A Dedication Celebration
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
How much thought do we give to our gathering together as a people to worship God?
God uses several illustrations to describe His people and one of them is a building. We are the temple of God and a spiritual house that is being built up of individual stones.
This is a good illustration to describe our worship also. We are called to worship God together and give thanks for what God has done for us. We are to dedicate ourselves as a spiritual people, a church, to His work by giving thanks, praising Him, and giving testimony of His goodness to others who hear us.
Tonight we are going to take a look at a dedication celebration that the people had as they gathered together to worship God and thank Him for the success they had seen.
27 And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres.
28 And the sons of the singers gathered together from the district surrounding Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites;
29 also from Beth-gilgal and from the region of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built for themselves villages around Jerusalem.
30 And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and they purified the people and the gates and the wall.
31 Then I brought the leaders of Judah up onto the wall and appointed two great choirs that gave thanks. One went to the south on the wall to the Dung Gate.
Pray.
1. We Should Celebrate the Lord’s Work Among Us (v.27)
1. We Should Celebrate the Lord’s Work Among Us (v.27)
27 And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres.
They were celebrating the completion of the wall
Our work is only made possible by the help we get for the Holy Spirit
What has God accomplished in our church that you are thankful for?
Have you taken time to thank God for what He has done?
2. We Should Worship Together As a Community (vv. 27-42)
2. We Should Worship Together As a Community (vv. 27-42)
They gather the Levites and temple workers together in the city to dedicate the wall
They celebrate with gladness, thanksgiving, and singing.
All three elements should be present in worship
Worship should not be just personal, but we should come together to worship as a community
3. We Should Give Testimony to God Through Our Worship (v.43)
3. We Should Give Testimony to God Through Our Worship (v.43)
43 And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away.
4. Worship Should Be Organized According to God’s Plan (vv.44-47)
4. Worship Should Be Organized According to God’s Plan (vv.44-47)
44 On that day men were appointed over the storerooms, the contributions, the firstfruits, and the tithes, to gather into them the portions required by the Law for the priests and for the Levites according to the fields of the towns, for Judah rejoiced over the priests and the Levites who ministered.
45 And they performed the service of their God and the service of purification, as did the singers and the gatekeepers, according to the command of David and his son Solomon.
46 For long ago in the days of David and Asaph there were directors of the singers, and there were songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.
47 And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah gave the daily portions for the singers and the gatekeepers; and they set apart that which was for the Levites; and the Levites set apart that which was for the sons of Aaron.