Praise the Lord! - Part 2: A Job Well Done

REVIEW
 
“Praise the Lord” is a phrase you’ve likely heard many times, but what I aim to do in this series is for it to mean more to you than it ever has before. Yes, I want it to not just be something that we say, but to be something we do to a greater degree than we ever have before.
 
Let’s look over again at the last Psalm we have recorded – Psalm 150 – where the Book of Psalms comes to a dramatic climax. Again, this psalm is a beautiful summary of the common theme we see in the first 149 psalms, and that is the title of this series, “Praise the Lord!”   
 
This Psalm reads – “Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament! Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!”
 
We saw how the first & last phrase of this Psalm, “Praise the Lord”, comes from the Hebrew word that you’ve certainly heard before – the word “Hallelujah!” Hallelujah contains the Hebrew word halal, which simply means “praise”, and “jah” which is one of the Hebrew names of God, Yahweh or Jehovah. So now you know that this word we utter a lot in praise simply means “Praise God” or “Praise the Lord!”
 
But what we started noticing about this phrase/word last week is that it is a call to action. No, it’s not just there for informational purposes; it’s there telling God’s people what to do. So if I read in the Bible “Praise the Lord!”, what should my response be? It should be to praise the Lord, right? Yes, if the Scriptures say, “Hallelujah”, then I should stop what I’m doing and praise the Lord right then! Amen?
 
So I’d like us to do something fun throughout this series: Every time you hear the phrase “Praise the Lord!” I want the congregation to shout, “Praise the Lord!” And every time you hear the word “Hallelujah!” I want the congregation to shout, “Hallelujah!” Let’s practice right now – Me: Praise the Lord! (The congregation: Praise the Lord!) Me: Hallelujah! (The congregation: Hallelujah!)
 
You see, church, praising God is not just something we are to observe; it’s what we are called to do! I understand we have those in the church today who are specifically gifted to lead worship, sing, or play instruments in a praise service, but I made the point last week that I think it’s interesting that the New Testament doesn’t specifically identify this as a gift or office in the Body of Christ. I don’t believe this is because we shouldn’t have a praise & worship team, but rather because we are ALL called to this office! Yes, everyone is called to be a praiser, not just a select few. 
 
So that’s what we began talking about last week – how praising God is our calling in Christ Jesus!
 
I remember having a conversation with someone before I was born-again, where we were discussing what the purpose of mankind is. We were pondering those universal questions- Why am I here? What is my purpose? Of course, being lost, I was not able to answer these questions, but when I had my encounter with Jesus in 2000, I knew immediately the core-purpose of every single person who has ever lived on the earth – It is to know God! Yes, the primary purpose for every single person who ever has or ever will be created is to have a personal relationship with their Creator, and the predominant activity in that relationship is to praise and worship Him as His creation!
 
But we saw how this is not only God’s primary purpose for mankind. It is also the foundational purpose for all His creation. In the Psalms, many references are made to different created things such as the sun, moon, stars, mountains, animals, etc. declaring God’s praise (See Psalm 69:34, 145:10, 148, and Psalm 150:6). Didn’t Jesus say that even the rocks would cry out (See Luke 19:40)?
 
So all of creation here on the earth is praising its Creator! But we also learned that this is exactly what is going on in heaven as we speak. Yes, if you study the Scriptures that give us a sneak peak into what is going in heaven, you’ll find that continual praise & worship of God is the main activity of heaven’s residents.
 
So if it’s happening with all of His creation in heaven, and it’s happening with His entire creation on the earth, then I believe it is easy to conclude that the praise & worship of God is the primary purpose for everything and everyone God has ever created.
 
So I made the point last week that if this is true, wouldn’t it behoove us, the crown of His creation, to join in? Yes, wouldn’t it be a good idea to begin fulfilling our divine purpose sooner rather than later? You see, there is coming a day soon and very soon when we are going to slip out of these tents that we call bodies and be ushered into the presence of God where, as we’ve seen, singing His praises will be our habitual tendency. Therefore, we ought to begin to do it now when we can do it by faith and please Him all the more. Amen?
 
