Audio Sermons

Building up the Church of Christ:

Rejoice and Give Thanks!

Life B-P Church Worship Service, 15^th December 2024

Text: Nehemiah 12:27-47

• The 2^nd half of the Book of Nehemiah recounts the story of the rebuilding or reviving of God’s people from despair & shame to a new walk with Him. God’s focus is always about the people in the Church, the Body of Christ (cf Jeremiah 7:1-4).
• The 3 main themes of the Dedication Service (v27) - worship, thanksgiving and joyful praise - take us to the heart of what true worship is all about.

1. A Time of Worship

• The dedication service gave God’s people an opportunity to remember how good & faithful He had been to them. God is worthy of our worship (= “worth-ship”) for Who He is and what He has done for us. Every LORD’s Day Worship is a Dedication Service to mark the day that Jesus rose from the dead, and to remember how good God has been to save us from sin & condemnation.
• The dedication service involved everyone - the priests, Levites, singers, and the people, including women & children. Congregational worship strengthens our faith and unites us as a Body of Christ – it is a means of grace whereby the Body of Christ is built up (Hebrews 10:24-25).
• Before the people dedicate the walls, the priests and Levites purified themselves, the people, the gates, and the walls, signifying that worship is sacred (Psalm 24:3-4). When the heart is prepared for worship, the worship we offer is the worship that delights God (Psalm 51:17; 96:9).

2. A Heart of Thanksgiving

• God’s people offered their thanksgiving in worship to God (v27). Nehemiah also organized “two great companies of them that gave thanks” (or, 2 great thanksgiving choirs). The 2 thanksgiving choirs, one led by Ezra (vv31-37) & the other by Nehemiah (vv38-39), walked on top of the walls in opposite directions towards the Temple in an outpouring of thanksgiving to God (Psalm 100:4).
• God’s people walked ON the walls as a symbolic act by which they stepped out by faith to claim God’s promise & blessing (Nehemiah 4:3; 6:16). Thanksgiving is a vital expression of faith in God; it reminds us how powerful and good our God is (Psalm 103:2).
• To be thankful is a choice we make in our everyday life regardless of our outward circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18). An attitude of gratitude is a wonderful weapon against pride, unbelief & a bitter spirit.

3. A Spirit of Joyful Praise

• God’s people expressed their worship & thanksgiving to God on this occasion with loud singing and joyful praise.

- A wide variety of musical instruments were used to express thanksgiving - cymbals, psalteries, harps and trumpets (vv27,35,41).

- Many singers or musicians joined the two choirs to give thanks (v28). The singers sang loudly (v42) - with joy and gratitude from the heart (Ephesians 5:18-20; Colossians 3:16-17).

• Nehemiah & Ezra re-established the temple service as David (who lived and died more than 500 years before) had organized it (vv45-46). The faithful following of the worship established from earlier generations shows a lasting commitment to the form of worship that had honoured God for generations.
• The people rejoiced with great joy because God had given them great joy (v43). They were so loud in their rejoicing that the people around Judea took notice of their joyful worship. Worship is never meant to be drab or boring (Psalm 100:1-2). Christians ought to exude a sense of joy because we are going to heaven and there will be joyous singing, glorious praise & exuberant worship in heaven (Psalm 122:1).

Question for Meditation

• In Nehemiah 12:27-47, God’s people gathered for the dedication of the walls of Jerusalem with joyful singing and thanksgiving. What does this reveal about their attitude toward worship, and how can we cultivate a similar joy and gratitude in our worship today?