PREACHING OF OCTOBER 27, 2024:

Mentor Marco Vittorio

THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAISE AND WORSHIP

In this week’s worship service, we will discuss a fundamental theme for our lives: "The Importance of Praise and Worship". Praising and worshiping God are foundational pillars for every Christian, and they should be part of our daily lives, not limited to a moment of singing, but becoming a continuous and constant practice. What does all this mean? It’s not necessary to sing to God all day, as worshiping Him goes beyond that; therefore, we will explore the meaning of praising and worshiping God. Every time we follow God’s will, choose truth over lies, or act in line with His will, we are worshiping God. So, praising and worshiping are not just moments of prayer but a lifestyle we must cultivate every day. The theme of praise and worship is vast in the Bible, and we would probably need multiple meetings to cover it in depth, but we will try to focus on what God wants to tell us. It’s essential to understand that while praise and worship are connected, they are not the same; in fact, praising God and worshiping Him represent two different aspects, yet one inevitably leads to the other. We could say that praise is what we offer to God, something that rises from earth to heaven, while worship is something we achieve internally. Praise places us in the right position to enter into deep worship of God, serving as a tool that opens the way to an intimate communion with Him.

Psalm 29:2; 2 Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

We must give God the proper value and the glory due to His name, as we often reduce Him to being just a provider of our needs, while God is so much more than that. God revealed Himself to Moses as the One who Is, saying, "I am who I am"; He does not need to be defined in any way, as He is self-existent and self-sufficient: before Him, nothing exists, and He does not need us to exist. God exists independently of our circumstances and will always be self-sufficient; when we praise God, we encounter the One who is sufficient in all our insufficiencies. The word "praise" appears 263 times in the Bible, emphasizing the importance of praising God, which for the Jews means singing in His honor, exalting Him, and blessing Him with words, songs, and gestures. Praising God can be expressed through words and gestures, such as clapping, shouting, crying out, or raising our hands in surrender, as a way of saying, “Lord, here I am, and I surrender to You,” for praise is not only a verbal expression but also an action of our body. We don’t raise our hands to be seen by others or to show we are praying; when we do, we are saying, “Father, I surrender to You; take control of my life”. Praise is one-directional, a monologue we offer to God, not a reciprocal relationship; it comes entirely from us toward Him. God does not praise us; we are the ones who praise Him, and it is an act that originates from our hearts to exalt the unchanging attributes of God. Praise celebrates God’s eternity and immutability, the Eternal One who does not change; though times, seasons, and circumstances change, He always remains the same, showing that His unchanging nature does not mean He is “old”, but rather constant through shifting situations. When we praise God, in a certain sense, we are giving Him permission to transform what has changed within us, acknowledging that, despite the changes in our lives, He always remains the One who transforms our circumstances. By praising the Immutable One, who has always been our healing, our provision, and our provider, we are declaring, “You are my healing”. At the beginning, we were not destined for sickness, poverty, or suffering; then something changed in humanity, but God remained the same, ready to transform what has changed in us, such as our sickness and our lack, as well as all that afflicts us. We praise God for who He is: our salvation, healing, provision, victory, and the One who reigns sovereign; when we do, we are saying, “Lord, I desire for what You are to be fulfilled in my life”. When we praise Him, we express in faith what we will become and what we will receive; our praise has the power to change the atmosphere of our lives, transform difficult circumstances, break chains, and alter every situation. Sometimes we turn to God only when things are going badly, when we are in trouble, and we come before Him crying, complaining, and seeking understanding, but the psalmist teaches us that we must enter God’s presence with faith.

Psalm 100:1-5; 1 A Psalm of praise. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. 2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. 3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

When we enter the presence of God, we should not do so with sadness or discouragement, but with joy and gratitude, focusing not on the problem but on the solution: God, the One who can solve every difficulty. If God has placed us on this earth, it is not to abandon us; He cares for our lives and our existence, and when we enter His presence, we are called to do so with thanksgiving, as it is something powerful for our lives. The word "kindness" used in the text is connected to a deep concept: "For the Lord is good; His kindness endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations." In Hebrew, the term "kindness" has a special meaning, similar to "Eshed", which represents God's passion, a passion that does not count the cost. Let’s think about how much God has loved us: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). He gave His best without holding back; His kindness, infinite and limitless, is that of the Eternal in whom we believe, the God who loves us with an everlasting love, unlike many things in our lives that last only for a time. We can always access God's Eshed, His unlimited passion, without Him allowing us to lack anything. If God has given the most precious thing, His only Son, how could He deny us other things? Sometimes we wonder if God will give us what we need, but since He has already given us the greatest gift, every request becomes secondary to this gift. God will never hold back, but we must ask ourselves what attitude we have when we enter His presence. Do we come with faith or with discouragement? Do we enter with joy and gratitude, expecting great things? Remember that thanksgiving has a supernatural power over our lives. Today, unfortunately, many take everything for granted, even in the Church, and it seems that everything is owed to us, but God calls us to enter with a grateful heart. Thanksgiving is an act of recognition for what we have received, and by recognizing God as our provider, we trigger a cycle of blessings. To recognize means to say, “Father, I acknowledge You for what You have given me, and this grateful heart is ready for the next level, for the next miracle”.