So we learned that praise is not only our purpose, it is our calling too!
 
You know, when we meet someone new, we might ask them “how are you doing?” but that usually leads us to another question that we are much more interested in learning the answer to – “What do you do?” Yes, we are very interested in finding out what people do for a living.
 
Well, I believe we need to see ourselves as what we were all created to be in Christ Jesus – Praisers! This is what the Bible teaches us: First Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
 
This is who we are, saints! We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and His own special people! But what we are called to do as these things is to proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.
 
So this is to be our spiritual vocation! Isaiah 43:21 forecasted this by saying, “This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise.”
 
And here is one of the main points we learned: Just as sometimes that question is not just “What do you do?” It’s “What do you do for a living?” And what that obviously means is, what is your job/occupation that you earn your income from and live off of.
 
Well, this is something that’s important to understand about being a praiser: not only is it what your spiritual vocation is, but it’s where your spiritual income comes from. In other words, praising the Lord isn’t just something we do to benefit the Lord. No, it is loaded with benefits for the one who “does their job.” Amen!
 
So we looked at the 103rd Psalm that shows us both our response to having this responsibility and occupation and also the benefits of doing our job well. Now Psalm 103 is one of my personal favorite psalms – namely because we see our benefit package in Him.
 
We learned that after saying “and forget not all His benefits” in verse 2, David begins to show what those benefits of our spiritual vocation are.
 
Verse 3 says, “Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases.”
 
Now by far, the most important benefit is this first one – the forgiveness of all our iniquities! No, not just some of them; all of them! I see this as the salary portion of praise’s employment package! It’s certainly the greatest and most important part of our job as praisers. But like it is with most people in this world’s workforce, it seems like most Christians are only concerned with their salary. Yes, it’s evident that most believers only know about the forgiveness of their sins. In other words, that’s the only part of their benefit package that they consider. It’s the big one. No doubt about that. But it’s not all that we have in our benefit package.
 
One benefit that the body of Christ does not esteem like it needs to is the next one – our medical/health insurance.
 
You know, if you’ve ever had to pay for your own health insurance out of pocket, then you probably know just how invaluable having health insurance included in your job’s benefit package is. It’s expensive! And oh, how expensive can physical issues be. 

Well, as we are promised in Psalm 103:3 among many other places, we have been given free health insurance! He heals ALL our diseases by the stripes of Jesus, being our Jehovah Rapha!
 
On top of that, some types of medical insurance cover prescription drugs too! And that’s covered under Jehovah Rapha’s insurance program as well: We are told in Proverbs 4:20-22 that God’s Word is “medicine” to all our flesh. So not only are we promised divine healing, but we are promised divine health because we have been given an unfailing medicine that will heal “all our flesh.” Amen!
 
Saints, our health insurance—the stripes of Jesus—have already paid for our prescription. Amen! And in God’s kingdom, there is no co-pay. There is no deductible that needs to be met. It’s already been paid for 100% by our Great Physician!
 
But what else do some businesses offer as part of their benefit package? Well, with some jobs we might get “life insurance.”
 
Well, Psalm 103:3 gives us another benefit of our covenant with the Lord: It says, “Who redeems your life from destruction.”
 
So guess what else we have as a benefit? Life insurance! We have been given the benefit of the God kind of life – which unlike life insurance in the world, can be experienced now! The Bible calls it eternal life, resurrection life, and abundant life! This is the life of God and it’s a part of our benefit package in Him! Amen!
 
But then notice what verse 3 goes on to say and then verse 4 – “… Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
 
Hmmm … So we see here the word “crowns” and then how He satisfies our “mouth” with good things. What benefit does that make you think of? Dental insurance! Lol!
 
I wonder how aware the Body of Christ is that we have the benefits of God crowning us with lovingkindness and tender mercies and also satisfying our mouths with good things so that even our youth is renewed. These are just a few more things that the Lord desires for us to taste and see!
 
