Today’s message entitled, “Ultimate Praise” is the last but not the least installment in the series “The Anatomy of Praise. The Anatomy of Praise is the compilation of Dr. Lamont E. Ricks, Associate Pastor here at New Berean Baptist Church designed to help us understand what praise really is and why it is important for us as Believers to incorporate praise in our every day life. For it is stated in the scriptures that the Lord inhabits or “enthrones the praises of his people” (Ps. 22:3)
Today’s message takes us to II Corinthians 5 where we are made aware that Ultimate Praise:
- Is CONNECTED to Our Transition From Life to Eternity (II Cor. 5:1-10)
- Is CRAFTED by our Fear for God and Love for Christ (II Cor. 5:11-18)
- Was COMPLETED on the Cross (II Cor. 5:19-21)
In the Model of Praise, praise derived from at least six experiences
- P – Pain from our past hurts
- R – Regrets from decisions that were made based on our emotions
- A – Abandonment by someone we loved or someone we thought cared for us
- I – Isolated or ostracized by the crowd because of a certain stand or conviction of ours.
- S – Setback. We thought we were on the road to recovery and the tables turned and things got worse
- E – Expectation of something we’ve wanted for a long time, i.e. a godly spouse, a timely financial bonus etc and it has taken longer than we expected
All these things make for genuine praise to the Lord.
Sing for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones;
Praise is becoming to the upright. Psalm 33:1