How might this change your perspective? ([52:46])
4. The woman who anointed Jesus with costly oil gave a sacrificial praise. What is something valuable to you that you can offer to God as a form of sacrificial praise? ([55:19])
5. The sermon challenges us to spend seven minutes each day in praise. How can you incorporate this practice into your daily routine? What specific steps will you take to ensure you follow through? ([01:05:28])
6. Corporate worship and unity in praise are powerful. How can you contribute to a unified sound in your church's worship? What can you do to encourage others to join in? ([01:03:48])
7. Reflect on the statement, "When we don't praise, we are in an unnatural state." How does this perspective change the way you view your daily interactions and expressions of praise? ([40:36])

Day 1: Praise as an Outward Expression
Praise is not just an internal feeling but an outward expression of approval, admiration, and commendation. It is a natural state for us as God's creation, and when we don't praise, we are in an unnatural state. Our praise for God must be intentional and surpass all other forms of praise in our lives. [35:42]

Psalm 148:1-5 (ESV): "Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts! Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars! Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the Lord! For he commanded and they were created."

Reflection: Think about the last time you praised someone or something enthusiastically. How can you channel that same energy and enthusiasm into your praise for God today?


Day 2: God Hears the Praiser
When we praise God, He hears us. The story of Hezekiah shows that God extended his life because Hezekiah desired to praise Him. This teaches us that our praise positions us to be heard by God, and it can lead to miraculous interventions in our lives. [46:22]

2 Kings 20:5 (ESV): "Turn back, and say to Hezekiah the leader of my people, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord."

Reflection: Reflect on a time when you felt God heard your prayers. How can you incorporate praise into your daily prayer life to ensure you are continually positioning yourself to be heard by God?


Day 3: God Inhabits Our Praise
God lives in the praises of His people. The story of Paul and Silas in prison illustrates that when we praise God, His presence inhabits our praise, leading to freedom and deliverance. This shows the transformative power of praise in our lives. [51:08]

Acts 16:25-26 (ESV): "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened."

Reflection: Consider a situation in your life where you feel trapped or bound. How can you use praise as a tool to invite God's presence and experience His deliverance?


Day 4: God Remembers the Praiser
The sacrificial act of the woman who anointed Jesus with costly oil demonstrates that God remembers our acts of praise. Our praise should come from a place of sacrifice, reflecting our deep love and reverence for God. [55:19]

Mark 14:3-9 (ESV): "And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head... And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her."

Reflection: Think about a time when you made a significant sacrifice for someone you love. How can you make a similar sacrificial act of praise to God this week?


Day 5: The Power of Unified Praise
Corporate worship and unity in praise are powerful. When we come together with one voice, the presence of God fills the house, as seen in 2 Chronicles 5. Unified praise not only blesses us individually but also creates an atmosphere where others can experience God's presence. [01:03:48]

2 Chronicles 5:13-14 (ESV): "And it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the Lord, 'For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever,' the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God."

Reflection: Reflect on your experience in corporate worship. How can you contribute to a unified atmosphere of praise in your church community this coming Sunday?

