The importance of worship

Sirius in the book of Nehemiah if you new to this church, we we believe in the Bible. We believe the Bible is the word of God and we believe that is really incredibly relevant for everyone today. So we is like to study books of the Bible. We have been installing Amaya for the last few months and we are about to finish it and in January, we are going to start the book of Galatians. The name of the other serious is going to be in Galatians good news indeed. So that's what we like to do. Just starting the Bible are the Refuge and in chapter 12, the name of today's service is the importance of worship before we start. Could you join with me in have a short prayer? All right. Let's pray dear God. Thank you because you are a good god. Thank you. Because even though we are Unfaithful, even we keep having shortcomings. You are faithful to us, please and stay with us this morning help us to understand your work help us to apply in our lives. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen. All right, we are going to continue this the story of Nehemiah. If you haven't been around in the last few weeks, let me catch you up to speed the Jews were exiled for hundreds of years at least 140 years and they lived in a foreign land they live in a free country. And now he is a Jew but he lives in a different in a different Nation when he realized when he learns about the struggles that he's people are going through he decides to go from the capital of the Empire which is to say all the way to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall that will protect all the people in Jerusalem, and he even though they still struggles and you know difficulties. Confrontational like that. He lost a few more things he sets up some form of government. He partners with Ezra to teach the law of God and then last week we started about the renewal of the Covenant with a couple of weeks ago now, She's about to finish is wrapping up his mission and we are going to catch up in a mile chapter 12 verse 27. Am I at 12:27 before we start really let me ask you a question. How many of you would like singing how many of you like singing good number of your how many of you are good at singing?

