Statements of Faith - 1 Peter 2:9

 

1 PETER 2:9

I am a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that I should show forth the praises of Him Who has called me out of darkness into His marvelous Light. 

CHOSEN GENERATION

    How are we chosen? By believing on The Name of The Lord Jesus Christ for my salvation. By repenting of my sins, iniquities and transgressions against The Word of God. By believing that God's Word is True and Faithful, that He fulfills His promises in His time. 

    We are chosen because we choose to follow Christ Jesus wherever He leads us; whether He leads us in the valleys of our lives or upon the mountains' heights. When He calls us to follow Him, we joyfully answer His call, running to meet Him, where He picks us up and holds us close to His heart. We are His sheep, His little lambs and we stay near our Shepherd. 

    Once we lived in the darkness of this world, too. Once we lived in rebellion, choosing to do things our way: selfishly and with only our interests at heart. But now, now we belong to God, choosing to live a life of honor and sanctification that we might be made pure and perfect in Christ. 1 Peter 2:10 "Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

ROYAL PRIESTHOOD

    He has promised that they who serve Him on this side of life will not only be blessed immensely now, but also be rewarded on the other side of life. 

Revelation 1:6 "And has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." 

Revelation 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.Exodus 19:6 "And unto Me you shall be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you are to speak to the Israelites." 

HOLY NATION

    Deuteronomy 7:6

For you are a people holy to The LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His prized possession out of all peoples on the face of the earth.

     2 Thessalonians 2:13

But we should always thank God for you, brothers who are loved by The Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning to be saved by the sanctification of The Spirit and by faith in the truth.

   We are saved by faith in The Truth of the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ and through the sanctification of The Holy Spirit. Though the thief on the hill with Christ came to the realization that Jesus was indeed The Christ, he had just enough time left in his life to do so. By his declaration "Lord, remember me", he acknowledged Jesus to be LORD and asked that his name not be blotted out. And Jesus brought thief to paradise with him. 

    A holy nation also honors its God by not only hearing what He has to say, but by obeying what The Word He speaks. 

PECULIAR PEOPLE

    Exodus 19:5

Now therefore, if you will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people: for all the earth is Mine.

    Titus 2:14

He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

    We are God's people, His church, His possession, His congregation. We are set apart from all nations by choosing to be obedient to His Word and choosing His Love and Righteousness for us above all other loves and unrighteous thinking and actions. 

    When someone tells us, "You're weird, strange, crazy", it's because they have noticed your differentness, your born again-ness. As we should be: different, not like everybody else. Remember the teaching song, "One of these things is not like the other"? We are not like the other. We shine bright because our souls have been saved and The Light of Christ now lives in us. 

    The salvation of Christ upon us and the purification process of sanctification through The Holy Spirit cause us to continually praise our God for this wonderful thing He has done for us and in us. 

    Three hundred and three times the word 'praise' occurs in The Old Testament, alone. And in those three hundred and three times the word 'praise', at varying times, indicates different ways to praise. 

    Yadah: to extend our arms out in front of us or lift our hands up to our Lord 

    Halal: to boast in The Lord

    Shabach: to shout praise to The Lord 

    Tehillah: combination of all other words of praise to God 

    Towdah: sacrifice of praise - praising God in adversity

    Barouch: to kneel or prostrate one's self, to bow before The Lord

    Zamar: to play a musical instrument for God

7 WAYS TO PRAISE - Carman

NO LONGER SLAVES - Zach Williams
CHANGED - Jordan Feliz

HAPPY DANCE - MercyMe 

JESUS CAN - Austin French

LIVE LIKE YOU'RE LOVED - Hawk Nelson

    

    

Thanks Be To God - - For His Faithfulness

 

Psalm 100:4, 5

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endures to all generations.

Four expressions of praise are used in this verse: 

THANKSGIVING (Todah)

PRAISE (TeHillah)
THANKS (Yadah)
BLESS (Barak)

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 8426

Thanksgiving: choir of worshippers giving praise to God

From the Hebrew word todah (pronounced to-daw'), used 32 times in the Old Testament, originating from the word yadah, which we know by now means 'to throw up or raise one's hands in praise

 

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 8416

Praise: song of praise

From the Hebrew word tehillah (pronounced teh-hil-law'), affiliated with the Hebrew word Halal (pronounced  haw-lal'  ) which means 'to boast in', to shine, to break through or break (cry) out (Strong's No. 1984)

Tehillah is used 57 times in the Old Testament. Besides this verse in Psalm 100, read Jeremiah 17:14 "Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved, For You are my praise."