1. "So, today I'll be providing you with a bit of information and the goal of that information is to lead us into a season of revelation. And when we talk about revelation, what we're saying is we're wanting God to reveal and open our eyes to something that we've never known or have never seen before. The prayer goes beyond that, that the Holy Spirit takes that word and he illuminates that word in our lives. He takes that word and he affirms it and lets us know that this is a good word for us to take in. And we move beyond the illumination into manifestation because as God affirms that word in our lives, we pray that that word manifests in our lives and we can see the work of the Lord and the word of the Lord moving in our lives." [34:29] (47 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2. "So, this word celebration, I want to tie celebration into praise because praise, at its core, is a celebration. Webster says that praise is the expression. Everybody say the expression. Or it's the expression of approval, commendation, or admiration. So, this is not just a thought or an idea. It's also, in fact, an outward expression. Amen? This is not just a thought or idea. This is an outward expression. In our lives, there are positive things that we see that causes this expression from us. So, these are positive things that we have achieved or something good that has happened in our favor. So, in our everyday walk, there are authentic acts of praise that we experience." [35:42] (57 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3. "So, God created us to praise, but God created us to praise him. You can find this in Psalms 148. And we'll go back to that scripture and read it a little bit more. But God, our praise for God, because God has created us to praise him, our praise for him has to be above anything else. So, if we're praising our spouse, and we're praising our kids, and we're praising our dogs, and we're lifting up our teams, and we're going to the concerts, and we're having a great time, do you know that a characteristic of our God is that he is a jealous God? He is jealous of our praise. So, our praise for God has to be intentional. Now, we must know that this is a command that God has given all of us. All of creation." [39:45] (54 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4. "When we don't praise, we are actually in an unnatural state. We're in an unnatural state. So, I want you to tap your neighbor to the left. Tap him on the shoulder and say, neighbor. Assume your natural posture. Turn to your neighbor to the right and say, neighbor. Assume your natural posture. Now, I want you to take your hand and I want you to tap yourself on the chest and say, self. Assume your natural posture. Why? Because praise is more than a song. It is an interaction with our God in real time. This is nothing to be taken lightly. We have made this celebration of our God about ourselves and our own personality. It is about our own personal desires." [40:36] (50 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5. "God hears the praiser. Everyone say, God hears the praiser. Praise positions us to be heard by God. know this. Let's go to Isaiah 38, 1 through 5. If you can put it up on the screen so we can all look at it together. And it says, in those days Hezekiah was sick and was near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, thus says the Lord, set your house in order for you shall die and not live. Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall and he prayed to the Lord and said, remember now, Lord, I pray how I have walked before you in truth and with a loyal heart and have done what is good in your sight. Hezekiah wept bitterly and the word of the Lord came to Isaiah saying, go and tell Hezekiah. Thus says the Lord, the God of David, your father, I have heard your prayer and I have seen your tears and surely I will add 15 years to your life." [46:22] (66 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


6. "When we find ourselves with a stale posture of our praise to God, then we are on the wrong side of what praise should be. When we find ourselves getting tired of singing, praise the Lord, oh my soul. There's a psalm that says, rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, and again I say, and again I say, because we do this always. So, this is something that is important for us to understand, these ideas and these things that God do for us when He delivers us, when He gives us a testimony. We must remember these songs." [49:39] (46 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


7. "So, when we come into worship, our goal is to get to a unified sound and a unified expression of praise so that not just myself can feel the presence of God. So it's so that others could also have the same hope that I have. So this is this is one of the things that my wife. And I, we pray about week after week. Lord, what songs should we choose to unify the house? There's a lot of songs that we personally enjoy that we look over because we know that it won't it won't unify the sound. Oh, it's too musical or it's too many words or it just it just won't capture the attention. So the goal is that we unify this sound and that we unify our expression of praise in the house. Of CLC and not just CLC in the house of the Lord." [01:03:48] (60 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


8. "So I want to challenge us to seven minutes a day for the next month. And hopefully this turns into a habit and it actually turns into a state of obedience. So I want to challenge us to that seven minute a day praise. Now, I want to go back to when we talk about everything that's in me. This song, this song, this song, everything that's in me is more than a song. We can actually find the bridge of the song and Psalm 103. And this is where we find where he heals our diseases. He forgives all of our sin. He has crowned us with mercy and every good thing. He's rich in compassion, abounding in love. Praise to the father, the spirit and son." [01:06:33] (50 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


9. "When we praise the Lord, what we're doing is we are affirming what God has done for us. So we command our bodies and soul to praise because it is. It is a celebration. It is a declaration and affirmation to a holy God who is good, who hears us, who lives in our praise, who remembers us and has shown us his love by giving us victory over sin and death through the blood of his only begotten son, Jesus Christ. That alone is worthy of a praise. So because we we we celebrate in this victory. I want to, I want to offer to the room for those of us who have not accepted the love of God in our lives. I want to give us an opportunity to receive this free gift that God has given us because God wants an authentic praise." [01:08:16] (67 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

Good morning, CLC family. How are you guys doing this morning, this beautiful morning?

