WEBVTT - Have You Gone Public with Your Praise?, Part 1 0:00:01.000 --> 0:00:03.320 Have you gone public? Have you come to the place 0:00:03.320 --> 0:00:07.720 where everybody knows that you are not ashamed to praise 0:00:07.720 --> 0:00:11.639 the Lord? To lift them up anywhere, anytime, for any 0:00:11.640 --> 0:00:14.600 reason at all in front of anybody? 0:00:21.960 --> 0:00:24.720 You're listening to Treasure Truth with pastor and author James 0:00:24.720 --> 0:00:27.720 Ford Jr, senior pastor of the Christ Bible Church in Chicago. 0:00:27.760 --> 0:00:29.640 I'm Steve Heller. Glad you're with us today. As we 0:00:29.640 --> 0:00:33.800 begin a message called, have you gone Public with your Praise? 0:00:33.840 --> 0:00:36.839 And pastor, why would it be so important for a 0:00:36.840 --> 0:00:38.480 Christian to do just that? 0:00:38.520 --> 0:00:44.080 John 1232 and I, even if I be lifted up, 0:00:44.080 --> 0:00:47.600 will draw all men unto me. It's in red letters 0:00:47.600 --> 0:00:50.960 in my Bible, which means Jesus said it. But of 0:00:50.960 --> 0:00:53.760 course I think the whole Bible should be red letter then, 0:00:53.760 --> 0:00:58.280 because the living word is the one who dictated to 0:00:58.320 --> 0:01:01.640 men the written word. So. But yeah, That's it. If 0:01:01.640 --> 0:01:04.800 I be lifted up and listen, all we have to 0:01:04.800 --> 0:01:07.320 do is lift them up. He does the drawing. 0:01:07.360 --> 0:01:07.640 Sure. 0:01:07.680 --> 0:01:10.160 Yeah. So we don't have to try to convince anybody 0:01:10.160 --> 0:01:12.360 or anything of that nature. All we gotta do is 0:01:12.360 --> 0:01:14.560 lift up the name of Jesus. 0:01:14.840 --> 0:01:17.559 So when you say that for the person who's not 0:01:17.560 --> 0:01:20.240 familiar with that term, lift up the name of Jesus. 0:01:20.400 --> 0:01:23.160 Maybe we got someone who doesn't know Jesus listening today. 0:01:23.160 --> 0:01:25.600 Or a baby Christian. They're saying, what does that even mean? 0:01:25.640 --> 0:01:30.119 Share your faith in Jesus if you have been saved. Uh, 0:01:30.160 --> 0:01:34.240 it's old, trite, but true. You're just one beggar telling 0:01:34.240 --> 0:01:37.840 another beggar where to find bread. It's just the gospel message. 0:01:37.840 --> 0:01:40.880 What is it? First Corinthians 15 three and four. For 0:01:40.880 --> 0:01:44.280 I delivered unto you that which I also received, how 0:01:44.280 --> 0:01:47.720 that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scripture 0:01:47.720 --> 0:01:50.120 that he was buried, and that he rose again the 0:01:50.120 --> 0:01:53.160 third day according to the Scripture. That's our message. Yeah. 0:01:53.200 --> 0:01:56.200 That's it. That's why it's called the gospel, which literally 0:01:56.200 --> 0:01:58.520 means good news. It's the good news. 0:01:58.560 --> 0:02:02.360 Yeah, yeah. My pastor just recently finished a five part 0:02:02.400 --> 0:02:04.880 series on that, and just hammering home the fact that 0:02:04.880 --> 0:02:06.520 this is good news and all we have to do, 0:02:06.520 --> 0:02:08.960 like you were just saying, is share it. That's all. 0:02:08.960 --> 0:02:11.320 That's it. It's not our job to try and save 0:02:11.320 --> 0:02:13.440 any souls to, you know, all we got to do 0:02:13.480 --> 0:02:14.119 is open our mouths. 0:02:14.360 --> 0:02:17.440 Anyone? Because, you know, some of you who are listening 0:02:17.480 --> 0:02:20.679 walk away thinking, I could have said this. Why didn't 0:02:20.680 --> 0:02:23.880 I say this? Listen. D.L. Moody said it best. The 0:02:23.880 --> 0:02:26.280 Word of God is like a lion. You don't have 0:02:26.280 --> 0:02:27.839 to defend it. All you got to do is let 0:02:27.840 --> 0:02:29.320 it go. Just give them the word. 0:02:29.320 --> 0:02:31.720 That's it. Well, let's get into the word right now. 0:02:31.720 --> 0:02:34.560 We're in Psalm 34. As we begin the message. Have 0:02:34.560 --> 0:02:37.840 you gone public with your praise? Here's Pastor Ford. 0:02:38.520 --> 0:02:42.880 Everybody done come out of the closet. But Christians, we're 0:02:42.880 --> 0:02:50.120 undercover Christians, secret agent Christians. I know folk ain't praising 0:02:50.120 --> 0:02:53.119 him on the job, and I know they're not praising 0:02:53.120 --> 0:02:56.520 him in the neighborhood. And I know they're not praising 0:02:56.520 --> 0:03:00.000 him wherever they are because they don't praise him in church. 