221127 Nehemiah 12: Sanctified for Thankful Praise

OT Thanksgiving is a noun associated most prominently:

Sacrificial System

Psalms of Praise and blessing and shouting

NT Thanksgiving is a verb associated most prominently with

Title

MP

Great Gladness and Joy are always available to the heart that is Grateful to God

God has reserved His people for the eternal delight of thankful praise

Acrostic

How to increase thankfulness in your life:

Honor the Lord with the best part of everything - result is gladness (better to give)

Pr 3.9 “Honor Yahweh from your wealth And from the first of all your produce;”

Acts 20.35 ““In everything I showed you that by laboring in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’””

Extol His salvation to others - result is appreciation for our part in the family of God

PS 40.10 “I do not conceal Your righteousness within my heart; I speak of Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I do not hide Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great assembly.”

Admire His character, His slowness to anger, His lovingkindness, His mercy and truth - result is encouraging to strive toward greater Christlikeness

Ps 108.4 “For Your lovingkindness is great above the heavens, And Your truth reaches to the skies.”

Remember His great forgiveness of our sin - result is relief

Ezra 9.13 ““After all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and our great guilt, since You our God have requited us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us an escaped remnant as this,”

Treat each day as the gift that it is - result is an eternal perspective

Psalm 90.12 “So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.”

These tips make us happy to help the advancement of the Kingdom of God, refocus our minds on the Lord, turn us outward toward others, change our perspective and make it eternal. Thankfulness gives us humility and an ability to enjoy life regardless of the trials that we are each going through.

Observations on Ingratitude/Thanklessness - Vitamin T Deficiency 10 hours of daylight, hassled, hurried by so many things - Christmas hurtling at us like a speeding train

Self-Centered - not focused on Christ

Proud - not humble

Argumentative - bombastic

Rebellious - unwilling to submit to authority

Resentful - at peace

Inconsiderate - unable to think of others first

Not friendly - frustrated

Grumbling - discontent with what God has provided

In the chambers of the human heart transformed by thankfulness:

Exhausted blood pours in and is transformed by gratitude and praise

Rejuvenated blood pours out in gladness and joy

Weak and weary sinner, come in faith to Christ in thankfulness and praise and leave glad of heart, secure in the knowledge that you are bought and paid for with His own blood, leave praising Him

Psalm 48:9-14

9 We have thought on Your lovingkindness, O God, In the midst of Your temple. 10 As is Your name, O God, So is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness. 11 Let Mount Zion be glad, Let the daughters of Judah rejoice Because of Your judgments. 12 Walk about Zion and go around her; Count her towers; 13 Consider her ramparts; Go through her palaces, That you may recount it to the next generation. 14 For this is God, Our God forever and ever; He will guide us over death.

Themes

Permanently Sanctified for Thankful Praise

Doctrine

Theology

How does this support my Main Point

Great Gladness and Joy are always available to the heart that expresses its Gratitude to God in thankful praise

God has reserved His people for the eternal delight of thankful praise

Does anything in here detract from my main point

Observation

This is all about consideration and perspective with regards to worship of the Living God

The vastness of praise that the Lord has decreed for Himself will be equal to the fame of His name

The praise is meant to last

Principle

His Praise is meant to remain, be remembered inter-generationally and be as vast as His name

Implications

Application to Christians/Non-Christians

Cross Reference Support

Context

Nehemiah 12:27-47

I. Dedication of the Wall (v27-30) Sanctification with Songs of Thanks

Nehemiah 12:27–30 | 27 Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites from all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem so that they might celebrate the dedication with gladness, with hymns of thanksgiving and with songs to the accompaniment of cymbals, harps and lyres. 28 So the sons of the singers were gathered from the district around Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites, 29 from Beth-gilgal and from their fields in Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built themselves villages around Jerusalem. 30 The priests and the Levites cleansed themselves; they also cleansed the people, the gates, and the wall.

Themes

Sanctified for thankful praise

Doctrine

Theology

How does this support my Main Point

Great Gladness and Joy are always available to the heart that expresses its Gratitude to God in thankful praise

God has reserved His people for the eternal delight of thankful praise

Does anything in here detract from my main point

Observation

Sanctification, dedication and cleanliness are associated with celebration, gladness, thanksgiving and instrumental praise

