Key points
- 1
1Praise is for the Lord and the Lord alone — it is not a means to personal benefit but an end in itself, flowing from a heart surrendered to Christ's rule and reign.
“Praise in it of itself is the end. That we become people of praise, that we are not just people who praise from time to time”
“praise comes from the heart of surrender”
A story from life
Pastor Caleb's story of entertaining friends by head-banging and air-guitaring through middle school chapel worship while claiming to his teacher 'I'm worshiping'
- 2
2Praise is a sacrifice — just as blood sacrifices atoned for sin in the Old Testament, Jesus's finished work frees us to offer the continual sacrifice of praise as a declaration of our allegiance to His name.
- 3
3The Bible is full of examples of people praising God in the hardest moments — the flogged apostles and Paul and Silas in prison both praised God, and God moved powerfully in response.
Related passageActs 5 | Acts 16 - 4
4Praise is holistic — Jesus commands us to love God with heart, soul, mind, and strength, meaning our bodies and voices are an essential, non-optional part of genuine worship.
- 5
5Communal singing centers our fragmented minds and unites us as one body poised toward God — no less than 41 psalms command singing unto the Lord.
Illustration
Richard Foster quote from 'Celebration of Discipline' on singing as a means of centering the fragmented mind toward God
Illustration
Preacher spontaneously leads the congregation in singing 'Amazing Grace' a cappella to demonstrate communal voiced praise
- 6
6King David — a warrior, fugitive, and king — was the primary author of the Psalms and a man after God's own heart precisely because he praised God with everything; godly men are called to lead the way in praise.
“I believe one of the most manly things a man can do is praise the Lord”
“Activity is the enemy of adoration”
Illustration
Richard Foster quote — 'Activity is the enemy of adoration' — used to challenge the habit of leaving before closing worship
“My worry for us as followers of Jesus, if if you're in this room and you have placed your faith in Jesus, my worry for us is this, is that we underestimate the power of praise”
A story from life
Pastor Caleb's story of losing his two-year-old daughter Nora in a parking area and calling 911 in a panic before finding her hiding behind a neighbor's patio chair
Application
Pastor Caleb's call to action is direct and personal: stop underestimating what it means to be a people of praise. Come to worship expectant and surrendered, not distracted. Offer praise as a genuine sacrifice — bringing the real weight of your life, your grief, your frustration, and laying it before God. And do it with everything you have: heart, soul, mind, and body. That means singing out loud even if you think you sound like a walrus, raising your hands, staying for closing worship instead of slipping out early. For the men in the room especially, he calls you to lead the charge the way David did. The bottom line is this: praise is not about what you feel like doing — it is about who God is and what He is worthy of. Choose obedience over preference, and watch what God does in and through a church that praises Him with everything.