0:03:04.470 --> 0:03:08.190 Don't praise him in church. And so have you gone public? 0:03:08.190 --> 0:03:10.390 Have you come out of the closet? Have you come 0:03:10.389 --> 0:03:13.430 to the place where everybody knows that you are not 0:03:13.430 --> 0:03:18.590 ashamed to praise the Lord, to lift him up anywhere, anytime, 0:03:18.990 --> 0:03:25.510 for any reason at all in front of anybody? See, 0:03:25.510 --> 0:03:27.750 if you're appraiser, just wave your hand in the air 0:03:28.190 --> 0:03:30.630 and wave it like you just don't care. Because if 0:03:30.669 --> 0:03:33.390 you're a real appraiser, guess what? This ain't even for you. 0:03:33.389 --> 0:03:35.630 Because you say to me, pastor, I don't need to 0:03:35.630 --> 0:03:38.310 come out of closet. I ain't never been in. From 0:03:38.310 --> 0:03:41.830 the moment I accepted Jesus Christ, I am not ashamed 0:03:41.830 --> 0:03:44.190 of the gospel of Christ, for it's the power of 0:03:44.190 --> 0:03:48.390 God unto salvation to everybody who believes. I was glad 0:03:48.390 --> 0:03:51.070 when they said unto me, let us come into the 0:03:51.070 --> 0:03:54.270 house of the Lord. And so I came to make 0:03:54.270 --> 0:03:59.270 a joyful noise unto the Lord. So now I ain't 0:03:59.270 --> 0:04:01.830 in no closet. I don't need to come out because 0:04:01.830 --> 0:04:05.750 I praise him wherever I am. I don't play church. 0:04:05.790 --> 0:04:09.750 I am the church. And you and I know there's 0:04:09.750 --> 0:04:13.190 power in praise. Have you read your scripture? You open 0:04:13.190 --> 0:04:16.429 your Bible and you'll see there's power in praise. Acts 0:04:16.430 --> 0:04:19.550 16 Paul and Silas are in jail now. They're not 0:04:19.550 --> 0:04:22.229 in jail because they didn't pay their child support. They're 0:04:22.230 --> 0:04:26.030 not in jail because they violated their order of protection. 0:04:26.270 --> 0:04:29.510 They're not in jail because they were pushing crack. They're 0:04:29.510 --> 0:04:32.510 in jail because they were preaching Christ. You heard that before. 0:04:32.790 --> 0:04:35.670 And so they didn't call Johnnie Cochran. Guess what they did. 0:04:35.670 --> 0:04:38.469 Paul said, my name starts with P. I'll pray your 0:04:38.470 --> 0:04:41.470 name starts with S. You sing. And so Silas starts 0:04:41.470 --> 0:04:46.029 singing and Paul start praying and praise turn a jailhouse 0:04:46.029 --> 0:04:49.109 into a worship house. And they were set free by 0:04:49.110 --> 0:04:52.550 the power of prayer. I can imagine them now, Silas said. 0:04:52.550 --> 0:04:54.270 I don't know what to sing. He said, come on, 0:04:54.270 --> 0:04:58.430 just sing something. Your name starts with it. Victory is mine. 0:04:58.630 --> 0:05:04.790 Victory is mine. Victory! Today is mine! All the prisoners now. 0:05:04.830 --> 0:05:08.190 Is hearing. What's this noise coming out of there? Get 0:05:08.190 --> 0:05:11.990 thee behind victory today! Then all of a sudden, the 0:05:11.990 --> 0:05:16.029 bars got happy. Victory! And then all of a sudden, 0:05:16.029 --> 0:05:22.990 they just fell down. Prostrate to God. Whoo! And so 0:05:22.990 --> 0:05:27.110 what happened? Praise turned to jailhouse into a church house. 