Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP190049A
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00:01 The Bible tells us, "In the beginning was the Word,
00:03 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 00:07 It says, "To receive with meekness 00:10 the implanted Word, 00:11 which is able to save your souls. 00:14 And to be diligent to present yourself 00:16 approved to God, 00:18 rightly dividing the Word of truth." 00:20 Join us now for the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:25 Our study today is Ezra and Nehemiah. 00:31 Hello and welcome once again to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:34 Man, what a delight, we're all privileged to be 00:37 able to be come into your home 00:39 and to study the Word of God together. 00:41 We're very grateful and thankful 00:42 that you have decided, you made a choice today 00:44 and there's a lot of choices you could make, 00:46 but you chose to join here 00:47 at 3ABN for the Sabbath School Panel, 00:49 and we're very grateful and thankful 00:50 that you have today. 00:52 It's going to be exciting lesson, 00:53 we're gonna be on lesson number 10, panel, 00:55 you know that. 00:56 So I know everyone's studied up and prayed up 00:58 and we believe the Holy Spirit's 01:00 gonna do great things. 01:01 Hope you've been having a good week. 01:03 And I say this, it's gonna be a better day today, 01:07 because we're gonna stay the Word of God together. 01:08 Amen. 01:10 And we're gonna to lesson number 10, 01:12 our quarter's been on Ezra and Nehemiah. 01:14 And I know we've learned a lot of things. 01:16 I know I have, and a lot of things been 01:18 brought back to memory. 01:19 And so that I want to incorporate in my life 01:22 and I'm sure you wanna incorporate in your life also. 01:24 We're gonna be talking about worshiping the Lord. 01:27 I mean, that's quite a title, 01:29 how many ways can you worship the Lord? 01:31 Here it brings out an awful a lot of them. 01:33 So I'm sure, you're gonna enjoy our study for today, 01:35 and it's not too late. 01:37 If you don't have your study guides, 01:38 it's never too late. 01:39 I'm gonna encourage you always to get study guides. 01:42 I like to have something before me 01:43 and I hope you do too. 01:45 You can get those study guides. 01:47 You can download, that you can go to 01:48 absg.adventist.org, 01:51 and you can get these, I always say free study guide, 01:55 download those things, 01:56 get them and you can put notes on there 01:58 and you can go along with some of the ones 02:00 who're on this panel, 02:01 different nice things that the Holy Spirit brings 02:03 to their mind and jot those down 02:04 and then pass them on. 02:05 So anyway, make sure you get your copy, 02:07 stop by a local Seventh-day Adventist Church. 02:10 They'd be more than happy to have you, you know, 02:12 give you one of these guides and they'd probably 02:14 invite you to stay for fellowship lunch 02:15 if you're having it so they'll make you feel like 02:17 part of the family of God. 02:19 More on this little bit later, 02:20 but let's introduce our panel, shall we? 02:22 And to my left here, 02:23 Sister Jill Morikone, blessings, 02:26 so glad to always have you, I love to work with you. 02:28 Thank you so much, Pastor Kenny, 02:30 privilege to be here and to study God's Word. 02:31 Praise the Lord. 02:33 And next you have Brother John Dinzey. 02:35 Now, Dinzey, what a blessing right to be 02:36 able to work together in the cause of Christ, 02:38 shoulder to shoulder. 02:39 Well, the Lord is wonderful. 02:41 He gives us the wonderful opportunity 02:42 also to be a part of this Sabbath School Panel, 02:44 and it's always a delight and joy. 02:48 Oh, how wonderful. 02:49 And you have next to you, Sister Shelley Quinn. 02:51 Always a treat and a delight. 02:54 I know, she's always got a smile on her face 02:56 and always helpful and just such a blessing. 02:58 Thank you. Praise the Lord. 02:59 Well, this is one of my favorite topics, worship. 03:02 Worship and praise. Wonderful! 