Now, I have to tell you that I am a very interactive type person, so that was a very cute response. Good morning, CLC. How are we doing this morning? Come on, let me hear you. Let me hear you. Yeah.

So, we are live this morning, and the word of the Lord tells us to let the high praises of God be heard. So, before I say anything this morning, I want to make sure that God is enthroned on His praise and His worship this morning.

So, with a fruit of our lips this morning, I don't know if you want to say, "Hallelujah, God, you're worthy, God, you're awesome," but I want you to take one of these phrases, one of these attributes of God, and on three, I want to hear all of us lift God up on our praise. One, two, three. Yes. Yes.

Well, I just want to welcome you guys to CLC, another Sunday with CLC. This is a beautiful time with our family and friends, and I want to welcome the online community as well. I have a special guest that visits us online every morning, and that's my mom, and I want to make sure to give her a shout-out because this is officially, unofficially, I don't know, Pastor Brent didn't affirm it yet, but this is my trial sermon. So, this is the first time I've ever done this before.

So, it is a privilege to stand before you today to declare the word of the Lord, and I just want to introduce myself to those that don't know me. My name is Derek Greaves. I'm one of the worship pastors here at CLC, alongside with my wife, and you see her a lot leading worship on Sundays, but we made a deal this week. This week, I get the mic. I get the mic, okay?

So, it has been an honor to serve as your worship pastors here at CLC for almost two years, and we pray that the worship that you guys have heard has inspired your hearts just as it has inspired ours, and we pray that this music and this worship expression helps you to grow closer to God. How many can say that this music you've experienced has helped you? Amen.

So, we are in a beautiful series called More Than a Song, and I love this series, not because I'm a musician, but I love digging into the word that our songs are built on. When we pick the songs, when your worship pastors pick songs for this house, we make sure that our word is based and rooted in the word of God.

So, More Than a Song, the first week, I just want to kind of run down what we've been doing. Pastor Brent, in the first week, he touched on "Christ Be Magnified," and he taught on how much worth or worth-ship, or worth, worship, our value we ascribe to God leads us to magnifying God in our lives.

And then the week after that, the second week, Pastor Soul preached a fiery message. And she taught on when we should praise, who we are praising, and why do we praise. And last week, Pastor Brent hit us with a sobering message on "God is an On-Time God." So, he may not come when you want him, but he is on time. On time. Yes, he is. Somebody know what I mean by that?

So, today, I'll be exploring the song we heard in worship earlier. It's "Everything That's In Me." And this song was written by two good friends of my wife and I, John Egan and Micah Massey. And John Egan is what we would call a Christian rock star. And Micah Massey is just a genuine, kind-hearted person. And they wrote this song.

And a fun fact about this song, when this song was recorded, was the moment I found my wife. I was there at that concert when they recorded that song. But here's a reason why I praise the Lord. Because of my beautiful wife.

All right. So, really quick, I want to recite the lyrics together to this song. Praise the Lord. The verse says, "Rise my soul, for there is glory to behold. It's the beauty of the living Lord. God be praised. God be praised. God be praised."

And then it goes on to say, "Fix your eyes on the only one who satisfies." And Pastor Soul talked about this. When is it time to praise the Lord? All the time, right? So, the time has come to lift him high, and we respond with, "God be praised."

And then the chorus says, "Praise the Lord, my soul. Come on, let me hear you sing it out loud. With everything that's in me, praise the Lord." Yes, this is a worshiping church. With everything that's in.

So, this is more than a song, ladies and gentlemen. This is a principle of our faith. Okay? So, today I want to kind of help us navigate us through this message today because I had a lot of thoughts, and I sent them to Pastor Brennan, and I was like, "The Lord is just saying all these things to me, and I can't figure out where I want to land."

And the Holy Spirit gave me a word for you today. So, today I'll be providing you with a bit of information, and the goal of that information is to lead us into a season of revelation. And when we talk about revelation, what we're saying is we're wanting God to reveal and open our eyes to something that we've never known or have never seen before.