0:05:27.230 --> 0:05:29.070 And I submit to you, if you study the passage, 0:05:29.070 --> 0:05:31.510 here's what you'll find. They stayed in jail longer than 0:05:31.510 --> 0:05:33.190 they had to. How do you know that, Pastor Ford? 0:05:33.230 --> 0:05:38.590 Because what got him out of jail? Praise. That's what the. Read, read, 0:05:38.589 --> 0:05:40.469 read it, I ain't telling. Look, look, I ain't telling 0:05:40.470 --> 0:05:43.870 you no lies. Read it. Acts 16. They start praising them, 0:05:43.870 --> 0:05:46.630 and God released them from the jail. But what time 0:05:46.630 --> 0:05:49.390 they go to jail? 6 p.m.. What time they start 0:05:49.390 --> 0:05:52.429 praising round bout midnight. How many hours is that? Six 0:05:52.430 --> 0:05:55.150 hours a day. That started six hours earlier. They'd have 0:05:55.150 --> 0:05:58.589 been released earlier. Maybe there is some of you who 0:05:58.589 --> 0:06:02.670 are bound because you don't know how to praise. Amen. Amen. 0:06:02.710 --> 0:06:05.390 And so they were set free. Look what happened. Children 0:06:05.390 --> 0:06:09.469 of Israel, walls of Jericho. No bulldozer, no wrecking ball. 0:06:09.470 --> 0:06:13.230 But the dynamite of praise blew down the wall. God 0:06:13.230 --> 0:06:16.070 said walk around seventh day seven times and then shout. 0:06:16.110 --> 0:06:21.270 And when they shouted unto the Lord, Hallelujah! The walls 0:06:21.270 --> 0:06:25.270 came down. And so a fortress was turned into a freeway. 0:06:25.470 --> 0:06:28.030 Because the Bible says. They walked up on the wall 0:06:28.029 --> 0:06:30.910 into the city. So the wall didn't fall out. The 0:06:30.910 --> 0:06:33.430 wall fell in because God want to make sure even 0:06:33.430 --> 0:06:35.790 when I deliver you, I'm going to make sure it's 0:06:35.790 --> 0:06:38.310 easier for you to walk up in that city. I'm 0:06:38.310 --> 0:06:41.870 telling you, that's the power of praise. Praise turned a 0:06:41.870 --> 0:06:45.950 war into a worship service where Jehoshaphat had three enemies. 0:06:45.950 --> 0:06:47.469 And he said, here's what I want you to do. 0:06:47.510 --> 0:06:50.590 Put the choir in front. And the choir began to 0:06:50.630 --> 0:06:53.830 sing it. It says, as they praised him. In the 0:06:53.830 --> 0:06:58.350 midst of all the praise, the enemy was defeated. There's 0:06:58.350 --> 0:07:00.790 power in praise now don't look at me funny, because 0:07:00.790 --> 0:07:03.990 David says the same thing. He says, in essence, in 0:07:03.990 --> 0:07:07.550 this 34th Psalm, the Lord must be praised for who 0:07:07.550 --> 0:07:10.790 he is, not just for what he has done, so 0:07:10.790 --> 0:07:14.910 that everybody knows that our praise is not conditioned by 0:07:14.910 --> 0:07:20.230 our condition. Mhm. See, praise has the power to lift 0:07:20.230 --> 0:07:25.030 you above fear and circumstances, and it lets everybody know. Look, 0:07:25.190 --> 0:07:29.310 I don't have to have things as long as I 0:07:29.310 --> 0:07:33.870 have him. I will rejoice in him because when I 0:07:33.870 --> 0:07:38.150 have him, I have everything I need. We have to 0:07:38.150 --> 0:07:41.670 go public with our praise Saints. I'm serious about this. Now, 0:07:41.710 --> 0:07:44.110 let me give you the con. Before I give you 0:07:44.110 --> 0:07:46.350 the content. You gotta study. And then, like I say 0:07:46.350 --> 0:07:48.230 all the time, if you won't come to Bible study, 0:07:48.230 --> 0:07:50.990 I'll bring the Bible study to you. Psalm 34. Look 0:07:50.990 --> 0:07:53.510 at it. Look at your app or your or your Bible. 0:07:53.910 --> 0:07:57.350 It is. Notice it has a superscription. What's that? Uh, right. 0:07:57.350 --> 0:07:59.110 Before you get to the first verse, here's what it 0:07:59.110 --> 0:08:02.070 says a Psalm of David when he changed his behavior 0:08:02.070 --> 0:08:05.950 before Abimelech, who drove him away and he departed. Now 0:08:05.950 --> 0:08:08.790 he's given us the context of why David wrote it. 0:08:08.790 --> 0:08:10.550 So if you don't know why he wrote it, it 0:08:10.550 --> 0:08:12.830 won't make the impact on you that it should. But 0:08:12.830 --> 0:08:15.670 when you know he wrote this when he went to Abimelech, 0:08:15.870 --> 0:08:20.310 feigning that he was insane, running from Saul, going to 0:08:20.310 --> 0:08:23.790 the enemies of God and the people of God to 0:08:23.830 --> 0:08:28.230 get help. Mhm. And so he it's found in first 0:08:28.230 --> 0:08:32.670 Samuel 2110 through 15. And it is acrostic psalm, say 0:08:32.670 --> 0:08:35.590 acrostic psalm. Say what is that Pastor Ford. There are 0:08:35.590 --> 0:08:39.870 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet. And he uses all 22. 