Praise and Worship: A State of the Heart Day and Night

Introduction

Praise isn't a 25-minute moment on Sunday morning. It's a state of the heart, day and night, morning and evening, at work, at church, with your friends, and even when you're working out. In this message, Samuel MABBOUX, pastor of the church in Nice l'Ariane, opens up God's Word to remind you why you were created to praise and worship, and how this praise benefits you even more than it benefits God.

Message outline

1. The first song in the Bible: a song of deliverance (Exodus 15:1-3)

• The first song of praise in God's Word is sung by Moses and the children of Israel right after crossing the sea, when the sea closed over the Egyptians and they had just been freed from slavery.
• "I will sing to Yahweh, for he has triumphed gloriously. He has thrown the horse and his rider into the sea."
• Remember this morning what the Lord has done for you, not to weigh you down, but to remind you of the state you were in before he stepped into your life.
• If he hasn't yet displayed his glory in your life, he can: turn evil into good, darkness into light, death into life and hope for eternity.

2. A song of salvation: "he has become my salvation" (Exodus 15:2)

• "Yah is my strength and song. He has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise him; my father's God, and I will exalt him."
• The first of all praises is for the salvation given to us through his Son Jesus Christ 2000 years ago.
• It's a song of liberation, celebration, and deliverance: the sin that held you captive is gone, the chains are broken.
• Like soldiers singing as they march toward a destination, we are marching toward the promised land, the new Jerusalem, a new earth and new heavens.

3. Your sins at the bottom of the sea (Exodus 15:3-4, Micah 7:19)

• "Yahweh is a man of war… He has cast Pharaoh's chariots and his army into the sea."
• Just as Pharaoh's chariots sank to the bottom of the sea, your iniquities and sins have sunk to the bottom of the sea. He casts our iniquities into the depths of the sea and remembers them no more.
• God doesn't have a memory problem: he has chosen to forget your wrongdoings. You can stand free before him this morning.
• If that isn't the case yet, cast your sins into the depths of the sea: ask the Lord for forgiveness, repentance, and restoration in Jesus Christ.

4. Praise, seek, remember (1 Chronicles 16:8-13)

• "Give thanks to Yahweh. Call on his name. Make his doings known among the peoples. Sing to him… Remember his marvelous works that he has done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth."
• The word "praise" carries the idea of lifting up, of shooting arrows toward the sky, but also of bowing low before God: confessing, giving thanks, celebrating, having joy.
• It's hard to praise and celebrate the Lord in sadness. Yet we want to worship him even in hard times, not because of our circumstances, but because he is our Savior and our hope.
• "Call on his name" means to call out to him, seek him, ask him to come, and continually seek his face.

5. Praise, a permanent state of the heart (1 Chronicles 16:11)

• Praise and worship aren't 25 minutes on Sunday morning. They're a state of the heart, day and night, morning and evening, at work, at church, with your friends, and even when you're working out.
• It's a mindset, a nature: we were created to praise and worship.
• We want to get a head start on heaven's agenda, because our main occupation in eternity will be to praise and worship God.
• Even in hard times: "Lord, you have given, Lord, you have taken away, blessed be your name." Not because I have more, but because you are.

6. All creation praises God (Psalm 148)

• "Praise Yahweh from the heavens!… Praise him, all his angels! Praise him, all his army! Praise him, sun and moon! Praise him, all you shining stars!"
• From the depths of the earth, the sea monsters, fire, hail, snow, mist, wind, mountains, hills, fruit trees, animals, creeping things, birds: all creation praises God.
• If the mist, the snow, and the hills praise God, then we, as children of God, ought to praise him even louder.
• "Praise" here means to shine, to lift someone up, to extol their merits, to speak highly of who they are and what they have done.

7. Be filled with the Spirit and live in order (Ephesians 5:18-21)

• "Don't be drunken with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit."
• "Speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; singing, and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Giving thanks always concerning all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to God, even the Father."
• What are you filled with this morning? Anger, hatred, envy, bitterness, jealousy, violence, or the Spirit of God? Alcohol pictures what fills us and produces behavior that isn't from God.
• "Subjecting yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ." Praise can't truly be praise without order: mutual submission, first to God, and then to the order he has established in the Church and in marriage.

Key takeaways

• Praise begins with remembering: remember what the Lord has done for you and praise him for your deliverance.
• Your sins are at the bottom of the sea: you can stand free before God and worship him without guilt.
• Praise isn't a Sunday moment, it's a state of the heart day and night, a way of life.
• We worship God not for what he gives, but for who he is, and that never changes.
• Be filled with the Spirit, speak to one another in psalms, and live out praise in order and mutual submission.

Personal application

1. What are you filled with this morning: anger, bitterness, envy, or the Spirit of God?
2. What sins do you need to cast into the depths of the sea today so you can walk free toward the promised land?
3. How can your praise become a permanent state of the heart, not just a Sunday moment?
4. Do you worship God for what he gives you, or also for who he is, even when he takes away?
5. How will you feed your soul this week through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs?

Scriptures referenced

• Exodus 15:1-3 · The song of Moses after crossing the sea
• Micah 7:19 · He will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea
• 1 Chronicles 16:8-13 · Give thanks to Yahweh, call on his name
• Psalm 148 · Let all creation praise Yahweh
• Ephesians 5:18-21 · Be filled with the Spirit

Frequently asked questions

How do I praise God when I'm going through a hard season?

Samuel MABBOUX reminds us that worship doesn't depend on our circumstances, but on who God is. "Lord, you have given, Lord, you have taken away, blessed be your name." You can praise God even in hard times, not because your situation is good, but because he is good, he is your Savior, he is your hope. Praise then becomes a choice that does you good even before it changes your circumstances.

Why should praise be a state of the heart, not just a Sunday moment?

Because we were created to praise and worship God, and because our main occupation in eternity will be doing exactly that. Making a habit of praising day and night, at work, with family, during exercise, is getting a head start on heaven's agenda. It's also feeding your soul, spirit, and body with what comes from God's Spirit, rather than with what produces anger, jealousy, or bitterness.

How is praise connected to order and submission?

In Ephesians 5:18-21, Paul directly links being filled with the Spirit, singing psalms and spiritual songs, and submitting to one another in the fear of Christ. Samuel MABBOUX explains that praise can't truly be praise without order: first submission to God, then to the order he has established in the Church and in marriage. Celebration is still welcome, in joy, but within decency, balance, and wisdom.