The prayer goes beyond that, that the Holy Spirit takes that word and he illuminates that word in our lives. He takes that word and he affirms it and lets us know that this is a good word for us to take in. And we move beyond the illumination into manifestation because as God affirms that word in our lives, we pray that that word manifests in our lives, and we can see the work of the Lord and the word of the Lord moving in our lives.

And a step beyond that, when we see the work of the Lord moving in our lives, our response is that we celebrate what God is doing. So, I want to pray for us this morning.

Lord, we thank you for this opportunity to stand before you and worship you, God. This is a privilege and an honor. And God, thank you for choosing us. And today we ask that the word that we receive today is illuminated in our hearts, is manifested in our walks so that we can celebrate a true, high and lifted God. We bless you. We honor you in Jesus' name. Amen.

All right. So, this word celebration, I want to tie celebration into praise because praise, at its core, is a celebration. Webster says that praise is the expression. Everybody say the expression. Or it's the expression of approval, commendation, or admiration.

So, this is not just a thought or an idea. It's also, in fact, an outward expression. Amen? This is not just a thought or idea. This is an outward expression. In our lives, there are positive things that we see that causes this expression from us.

So, these are positive things that we have achieved or something good that has happened in our favor. So, in our everyday walk, there are authentic acts of praise that we experience.

All right? So, some of these authentic acts are, we find sometimes when we have our favorite artist, our favorite musical artist, and they're happening to come into town, and we want to make sure we get to get that ticket so we can see that artist that we've never been able to see live and in person.

So, what do we do? We go buy a ticket. We attend the concert. And at this concert, we see our praise and admiration and approval for the artist. It goes beyond that. When our favorite team, who's been struggling for years and years, some of us know this story very well, struggling for years and years, and they finally win the championship.

There is an expression, hands lifted, yes? Praise, admiration, approval of. Even, this is one that we all may know of, and it's when we experience our graduation, we throw our cap in the air, and what happens? Our hands are lifted. There's an admiration and approval of, right?

Or some of us are waiting on something like this, a promotion on our job or an increase in salary. Our hands go up because we've finally achieved that goal. And this one is near and dear to my heart. Some of us have experienced the joy of being married.

And we have a thing called a reception at the end of the wedding, and we come together and we celebrate. And I want to point out in this picture, this is me and my wife and our close friends and family. But there's some hands right behind my head, and that's Katie's father, showing his admiration and approval of this union.

So, I want to submit to us today that praise is continually on our lips. I don't know if we know that or not. Praise is continually on our lips. Where do we find this continual praise on our lips? Because some of us think, oh, we continually praise God. But there's other praises that we continually see ourselves acting towards.

So, with this continual praise on our lips, we may see this in the affirmation of our spouse. We may see this in the admiration of our spouse. We may see this in celebrating our children for bringing home an impressive report card. We also may see it when we compliment others on their outfits.

And it goes as far, this praise goes as far as to when our dogs sit and stay, and when they do their business outside and not inside, we praise our dog. And we say, "Good boy, good girl," right? This is praise.

So, God created us to praise, but God created us to praise him. You can find this in Psalms 148. And we'll go back to that scripture and read it a little bit more. But God, our praise for God, because God has created us to praise him, our praise for him has to be above anything else.

So, if we're praising our spouse, and we're praising our kids, and we're praising our dogs, and we're lifting up our teams, and we're going to the concerts, and we're having a great time, do you know that a characteristic of our God is that he is a jealous God? He is jealous of our praise.

So, our praise for God has to be intentional. Now, we must know that this is a command that God has given all of us. All of creation. So, it's non-negotiable. For us, this is a given because we are his masterpiece. We are fearfully and wonderfully made, made in his likeness and image.

So, this is not just an act of obedience. This is a state of obedience. When we don't praise, we are actually in an unnatural state. We're in an unnatural state.

So, I want you to tap your neighbor to the left. Tap him on the shoulder and say, "Neighbor, assume your natural posture." Turn to your neighbor to the right and say, "Neighbor, assume your natural posture."

Now, I want you to take your hand and I want you to tap yourself on the chest and say, "Self, assume your natural posture." Why? Because praise is more than a song. It is an interaction with our God in real time.