0:08:39.870 --> 0:08:43.150 There are 22 verses. So he starts it off with uh, 0:08:43.190 --> 0:08:46.470 a and a Beth and then all the way down 0:08:46.510 --> 0:08:49.030 until he gets to the end of the alphabet. So 0:08:49.070 --> 0:08:53.870 each verse starts with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet 0:08:53.910 --> 0:08:56.790 in order. Now there's meaning to the madness. Why does 0:08:56.790 --> 0:09:01.860 he do that? He gives you a literation ration for memorization. 0:09:01.860 --> 0:09:04.740 That's why I do it. You say everything you do, pastor, 0:09:04.740 --> 0:09:07.780 is alliterated. If it's not alliterated at the beginning, it's 0:09:07.780 --> 0:09:10.140 alliterated at the end. Why do you do that? Because 0:09:10.140 --> 0:09:12.380 I'm getting old. It's hard to remember. And I can 0:09:12.380 --> 0:09:16.220 remember all P's, all R's, all S's, and so can 0:09:16.220 --> 0:09:20.860 you R. And so remember now this is a song. 0:09:21.300 --> 0:09:24.220 And when you look at it, I want to remind 0:09:24.220 --> 0:09:30.260 you that Leviticus was the worship handbook. The Psalms is 0:09:30.260 --> 0:09:35.660 the worship songbook and revelation is the worship picture book. Okay. 0:09:35.660 --> 0:09:38.740 Let me bring it together for you, Leviticus. You have 0:09:38.740 --> 0:09:41.020 to know it in your mind. This is how God 0:09:41.020 --> 0:09:45.219 prescribed worship. Worship is prescribed. That is, you don't get 0:09:45.220 --> 0:09:48.660 to decide how you want to worship God. God tells 0:09:48.660 --> 0:09:51.819 you how he wants you to worship him. Ergo, if 0:09:51.820 --> 0:09:54.980 you don't worship God the way God says worship him, 0:09:54.980 --> 0:10:00.660 then you're not really worshiping God. Then Psalms, You sing 0:10:00.660 --> 0:10:03.020 it in your heart. So Leviticus know it in your mind, 0:10:03.059 --> 0:10:05.580 sing it in your heart. And revelation gives us the 0:10:05.580 --> 0:10:08.620 picture of worship so we can store it in our mind. 0:10:08.620 --> 0:10:11.180 So when you go to revelation chapter four. Chapter five, 0:10:11.220 --> 0:10:13.900 you see in revelation chapter four the worship of the 0:10:13.900 --> 0:10:17.540 father for creation. Chapter five the worship of the son 0:10:17.540 --> 0:10:21.620 for Calvary. And you see them giving him glory and honor. 0:10:21.620 --> 0:10:24.700 And he says, listen, uh, we wanted to be on 0:10:24.700 --> 0:10:28.140 earth as it is in heaven, in heaven there shouting, 0:10:28.140 --> 0:10:31.059 and there's joy in the presence of God in heaven. 0:10:31.059 --> 0:10:34.699 There's a Amen and a hallelujah for the Lord in heaven. 0:10:34.700 --> 0:10:41.300 Somebody dancing, somebody singing, somebody shouting in heaven. My only 0:10:41.300 --> 0:10:48.500 question is what's going on down here on earth? And 0:10:48.500 --> 0:10:53.500 so David praises God because God gave him what he 0:10:53.500 --> 0:10:57.060 needed and not what he deserved. You know why he 0:10:57.059 --> 0:11:02.140 wrote this? Because he was wrong. But God only did 0:11:02.140 --> 0:11:06.380 him right that he was in a mess. But God 0:11:06.420 --> 0:11:09.580 turned into a message. Okay, let me see if I 0:11:09.580 --> 0:11:16.100 can get you to connect. If you lived the way 0:11:16.100 --> 0:11:19.020 you were supposed to live when you left here last 0:11:19.020 --> 0:11:22.740 Sunday to this Sunday, and you never sinned and you 0:11:22.740 --> 0:11:26.220 never did anything wrong. And you never thought a wrong. 