Teaching Notes

Praises To God

Psalm 95:1-5 (The Message)

                                                                                                                               1-2 Come, let's shout praises to God, raise the roof for the Rock who saved us! Let's march into his presence singing praises, lifting the rafters with our hymns!

3-5 And why? Because God is the best, High King over all the gods. In one hand he holds deep caves and caverns, in the other hand grasps the high mountains. He made Ocean—he owns it! His hands sculpted Earth!

Notes:  The Psalmist is really giving praises to God.  The writer of this psalm is talking about praising God in such a way that the very roof is lifted off. That's praise!

Question: Why do you think it was so important to the psalmist to praise God?

Answer: The psalmist was rejoicing first because of God being his "rock" that saved him.  In other words, that rock represents that God is solid, strong and sturdy.  We can stand on the promises of God and know they will not shift or be moved.  They are solid and strong.  The second point he brings out is that God is the best king, because what king can say that he made the oceans?  No one other than God.  The psalmist says, God owns it, the earth is his. Isn't that something to rejoice about?  To rejoice in the fact that God can do such greatness, isn't that something to get really excited about?

Prayer: Lord we want to rejoice regarding your greatness.  Let help us not hold back in our times of worship to you.  Let us give you the praises you deserve.  You are awesome!

Teaching Notes

It is wonderful to praise the Lord.  Some wonder, what do I have to praise God for if my life is not what I want?  Well, let's just start first with the beauty around us.  We can thank God for his wonderful work in nature.  The beautiful things he has given us to see and experience.  What ever you do, just start to praise him.

Praises To God

Philippians 4:5-7 (The Message)

4-5Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!

6-7Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Notes: This encouragement from the book of Phillipians is to call the believer to a place of total trust in God.  The call is to revel or delight in God all day long, every day.

Question: Why is it important to praise God as directed in this scripture?

Answer: The importance is, if you are rejoicing in God then you will not allow the cares and worries of this world to make you get off the mark.  If you praise God even when things are difficult you can find your rest in God. Tell God your concerns and then trust him to take care of them.  If you do it that way, then you will not have the cares making you get worried about the answers.  You know how it is sometimes, you can get fretful about how something is going to work out.  Yet, if you trust God, praise his name and stay focused on him, he will answer your prayers and keep you calm in the midst of a worrisome situation.

Prayer: Lord, today we seek you because we do not want to fret or worry about any problems we face.  We know that we will have cares, but we also know that you are greater than our cares.  Help us to know you hear us and you will take care of what we need.

Teaching Notes

Imagine this, this flower is praising God because it is being just what it was created to be.  When we do what God has created us to do, we praise him with our lives and with our lips.

Praises to God

Luke 19:39-40 (The Message)

Some Pharisees from the crowd told him, "Teacher, get your disciples under control!" But he said, "If they kept quiet, the stones would do it for them, shouting praise."

Notes: The Pharisees wanted Jesus to stop the praise of those that were standing around. Jesus gives them a response to their request.

Question: What was Jesus' response to the Pharisees?

Answer: Jesus told the Pharisees that if the people did not praise him, that the stones would cry out.  What does that really mean?  That let's us know that God is going to receive praise, even if the elements have to do it.  The earth will cry out because of the greatness of God if his children do not. God is worthy of praise because of his greatness and for his awesomeness.  So it is important to us to praise God and his Son for the great gift of salvation we have recieved.

Prayer: Lord, help us to give you the praise that you are due.  Help us to praise you so that the earth or the elements do not have to cry out for us. 

Teaching Notes

It is good to sing praises unto God.  He deserves all that we have and so much more!

Praises to God

Jeremiah 20:12-13 (The Message)

Oh, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, no one fools you. You see through everyone, everything. I want to see you pay them back for what they've done. I rest my case with you. Sing to God! All praise to God! He saves the weak from the grip of the wicked.

Notes: Jeremiah was talking to God about those that have been giving him trouble.  They have taunted him, called him a liar for telling the truth about God's word and he has had to continue being obedient to God even in the midst of the situation.

Question: What can we learn about troubles from Jeremiah's message?