Principle

Implications

Application to Christians/Non-Christians

Cross Reference Support

Context

II. The Choirs for the Temple (v31-43) Gladness Overflows in God’s Holy City

Nehemiah 12:31-43 Then I had the leaders of Judah come up on top of the wall, and I had two great choirs of thanksgiving stand, the first proceeding to the right on top of the wall toward the Dung Gate. 32 Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah followed them, 33 with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, 34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, 35 and some of the sons of the priests with trumpets; and Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph, 36 and his relatives, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God. And Ezra the scribe went before them. 37 At the Spring Gate they went directly up the steps of the city of David by the stairway of the wall above the house of David to the Water Gate on the east. 38 The second choir proceeded to the left, while I followed them with half of the people on the wall, above the Tower of Furnaces, to the Broad Wall, 39 and above the Gate of Ephraim, by the Old Gate, by the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate; and they stood at the Gate of the Guard. 40 Then the two choirs took their stand in the house of God. So did I and half of the officials with me; 41 and the priests: Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah and Hananiah, with the trumpets; 42 and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. And the singers made their voices heard, with Jezrahiah their overseer, 43 and on that day they offered great sacrifices and were glad because God had given them great gladness, even the women and children were glad, so that the gladness of Jerusalem was heard from afar.

Themes

Sanctified for thankful praise

Doctrine

Theology

Two parts to the kingdom of God - Jew and Gentile?

How does this support my Main Point

Great Gladness and Joy are always available to the heart that expresses its Gratitude to God in thankful praise

God has reserved His people for the eternal delight of thankful praise

Does anything in here detract from my main point

its just long

Observation

Although everyone is glad and singing and making themselves heard it is not chaotic… it is organized with overseers,

Principle

Implications

Application to Christians/Non-Christians

Cross Reference Support

Context

III. Sustained Songs of Praise (v44-47)

Nehemiah 12:44-47 On that day men were also appointed over the chambers for the stores, the contributions, the first fruits, and the tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions required by the law for the priests and Levites; for Judah was glad over the priests and Levites who stood to minister. 45 And they kept their responsibility given by their God and the responsibility of cleansing, together with the singers and the gatekeepers, according to the commandment of David and his son Solomon. 46 For in the days of David and Asaph, in ancient times, there were chiefs of the singers, songs of praise and hymns of thanksgiving to God. 47 So all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah were giving the portions due the singers and the gatekeepers as each day required, and set apart the holy portion for the Levites, and the Levites set apart the holy portion for the sons of Aaron.

Themes

Sanctified for thankful praise

Doctrine

Theology

How does this support my Main Point

Great Gladness and Joy are always available to the heart that expresses its Gratitude to God in thankful praise

God has reserved His people for the eternal delight of thankful praise

Does anything in here detract from my main point

Observation

The dedication is not meant to be temporal but lasting, sustained and continuous

Principle

The people of God are a kingdom and priests to our God, reserved, clean, dedicated to praise, set apart and holy.

Revelation 5:8-10 “And when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one having a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slain and purchased for God with Your blood people from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. “And You made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth.””

Implications

It is monstrous to refuse to speak of the goodness of God and show Him our great gratitude

Application to Christians/Non-Christians

Cross Reference Support

Context

Conclusion

Revelation 7:9–12 | 9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; 10 and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen, the blessing and the glory and the wisdom and the thanksgiving and the honor and the power and the strength, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

Themes

Sanctified for thankful praise

Doctrine

Theology

How does this support my Main Point

Great Gladness and Joy are always available to the heart that expresses its Gratitude to God in thankful praise

God has reserved His people for the eternal delight of thankful praise

Does anything in here detract from my main point

Observation

Principle

Implications

Application to Christians/Non-Christians

Cross Reference Support

Jude 25 “to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, might, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”

Context

Draft MP

Gratitude like confession has the unique attribute of reorienting our hearts toward Gods

Gratitude and Confession are two grounding activities that reorient our hearts toward God

Gratitude grounds the believer in God’s reality

Gratitude drives joy in life, gladness in trial and worship in Spirit and truth

Gratitude sets the believers heart on level ground while ingratitude is always involved in rebellion

Can a heart be truly right with God if it is ungrateful?

Can a heart be truly at odds with God when it is grateful?

Thankfulness and Praise are two sides of the same heart that is inclined toward God

Without thankfulness praise becomes lifeless and without praise thankfulness is meaningless

Thanksgiving and Praise turn the weeping heart to joy

Thanksgiving and praise reorient the heart properly toward God like few other things can

Acrostic: Benefits of Thankfulness

Celebration

Singing

Praise

Worship

Sacrifice

Cleansing

Dedication

Gladness

The Christian is admonished that everything spoken and everything done be done in the name of Jesus and that we give thanks to God the Father through Him:

H onor the Lord with your thankful praise

E xtol His virtues and blessings | Expected to thankfully praise God

A dmire His lovingkindness | Always give thanks for all thing with thankfulness - Eph 5:20

R emember the great things He has done | Recount God’s goodness to the next generation

T rade your weakness for His richness