0:11:26.260 --> 0:11:28.540 You never did a wrong. Then you could just sit 0:11:28.540 --> 0:11:31.180 there and just look at me. But if God has 0:11:31.179 --> 0:11:35.100 forgiven you of something he has provided for you, he's 0:11:35.100 --> 0:11:38.740 put clothes on your back, food on your table. If 0:11:38.740 --> 0:11:42.380 God has put a roof over your head. He didn't 0:11:42.380 --> 0:11:45.740 say that he had to do that, but he did that. 0:11:46.220 --> 0:11:48.460 Look at all the things you thought about. I just 0:11:48.460 --> 0:11:50.219 leave it with me. Look at all the things I 0:11:50.260 --> 0:11:52.180 thought I shouldn't have thought. Look at all the things 0:11:52.179 --> 0:11:54.140 I said I shouldn't have said. Look at all the 0:11:54.140 --> 0:11:56.380 things I did. I shouldn't, did. But yet I was 0:11:56.380 --> 0:11:59.060 able to walk in here under my own power. He 0:11:59.059 --> 0:12:02.140 gave me mercy. He gave me grace. He allowed me 0:12:02.140 --> 0:12:04.939 to come and talk to you today. I got to 0:12:04.940 --> 0:12:13.699 give him praise. I have to, I have to, because 0:12:13.700 --> 0:12:18.020 unlike you, I got issues and I struggle with them. 0:12:18.460 --> 0:12:20.740 And every time he. I don't get a lightning bolt 0:12:20.780 --> 0:12:26.459 out of heaven. I quote Romans chapter two. Don't you 0:12:26.460 --> 0:12:30.100 know that the goodness and forbearance of God is designed 0:12:30.100 --> 0:12:34.220 to lead you to repentance? But God ain't looking over it. 0:12:35.100 --> 0:12:36.780 God is saying, alright, I'm going to give you one 0:12:36.780 --> 0:12:42.020 more chance. Imma give you one more chance. And I'm 0:12:42.020 --> 0:12:44.100 here today. You don't want to know why? Because he 0:12:44.100 --> 0:12:48.260 gave me one more chance. And so I gotta thank you. 0:12:51.100 --> 0:12:53.980 Well, I hope that's our attitude as well. God has 0:12:53.980 --> 0:12:57.300 given us one more chance and one more chance and 0:12:57.300 --> 0:12:59.620 one more chance. And as a result of that, I 0:12:59.620 --> 0:13:03.860 think it's natural to go public with your praise. That's 0:13:03.860 --> 0:13:06.900 what this current message is all about. We're looking at 0:13:06.900 --> 0:13:10.059 Psalm 34 today. If you're just joining us, you can 0:13:10.059 --> 0:13:13.660 always come to our website, Treasure Truth Radio org. There 0:13:13.660 --> 0:13:16.179 you can listen to each and every program in its entirety, 0:13:16.179 --> 0:13:17.700 or go back and listen to ones that you may 0:13:17.700 --> 0:13:22.980 have missed. Again, it's treasure truth radio. Let's get back 0:13:22.980 --> 0:13:26.020 to our look at Psalm 34. Once again, here is 0:13:26.020 --> 0:13:26.939 Pastor Ford. 0:13:27.700 --> 0:13:32.860 See, he did it as alliteration, the Hebrew alphabet as 0:13:32.860 --> 0:13:34.660 an aid to memory. Okay, I gotta come get y'all, 0:13:34.700 --> 0:13:37.420 because I know what you're saying. Nah, we just don't 0:13:37.420 --> 0:13:42.860 work that way. Okay? The best part of waking up is. 0:13:46.980 --> 0:13:51.820 How you know that they haven't used that in ten, 0:13:51.820 --> 0:13:59.420 15 years, but you know that. Oh, you deserve a 0:13:59.420 --> 0:14:13.140 break today. Now you know why I know it. I 0:14:13.140 --> 0:14:15.900 got my mind on my fist sandwich and my fist 0:14:15.900 --> 0:14:24.100 sandwich on my mind right now. A number eight. But 0:14:24.100 --> 0:14:28.020 they haven't sung that one in at least 15 years. 0:14:28.420 --> 0:14:31.420 You see what's happening here? What happened? You begin to 0:14:31.420 --> 0:14:34.780 hear it, and it began to inculcate itself in your memory. 