03:04 And you have sitting next to you, 03:06 man of God, Pastor John Lomacang, 03:07 always it's good to have you and a minute man, 03:11 more you're in the cause of Christ, 03:12 not trying to elevate and lift up, but, you know, 03:14 as Christians and followers of Christ, 03:16 we should be able to identify 03:18 those who are in the service of the Lord, 03:19 and we thank you for 03:21 what you do for the cause of Christ. 03:22 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. 03:23 Thank you, Pastor Kenny. Okay, we need to pray, right? 03:25 Let's get into the lesson because it's good. 03:27 John Dinzey, how about you please, 03:29 would you pray for us? 03:30 Sure. Let's pray together. 03:31 Our loving Heavenly Father, 03:33 we approach Your throne of grace 03:35 with thanksgiving for Your mercy. 03:38 We come before You in Jesus' name. 03:40 We pray for Your blessing upon us. 03:42 Bless us with the Holy Spirit, that we may speak Your words. 03:45 Yes. 03:47 And we pray, Lord, that Your words 03:48 will come as refreshing and encouragement, 03:54 but also a call to a holier way of living. 03:57 Amen. 03:58 We pray for Your blessings upon all that stop 04:01 and listen and study with us, in Jesus' holy 04:04 blessed name, amen. 04:06 Amen. Praise the Lord. 04:07 We're gonna just quickly go right to the Sabbath portion 04:10 here into our memory text. 04:12 I like the memory text, in Ezra 3:11. 04:15 If you have it at home, be sure to look it up, 04:17 or at least jot it down. 04:19 It has some words, I like this... 04:21 You see, I like music. 04:23 You know, I never involved so much with it. 04:26 But I was always a listener, 04:27 and always appreciated good music, at least in my ear. 04:31 And so our text here in Ezra 31:1, says, 04:34 "And they sang responsively." 04:36 I kinda like that. 04:38 You see, what do you mean they sang responsively? 04:41 That's quite a different word. 04:42 You look it up in original language. 04:44 They said they sang together. 04:46 And another word, I thought was interesting. 04:48 They sang, notice this word, tunefully, on tune, 04:54 and I think, Pastor, in parts, they sang parts. 04:58 How wonderful that God gives ears to people 05:00 who can see music. 05:01 That's right. 05:03 And they make this harmony and this beautifully. 05:04 So when they sing, I know it was wonderful, good, 05:07 God gave good gifts and as He does today, 05:09 so I'm sure that people were blessed 05:11 and they raised their voices what it says here, 05:13 and they were praising and it says, 05:15 giving thanks to the Lord, for He is good for His mercy 05:19 endureth forever toward Israel. 05:22 You know, they sang responsively. 05:25 And sometime in church, 05:26 we need to do maybe more than that we do. 05:29 You know, when the music's going, 05:31 I like to see mouth, you know, lips moving, 05:33 the sounds coming out. 05:35 And people say, "Well, I can't sing very well." 05:37 The Bible said, make a what? A joyful noise. 05:38 A joyful noise unto the Lord. So I'm joyful. 05:41 And then when you're making a joyful noise, 05:42 don't forget to have that joy in your face. 05:44 Bless your heart. That's a smile. 05:45 You can't be singing praises to God 05:47 and have a legal long face, can I say that? 05:49 Sure. 05:51 A long face, we're gonna have a smile, 05:52 because we're giving praise to God. 05:54 It's been, you know, they say, 05:55 good week, it's been a good years. 05:56 God's blessed in a lot of different ways. 05:58 And so we praise Him for that. 06:00 That memory text there, it gets us. 06:02 To me, it gives us a good picture 06:04 of what we're gonna be studying about, 06:05 how Israel worship God. 06:08 Oh, how wonderful, think about how they worshiped God. 06:10 And I think we can learn some things, 06:12 don't you from this. 06:14 They had a custom, and I'm running a little late, 06:16 but the custom, always dedication, 06:18 when they had dedication, 06:20 where they dedicated their home, 06:21 whether it was a temple or whatever it might be, 06:24 the wall, there was always a celebration went on, 06:27 there was a dedication. 06:29 And I'm sure we have enough of those, 06:31 just in my own thought, 06:33 because everything that God gives us 06:34 or we're involved with, 06:36 should it not be dedicated back to Him. 06:38 Amen. 06:40 Should it not be sanctified for holy use, 06:42 I think really basic, I think, we can do that. 06:45 They did that, they celebrate that, 06:46 you know, the building of the new temple 06:48 in Ezra Chapter 6, 60 years later, 06:51 they just celebrated the wall being completed 06:53 in Nehemiah Chapter 6. 