Answer: Jeremiah did not try to handle his situations himself.  He took them to God.  What he did was say to God rescue me from my trouble. He says that he rest his case with God and instead sings praises unto him.  What he means is, he has given everything to God and now he doesn't have to trouble with it and he can spend his time praising God because he knows God will take care of him.

We can have the same assurance as Jeremiah had.  When people do not treat you right, you do not have to get them back or take care of it yourself, because God will.  Sometimes God will make you stand still and sometimes God will tell you to move, but whatever he tells you, you must trust in him.  If he tells you to stand through the difficulty he will give you the strength to do it.  If he tells you to move, he will direct you where to go.

Prayer: Lord, today we ask that you help us in our times of difficulty just like you helped Jeremiah. You help him to stand against those things happening to him.  Help us like Jeremiah praise you even in the midst of any thing we face.

Teaching Notes

A wise heart grows stronger and brings good health, a unwise heart brings sickness to the body.

What's In Your Heart?

Proverbs 10:8 (The Message)

8 A wise heart takes orders; an empty head will come unglued.

Note: This simply scripture is given to instruct one in what is important for the heart condition.

Question: What does a wise heart do?

Answer: A wise heart takes orders.  That means one that is wise in their hearts listens to what is right, thinks about it and then acts on it.  While a empty head will become unglues or make foolish decisions.  That means those that are not thinking with the mind of God then do not have a wise heart.  What is in their hearts is foolishness and they make foolish choices.  Choices that hurt people and bring destruction.  Let us have wise hearts this day.

Prayer: Lord help me to have wisdom in my heart so that I can make choices that do not undo me and destroy my life.  Help me to love what is right and to live accordingly.

Teaching Notes

What's In Your Heart?

1 Chronicles 17:2 (The Message)

2 Nathan told David, "Whatever is on your heart, go and do it; God is with you."

Notes: David asked Nathan the prophet about building the house of God. Nathan tells David he can do it, however he comes back and tells David it will get done, but it will be by his son, not him.

Question: What do you think it would be like to know that you have God's permission to follow your hearts dreams because God is with you?

Answer: Well I can tell you this, what a blessed place to be, in God's will. See, many times we believe God is out to stop us from going after things that are dear to our heart. That is not true. What God is against, is us doing anything before we speak to him or anything that is placed in front of him. God is not to be second in our lives. If we are obedient to God and seeking him with our whole hearts, he will gives us the desires of our hearts, first because what we desire is not against God's direction or purpose for our lives. Have you ever wondered that maybe that which is on your heart God put it there first?

Prayer: Lord help me today to have godly dreams on my heart. Help me so that when I come seeking you, you will grant those desires on my heart because you are with me.

Teaching Notes

We often say we give our hearts away, but do we really?  Do we really give our hearts completely?  Well today, let's give our hearts completely to God so that he can dwell within us. We can allow our hearts to be enveloped in the heart of God so that we can touch another person's heart.  That's what I think of when I look at this picture.  God is the big heart and we are the heart connect to him.  When then become the one to help connect the disconnect to God.  You do that by passing on the love of God that dwells in your heart.

What's In Your Heart?

Deuteronomy 4:39-40 (The Message)

39-40 Know this well, then. Take it to heart right now: God is in Heaven above; God is on Earth below. He's the only God there is. Obediently live by his rules and commands which I'm giving you today so that you'll live well and your children after you—oh, you'll live a long time in the land that God, your God, is giving you.

Notes: The writer is asking his audience to take some very important information to heart, which is that God is in heaven as well on Earth and that in fact, he is every where.

Question: What does it mean to take it to heart?

Answer: What that means is to take it very serious and to keep it close to you.  So in other words, the writer is saying keep these understandings of God so close to you, that they are where your affections come from.  They are the things that motivate you in what you do and  how you live out your life. So that is why the next request is to live out your life in obedience to God.  This will only be possible if your heart is for God.

Prayer: Lord, today give me a heart to follow after you.  Give me a heart to want to remember your commands and to live by them.  Help me to let you lead my life, your way.