That I thought so. That shows like a healthy like self-esteem. Anyway school like singing today. We are going to talk about a singing pretty simple tree. Is it today? We'll talk about the worshiping singing. I want to be reading from a Bible name is a 12 verse 27. You can read in your 7 on identification of the wall of Jerusalem. They sought the Levites in other places to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate vacation with gladness with Thanksgiving and with singing with symbols hearts and liars and the sons of the singers gather together from the districts surrounding Jerusalem and from The Villages of Elsa from Beverly Garland from the region of Gaba and Asthma vet for the singers had built for themselves Villages around Jerusalem and Dupree. I'm the Levi's purify themselves and they purified the people and the gates and the wall show after all the issues and they might have went through after all the difficulties. He has finished and he knows he has to go back to Sousa before he goes or he wants to end his work with a big celebration with a verification ceremony. So if we go back to the seven we read at the dedication of the wall. He wants to varicate the wall to God. He wants to dedicate the wall to God. What does that mean? What does dedication mean? The concept of medication is pretty simple. It means that you acknowledge that you have received something from God and you want to give it back you want to give it and set it apart for Holy usage. In this particular case they have been able to build the wall things to God. And of course I have work really hard on it. But if they go the permission of the king if they got the resources to Altona go ahead and builded it if they were safe from all the enemies that were surrounding you said it was thanks to God. So now that they have completed they want to give it back to God guard your grace will allow these things to you. So here it is. This is the one we're giving it back. If you are not a Christian it may sound a little bit of a joule give something to God that you didn't care that stuff. Thanks to God, but if you are a Christian I want I want to remind you every would think that you have in your life. Every blessing is a gift from God. Every single thing that you like that you cherish in your life, it is a gift from God and where you can do as a token of gratitude is too dedicated to give it back to god. Let's say that you bought a new car. You can dedicate your car. You can pray over your car even though if you would look at you put your hand on the car God this is your car. This is not my car. I am I promise. I'm I'm not going to drive to ungodly places at night. I promise I'm not going to give the finger to whoever cost me in traffic. This is this a good car disguise went to be used only for Holly purposes. I'm only going to do good stuff in the car letter that you bought an apartment by the house. You want to say God. This is your house and we did it cater to you. We are not going to worship the TV. We are not going to worship their kitchen. We are going to worship you. In this house. Our doors are always going to be open for the pool and the weary. Let's say that you bought a new computer a new cell phone. I'm Black Friday, right if I phone you can pray that your iPhone and say God, this is your iPhone. I'm not going to look at what I shouldn't on this phone. I'm not going to be minutes. I'm not going to say hurtful things. I'm on I'm not going to be sarcastic on Facebook YouTube needs to prank people. I'm not going to troll people on the internet and listen to Lil a listing music and I'm just going to read read the Bible. This is your cell phone if you were around last week. We did ocated and CCD you remember that came up with a city Hartford City and that was awesome. He was a lot of work for her, of course, but as she realized that if she had she was able to completed he was thanks to God. So we pray over her city right here. I was at got this this this accomplishment. He was possible only things to you. So antsy gave back the city to God and if you were baptized children because we believe that the Bible teaches that baptism has to be a personal decision. You have to do want it to happen in order to be by later to be worth it. If you want to do something with your children. Well, we don't baptize them but you can dedicate them. As a matter of fact, we are dedicated Carla right here a few months ago. That means god. This is your child. We are just racing it for you racing her racing him. But this is your child. So we promise we're going to keep him or her in your ways. We're going to teach him or her you're a lot because this is your child. I would give it back so you can get pretty much everything. I know they are going to dedicate the wharf and in order to do it. They are preparing a huge celebration a big event. And it says that they are inviting inviting all the singers the levite and they are celebrated indication with gladness with Thanksgiving with the singing with symbols harbes and Liars. They are going to like someone all the singers so they have these awesome huge worship event, and I don't know about you. I have always thought that musicians. a little bit weird And I know that we have a bunch of musicians here at church. You guys are weird. Just a fact and I can just imagine I can just imagine all these people coming to Jerusalem. Right? Some of them are all dressed in black and some of them I wearing fedoras and best, you know, they're cool and some of the hardest use rastas and they come from different backgrounds. They have different skills by worship and they bring different instruments symbols does percussion the craziest of all and they are so bring Harps. Those are like Melo with strings right and then they have Liars as far as I know. They are similar kind of like guitars. So they have their there. They're the guitar guys. And then later when we have trumpets Victor, we need trumpet in the band or something like that. So she shed their Gathering all the musicians for a huge for a big celebration and then let's keep reading in verse 31 Let's jump all the way to verse 31. I'm going to read you the Highlight because there is a bunch of names here. And then I am I stalking I brought the leaders of Judah up onto the wall and a pointed to Great choirs that gave think one went to the south of the wall to the dong gate and after them when hashiye and half of the leaders of Judah and then at least you know some names you can read it in there. I jumped verse 35 and certain of the priest songs with trumpets. We have the trumpet in there there in the mornings. Whoever is there leading and then I jumped the verse 36 these people of Judah had a night with a musical instruments of David the man of God and Ezra the Scribe went before them at the fountain gate. They went up astray before them by the stairs of the city of David Ascent of the wall above the House of David to the Watergate on the east I can reading numbers 2038r choir of those who gave things went to the north and iPhoto them with half of the people on the wall above the Tower of the oven stew the broad wall and above the Gate of Efrain by the gate of jahana. I'm by the fish gate on the tower of hananel on the top with a fundraiser for the Sheep gate and they came too hard at the Gate of the Guard. So this is what happen if they have all the musicians probably hundreds of them. A lot of them are coming and what the Maya decides to do is to split them yet split them into groups and why don't one of the girls is going to go all the way through the wall marching South and the north north and they're going to meet in the temple and this is awesome. He assigned as right to leave the one of the groups and he's going to take the other groups are all the singers are excited. You can imagine that this is their big break. They're going to perform in front of 5,000 people in the 50,000 people. All the musicians probably want to play whatever it's a big deal, right? But they are all excited and is receiving one anime Nehemiah is a very energetic guy. He's younger. He's more active kick out of the stainless steel. Azra is pretty probably older. He's probably an old fellow 60 70s hits. You know his let's worship God with all our minds cute doesn't express it. But they both love the Lord they want to leave the people of God. So they split and I we have our own Nehemiah and Ezra, Nehemiah Zach Victory slightly older. So he has to be extra. I'm just mad picture listening. Right? Right and they go all around the city. They go all around the city with their instruments and all with all the musicians. Imagine that you can picture at Disney.

They're asking people to joining them. You can imagine like a Disney parade or like a Macy's. Do you know Thanksgiving parade and everyone is coming and everyone is joining to the temple right now where we are. Thank you. I spent you. Okay, that's it. Thank you.