This is nothing to be taken lightly. We have made this celebration of our God about ourselves and our own personality. It is about our own personal desires. And I'll tell you how I know because I've heard this statement a lot. "I didn't really like worship today. I wasn't really feeling the set today. I really didn't get anything out of the message today."

And I have to tell you that that's a lot of eyes for praise that should be pointed to him. Yes? So, there is a misunderstanding about this posture.

And I have to tell you a story. When I was a young lad, the church that I was raised in, we had what we call testimony service. Before the beautiful and fancy worship services with the lights and the haze and the instruments and all the beautiful things, we had what we call testimony service.

And you could not have worship without testifying of the goodness of God. So what this looks like after, so we have worship on Sunday mornings, and right after worship, we would sit and wait for someone to stand up and say, "I have a testimony. God has been good to me."

And my mom did not allow us to not engage in testimony service. You had to have a testimony. And if that was just getting up and saying God was good, you better get up and say it, right?

But there was another part of what she required from me, and it was that I was to stand in the presence of God and say, "I have a testimony" in worship, and I was to move my feet. And I'm like four years old. "Mom, why are you making me do this? Move my feet."

And then she would say, "Clap your hands." And I had to clap my hands. And if I decided I was tired of it, she would look at me and say, "I said, clap your hands and move your feet." So this also included the singing and the raising of the hands.

So there was an act of obedience that led to just a state of obedience. Because years and years of my mom teaching me, this posture became a natural state for me. So what she was saying was, like the song says, "Rise my soul for there is glory to behold." She was actually saying, "Rise my son for there is glory to behold. It's the beauty of the living Lord. So God be praised. God be praised. Fix your eyes on the only one who can satisfy. The time has come to lift him high. God be praised. God be praised."

I want to turn our attention to Psalm 148, 1 through 13. And this says, "Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens. Praise him in the heights. Praise him all his angels. Praise him all his hosts. Praise him sun and moon. Praise him all you stars of light. Praise him you heavens of heavens and you waters above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord for he commanded and they were created. He also established them forever. He made a decree which shall not pass away. Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures in all the depths. Fire and hail, snow and clouds, stormy wind, fulfilling his word, mountain and all hills, fruitful trees and all cedars, beast and all cattle, creeping things and flying fowl, kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all judges of the earth, both young men and maidens, old men and children. Let them praise the name of the Lord for his name alone. He alone is exalted and his glory is above the heavens and the earth."

This is why I say God requires our praise because of who he is. And I want to tell you, if you ever see repetition of this magnitude in the Bible, one thing you can rest assured and bet your bottom dollar is that this is a concept that God wants us to download. He doesn't want us to miss this one.

So if praise is a high priority to God, praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.

So I want to dig into that thought, that process of this benefits package. And there are a lot of benefits. I can't cover them all today because God is rich in his kindness to us. But there's a few that I want to point out that the Holy Spirit pointed out to me.

And the first thing I want to point out is God hears the praiser. Everyone say, "God hears the praiser." Praise positions us to be heard by God.

Let's go to Isaiah 38, 1 through 5. If you can put it up on the screen so we can all look at it together. And it says, "In those days Hezekiah was sick and was near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, 'Thus says the Lord, set your house in order for you shall die and not live.' Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall and he prayed to the Lord and said, 'Remember now, Lord, I pray how I have walked before you in truth and with a loyal heart and have done what is good in your sight.' Hezekiah wept bitterly and the word of the Lord came to Isaiah saying, 'Go and tell Hezekiah. Thus says the Lord, the God of David, your father, I have heard your prayer and I have seen your tears and surely I will add 15 years to your life.'"

Now, I don't know if you recognize what happened here, but there was a decree on Hezekiah's life that he would surely die. And Hezekiah pleaded to the Lord, not because he wanted to live more, not because he wanted to see his family more, not because he wanted to continue living this life, but he couldn't praise God if he were dead and in the grave.

This blessed God to think of someone who would want to live more to give him more praise. So, we go on to further down in the scripture to 17 and 20. It says, "Indeed, it was for my own peace that I had great bitterness, but you have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption, for you have cast all my sins behind your back."

