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This is the manuscript of the sixth and final sermon in the "Watch your Mouth" series. I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. (Psalms 34:1 NIV)
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. (Psalms 100:4 NIV) On July 4th, our nation celebrated a massive milestone—a quarter-millennium of freedom and independence. We rightly cherish that liberty and the autonomy to chart our own course. It’s a historic and remarkable blessing! But as we head into Week 6 of our series, “Watch Your Mouth” this Sunday, we’re going to look at freedom through a completely different lens. While the world tells us that the ultimate goal in life is total self-reliance, the Kingdom of God teaches us something radically different: true spiritual freedom actually comes from establishing a deep, unwavering dependence on God. When we worry, stress, and try to control every outcome, we are essentially trying to live independently of God's sovereignty. This week, we are diving into Matthew 6:33 and Romans 12:2 to see how shifting our trust away from personal effort and onto God’s kingdom brings the ultimate rest and victory. True liberty is found when we completely surrender our worries and align our priorities with His will.
Scripture
Psalms 34:1-22 NIV [1] I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. [2] I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. [3] Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. [4] I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. [5] Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. [6] This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. [7] The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. [8] Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. [9] Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. [10] The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. [11] Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. [12] Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, [13] keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. [14] Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. [15] The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry; [16] but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth. [17] The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. [18] The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. [19] The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; [20] he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. [21] Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. [22] The Lord will rescue his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.
Introduction
Yesterday, our entire nation paused to celebrate an incredible milestone—the 250th anniversary of Independence Day. A quarter-millennium of freedom, marked by fireworks, family gatherings, and a deep appreciation for the liberties we enjoy as citizens. We rightly cherish that independence and the autonomy to chart our own course. It is a historic and remarkable blessing.
But as we move into Week 6 of our journey “Watch your Mouth”, we have to look at the concept of freedom through a completely different lens—a spiritual lens.
While the world tells us that the ultimate goal in life is total, self-reliant independence, the Kingdom of God teaches us something radically different. True spiritual freedom doesn't come from declaring independence from everything; it comes from establishing a deep, unwavering dependence on God.
Today, we have reached the final week of our series, "Watch Your Mouth". .Over the past five weeks, the Holy Spirit has taken us on an intense, convicting, and deeply necessary journey. We’ve looked at the hidden dynamite in our dentures. We’ve examined the spiritual pipeline connecting the abundance of the heart to the loudspeaker of the mouth. We’ve learned to start broadcasting faith, to turn our speech into a healing ministry of grace, and last week, we learned how to evict the enemy from our vocal cords by shutting down his microphone of division and gossip.
But as we close this series, we have to answer a crucial practical question: How do we keep the ground we’ve won?
If you clean out a room in your house that was full of trash, but you leave it completely empty, it won't stay clean for long. Dust settles. Debris finds its way back in. Before you know it, clutter returns. The only way to keep a room from filling up with trash is to intentionally fill it with something of immense value.
That's what Jesus said you need to do when you evict evil from your life.
Matthew 12:43-45 NKJV [43] “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. [44] Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. [45] Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”
The same is true for your mouth. You cannot simply try not to say bad things. You cannot white-knuckle your way into a pure vocabulary. The only permanent way to keep toxic language, complaints, and bitterness out of your throat is to pack your throat so full of something else that there is simply no room left for the poison.
Today, we are going to look at the ultimate antidote to a toxic tongue. It isn't a vow of silence. It is the lifestyle of vocal thanksgiving and praise.
When your throat is filled with praise, the enemy is completely crowded out. Aligning our priorities with God's will is a continuous process, and the crowning habit of that process is constant gratitude.
Our text today is two verses from the Psalms that
show us how to cultivate a climate of praise.
Text:
Psalms 34:1 NLT I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises.
Psalms 100:4 NLT Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.
When we think about thanksgiving, we often think about a feeling. We think about that warm, fuzzy sensation we get when things are going well—when the bills are paid, the family is healthy, and the sun is shining. We think of thanksgiving as something that originates in the heart and stays quietly tucked away inside us.
But the word of God challenges us to take thanksgiving out of the realm of silent emotion and move it into the realm of vocal declaration. True biblical thanksgiving isn’t just a posture of the heart; it is a physical, vocal practice. It belongs in your throat, ready to be spoken, shouted, and sung.
We need to understand something vital about biblical praise: praise is not an internal thought.
Nowhere in Scripture will you find a command to just "think quietly about how nice God is" and call it praise. Thinking about God’s goodness is meditation—and meditation is wonderful—but praise requires verbal expression.