0:14:34.780 --> 0:14:37.900 So now you can regurgitate it. It's long gone. Nobody's 0:14:37.900 --> 0:14:40.060 using it again. But it's become so much a part 0:14:40.060 --> 0:14:42.460 of you. All I have to say is five, 82, 0:14:42.500 --> 0:14:46.460 300 and everybody says Empire. That's what David is talking 0:14:46.460 --> 0:14:48.980 about here, that that's the way praise ought to be. 0:14:49.020 --> 0:14:51.820 It ought to be innate. It ought to be something 0:14:52.140 --> 0:14:55.460 that when somebody says, Jesus died for us, if Jesus 0:14:55.460 --> 0:14:58.380 died for you, Amen. Uh, yeah. That he covered me 0:14:58.380 --> 0:15:01.250 with his blood. If he covered cover you with his blood. Amen. 0:15:01.410 --> 0:15:05.530 I mean, it's a natural response of what God has 0:15:05.530 --> 0:15:09.010 done for us. David feigned madness to get out of 0:15:09.010 --> 0:15:11.330 his trouble, and he says, I'm out of my trouble, 0:15:11.330 --> 0:15:15.090 but not because of my astuteness, but because of his authority, 0:15:15.130 --> 0:15:18.930 not because of my obstinacy, but because of his omnipotence. 0:15:18.970 --> 0:15:22.729 Not because of my skill, but his will. David praises 0:15:22.730 --> 0:15:26.290 God because God gave him what he needed and not 0:15:26.330 --> 0:15:32.450 what he deserved. David's saying, even when I was acting 0:15:33.130 --> 0:15:38.210 not in faith, God was still faithful because he cannot 0:15:38.210 --> 0:15:41.610 deny himself. Now let me let me just give you 0:15:41.610 --> 0:15:44.050 a little bit of teaching here. Y'all don't mind the Bible, 0:15:44.050 --> 0:15:49.090 do you? In verses one through ten is a natural break, 0:15:49.090 --> 0:15:52.170 and then 11 through 22 is the second division. There 0:15:52.210 --> 0:15:54.450 are two divisions, or what we would call two choruses 0:15:54.450 --> 0:15:58.210 to this psalm and one through ten. It's the praise 0:15:58.210 --> 0:16:03.130 portion of it. in 11 through 22. It's the proclamation 0:16:03.130 --> 0:16:07.489 part of it in one through ten. It's a song, 0:16:08.050 --> 0:16:11.810 but in 11 through 22 it's a sermon, and one 0:16:11.850 --> 0:16:18.330 through ten it's a devotional. But in 11 through 22 0:16:18.730 --> 0:16:24.050 it is doctrinal. And then finally, in one through ten, 0:16:24.090 --> 0:16:27.530 the focus is the grace of God. In 11 through 22, 0:16:27.570 --> 0:16:29.850 the focus is the government of God. Now let me 0:16:29.850 --> 0:16:31.130 put it together for you so you can see what 0:16:31.170 --> 0:16:34.850 David is doing. David is saying he, give me grace. 0:16:35.290 --> 0:16:38.050 And so what I want to do is give him government. 0:16:38.050 --> 0:16:40.610 In other words, since he's given me the grace of God, 0:16:40.610 --> 0:16:42.690 I want to tell you he's in charge of my 0:16:42.690 --> 0:16:46.010 life since he gave me a song in my heart. 0:16:46.010 --> 0:16:49.250 I'm going to preach you the sermon. And whenever God 0:16:49.290 --> 0:16:53.050 has had me in devotions, I want to give you doctrine. 0:16:53.050 --> 0:16:55.530 That's what David is saying. He's saying, listen, if you're 0:16:55.530 --> 0:16:58.130 going to go public with your praise, you need these things. 0:16:58.130 --> 0:17:00.930 Let's drop em. Let's not push them, clothe ourselves with 0:17:00.930 --> 0:17:03.410 them and go on and let me get my number eight. 0:17:04.730 --> 0:17:08.410 Here's the elements. Here's the first one. Your praise must 0:17:08.410 --> 0:17:11.770 be personal. Mm. I know you like that one. See, 0:17:11.770 --> 0:17:14.010 that's what I've been talking about. Just because they run, 0:17:14.010 --> 0:17:16.170 that don't mean I gotta run. Just because they holler 0:17:16.170 --> 0:17:18.570 don't mean I have to holler. Shoot this personal. Yes 0:17:18.570 --> 0:17:20.770 it is. Notice what he says. I will bless the 0:17:20.770 --> 0:17:23.490 Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in 0:17:23.490 --> 0:17:26.130 my mouth, my soul. Now, you need to understand what's 0:17:26.130 --> 0:17:29.810 going on here. The I is emphatic. The my is emphatic. 0:17:29.970 --> 0:17:33.090 What does that mean, Pastor Ford? Glad you asked. You ask, uh, 0:17:33.210 --> 0:17:37.210 intelligent questions. I focus on the actor, the one who's 0:17:37.210 --> 0:17:42.770 doing the blessing. Will is the attitude. Contrary to how 0:17:42.770 --> 0:17:47.450 I feel. Uh, bless the Lord. Uh, is a focus 0:17:47.450 --> 0:17:50.850 on action. This is the action. And, of course, the Lord. Uh, 0:17:50.850 --> 0:17:53.170 the focus is on the Almighty. So here I will 0:17:53.210 --> 0:17:58.170 bless the Lord. Uh, is actor attitude, action. And almighty. 