The Power of Praise | Part 1

We should never underestimate the power of praise.

Listen to Adrian Rogers appraises a very powerful play modified. I don't know how you can enjoy the Christian life without its praise.

That just infuses the joy unless the joy began to flow.

You having difficulty with joy at this, probably because you are not praising the Lord welcome to love worth finding the claimed pastor and beloved Bible teacher Adrian Rogers appraises faith expressing itself is faith turned inside out praise is a powerful thing in times of joy, but especially in times of trouble. Second Chronicles chapter 20 shows us the power of praise when facing opposition.

If you have your Bible turn there now is pastor Rogers begins.

Part one of the power of praise second Chronicles chapter 20 message tonight is a serious message but a helpful message to bills with prayers. It deals with praising God in the time of trouble, time of the message the power of prayers appraises a very powerful thing is matter fact I don't know how you can enjoy the Christian life without praise its praise. That just infuses the joy unless the joy began to flow. You having difficulty with joy at this, probably because you are not praising the Lord to be honest, how many folks enjoy sports, football, basketball, something like a limousine. That's most of us most of us that's us and I plead guilty. I really enjoy watching sports. I enjoy watching football and basketball, especially football, but you know when my favorite team is playing and and something wonderful happens. I mean, there's a spectacular catch are some incredible place some something that is just stupendous. I have to say something. I mean even if I'm watching by myself. Joyce can hear me and the other in the house. I have to say something if if if we score whatever I have to sell Arai. Wow part yeah you like. Don't you let me do that.

You just if you don't say anything. What is happening your enjoyment of that game is going to be greatly diminished. Try it sometime. Just try sitting there and watch a ballgame and don't express yourself just what don't say anything and see what happens. Enjoy your enjoyment of that game will diminish. Some folks sit here in church blessed me if you can get anything out of it if they do it's greatly diminished. You get into it began to praise began to laugh again to say man began to nod your head, participate give God glory, the joy will stop the flow with just being nonentity in a service like this. Here it it helps to praise in time of joy and end up praise brings joy and helps to praise in time of help when you somebody's done something for you. Learn to praise them. Give honor to whom honor is due. This power and that the preacher she said that was only wonderful sermon he said will praise the Lord.

She said what Matt wonderful visit praise and raise God. When God has done something for you, give him thanks but one of the ways in and things we need to do one of the things we need to do in one of the ways that we need to appraises to praise in time of trouble, but I want you to see here in a classic passage of Scripture that from time to time we looked at, but we must needs look at it again. Second Chronicles chapter 22nd Chronicles chapter 20 and I first thing I want you to see is what I meant to call a powerful flow. A powerful flow look versus one to and it came to pass after this. Also that the children of Moab and the children of Ammon with them there beside the ammonites came against Jehoshaphat. The battle and they came some the toll Jehoshaphat saying they come as a great multitude against me from beyond the sea on this side, Syria, and behold they that be in phases on a odds-on Mann which is I'm getting back here is King Jehoshaphat a good king. He loves the Lord that he stole you got some enemies out there that three powerful kings that are coming against you.

The inhabitants thereof, Ammon and Moab, and Mount Cyr have come against you now, we might as well make up our mind and reaffirm that the truth that we have three mighty kings that come against us on a regular basis. Sin, sorrow and death. These are the Christians three great photos the world three great photos. Sin, sorrow and death and were faced with them.

Time and time again someone a powerful foe. Everyone of us who live the Christian life will meet opposition from time to time, and sometimes the opposition will be fears number two. Not only was there a powerful foe. But thank God, King Jehoshaphat made a positive focus look in verse three and Jehoshaphat feared and set himself to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

He set himself to see the Lord.

Now God for Jehoshaphat was his first thought about his last resort. Jehoshaphat said the enemies out there, but God is up here and I am going to seek the Lord with all of my heart. A powerful foe caused him to have a positive focus. He set himself to see the Lord and not only was there positive focus, but there was a proclaimed fast.

Look, if you will, in verse three. The last part and he proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah, America's sick, it is time for the church of the Lord God to sharpen her focus and proclaim a fast the seek God. It is not that by fasting. We buy God's blessings, God's blessings are always by grace but yet God does business with those that mean business and when we have a positive focus fasting just simply sharpens the focus it causes us to think about God in a way that nothing else that I know of does mouth the next thing I want you to see is a purposeful fellowship. Look, if you will, in verse four and Judah gathered themselves together to ask help of the Lord, even out of all the cities of Judah, they came to see the Lord everybody came together to seek God.