06:56 And they did it by singing and they did music, 07:00 instruments, festivity, feasting and sacrifices. 07:04 So all those may be can be too extreme, 07:06 but I think there's a good balance 07:07 in the Word of God. 07:09 We need to find that. 07:10 This week, we're gonna take a peek. 07:11 I was gonna take a peek in how they worshiped God. 07:13 And I believe maybe we can learn some things. 07:16 Well, I did. 07:17 I've been little too quiet 07:19 when I should have been a little louder 07:20 I think so anyway. 07:21 Singing the songs of the Lord there in Sunday's lesson, 07:24 singing the songs of the Lord, 07:26 Nehemiah 12:27, I'm just gonna read 27 here. 07:30 And notice what it says. 07:32 Nehemiah 12:27, "And at the dedication 07:36 of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites 07:39 out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem," 07:43 now notice, "to keep the dedication with," 07:45 what? 07:47 "Gladness, both with thanksgivings 07:49 and with singing, and with cymbals, 07:51 and psalteries, and with harps." 07:53 Man, there were musical instruments going on, 07:55 there was singing, there was festivity, 07:57 this was a good time to come together 08:00 to praise the Lord. 08:01 So I think it reveals what kind of a worship service 08:04 they were having 08:06 and what kind of a praise service 08:07 because it was all intertwined together, 08:10 music and praise. 08:12 I like the word dedication. Did you notice that? 08:15 And at the dedication is what it says. 08:17 And at the dedication. 08:18 What does that mean, you talk about dedication? 08:21 It seems to be the first dedication 08:23 of a city wall that can be found in the Bible. 08:27 You know, somebody may find differently, 08:28 first when you find the first dedication of a wall, 08:32 and you say, well, why was it, you know, 08:33 the first dedication of a wall, and how did it come about? 08:38 Well, number one is, 08:39 I was kind of interested in this, 08:41 that the high priest and the priest had a part 08:45 in building a portion of the wall. 08:48 Other words, the preachers didn't get away with it. 08:50 They had to... Thank you. 08:52 I wanna say I am one, so it's okay to say it. 08:55 And you know it's not our panel mate, 08:57 I didn't say, you know, Pastor John, Pastor John 09:00 or Pastor Kenny, 09:01 you know, here we just kind of like 09:04 go each other by first name, 09:06 but we realize as you have maybe a title of work. 09:10 That means we need to be out there, 09:11 I think, doing something. 09:12 The high priest helped built that wall. 09:16 And then the priests came along, 09:17 they built that wall. 09:19 Okay, the first thing they did was what? 09:21 First thing they did as soon as they got done, 09:23 the Bible tells us there in Nehemiah 3:1, it says, 09:26 they quickly sanctified it soon as they built it. 09:30 What an example? 09:31 'Cause we're gonna be talking about 09:33 as we're gonna singing and praising 09:34 and in our next lessons influence. 09:37 And so the influence was wonderful, 09:39 the influence because it's, the high priest is out there. 09:41 I won't say he's laying stone, or laying brick, 09:43 laying whatever it was, you know, he's not a guy. 09:45 He's got his hands in it. He's got the shovel. 09:47 Man, what an example, 09:49 if he can do it by the grace of God, 09:50 I'm gonna be doing it. 09:51 So maybe I'll help with some of the pastors 09:53 we not only learn to delegate things 09:56 and those in leadership, but get right in there 09:58 and help too because it's always such a blessing. 10:00 It always has been for me 10:02 and I know I could certainly improve on that. 10:04 But they sanctified it. People were watching. 10:07 And then I believe this, I believe 10:08 that Nehemiah saw them doing it, 10:11 not that maybe he didn't do it before, 10:12 in a sense. 10:13 Nehemiah saw 10:15 what they were doing and he said, 10:16 we need to do this as a people. 10:18 We're gonna have a ceremony, the wall was completed. 10:21 There needs to be some joy. 10:23 There needs to be some praise giving to God, 10:25 somebody who lifting holy hands, 10:27 you know, toward heaven. 