The scriptural definition of praise is incredibly rich and goes far beyond an internal attitude or silent meditation. In the Bible, the primary words used for praise inherently imply audible sound, physical expression, and spoken or sung words. While the Bible speaks of silent reflection and meditating in one's heart (such as in Psalms 4:4 NIV which says ”Tremble and do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent”), the specific act of praise is almost exclusively depicted as an outward, audible, and verbal expression.
Praise is meant to be a verbal advertisement of God's character to a watching world.
Think about how major corporations operate. When a company creates a world-class product, they don't hide it in a dark warehouse and whisper about it. They buy billboards. They run television commercials. They blast it on social media. They advertise it because they want everyone to know how incredible it is.
When we speak up about God's goodness wherever you are—at the store, on the job, or at home. When you tell others, 'God has been so faithful,' you are actively running a commercial for His Kingdom. You are putting God’s goodness on display. You are letting a broken, cynical world know that the King of Kings is still on the throne and He is still doing marvelous things.
The Continuity of Praise
Let’s look now at David’s declaration in Psalm 34:1: “I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises”
To understand the weight of this scripture we have to look at when David wrote it. He didn’t write this while sitting comfortably on his throne. Here is the superscription or the heading before verse 1 of Psalm 34 “Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left." What that tells us is that he wrote this when he was fleeing for his life from King Saul, pretending to be insane just to survive.
David was homeless, hunted, and hurting. Yet, he makes a radical decision. In the NIV it reads: “I will extol the Lord at all times.”. Extol means to praise someone or something highly, enthusiastically, and publicly.
Praise is a choice, not a reflection of our circumstances. If we only praise God when things are good, our worship is entirely dependent on our environment. But when thanksgiving is lodged in your throat, it becomes an intentional decision to speak well of God even when life looks bad.
Notice that David didn't say, "His praise will always be a quiet thought in the back of my mind." He said it would be on his lips. "He keeps it right on the tip of his tongue, ready to throw out at any second."
2. The Passport to His Presence (Psalm 100:4)
Now look at Psalm 100:4: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.”
In the ancient world, you couldn’t just wander into the presence of a king. You needed permission, a protocol, an entry requirement. The Psalmist gives us the protocol for entering the presence of the King of Kings: that protocol is Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is the key that unlocks the gate. Praise is what gains you access to the inner courts.
Many times, we want to enter God's gates with our complaints. We want to enter with our list of demands. While God cares deeply about our burdens, the protocol for entering His presence requires us to first acknowledge who He is and what He has done.
When we speak thanksgiving out loud, it shifts our perspective. It moves us from focusing on the size of our problems to focusing on the size of our God.
3. Clearing the Throat: Moving from Complaint to Praise
Why does it matter that thanksgiving is specifically in our throat?
The throat is a biological bottleneck. It’s where our breath passes through to create sound. It’s also where a lot of junk gets trapped. Think about what usually sits in our throats:
Murmuring and complaining.
Words of doubt and anxiety.
Words of fear, or resentment.
When we hold onto bitterness or worry, it chokes out our spiritual vitality. To have "thanksgiving in your throat" means you are making a conscious, daily effort to clear out the complaints and replace them with praise.
It is a continuous process of self-reflection and alignment with God’s will.
It requires us to look at our lives and say, "I will not let anxiety choke my testimony. I am clearing my throat to give God glory."
Conclusion: A Living Testimony
A silent thanksgiving does very little to change the atmosphere around you. But a vocal, articulated thanksgiving transforms everything. It reminds the enemy that he hasn't defeated you. It is a commercial for God's goodness to all those around us, it reminds your own soul that God is still on the throne.
So as we leave here today, let’s make a commitment to move our gratitude from a passive feeling to an active, spoken reality. Let’s keep praise right on the edge of our lips.
When the enemy brings a spirit of heaviness, answer him with the sound of deliverance. When life brings unexpected trials, let the first response out of your mouth be a declaration of God’s past faithfulness.
Clear your throat. Open your mouth. Enter His gates with thanksgiving.
Let us pray:
Lord God, we thank You that You are good and Your mercy endures forever. Forgive us for the times we have allowed complaints and worry to silence our praise. Today, we make a decision to put thanksgiving in our throats. May Your praise continually be on our lips, in season and out of season, in the valleys and on the mountaintops. We enter Your gates today with dynamic gratitude. In Jesus' name, Amen.
