Nehemiah - Remain Grounded through Worship

Introduction: Today is September 1 and whether you like it or not, you are about to start seeing Christmas decorations in Walmart and Target and more importantly, you are going to start hearing Christmas music. I know shocking.

But it’s not entirely a bad thing. Christmas music that is rooted in the person of Jesus Christ is some of the most beautiful melodies and lyrics ever written.

The First Noel, O Holy Night, Hark the Herald Angels Sing and filled with good theology centered on Jesus.

And for the next few months, even people who don’t care about Jesus or the Church will be worshipping God.

This reminds me of one time a few years ago (over 10 maybe) I just happened to be perusing the channels and then I came across the American Idol’s season finale and they were singing worship songs. I thought, this can’t be right. A series that plays off of the idea that we idolize and worship pop stars worshipping the God of the Universe. Pretty amazing in our day and age.

But…in the same way that you don’t get to decide when people start listening to Christmas music, the world does not get to decide whether God is worthy of worship…because He is.

As Jesus said, if His followers won’t worship Him, the rocks will cry out.

Worship of God, keeps of grounded in knowing who we are in light of who God is.

Transition to the text: Turn with me in your Bibles to .

Nehemiah lived in a time that was greatly lacking in worship. Sure they often went through the motions, but there hadn’t been a prophetic voice in a few decades. But through obedience, he led the people to have a revival of worship in the nation of Israel.

By doing something that they couldn’t do on their own (repair and rebuild the wall) this led them to rejoice in what God had done for them. But their rejoicing reminded them of an ancient commitment to worship God according to His word.

Let’s read what happened:

Nehemiah 12:27-47

Nehemiah 12:27–47 ESV

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. 32 And after them went Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah, 33 and Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, 34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah, 35 and certain of the priests’ sons with trumpets: Zechariah the son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, 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 Fountain Gate they went up straight before them by the stairs of the city of David, at the ascent of the wall, above the house of David, to the Water Gate on the east. 38 The other choir of those who gave thanks went to the north, and I followed them with half of the people, on the wall, above the Tower of the Ovens, to the Broad Wall, 39 and above the Gate of Ephraim, and by the Gate of Yeshanah, and by the Fish Gate and the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the Hundred, to the Sheep Gate; and they came to a halt at the Gate of the Guard. 40 So both choirs of those who gave thanks stood in the house of God, and I and half of the officials with me; 41 and the priests Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets; 42 and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang with Jezrahiah as their leader. 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. 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.

Big Idea: Remain Grounded through Worship

This chapter is about remembering the spiritual heritage of the nation of Israel. And it should help us to appreciate our own spiritual heritage. What is your story of how you came to know Jesus?

1. Rejoice in what God has done. (Nehemiah 12:27-43)

Explanation: After the events of the last few weeks, they finally dedicate the walls. There is a big celebration but as far celebrations go, this one pails in comparison to what you might find in the city of Susa. Jerusalem was the back corner of the world in terms of significance in the affairs of the world. But what happens there is more important than what happens in Susa. What happens in this church right now or any church grounded in the worship of God, is more important than anything happening in Sacramento or Washington, DC. We have to remember that God is in control of all that happens in the world. You might not see it, but he sends these little reminders to His people that show that He is in control. Just think about how Nehemiah got to Jerusalem in the first place. God bent the will of a pagan king to do what needed to be done. And God had likely been preparing His heart for many years. Artaxerxes grew up in the house of Queen Esther (probably his step mother). God has all that in control. But God works seemingly more powerfully in the small celebrations of a grateful people because they are His people. And they are grateful for what He has done and are able to verbally articulate their thanks! The people are grateful because they know that it is only because of God that they were able to finish the wall in the first place. God has always been pleased to choose the weak things of the world to bring glory to His name.

Nehemiah 12:43 ESV

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.

neh 12:

God has always been pleased to choose the weak things of the world to bring glory to His name.

Their joy was loud! And why not? The were grateful because in their lifetime they had seen God do something amazing! Kinda like when God used Moses to deliver the people out of Egypt. Those people experienced something truly amazing. And let’s be honest, in the time of Nehemiah, it had been a long time since they had seen the hand of God in their lives.

The dedication of the wall is a celebration of remembrance of what God has done for this people. And it’s easy to remember because, they literally just finished the wall. So they are celebrating and thanking God for a recent accomplishment....which leads them to fulfil an ancient commitment. The worship of their God.

It is easy to remember the things that God does for you recently, but to regularly count your blessings is a must.

One of the most repeated commands in scripture is to “Remember.” Why is that important? Because in order to move forward we need to build off of our past. God’s faithfulness in the past proves that He will do the same in the future. And as we learn to trust Him now, it’s easier to trust Him in the future.

