Mini-Sermons & Comments on
EXTOLLING him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH,
I trust you will pray and ask the Holy Spirit to teach and preach to you
as you read and meditate on these verses listed below.

Sing unto God, sing praises to his name:
extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH,
and rejoice before him.
Psalm 68:4

Read a sermon with more detail concerning Psalm 68:4
WORSHIP SERMON SERIES
Click the above title to read / listen to a short sermon series on worship involving the verses listed below.
The word extol is not a common word today, but it is the very word God wants us to know and use in this verse.  Extol means to raise in words or eulogy; to praise; to exalt in commendation; to magnify.  Extol is a word to express an even deeper form of worship! Our worship becomes even greater as we grow older and come to realize in our own personal life just how great God truly is!

To extol God is to pay divine honors to God; it is to give reverence and homage to him in adoration, confession, prayer, thanksgiving and the like.

We see in Psalm 68:4 that we are told who specifically to extol: Him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH.

A Jewish language instructor has said her Rabbi explains Psalm 68:4 asdepicting a righteous judge riding on a horse to execute judgment on those who have done wickedness. Furthermore, according to Jewish mindset, anytime you have half a man's name, it refers to his son and JAH is half of JEHOVAH.

Isn't that amazing?  That is a direct reference to Revelation 19:11-16!

We should see even more clearly now that when we sing unto God, we are actually singing unto Jesus Christ.  As Psalm 68:4 states, to sing unto God, we really are:
...I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Extol Him That Rideth Upon the Heavens 
by His Name JAH,
TO HIM, FROM ME
Psalm 9:11
Psalm 66:2
Psalm 105:2
II Samuel 22
Psalm 13:6
Psalm 71:22
Psalm 135:2, 3
II Kings 3:15
Psalm 27:6
Psalm 96:2
Psalm 144:9
Revelation 5:9
Psalm 30:12
Psalm 98:1
Psalm 146:2
Revelation 14:2, 3
Psalm 33:2
Psalm 98:4-8
Psalm 147:7
  
Psalm 33:3
Psalm 100:2
Psalm 149:3
  
Psalm 47:6
Psalm 104:33
Ezra 3:10-13
  
Click on any blue verse below to see the mini-sermon for that particular verse
These verses are listed in no special order and there may be some added as God directs.
Mini-Sermons on Extolling Him...
Psalm 9:11
Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.
We see right away that many of these verses on music don't always claim ownership to one particular aspect of Psalm 68:4.  In other words, this particular verse would also do well in the praise category as it does say to sing praises to the LORD.  It also states that we are to declare among the people his doings, and that can just as easily be done through rejoicing as we sing about his doings in our own private lives.  But I will use this verse in a worship application.

Being told to sing praises to the LORD is even more specific than to his name, especially because it states which dwelleth in Zion.  This seems to be a very personal element of singing praises to the very person of God Himself wherein He dwelleth.

We should know, however, that the dwelling place of the Lord was different in the OT than it is for us NT Christians today.  We ought to know that the dwelling place of the Lord is within us, not 'around' us nor is He coming and going, as He did throughout the Old Testament.

Christ is in us and we are in Him.  The Holy Spirit dwells within according to I Corinthians 6:19: What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  Among many other verses, we can see that Romans  8:9 says But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Knowing that God dwells within us through Christ and the Holy Spirit and knowing that a person in the flesh can't do anything TO God or FOR God unless he is saved through the Holy Spirit and through Christ who is the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me, then our praises & rejoicings can both easily be a worship time to Him directly.

We must then be careful that our music unto God, regardless of any performance, CD, tape, record, etc. is not to be music that is AFTER our flesh.  Romans 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

God not only knows our heart, but God also hears our heart. See Colossians 3:16; Ephesians 5:19. So with that in mind, please note that in Psalm 68:4 we should be sure that ALL of our music, whether it be praising, extolling or rejoicing, is to be done in a manner that is true worship to Him directly.  We are to sing praises TO HIS NAME, we are to extoll HIM personally and specifically and we are to rejoice BEFORE Him.