So I think you get the point. There are a ton of benefits that the Lord has given us as we walk in our calling of declaring His praises! I’d encourage you to continue looking at the 103rd Psalm as it contains many more awesome benefits of our employment in the “Father’s business.”
 
But we saw how, unlike our jobs, these benefits are not just things we can partake of annually, quarterly, monthly, or weekly. No, these benefits are promises that we can experience DAILY – for as Psalm 68:19 says, “Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation!”
 
But let me give you just one more very important benefit of God’s kingdom that we can also experience in our jobs on this earth – retirement planning benefits!

I know a lot of us have taken advantage of things such as 401(k)s, etc. at our jobs which help better prepare us for retirement, but there is no better retirement package than what we have in the kingdom of God. Our future is so bright, you have to squint to look at it.
 
Saints, as much as God desires to bless us in this life, our retirement package is loaded! And I can guarantee you that the more you and I live our lives to praise the Lord through thick & thin, the more we are seeing being contributed to that retirement package. Amen!
 
BEING A GOOD EMPLOYEE
 
So now that we’ve talked about how praise is our occupation in the kingdom of God and how doing our job well holds a myriad of benefits, let’s begin looking at what it means to do our job well. Yes, let’s learn how we can do a good job for our Father’s business that we are called to and employed for.
 
You see, when it comes to our jobs on this earth, there is a difference between being a good employee versus being a bad employee. And when I say “bad employee” I’m referring to those who aren’t necessarily bad enough to lose their job, but just aren’t the employees who do their job in excellence, work hard, and are dependable. The good ones are the kind of employees an employer is looking for, and I can assure you, they are not growing on trees in this world we live in.
 
For example, there are employees who just show up to work. Yes, they don’t call in sick much and they are dependable in terms of being physically present and manning a position. But that’s not what makes an excellent employee. A worker who is esteemed in a workplace is the one who not only shows up, but performs their job function well – meaning, they work hard, doing exactly what their boss expects out of them, and even go above and beyond those job duties.
 
So how does this relate to spiritual things? Well, it can mean that just because I faithfully show up at church every week and even come to extra things that are going on, that doesn’t automatically mean that by being present I’m pleasing the Lord Jesus, my Boss. No, I please Him by doing my job well while I’m here – which would be loving the people present, having ears to hear the message God has given the speaker, and certainly me engaging the Lord during our times of praise & worship.
 
Now regarding the praise service, that won’t be simply looking around and seeing what everyone else is doing. It won’t be me just standing there and watching what those like Bryan & Cameron are doing on the stage. No, it will be me participating! That might be me closing my eyes, raising my hands, lifting my voice, etc. It is me engaging the Lord by looking unto Him and lifting up my voice in song. This is how I don’t just show up to work, but I show up to work to work.
 
This also goes for how I praise Him in my everyday life:
 
You know, just like some Christians think they are doing enough simply by attending church, there are also a lot of them who think that by living a good life & not doing bad things that they are doing their Christian duty. Well, as good as that is, our duty to praise God goes beyond our church services.
 
You see, these praise services are not the only time that you and I are called to engage in praising the Lord. In fact, you don’t even need music playing to praise the Lord. It is something we can and should do all the time.
 
Didn’t King David say in Psalm 34:1 that he was going to bless the Lord at all times and His praise would continually be in His mouth? So this sounds like more than just when praise music is going on around us. This is at all times and continually!
 
So my occupation in the kingdom is more than just me going to church and living a moral life; it is me living a life of praise where I am giving Him glory “at all times” in my everyday life, and also giving Him all my heart during the praise services we have at church. God wants us to do our job well at all times – whether it be at home or at our church home.    
 
So let’s begin talking a little bit about what it means to doing our job of praise well – because I, for one, want my Employer to look at my life and say, “Job Well Done!”  
 
