Who Should Praise the Lord?
The Bible exhorts all creation to praise the Lord, and the solution to not doing so is to come alive and praise Him.
Derek Prince emphasizes the importance of praising the Lord, highlighting how all of creation and every kind of creature are called to bless the Lord. The only category of beings that do not praise the Lord are the dead, signifying spiritual death. Prince urges listeners to come alive spiritually by praising the Lord, as it leads to increased joy and spiritual vitality.
Text
Psalm 115:17-18
The dead do not praise the LORD, nor do any who go down into silence; but as for us, we will bless the LORD from this time forth and forever. Praise the Lord! NASB
The Bible exhorts every area of creation and every kind of creature to praise the Lord. The Bible exhorts the heavens, the earth, the sea, the forests, the rocks - there is nothing that should not praise the Lord.
It speaks about all kinds of creatures: flying creatures, creatures in the sea, crawling creatures, cattle, and wild beasts. It speaks about all the states of the human race: kings, princes, young men, old men, maidens, children - all are exhorted to praise the Lord. In fact, there is only just one category of people that do not praise the Lord. You know who that is? The dead. Only the dead do not praise the Lord.
My dear friend, if you do not praise the Lord, you know what your problem is? You are one of the dead. Not necessarily physically dead, but spiritually dead. Come alive! Begin to praise the Lord. The more you praise the Lord, the more joy and spiritual life you will experience. Begin to praise Him right now.
Sermon Outline
- Who Should Praise the Lord?
- Who does not praise the Lord?
- The solution to not praising the Lord
- Being spiritually dead
- The call to come alive and praise the Lord
Key Quotes
“The dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any who go down into silence; but as for us, we will bless the LORD from this time forth and forever.” — Derek Prince
“The Bible exhorts every area of creation and every kind of creature to praise the Lord.” — Derek Prince
“Come alive! Begin to praise the Lord.” — Derek Prince
Application Points
- We should praise the Lord from this time forth and forever.
- We can come alive and experience joy and spiritual life by praising the Lord.
- If we do not praise the Lord, we are spiritually dead and need to seek revival.