It is all to be very personal.  We certainly don't need to drive the Lord away from our personal fellowship with Him by involving ourselves with music that appeals to our flesh and quenches the Spirit during these last days.  Could this be one reason the Lord Jesus is knocking on the doors of the Christian, not for salvation, but for honest and clean fellowship with him.  See Revelation 3:20

Concerning the part of this verse that says we are to declare among the people his doings, see Topics of Praise for some specific thoughts regarding his doings!
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Psalm 13:6
I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.
As is the case with many of the verses in this list, we will see the words unto the LORD, making this a personal one-on-one encounter with the Lord, not as a performance or a concert, nor is it just something we enjoy ourselves.  Why?  Because he hath dealt bountifully with me, we ought to be willing and wanting to thank Him personally - one-on-one - in preparation for our private face-to-face meeting some day!

As a person grows in all those areas that the Lord shows them  - from doctrine to reproof; from correction to instruction in righteousness - we finally become more thankful for how bountifully God deals with us!

Instead of just praising and rejoicing because of Him, one tends to draw closer to Him through thanksgiving and worship.  Unfortunately, the lack of thankfulness is becoming more prevalent in these days, as written in Romans 1:21 and II Timothy 3:2.

Remember, worship is to be directed to Jesus Christ Himself! John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. You can't be more specific than to extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH.  Jesus Christ HAS to be God - or all of this is just another false religion led by a false savior!

As all the new modern bible versions continue to take out more and more of the deity, we can see music is doing the same thing within our own churches.  It appears that 'worship music' is beginning to actually worship the antichrist instead of the real Christ.  More on that thought later within this book.
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Psalm 27:6
And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.
We see the point being emphasized here again - that these verses show us the need and necessity to extol the Lord with our singing.  In this particular verse, we see that we are to offer IN his tabernacle sacrifices of joy, following right away with singing praises unto the LORD.

As stated before, knowing that His tabernacle is IN US today, then ALL of our music should be approved unto God!  As we will hear it all, from the heart as well as from outside the flesh in our daily affairs, He too will hear it all!

Music is not created nor can it ever be for ourselves - it belongs to Him; For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.  I Corinthians 6:20
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Psalm 30:12
To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. 
O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever
Here is an excellent verse for all musicians - whether they be church pianists, organists, choir directors, song leaders, orchestra & band members, school music students, retirement and nursing home musicians, etc. whether they participate in the 'specials' within their own church or wherever they are given an opportunity to serve.  Anywhere we play or sing, we should remember that as we receive glory for our talents, etc. we MUST direct those praises to God Himself!  To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee...

Well-meaning people will tell you that you did a good job; they will say that they were blessed by your music, etc. and that is fine IF you make sure that YOUR glory sings praises to the LORD your God!  It doesn't take long for musicians to develop a pride in their performance.  People who really mean well can accidently turn a humble musician into a prideful artist.  It is truly up to the musician, however, to make sure his/her glory sings praise to the Lord, not to himself.

This difficulty for a musician is very understandable.  Musicians dedicate themselves to countless hours and years practicing, practicing, and more practicing.   We learn to live in a little musical bubble as we have to work hard to get to whatever level of musicianship we attain.  The flesh is just itching to let pride flow.  It doesn't take much for a musician to be pumped up and exhalted!  Wework hard to 'be a blessing' to others - but we cannot forget that our glory is to sing praises to Him!

So, how does that apply to the worship aspect of this category?  That's simple - note that the remainder of this verse says, O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.  It is truly great to be able to give God the glory for your music talents.  Your playing/singing can easily be your worship to God!

Count it a blessing as not many folks have musical talent; not many ever took lessons and stayed with it; not many can sing or play an instrument; not many can read and understand the language of music.  Just be sure to use whatever you have to HIS glory, not your own!