What would happen in America if in all of the cities of America, people just got together to seek the Lord black-and-white Baptists, Assembly of God Methodists Presbyterian, Lutheran, Pentecostal, whomever wants to whomever will the, see the Lord a purposeful fellowship and when we come to seek the Lord he shows up far Lord said were two or three are gathered in my name, there am I the midst of and when we come together not to try to heal racism not to try to solve poverty, not to entertain ourselves not to get America delivered from her enemies, but when we come to seek the Lord to seek the Lord to seek the Lord. We will be in one accord and then we will be far able far better able to attack all of these other problems that need to be dealt with but we cannot bypass the one thing that we must do and God help us, that we will do is to come together to seek the Lord to seek the Lord look at it. Look at it verse three just that. And set himself to seek the Lord the last part of verse four. They came to seek the Lord. It was a purposeful fellowship to seek the Lord, not political, not social, not racial but spiritual. Coming to seek the Lord a purposeful fellowship verse four.

And then there was a prayerful faith. Now I want to read on through verse 13. Look at it and Josip that stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem in the house of the Lord before the new court and said I want to listen this prayer before I read this prayer I want to say this, that when you have a problem when I have a problem.

It is very, very, very important that you put your eyes upon God, that you understand the character and the nature of God and in this prayer that we're about to see we going to find five characteristics of the nature of God. And when a problem comes, you need to glance at your problems and gaze at your God. I want you to see the prayer the Jehoshaphat Paris that don't just glance over this.

Don't just glaze over this. Don't just go through this carelessly because there are five characteristics of the nature of God that are in this prayer that greatly encouraged me when I looked at it. First of all, Jehoshaphat saw God as a sovereign God look in verse six and said all Lord God of our fathers listen to this art thou not God in heaven, and rule is not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen and divine hand, is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand the question then the pornographers withstand God damn liquor dealers withstand God than the baby butchers withstand God no demo sodomites withstand God no there is not. This is what he said you rule over all. There is not power and might, so that Mann is able to withstand the hazmat time. We believe that people going around wringing their hands. So what really what we are to do what I can tell you there's no panic in heaven. I can tell you all so that the holy Trinity never meets in emergency session is a lot faster.

I have a big problem I I want you to think that the biggest problem you have.

I mean the very biggest, but I want you to double that I want you to double again. Then I want you to kick compared Almighty God and tell me that your problem is too big for God.

Listen, Jehoshaphat began to pray and first of all, his prayer was addressed a sovereign God. Secondly, verse seven it was addressed to a steadfast God.

Now look at verse seven are not thou our God who just drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel and gavest it to the seed of Abraham by Fran for ever. What is he say he said God you made a promise to Abraham you send Abraham I am good to give you this land and it is yours and it is yours forever, and I'll Lord this bunch is coming to take away from us that which you gave us an Lord we are standing on your word and were praying on the basis of your problems. You are a steadfast God you don't change what you said Abraham you saying to us and was standing on your word. God is the same yesterday today and forever more.

And the God who has worked miracles in the past is the God who can work miracles today and don't you insult God by saying we cannot have revival in this day and in this age, it's an insult to God because God is still powerful.

He still has power to save multitudes to shake cities Anderson revival study the history revival, and God is sent revival in dark days before and God can and God will if we will trust him sent revival today is a sovereign God is a steadfast God and he is a sympathetic God look in verses eight and nine. As we continue to read and they dwell therein and have built their sanctuary therein for thy name saying if one evil cometh upon us as the sole or judgment by the way, America's on the judgment, judgment, or pestilence. America has pestilence, the age, pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house and invite presence for thy name is in this this house that is the praying on the basis of God's glory and cry on to the in our affliction. Then thou will hear and help set underscored in your Bible. It is in line then thou will hear and help. I love that the God who hears and the God who helps is a sympathetic God.

If we cry to him, he will hear and he will tell. He will hear. He will help is a sovereign God is a steadfast God gives a sympathetic God. The Bible says in all their afflictions.

He was afflicted he is touched with the feeling of our infirmity, then next he is seeing God look, if you will, in verse 10 now behold that is Lord take a look now behold the children of Ammon and Moab, and Mount Cyr whom thou does not let Israel invade these Lord that you protected when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turn from them and destroyed them not.

