Talk on Praise (Meditate on the Greatness and Love of God; Praise and Worship Will flow.)
God desires our praise and worship because it opens the door for Him to bestow His love upon us and communicate with us.
Hans R. Waldvogel emphasizes the significance of praising and worshiping God, highlighting that God desires our worship and that it opens the door for His love to flow into our lives. He reflects on the joy and unction that comes from true worship, reminding us that our praises are not only accepted by God but are also created by Him. Waldvogel encourages believers to continually bless the Lord and meditate on His greatness, as this deepens our communion with Him and allows His love to be bestowed upon us.
Text
Selected Verses:
Psalm 63:5-6. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: 6When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.
Psalm 34:1. I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
John 4:23. 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.
Opening:
...thought when I praise the Lord, "Well, what good is it to God if I praise Him, or if I don't praise Him?" And yet, that is something to be very, very grateful for: that God accepts our praises--that He wants them. And He accepts our worship, and He wants our worship: "The Father seeketh such to worship Him." That ought to put a stamp of glory on our meetings when we come together. And it ought to quicken our hearts' beat when we say, "Hallelujah!"
It is so different in Pentecost, praising the Lord. You feel something. There's an unction associated with it, something that comes down from heaven. And often, we recognize the joy of the Lord Jesus when we are happy. Now, when I read here, "His greatness is unsearchable," I feel like melting in His presence--just to think of what we know of His greatness is so unsearchable and so unspeakable--so unspeakably wonderful. Oh, what a God is our God!
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Selected Quotes:
Have you come to worship Him? Do you worship Him? Looking down from heaven, is He satisfied with your worship? And why is it that God wants our praises and our worship? Why, because that opens the door to Him to do something for us. His love cannot be satisfied until He can bestow His love upon us, until He can communicate Himself to us. And that, after all, is the reason for His command to us, "His praise shall continually be in my mouth."
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"The Father seeketh such who worship Him in spirit and in truth." And why? Why, because He wants "rivers of living water" to issue forth from your inmost being. And that's the only way in which God can bestow His love upon me.
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Such a marvelous arrangement that God has made between the sinner and Himself: just by faith in His great love, because His love is active--is so active that "He gave His only begotten Son." And now the door is opened wide into communion with God.
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And to think that He accepts my praises--not only accepts them but He creates them Himself. And He wants my worship, and He creates my worship. And it's only my unbelief that robs me of this God.
Sermon Outline
- I. Introduction
- A. The importance of praise and worship
- B. The question of why God wants our praise and worship
- II. The Father's desire for worship
- A. The Father seeks those who worship Him in spirit and in truth
- B. The reason for this desire is to bestow His love upon us
- III. The arrangement between God and the sinner
- A. Faith in God's great love opens the door to communion with God
- B. God's love is active and seeks to communicate with us
- IV. The creation of praise and worship
- A. God accepts and creates our praises and worship
- B. Unbelief robs us of this God
Key Quotes
“Have you come to worship Him? Do you worship Him? Looking down from heaven, is He satisfied with your worship?” — Hans R. Waldvogel
“His love cannot be satisfied until He can bestow His love upon us, until He can communicate Himself to us.” — Hans R. Waldvogel
“The Father seeketh such who worship Him in spirit and in truth.” — Hans R. Waldvogel
Application Points
- We should strive to worship God in spirit and in truth, allowing 'rivers of living water' to issue forth from our inmost being.
- Faith in God's great love is essential for experiencing His love and communion.
- Unbelief can rob us of our relationship with God and prevent us from experiencing His love and communion.