I want to just stop right here and pinpoint this, and I want... I want everybody to say salute to the gospel, "for you have cast all my sins behind your back."

"For Sheol," some of us may know this as hell, "cannot thank you. Death cannot praise you. Those who go down in the pit cannot hope for your truth. The living, the living man, he shall praise you as I do this day. The Father shall make known your truth to the children. The Lord was ready to save me, therefore we will sing songs with string instruments all the days of our lives in the house of the Lord."

Now, I want to pinpoint this. I want to pinpoint this. I want to pinpoint this. I want to pinpoint this particular point out because me and my wife thought this was funny, but for the next 15 years, they sang the same song. So, if you were 15 years old after God had increased Hezekiah's life, you would have heard this song as long as you've been born.

And the tension I want to pull out here is when we find ourselves with a stale posture of our praise to God, then we are on the wrong side of what praise should be. When we find ourselves getting tired of singing, "Praise the Lord, oh my soul." There's a psalm that says, "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, and again I say, and again I say," because we do this always.

So, this is something that is important for us to understand, these ideas and these things that God do for us when He delivers us, when He gives us a testimony. We must remember these songs.

Now, the second part I want to point out is God inhabits the praises of His people. For us churchy people, we know what this means. God lives in His praise. God lives in His praise, and we find that in Psalms 22 and 3, and David is saying here, "But you are wholly enthroned on the praises of Israel."

Some versions of this say, "inhabits the praises of Israel, your people." Now, I want to kind of shift from that because this was a Psalm that was very well known to Israel. This wasn't something that was a revelation to them. This was something that their forefathers had sung about Moses and Abraham. They talked about the goodness of God and how God went before them.

But I want to point to a part of the Bible in the New Testament in Acts where we see Paul and Silas, they're on their way to prayer, and there was a certain slave girl that passed by them. She was possessed with this spirit of, the Bible calls it divination, and when this word divination had...the implications were that you were a fortune teller, and the Bible says that this fortune teller, she did this by way of witchcraft.

And so what she did was she walked around, and she taunted Paul and Silas for days, saying, "These men are servants of the Most High God." She taunted them. She laughed at them. "These are servants of the Most High God way of salvation," and she did this for days. She did not stop, so it greatly annoyed Paul, and Paul commanded that that spirit was to come out of her, and that spirit came out of her immediately, but her slave owners were not happy about this because they needed her fortunes so that they could make money.

People paid for these fortunes, so her master seized Paul and Silas and took them to the authorities because this apparently was against the law to do the work of the Lord, clearly. I'm not sure why they were locked up for this, but we see Paul and Silas now locked up in prison. They are shackled. They are bound, and there's no way out for them.

So, I want to point our attention to Acts 16, 25 through 26. We're doing a lot of reading today, but at midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners, they weren't singing with them. They were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake so that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and immediately all the doors were open, and everyone's chains were loosed.

Now, it is my belief that when Paul and Silas prayed and sung hymns to the Lord, what they experienced was the presence of God inhabiting their praise. And let me tell you something about the presence of God when he inhabits your praise. When he inhabits that praise, God hits dead priests and protects the radicals and États out of their hands.

So, let's talk about how many of us know that the Christian tradition says the same thing as Satan, and that Oregonians are our family members. Nobody knows who we are. Look at Jesus. We were after Jesus and love. He wasn't míš***kíí Ás our people.

This was the people we were praying for when we saw Him, we were blessing Him. About to kill himself because he knew if the Romans found out that he allowed these prisoners to flee, he would surely die. But Paul called out with a voice and said, "Do not harm yourself for we are here."

Then he called for the light, ran in, fell down trembling before Paul and Silas, and he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, you and your household."

So I want you to look at your neighbor and say, "Neighbor, don't be selfish with your praise." This praise is more than a song. It speaks of the hope of salvation to those who are listening.

I'll go on to the next point. God remembers the praiser. God remembers the praiser. And we find this in Matthew 26 and 6 through 13.

And Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper. A woman came to him saying, or came to him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil. And she poured it out on his head. And as he sat at the table, the disciples saw this and they were indignant.