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 3034

Thanks: to throw, to cast; to throw one's hands or arms up in worship; to cast one's hands/arms out in front of them

From the Hebrew word 'yadah' (pronounced yaw-daw'), used 113 times in the Old Testament

1 Chronicles 23:30

They were also to stand every morning to give thanks and praise to the LORD, and likewise in the evening.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 1288

Bless: to kneel, to fall prostrate before (in worshiping God); to bless (when God blesses us); to salute, to congratulate, to 

From the Hebrew word barak (pronounced baw-rak'), used 33o times in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, by Greek definition of the word 'bow', which means to worship God in recognition of the name of Jesus (Strong's No. 2578) the word 'bow' is used four times only. 

Psalm 72:11

Yea, all kings shall fall down before Him: all nations shall serve Him.

Romans 14:11

For it is written: “ As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.”

And the reason we are to worship the LORD in such ways? 

Psalm 100:5

For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endures to all generations.

He doesn't go back on His Word. What the Lord has promised from days gone by He will fulfill in days to come. 

THE LORD IS GOOD

His Goodness never ends. His goodness is shown in His faithfulness to His people.

Nahum 1:7

The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows them that trust in Him.

Lamentations 3:22-24

(22) It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

(23) They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!

(24) “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!”

THE LORD's MERCY IS EVERLASTING

No end is there to the Lord's mercies. 

Jeremiah 31:3

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with loving devotion."

THE LORD's TRUTH ENDURES TO ALL GENERATIONS

What He promised to the first generation of mankind is promised to the last generation of mankind, whether that promise is a blessing to receive a reward, or a curse to receive damnation. 

Deuteronomy 5:10

And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me and keep My commandments.

Hebrews 1:8

But unto the Son He says, Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Your kingdom.

Dear God,

You are our God. You are holy and Your Name is Holy. We worship and adore You, but not from afar. For we know that You are a near-to-us-who-love-You-God, for Your Word tells us that You will never leave us, never forsake us. We are not alone because You are with us.

Make us ready to be received into Your eternal presence, Lord. You have been faithful to us since we have been received Your Truth and been restored to Your house.

Forgive us of all our sins: uncover them within us, sweep them into the Light of Your righteousness and uproot the deep sin that is within us, that we may stand before You when we see You face to face at last. 

Oh how I love Your Name! May we be shining reflections of You to all the world over. 

In Jesus' glorious Name, I pray,

Amen

  

Thanks Be To God -- For His Restoration

 

Isaiah 51:3

For the LORD will comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; He will make her wilderness like Eden and her desert like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and melodious song.

Psalm 51:12

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit.

Isaiah 61:3

To console the mourners in Zion—to give them a crown of beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and a garment of praise for a spirit of despair. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 7725

Restore: to turn back, return

From the Hebrew word 'shub' (pronounced shoob), which means, in Psalm 51:12, to rebuild, to bring back home again, to cause to turn again. 

It is the LORD God who causes restoration to be upon His people. It is God who creates and tears down only to restore and build up better His people (Deuteronomy 32:39). We are His workmanship (Ephesians 2:10), modeled on His Potter's wheel (Jeremiah 18:1-10 [in the potter's house]). 

We are His planting (Isaiah 61:3), His field (John 4:35). In Him we are brought from destruction and death to restoration and life, for He is the God of Restoration, the One who brings Life back to His people. And He gives us everything we need to be sustained in this new Life in Him. 

Therefore, we give Him what we have to give Him.

JOY 

Romans 14:17

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. 

Galatians 5:22, 23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 
AND GLADNESS

Psalm 16:11

You will show me the path of life: in Your presence is fulness of joy; at Your right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving is the thank-offering given to God by a choir of adoring worshippers. It is a confession of thanks rendered to God from a grateful heart. Thanks-Giving is sung, it is a sacrifice of praise given to God by a restored people, a delivered people. 

2 Chronicles 29:31

Then Hezekiah said, “Now that you have consecrated yourselves to the LORD, come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of the LORD.” So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all whose hearts were willing brought burnt offerings.

Romans 10:8, 9

(8) But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the Word of Faith we are proclaiming: (9) that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Exodus 15:1, 2

(1)Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider has He thrown into the sea. 

(2) The LORD is my Strength and Song, and He is become my Salvation: He is my God, and I will prepare Him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt Him.

