As we are preparing for cross night service, somebody is already preparing what he wants to settle that night. So talking about the Ultimate of praise, it’s good to praise God because the Bible says ‘We should praise God with all manner of instruments, with clapping, with singing, with dancing, with joy and rejoicing. Through all manners of ways we can praise God, we can dance and sing Halleluyah and we need to do it. It is necessary and it is important. Brethren, I want us to understand that singing does not equal to praises.
Like we said last week, clapping your hands, shouting and screaming does not equal to praise really. Remember from the scripture, when Elijah had that experience with the prophets of baal. The prophets of baal were screaming, shouting and doing all manners of things thinking that they could provoke their god to react but their god was a dead god of course. So it’s not about how loud the noise is, it’s not about how strong the clapping and the drum, not how sonorous the song or voice may sound, not how ‘skillful’ those that are leading the praises, not even how gifted they are, what is important is for praises to be done in and purpose of God.
The ultimate of our praise is in the fulfillment of our reason for existence. That’s the question we need to ask ourselves especially as God will be giving us another opportunity in the beginning of the year because when we move into the new week or the new day or the new month or the new year, it’s another opportunity for a new beginning. It’s a gift unto us so God has given us the opportunity again to think as we prepare to go into the new year and even as we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ today, who is the reason for the season. Jesus is the reason for the season. We need to understand that the ultimate of our praise is in the fulfillment of the reason for our existence.
Some people are merely existing, they are not living. Some people are living just to eat, they are not eating to live. All the things about their life are enjoyment, going around and just following mundane things that has nothing to do with their existence. So the ultimate of praise as we said is in the fulfillment in the purpose that we are created. That is what will bring glory to God. That is what is acceptable in the presence of God.
If you are praising God and singing, you are not fulfilling the purpose that which you are created, you have not really praise God, you’ve wasted your time. The ultimate of praise is obedience to the will of God and which is the expansion of the kingdom of God. We are talking about being kingdom-minded. Praising God with lips without a harp for God is a wasteful exercise. Shouting and screaming, jumping and dancing without a harp for God is a wasteful exercise.
A great man of God in Nigeria once said ‘you may read all my books, you may listen to all my messages, you may even try to mimic me and try to do all manners of things that I do, if you don’t have the kind of heart that I have for God, you cannot get the same result that I am getting’. It’s about your heart for God. To go to the new year, that’s what we need to think about. Jesus is the reason for the season. Do you have a heart for Jesus or are you a pretender? Thank God for the opportunity to go to Church regularly, thank God for the opportunity to worship in a congregation of the saint, that is necessary, that is needed, the crux is, is your life glorifying Jesus?
Do you have a heart for Him, do you have the kind of heartbeat that you are suppose to have for Jesus. It’s not just about a word like we said, it’s about action.
James 2:17-26 “Even so faith ………………” If you say you have faith and you are not acting in the line with the faith of what you believe, you are a fake. That kind of faith can’t work. It says “faith that has no work is dead …………” This was James that was writing this. James was one of the brothers of the Lord Jesus Christ giving birth to by Mary the same woman that gave birth to Jesus. When a man is writing about God from that kind of dimension, you will know that he knew what he was talking about.
He said “if thou has faith and has work, show me your faith ………………” it’s not a big thing, in fact when you look at the world today when we talk about everyone that involve in legion or order, they will tell you that they are engage in legion because they believe in the existence of God. But that is not enough, he said demons too believe that there is God and of course, they know and they don’t doubt that. Verse 20, it said ………………” so what make Abraham have faith his real faith is because he’s in line with God’s instruction and then sacrifice his son to me and instantly and acted in line with the will of God and in what he believe.
So if you say you believe something and your action is contrary to what you believe, you are not serious, you are wasting your time. As you go into the new year, if truly you believe in God, your believe must go in line with your actions, must go in line with what you believe.
The Bible say “seeth thou …………… man is justified by faith alone”. So you are justified by your action. How do you become born again? you become born again by believing God and believing in the sacrifice that his son paid, accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and saviour and you confess with your mouth and that makes you a child of God. So without corresponding action, faith is fake. We are talking about the ultimate of praise. The ultimate of praise is living a life that will bring glory to God in actions not just in words. He said in verse 25, likewise also Rahab ……………………..”. Faith without works or faith without corresponding action is dead. So praising God without a heart for God is a waste of time and that’s what we are talking about. The ultimate of a real praise for God is in acting in line with the will of God, in the commandment and in his instructions.
You have to look at your life as you go into the new year and as we are celebrating the reason for the season today which is Jesus Christ, and ask yourself this question, is my life in line with his word? do I have a heartbeat for God. Mark 7:6-9, it said “this people honours me with their lips ………………………….”
When you talk about singing praises, thank God we had a wonderful time in God’s presence yesterday, what a prophetic service and God just gave birth to something new in our heart. Of course he gave us another direction/dimension as we run this year and next year will be more glorious and it will be a prophetic gathering of saint to press for the glory of God.