S1: Praise is fitted for God. He's the only one that
S1: deserves our praise. He's the only one that desires our praise.
S1: He's the only one that demands our praise. He's the
S1: only one that delights in our praise. And so here
S1: our God says we owe him praise.
S2: You're listening to Treasure Truth with pastor and author James Ford,
S2: junior senior pastor of the Christ Bible Church in Chicago.
S2: I'm Steve Hillard. Glad that you're with us. As today
S2: we begin a message entitled The Privilege of Worship. And, pastor,
S2: I want to start with maybe a definition of praise,
S2: because I know in our culture today, we encourage those
S2: in our lives who do a good job. Pastor preaches
S2: a good message after the service. I'm sure people come
S2: up to you and say, great job pastor. You really
S2: moved me today. In a sense, they've praised you. Our
S2: kids do something great at school. We come home and
S2: we say, man, I am so proud of you. You
S2: did a good job. In a sense, we praise them.
S2: But I just heard you say God is the only
S2: one who deserves our praise. So how does that fit?
S1: Uh, well, when we understand there are several words in
S1: Hebrew translated praise. And when you look at each definition, uh,
S1: you begin to understand this one, I believe, is the
S1: one that literally means to boast about someone. And really,
S1: God is the only one that deserves our praise. When
S1: you when you look at the Hebrew words, there are eight, uh,
S1: different Hebrew words may be off on that, a number
S1: or two, but I believe this one literally means to boast.
S1: And generally when you look at the word praise in
S1: the Bible, it talks about, uh, somebody who is worthy
S1: of something, uh, that they've cornered the market on. In
S1: other words, uh, it's just a proper response Bonds to
S1: the majesty of God and the magnitude of God. I mean,
S1: it's really a proper response. So, I mean, I think
S1: I like the examples that you've given. We ought to
S1: give thanks to individuals for what they do. You did
S1: a job well done. That's praise to. That's giving honor
S1: to whom honor is due. But we need to realize
S1: there is a category of praise that none of us fit.
S2: Okay.
S1: Only he fits it. Yeah. You see? And so that's
S1: what the psalmist is talking about. He wants us to understand. Yes. Listen,
S1: this kind of praise, it only goes to God. So
S1: he'll go in and delineate things like the grandeur of God. Creation.
S1: None of us create anything. Yeah. You know, like like, uh,
S1: ladies will say things like, oh, pastor, you got to
S1: have some of my cake. It's my creation. It is not.
S1: Of course I don't say that. Yeah. But it is not.
S1: You did not create the flower. You did not create
S1: the wheat from which the flower came. You did not
S1: create the seed from which the wheat came, from which
S1: the flower. All you did was just take something that
S1: God had made, and then you took the ingredients and
S1: you made something, but you didn't create anything. Do you
S1: understand what I'm saying? Only, God, you.
S2: Just reorganized it.
S1: The phrase. There you go, there you go. Only he
S1: gets the praise for creation. He's the only one that
S1: gets praise for our conversion. He's the only one that
S1: gets praise for our provision. And you know, those kind
S1: of things. So, uh, he's cornered the market on it,
S1: and we need to give him praise.
S2: All right, well, we're going to do that as we
S2: open up our Bibles to Psalm 65 and begin a
S2: message called The Privilege of Worship. Here's Pastor Ford.
S1: When I first came to South Shore Baptist Church, that's
S1: what we used to be. There were a couple brothers.
S1: I was a freshman at Moody and pastoring here. And
S1: there were two brothers who were seniors, and I respected
S1: them even though I was the pastor. I looked up
S1: to them because they were seniors, and I was a
S1: freshie at Moody. And one of them was named Brother
S1: Otis Agee. Brother Agee is in the presence of the
S1: Lord right now. Uh, but I'll never forget, uh, when
S1: I would call him at his home, here's what I
S1: would get. He would answer the phone. And at first
S1: I thought it was a voicemail. Uh, but it was him.