0:17:58.170 --> 0:18:00.369 That's what he's saying. That's the focus now. It's personal. 0:18:00.369 --> 0:18:04.210 What do you mean by that passport? I mean, it's emphatic. 0:18:04.369 --> 0:18:07.090 So what's emphatic? Here's what he's saying. I don't care 0:18:07.090 --> 0:18:09.649 what everybody else around me came to do. I came 0:18:09.650 --> 0:18:12.090 to praise the Lord. I don't care if nobody else 0:18:12.090 --> 0:18:14.650 says Amen. I'm going to say Amen. I don't care 0:18:14.650 --> 0:18:17.050 what anybody else do me. Let me tell you, let 0:18:17.050 --> 0:18:19.369 me tell you I don't know what you came to do. 0:18:19.369 --> 0:18:22.369 But I came to praise the Lord. I came to 0:18:22.410 --> 0:18:25.409 bless his name. I came to jump and shout. And 0:18:25.410 --> 0:18:28.810 that's exactly what he's saying. See, if you came to 0:18:28.850 --> 0:18:32.490 get something from God, then you came for the wrong reason. 0:18:32.770 --> 0:18:35.090 If you're one of the ones who only come for 0:18:35.090 --> 0:18:38.290 the sermon, then you came for the wrong reason. Because 0:18:38.290 --> 0:18:41.050 it's not about a sermon. It's not about a band. 0:18:41.050 --> 0:18:43.770 It's not about a choir or praise team, or even 0:18:43.770 --> 0:18:45.770 the preaching of the Word of God, even though it 0:18:45.770 --> 0:18:50.090 should be central. But it's about coming together in a 0:18:50.090 --> 0:18:55.090 corporate expression and expressing to one another, and to God 0:18:55.090 --> 0:18:57.930 how grateful we are that he let us come back 0:18:57.930 --> 0:19:04.450 one more time. Sound. Yeah. Here's what he's saying. Yeah, 0:19:04.450 --> 0:19:07.570 it ain't just about a sermon. Now notice he says 0:19:07.570 --> 0:19:11.690 it must be voluntary will. It must be voluntary. In 0:19:11.690 --> 0:19:14.090 other words, he's saying I got the Lord's praise on 0:19:14.090 --> 0:19:17.970 speed dial. That's what I have. See, he's teaching us 0:19:17.970 --> 0:19:22.810 that praise is not an option. Praise is an obligation. Oh, yeah, 0:19:22.810 --> 0:19:27.609 it's an obligation. Yeah. Okay. Get this. Uh, I like sports, 0:19:27.609 --> 0:19:29.970 but I like football. I'm not a baseball fan. Even 0:19:30.010 --> 0:19:32.490 though Pirates is my team, I just say Pirates. My team. 0:19:32.490 --> 0:19:35.129 I don't even watch the games. And I was wondering, 0:19:35.130 --> 0:19:38.050 what's the uproar? What are y'all hauling about? And, you know, 0:19:38.050 --> 0:19:43.209 all in the store. Yeah, yeah. High five slapping high fives. 0:19:43.490 --> 0:19:52.450 The Cubs are going to the World Series. I said really? Yes. 0:19:52.850 --> 0:19:57.610 Finally we're going to. Oh, hey, bro, check this out. Yeah, 0:19:57.609 --> 0:20:01.930 you heard right. You heard. Now, it's not just because 0:20:01.930 --> 0:20:05.410 I'm not from Chicago. But let me tell you what 0:20:05.410 --> 0:20:09.130 I start thinking about. I start thinking about y'all. I said, 0:20:09.130 --> 0:20:12.250 how many of them right now who sit there all service. 0:20:12.250 --> 0:20:15.490 Don't open their mouth. Don't move. Don't say nothing. Don't stand. 0:20:15.490 --> 0:20:17.490 If you say, look at your neighbor. They're like, I 0:20:17.490 --> 0:20:20.930 don't want to see him. Look at my neighbor. I 0:20:20.930 --> 0:20:24.090 ain't high fiving nobody. I live in the suburbs. What 0:20:24.090 --> 0:20:29.570 are you talking about? High five. I said, I wonder 0:20:29.570 --> 0:20:31.770 how many of them was in the store talking about. 0:20:31.810 --> 0:20:34.210 Did you hear? Or at the job? The cup we in, 0:20:34.250 --> 0:20:38.090 we in. And then I begin to think the Cubs 0:20:38.090 --> 0:20:40.530 didn't go to Calvary and die for you. But you 0:20:40.530 --> 0:20:43.170 can holler for them. But you can't holler for Jesus. 