When our praise comes from Him alone!

As men Jesus says we all like the praises of men and we love to be accepted by all. In our fallen human nature we like to be praised by men. This earthly disposition comes from the nature of the flesh, or the old nature. Jesus said the parents of the blind man that He healed loving the approval of men were afraid to testify about the miracle of their only son being healed by Jesus. He said in that context that they were afraid to be placed outside of the synagogue; therefore they themselves would not confess the truth. However they said let him our son who is of age testify about himself. Why? Probably because of His birth defect he was an outcast from among the temple worshippers. Maybe in their own Law they would find Him improper to be amongst the worshippers in their midst. To this particular couple Jesus said the praise of men was more important. This is why many of them were rejecting Christ in Jesus. They were not able to bare the disapproval of men. They liked the praise that was coming from men, but Jesus had the few who would not care about the fame and praise that would come from an earthly and sensual man. He kept on telling the Pharisees that you walk in the street and like to receive the praise of men and that is why you even seek the best seat at the synagogues. The popularity gained among men was the satisfaction of their poor self image.  However Jesus said “Things that are well respected among men is abhorred by God.” That is why He Himself did not trust what was in man and never committed Himself to no one to take comfort in their praise.  Just like when upon His triumphal entry into Jerusalem they praised Him calling Hosanna and later on they cried out crucify Him. However In John chapter 1 verses 35 and on we read an outstanding story of people whom the Lord commanded them. One of which is when the Lord called Phillip and then Phillip found Nathaniel and brought Him to Jesus. For notwithstanding his prejudices, he was a man of so much uprightness and honesty, that he thought Philip’s request was very reasonable; and that it was but right, and fair, that he should see, and hear, and judge, for himself, whether the person Philip spoke of was the Messiah, or not; and therefore he came along with him; and as he was coming, Jesus saw him, who knew all that had passed between him and Philip; and said of him to those that were standing by him, and in the hearing of Nathanael. “Behold an Israelite indeed!”
a son of Israel a true son of Jacob’s; an honest, plain hearted man, like him; one that was an Israelite at heart, inwardly so; not one after the flesh only, but after the Spirit; see ( Romans 2:28 Romans 2:29 ) ( 1 Corinthians 10:18 ) ; and which was a rare thing at that time; and therefore a note of admiration is prefixed to it; for all were not Israel, that were of Israel; and indeed but a very few then: and so, “a son of Israel”, and  ”a perfect Israelite”, are said of such who have regard to the articles of the Jewish faith, though not even of the seed of Israel: it is added, in whom there is no guile;
not that he was without sin; nor is this said of him; nor was he in such sense without guile, as Christ himself was; but guile was not a governing sin in him: the course of his life, and conversation, was with great integrity, and uprightness, and without any prevailing hypocrisy and deceit, either to God, or men. This Christ said to show how much such a character is approved by him; and not only then but at all times, and that he knew the secrets of men’s hearts, and the inward frames of their minds.

This is what should have mattered to all, what the Omnisious God that is all knowing said about them and not men. A God who before He calls them knows all thing about them. This is why I guess in Matthew 7 Jesus says not everyone that says Lord, Lord will enter my Kingdom, because He said to the men who claimed to be His “ Depart from Me you Lawless ones I never knew you”. This could refer to this fact that there were never acknowledged by Him let alone spoken well by Him.

Nathaniel and men like him were praised and commanded by their maker and that was to be cherished more than all. In Nathaniel’s case the Lord identified him by saying a very good thing about Him and this must be our motivation today. If you are here tonight and feel unappreciated by among those you serve or live, know that It is not men who need to appreciate  and speak well of us, but God Himself Who knows all things, including the secrets of our hearts. I too like many others feel good when people speak well of me. There is a smoothing sense of false security when men speak well of us. But Jesus said “Woe to you when men speak well of you, because that is how their fathers treated the false prophets”. (Luke 6:26) You see when we are looking for approval of men it tells the Lord we are more concerned for what the world says about us than what God says. Although we are to maintain a godly character before the world so that they would be witnesses of our Character, but we are not to live to please them, but God to whom we have to give an account one day. In John chapter 1 verses 35 to 42 we also hear Jesus not only greeting the future disciples but that again He command and praise Simon bar Jonah.