Let’s look at some of the verses in the New Testament where being a good “employee” is talked about, and by looking at these instructions to “servants,” learn how this applies to our occupation of praise …
 
BONDSERVANTS?
 
You see, the apostle Paul liked to deal with very practical issues like the relationship between a husband & a wife, how both a parent & a child should behave towards one another, etc. And beginning in Colossians 3:22, he gives instructions to one of the more prevalent situations in the early First Century church – the relationship of the “bondservant” with their “masters.” Yes, in this verse, he begins addressing the “slaves” who were a part of the Colossian church.
 
Now this might seem strange to hear that there were Christians who were still slaves in their church, but we need to understand the cultural differences between now and then. You see, while slavery is not a part of our society today (and that’s certainly a good thing), in Paul’s day, slaves made up over half of the population of the Roman Empire. In other words, it was a very normal part of society back then. So, what this means is that those who were considered the property of others made up the vast majority of the workforce back then. So my point is that this was an accepted part of society in the Roman world.
 
So how does all of this relate to us? While none of us are slaves today, I believe the way we ought to relate to these commands to “bondservants” is as words to the “employee” or the “volunteer servant.” Yes, the instructions for Christian slaves can be related today to Christian employees. Therefore, as we read the following exhortations, read them in this light—as words to the Christian worker, whether that be as a paid employee in the secular marketplace or simply as a servant in any other capacity. All of the following commands should be applied to any of us who serve others in any capacity.   
 
So let’s look at this verse and glean, not just how we should serve in our jobs or in any other thing we might volunteer in, but how I can serve the Lord in praise …
 
OBEY IN ALL THINGS
 
So in Colossians 3:22 the apostle Paul said, “Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God.”
 
The first thing that the apostle Paul tells these “servants” is to “obey in all things your masters according to the flesh.”
 
Now while Paul does say to obey our “masters” (i.e. bosses, supervisors, etc.) “in all things,” we need to balance this statement out with other truths in the Bible. Specifically, we can see from other passages that “all things” does not include breaking God’s commandments and violating His precepts and statutes. We see this in the story of Daniel and three Hebrew boys: They did not obey the king’s commandment when they were told to not pray and to bow down before an idol. However, when it came to something like their dietary laws, they honorably requested that they might abstain from those foods. In other words, they did submit to their authority when it came to just about everything, but refused to violate things that were clearly against God’s commandments.
 
And also, by throwing the phrase “according to the flesh” in there, Paul was making sure that these servants understood that while they might have earthly masters, that is all they are—masters “according to the flesh.” In other words, our true Master is “according to the spirit” and His name is Jesus (which he gets into in this passage).  
 
So when we look at this from the perspective of our job of praising God, obeying in all things our Master according to the spirit means “all things.” In other words, everything He tells us to do is right and appropriate. Therefore, there is no room for questioning what the Lord tells me to do.
 
So when it comes to this subject of praising God, it’s important that I fully obey the Lord in it – which includes not only when I do it, but also how I do it. In other words, if it’s for Him, I need to do it His way and not my own.
 
Let me give all of you employees out there a good piece of advice – When your boss tells you to do something, it’s wise to simply do it his or her way. For example, if they tell you to do something in a certain way or at a certain time, don’t do it your own way or when you feel it’s the best time to do it. Being a good employee means following the instructions of your superiors even if you feel there is a better way to do it. Now that doesn’t mean that you cannot respectfully ask your supervisor if they are okay with you doing it another way, but just blatantly disregarding instructions because, after all you know better, is not best.  
 
So the way this applies to praising God is that you and I need to search the Scriptures to find out how the Lord would like us praising Him. In other words, we ought to study to see what are the specific instructions He gives us to praising Him in the Bible and then do it the way He teaches us.
 
I say this because how many Christians do it their way? I mean, if they do it at all, how many just do it like they feel it needs to be done and never consider looking at how God describes true praise in the Scriptures? That’s kind of arrogant when you look at it that way, isn’t it?
 
