Excerpts from:' Worshipers On The Walls'
10/31/04
Nehemiah 12:27-43

This passage in Nehemiah 12 is a look at gratitude and thanksgiving from the heart of the people, which then became their worship of God.

This event recorded in Nehemiah was a dedication to God. It was a worship event. We know that we were all created to worship God, with our lives. You know, when we come to worship, we need to come joyfully. We need to come expectantly. We should expect to have a blast in God's presence!

How have your prepared for worship today? How did you come to worship this morning? Rushed, tired? Read the newspaper, watch the news? Did you come out of obligation or relationship to Him? If we're here out of relationship this morning, it should show....others should be able to tell.

The first thing we need to do as we prepare for worship is get ready-get ready in our hearts.

"The priests and Levites ceremonially purified themselves; then they did the same for the people, the gates, and the wail"

Even though the occasion called for great celebration a serious element needed to be included. It must be noted that before the people could experience joyful celebration, they had to get their hearts right with God. To really get in on the celebration and get God's blessing you must remember, "Holiness always precedes happiness," as Chuck Swindoll says.

The first step to a happy life is right living (holiness). That means making right choices. There is not a person who hasn't tried to fake a clean heart and failed. Moral carelessness and sin give joy, laughter, and gladness a hollow ring.

What resonates from your life? What comes out of you that others around you sense? Is it the staleness or the offense of the world. or is it Christ?

2 Cor.2: 14, 15 says; "... Now wherever we go he uses us to tell others about the Lord and to spread the Good News like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a fragrance presented by Christ to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those being saved and by those perishing."

Nehemiah 12:43 says "that day they offered great sacrifices, an exuberant celebration because God had filled them with great joy. The women and children raised their happy voices with all the rest. Jerusalem 's jubilation was heard far and wide."

There are three things about gratitude, thanksgiving and worship.

First. there is no inappropriate time to worship. With Joshua, it happened when he was anticipating battle. With David, it was following God's denial of his request to spare the life of his son. With Job, it was in the midst of life's greatest crisis.

Secondly, our worship is a response to who God is. With Joshua it was when the visitor revealed himself a Commander of the Lord's army. When David was confronted with God's holiness, he responded in worship. Job worshiped when he recognized God's sovereignty. There was no question in Job's mind that God was in charge.

Thirdlv. no matter what life circumstances may be, the heart attitude of a worshiper is always the same. Though Joshua's thoughts were on conquering Jericho , his heart was ready to worship. Though David was experiencing the consequences of his sin, he worshiped. Though Job faced catastrophe, his first inclination was to bow before his maker in worship.

Worship is not complete without repentance and surrender. Worship is a lifestyle. it isn't something that we reserve for quiet times or in an event setting. God does not adjust to us; we must adjust to him. We do that by living for him-that's worship.

It's interesting, Nehemiah places the emphasis on what was in the heart of the people, not the type of music or the style. It was the rejoicing that was heard afar. People don't hear the words and notes; they hear the joy in the heart. So what comes out of your heart during the week? What fragrance is the essence of your life?

You know, people who are lonely, hurting and depressed are not attracted to the choir, to style or volume; they are impressed with people who testify to a joyful and happy spirit. Why? Because people need their lives rebuilt. That's what the theme of Nehemiah is all about: the rebuilding of lives that have been broken by sin.

Do you need to return to God, and, as the author of Hebrews says; "Offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe; for indeed our God is a consuming fire."? It may not be an exaggeration to say that most people know God today for what He does for them rather than for whom He is.

That was the basic difference between Israel 's knowledge of God and Moses' knowledge of Him. Israel knew God's acts , Moses knew God's ways . If we are going to be worshipers who delight in the heart of God, we must become so by understanding His ways and by loving Him for who He is, not just for what He does for us.