S1: And he would say, life is short. Death is sure.
S1: Sin is the problem. Christ is the cure. Jesus is
S1: the answer. So now what's your problem? That's how he
S1: answer his phone all the time. And so I just wait,
S1: you know, because I knew I'm going to have to
S1: hear it. You know, life is short. Death is sure.
S1: Sin is the problem. Christ is the cure. Jesus answered,
S1: now what's your problem? So I call him up and
S1: to my surprise, he says this. Brother Otis, can I
S1: help you? I said, what this brother Otis AG, can
S1: I help you? I said, what happened to life is short.
S1: Death is sure. Sin is the problem. Christ is the cure.
S1: Jesus is the answer. So now what's your problem? He said,
S1: I don't say that anymore. I say, why don't you
S1: say that anymore? He said, well, because of a call
S1: I got a couple weeks ago. I said, yeah. He said, yeah.
S1: I answered the phone like I always do. I said,
S1: life is short. Death is sure. Sin is the problem.
S1: Christ is the cure. Jesus is the answer. So now
S1: what's your problem? Only to hear Mr. AG, my problem
S1: is you ain't paid your car note in three months.
S1: And I just want to know, is Jesus the answer
S1: to that problem? He said, you owe us. And so
S1: I want to know. And I suggest that you ask
S1: Jesus to solve that problem real quick. And today he said,
S1: you want to know why today Mr. Agee and Otis said,
S1: I said, okay, tell me why today. He said, because
S1: life is short and death is sure. You owe us money.
S1: Repo is the cure. And so all of us can
S1: relate to that. We laugh at Brother Agee, uh, but
S1: all of us can relate to owing somebody. I ain't
S1: going to get no help. Anybody ever get a notice
S1: like this? Uh, notice of water service termination? Uh oh.
S1: Some of us are walking down memory lane right now. Uh, yeah.
S1: Last week. Memory lane? Yeah. Anybody ever get a red
S1: slip of paper with their gas bill? Uh, yeah. And
S1: and so how about this? You ever been watching Comcast
S1: or DirecTV and the screen goes snowy. And you get that.
S1: Notice that says code 486. And you call Comcast and
S1: you say, ah, I don't know what's going on. Uh,
S1: but I was right in the middle of the game.
S1: Y'all got to get this thing going quick. It was
S1: a what was the code, sir? Code 486. Oh, you
S1: ain't paid your bill. Would that be credit card or
S1: would you like to do it by bank transfer? Yeah,
S1: some of you know what I'm talking about, you know,
S1: and that's why we thank God for caller ID, because
S1: when JCPenney call, we let it go to voicemail. But
S1: when Macy's call, we let it go to voicemail. And
S1: y'all looking at me like, you don't know what I'm
S1: talking about. Oh, you know what I'm talking about. Hey, man.
S1: And it's like, you know, you look at it, you
S1: think about it. We even have family members that are
S1: ducking us. Yeah. Family members who don't come to family
S1: functions because they owe everybody money, and everybody has somebody
S1: who owes everybody in the family money. I'm telling you,
S1: think about it. You answer the phone. Hi. Hello. How.
S1: What's happening? They answer the phone. Let me hold something.
S1: You got anybody like that? My. My brother who I eulogized.
S1: He's with the Lord. He used to walk up the
S1: folk and say. Yo, let me hold a hot dollar.
S1: And so at his funeral, I put that in my sermon. Yeah,
S1: y'all know d because D is the only one who
S1: walk up to you and ask you for money. And
S1: the money was hot. Let me hold a hot dollar.
S1: And I said, in memory of my brother, let's all
S1: give his wife a hot dollar. And she got $428.
S1: That's a lot of hot dollars. Yeah. And so they're
S1: ducking you because they know they owe you and they owe.
S1: La dee lady, Dottie and everybody. And so if you
S1: can't think of a relative who owes everybody, maybe he's you.
