Download Nehemiah Part 22 Feb 28 2016

Nehemiah part 22…Feb.28th 2016
Chapter 12:27-31
I believe if you ask any builder they would say it is harder to rebuild than to build.
To build means you start with a clean site or a clean slate.
A new building starts with a new foundation and new materials.
Building a new building is never easy but it is much faster than rebuilding.
Anytime something is rebuilt it is harder because you have to deal with what is already there,
you have to work behind someone else and all the debris.
Anytime you rebuild before the new can go in the old has to go out.
My son and I were in Danville not long ago talking to a man and he showed us an old building
he had purchased when I walked up to it I thought this looks right rough…
When I walked in it I thought to myself this place is worse than rough it is beyond repair.
The reason I say that is because it had no roof at all it didn’t even have any rafters it was all wide
open.
The building was slated to be torn down and he bought it and he has huge plans for it.
He took me into another one he had bought in the same shape as the first one but after the
renovations it was beautiful.
He had a vision that saw beyond what was to what could be.
But for his vision to become a reality it took a lot of work, time, investment and perseverance.
When I looked at those buildings I thought about life.
Sometimes our lives get in the shape of the building.
Pieces are missing, time, decisions has taken a lot out of it.
At times a person’s life may look like it is beyond repair.
But unlike the building that can be removed from the site and another one be built…
We only have one life and we can’t relive it.
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So if we mess it up it has to be rebuilt.
That means we rebuild a new life on an old foundation.
That requires removing or dealing with whatever caused our life to be in the shape it is in.
And then doing what is needed to turn it around.
The book of Nehemiah shows us rebuilding is possible regardless of the damage that has
been done.
As well as the length of time that something has been in ruin.
Nehemiah shows us…Rebuilding comes with a cost and many times with much opposition.
Sometimes we are our greatest opposition and are not always eager to pay the cost.
The cost can be very high and the work very hard.
But when it is all said and done the rewards far exceed the pain that must precede the victory.
Pain always precedes victory you will never have victory without some pain involved.
Nehemiah has shown us that to be true.
To rebuild the wall of Jerusalem Nehemiah faced every form of opposition known to man.
But he kept working, he kept his vision focused on what he knew needed to be done and could be
done.
And finally the dream became a reality.
When we get to chapter 12 the wall is completely rebuilt the gates are in place and the city
is being repopulated.
As an application to us the repopulating of Jerusalem is a reminder that God is building His
eternal city the New Jerusalem.
The New Jerusalem is not like the old one made of bricks and mortar but a new city built with
spiritual stones.
Believers are those stones…1st Peter 2:5 says…You also as living stones are being built up as
a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through
Jesus Christ.
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The redeemed people of God purchased by the atoning sacrifice of the Lamb of God will inhabit
the new city of God one day.
But that’s future so let’s get back to Jerusalem…
What was once barren and was in ruin is now bustling again.
What was wrote off and was a reproach is now the talk of surrounding areas.
Businesses return and new ones are started…
It is the best example of urban renewal known to man.
And it all happens because Nehemiah had a vision of the city being great again.
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Nehemiah knew God was behind it all…
He knew it was God that gave the vision and he knew God provided the resources…
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He knew it was God that kept the enemies hands tied when they tried to stop him.
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He knew God deserved the glory and the honor so he does something to give it to Him.
When God does something for us, in us or through us He is worthy of glory.
When God does something for us we must celebrate it.
The word celebrate means to honor or praise publicly.
Nehemiah demonstrates no job is actually completed until God has been properly thanked and
His works celebrated.
Celebration is as a part of the rebuilding and the building process.
Nehemiah and the people have experienced revival and they throw the biggest party in history.
But he also shows us true celebration requires proper preparation.
In verse 27 Nehemiah celebrates by dedicating the wall to God.
Dedication means dedicating an object to the Lord for His use and control.
That’s what parents do when they dedicate their babies.
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They give their babies to the Lord for His use and to be under His control.
Nehemiah forms a celebration around the dedication…
But it starts with preparation.
He calls in the Levites…
The Levites had many responsibilities in the life and worship of Israel but the most important
responsibility was to lead people in the songs of worship and praise to God.
Verse 27 says Nehemiah brought in the Levites to celebrate the dedication with gladness, both
with thanksgivings and singing.
Gladness means delight, pleasure.
Thanksgiving is showing gratefulness for what has been given and is being enjoyed.
The Levites come with singers and instruments.
The first one mentioned is the cymbals or percussion that means there is going to be a beat and
some rhythm.
Then we see stringed instruments and harps later on in verse 35 the brass section is added.
