"we Worship God With Our..."

Title: We Worship God with Our… Type: Expos. – series

Script: Neh. 11 & 12 Where: GNBC 11-12-06

Intro: : Back in 1992 when the Dallas Cowboys were preparing to play the San Francisco 49rs for the NFC Championship in San Francisco, the Cowboys had a pep-rally at Texas Stadium. The audience cheered wildly for each player when he was introduced. The fans carried banners. They painted their faces and proudly wore blue- and white outfits. They tried to get autographs. Not one fan walked away saying, “That event was a dud. It did nothing for me.” The event was a success, not because the performance was great (they didn’t play any football at all) or the players’ speeches weren’t inspiring (most of them weren’t’ very good speakers), but because everyone understood why they were there. The purpose was not to please the fans but to honor the team. The people walked away saying, “That was great! I hope the team understands how much we appreciate and support them!” Why did you come to church today? Our primary reason for attending church should be to worship God to honor Him and show Him how much we appreciate Him (Ps 95:6-7). Come let us bow down before the Lord. Worship is more than just singing a few songs, performing a few rituals, and enduring a sermon. We come to experience the presence of God, to acknowledge His authority in our lives, and to worship him as our Creator. We come to experience the presence of God (Duet. 23:14).

Prop: In Neh. 11 & 12 we see 3 ways in which we can be personally involved in worshiping God.

BG: 1. Nearing the end of the book. I hope you have enjoyed Nehemiah. I feel as though learned much;

2. As I consider the book I am amazed at how God called this man to come and do His work, and the Persia govt. foot the bill. And yet we serve a sovereign and an amazing God.

3. I appreciate Nehemiah because although was a spiritual leader, he could also serve effectively in very practical matters. And yet, as in this section we see that he was a man of worship.

Prop: Looking at Neh. 11 & 12 we’ll notice 3 ways we can personalize our worship.

I. We Worship God by Our Presence. Neh. 11

A. Nehemiah Lists the Names who were going to Live w/in the newly completed walls of Jerusalem.

1. The Presence of these People was Needed and Felt in the Service Commemorating Israel’s success.

a. Who were the groups of people who came to worship – they were the leaders of the people (v.1) and they were those who had volunteered/conscripted to live there. It included the priests and Levites as well as the political elite of society.

b. Why did these people gather to worship? Because they were grateful to God for all He had done for them. At heart, a person who has no interest in worship is an ungrateful person. Whether in Nehemiah’s time period or today. Whether in the church community or outside.

2.

a. Illust – Now, I hope you understand what is going on here. Nehemiah wants and needs people to move into the city of Jerusalem if it is to be the center of the nation. You can’t have a capital city that is uninhabited (unless its Carson City, NV, or…)! As the governor with carte blanche powers Nehemiah simply issued an edict that required one out of every ten men living outside of Jerusalem to move with their families into the city. (Neh. 11:1) Apparently Nehemiah sent official delegates throughout the land and rolled a die or cast the lot and if your number was on the lot you were “chosen” for the duty.

b. If you look closely at this passage, however, it was a “voluntary draft”. Now that is an oxymoron isn’t it? Now for those of you unfamiliar with that word it does not mean some sort of specialized idiot! Rather, it is a term that contains mutually contradictory elements. I.e.- It would be like saying someone was a “sad optimist”, or as some have suggested “congressional ethics” (just kidding!) Now, though, as I said, it was a voluntary draft in that apparently even if you were picked to move you could decline going. I believe there is a spiritual application in this unusual event. You see, God wanted volunteers for this job. It needed to be done, but He wanted willing people to populate Jerusalem. And when a man and his family said they would go, the people “blessed them” (v. 2) Illust – Some of you young people right now are considering what do with lives. Some considering missions or something else. God will not force you into serving Him in your life calling, He wants you to volunteer, not out of coercion but out of personal conviction. Because it is conviction that will keep you when service becomes difficult.