Here again Jesus commands Simon son of Jonah by prophetically speaking to him about his future posture of faith and His ability to hear from God in bypassing His own inner witness or men’s carnal idea  about Jesus. Here the Lord commands this willingness to yield. Here Jesus called him “Cephas” which meant rock. What few years later He repeated it when Peter received the heavenly revelation about Him. These kinds of praises that are given by God to men are to stand as the basis of our hope in Him, not what men think about us when we walk uprightly in God.   Here again by saying all this I by no means mean to begin to ignore all men and to live carless and impure lives before them. All I am saying tonight is who are you trying to impress tonight, God or men? If we are trying to live with approval of men we have missed our goal. Since the very same people that men were praising God was condemning.

As I said in the beginning as men in human flesh we always need to be encouraged and confirmed, but we must not make it our aim in life. Our natural instincts are programmed by the old nature, yet in Christ we are to follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit. If we have any good thing in us after we are regenerated must be the product of His sanctifying work in us, and if it is so, then the praise would come from the Lord and that in more than one way.

A true inner peace is one of the signs of His approval of us, why do I say a true inner peace, because a false peace is usually accompanied with men of the flesh. However there are many more ways to know if the Lord is commanding us and not men. Another sign of God’s commanding us is when He through His Spirit speak to us in many ways. Oh yes He delights to speak to us. Through a verse or passage in the scriptures, through an anointed vessel of God, or through a genuine inner witness of the Holy Spirit. Through an audible voice of His or in any way He sees fit. However when God is not happy with us He either tells us directly in our hearts or through the scripture or we feel distant from Him in shame and guilt due to known sin and transgression in our hearts. In Psalm 51 and many other Psalms of David the king of Israel speaks of God’s dissatisfaction of him and the lack or absence of peace in his heart. We all need affirmation of our fathers as children and an orphan spirit is in us when we are not positively affirmed by our earthly parents, however in Christ we only need the affirmation of the father of our spirits. Jesus did not receive praise from men, because He knew what was in man. He only pleased God the Father.  Then how is it that He wants us to worship Him and praise Him now? What do you think has changed? Has He now changed His mind about us? Or What is different now that it was not the same before you think. What God wants from us is as I preached few months ago, which is the perfected praise. A childlike praise coming out of our spirit motivated by the Holy Spirit. That is why He can tell when our praise is not genuine and is only a lip service coming out of our human spirit. The same thing He rejected while on earth. He very well knows the difference between the two and abhors the fruit of our own soulish praise. He also said I seek true worshippers. Ones who would worship in Spirit and in truth. Don’t you know He could tell whose worship at what time is nothing but a lip service?

When we begin to worship Him in our human depravity He knows the intent of our hearts is not to bring Him the glory and that is why He rejects it all together. He said we are not to worship two masters. If we receive praise from men we already have made men our master. This is where the church has gone absolutely wrong.

Pharisees of Jesus’s day had fallen to this state and Jesus continually rebuked them of their hypocrisy. They loved the praise and affirmation of men and had no regards to the Lord’s approval of themselves. Now who do you want to impress tonight? Are you upset because your mate or your family member or even your employer has not noticed you for what you have done for them? Or are you worried and grieved because no one appreciates you? Are you ready to give up because men are speaking evil about you? Well please know that they did the same thing to our Lord whom you claim to worship. Are you living to win the respect of those around you? Or are you seeking to be recognized by Him?  If you do then please stop and re evaluate your faith. See to it that you have not fallen from faith? Remember the seven Churches in Revelation do you remember their praise which came from God alone? Then let us choose what the best is.