A repectful friend and evangelist mentioned to me that if we have to 'practice' our instrument or voice in any fashion, etc. than what we have is a talent, NOT a gift.  A gift of music would mean that we automatically have that musical ability - with no practice!  But either way, we must be sure that our glory is passed on to Him - and not be silent!  It is an honour and thrill to be able to serve God with our music ability; we just cannot forget that HE is the reason we have that gift and/or talent;  and any glory we receive, it is to be HIS glory, NEVER our own!
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Psalm 33:2
Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.
The same comments from above are appropriate for this verse, as well.  The words UNTO HIM are the key words in all of these verses and they direct us to worship.  Watch for these words in other verses. 

Remember that Psalm 68:4 shows us that our praises are to be TO HIS NAME; our extolling is to be done to and through Jesus Christ; our rejoicing is to be BEFORE HIM.  The Word of God shows us that God is directly involved in ALL of our music, thus the worship element is expressed throughout the entire Bible!
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Psalm 33:3
Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.
We see again the words UNTO HIM, thus continuing the worship element. We also see the words NEW SONG.  Being a new creature and knowing that all things ARE become new, our worship should include our 'new song.'   We also need to remember that the word 'song' can truly mean far more than just music.  It could involve our testimony as well as other elements in our life that are new since our salvation.

Seeing the word loud in this verse ought to remind us that we have nothing to be ashamed of as Christians, especially not our psalms, hymns or spiritual songs, if they are pleasing to God, that is! 

The world certainly is aware of the word loud when it comes to their car stereo systems and boom boxes, etc.  and they don't seem to be ashamed of their music.   Certainly we have nothing to be ashamed about concerning our testimony and our music, so lost folks ought to hear the Christian's music as well. 
II Samuel 22:50 Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name.
Psalm 18:49 Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name. 
Psalm 126:2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.

However, I am certianly not encouraging you to start a decibel war in your neighborhood, etc. nor does this mean God is pleased with loud noisy 'concerts' in your home and church.

Another key word in this verse is  skillfully.  Those who have instruments, including a singing voice, ought to practice!   We ought to able to play skillfully when the opportunity arises. 

Of course, there are those who can only just make a joyful noise and no doubt God accepts that joyful noise. Psalm 66:1; 81:1; 95:1; 95:2; 98:4; 98:6; 100:1.  But those who have the ability and talent must play skillfully!  So, WE MUST PRACTICE in order to play skillfully with a loud noise.
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Psalm 47:6
Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.
We continue to see the key words TO GOD, thus signifying worship. 

And now we see the words UNTO OUR KING!  We know who that is referring to, amen! This verse truly helps us make this personal worship to the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
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Psalm 66:2
Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.
Singing the HONOUR of His name will remind folks of the true nature of worshipping an honourable God!
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Psalm 71:22
I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God:
unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel.
This verse directs us to God Himself. I will also praise THEE... O my God: unto THEE will I sing..., O thou Holy One of Israel.  Keeping in mind all the mini-sermon comments from above, we see how our music is to be done in worship fashion directly TO HIM!
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Psalm 96:2
Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.
Even when singing UNTO the LORD, we see here that his name should be blessed.  The truth of one's salvation is shown forth in all of our personal walk, but especially when we worship God directly.  His name is to be blessed because our salvation is based on His Name. 

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
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Psalm 98:1
O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things:
his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.
Key word again - UNTO 

Why should we sing unto the LORD a new song?... because He hath done marvellous things!  Amen? 

Of course he has!  Is it possible that the reason folks sing what they do these days is that they are either unappreciative of what the marvelous works of the LORD or they are just ignorant of it all? 

Anybody willing to read the Scripotures will see the marvelous the things of God.  It appears that many Christians are ignorant of doctrines such as Imputation, Justification, Eternal Security, etc.  Many Christians are even ignorant of the actual working  details of their salvation etc.  If they really knew about these and the deep things of God (I Corinthians 2:9-16) their thankfulness would grow.

Do Christians today even consider any form of close & personal worship to the LORD; at least enough of a closeness for them to ever wonder if their music is good enough for Him to hear?

The last portion of Scriptures before the rapture taking place shows the Lord knocking on the door of Christians as He is seeking fellowship with them.  It must be that most Christians in the Laodicean church are not really interested in close fellowship with the Lord, thus the Lord still has to knock on their door.  That is a sad thing!

