A sacrifice of Praise
Hebrews 13:15, KJV By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
Psalm 50:23, KJV Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.
Jeremiah 33:11, KJV The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the Lord of hosts: for the Lord is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the Lord.
The Christian life is one where we have been commanded to take up our cross and follow Him. Consequently, it’s safe to say that the new creation believer will live the rest of His life in Christ on earth sacrificially. To sacrifice means to give up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy. This is an important definition because once you think closely about the words sacrifice and praise, it begins to make sense why God would require this. From 2 Thessalonians 5:18, we can conclude that to give thanks and praise is God’s will, and if it is God’s will, He enables us to do it. However, He won’t do what He wills for us to do. Hence, understanding the sacrificial part of praise means that whatever it is you’re giving up to praise God is not more worthy than God is. This is a confession you are making; this is what your actions and sacrifice of praise are saying. It means, in the good and the not-so-good, I do not hold either with such esteem as I hold the One to whom my praise and adoration goes.
Another thing to understand about the sacrifice is that it is offered to a deity by one chosen by that deity to do so; otherwise, it would be unacceptable. This is clear in God’s choice of the descendants of Aaron to offer sacrifices acceptable to Him. Only the high priest was permitted to offer such for the purposes of the sacrifices for sin and atonement. I said all that to say this: in the New Testament, we have now been made a kingdom of kings and priests. Therefore, by the complete and finished works of Christ, we are now tasked with the responsibility of offering sacrifices, not of the blood of bulls and rams, because Jesus’ blood is already perfect for that, but of praise, because it is a testimony of His worth to us, a demonstration of His deity, a sacrifice as it were because it is a commandment to be obeyed irrespective of whether it is convenient or not.
Notice our text in Psalm 50, which tells us, “He who brings an offering of praise and thanksgiving honours and glorifies Me;” Hence, a sacrifice of praise transcends the believer’s current reality, defeats the pride of complaining and murmuring to obey God, this obedience honours and glorifies God. It is a sacrifice because it will hurt the flesh to do something favouring the Spirit’s growth and well-being. You will not feel like giving God praise in contrary situations, but just like Paul and Silas, your response of praise will cause you to use the very chains designed to keep you bound as instruments to glorify the God of your salvation. Here’s what that does: Psalm 50:23 in the NET says, “To whoever obeys my commands, I will reveal my power to deliver.” Following the context of the chapter, God was not asking them for bulls and goats; He owns all the cattle on a thousand hills; verse 14-15 of the same chapter tell us, “Offer to God the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High, And call on Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall honour and glorify Me.” Meaning that deliverance from trouble is God’s response to a sacrifice of praise. In Paul and Silas’ case, the very chains that bound them, which they used to sing praises to God, fell off on their own accord. Perhaps your deliverance is waiting on your offer to God as a sacrifice of praise, the chains that have held you bound.
Hebrews 13:15 tells us to offer through Christ, taking into consideration that His suffering outside the camp, the disgrace He faced did not deter Him, and to, in the same Spirit, continually offer our sacrifice of praise to God. This means that while you are praising God through a contradiction, people’s responses on the outside will look like embarrassment. They may be ashamed of you. But that shouldn’t stop you. Notice also that it tells us what to offer, the fruit of our lips. Why is this important? Proverbs 18:21, Amplified Bible says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life].” In the realm of the Spirit, talk is not cheap; the evidence of belief in something is speech. 2 Corinthians 4:13 tells us that by the same Spirit of faith, we believe; therefore, we speak. Hence, I will tell whether or not you glorify God based on what you are saying in the contradiction and even in the good times. We are given the context of Jesus’ perseverance as an example of how to give God praise. The example of His sacrifice for our salvation is an example of our sacrifice of praise. Nothing could stop Him; nothing should stop you.
In closing, God is giving us a promise in response to your sacrifice of praise; we have a promise from God to do this: Jeremiah 33:9-11, NKJV. “Then it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise, and an honour before all nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them; they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it.’ “Thus says the Lord: ‘Again there shall be heard in this place—of which you say, “It is desolate, without man and without beast”—in the cities of Judah, in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and beast, the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who will say: “Praise the Lord of hosts, For the Lord is good, For His mercy endures forever”— and of those who will bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. For I will cause the captives of the land to return as at the first,’ says the Lord.” Sing to the Lord wherever you are.