10:29 It's all right to do that, sometime that we talk about 10:30 one-hander, there's two-handers. 10:32 Really every blessing of God really is the two-hander 10:35 as far as I'm concerned. 10:36 But sometime we can say, by the two-hander. 10:39 We should be praising God, 10:41 lifting holy hands and voices to Him. 10:43 The wall was completed, the people were happy 10:46 that something needed to be done. 10:47 Zachariah 2:5, the Bible says, "For I, saith the Lord, 10:52 will be unto you a wall," notice this, 10:54 they were interested in the wall, were they not? 10:56 Had to get it built, you know, protection. 10:59 They had to make sure the gates were in there, 11:02 the city was built. 11:04 But notice this, that's all well and good. 11:06 I'm just gonna pose a little question, 11:08 throw it out there and then we don't need an answer to it. 11:09 You can always think about. 11:11 Could God have without a wall, without a gate, 11:15 could He have protected His people in that city? 11:18 Absolutely. Yeah. 11:19 Okay, well, it's good 11:21 because it kind of demands an answer, 11:22 God could have done it. 11:24 But because of the surrounding nations, 11:25 and because of His own people, 11:27 going back on not doing what He wanted them to do, 11:31 an apostasy, God for the protection. 11:34 I believe that people wanted this done 11:35 and, of course, He mandated it to be done. 11:37 But notice what this passage says, 11:39 "For I, saith the Lord, 11:40 will be unto you a wall of fire round about, 11:44 and will be the glory in the midst," 11:48 notice that "of her." 11:50 So what does that tell us? 11:52 That tells us walls, 11:54 gates are all useless. 11:58 In a sense, notice this, unless God defends them. 12:02 It's good. Amen. Right? 12:03 Unless God defends them, it's useless, 12:05 no matter what you do in this world, 12:06 I'm gonna protect myself, I've got this set up here, 12:08 I got burglar alarms, I got all the thing right here, 12:11 unless God builds the house. 12:12 That's right. 12:14 Unless God protects the house, 12:15 unless guards that wall of fire around it, 12:18 something's going to happen. 12:20 You noticed it, this is a dedication, 12:21 Levites were asked to sing 12:23 and to give thanks and use musical instruments. 12:27 I've always had a hard time, Pastor John, 12:28 about those who teach you 12:30 not to have musical instruments. 12:31 That's another subject, I know, 12:33 but I've always loved them to hear it 12:36 and the Bible does not speak 12:37 a lot about these musical instruments, 12:40 about harps and musics and, hmm, 12:42 a couple of things on here, I have to be careful 12:44 where they said, they used things that rattled. 12:48 A little... 12:50 I'm not gonna go on with that, I'll get in trouble, right? 12:52 They had singers, and they had musicians, 12:54 and they had a special class, you noticed that, 12:58 special class, the best. 13:01 They did really the best, they did the singing, 13:03 I thought that was interesting. 13:05 God does say, make a joyful noise, 13:07 but interesting as when we put God 13:08 and puts it all together, 13:10 He demands us to do our very best 13:12 and often said in that song, 13:14 I think about it often that same song. 13:16 At the end of the day, I say, oh, Lord, I wonder, 13:19 have I done my best for Jesus 13:21 when He has done so much for me? 13:23 That's gonna leave it quite open for the rest of you 13:25 when you come back here, 13:27 because there's a lot to praise God about. 13:29 There is some more songs 13:30 and praises something that goes on 13:32 that maybe we need to hear about, Sister Jill? 13:34 Thank you, so much, Pastor Kenny. 13:36 You're fired up. Oh, I'm so excited about it. 13:38 The anointing of the Holy Spirit. 13:40 I'm excited to get into my day here. 13:42 Thank you, so much for that. 13:44 The importance of enthusiasm 13:47 and energy in the worship service and music. 13:50 Mine is Monday's lesson which is Purification. 13:54 I have one verse to talk about today, 13:57 but it is vitally important. 13:58 We're talking about purity in the worship service, 14:03 and purity preceding 14:05 or coming before the worship service. 