Celebrating God
Marriage of the Lamb
Lesson Text: Revelation 19:1-8
We have weddings to create memories for those to attend as well as the participants. Similarly, the wedding ceremony in heaven culminates the believers' rescue from the power of sin which setoff an Alleluia scene. Therefore, this lesson encourages us to get ready.
Thought to remember: Look for hallelujah moments in your life.
Lesson Learned: I must grasp the events of my life through the nature of God's actions – He creates, He rules, and He redeems. My life has a purpose, and I must fulfill that purpose by remembering - Revelation 19:7, Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. Am I prepared for this ceremony to concur?
My Prayer: Praise to You, God most high! Glory to You, Lord of Heaven and Earth! Thanks be to You and Your gracious gift of Jesus, Your Son, and our Savior. May our hearts give praise to the King of kings and Lord of lords. In Jesus' name, we pray, Amen!
God of Power
Lesson Text: Revelation 11:15-19
As you read this text, one must notice four unique attributes about God as follows: 1) God's Power, 2) God's Justice, 3) God's Followers, and 4) God's Sovereignty.
Thought to remember: There is a future when God's reign in Heaven will join His reign on earth!
Lesson Learned: A particular church closed its doors where hundreds of individuals once worshipped weekly; now, it had dwindled to a few individuals. So they sold the building, but their worship didn't stop. Instead, the group began to worship in local parks and with other congregations. Likewise, I must realize that worship occurs beyond the inside of the Church's building. This Revelation of John envisions a better reality to the future. God's heavenly temple where worship continues into eternity. So I ask myself, am I prepared to worship in the temple of God that will open in Heaven.
My Prayer: Dearest Heaven Father, may we remember that You are everlasting and unchanging! You are worthy to receive every honor and praise. May we, like those in the book of Revelation, celebrate Your reign forever and ever with an eternal "Hallelujah!" In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
United in Praise
Lesson Text: Revelation 7:9-17
The book of Revelation enlightens us on the future to avoid misconceptions of what we are seeing and experiencing in this life. Yet, Revelation frequently alludes to the Old Testament and assumes that one must become familiar with it to grasp the rationale for what is to come. This lesson looks at a scene when a diverse group synchronizes their worship of God and the Lamb of God.
Thought to remember: Salvation comes through the blood of the Lamb!
Lesson Learned: I realize that the 7th chapter of Revelation is a high point concerning worship and praise in the Bible. Therefore, my present situation may see precedent at this moment. Yet, I must have remained confident that unity will prevail in times of both joy and suffering because of the salvation of Jesus.
My Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, may we ever offer praise and thanksgiving for Your glory, wisdom, honor, power, and strength. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
Praise God for His Greatness
Lesson Text: Psalm 149:1-5; Psalm 150
Psalms 149 and 150 come at the end of Book V of the Psalter, and they collectively are known as the praise conclusion. These books were likely composed after the rebuilding of the Temple and walls of Jerusalem. Yet, the phrase "Praise ye the LORD" is a common theme shared throughout Psalm.
Thought to remember: Praise the Lord – always!
Lesson Learned: I must always understand that when my life becomes turbulent. I should refrain from focusing on nonbiblical solutions to resolve my issues but remember God's capabilities. Then, I can return from my exile by identifying the process that God is implementing in my life. Such recognition will provide new opportunities to sing for joy to the LORD.
My Prayer: Dearest Heavenly Father, our God, you are great, and you are good. In all circumstances, may we ever praise you for your care for us. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
Praise God for His Presence
Lesson Text: Psalm 84:1-12
In Psalm 84, we witnessed the passion for the presence of God. As you study this lesson, ask yourself if your journey in life is leading toward God or away from God.
Thought to remember: Remember the Lord’s presence and be blessed!
Lesson Learned: The psalmist is very passionate about his presence in the Lord’s house. So I ask myself this question - how seriously do I take the truth that God’s presence is always with me? If I am serious about this question, then I must realize that location is nonessential because my heart must become passionate about spending time with God.
My Prayer: Dearest Heavenly Father, thank you for the presence of the Holy Spirit! We realize the need for humbleness because You promised to dwell with those who turn to you with simple faith. We thank you for your presence with your people when we gather in worship. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Praise God for Past Deliverance
Lesson Text: Psalm 107:1-9, 39-43
In Psalm 107, we are reminded that God can and does bring to pass the reversals such as providing relief for life’s circumstances. Therefore, we must celebrate God while remembering that He is always a part of our spiritual demeanor. The physical side of life does matter, but it is not the only dimension of reality.
Thought to remember: We can never praise the Lord too much.
Lesson Learned: I must continue to Praise God with consistence because He honors me with the provision of care. I must remember that I serve a God who can reverse the circumstances of life. Therefore, I must faithfully keep and serve Him as I cling to the promise as reminded in Nehemiah 1:9. But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.
My Prayer: Dearest Heavenly Father, we thank you for the record in Scripture of your power to deliver your people. Help us, we pray, to deepen our understanding of your love toward us and model your ways to others. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Praise for God’s Ultimate Justice
Lesson Text: Psalm 9:1-12
We have another power lesson in Psalm that celebrates God. This Psalm stresses the importance of praising the Lord wholeheartedly. We must remember that God’s ways are not those of humans, so praising Him must come from the realization of knowing Him from experiences instead of knowledge about Him.