And the truth is, church, that God has shown us how He likes to be praised in the Bible and so one thing we are going to do in the weeks ahead is look at some of these things so that we can learn how to work for Him the way He desires us to. Amen?
 
EYESERVICE & MAN-PLEASERS
 
Now the next thing that Paul said to these “servants” in Colossians 3:22 was that they needed to obey their masters “not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers.” What he was obviously saying here was “But don’t simply obey your supervisor only when he’s watching you. Do your job for him or her just as hard when they aren’t watching—for if you only work hard when their eyes are on you, then you are only seeking to please man and not God.”
 
But the truth is when it comes to our service of praise unto the Lord it is definitely intended to be for HIS “eyes” and a “service” unto Him. Yes, our praise of the Lord is to be a pleaser of the Lord.
 
However, I believe a good takeaway from this is that we need to avoid the being “men-pleasers” part and how we don’t want our praise to be done with “eye-service” to the ones around us. In other words, we are not to be concerned with how we look or how we sound to anyone else in the room.
 
I’ve just seen cases where people keep from singing out loud because they are worried about others around them hearing them. In other words, they are self-conscious of their singing ability and hold back because they don’t want others to know how bad they think they sing.
 
Church, that should never be a deterrent from any of us singing out loud in church. No one in here should be judging other’s vocal abilities in here anyway. It’s all unto the Lord, not unto others. And if that is something you are really insecure about, leave the pew where you are sitting and go to a part of the church where you feel more comfortable singing out loud. Again, we want to be God-pleasers! And one of the things He has told us to do is sing, shout, dance, etc. Don’t let flesh & blood keep your mouth shut!
 
Now on the flipside of this, there are also those who have NO problem singing, lifting their voice, jumping, and dancing in front of others. And the way I believe this applies to this specific group of people is to also be sure we are not doing it to be seen of man.
 
This has not been much of an issue here @ HPC in recent time, but I have been in the churches where some “praisers” like the attention they get. So there is a lot of singing where people like to show off their voices, some dancing that seems to be more for those in the room than for the Lord, and some other demonstrative forms of praise that are certainly motivated by being “men-pleasers.”      
 
And this is the truth of the matter—if we only put our best foot forward when others are watching us, then we are proving that we are only interested in pleasing man rather than pleasing God. A person of praise will glorify Him all of the time—when the boss is around and when he is not—because they believe they are really serving God and not those around them.
 
SINCERITY, FEAR, AND TREMBLING
 
Then Paul counters the doing things with eyeservice with the phrase – “but in sincerity of heart.”
 
The word “sincerity” here is defined by Thayer’s as “the virtue of one who is free from pretense and dissimulation.” In other words, this describes one who is genuinely, sincerely, and honestly serving and is void of any self-seeking agenda. This is what God desires from all of us, saints – To be a people who walk in the truth and sincerely serve our authority figures from the heart. It is easy to go through the motions and serve because we either are afraid of the consequences or because we are seeking a reward, but the Lord has called us to whole-heartedly serve sincerely.
 
So when it comes to serving the Lord through praise, it’s important that we do it in “sincerity of heart”—that is, it’s genuine, heartfelt, and sincere.
 
This reminds me a little of what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:23-24 where Jesus said the hour was coming where God was seeking those who would worship Him in spirit and in truth. The truth part might be described as “sincerity of heart.”
 
Then Paul includes “fearing God”: In his letter to the Ephesians, he said it a little differently. He said, “with fear and trembling” (See Ephesians 6:5). This phrase does not mean that we are to be afraid and terrified of our authorities. It just simply means that we are to obey them “carefully, reverently, zealously, and diligently.”
 
For example, if you were personally instructed by some dignitary to perform a specific task, how would you perform your service? I suppose you would perform it carefully, reverently, zealously, and diligently because of who it was that gave you the duty. Well, that is the same mentality we should have when serving our “masters according to the flesh.” Everything we do for our authorities should be done in excellence and for the glory of God!
 
