This morning as I was waking up the Lord put the words from that Song in my heart: “As long as I am breathing I have a reason to praise the Lord” …….Along with that phrase is came the question what happens when one stops breathing? What did Solomon mean when he wrote in Ecclesiastes 9:10: Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
***Lets begin this morning by turning to Psalm’s 146 which appears to be the biblical basis for the modern song “As long as I am breathing I have a reason to praise the Lord”
The "Grand Finale" of the Psalter
Psalm 146 is the opening song of the "Final Hallel" (Psalms 146–150), a collection of five hymns known as the "Hallelujah Psalms" because each one begins and ends with the Hebrew word Hallelujah ("Praise the Lord").
- In the previous 145 psalms, the writers openly cycle through grief, shame, doubt, fear, and military defeats.
- By the time the reader reaches Psalm 146, the wrestling is over. The book enters a crescendo of uninterrupted praise, expanding from a single worshipper in Psalm 146 to the entire universe in Psalm 150.
While the author is technically anonymous (though historically sometimes attributed to David, or the post-exilic prophets Haggai and Zechariah), scholars generally place its composition after the Babylonian Exile, likely written for worship in the newly rebuilt temple in Jerusalem
Let’s jump in to this Psalm together:
Psalm 146 King James Version
146 Praise ye the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul.
**I want you to hear the writer he is commanding his Soul to praise the Lord. Sometimes we have to just tell ourselves to do something. I cannot think of a better activity to do than to praise the Lord.
There was another person in the Bible that lived this in great example to us. His name was Job. He was some by God’s own words was perfect…Job 1:8 Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.
*** You remember the story: In one day God allowed Satan to take away all of Job’s wealth, his servants, and his children:
Job 1:20-21 King James Version
20 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,
21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.
Later when Job’s body was covered in painful sores, his wife—overwhelmed by her own grief—suggested that he should just "curse God and die." Job responded with a profound theological truth about life:
"Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" (Job 2:10)
Job 27 New Living Translation
Job’s Final Speech
27 Job continued speaking:
2 “I vow by the living God, who has taken away my rights,
by the Almighty who has embittered my soul—
3 As long as I live,
while I have breath from God,
4 my lips will speak no evil,
and my tongue will speak no lies.
***The first point of the Message today: There is never a bad time to praise the Lord. Praise transcends anything you may be going through.
Go back to Psalm 146
2 While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
*** In the very last Psalm, 150 the command is for all to praise the Lord
Psa 150:6
Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.
*** I want to talk about this word breath and life. There is a very powerful connection that we do not want to miss.
We are first introduced to this word Breath in Genesis 2 as God is forming Adam:
Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath H5397 of life; and man became a living soul.
The Hebrew word here for breath is “nesh-aw-maw”. It is something more that the physical motion of respiration. It is a puff, i.e. wind, angry or vital breath, divine inspiration, intellect. or (concretely) an animal:—blast, (that) breath(-eth), inspiration, soul, spirit.
As we continue through the bible we see as God gave it to give life to Adam, in Genesis Chapter 7 God takes it away in judgement of man in the flood.
Genesis 7:19-24 King James Version
19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered.
20 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.
21 And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:
22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.
23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.
24 And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.
***The first point of the Message today: There is never a bad time to praise the Lord. Praise transcends anything you may be going through.
**The 2nd point of the Message today: God gives you the very breath you need to return to him in praise.
**So in a way our praise to him we really never ours to begin with. Our praise to him was a gift he gives us moment by moment, day by day……..
*** Later when God is commanding Moses on the instructions for going into the promise land and conquering the cities of the people of the land, listen to this:
Deu 20:16 But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth: H5397
Josh 10:40 So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, H5397 as the LORD God of Israel commanded.
***Our friend Job spoke often of the Breath of God:
Job 33:4 The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath H5397 of the Almighty hath given me life.
Pro 20:27 The spirit H5397 of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.
***The first point of the Message today: There is never a bad time to praise the Lord. Praise transcends anything you may be going through.
**The 2nd point of the Message today: God gives you the very breath you need to return to him in praise.
***The 3rd point of the Message today: Your breath and Spirit can be used for life and death, good and evil.
***When we transition to the New Testament the Bible is written in Greek and uses a different word: Transliteration pneuma (Key) pnyoo'-mah
This word for breath is used very much to describe the Spirit. Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost but also unclean spirits. Jesus spent a lot of time casting out unclean spirits that caused physical illness in peoples lives. But today we focus on breath & praise
In the context of the Breath of God being in the body of human we see these verses:
Luke 1:39-49 King James Version
39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;
40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
***The first point of the Message today: There is never a bad time to praise the Lord. Praise transcends anything you may be going through.
**The 2nd point of the Message today: God gives you the very breath you need to return to him in praise.
***The 3rd point of the Message today: Your breath and Spirit can be used for life and death, good and evil.
John 13:21 When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, G4151 and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
Jesus in the Garden with his disciples: Mat 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit G4151 indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
On the Cross. In his moment of greatest victory: Mat 27:50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. G4151
James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit G4151 is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
1 Peter 3:1-4 King James Version
1 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;
2 While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.
3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
Ephesians 5:18-21 King James Version
18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
Rev 13:15 speaking of evil and the False Prophet: And he had power to give life G4151 (Spirit or breath) unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
***The first point of the Message today: There is never a bad time to praise the Lord. Praise transcends anything you may be going through.
**The 2nd point of the Message today: God gives you the very breath you need to return to him in praise.
***The 3rd point of the Message today: Your breath and Spirit can be used for life and death, good and evil.
***The 4th point of the Message today: It is the Holy Spirit, the breath of God that gives you power and sustains your praise.
John 20:22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: G4151
Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost G4151 is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Lets Go back to Psalm 146 and wrap this up
Psalm 146 :3
3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God:
6 Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:
7 Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth the prisoners:
8 The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord loveth the righteous:
9 The Lord preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.
10 The Lord shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord.
***The first point of the Message today: There is never a bad time to praise the Lord. Praise transcends anything you may be going through.
**The 2nd point of the Message today: God gives you the very breath you need to return to him in praise.
***The 3rd point of the Message today: Your breath and Spirit can be used for life and death, good and evil.
***The 4th point of the Message today: It is the Holy Spirit, the breath of God that gives you power and sustains your praise.
*** In Closing I want you to turn to:
James 3 King James Version
3 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
2 For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.
3 Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.
4 Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.
5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:
8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.