14:07 So let's read our verse, we're in Nehemiah 12:30. 14:12 Then the priests and Levites purified themselves 14:16 and purified the people, the gates and the wall. 14:21 You notice they didn't just purify themselves 14:24 and they started with purifying themselves. 14:26 Then they went to the people, then the gates and the wall. 14:30 The word purified in Hebrew aher 14:33 means to be clean or pure. 14:36 Now it's used many different ways 14:37 in the Old Testament, 14:38 Pastor Kenny, sometimes it means ceremonial clean, 14:42 sometimes it means morally clean 14:44 and sometimes it means perfect. 14:46 It depends on the context you can see that. 14:49 In 2 Kings 5:10, 14:51 this is the story of Captain Naaman. 14:53 He was told go wash in the River Jordan seven times 14:57 and your flesh will be restored to you 14:59 and you shall be clean. 15:01 aher, that just means clean. 15:03 He's physically going to be clean. 15:06 Now in Ezekiel 36:25, it refers to a moral cleansing. 15:12 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, 15:14 and you shall be clean, aher. 15:17 I will cleanse you, there that's word again, 15:21 from all your filthiness and from all your idols, 15:24 so that's indicating a moral cleansing, right? 15:27 From the sin, the pollution of sin 15:29 in our hearts. 15:31 Psalm 51:7, "Purge me with hyssop, 15:33 and I shall be clean," 15:36 that word again wash me and I will be whiter than snow. 15:40 That's obviously talking about a moral cleansing as well. 15:44 That cleansing from sin and then, of course, 15:46 in Leviticus, there's many references, 15:48 where it refers to a ceremonial cleansing. 15:51 I wanna talk today about the importance 15:53 of purity of heart, preceding worship. 15:59 We're gonna have a list, Pastor John, 16:01 seven aspects or seven outgrowth of purity. 16:06 So number one, internal purity precedes 16:11 external purity. 16:13 Okay. 16:14 Internal purity precedes, 16:16 it comes before external purity. 16:19 Matthew 15:19-20, "For out of the heart 16:23 proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, 16:27 fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. 16:30 These are the things which defile a man, 16:33 but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man." 16:38 One more verse, Luke 6:45. 16:40 "A good man out of the good treasure 16:42 of his heart," 16:43 what happens, Pastor Johnny? 16:44 "Brings forth good, but an evil man 16:47 out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil: 16:51 for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." 16:56 Amen. 16:57 We can come to worship, church, 17:01 sanctuary come to worship the Lord. 17:04 Externally pure. 17:06 We take a shower, we fix our hair, 17:09 we get dressed in nice clothes. 17:11 But our inside is where it counts 17:14 and the inside is what matters. 17:18 Internal purity always precedes the external purity. 17:23 Number two, purity precedes God's presence. 17:28 If you want the presence of God, 17:31 you must be pure in heart. 17:32 Matthew 5:8. 17:34 This is one of the beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount. 17:37 "Blessed are the pure in heart," why? 17:40 "For they shall see God." 17:42 If you want to meet God, 17:44 if you want to see God as it were, 17:47 we need to be pure in heart because sin cannot stand 17:52 in the presence of a holy God. 17:55 You ever been embarrassed or ashamed, Pastor Johnny, 17:57 to be in someone's presence 17:59 if you know you did something against them? 18:01 You know, if you knew you lied about them 18:03 or you took something or you did something 18:05 that you weren't supposed to do, 18:07 and then you're kind of embarrassed 18:08 or you really don't want to be seen with them. 18:10 I think that's the same thing. 18:11 If we know we are harboring or holding onto sin, 18:17 it puts a barrier and it pushes us from Jesus 18:21 and from His presence. 18:23 Now, this is not meant to discourage you, 18:25 because I'm getting to hope so don't flip the channel 18:28 and say, oh, well, I'm not pure. 18:30 I'm not gonna come to church 18:31 because we're going somewhere good. 18:33 Number three, purity precedes God's joy. 18:38 Purity proceeds God's joy. 18:41 Psalm 16:11, "You will show me the path of life, 18:44 in Your presence is fullness of joy, 18:48 at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." 