On Wednesday, Dr. Judith Christie McAllister posted the aforementioned as her question of the week, and it really got me to thinking. You know, I'm always attempting to get underneath all the various phrases and such that we use in the culture of the church. I'm sure Dr. Judy agrees that it's so important to have an understanding of what we say, as opposed to just ignorantly saying what we've heard others say before us because it sounds good. And, as always, the Holy Spirit never disappoints in enlightening the eyes of my understanding when I take the time to study out such phrases in the Word of GOD. So, far be it for me to just keep it all to myself and not share it with you what I've received.
I learned that the phrase "sacrifice of praise" only appears twice in the whole Bible: once in each testament (Jeremiah 33:11 and Hebrews 13:15). However, the original Hebrew and Greek words used in both verses are generally translated as "thanksgiving," which we know appears far more often. So, if you will, "sacrifice of praise" can be better understood as "thank-offering." In Hebrews 13:15, the writer defines the "sacrifice of praise" as "the fruit of our lips giving thanks." "The fruit" is that which originates from "our lips" (or our mouths). This specifically refers to our spoken language. Therefore, the sacrifice of praise that we offer unto GOD is a VERBAL offering of thanks, or what we commonly refer to as "praise." You may be saying to yourself, "Well, that's not rocket science," but let's go a bit further.
What's most interesting about Dr. Judy's question, particularly after reading Hebrews 13:15, is that it begged me to consider "HOW" we're to offer unto GOD the sacrifice of praise. The first two words of that verse are "By him." Jesus is the instrumental cause for us even being able to praise GOD. It is by the intervention of Him in man's sinful condition that our praise is even possible. Without this understanding, one cannot even begin to grasp the fact that the sacrifice of praise is to be offered "continually," or at all times. As a brief aside, I heard Bishop T.D. Jakes say that the enemy wants us to praise GOD for things (i.e. house, car, job, children) because he can attack them and get us all out of sorts, depressed, upset with GOD, etc. However, when our joy is in that which Satan cannot attack (i.e. our salvation), he doesn't stand a chance at shutting down our praise. Therefore, the key to ALWAYS being able to bring GOD a verbal thank-offering is this: a foundational understanding that Jesus Christ intervened and established, through the sacrificing of His own blood, a new system that supercedes the old, which cannot be corrupted by the works of men or demonic forces. In essence, we are to praise GOD continually simply because we can. And THAT has nothing to do with how we feel.
Lastly, let's not forget about "to his name." The "name" here is used for everything GOD's name covers. Every thought and feeling aroused at the mentioning, hearing or remembering of GOD's name is a reminder that He is worthy of our praise. Because GOD is constantly making Himself known to us and we are ever becoming more acquainted with His character, the possibilities for us to offer thanks to our GOD will never be exhausted. Therefore, another key element in offering the sacrifice of praise to GOD is experiencing Him each and every day. We can't just wait until Sunday or Wednesday to encounter GOD. As Dr. Judy is famous for saying, "Worship is a lifestyle." And on top of that, I'll add a quote by Judson Cornwall: "Worship is extravagant love and extreme obedience." Therefore, lifestyles that reflect extravagant love and extreme obedience are able to continually offer unto GOD the sacrifice of praise because they're permeated with an unshakable knowledge of GOD's infinite attributes as well as an understanding that the privilege of praise is rightfully theirs through the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Great quote by the Bishop and I had never thought of it that way. Good stuff!!!!
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