Why were they indignant? Some of us know this story very well, but some of us don't know that this alabaster box, it carried a very expensive oil that took a lot of time to crush those flowers and to create that oil. And some scholars say that this oil was about a year's worth of salary.

And she took this oil and she just poured it. She didn't like, "I'm gonna give you a little bit here, Jesus. You know, I don't really feel like it today, Jesus. I don't really know what to do with the oil today, Jesus." She took the oil and she dumped it on his head.

The disciples saw this and they were indignant. "Why this waste? For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor." But when Jesus was aware of it, he said to them, "Why do you trouble this woman? For she has done a good work for me. For you have the poor with you always, but me, you do not have always. For in pouring this fragrant oil on my head, she did it for my burial."

Here we see the gospel again. So I want to say salute to the gospel. "Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."

This is a sacrificial praise that God remembers. When we come into worship and we offer up a praise to our God, our praise should come from a place of sacrifice. What we feel, what we are going through, the problems that we're facing in this life, we sacrifice those things, and we lift up a praise to God anyhow.

If I'm feeling uncomfortable, if I don't know what to do with myself, there is a natural state of being, and that is to lift up the name of Jesus. So those authentic acts of celebration that we've experienced in the world, God expects that plus more because he deserves the best praise. Amen.

Now we bring this sacrificial praise into this expression that we're not supposed to be doing. We're not supposed to be doing what we call corporate worship, and God responds to us in our corporate worship as well.

Ephesians 5, 18 through 20 tells us, "Do not be drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and in hymns, in a spiritual song, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Now, why does the Bible place heavy emphasis on singing through musical expression? Anyone ever thought about that? Because the Bible goes through different verses saying, "Sing praises to God, sing, sing, sing, sing praises to God." This is one of the most repeated phrases in the Bible.

"Sing praises to God." Well, music is an effective tool to hide the Word of God in our hearts. Emmanuel Jal says it like this, one of my favorite musicians, he says, "Music is the only way to hide the Word of God in our hearts."

And he says, "Music is the only way to hide the Word of God in our hearts." And he says, "Music is the only way to hide the Word of God in our hearts." And he says, "Music is the only thing that can enter our systems, our minds and our hearts without our permission."

So when we think about music, there are things that music, there are moments in history that music points us back to, memories that music points us to. And sometimes when we sing these songs of faith in our hearts, what we're doing is we're taking these songs and we are weaving them into our heartstrings.

Some of our favorite songs have been woven into our hearts, whether we want them there or not. So I want to give us a quick task or an activity to do together. And I want to see if we're able to recall the songs that I believe that have been woven into our hearts.

All right. Now, I have to say this activity requires the same level of participation that you guys have when you're at those wedding celebrations and you're so good, so good. But in church, we go so good, so good. I don't know what it is about church, but let's see. Let's see. Let's see if we can catch on to the next one.

The next song. Let's go. Now, it's amazing how much unity we find outside of worship. Now, I have one more song that I think we all know. If you didn't know the first two songs, I'm almost sure that you would know this one.

Let's go. Third song. Here you go. Everyone sing it together. "Take me out to the ballgame."

And here's the thing about this song. See how this song just inspired joy in the room and it immediately made you feel light because you remember those times at the ballpark where you didn't have a care in the world. You had your hot dog and your soda and you're just enjoying the game.

It's the seventh inning. And this is where music ties into our heartstrings. It takes us back to memories and we can recall these songs, whether we've sung them yesterday or 25 years ago, these songs are woven into our heart.

So the idea of us singing in worship and singing together is a very powerful thing because what we're doing is we're encouraging one another and we're helping to tie and to weave these heartstrings into our lives.

Why does unity matter? Why, when we sing, the worship leaders stand and say, "Well, let's lift our hands together. Let's sing before the Lord together. Lift up a sound." And some of us say, "Well, I don't want you to tell me what sound to make. I don't feel like lifting my hands today."

So I want to talk about why unity matters. Why does it matter that when the worship leader or the pastor stands up and he gives us a declaration, why we all join into this thought together?

