2022-Q3-L9

2022-Q3-L9: A Life of Praise

Read for This Week’s Study: Phil. 4:4-7, Josh. 5:13-6:20, Psalm 145, Acts 16:16-34, 2 Chron. 20:1-30.

Memory Text: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4, NKJV).

Philippians 4:4–7 (ESV): 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Joshua 5:13–6:20. [The Commander of The LORD's Army] [The Fall of Jericho]

Psalms 145. [Great is the LORD]. A Song of Praise. Of David.

Acts 16:16–34. [Paul and Silas in Prison] [The Philippian Jailer Converted]

2 Chronicles 20:1–30. [Jehoshaphat's Prayer] [The LORD Delivers Judah]

Notes

What and Why. What do we praise about? We do not rejoice because of our circumstances (they can be horrendous) but because God is present and everything is going to be Ok.

How. How do we praise? Through verbal testimony, singing, thanksgiving; through dancing and shouting, through service.

We are in the habit of asking God to bless us, but we should begin by blessing God Himself.

Psalm 103:1-5: Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Psalm 66:1-4: Shout for joy to God, all the earth; 2 sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise! 3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you. 4 All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.”

Praise is an outgrowth of thankfulness and joy. (It Is Written) Praise is the verbal articulation of faith.

Three WARS mentioned in this week's lesson.

God uses the weak

What is interesting in these stories is that God is not interested in our strength. God is interested in our weakness. "For when I am weak, then I am strong." God is glorified in our weakness. God manifests His power through frailty. The Jewish nation expected a powerful, political leader; what they got was a poor carpenter in whom there was no comeliness.

We often reach the point of exclaiming, "Am I strong enough for this?"

Hudson Taylor, the great missionary to China, once said, "God looked for a man weak enough to do this work, and He found me."

God passes by the proud and to find and use the humble. God overlooks the strong and uses the weak. God confounds the wise with the wisdom of the simple and uneducated.

Jeremiah 9:23-24: Thus says Yahweh: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am Yahweh who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares Yahweh.

SUNDAY. Framework for Praise. Philippians 4:4-7.

Notes:

Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS. ALWAYS is an absolute. Is there is a time or condition in which we should not rejoice?

Two ends of rejoicing: (1) positive mindset, (2) positive expectations.

But, what if the expectation does not come to pass? Answer: This does not negate the positive mindset. That is, the expectation is not fulfilled but the mindset remains the same.

It is not the OUTSIDE working on the inside, but the INSIDE working on the outside.

A person may feel sadness, but it is not sadness from a HOPELESS point of view. The person has faith that something good comes from the circumstance, even though he may not see it.

1. Rejoice in knowing who you are. That is, children of God. John 13:3

2. Rejoice in trusting God's timing. In knowing God has set it and bring it to pass as God will choose.

3. Rejoice in the face of fear, when all things seem to be working against us and all reason is telling us it will not work.

4. Rejoice in the eternal perspective. Whatever is going on, will not last forever, because we will not last forever.

GC 477.2: While the Christian's life will be characterized by humility, it should not be marked with sadness and self-depreciation. It is the privilege of everyone so to live that God will approve and bless him. It is not the will of our heavenly Father that we should be ever under condemnation and darkness.

Scrupulosity. The a psychological disorder primarily characterized by pathological guilt or obsession associated with moral or religious issues that is often accompanied by compulsive moral or religious observance and is highly distressing and maladaptive.

MONDAY. Praying Down Walls.

Joshua. In Hebrew, Yehoshua, of the tribe of Ephraim. Rabbinical literature says that, unlike most generals, Joshua always fought on the front lines of his army rather than at the rear. Joshua was one of the 12 spies at the beginning of the Exodus and he sent 2 spies at the beginning of the conquest of Canaan.

Notes:

1. Because Jesus has set foot here before us, we can also set territory like him.

2. Knowledge that Jesus is in charge. He is the basis of power.

3. They were setting foot in anticipation of possession.

Joshua 1:3: Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.

Jericho was in lock down. It was just waiting for the proper instructions to take possession.

Joshua 6:1: Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in.

Quiet endurance in a crucible. The six-day walk was a quiet endurance that set them up for the seventh day of praise.

Probation. The city of Jericho was given a period of probation. God is not only working on you, but he is also working on others.

Monument. Jericho becomes a monument of what praise can do.

Notes (2)

1. You fight FROM victory not for victory.

Christians are not victims but victors. Romans 8:37: No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

You may believe the promises of God, but you need to recon the promises of God. You may receive a check, but until you take it to the bank and deposit it, it's not yours to spend.

The priests were to blow a trumpet. Two types of trumpets: a silver trumpet and a ram's horn. The silver trumpet was an alarm, a call to war. The ram's horn was of Jubilee. It was blown in religious celebrations. It represented freedom, liberty, and celebration.

2. You overcome through faith and patience. It takes faith to do God's work and it takes patience to wait on God's timing.

Notes (3)

We learned in Deuteronomy that the judgment on the inhabitants of Canaan was not because the Israelites were so righteous but because the Canaanites were so wicked. It is often the case that God will use a less wicked nation to punish a more wicked nation.

TUESDAY. The Life of Praise. Psalm 145.

From the lesson: Praise is something that we must practice until it changes from being an activity done at a particular time to an atmosphere in which we live. Praise shouldn’t so much be a specific act but a specific way of life itself. [That is, praise is a lifestyle.]

Psalm 145:7 (KJV): They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.

Praise is practiced as we look around us.

Praise is practiced as we remember what we have seen.

Praise is practiced as we talk about it.

Notes

Life of praise is not an activity, but a way of life. It's your lifestyle; you don't think about it because that is who you are.

God has not left any of us with an excuse to be gloomy.

Focus on the good. Count your blessings. Shift your focus.

WEDNESDAY. A Witness Who Convicts. Acts 16.

Psalm 107:10-16: Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons, 11 for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High. 12 So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor; they fell down, with none to help. 13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart. 15 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! 16 For he shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron.

Notes

The jailor tried to make Paul and Silas miserable, but they were not miserable. They took the beating patiently; they manifested patient endurance. Afterward, in the prison, they sang and praised God.

The earthquake opens the doors and looses their chains, but Paul and Silas do not run away. Also, they do not let the jailor kill himself. They had a higher mission. They were there to bless their enemies; do good to them.

THURSDAY. A Weapon That Conquers.

2 Chronicles 20:12: O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.

Notes

Jehoshaphat did not prepare an army but a choir.

Jehoshaphat's story is very interesting. Read 2 Chronicles 19 before 20. In chapter 19, he made reforms. In chapter 20, he prayed to God for salvation from his enemies.

Judah sang its way to victory. They manifested thanksgiving (verse 21). "Give thanks to the LORD, for his steadfast love endures forever."

FRIDAY. Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “Jehoshaphat,” pp. 190-203, in Prophets and Kings; “The Fall of Jericho,” pp. 487-498, in Patriarchs and Prophets.

“And while I adore and magnify Him, I want you to magnify Him with me. Praise the Lord even when you fall into darkness. Praise Him even in temptation. ’Rejoice in the Lord alway,’ says the apostle; ’and again I say, Rejoice.’ Will that bring gloom and darkness into your families? No, indeed; it will bring a sunbeam. You will thus gather rays of eternal light from the throne of glory and scatter them around you. Let me exhort you to engage in this work, scatter this light and life around you, not only in your own path, but in the paths of those with whom you associate. Let it be your object to make those around you better, to elevate them, to point them to heaven and glory, and lead them to seek, above all earthly things, the eternal substance, the immortal inheritance, the riches which are imperishable.” — Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, pp. 593, 594.