Instruments are a huge part of the worship experience.
In the Bible there are at least 22 different musical instruments mentioned.
Verse 28 choirs are formed
The celebration is about to begin the drummer is in place the guitars are tuned the brass and
singers all in place.
The choirs are rehearsing the worship leader is getting the last minute things in place and the
praise team is ready to go.
But then look at verse 30…
Right when you would think the music would start it doesn’t.
Right when you think the worship leader will open the service?
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It says…then the priests and the Levites purified themselves and purified the people the gates
and the wall.
Before they began the leaders purified themselves.
They knew they could not effectively lead the people in worship unless they walked in purity
before the Lord.
Then they purified the people.
They purified themselves because without purity people cannot truly worship the Lord.
Without purity we can’t worship God in spirit and in truth as Jesus commanded.
Without purity we cannot ascend into the presence of the Lord.
Without clean hands and a pure heart we cannot bring praise to God.
You may say how do I purify myself?
And it is easy 1st John 1:9 tells us how we do it…
If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.
Then they purified their surroundings…
There are a lot of homes that need some cleansing or purifying to get the sinful things out of
them.
Before going to worship we need to set aside some time to get pure.
We cannot come before the throne of God and truly celebrate Him until we get rid of sin.
Holiness always precedes happiness.
We cannot laugh off the things God hates and then expect God to pour Himself into us.
Our hearts must be right for worship to come out and to have a truly worshipful experience.
After reading this I believe every service should start with a time of going to God and
confessing our sins.
Our worship will be stronger and our experience will be real and powerful.
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Nehemiah is showing us worship cannot be a rush rush last minute thing.
We need to prepare for worship.
Purification is the preparation that results in true celebration.
Verse 31 the celebration is about to begin the music starts and…
Nehemiah brought the leaders of Judah up on the wall and the appointed two large thanksgiving
choirs one when to the right hand…
Notice they are called thanksgiving choirs.
The reason for the name is because all praise and worship must have a strong element of
thanksgiving to God for it to be genuine.
Then we see in verse 38 the other choir and leaders went to the left.
The two choirs are on top of the wall
and then join together to form a full circle around the wall.
Hundreds of people standing on top of the wall.
Notice the Bible says two large choirs.
Large massive amount of people in the wall that’s a lot of weight.
Why did Nehemiah take them up on the wall why didn’t they just stand on the ground near
the wall?
There was a reason and the reason is back in the beginning of the rebuilding when Sanballet and
Tobiah said to Nehemiah…
If a fox got up on that wall it fall down.
Nehemiah is saying to the world the devil is a liar.
When God builds something it is solid and can withstand the pressure.
But notice they circled the entire wall.
In the O.T. when people walked around an object, city or piece of land it was a way of claiming
it for God.
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This tells me we as believers ought to take a walk around our block, our city and our family and
claim them for God.
Christians need to walk around some high crime areas and claim them for God.
We need to get permission to walk around the outside of schools and claim them for God.
Walk around your family and claim them for God.
Just take a walk around and tell the devil he is liar.
Nehemiah didn’t just build a wall he claimed the city for God.
The party is hearty and celebration is in full swing.
Verse 42…the singers sang loudly with Jeremy the director.
Everybody is singing everybody is worshipping.
And they are doing it loudly.
They were singing loud so loud people heard it from afar.
We ought to be raising the roof and the whole neighborhood ought to hear us.
Verse 43…Also that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced for God had made them
rejoice with great joy.
The not only sung to the top of their lungs they gave from the depth of their pockets.
The verse actually says they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced when they did it.
It is one thing to give but to give sacrificially is a total trust in God to provide.
I love the last part of verse 43…
It says God made them rejoice with great joy.
It means God had given them great joy.
The women and children are rejoicing everybody is rejoicing.
In the world today there are too many depressed people…
In the church today there are too many depressed people.
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If you hold your praise and celebration in you hold your depression in.
Make yourself rejoice.
Paul said rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice!
Celebrate the goodness of the Lord.
Look at what the Lord has done for you not what the devil has done against you.
Verse 43 ends by saying…The people rejoiced and they were heard from a far off.
Has anyone heard you rejoice lately?
Or have they just heard you moan and groan?
Pass a stadium and you will hear the crowds screaming out and cheering.
When Brookville has a game you can hear the cheers all the way over here.
People are excited they are not ashamed of their teams and their school.
But the same people may go to church and if a person gets excited they get all upset.
You better be glad you didn’t worship with Nehemiah.
Let the world know let the world hear you from afar how good God is and has been to you!
Celebrate Jesus Christ and He has doen for you!
But remember celebration begins with purification.
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