That is we show mercy to them, behold I say how they reward us to come to cast us out of my possession which thou hast given us to inherit now. What's he saying he's a God take a look at all this just be holding your say live to tell God to look at what he already sees yes that ask God for what he knows our need is but there's something about our prayer that gets God's attention and causes him in a very special way to focus on what we focus on. He is a seeing God and twice God is asked to behold this verse 10 and now behold verse 11 behold I say he is a seeing God. God knows your situation. He knows your enemy he knows your danger. He knows where you are right now. He knows what you're thinking this very moment, and that helps us when we pray, there's nothing that escapes his notice. Not only is he a seeing God, but he is the saving God look, if you will, in verses 12 and 13, O our God, by way these are two of the greatest verses in the chapter, O our God will thou not judge them for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us. Neither know we want to do, but our eyes are upon the and all Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, their wives and their children of God. We don't know what to do. We don't have any strength but Lord, our eyes are on you. Here are winds here are children here are little babies want to know they're coming against us.might we don't have any strength. Hollywood is greater than we all the liquor people have more money than we had the media seems to be against us will know what to do with God our eyes on you. We go down with going out with her eyes on you.

If they kill us. They going to kill us with our eyes on you Lord you are the God who can deliver us. You are the sovereign God, you are the steadfast God, you are this sympathetic God, you are the seeing God you are the saving God. And so what they did, Fran. They just came to a prayer for faith and began to pray, not on the basis of what the problem is, but on who God is. Not only a prayerful faith, but a prophetic fact rather praying and when they prayed, God begins to speak and answer begin now in verse 14, and upon the hazy oh, the son of Zechariah, the son of the Nile, the son of G IL.

The son Matt Anaya, a Levite of the sons of Asaph came the spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation and the Lord said parking the all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and bow King Jehoshaphat loss saith the Lord, under you. Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude.

The battle is not yours but God's whole battle is not yours but God for a prophetic rather praying there seeking God is a God. We have no might we have no understanding.

We don't know what to do, but we've we've we've sent ourselves to CQ.

We've gathered together the CQ. We proclaim to faster seek you and God then begins to move. And God begins to speak. And God takes a spirit anointed preacher to bring a message. Thank God that the spirit of God does anoint thank God for spirit filled messenger messenger said here's the message from God. Here is the prophetic fact that we need to see one more time. Victory belongs to God. The battle is not yours but God's now the prophetic fact brings us to the potent force and what is the potent force. The potent force is pray.

Now the prophet of God said the battle is not yours, but the Lord but you have a part in your part is praise and you're not going to hide until it's all over now.

A lot of us would've said not God when it's all over. When we have the victory then were going to praise you for the victory, but God says oh no, the battle is mine the ballast is not yours, but you're not going to hide till it's over and and you don't have to praise on the front end. Not at the rear end but you have to praise at the beginning, not at the conclusion you can't praise after it's over because it won't be over until you began to praise I want to have you learn to praise God in your problems. You say I can't praise God in the midst of my problems will then go ahead live with going live with my friend, if you will do what this wonderful's 20th chapter of second Chronicles teaches us to do. You can praise and see God move did you know what praise is praise his faith expressing itself that's all praises praises just faith turned inside out now week we come to God, we must ask God. That's what these people did. They came and asked God they said God deliver us. That's petition but petition must be married to Crane's petition says please pray says thank but pray says thank you on the front end seek praise brings God into remember that passage over in Psalm 22 verse three where God occupies the praise of his feet.

What is God's address where does God live praises God's address where is praise God shows up in a good praises God's address where there is praise he shows a you know love refining one of our great honors is to come alongside you and pray with you and pray for you and praise God together. If you have a prayer request. Right now that you'd like to share, go to our website LWF.org/radio and scroll down to the prayer wall. There you will find the option to submit a prayer request for to pray for others. This resource is one of her favorite ways to keep the ministry in the community praying continually for one another's needs. We believe that God shows up let us hear from you today again go to LWF.org/radio and scroll down to the prayer wall if you like a copy of today's message. You can order one by calling us at 1877 love God mentioned the title the power of praise or you can order online LWF.org/radio or simply write to us at love worth finding box 38, 600 Memphis, TN 38183.

Thank you for setting in God's word with us today. If you learn to praise God in your problems. Pray consider fast as you ask God for guidance. Join us next time.

For part two of the power of praise right on love worth listener from Texas wrote a brief testimony. I want to share with you.

She said I began listening to Pastor Adrian Rogers before he passed away and I been listening ever since.

On the radio or the ad was very gifted in teaching God's word. Thank you for making his material available even after he's passed on.

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