S1: And so what happens here? I mean, come on, come on.
S1: Some of us have the seven dwarf theology. I owe,
S1: I owe, so it's off to work, I go. Yeah.
S1: That's it. I mean, there's only three kinds of people
S1: in the world today. The haves, the have nots, and
S1: the have not paid for what they have. Yeah. That's it.
S1: And so we old folk and we want to we
S1: want to pay them back. Don't you really want to
S1: pay them back? Liar, liar. Pants on fire. If you'd
S1: have caught me last week. Man, oh, man, the eagle flew,
S1: I had it. But, man, you should have called me. Yeah.
S1: And so. And so we. Oh. But I don't care
S1: who we. Oh. Even if we could pay everybody off.
S1: There's one debt we can never pay. We owe. God. Yeah. Yeah. Listen,
S1: you owe God, and you can't pay God back with money. Yeah.
S1: You can't write God a cheque and pay him off. Yeah,
S1: he doesn't take American Express, visa, Mastercard or link card. See,
S1: you can't give him anything to pay your debt because
S1: he already owns everything. Psalm 24 one the earth is
S1: the Lord's and the fullness thereof the world, and they
S1: that dwell therein. Remember, we talk about it all the time.
S1: I watch cowboys all the time, and they take 6000
S1: head of cattle from Texas to Missouri. But God doesn't
S1: count his by the head. He counts his by the heels.
S1: I got cattle on a thousand hills. The earth is mine.
S1: The gold is mine. The silver is mine. God said
S1: I own everything. Even y'all. Behind. Amen. Mm. And so
S1: you can't play him in clothes because he's arrayed in
S1: resplendent effulgent glory. Uh, that he is brilliant. Light emanates
S1: from him. And the Bible says Isaiah saw him high
S1: and lifted up. And his train. What's the train? The
S1: train is the back part of the king's robe that
S1: hits the ground. And the Isaiah said, he's filled the
S1: whole earth. So what can you give God to pay
S1: him off? I gotta come get you because you don't
S1: believe me yet. Yeah, but you and I. Oh, God.
S1: According to Psalm 65 one, praise waiteth for thee. That is,
S1: praise is fitted for God. He's the only one that
S1: deserves our praise. He's the only one that deserves our praise.
S1: He's the only one that demands our praise. He's the
S1: only one that delights in our praise. And so here
S1: our God says we owe him praise. You don't think
S1: you do. Because while we were yet sinners, Christ died
S1: for us. You owe God. Jesus let you live with
S1: something that took everybody else out. You owe God that
S1: every time Jesus looked beyond your faults and saw your needs,
S1: you owe God. He put up with your mess and
S1: gave you what you know you didn't deserve. You owe God,
S1: your children, or your spouse left the house every day
S1: last week and came home in the afternoon. You owe God.
S1: You went to bed last night and you got up
S1: this morning. You owe God. You got health in your body,
S1: strength in your body. You owe God. You got some
S1: sense in your head. You Oh, God, you got Jesus
S1: in your heart. You. Oh, God.
S2: You're listening to Treasure Truth with Pastor Ford, really helping
S2: us take a look at why we worship and the
S2: privilege that it is from Psalm 65. We're going to
S2: get back to this teaching in just a moment. If
S2: you want to make sure you don't miss a future broadcast,
S2: come to our website. Sign up to begin podcasting this program.
S2: Just stop by Treasure Truth radio.org. While you're there, spend
S2: a little time, check out the site. See all the
S2: things we have for you at the website. Treasure Truth Radio.
S2: Let's get back to the message. Here's Pastor Ford.
S1: Hey, you. Oh, God. And here's what this psalmist says.
S1: He doesn't want your Mastercard or your link card. There's
S1: only one way you pay him. God will take praise. See,
S1: it says praise awaits you. Now the word awaits literally
S1: means silence. Praise is silent for you. And I like
S1: what Warren Wiersbe said. That doesn't make sense. But you
S1: got to go back to a better etymology of the word.