People will use Jesus Christ for their salvation, but are not willing to fellowship with the One who paid for it all.  They are willing to have Him come into their house but not into their private room!  Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
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Psalm 98:4-8
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth:
make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.
With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King.
Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together
At first, this appears to be a calling upon 'nature' to makes it's praises unto it's creator, but when we consider that we are they that dwell therein, then we should know that we can also claim these verses. 

Notice that it is all UNTO THE LORD; and it is all BEFORE THE LORD, the King.

There is to be made a joyful and loud noise; there is to be rejoicing, and singing praise.  We sing with an instrument, in this case, a harp and the voice of the psalm. The trumpets and cornets also make a joyful noise, all of which is to be made unto and before the LORD, the King.

Remembering Psalm 68:4, our actual extolling is to him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH and there is no doubt that this is all referring to the KING of KINGS and LORD of LORDS!
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Psalm 100:2
Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
Not only do we see that we should SERVEthe LORD with gladness, we see that we are to COME BEFORE HIS PRESENCEwith singing.  We continue to see in these verses that worship is a personal thing UNTO the Lord - one-on-one; and someday, face to face!

As we continue to grow in our understanding, we will begin to see that what the mainline denominations do today with their ritualistic ways of worship is nothing but the Old Testament's way of going before His presence.  They are worshipping an unknown God as Paul preaches about in Acts 17:22-31

God's very presence to the Christian today is His personal presence within each Christian!  God is not 'in the house of worship only' but He is in our personal body.  WE are the temple of the Lord, thus ANY and ALL singing and music, etc. that we do will always be done BEFORE HIS PRESENCE.  We cannot have 'our' favorite music because 'WE' like it.... it is to be based on HIM - because the presence of the LORD is within our very existence!  We are ALWAYS before his presence, no matter where we travel, "24-7!"

Christ is in us and we are in Him. 
Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Colossians 2:10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
II Thessalonians 1:12 That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 John 2:5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
1 John 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
1 John 4:13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
1 John 4:15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

The Holy Spirit dwells within us as well. I Corinthians 6:19What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  Among these and many other verses, we can see that Romans  8:9 says But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Understanding that Romans 8:8 says So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God, we see that a lost person cannot do anything TO God or FOR God until they are saved through the Holy Spirit and through Christ who is the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.  Only after the operation made without hands in Colossians 2:11-16, can our praises & rejoicings both be a worship time to the Lord directly.

Then, as a Christian who is considered no longer IN the flesh, we must be careful ourselves that our music which is  unto God, and regardless of whether or not it is a performance, CD, tape, record, etc. is not music that is AFTER our flesh.  Romans 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

This verse also reminds us that we should always serve with gladness because of His very presence within us.  Anything less from us during our daily walk results in grieving & quenching the Spirit. 

With a gladness throughout the entire day, we ought to have the peace of God, peace from God and peace WITH God  and our music ought to reflect that peaceful walk! Philippians 4:7; Colossians 3:15; Romans 1:7; II Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3; Romans 5:1
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Psalm 104:33
I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live:
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
This verse, identical to Psalm 146:2, reminds us again that our music is to be UNTO the LORD!!

Worship! True Worship!

This verse tells me to sing UNTO the LORD as long as I live and the then he shows us that we should sing unto the LORD eternally when we read sing praise to my God WHILE I HAVE MY BEING.

Looking beyond our life here on the earth, it is because of His salvation that our being is eternal; thus we will sing praise to our God eternally.  I wonder if those in the lake of fire will be trying to sing praises to God as they beg to be taken out!  As seriously unfortunate as it is, God was never THEIR God!  Their song will be eternal, as well.

With that thought in mind, note the closeness in this verse... I will sing praise to MY God...  Too many folks these days look to be worshiping the UNKNOWN GOD of Acts 17:23.  If they really knew God as their God, they would be sure to sing the kind of praises that give the glory to HIM, not to the UNKNOWN GOD.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.  Matthew 7:21-23

We will come to understand in this book that those who are singing to an unknown god are actually singing their praises unto the god of this world, soon to be known as the antichrist.
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Psalm 105:2
Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.
We continue to see that our music is to be UNTO HIM.  This particular verse tells us to sing psalms UNTO HIM.