Illustration: Some of you have this belief that the only events that happen that matter are those that happen in Washington, DC. That we need to elect officials that hold our values. And that you need to champion the cause of a political party to change the course of our nation and world. Let me lovingly say to you, that’s not true. What’s happening right now in this place as we remain grounded through worship, this is the most important event happening in the world. And how you change the world is not on the large scale, but one person at a time.

Application: And it starts with worship of God for what He has done. Can you remember something recently that God has done for you ? What about a while ago? How will that help you trust Him more tomorrow?

The dedication of the wall is a celebration of remembrance of what God has done for this people. And it’s easy to remember because, they literally just finished the wall. So they are celebrating and thanking God for a recent accomplishment....which leads them to fulfil an ancient commitment. The worship of their God.

2. Worship God according to His Word. (Nehemiah 12:44-47)

Explanation: Now after they had dedicated the wall (something they had just experienced), it reminded them of their ancient commitment to worship God in His house. But their focus on the Word over the last few weeks reminded them that God had a specific way in which he wanted to be worshiped. The sacrificial system what very specific. And when the Temple came it, it narrowed to even how musical worship was to be enacted.

Nehemiah 12:45–46 ESV

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.

This passage refers to which describes the transition of leadership from David to Solomon. David had very specific instructions regarding the temple worship and who would do what. David as a prophet wasn’t just giving His opinion but the very words of God.

nehm 12:45-46

The point was that they needed to worship God as His word stated as given through Moses and as the prophets commanded. And let’s face it, not worshipping God correctly was what got them into this mess in the first place.

My personal devotions for the last few months have been going through the books of the Kings and the Chronicles and it’s amazing to me that so often the Kings of Israel are said to be evil not because they worship foreign Gods, but because they compromise the explicit instructions on how they are to worship Yahweh. When the kingdoms split after the death of Solomon, Jereboam became king in the North. He didn’t want people from His kingdom to travel to Jerusalem’s temple to worship lest they stay loyal to the King in Judah So he made 2 golden calfs for people to worship at places in the North. But he called them both Yahweh. Imagine that. They worshiped the right God but were condemned as evil because they did so improperly. Later on when the Kings in the North at least tried to bring people’s hearts back to the one true God, they still brought them back to the 2 golden calfs.

The greatest danger in our worship to God is not total abandonment of the faith but of compromise to conform to the culture.

And the Old Testament created a very detailed explanation of how they were to worship. To divert from that would be considered disobedience. Nehemiah and Ezra (among other things) sought to correct that. The New Testament gives us a little more flexibility but doesn’t allow us to do whatever we want.

Additionally, gives us some pieces that can’t be missing.

The Apostles Teaching (reading and preaching)

Fellowship (which means actually getting together)

Breaking of bread (the Lord’s Supper)

Prayer

Furthermore, Paul in tells us that our worship is to be orderly. Some might think that this is too restrictive. Can’t I just let the spirit lead? Well yes, and He already led through the Word of God. Yes there are rules we are to follow.

Illustration: Football season is about to get underway and of course, the rules come under constant scrutiny. What’s a catch? What’s pass interference? What’s a clean hit and what’s a $25,000 fine? And if it’s Tom Brady they don’t understand the question. But the point is that every year they try to narrow the rule book so everyone knows what is expected from players to coaches to the dreaded referee.

The more I read the Bible the more I don’t believe we can do whatever we want with regard to worship. We must stay grounded in the word of God and let it guide us.

Just because the Bible doesn’t speak to sounds systems and video screens doesn’t mean that we can’t use them. But we are not free to do away with preaching in favor of more music. We can’t neglect prayer. We can’t stay home and watch Adrian Rogers and call that our weekly worship.

What about shut ins? We must go to them! Just a thought.

And yes, we are told to observe the Lord’s Supper regularly. some do it every week. Others 2 times a year. We have chosen to do it once a month.

Application: Proper worship connects us to our spiritual heritage that goes all the way back to the disciples. Styles and forms will change, but together we worship the same God in the way that He has prescribed.

So I guess the question is are you reading your Bible and letting that be the standard by which we gather to worship.

Transition:

These 2 things are so important in keeping us grounded.

Rejoice and worship God for what He has done in your life.

And let that lead you into a greater reverence for what He has done throughout History.

Worship Him according to His word.

What has God done that can lead you into deeper worship of Him?

For me, it always brings me back to the cross. What has God done that brings me into a deeper heart of worship? He sent His son to die on the cross that we might have peace.

And what’s beautiful about the Lord’s supper is that it also connects us to Israel in that it is the celebration of the passover.

Reflection: Lord’s Supper

1 cor 11:23-

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 ESV

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.