So I want to turn to Second Chronicles 5, 11 and 14. We're almost out of here. And it says, "And it came to pass when the priest came out of the most holy place. For all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves without keeping their divisions. And the Levites who were the singers, all those of Asaph and Heman and Judathan, with their sons and their brethren, stood at the east end of the altar, clothed in white linens, having cymbals, string instruments and harps. And with them, 120 priests sounding with trumpets."

120 priests sounding with trumpets. Can you imagine what 120? Can you imagine what 120 trumpets sound like? Indeed, it came to pass when the trumpeteers and singers were as one to make one sound, one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord.

And when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and the instruments of music and praised the Lord, saying, "For he is good, for his mercy endures forever," that the house, the house of the Lord was filled with the cloud.

So that the priest could not continue ministering because of the cloud. For the glory of the Lord had filled his house.

So when we come into worship, our goal is to get to a unified sound and a unified expression of praise so that not just myself can feel the presence of God. So it's so that others could also have the same hope that I have.

So this is one of the things that my wife and I, we pray about week after week. "Lord, what songs should we choose to unify the house?" There's a lot of songs that we personally enjoy that we look over because we know that it won't unify the sound.

"Oh, it's too musical or it's too many words or it just won't capture the attention." So the goal is that we unify this sound and that we unify our expression of praise in the house of CLC and not just CLC in the house of the Lord.

So what I want to do is I want to give us a seven-minute challenge. And what I mean by that is for the next month, starting today, I want to challenge us to every day for seven minutes, offer a praise to God.

Now, I have a cheat code for you because this cheat code also gives you the access to unify with the sound of the house of CLC. So we have provided for you a playlist and you may have seen this pre-service and after service.

But this is our essential worship playlist. And these are the songs that we sing Sunday after Sunday. So I want to give you an opportunity to take your phones out and scan this. You can scan it after service as well or before service.

But this playlist we put together so that you can easily access the songs that we sing. So sometimes we come into worship and we go, "I don't know that song, so I can't engage." And our heart is that you do engage.

So we provided this playlist for you. And I want to challenge us to seven minutes a day for the next month. And hopefully this turns into a habit and it actually turns into a state of obedience.

So I want to challenge us to that seven-minute-a-day praise. Now, I want to go back to when we talk about everything that's in me. This song, this song, this song, everything that's in me is more than a song.

We can actually find the bridge of the song in Psalm 103. And this is where we find where he heals our diseases. He forgives all of our sin. He has crowned us with mercy and every good thing. He's rich in compassion, abounding in love.

Praise to the Father, the Spirit, and Son. This is the bridge that we repeated over and over at the end, at the end of, at the end of praise, at the end of praise the Lord, my soul, everything that's in me.

And that bridge forced that point home because here in praise, we also find the hope of salvation. When we praise the Lord, what we're doing is we are affirming what God has done for us.

So we command our bodies and soul to praise because it is a celebration. It is a declaration and affirmation to a holy God who is good, who hears us, who lives in our praise, who remembers us and has shown us his love by giving us victory over sin and death through the blood of his only begotten son, Jesus Christ.

That alone is worthy of a praise. So because we celebrate in this victory, I want to offer to the room for those of us who have not accepted the love of God in our lives.

I want to give us an opportunity to receive this free gift that God has given us because God wants an authentic praise. He wants an authentic act of celebration.

So when we find ourselves in these moments where we praise our God, what do we feel in those moments? Do we actually feel overjoyed? Do we feel overwhelmed with the joy?

And the freedom that God has given us, this gift that God has given us, it is eternal life. It is eternal life. God sent his son to win the victory over death itself.

So I want us to just open our hands and close our eyes because we can all say this and pray it together. And I believe it applies to all of us.

Lord, I believe in my heart. Come on, let's say it out loud. Lord, I believe in my heart that Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the grave for my sins.

I sincerely repent for my sins. And let's just sit there for a moment. I want you to join me again in this exchange. Come on, let's say it out loud.

And in this exchange, I receive your love and the gift of eternal life in Jesus' name. Amen. God bless you, CLC.