18:50 And remember, we could not come in the presence of God 18:54 unless we were pure in heart. 18:56 So when God cleanses our heart, 18:58 we can enter His presence 19:00 and that presence will bring us joy. 19:04 Number four, 19:05 purity precedes God's blessing. 19:10 Do you want God's blessing in your life? 19:12 Are you wishing and longing for His blessing? 19:16 Purity precedes that. 19:18 Psalm 24:3-5, 19:22 "Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? 19:24 Who may stand in His holy place? 19:28 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, 19:32 who has not lifted up his soul to vanity," 19:35 King James, as New King James say, 19:37 "to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully, 19:41 He shall receive," what? 19:42 "Blessing from the Lord, and righteousness 19:46 from the God of his salvation." 19:48 Clean hands and a pure heart precedes God's blessings. 19:53 Number five, purity precedes God listening. 19:59 Psalm 66:18, this is a heavy verse. 20:02 "If I regard iniquity in my heart, 20:06 the Lord will not hear me." 20:09 There's one more verse 20:10 and then we're going to give you some hope. 20:12 Isaiah 59:1-2, "Behold, 20:14 the Lord's hand is not shortened, 20:16 that it cannot save, 20:18 nor His ear heavy, that it can't hear. 20:21 But your iniquities 20:23 have separated you from your God, 20:26 and your sins have hidden His face from you 20:30 that He will not hear." 20:31 So I want to pause just a moment and tell you, 20:34 God longs to hear your prayer. 20:38 And what I mean by that? 20:40 John 6:37, He says, 20:41 "Whoever comes to me I will never cast aside." 20:46 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, 20:49 He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 20:52 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 20:56 2 Peter 3:9, 20:57 "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, 21:01 as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering to us, 21:05 not willing that any should perish 21:07 but that all should come to repentance." 21:10 So the moment your heart even longs for God, 21:14 the moment you say, you know what? 21:15 I'd really like to step into a worship service, 21:18 step into church, the Lord receives you, 21:22 the Lord longs to forgive you. 21:25 You cannot have done anything too bad 21:27 that He will not hear. 21:29 You cannot have fallen too low that He cannot pick you up. 21:34 There is nothing that you can do 21:36 that will make Jesus love you any less. 21:39 Ever that will make Jesus say, oh, I can't forgive that sin. 21:42 He can forgive anything. 21:44 The scriptures that we're referring to, 21:47 I believe refers to cherished sin. 21:51 Another words, if you've accepted Jesus 21:54 and He's in your heart, 21:55 and He shows you an area in your heart 21:57 that's not pleasing to Him 21:59 or something He wants you to surrender to Him? 22:01 And you say, No, I'm not gonna give that up. 22:04 I like that too much, 22:05 it becomes an idol in your life. 22:08 That's what the scriptures are talking about, 22:10 where it says, He will not hear you, 22:12 when you hang on to sin 22:14 when He's asked you to give it up. 22:15 Good. 22:17 Number six, purity precedes worship. 22:21 Matthew 5:23-24, 22:24 "If you bring your gift to the altar, 22:25 and remember if your brother has ought against you," 22:29 don't worship, don't sacrifice, don't continue, 22:32 "you leave your gift at the altar. 22:34 You go and be reconciled to your brother, 22:38 then come back and offer your gift." 22:42 We cannot worship, truly worship 22:44 if there's something between us and God, 22:47 or if there's something between us 22:48 and our brothers and sisters. 22:50 And finally, number seven, purity precedes fellowship. 22:55 1 John 1-7, 22:57 "If we walk in the light as He is in the light, 22:59 we have fellowship," Koinonia "one with another, 23:03 and the blood of Jesus Christ 23:04 His Son cleanses us from all sin." 23:08 Purity leads to praise. 23:09 And we'll see that and the dedication here. 23:12 The praise, why do we praise? 