Revelation 15:2-4

(2) And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

(3) And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are Your works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are Your ways, thou King of saints.

(4) Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? for You only are holy: for all nations shall come and worship before You; for Your judgments are made manifest.

We give God praise in songs combined with musical instruments, even if that musical instrument is us clapping our hands, 

MELODIOUS SONG

Psalm 81:1, 2

(1) For the choirmaster. According to Gittith. Of Asaph. Sing for joy to God our strength; make a joyful noise to the God of Jacob.

(2) Lift up a song, strike the tambourine, play the sweet-sounding harp and lyre.

Having been restored (by His grace) and replanted (by His righteousness), we begin to bear fruit (see souls saved) and prosper (be profitable) in God's kingdom (Psalm 92:12-15; Psalm 1:3), which is where the born again believer lives and thrives. 

Dear God,

I am so very thankful for all that You have done for me and in me that I may glorify Your name for all eternity.

Thank You for saving me. Thank You for restoring me to You and planting me in Your garden. 

Please help me to tell everyone I know and everyone You place in my path, about Your Amazing Grace and Forever Love, with Your love; give me words to speak that they may hear.

Make me to be a profitable servant in Your house, that I may not be found wanting, but be a joy and a treasure to You. Cause me to grow where You have planted me, that Your Name would be glorified by the words and actions of my heart. 

To God be the glory.

In Jesus' name, I pray,

Amen

Word of God Speak by Mercy Me

This Is The Kingdom by Elevation Worship

Seek First by Jason Upton

 

Thanks Be To God - - Sing His Praise For His Salvation & Deliverance

 

Psalm 106:47

Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks unto Your holy name, and to triumph in Your praise.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 3467

Save: yasha (pronounced yaw-shah') means (in this context): deliver (this word occurs 206 times in the Old Testament Scriptures); is sometimes rendered: help, defend, liberate

*Strong's Ex. Conc. 3034

Thanks: yadah (pronounced yaw-daw') means:  to confess, to glorify, to give praise while throwing one's hands or arms up. (occurs 114 times in Scripture)

*Strong's Ex. Conc. 7623

Triumph:  shabach (pronounced shaw-bakh') means: laud, praise God (occurs 11 times in, 8 of which refer to God or God's power Scripture)

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 8416

Praise: tehillah (pronounced teh-hil-law') means: 'song of praise', adoration, thanksgiving, laud, hymn (occurs 57 times in Scripture)

Only The LORD God can save/liberate/help a person stuck in sin. 

We can be relatively good people our whole lives and not be saved. We can go to church/temple and not be saved. Whether we sing contemporary worship songs or traditional hymns, just singing these songs of praise will not save us. We can grow up in loving homes surrounded by the Word of God being shared in our homes and our churches, yet, still not be saved from the consequences and punishment of our sins. 

We will never be 'good enough' to get to heaven on our own merits. God says our self-righteousness is comparable to filthy rags:

Isaiah 64:5, 6 "You welcome those who gladly do right, who remember Your ways. Surely You were angry, for we sinned. How can we be saved if we remain in our sins? Each of us has become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind."

When we do our own thing and not the LORD's thing, that's sin. 

Isaiah 53:6

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Not just some of us, either, but ALL of US.

Romans 3:23

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

How can we Triumph in His praise when we have nothing to be triumphant about when we continue to live a life that is displeasing to God? We can't. All those praise and worship songs coming out of our mouths are just noise. God can't hear your worship because you're not His people. 

God's people are saved by God's grace. Did you hear me? GOD's People are SAVED by GOD's GRACE. This salvation is our Inner Garment, a Righteous Robe that covers our soul (Romans 13:14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh); a Crown of Life (James 1:12); a Crown of Righteousness  (2 Timothy 4:8); a Crown of Glory (1 Peter 5:4);   a Crown of Glory & Honor (Psalm 8:5 and  Hebrews 2:7). We are, according to 1 Peter 2:9 "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light."

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 703

Praises: arete (pronounced ar-et'-ay), which means: moral excellences, goodness, uprightness, virtue which is displayed to enrich life

Dear God,

You are God and there is no other god before You. You are holy. You are faithful. You keep Your promises. You are the God who saves and delivers. You have saved me out of all my transgressions, my iniquities and my sins. Sin still tries to drag me down, but, You, O God, have saved me from the miryness of sin's clutches. 