S1: He translated this way praise is fitting for you. It's
S1: a vow that I owe you. So he's saying, in essence,
S1: I owe you praise. And so the Hebrew word tehila
S1: say tehila is a word that's very powerful. Let me
S1: read what it means. It means to Lord God. It
S1: means to praise him in a hymn or a song.
S1: Let me read it. I want to read it. Here's
S1: what it says. This word is a noun derived from
S1: the verb Hillel. Hillel is from which the word Hallelujah!
S1: That's right, which connotes listen to this genuine appreciation for
S1: the great actions and or character of its object. It
S1: is used especially of the adoration and thanksgiving that humanity
S1: renders to God. I will bless the Lord at all times,
S1: and his praise shall continually be in my mouth. By extension,
S1: it also represents the character of God that deserves praise.
S1: So that what he's saying, and this is, is that
S1: we need to understand that by the very word, it
S1: lets us know that we owe God praise. I wonder
S1: because let me, let me, let me turn to it.
S1: I wasn't going to turn to it, but that's okay. Uh.
S1: Psalm 116 listen to what Psalm one 1612 through 14 says.
S1: Here's what it says. It says, what shall I render
S1: unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? I
S1: will take the cup of salvation and call upon the
S1: name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto
S1: the Lord now in the presence of all his people.
S1: You see what he's saying? He said, how can I
S1: pay God back? I owe God, and I need to
S1: pay God. And that Psalm, he lists four things. We'll
S1: go there. But he says, I have to accept his pardon.
S1: I have to approach him in prayer. I have to
S1: adore him in praise, and I have to acknowledge him publicly.
S1: Let me say it again. Acknowledge him Publicly. So what
S1: is praise going on here today? It is where individually
S1: he been blessing you all week. And so now in
S1: the midst of the congregation, you want to come and
S1: give God some praise. Hey, I wonder how many of
S1: you came to pay a bill this morning? And understand
S1: you can't pay all that you owe in one payment,
S1: but you gotta make weekly installments. So every Sunday you
S1: coming in to make a payment to pray that God
S1: to let God know that you're grateful and you pay
S1: him with your praise. Oh, excuse me, let me pay
S1: my bill. Thank you Jesus, I love you. Hallelujah. You're
S1: worthy to be praised. Nobody like you make a way
S1: out of no way. Hallelujah! My wife is sick, but
S1: she ain't dead. Hallelujah! I give you praise. My wife
S1: is sick yet she ate this morning. Hallelujah. My wife
S1: is sick, but she walked to the bathroom. Hallelujah. My
S1: wife is sick, but she put on some clothes. Hallelujah.
S1: My wife is sick, but she still got on that
S1: altar and met with you. I give you praise. Yeah,
S1: I'm praising him. You want to know why? Say why?
S1: Cuz I want a 850 Fico praise score. And if
S1: I come in and I don't praise him, my credit
S1: score goes down. Some of you down at zero. Because
S1: you don't never open your mouth and say thank you
S1: in the congregation. You don't never raise a hand. You
S1: don't never stand and clap. You don't ever give God
S1: praise the way God said, give him praise. Now give
S1: him some praise. Amen. Mhm. Yeah. And that's what this
S1: Psalm is all about. It's written by the sweet psalmist David. And, uh,
S1: of course we know, uh, that, uh, most scholars tell
S1: us it was written, uh, to commemorate the Feast of Tabernacles. Now,
S1: what was that? Feast of Tabernacles, where, uh, the people
S1: of Israel would celebrate the Feast of Sukkoth. Say Sukkoth.
S1: And it means booths. That is, that even when they
S1: were from Egypt and between Egypt and the Promised Land.
S1: God gave them tents or booths that even when they
S1: were homeless, they weren't hopeless because God always provides. Come on,
S1: I got some folk in here. He always provides. It's
S1: not the Marriott, but you got a roof over your head. Yeah,
S1: it's not the Marriott, but you got food on your table.