There will be more on the Psalms themselves within this book and in miscellaneous sermons on the website.

Remember, though - you can't go wrong with the text when you sing PSALMS. 

However, what we can do with instruments such as the ever popular folk guitar and banjo, can ruin the Psalms by bringing in music that leads us after the flesh.  Putting Scriptural words to 'bad' music is an example of new wine in an old bottle as warned about in Matthew 9:17; Mark 2:22; Luke 5:37; Luke 5:38.  When we become a new creature, we learn that all things ARE BECOME new.  As we put on the new man then, we ought to put away the old man's music!  See Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10.

The King James Bible has the only truly inspired and preserved Psalms...
...exactly the way God wants to hear them!
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Psalm 135:2, 3
Ye that stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God,
Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.
You can't get more 'at home' than with this verse: Ye that STAND in the HOUSE OF THE LORD, and in the COURTS of the HOUSE OF OUR GOD.
From reading the above verses (see Psalm 100:2), we know WHERE the Lord dwells today.  He is not only at the right hand of God the Father, He is also in us at this moment, that is, if we have Him as our Saviour!   So we are being reminded here that we are ALWAYS standing in the house of the LORD; we are ALWAYS in the courts of the house of our God.
We see ownership here again in the words OUR God! As stated before, an increasing number of folks today are appearing to worship the UNKNOWN GOD of Acts 17:23.  If they really knew God as their God, they would be sure to sing the praises that give glory to HIM, not to the UNKNOWN GOD.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.  Matthew 7:21-23


Finally, we see here in this verse that praising the LORD is a pleasant thing to do.  Is it pleasant to you?  If so, is it a fleshy pleasantness or is it a holy pleasantness?  Only one way pleases God and that is HIS way!  Christians should know that we are to please Him before we please ourselves or our neighbours, etc.  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. Mark 12:30  The SECOND commandment is Mark 12:3 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. 

Our music can reflect who we love first!  A good Bible study on music and some preaching on music can help you determine if your music is for God or for yourself.
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Psalm 144:9
I will sing a new song unto thee, O God:
upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee.
Here we have that a new song being sung UNTO THEE, O GOD.  UNTO THEE.  This is what extolling is all about.  UNTO HIM!  See other sermons and studies within this book concerning comments on a new song.
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Psalm 146:2
While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
This verse, identical to Psalm 104:33, reminds us again that our music is to be UNTO the LORD!!

Worship! True Worship!

This verse tells me to sing UNTO the LORD as long as I live and the then he shows us that we should sing unto the LORD eternally when we read sing praise to my God WHILE I HAVE MY BEING.

Looking beyond our life here on the earth, it is because of His salvation that our being is eternal; thus we will sing praise to our God eternally.  I wonder if those in the lake of fire will be trying to sing praises to God as they beg to be taken out!  As seriously unfortunate as it is, God was never THEIR God!  Their song will be eternal, as well.

With that thought in mind, note the closeness in this verse... I will sing praise to MY God...  Too many folks these days look to be worshiping the UNKNOWN GOD of Acts 17:23.  If they really knew God as their God, they would be sure to sing the kind of praises that give the glory to HIM, not to the UNKNOWN GOD.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.  Matthew 7:21-23

We will come to understand in this book that those who are singing to an unknown god are actually singing their praises unto the god of this world, soon to be known as the antichrist.
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Psalm 147:7
Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:
WE have here another of the many verses on singing UNTO the LORD, UNTO OUR GOD. 
This time, we are reminded to sing ... with thanksgiving!  We must observe that any kind of 'thanks' to God is hard to come by these days. 
Romans 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened;
II Timothy 3:1, 2  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.  For men shall be ...unthankful ... 

Don't let a lack of thankfulness become your personal testimony. 

