THE PRAISE SERIES (PART 18) - Praise Him For His Royal Throne

"But You Are Holy,

Enthroned In The Praises Of Israel"

Psalm 22:3

Another important principle in praise is the enthroning principle. The Lord inhabits, or dwells in; or is enthroned upon our praise.

In other words, our praises become a throne for our King. All the authority and majesty of the King is present in our most humble offerings. When we stop to think about that, it is awesome! He could choose to sit on some glorious planet somewhere that He created just for Himself - with sights and sounds that far exceed aything we could ever imagine. Instead, He is seated with us as we minister praises before Him. He has chosen us. We are the objects of His longing. We are His preferred dwelling place. When we praise Him, we become the sweetest and most desirable place for the Lord to dwell.

As we worship, we can sing praises over nations, cities and governments. We have the royal authority to proclaim God's dominion and kingdom in places far and near simply by lifting our voice and giving glory and honor to our King. He Who is enthroned in our praise will make Himself known through us. His glory will fill the earth as His glory fills and flows through the praises of His people.

 



God Inhabits In The Praises of His People



PRAISE HIM FOR HIS ROYAL THRONE

Psalm 93:2 - Praise Him for His throne is established from time immemorial

Psalm 22:3 - Praise Him for He is enthroned in the praises of His people

Revelation 5:13 - Praise Him for He is enthroned in heaven (Psalm 11:4)

Psalm 9:4 & 7 - Praise Him for He judges from His throne

Isaiah 6:1 - Praise Him for His throne is high and lifted up

Matthew 25:31 - Praise Him for His throne is filled with glory

Hebrews 1:8 - Praise Him for His throne is forever and ever

Psalm 89:14 - Praise Him for His throne is founded on righteousness and justice (Psalm 97:2)

Isaiah 16:5 - Praise Him for His throne is established on mercy

Daniel 7:9 - Praise Him for His throne is a fiery flame

Revelation 4:3 - Praise Him for His throne is surrounded by rainbow

Revelation 4:5 - Praise Him for His throne is surrounded by lightning, thunder and voices

Revelation 5:11 & 12 - Praise Him for His throne is surrounded by a hundred million worshiping angels - plus thousands upon thousands

Isaiah 40:22 - Praise Him for He sits enthroned on the circle of the earth

(an extract from: Praise Him by Vivien Hibbert)

THE WORSHIP SERIES (Part 20): The Essence of Worship - The Psalmist (In Awe of His Holiness)

Psalm 99

Exalt the Lord our God, 

And worship at His holy hill;

For the Lord our God is holy

A key barometer of how we treat God is our worship. This fact was true in Old Testament days when God's people sometimes had great respect for God and at other times followed their own ideas. At such times they might still observe the outward forms of worship, or they might forsake appearances and follow after idols. Either way, they forgot about the LORD and failed to treat Him with respect. We can do the same today when we casually bring all our sinful baggage with us on Sunday, or forget that He is holy, or perhaps do not even truly know the God we claim to worship. Such lack of respect will be evident in our relationship with Him.


1) THE LORD REIGNS
True worship reveals our respect for His HOLINESS. That is the message of Psalm 99 which begins:

 "The LORD reigns; let the people tremble! He dwells between the cherubim; let the earth be moved! The LORD is great in Zion; and He is high above all the peoples" (Psalm 99:1-2).

That men should tremble before God's authority is clear. But to emphasize

this truth, the psalmist points out that the LORD dwells among the cherubim. Perhaps this observation is a reference to the tabernacle and God's chosen place of presence at the mercy seat, which rested upon the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25;18). This place was so sacred that the high priest could approach it only once a year on the Day of Atonement. Even then, he wore bells on his robe and had a rope tied to him in case God should strike him dead.
The reference to God's sitting "between the cherubum" may also be a reference to His divine nature. Cherubim and seraphim are angelical beings created by God to praise Him. In several passages the Bible describes the cherubim as surrounding God's heavenly throne, attesting to His HOLINESS."And one cried to another, and said, holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory" (Isaiah 6:3). Truly, this is a God who can make the earth to quake at His power and presence!
God reigns, and He is "great in Zion." This is another name for Jerusalem, the city of His choosing, where His "shekinah" glory once grace the tabernacle and then the temple. To say the Lord is great in Zion may be an affirmation that God is great among His people.
After the psalmist praise the God who is mighty over the tabernacle and over the city, the progression continues. For the LORD is "high above all the people." Even kings cannot compare to His greatness! Yet even as we tremble before Him, we are comforted to know that God who dwells "above all the people" can see all things. He is in control of every detail of our lives and He cares intensely about His people. A right view of God sees Him in all of the glory that the Bible attributes to Him. Such a view compels us to treat Him with the awesome respect that is His due. When we view His glory we will bow with the psalmist in true worship and declare,

"Let the praise Your great and awesome name - He is holy" (psalm 99:3).