Now they are at the temple. There are the temple verse 40 verse 40. Let me read burst 40 for you. So both choirs of those who gave thanks stood in the house of God and I and half of the officials with me and Dupree Stella K. Michelle Damn you no more more names more priests I jump to the end of 42 and the singer's ass and with his ra Aya as their leader. So this is what happens when they did they they merge once they both choirs join in in the temple they sing. They sing. They worship with a boy says they sink guys want to talk about music as a mansion historical. I want you to know this historical worshiping singing has been incredibly important in Christianity historical. The act of singing the act of worshipping has been Central in Christianity in the Bible. We have a whole book. We have a whole book dedicated to songs. Which book is that when do you know songs song is nothing but a collection of songs now sadly we don't have that the partitions we don't know exactly how they that sounded like, but all of these were songs that people have got used to sang the song No Doubt no questions asked me Maya and Elsa and all the people sang song song during the celebration and you can read all the sound right. Imagine how they would sing Psalm 150 San Juan a 104 Psalm 32 150 songs, and they're all songs that they would sing to God week by week. And then when Jesus came on Earth and he died on the cross and PNP raised from the dead Singing what's the weather in Portland for Christians? Let me show you a quote from a guy a historian. He's a Roman historian from the second century and he was given the task to investigate. What are those atheist were doing? Fun fact, they used to call Christians atheist Blog then that's Trace. Right? And this is what plini the younger said about Christians after he investigated about them the Christians wear in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light when they sang in alternative versus a him to Christ us to our God. What are the first things that the Christians did was to sing to Jesus? They sing to Jesus is Love God because of course he is God. I let me tell you whenever you sing to Jesus you are following the steps of these Heroes of Faith. Whenever you sing to Jesus, you are following the steps of these Martyrs this great people of faith. And then during the Middle Ages is singing watch instead, very important. We have monks in a vest singing for hours maybe for a whole night because they knew the importance of singing sad during the Reformation something about music was lost the Reformation Broad. Refreshment on Christianity Martin Luther and his principal of Sola scriptura was really important. He said let's go back to the Bible. Let's use only the Bible and he rediscovered many some doctors in the Bible. That was great. However, in that transition, they overlooked they shove music the topic of music that is also Central crucial in the Bible and their as time went by in many Christian Traditions singing was relegated. And now there is a lot of churches were singing is yours a thing you do before the people come. There is no seriousness. There is no preparation that there's not enough importance given to sing in each other thing you do why you expect the rest of the people come to church La colline The Last Problem. The last two decades few singers few bands have bring awareness of in the topic of musical have these great bands and great singers like Hillsong or Kyrie job and they're putting bar music when he was supposed to be were historically has always been now. I have two things to tell you. I want for non-christians that are with all this morning and one for Christians. If you are not a Believer if you are not a Christian you need to know this Singing is good for you. Of course, you know that I'm ready. Whenever you're down you like to sing a little bit, right? But group singing Community singing is a suburb beneficial to you and I have some stories over here this whole series of stories. Of course, I don't have them in there. I forgot to put them but let me read to you what's on my State University say about communal singing.

corporate singing experience the human system It is a natural antidepressant corporate singing. When you sing in a group. It is a natural antidepressant It also says group singing releases endorphins and oxytocin which lowers the stress levels improves mental Clarity and lessons feelings of depression and anxiety. That's what community singing those for you last Lie group singing can produce a satisfying and therapeutic Sensations. My friend if you don't know if you believe in God if you are not sure what to make of Jesus. If you don't know if you believe in the Bible, I am by you to still come and sing with us because it's good for your health is beneficial emotionally and physically so I invite you to join us as much as you can hit in refuge and sing with us is helpful for you is beneficial for you. And I also want to invite you to give Christian music a chance. Many people associate Chris Christian music with you know, people all dressed up people wearing a suit and a tie ride holding a berry or him now and single life as we played this a singer Lauren Daigle. She's awesome. She's a Christian singer and she was in Ellen DeGeneres just a few weeks ago and next week. She was with Jimmy Falcone singing Christian music, you know, why because Christian mysticism listing it is gives you a goodbye. So I want to invite you to give Christian music a chance because it's beneficial for you is good for your health is good for your emotional being now, if you are a Christian if you are a Christian, I want to invite you to worship God. I want them by you to worship God with all your mind, but also with all your heart with all your strength with all your voice. If you are a Christian because I want to tell her how some of you sing some of you. Stand up and you seem like you have been scolded your like this you're sad, right? You don't even raise up your hand your head. You're like really sad, right or you pretend you're singing.