Thought to remember: Seek, trust, and know the righteous God of justice.
Lesson Learned: Oppression comes in all shapes and sizes; it is a global epidemic. Yet, I must remember that the God of Israel did not ignore oppression, and neither should I. Psalm 9 reminds me that those who know, trust, and seek the true God have an ally who fights for them. Therefore, I must open my spiritual eyes to see God working on my behalf daily.
My Prayer: Dearest Lord, thank you for all the reasons we have to praise you! We thank you for hearing the cries of your oppressed people; open our ears that we may hear them as well. Embolden us to proclaim the gospel to others so all the world may join us in praising you. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Praise God with Joy
Lesson Text: Psalm 100
Our lesson comes from Psalm 100 which is a brief poem that speaks to the proper response of the people of God to Him. The ancient Israelites may have sung this psalm during the feast of tabernacles to celebrate the fall harvest and completion of the farming year. Psalm 100 is located in Book IV of Psalm.
Thought to remember: Be joyful! The Lord is good, and we belong to Him.
Lesson Learned: Because the Lord is good, I can express enthusiastic joy reflected in Psalm 100. When I ponder who God is and who I am, I must also reverence that the Lord is God, my Creator, and my shepherd. How can I not join the psalmist in singing, rendering thanks and praise to this great and faithful God who called me His own? I say too, bless His Holy Name!
My Prayer: Our Heavenly Father, we rejoice knowing that we belong to You! We praise You for Your constant faithfulness. When we are tempted to drop our gaze to the troubles of this life, remind us again to lift our focus and our praise back to You. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!.
Praise for Salvation
Lesson Text: Acts 2:32-33, 37-40
The most powerful realization from today’s text is that Christ is still good news for a dying world. Yet, sometimes our worship effort fails to signify the significance of this realization. So we need to remember what happened in Acts the second chapter.
Thought to remember: God can transform those who have ready hearts.
Lesson Learned: The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (Savior) remain good news for us today. Just like the day of Pentecost when 3,000 individuals joined this movement. I must remain vigilant with the same enthusiasm for my church and my community: 1) by committing to the study of His Word. 2) by committing to the fellowship of other believers with my time, talent, and treasures. 3) by committing to a truly prayerful life.
My Prayer: Dearest Heavenly Father, thank you for being the God of transformation! As You have been merciful, patient, and forgiving to us in that regard, may we be so to others who need to hear of Your Son. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Praise by Expecting and Following
Lesson Text: Mark 10:46-52
When we are in a crisis and see no relief, we may say, “Lord, have mercy,” without thinking about the importance of these words. Yet, this is a prayer importing God to notice our pitiful situation and provide relief. In this regard, note this lesson when Bartimaeus cries out, Son of David, have mercy on me?
Thought to remember: Physical blindness is temporary; spiritual blindness is eternal.
Lesson Learned: When the Savior walked the roads of Galilee, He encountered many individuals who were blind spiritually rather than physically. Therefore, blindness is synonymous with unresponsive hearts that refuse to recognize Jesus as Savior. So to avoid the same mistakes, I must cry out like Bartimaeus, “Lord, have mercy” with my pitiful situation and provide relief.
Such a prayer can heal my spiritual blindness so I, too, can see and join the Savior.
My Prayer: Dearest Heavenly Father, reveal to us our blindness so that we might be spiritually whole. As You extend that mercy to us, may we do likewise to others? Open our eyes, Lord, and let us see You clearly so that we may follow Your Son as He would have us to. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Praise in Dance
Lesson Text: 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 14-19
How often do we realize that the end and means are all tangled together? So to accomplish something, we often must rely on more than self-perseverance, but we must depend on God. We must consult God’s Word to learn the proper means to the ends while giving God all glory. David discovers this process when he moves the Art of the Covenant from Kiriathjearim to Jerusalem.
Thought to remember: Praise God with all your might!
Lesson Learned: How a thing is accomplished matters to the Lord. So I must also focus on the means to achieve the results. And the means should come from God’s Word to ensure that I am always honoring Him first.
My Prayer: Dearest Heavenly Father, teach us to love You like David did when he was at his best. May our excitement take no heed to reactions around us as we seek only to glorify You. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Praise with Music
Lesson Text: Exodus 15:11-21
Our first lesson in our God Celebrating series is Praise with Music. Even the Psalmist challenged us to “sing unto the Lord a new song’ for he hath done marvelous things.” So, after this lesson, I ask you what song will you sing.
Thought to remember: God always wins!
Lesson Learned: Like the song that Moses, Miriam, and the people sang, my songs should come from specific situations:
• Of deliverance;
• Of healing;
• Of crossing from death into life.
So I must remind myself what the reason for singing today is.
My Prayer: Dearest Almighty God, as we face trials this week, we commit ourselves to remember that in You, we have victory. In Jesus’ victorious name, we thank You. Amen.