2) THE LORD IS RIGHTEOUS
The Scriptures affirm that this God who has the power to do anything chooses to do the right thing. Of God the psalmist sings, "The King's strength also loves justice; You have established equity; You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob" (Psalm 99:4).
God exercises perfect justice every time. He always establishes equitable decision, always forms righteous plans, and always does justly. Why? Because He is holy. Therefore we are to "exalt the LORD our God, and worship at His footstool - He is holy" (Psalm 99:5).
Because He is God and therefore reigns in perfect equity and  justice, we must exalt Him. This exaltation presupposes that we truly;y know God's attributes - and that knowledge comes only through a vibrant personal relationship with Him. Anyone can know about God or even use words from the Bible when in worship. But an intellectual knowledge of the LORD is not enough. Even "the demons believe, and tremble" (James 2:19). Those who do not know God cannot exalt His attributes. It is for this reason that we often see worship that suggests the worshipers know a god of wealth or pleasure, or they know only of mere religion. In contrast, TRUE WORSHIP lifts up the name of God because the worshipers know Him intimately.
One necessary means of calling proper attention to God is His people's assuming their proper place before Him. The psalmist enjoins us to "worship at His footstool," giving a picture of our obeisance before His kingly throne. Psalm 93 through Psalm 99 are in fact called the "Royal Psalms," because they exalt the majestic King JEHOVAH. 
Ancient thrones often sat on a platform atop several steps. Once the king had ascended the steps, he could sit on the throne and put his feet on the footstool that was attached to the throne. The footstool existed for his comfort. However, the footstool also became a picture of subservience and subjugation. Sometimes the footstool was carved with the likeness of the king's enemies. When the king put his feet on the stool, everyone was reminded that the king had brought these enemies into subjection.
God's footstool reminds us that He is the King. Many times in the Scriptures we read that God will make of His enemies a footstool. Other passages state that the LORD has His footstool in the tabernacle, and in others the LORD declares that "the earth is [His] footstool" (Isaiah 66:1, Acts 7:49). In all these references we are reminded that God is exalted as we worship in our proper place of submission.
Such submission can be joyfully given to God because of His HOLINESS "You testimonies are very sure: holiness adorns Your house, O LORD, forever" (Psalm 93:5). God's holiness permits the perfect marriage of might and right. Indeed, God's HOLINESS is the symphony of all of His attributes - attributes that the human mind cannot fully comprehend. God is angry at sin and yet is full of love. He pours out wrath against rebels and yet is altogether long suffering. His holiness is the glue that joins thses attributes together. His strength loves justice. He both establishes equity and executes righteousness. TRUE WORSHIP will exalt such a God!
(an extract from True Worship by David Whitcomb and Mark Ward, Sr.)

A LIVING SACRIFICE - PART 3 (A SACRIFICE OF LOVE)

WORSHIP

Is Not Part

Of The

Christian Life;

It Is The

Christian Life

(G.Vann)

I Urge You, Brothers, In View Of God's Mercy, To Offer Your Bodies As Living Sacrifices, Holy And Pleasing To God - This Is Your Spiritual Act Of Worship (Romans 12:1)

Being a living sacrifice is more than a holy obligation; it is a HOLY PASSION. It's the lover whosays, "I would do anything for you. I'd sacrifice my life, my dreams, my everything for your welfare." Few of us love God like that with any consistency, but that's our goal. And the only way to get there is to ask Him for that kind of love. It's supernatural. Only He can offer it and maintain it in our hearts.

How do we know if we have it? We'll know by what fills our minds when we lie down at night and when we wake up in the morning. We'll know it by where we direct all of our resources and all your abilities. And we'll know it by the things we pray for.

If a stranger were to pick up the ledger of our checkbook and read it, would he know that we are lovers of God? If he were to examine our calender, would he be able to tell that we have a holy desire for a beloved Saviour? If he were to hear our prayers, would he find that we're wholly dedicated to the will of our Father? We're reluctant to answer, because we know our shortcomings. We know how fickle our hearts and how self-directed our desires are. We know we have more than one agenda - God's plus our own. We know we have a long way to go to be filled with a holy, God-centred love.

That's okay. God's grace is more than enough to cover our lukewarm hearts. But He doesn't want us to remain ambivalent toward Him. He wants to stir us up to a consuming obsession with His goodness, His love, and His plans. He wants us not just try hard to please Him - we've done that and failed so many times - but to delight in Him. Like any lover of another, He wants to be our joy. Like a wife who craves evidence of her husband's affections, or a husband who looks expectantly for affirmation from his wife, our God - though never needy - wants to be adored.

Can we adore Him? We MUST - it's our created purpose, and it's the only love we'll ever have that will leave us completely satisfied. All others fall short, but PASSION for Him always fulfills.

TPWC (An extract from Worship The king - by Chris Tiegreen)