Do you have to work with all the boys and I think part of the problem is that we come from many different Christian Traditions. They say that you can sing. Yes, but you cannot use any instrument it is assumed. God gets mad when you use any instrument in when you when you think some people say that some people say that and then some other people say that you can use only certain instruments that are some instruments that I don't know where there was a mistake from heaven with a drone. I don't know but those is all those you can use you can use the rest of the information on instrument with only some of them and I'm people say also no no singing should not be about emotions. You should not show any expression any emotion when you sing and then when you think you're all serious and it is Feel like you were saying a poem bright Lord of all creation of the Earth and Sky because none of that is in the Bible how the singer the Levites use all sorts of instruments. Percussion string instruments are in there using them in the temple and they were given so they have been around for hundreds of years and they show their emotions. They joy of the celebration was her from far away. They were able to sing so loud at people. I heard them very far away because when you sing you are supposed to engage emotionally my friend some people say, oh no no music singer shouldn't be able to motion. That doesn't make any sense of music is feeling something. That is the power of music music and make you feel a lot. Joyful happy you can also make you feel sad that is the power that music us and you are supposed to engage emotionally when you sing my friends. I want to invite you to engage when you sing sing out loud. He doesn't mind if you know if you're not good at singing that's good. Doesn't matter. We have a bunch of singers. So no one's want to hear you. Okay, that's fine. But I want to buy you can really sing really feel the lyrics to really make them part of you. If you feel like raising your hand raised your hand that's in the Bible bunch of Solomon by you to raise your hands. We read in S8. They also raised a hand sport commands everyone to raise their hands do that. If you feel like doing it is not a command you don't have to do it. But if you feel like doing it do it. Make sure that do emotions are also part of your worship exercise to prepare you for the for the song for the song that we're going to sing. Please come with me to Psalm 150 Psalm 150. This is a berry. This is a very short song by is really cool. Okay, this is what we are going to do. I am going to be reading from here. Bears livers and after I finish one verse you need to jail out loud, praise the Lord. Where do you want to do? Exactly. Remember after I finish a Hobart. Okay, no before or after after I finished a single verse. Okay, I'm going to start we are in Psalm 150. You can read in your father praise the Lord praise God in his Sanctuary praise him in his mighty heavens. Awesome, praise him for his mighty did praise him a call in to his excellent greatness. Are you crazy with trumpet sound prism with losing heart? Come on guys. It's going praise him with tambourine and dance praise him with the strings and pipe. Praise him with sounding cymbals praise him with loud clashing cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord praise the Lord hallelujah. That's awesome guys wear when I give you an opportunity to respond. If you haven't coming to Refuge, you know that we had a slightly different service today. We usually have three songs at the beginning then the sermon and then just one song at the end today. We want to give you the opportunity to respond. That way. We only had one song at the beginning then we're almost on 5 or 10 more minutes 20 no more than half an hour and then just three songs just three songs at the end and I want you guys to really sing sing and worship God not only with all your mind God with all your heart with all your voice. Now, let's Taco the last verse verse 43 This is what it says. And they offered great sacrifices that day I rejoiced for God had made their rejoiced with great. Joy the woman and children. Also Rejoice on the joy of Jerusalem was her. Far away, they're having such a great time that people far away from Jerusalem are able to hear them. Wouldn't that be something in here. The neighbors file a noise complaint, right and the cops show up making too much noise. I think.

