In Psalm 8:2, we read this statement which
Jesus quoted once in the Temple when the little children were shouting and
praising God. As we read in Matthew 21: 15-16, they held palm branches
and lay down their clothes on the road for Jesus to ride on a donkey into Jerusalem.
At that time when Jesus came into the Temple, the children there were yelling
and shouting, 'Hallelujah', 'Hosanna to the Son of David'. And the Chief
Priests, who did not like a lot of noise and all that, believed that the only
way to worship God was quietly and seriously as though a funeral was going on.
Now there are people who think that even today, that the only proper way to
praise God is quietly and solemnly as though you were sitting in a funeral. Now
I believe with all my heart that there is a way of praising God in silence but
there is also praise that is acceptable to God that comes forth with shouts of
joy. The Bible says, "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord."
We worship God with shouts of praise and also in
solemn silence. It's not just always one or always the other but here it was
absolutely proper for the children to be excited and to praise God. Have you
ever seen how people praise those who have just won a cricket match? For
example say India Vs. Pakistan and the cricket match is going on and India has
won. Can you picture how that stadium erupts in excitement. Now, why is that
Christians don't seem to be excited about the fact that Jesus has forgiven
their sins, that Jesus has defeated the devil, that Jesus overcame everything
on the Cross, that Christ is returning in glory and He is going to set up His
kingdom on the Earth. People sit with long faces in God's presence. Jesus was
thrilled to hear the noise of praise and so when the Chief priest criticized
those little children praising God, Jesus quoted Psalm 8:2. He said
"Haven't you read that it says in the Bible, from the mouth of infants and
nursing babes, thou has established strength. Because of thine adversaries, to
make the enemy and the revengeful cease". So what do we read there?
That praise is the means by which God shuts the mouth of the enemy. That's very
important for us to understand. It's through praising God that the mouth of the
devil is shut and very often you can't shut the mouth of the devil in your life
or your home because you don't praise God.
The devil hates praise, I'll tell you that. He hates
praise in a home, he hates praise in a life, he hates praise in a Church and
that's why he makes people so grumpy and long-faced and grumbling and
complaining most of the time because then he can rule in their lives and in
their homes. Satan cannot stand the sincere shouts of praise to God, that's why
he can't stay in heaven because in heaven every angel is yelling and shouting
praises to God. How can the devil stand around there? And he can't stand around
in any Church where everybody is praising and shouting and thanking God, I'll
tell you that, he can't. He can't be in a home where people are praising God.
He can't sit in a life or in a heart where people are praising God. Jesus was
so excited when He saw those little children praising God because that reminded
Him of His home, Heaven. Jesus was used to living in heaven for eternity where
He heard the angels praising God with a voice like loud thunders and then when
Jesus came to earth and lived in Nazareth and He saw so many people grumbling,
complaining, long-faced. Well, He felt sad but now and then, He would see a
situation like this where children are shouting and praising God, and it
reminded Him of His heavenly home. But those religious people just couldn't
understand that. They couldn't stand that type of praise. What does that
actually prove? They were actually in fellowship with the devil. The devil
hated that praise and those religious people hated that praise. How is it in
your life? Did you give room to the devil by that spirit of complaining and
grumbling.
What do we read in Psalm 8 through that
expression of praise that came from the mouth of infants, it established
strength to make the enemy shut his mouth and to make the revengeful person
cease. And there when we look around at Christians today, we can see how Satan
has succeeded everywhere. In most places, he does it in 2 ways, either he will
stop the shouts of praise altogether and that's what he has done in many homes,
many churches, many lives. There is no shout of praise and if he doesn't
succeed there, then he has got another technique, that is, where people are
praising God, he will make them insincere, that means that they will say it
with their mouths but it's not true in their hearts and it's not true in their
lives. So, both ways he succeeds. So you have some Churches where they don't
praise God at all and some other churches where it's only a ritual and is not
something which is true in their life all the time but just praise God on
Sunday morning. And then the devil succeeds in both these Churches but, what is
God looking for? He is looking for churches, homes, individuals like you who
are determined to drive the devil right out of your life, your home and your
church by sincere praise.
Why does Satan hate sincere praise to God? Because, as
we saw in Psalm 8, that is how he is going to lose his power over you.
Now empty shouts of praise that don't come from a Holy life, that don't come
from a sincere heart, they don't have any power. No, but if it comes from a
heart that is really committed to God, it has tremendous power in it. You know
when the Israelites worshiped the golden calf and they called it Jehovah and
they shouted to that 'Jehovah' or what they called Jehovah. Moses and Joshua
heard it at such a long distance away but that wasn't real praise. It was
empty, it was hollow. There was immorality in the midst of that praise and that
can happen today. People can praise God with a loud voice and there can be
immorality in the midst of all the praise to Jesus but where it comes from
sincerity, there you can be absolutely certain, it's powerful to drive the
devil right out. Why don't you practice it from today?
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