S1: It's not the Marriott, but you can hook up with
S1: Jesus every day. Yeah. Mm. Yeah. And so then it
S1: would be at the conclusion of the fall Festival. It
S1: would last eight days. And it also commemorated the final harvest.
S1: They bring in the rest of the grain. And they
S1: thank God for the early rain, March, April. That made
S1: the ground soft enough to put the seed. And then
S1: the latter rain, September, October, where the crops would grow.
S1: And now it is at the end of the festival
S1: and they are celebrating. Alright, where's my cell phone? Let me,
S1: let me go ahead. And I'm going to send God
S1: a snapshot of our worship so he can make a comparison.
S1: And so listen, if we know we owe God worship,
S1: then we will understand as a privilege. That's our thing.
S1: That's our thing. Hey, do you know, because we have
S1: a God who embraces us, we know we owe God.
S1: We know worship is a privilege because verse one, we
S1: can come into his presence. Oh, you, you, you, you
S1: making light of that. Listen to what he says. Praise
S1: Waiteth for thee, oh God, in Zion, and unto thee
S1: shall the vow be performed. What's he talking about here? Yeah,
S1: he's saying, listen. Praise belongs to you. It's fit for you.
S1: It's custom made for you. It was designed for you.
S1: You and you are the only one that's worthy of
S1: all of our praise. Because you, God, let us come
S1: into your presence. You know, sometimes what I do is
S1: I will go places and I'll say to people, I say,
S1: I'm glad to be your guest speaker. And, uh, you know,
S1: like Janet Jackson told her last husband, don't worry. I
S1: ain't going to keep you long. And then I'll say, but,
S1: you know, if you really knew me who it is
S1: that's speaking to you, you wouldn't have let me come
S1: up in here. But if I knew who I was
S1: speaking to, I wouldn't have came up in here either. Now, listen.
S1: And this is what I will share with them. We
S1: even look at it sometimes with ourselves and say, that
S1: person ain't worthy to come into my circle, or I
S1: ain't worthy to go in that person's circle. But yet
S1: we have a God where none of us are worthy,
S1: that invites us to come into his presence.
S2: That is a humbling thought, isn't it? You're listening to
S2: Treasure Truth with Pastor Ford, who's helping us rethink the
S2: way we worship, to see it as a privilege, not
S2: just something that we have to get through on a
S2: Sunday morning. Well, you can find more teaching when you
S2: come to our website. Just stop by Treasure Truth radio.org. Well,
S2: let me ask you a question. How's your marriage? If
S2: you were to rate it on a scale of 1
S2: to 10, would it be near the top or somewhere
S2: at the bottom? And if you're a ten, what if
S2: you could go past ten and grow your marriage in
S2: ways that you never imagined? Well, Pastor Ford has written
S2: a book called Seven Reasons Why God Created Marriage. It's
S2: an in-depth look at the biblical foundations of a relationship
S2: between a husband and a wife. And when you give
S2: a donation to Treasure Truth, we're going to send you
S2: the book. You can read it on your own with
S2: your spouse, or even start a small group and discuss
S2: it with each other. Hold each other accountable. Request seven
S2: reasons why God created marriage when he call us at
S2: 888644 7660 or go online to Treasure Truth Radio.com. You
S2: can also write us and drop a check in the mail.
S2: Our address is Treasure Truth, 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago,
S2: Illinois 606 ten. No, marriage isn't something you should take lightly.
S2: God created man and woman to be husband and wife
S2: from the very beginning. And marriage is the bedrock not
S2: only of the family, but also of society itself. So
S2: give a donation and request seven reasons why God created marriage. Again,
S2: our phone number is 888644 7660 or go online to
S2: Treasure Truth radio.org. Well, Treasure Truth is a production of
S2: Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.