Your grace is my covering. Your love is my adornment. Your salvation is my armor. Your wisdom resides in my heart. Your Word is my Light, my Song, my Hope, my Everything. 

Thank You, Father, for saving a wretch like me. For sending Your Son to die in my place and for raising Him from the grave, the First of us to do that. Thank You, Father, for all Your many mercies and blessings on me, Your child, Your servant, Your friend. You call me friend. And I am content. 

And, now, I thank You, God, for what You are doing in the hearts and lives of my families and friends. For though we are born into one family, we gain many more along the way on this journey. Thank You for saving and delivering my many families, my friends, the strangers whom I encounter, they who declare themselves my enemies. 

Thank You for pouring out Your Holy Spirit into our hearts and lives that we may live empowered lives which draw people to You and cause us to be bold, loving witnesses of Your grace.

To You be all glory, honor and praise.

In Jesus' Priceless Name, I pray,
Amen

 

 

Intelligent Worship -- Praise God -- Part 7

 There are 12 parts to this series. Praising God is Part 7.

PRAISE GOD

(NLT) Psalm 68:8

Praise God, all you people of Israel; praise the LORD, the source of Israel’s life. 

PRAISE: The word 'praise' in this verse is from the Hebrew word 'barak' (pronounced baw-rak'), meaning to kneel down or lie prostrate before, whether one is on bended knee or laying flat in honor to the LORD God. Also, means 'bless'. 

The words 'praise, praising, praised' are used 303 times in the Scriptures. There are seven basic words of praise to know.

1. Barak: to kneel or bow down, to lie prostrate on the ground
2. Halal: to shine clearly, radiate
3. TeHillah: song of praise, a hymn
4. Shabach: to shout triumphantly
5. Towdah: choir of worshipers, sacrifice of praise
6. Yadah: hold out or lift up hands
7. Zamar: to make music, either by hand or musical instrument

I'll give you seven basic Scriptures, each one referencing one of these praise words.

1. Barak: Judges 5:2 "Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves."
2. Halal: Psalm 63:5 "My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips."
3. TeHillah: Jeremiah 17:14 "Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved, For You are my praise."
4. Shabach: Psalm 63:3 "Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise Thee."
5. Towdah: Jeremiah 33:11 "The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise (yadah) the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for His mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD."
6. Yadah: Genesis 29:35 "And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing."
7. Zamar: Psalm 21:13 "Be exalted, O LORD, in Your strength; we will sing and praise Your power." 

Psalm 150 is one of the smaller psalms but worth remembering. The word 'praise' is used three times in the first verse and twice in each of the next five verses. This word 'praise' is the word 'halal', which means to shine. When we enter the presence of the LORD with our praise and worship, we shine because we are so filled with JOY for our GOD that we cannot help but shine! We love to be in His presence! 

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." 

Extol: exalt, lift up

Bless: Barak: kneel or bow down

These are words that are easily committed to memory, especially if you've studied the Word time and again like I have. I'm one of those people that has to know what a word means in order to use it properly. Not only is my concordance close by, but my dictionary is a fingertip away. And the Holy Spirit of God is always with me, leading me and guiding me into the deeper truths of God's Word, revealing a little bit more each day. 

Do you love to be in God's presence? If not, what are you going to do to change that attitude? Now is the time to repent of our sins to God, to ask His forgiveness, to allow the Holy Spirit to move in our hearts and bring us into God's saving grace through God's only begotten Son Jesus Christ. 

Yes, this message has been preached by many for a couple thousand years. But our timetable is not God's timetable. When He's ready to bring His church, His people, up from the earth, I hope whoever is reading this is included. 

A. Acknowledge that we are sinners

B. Believe in our hearts that Jesus Christ is God's only begotten Son, that He died on the cross for our sins, and that He rose from the dead and walked out of the grave

C. Confess out loud that Jesus Christ is Lord

Heavenly Father,

I confess my sins to You. I acknowledge that my way of living has violated Your Word and I ask that You forgive me. I believe that Your Son Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins, that He rose from the dead and walked out of the grave. I recognize my need for salvation through the blood of Jesus and that I need Your Holy Spirit to empower me to become the me You see and not the me I am. 

Thank You, Father, for saving me, for forgiving my wicked ways and for giving me Your Holy Spirit. Lead me and guide me in Your Word as I read it daily. Give me understanding as You fill me with Your wisdom. 

In Jesus' Precious and Holy Name, Amen.