Proverbs 3:6; 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

The problem for many is that they do not recognize what God has done in their lives and take glory for themselves. To whom are we giving glory? The Bible says to acknowledge Him in all our ways, not just in work, but in everything. In the Psalms we read: "He made us, and we are His; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture," which is why our thanksgiving must direct itself in three directions: past, present, and future. We must remember where God has brought us from, so as not to forget where we come from, thus remaining humble and recognizing that all we are is due to Him. We thank God for what He did yesterday and for what He is doing today, without taking anything for granted: He has been and will always be our provider. When we face difficulties or illnesses, we should not think that everything is owed to us; God is our healer and the One who can transform our circumstances. If we stop thanking Him and acknowledging Him, we begin to lift ourselves in His place. We continue to thank Him also for our future, trusting that He will not stop caring for us, because thanksgiving for the future is a great act of faith: as the Bible says, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving” (Psalm 100:4). When we give thanks, we are saying, “I believe, I thank You right now, because I am certain I will receive what I am asking of You”. Thanking in advance means believing with all our heart and sealing our request as if it has already been fulfilled; in any case, it is an act of faith that activates a cycle of blessings in our lives. Thanksgiving is the magnet that attracts blessings and opens the doors of heaven; indeed, God, seeing a grateful heart, says, “I can continue with him, because he does not lift himself up and recognizes My work in his life”. While thanksgiving attracts blessings, complaining opens the doors to curses, because complaining means aligning with the enemy rather than with God; for this reason, we should not complain, but give thanks, even when circumstances are difficult. We must thank not for what we see, but because we praise God and elevate ourselves in the heavenly places where everything is accomplished. Thanksgiving is a sign of humility: we recognize that it is only by the grace of God that we have everything. The Bible closely connects thanksgiving and praise as we read in the Psalms:

Psalm 116:17; 17 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord.

Giving thanks can be a sacrifice because when we thank God, we die to ourselves and acknowledge that He is sovereign, requiring from us a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.

Exodus 20:24; 24 An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.

Every time God's name is remembered with gratitude, He responds by blessing us, creating a cycle of continuous blessing.

2nd Chronicles 33:16; 16 And he repaired the altar of the Lord, and sacrificed thereon peace offerings and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel.

God requires a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving because, by praising Him despite the circumstances, we declare to the enemy that our trust is steadfast in Him and not in what happens to us; it will always be directed towards our God. Praise is the greatest spiritual antidepressant. As the Psalmist David says in Psalm 146:1-10, he commands his soul to praise the Lord: "Praise the Lord, O my soul... I will praise the Lord as long as I live". David was not led by feelings but directed his soul to God, saying: "Put not your trust in princes... Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob" (Psalm 146:3-5). Our praise introduces us into a deep worship, purifying us from everything that hinders our entrance into His presence. In praise, we begin to shake off our thoughts and burdens, making ourselves adaptable to God's presence. Praise is a one-way offering that rises from the earth to the heavens and can be shared, while worship is an intimate and personal moment, a unique encounter between each of us and God. The great men of God in the Bible had profound moments of worship, where they were alone with God. In worship, we are not just giving, but there is an exchange in which God speaks and acts in our lives, and the highest level of worship is reached in silence when we give Him space to speak. We often want to give to God, but we forget that He also desires to give us something. Worship is a moment of deep rest, a surrender to His presence, where God welcomes us with open arms, saying: "Child, come, I was waiting for you; I want to be with you, heal your heart, give you peace, and speak to your life". The word "worship" is mentioned 188 times in the Bible and, in the Old Testament, indicates the act of bowing down, prostrating, and showing obedience. Obedience is always linked to worship: we cannot worship God and live in disobedience. Worship implies reverence and fear of God, not fear in a negative sense, but a deep respect. Jesus Himself invites us to enter into intimacy with the Father by closing the door of our room (Matthew 6:6), leaving out all distractions. We cannot enter into worship and be distracted by our phones or secondary thoughts; that would not be reverence. In the New Testament, to worship means to draw near to kiss, reflecting an even deeper closeness. We enter into worship as children of God, with an intimacy that allows us to feel welcomed and embraced by Him, like the father embracing the prodigal son (Luke 15:20). Praise can be communal, but worship is an intimate connection with God. We must enter the church without worrying about others, praising and worshiping God freely. True worship takes us to a place where anything can happen, to a spiritual level beyond time and circumstances.

John 4:23; 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

When we worship God, we step out of the present time and elevate ourselves in the spirit, beyond earthly limitations, where anything is possible. In this state of deep worship, the spiritual reality becomes more intense than the natural reality, as testified by personal experiences where we have felt completely immersed in God's presence. God is making a call to find true worshipers, those who seek the Father with all their hearts. The author of the letter to the Hebrews urges us to draw near to God with confidence, certain that He desires to manifest Himself in our lives.

Hebrews 4:16; 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Let’s close by saying that praise and worship are powerful tools that allow us to enter into the presence of God, freeing us from the burden of difficulties and bringing light into our lives. Furthermore, they are not just simple expressions of faith but a true way of life that continually brings us closer to God's presence and enables us to experience His goodness and faithfulness.