23:14 Because we are forgiven, because we're restored, 23:17 and we're reconciled to the Father, 23:18 and we're made new in his image 23:21 because we are transformed by His grace. 23:23 And sons and daughters of the king, 23:25 we have an internal inheritance and grace, 23:28 peace and joy now. 23:30 So purity precedes God's presence, 23:33 His joy, His blessing, Him listening to us worship 23:39 and it even precedes fellowship as brothers and sisters. 23:42 Amen. Praise the Lord. 23:45 That kind of resets really a foundation, doesn't it? 23:48 What we're talking about on this lesson. 23:49 Right now, we're gonna take a little short break. 23:51 We'll be right back. Stay with us. 23:59 Ever wish you could watch a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel 24:02 again, or share it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? 24:06 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com. 24:11 A clean design makes it easy 24:13 to find the program you're looking for. 24:15 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 24:19 so you can follow along. 24:21 Sharing is easy. 24:22 Just click share 24:23 and choose your favorite social media. 24:25 Share a link, save a life for eternity. 24:31 Thank you for staying with us. 24:33 Praise the Lord. We're glad that you're with us. 24:34 We're gonna go right now to Tuesday's lesson. 24:37 Pastor John Dinzey's gonna give this lesson. 24:39 I'm kind of excited about seeing 24:40 because it has such an interesting title. 24:42 It says, Two Large Thanksgiving Choirs. 24:46 Praise the Lord. Yeah. 24:47 You know, this is a... 24:50 I'm on Tuesday's lesson 24:51 and this is a wonderful lesson to consider. 24:54 And this takes us into Nehemiah 12:31-42. 24:59 And I'm just gonna read it 25:01 because it sets the stage for what is going on here. 25:06 "So I brought the leaders of Judah up on the wall, 25:10 and appointed two large thanksgiving choirs. 25:13 One went to the right hand 25:15 on the wall toward the Refuse Gate. 25:18 After them went," Oh, here comes some names, 25:22 "Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah, 25:25 and Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam, Judah, Benjamin, 25:29 Shemaiah, Jeremiah, and some of the priests' sons 25:32 with trumpets, 25:33 Zechariah the son of Jonathan, 25:35 the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, 25:37 the son of Michaiah, the son of Zaccur, 25:41 the son of Asaph, and his brethren, Shemaiah, 25:44 Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, 25:48 Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, 25:52 with the musical instruments of David the man of God. 25:55 And Ezra the scribe went before them. 25:59 By the Fountain Gate, in front of them, 26:01 they went up the stairs of the City of David, 26:04 on the stairway of the wall, beyond the house of David, 26:07 as far as the Water Gate eastward. 26:10 The other thanksgiving choir went the opposite way, 26:13 and I was behind them 26:15 with half of the people on the wall, 26:17 going past the Tower of the Ovens 26:19 as far as the Broad Wall, and above the Gate of Ephraim, 26:22 above the Old Gate, above the Fish Gate, 26:24 the Tower of Hananel, the Tower of the Hundred, 26:27 as far as the Sheep Gate, 26:29 and they stopped by the Gate of the Prison. 26:31 So the two thanksgiving choirs 26:33 stood in the house of God, 26:35 likewise I and the half of the rulers with me, 26:37 and the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, 26:41 Minjamin, Michaiah, Elioenai, 26:45 Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets, also Maaseiah, 26:50 Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, 26:53 Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. 26:57 The singers sang loudly with Jezrahiah the director." 27:03 So we have here this setting, you have the singers, 27:06 you have the instruments, and of course the director, 27:08 which is very important for the director 27:10 to organize the choir and lead them in worship. 27:13 Now I have to say that God wants people 27:17 to worship Him in spirit. 27:19 And in truth. Good. 27:20 And Jill brought out 27:22 that there was a purification of the heart, 27:24 preparation for the worship of God. 27:27 And this group went and it was heard all over, 27:32 the praising of God, Thanksgiving. 