Hebrews 13:15 tells us, “By him therefore…”  By Him, by Him.  All the praise that God deserves can only be acceptable, pure, when it originates by Him; amen?  His presence, He comes in and manifests Himself, and it causes in each and every one of our hearts and our minds a lifting up, a gratitude, a thankfulness for that presence that we were looking at, here, in Chronicles.  “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God,” what’s the next word, “the sacrifice of praise to God continually…”   When we look at ourselves, most of us would probably be able to say that it’s positive, but I wonder if we put on a scale the murmuring and grumbling versus the thanksgiving and praise.  What comes out of your heart and your mouth most frequently?  When you’re crosswise with somebody—marriages, parents and children, whatever the relationships might be—a lot of that strife and bitterness and conflict would go away when you start thanking God for that person, and what they are and have been in your life.  But a selfish heart, an unthankful heart, lives in that attitude of “What have you done for me lately.”  So, we realize, then, how constant, “continually,” he says, this is to manifest, “…that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanksgiving to his name,” praise God.  “But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Hebrews 13:15-16).

A thankful heart.  Some of the young people that are here this morning, don’t have a clue how blessed you are to be born into the families that you’ve been born into.  Parents that love God, parents that teach you the Word of God, parents that are requiring what God requires of you.  Thankfulness for this community.  And I just want to remind us, that thankfulness, genuine thankfulness, cannot be contained.  For out of the heart the mouth speaks, praise God.  If there’s thanksgiving in your heart, it will come out of your mouth.  The fruit of our lips giving thanksgiving to His name, hallelujah!  I want to tell you something: you’re praising God when you’re thanking your mom and dad.  You’re praising God when you’re telling your spouse how thankful you are for them in your life and how they complete you, praise God.  Amen?  

You don’t have to come into a worship service and have the band cranked up and have all of the worship experience, hoopla, that’s going around in churches, today, and then call it a worship service.  Most of those are not worship services, they’re entertainment.  The focus, too often, is on the creation instead of the Creator.  Maybe we don’t need the best vocalist up here, maybe we need the most thankful person up here ministering in song.  Because it is that true heart of worship that brings God’s presence into our lives.