The Joy of Worship
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The Joy of Worship
INTRODUCTION
Worship in Africa- under a tree, in a hot building.
Worshiping in an underground church in China.
The physical was important to help get them to the Spiritual.
An unstable world makes worship difficult.
Peace is good. War is evil.
1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,
2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,
4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
What we do with the peace is what is important.
1 And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel.
2 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month.
3 And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.
4 And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand.
5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood.
6 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law, while the people remained in their places.
8 They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.
The physical was labor- the spiritual brought conviction and joy. Nehemiah 8:10, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Joy is not about life being easy and happy.
Joy is understanding is a choice. Conviction brought sorrow. They were called to choose joy.
4 Ways to Find Joy
1- Gather with Believers (1a)
1- Gather with Believers (1a)
1 And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel.
They gathered at one of the gates- that they repaired.
God created us as social beings.
Even introverts need to be around people.
Mental health has been a huge problem over last two years.
God commands us to meet together.
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
2- Read God’s Word (1b-5)
2- Read God’s Word (1b-5)
1 And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel.
2 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month.
Ezra’s authority is in God’s Word.
It was given time. - Not rushed. (1 hour service?)
And people listened.
3 And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.
It is given place of prominence.
Wooden platform above the people.
4 And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand.
It was given reverence.
5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood.
People listened and stood. For how long? Early morning until midday.
The religious leaders stood on the stage to show what Ezra was doing was the most important thing.
God’s Word has complete authority in our life.
12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
It causes conviction. Reveals our sin.
As followers of Jesus we do not question God’s standards. We surrender to them. These are the standards of those who are his.
ILL- DHS use to always ask, what are your family rules? Every family has different things that are important for them. To be part of our family we had certain expectations.
God’s standards are holiness/ perfection. He shows us what it means to live up to those standards in His Word.
God’s Word gives us direction. Keeps us from being lost.
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
3- Surrender in Worship (6)
3- Surrender in Worship (6)
6 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
Posture of worship.
surrender and humility.
Hands raised= surrender and worship
Bowed heads= submission and worship.
“Amen”= I agree, it is true, let it be.
It was loud, it was quiet, it was reverent.
Truth of Scripture leads to worship.
23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Not evidence of singing here but it was to be a big part of worship.
12 and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, their sons and kinsmen, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood east of the altar with 120 priests who were trumpeters;
13 and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord), and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the Lord, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever,” the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud,
14 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Our worship services are a picture of worship in heaven.
1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.
2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar.
7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
4- Apply the Teaching (7-8)
4- Apply the Teaching (7-8)
7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law, while the people remained in their places.
8 They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.
Understanding was extremely important.
Only those who could understand were to be there.
But the spiritual leaders had a responsibility to teach.
ILL- Jonathan at a Ministerial Alliance service.
They had a responsibility for the people to understand God’s Word.
We are called to understand and then to teach.
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,
13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.
14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
But we are called to more than just knowing and understanding. We are called to live it.
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
“observe” = “obey”
CONCLUSION
Being a disciple of Jesus is a call for him to be Lord.
It is not about what is easy and convenient.
If your Christianity is easy and convenient, you have never surrendered to Jesus.
Salvation is free but obedience costs everything.
-Take up your cross and follow.
Have you surrendered your life to Jesus and made him Lord?
Have you surrendered your life to Jesus and made him Lord?