My friend you need to learn how to rejoice it says they offer great sacrifices that they and they rejoiced in our time and they it is really easy to be stressed out. You can be stressed about bunch of things. You can be stressed because you're always behind schedule you can be stress because you are not able to finish all your tasks. You can be stressed because that one person is always one step ahead of you at work at church in your family. You can get you can get a stress because of many different reasons. You need to learn the art of rejoicing You need to learn how to reduce a proverb says this Proverbs 17:22 a joyful heart is good medicine. You want to be always on Matt's just have a joyful heart. But a crushed Spirit dries up the bones, if you're sad if you're going to vomit out all the times is bad for you. You need to learn how to reach out how to smile how to be happy on a perfect way of doing a very practical way of doing it is singing Just sing singing brings Joy To Your Heart A singing heart is a joyful heart. And now that we are parents. I know more than more than ever whenever whenever Carla whatever kind of Lies like little miss your father. Will you sing to her one of those, you know, baby songs baby shark, baby shark, and then I don't think about the songs that they stick in your head man. So you're welcome them for a week now and whenever we sing the song Scarlett uses miles. He's mine. She's happy. She doesn't even she doesn't even know what we're saying. Even if she knew that doesn't make any sense, but she just said she's just happy of this song is something wired in human beings that music makes us happy. So you want to be joyful, you have to sing more the behavior of the ceremony simple the point of the ceremony simple guys. You need to sing more. You need to see more often. Do you need to sing the louder you need to sing when you are alone? And when you are with your family you need to sing in church. You need to sing as you commute to work. You need to say. Unity sync all the time because when you think you have a joyful heart now, sometimes it's hard even when singing to find like something good something to do to feel happy about you know. Last week I mentioned. 2017 was the most miserable year on record last year. They felt their feel bad and that's what I'm counting this year. Right? I'm sure this is going to be even worse.

How come we feel good even when there's so many things happening around all these people who try to find the silver lining in whatever happened to him. Let's say that you applied for your dream job, but you didn't get it. You may say I didn't want that job. Anyways, I'm good with my current job. Let's say that you have a car accident, right and you lost your arm because it's good. You can try to be always surrounded with people that love you can always try to say I do know you can always try to have the seat come on. You can try to find external sources that would bring you your butt. Not going to last forever. Sooner or later sooner or later those sources of Joy or happiness and brightness are going to disappear. They're going to play. fade away How can you get Everlasting your how can you get joy that is preserved through the hardest circumstances. Listen to what happened?

Then Rejoice for God has made Rejoice with great joy. How were they able to rejoice? God gave them to join God gave him the joy. Listen, if you want to have everlasting honest pure joy, you cannot find it in yourself or outside of yourself. You can only find it in Jesus. And if you have been here a refuge for a while, you know that pretty much I always conclude with the same point and that is Jesus. We may start from different paths, but we always end up in Jesus because Jesus is the full feeling or the deepest of the deepest longings of the heart. Jesus is the fulfilling of the deepest longings of the human heart. So no matter how much you think you have no matter how blessed you think you are without Jesus. He will sooner or later fade away. And if you want to have that Joey that they met on the rest of the people had you can only find it in God God has made them Rejoice with greyjoy's I'm going to finish with this verse Philippians 3 Philippians chapter 4 Philippians chapter 4 verses 4 through 7. It says rejoice in the lord always I will say it again Rejoice the lesbian evident to all Why because the Lord is near? Do you wonder if someone cares about you issues do you want if someone loves you if someone is already really out there that is near. God is near my friend. And that is your source for rejoicing he will never leave you nor forsake you better for you can Rejoice I keep reading for 6 do not be anxious about anything but in every situation by prayer and petition with Thanksgiving present your requests to God and it says the last verse And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus. The peace of God the peace of God will fill you if you come to Jesus, and he will give you peace in your heart and paste in your mind, but that kind of everlasting secure film Joy. You cannot find it in any other place only in Jesus. We always think that we are one thing away from finding fulfillment. We're just one thing away either. We need to finish our degree or we need to get a good job. We need to get a partner in life, or just one thing away. He's alive my friend. You may have all the richest in the world without Jesus. You will never be truly happy. Only in Jesus you can find fulfillment by you to stand out. Remember that today. We are going to sink Trey Songz. I'm waiting by the worship on to come up here. I want you to sing with all your heart. I want you to sing us. If you really believe that Jesus rose from the dead. I want you to sing as if you love God with all your heart.

See no loud sing with all your mind doesn't matter. If you don't have a good voice. That's okay doesn't matter if you know that it is we haven't stopped here. I want you to sing. I want you to feel I want you to love God and worship with all your heart. So let's worship God.