0:20:43.170 --> 0:20:45.889 The cubs didn't cover you in their blood, but you 0:20:45.890 --> 0:20:48.610 can holler for the cubs, but you can't holler for Jesus. 0:20:48.609 --> 0:20:51.410 The cubs didn't write your name in the Lamb's Book 0:20:51.410 --> 0:20:53.410 of Life, but you can holler for the cubs. But 0:20:53.410 --> 0:20:56.530 you can't holler for Jesus that the Cubs ain't coming 0:20:56.530 --> 0:21:00.240 back to get you. But you can holler for the Cubs. 0:21:00.240 --> 0:21:03.440 But you can't holler for Jesus. The Cubs don't come 0:21:03.440 --> 0:21:05.440 in the middle of the night when your body is 0:21:05.440 --> 0:21:17.920 racked with pain. You don't say, oh, cubs! Huh? Yeah. 0:21:17.960 --> 0:21:19.760 No one has to coerce you. No one has to 0:21:19.800 --> 0:21:24.080 prompt you. You ain't praying with me. I submit to 0:21:24.080 --> 0:21:27.360 you who tell me. Well, you see, when I worship, 0:21:28.440 --> 0:21:34.200 I'm a kind of person who doesn't get excited. Then 0:21:34.200 --> 0:21:37.480 there's something wrong with you and your worship and your 0:21:37.480 --> 0:21:42.640 relationship with your God. Because if, if, if, if Uptown 0:21:42.640 --> 0:21:46.160 Funk can make you move and a song about somebody 0:21:46.160 --> 0:21:49.359 who died for you can't make you move, then there's 0:21:49.359 --> 0:21:56.080 something wrong with your salvation. Amen. Amen. 0:21:58.320 --> 0:22:01.400 That's really a challenging message today here on Treasure Truth 0:22:01.400 --> 0:22:04.520 called have you gone public with your praise? You can 0:22:04.520 --> 0:22:06.920 always respond and let us know how you're taking your 0:22:06.920 --> 0:22:10.120 praise public by filling out the contact form at our website. 0:22:10.760 --> 0:22:15.359 Go to Treasure Truth radio.org. You know, praising God doesn't 0:22:15.400 --> 0:22:18.840 require music or dancing. When we share the gospel, it's 0:22:18.840 --> 0:22:21.240 an act of worship as we help others find a 0:22:21.240 --> 0:22:24.720 relationship with Christ. Now, of course, everyone who shared their 0:22:24.720 --> 0:22:29.160 faith has heard dozens of excuses from non-believers. Phrases like 0:22:29.160 --> 0:22:32.560 I'm a good person or I'm spiritual but not religious. 0:22:33.040 --> 0:22:35.520 Maybe those sound familiar to your ears, but do you 0:22:35.520 --> 0:22:38.879 know how to respond to those objections? In the book 0:22:38.880 --> 0:22:42.360 How to Witness to Anyone, R.A. Torrey shares Scripture verses 0:22:42.520 --> 0:22:45.080 for occasions when you're not quite sure what to say 0:22:45.080 --> 0:22:48.160 on your own. Now, this is a practical book that 0:22:48.160 --> 0:22:51.680 grew out of Doctor Torrey's own work as an international evangelist, 0:22:51.920 --> 0:22:54.200 and it can equip you with confidence and power when 0:22:54.200 --> 0:22:57.199 you share the gospel. So request how to witness to 0:22:57.240 --> 0:22:59.159 anyone when you give a gift of any amount to 0:22:59.200 --> 0:23:05.280 treasure truth. Just call us at 888644 7660 or go 0:23:05.280 --> 0:23:09.359 online to Treasure Truth radio.org. You can also send a 0:23:09.359 --> 0:23:11.520 check in the mail and feel free to include a 0:23:11.520 --> 0:23:15.320 note in the envelope. Our address is Treasure Truth, 820 0:23:15.359 --> 0:23:21.520 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 606 ten. Take advantage of 0:23:21.520 --> 0:23:24.439 the limitless power of God's Word and request how to 0:23:24.440 --> 0:23:27.959 witness to anyone while it's still fresh in your mind. Again, 0:23:27.960 --> 0:23:33.399 call us at 888644 7006 60 or go online to 0:23:33.440 --> 0:23:38.480 Treasure Truth Radio.com. I'm Steve Hiller. Our producer is Amy Rios. 0:23:38.680 --> 0:23:41.320 Join us again next time as we continue this message. 0:23:41.560 --> 0:23:44.679 Have you gone public with your praise? That's here on 0:23:44.680 --> 0:23:49.000 Treasure Truth. A production of Moody Radio, a ministry of 0:23:49.000 --> 0:23:50.359 Moody Bible Institute.