(15) 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. (16) But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

Hebrews 13:15-16

Explain:

It is by Christ’s cleaning and sanctifying of us that we can offer up praise to God.  Whenever the priests would offer a sacrifices, there were ceremonial cleansing that they would perform.  Here it is by the cleaning of Christ that we are made clean to offer up a sacrifice.  That is by him. We can offer up sacrifices that are acceptable by God because of Him.

Two kinds of sacrifices are mentioned here.

The Sacrifices of praise.  

What is praise? He gives us the definition right here- “the fruit of our lips” (words) giving thanks to his name.  

The Sacrifices of works.

To “do good” means to work out good things in the world.

To “communicate” here is closely aligned with doing good.  It means to be generous towards others with our resources.  Communication is not words here.  It is generosity in help.

Application

Praise and Worship ought to be the fruit of the life and lips of a believer. We ought to sing and to praise. When it is time to do that corporately we should do that enthusiastically as unto the Lord.

Making a difference in peoples lives through generosity and service is a key way to worship the Lord. We should work hard so that we have to give to those who need. Finding ways to serve others can be directed towards them and towards God.

Response

Take some time today to turn on some music and worship the Lord (even if you can’t sing well!). The noise can be joyful!

Find someone to help today. Even if it is small, it can be a blessing and can be a heartfelt way to worship God.