Praising the Lord in Holy Attire
The balance of praise and holiness is essential in the church, where we confess our faith in the Lord and live a life that pleases God.
Zac Poonen emphasizes the importance of praising the Lord in holy attire, highlighting that true praise, combined with holiness, drives away the enemy. He points out the extremes in the church: some believers praise loudly without living holy lives, while others live righteously but lack a spirit of praise. Poonen reminds us that Jesus exemplified both proclaiming the Father's name and singing His praises, and encourages believers to follow His example in worship. He warns against preaching for personal recognition and stresses that genuine praise is essential, as demonstrated by the one leper who returned to thank Jesus after healing. Ultimately, the sermon calls for a balance of holiness and joyful praise in the life of the church.
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It is the spirit of praise confessing our faith in the Lord that puts the enemy to flight. We also see that Jehoshapat's army praised the Lord in holy attire. This is the balance we need in the church - the spirit of praise along with the spirit of holiness.
In Christendom unfortunately, we find believers today at one of two extremes in this matter. On the one hand we find those who are not living holy lives, who praise God with loud voices and with a lot of emotion. They praise the Lord in other tongues in the meetings and then go home and shout at their wives in their mother tongues!! This is one extreme of deception. To the soulish person who has no discernment, such noise and emotions can look heavenly. But those with discernment will recognise that "those who are in the flesh cannot please God" (Rom.8:8), no matter how emotionally they sing in 'tongues', or how loudly they praise the Lord.
At the other extreme, we see many who sincerely judge themselves and seek to live godly lives, but who never seem to have a spirit of praise in their lives. They seem to believe only in exhorting one another all the time - and they look so serious and gloomy while they are at it!
It is written about Jesus in Hebrews 2:12 that He does two things in the midst of the church: Proclaim the Father's Name. and sing the Father's praise.
Jesus is not only the Messenger of the Father Who brings His Word to us, but also the Praise-leader and the Song-leader in the church.
These then are the two areas in which we must all follow Jesus as our Forerunner and our Elder Brother, in the meetings of the church.
When we stand up to share the Word in the church it is the Name of our Lord that we must proclaim, and not our own. We are not there to show others how well we can preach, or how faithful we have been. Neither are we to preach AT people with some word we have found in the Scriptures for their need!! All such preaching is earthly, soulish and demonic, and is a disgrace to the Lord's Name. The testimony of Jesus alone is the spirit of all anointed prophecy (Rev.19:10).
We must also follow Jesus in raising our voices to praise the Father in the church. It is not enough to pray. We must praise God too. Ten lepers prayed to Jesus for healing. Only one praised Him. Unfortunately it is like that in the church too.
Sermon Outline
- I. The Balance of Praise and Holiness
- A. Praise is not just about emotions, but about confessing our faith in the Lord
- B. Holiness is not just about living a good life, but about living a life that pleases God
- II. The Two Extremes in the Church
- A. One extreme: people who praise God with loud voices, but live unholy lives
- B. The other extreme: people who live holy lives, but lack a spirit of praise
- III. Following Jesus' Example
- A. Proclaiming the Father's Name
- B. Singing the Father's praise
- IV. The Importance of Praise in the Church
- A. Praise is not just for the individual, but for the body of Christ
- B. Praise is a way to honor God and bring glory to His Name
Key Quotes
“Those who are in the flesh cannot please God, no matter how emotionally they sing in 'tongues', or how loudly they praise the Lord.” — Zac Poonen
“Jesus is not only the Messenger of the Father Who brings His Word to us, but also the Praise-leader and the Song-leader in the church.” — Zac Poonen
“The testimony of Jesus alone is the spirit of all anointed prophecy (Rev.19:10).” — Zac Poonen
Application Points
- We must strive to balance praise and holiness in our lives, confessing our faith in the Lord and living a life that pleases God.
- We must follow Jesus' example in proclaiming the Father's Name and singing the Father's praise in the church.
- Praise is not just for the individual, but for the body of Christ, and it is a way to honor God and bring glory to His Name.