Likewise, when you and I praise God, there needs to be this same attitude where its not just this casual drawing near unto Him, but something that we handle with care. Like, for instance, you and I were asked to introduce some elected official. If your audience were some people of clout and importance, I can guarantee you that you will handle that introduction with some “fear and trembling.” Well, any time we are entertaining the King of kings and Lord of lords, we ought to handle those times with care and revere the One we are praising.
 
AND WHATEVER YOU DO
 
Then in verse 23, the apostle Paul said, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.”
 
The phrase “And whatever you do” can be applied to “whatever”, which would certainly include whether we lift our voice, dance, raise your hands, etc. in praise. So whatever we do in life including praise, we need to do it in the following manner …
 
The first thing he said, “do it heartily”- The word translated “do” here is a word describing “work or labor” and the word “heartily” comes from the words ek psuche, which means “out of the soul.” So, this phrase literally describes one working out of the soul as opposed to out of mere pretense and outward conformity. In other words, the Lord desires for all of us to serve with all that is within us—that is, for it to come out of the heart and not just external obedience. 
 
So what the Lord is looking for in us when we praise Him is that we do it “heartily” – that is, out of the soul.
 
I know some of us have been trained in church to not to praise & worship God from the soul but from the spirit, but I don’t believe that’s what the Lord would say to us. Yes, praising & worshipping Him in spirit is the highest & best form of it, but this does not mean that God does not want us doing any of this from the soul either. Yes, He wants your personality involved in praising Him. Let those emotions out! Let your whole heart fully be released when you praise Him! He wants all of YOU to praise Him from the inside out. Amen! 
 
The next thing he said was that whatever we do, do it “as to the Lord and not to men.” And here is the foundation & motivation of both our servanthood and our praise of God: We are not simply serving another human being; we are serving the Lord when we serve others.
 
Oh, that we would have this mentality throughout all our life on this earth—that the things we do and say are all “as unto the Lord and not to men.” I guarantee you that this would change the way many of us lived our lives, including our praise lives!
 
THE INHERITANCE OF PRAISE
 
So this is both how you and I can serve on this earth and serve the Lord via praise. If we praise God this way, I believe that the Lord would say, “That’s a job well done!” And as we know about the Lord, there is no job done well that won’t be rewarded by Him. And that’s what we see in the next verse …  
 
Colossians 3:24 then gives us an awesome promise of what serving the Lord in this way will lead to when Paul said, “knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”
 
In the Book of Ephesians, where Paul said a lot of similar things about the master/servant relationship, he described this reward part a little differently: He said in Ephesians 6:8, “knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.”
 
Regardless of which verse you are looking at and the specifics of the rewards, it is important to see that it is from the Lord that we will be rewarded for doing what is right.
 
When it comes to working for others, too often we look to man for our raise, promotion, words of affirmation, etc. We ought to avoid that and look only unto the Lord for those rewards. He is the One who exalts one and brings down another! He is the giver of all favor! So, avoid the temptation of making man your source and begin to look unto the Lord as the One who will provide you with all of the favor, honor and reward that you need. Amen?
 
And what an awesome promise this is that we can expect when we do good to others! We will (not might or hopefully) … we will receive the same from the Lord for whatever good we do! And I can promise you one thing: when the Lord returns the favor, it will be pressed down, shaken together, and running over! In other words, you will reap from the Lord in a much greater measure than you sowed it into others!
 
So what about when we praise the Lord? If we do our job of praising Him well, is there a reward in that? You can bet your bottom dollar there is! Just like in your worldly job, you can receive raises, promotions, benefits, etc. from the Lord when you do your job of praising Him well.
 
Just as that common Christian cliché says, “You cannot out-give God!” there is also truth in this – You cannot out-praise God! Yes, the more you glorify His name, the greater your name can become! The more you lift Him up in praise, the more He can give you a “raise.” Great are the benefits of the employee of praise, church!