According to Romans 1:21, not being thankful is the beginning of a long and disastrous slide backwards to a vain imagination and darkened, foolish heart.  Read all of Romans 1:21-32. 

I believe that much of modern Christianity is getting very close to the bottom because of a lack of thankfulness.  Do folks even know from their Bible reading what to be thankful for?

From a lack of hearing and learning from Christ himself through the lack of reading the Holy written Scriptures, Christians will backslide back to the vanity of their mind.  see Ephesians 4:17  I continue to see that the biggest problem with Christians concerning music is that they have simply ignored the Scriptures about music. 

ApplyingEphesians 4:18-21 to a modern Christian ignorant concerning music and Scriptures ...
...has a darkened understanding of music!
...listens to music that draws them away from God!
...maintains an ignorance regarding the dangers and blessings of music!
...has a blinded heart towards music!
...doesn't care about the issue of music because they 'know what they like!'
...gives himself over to music that courts lasciviousness!
...listens to an unclean music!
...becomes selfish and greedy regarding what THEY want to do concerning music!
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Psalm 149:3
Let them praise his name in the dance:
let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.
There may be an extension of this book into the realm of Biblical dancing - but for now, it shouldn't be necessary to preach on today's sensual dancing.  But nothing surprises me these days in what people think God approves.
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Ezra 3:10-13
And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel. And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel.  And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.  But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off. 
Now this is a time of glorious worship and celebration.  Some folks get so moved that they produce tears of joy and glory to God.  One would think that true worship would bring tears every time as worship is being close to God, talking and praising Him directly!
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II Samuel 22
See whole chapter
This entire chapter shows us David giving thanks to God for delivering him out of the hand of all his enemies.  And David spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul:

This is an excellent chapter if you are interesting in reading praise and worship at its finest!  We can see from I Chronicles 23:5 that all of David's instruments were made to praise God, so this chapter is very much what you would expect from David!   Moreover four thousand were porters; and four thousand praised the LORD with the instruments which I made, said David, to praise therewith. This particular chapter is often called David's Psalm of Thanksgiving.

David is called the sweet psalmist of Israel in II Samuel 23:1.
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II Kings 3:15
But now bring me a minstrel.  And it came to pass, when the minstrel played,
that the hand of the LORD came upon him.
Here the hand of the Lord comes upon Elisha after a minstrel played his music.  From a missapplication of this verse, folks could tend to think that the LORD sparks revival because of the music, or because of some special musical arrangement, or their own voice, or their musical style and delivery, etc.  See the sermon on Saul and David I Samuel 16:14-23  and read another account that people tend to falsely use music as their power with God. 

However:

  • keep in mind the Old Testament application here can not be applied to us in the New Testament if the word of truth is rightly divided...
  • keep in mind WHERE God dwells concerning a Christian today - IN the Christian, NOT in the building, etc..
  • keep in mind how music can actually quench and grieve the spirit when the music takes the place of preaching and the scriptures...
We should see that this verse has NO direct application to the NT Christian.  A Christian today needs to realize that their music, if it follows AFTER the flesh, will truly do just the opposite of what this particular verse shows - instead of "drawing God" fleshly music will quench and grieve the spirit because the flesh profiteth nothing!

It isn't music that brings folks to the Lord; it isn't the music that brings revival; it is preaching!
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.   I Corinthians 1:18, 21

II Kings 3:15 is a great verse FOR a Christian, but it is not written TO a Christian.
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Revelation 5:9
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Here we have the elders at the throne of God singing a new song concerning the book that no one was worthy to open except the Lord Himself - the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David.  This will be quite the scene to see, amen!  This is true and serious worship!

And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.  And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.  And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.  And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.  And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.  And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;    Revelation 5:1-9

Thou Art Worthy!!!
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Revelation 14:2, 3
And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
These verses show the 144,000 singing a new song before the throne.  This is not just the spiritual throne that we stand before today; this is THEE throne! 

Now THIS is worship - this is beyond earthly worship!
But someday... someday soon...

...Extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH...
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More verses may be included as this page develops.
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