SERIES: Playlist
MESSAGE: Hallelujah
SPEAKER: Skip Heitzig
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 150

MESSAGE SUMMARY
Is your worship life dull and drab? Do you find yourself going through the motions but lacking the emotion? In this final psalm, Skip Heitzig explains how genuine praise generates a powerful life.

DETAILED NOTES

  1. Introduction
    1. Praise is a universal language
    2. Hebrew word hallelujah
      1. It's in the lexicon of every language around the world
      2. It means praise the Lord
      3. Used twenty-four times in the Old Testament and four times in Revelation 19
    3. The phrase praise the Lord is all over Scripture
      1. Psalms 146-150 all begin and end with that phrase
      2. The word praise appears thirteen times in Psalm 150, in virtually every line
      3. Praise is so much a central part in the life of a believer that it is mentioned in the Bible 307 times
    4. Hallelujah is two Hebrew words put together
      1. Halal, which means to boast or brag
      2. Shortened form of Yahweh, yah, which means the Lord
      3. Also to say something good about the Lord, honor and admire the Lord, express your approval of the Lord
    5. We praise whatever it is we enjoy
      1. If you enjoy the Lord, praising Him will not be hard
      2. "What's down in the well comes up in the bucket" —Vance Havner
    6. Four sides of a framework of praise; four questions this psalm answers
  2. To Whom Is Praise Conveyed?
    1. To the Lord
    2. God wants praise exclusively
      1. Exodus 20:5
      2. We are the bride of Christ (see Revelation 19:7-9); He is to get our total admiration
    3. Revelation 19:10; it's biblical to say that God does not want you to worship angels, saints, preachers, or yourself
    4. It's an ongoing theme in Scripture
      1. Exodus 20:2-3
        1. Who God is, what He did for Israel, and what He wanted from them
        2. God wants and deserves your exclusive praise
      2. Isaiah 42:8
    5. Evaluate how God-centered your life is
      1. Thoughts: What do you think about?
        1. When you are alone with your thoughts, where do they gravitate?
        2. Proverbs 23:7
      2. Motives: Why do you do what you do?
        1. Why do you say, text, post what you do?
        2. Do your motives have to do with trying to get people to like you, or is it more important to you to have God approve?
        3. 1 Thessalonians 2:4
      3. Actions: How are you presently serving the Lord?
        1. Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13
        2. Joshua 24:15
        3. Whatever you serve is what you praise
  3. Where Does Praise Take Place?
    1. In God's sanctuary
      1. The temple in Jerusalem
      2. When we gather together corporately, our purpose is to praise
    2. In God's mighty firmament
      1. Literally in the expanse of the heavens
      2. Praise God on earth and in heaven—everywhere
      3. Heaven is going to be the greatest praise event ever
        1. Revelation 4-5
        2. Revelation 5:11, 13
      4. Let God be praised on earth as well as in heaven
        1. Matthew 6:9-10
        2. Praise ought to fill our lives like praise fills the halls of heaven
  4. Why Should Praise Occur?
    1. For what He does
      1. "His mighty acts" (v. 2)
      2. Creation should lead us to praise the Lord
        1. The intricacies of creation help us appreciate the ingenuity and the immensity of the Creator
        2. Psalm 19:1
      3. Look upward and inward; Psalm 139:14
      4. The mightiest act of all isn't creation—it's redemption
      5. 2 Corinthians 9:15
    2. For who He is no matter what He does
      1. Sometimes you can't readily think of what God does
      2. At that moment, praise Him just for who He is
      3. Praise comes from a Latin and French word that means price
      4. When you declare praise, you are declaring the value of God, irrespective of what you are experiencing
      5. We don't praise God for what we can get out of Him, but just for who He is
      6. Praise is the taste berry of the Christian life
      7. When you make a declaration of praise no matter how you feel or what you're going through, it takes the sorrow and even makes it pleasant
  5. How Is Praise Expressed?
    1. With instruments man has made (see vv. 3-5)
      1. Eight instruments listed
      2. Music was always important to God's people in the proclamation of praise
        1. 2 Chronicles 20:21
        2. Ephesians 5:19
        3. Colossians 3:16
      3. Martin Luther
        1. "Next to theology I give to music the highest place and honor. Music is the art of the prophets, the only art that can calm the agitations of the soul; it is one of the most magnificent and delightful presents God has given us"
        2. "If any man despises music, as all fanatics do, for him I have no liking. For music is a gift and grace of God, not an invention of men. Thus it drives out the devil and makes people cheerful. Then one forgets all wrath, impurity, and other devices"
      4. There's power in music
    2. With breath God has given (see v. 6)
      1. Praise God by any and all means possible
      2. The highest way to use your breath is praise
      3. The goal of all creation is that "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow...and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord" (Philippians 2:10-11)
  6. Closing
    1. Many people come to church for the parade of worship songs, prayers, and instruction
    2. They go home missing the main event, which is an encounter with the living God
    3. Praise will transform you; it is a declaration based not only on what He does but who He is
    4. Who is He to you?

Figures referenced: Vance Havner, Martin Luther

Greek/Hebrew words: hallelujah, halal, yah

Cross references: Exodus 20:2-3, 5; Joshua 24:15; 2 Chronicles 20:21; Psalm 19:1; 139:14; 146-150; Proverbs 23:7; Isaiah 42:8; Matthew 6:9-10, 24; Luke 16:13; 2 Corinthians 9:15; Ephesians 5:19; Philippians 2:10-11; Colossians 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 4-5; 19


Topic: Worship

Keywords: praise, psalms, hallelujah, thoughts, motives, actions, worship, church, creation, heaven, music, songs, singing, instruments


Hallelujah - Psalm 150 | SkipHeitzig.com/2693
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