27:35 Now, remember they're Thanksgiving choirs. 27:37 And when you're Thanksgiving, 27:38 you're rejoicing, you're being thankful 27:40 for something God has done. 27:42 And I was thinking as I was going through this, 27:45 I said, Boy, I remember the first time they... 27:47 I was somewhere and they sang happy birthday, 27:49 it was a large group of people and I did know that 27:51 somebody knew about my birthday, say, 27:53 hey, it's John's birthday, 27:54 let's sing happy birthday to him, 27:56 and it was early morning. 27:59 And so they started singing, and I was just, you know, 28:02 well, thank you. 28:03 You know, but somebody that was, 28:06 that actually began to sing and say hey, 28:08 wait, wait, wait, let's stop. 28:10 We're singing like it's a funeral march here. 28:13 This is a happy occasion. 28:15 Yeah, they were singing, happy birthday to you... 28:19 Very, you know, like sorrowful, like, 28:22 this person is about to die, that type of singing. 28:25 But God wants us to sing in spirit and in truth. 28:29 God has done so much for us. 28:31 Amen. Yes. 28:32 I mean, every one of us, you just stop and think, 28:36 how good God has been to you. 28:39 You have something to thank God about. 28:40 Amen. 28:41 I remember one person 28:43 that called 3ABN many years ago. 28:44 Hey, why do I have to be thankful for? 28:47 And I was surprised by the call. 28:49 And I say, "Well, are you in prison?" 28:52 "No." "You should be thankful. 28:54 Are you in a hospital?" "No." 28:56 "Well, you should be thankful. Are you in an insane asylum?" 28:59 "Well, no." "Well, you should be thankful." 29:02 And a person began, "Did you eat today?" 29:05 "Yes." 29:07 And all of a sudden, he began to realize, 29:08 yeah, I do have some things to be thankful for. 29:11 Really, if you stop and think 29:12 you can look back in your life and say, 29:14 you know, God has saved me even from destruction. 29:17 And God has done so much for us, 29:19 we have no idea. 29:20 I mean, we may come up with a little list. 29:23 But God says, no, no, this is what I have done. 29:24 Yes. That's right. 29:26 That's right. 29:27 This is what I have done for you. 29:28 On top of this list is what Jesus Christ 29:30 has done for us on the cross. 29:33 And we have a lot to be thankful for. 29:35 So this was a wonderful occasion 29:37 for the praise of the Lord. 29:39 And I want to bring out something interesting here 29:43 because music serves a holy purpose 29:48 and it should be for the adoration 29:50 and praise of God. 29:51 A lot of singing today, 29:53 talking about secular music is a lot of self 29:56 and a lot of this terrible thing 29:59 happened to me, you know, 30:01 but when you're worshiping the Lord, 30:04 adoration, glorify, you should enter 30:07 into worshiping the Lord in spirit and in truth. 30:09 In other words, 30:10 and I've seen this happen in churches 30:12 and I even when asked, I support him, 30:13 I may have done this myself. 30:14 Okay, let's sing this song. 30:17 And so the singing starts and it seems like 30:19 people's thoughts are far away, 30:22 thinking about problems of life. 30:24 Do yourself a favor, rejoice in the Lord, 30:28 sing with understanding, sing in spirit and in truth 30:33 because God has been good to you. 30:34 That's right. 30:36 And I like to read this to you from Christian Education. 30:40 "Music forms a part of God's worship 30:44 in the courts above, 30:45 and we should endeavor, in our songs of praise, 30:48 to approach as nearly as possible 30:51 to the harmony of the heavenly choirs. 30:53 The proper training of the voice 30:55 is an important feature in education 30:57 and should not be neglected." 30:58 Singing... notice this. 31:00 "Singing, as a part of religious service, 31:02 is as much an act of worship as is prayer. 31:07 The heart must feel the spirit of the song 31:11 to give it right expression." 31:14 This is from Christian Education, 31:16 page 62. 31:17 And I encourage you to consider 31:19 this part of singing that should be 31:23 a part of worship. 31:24 There are some scriptures that are also shared 31:27 during the lesson that I like to quickly look at. 31:29 One is Exodus 15:1-2. Exodus 15:1-2. 31:35 This is after the Lord made a great deliverance 31:38 for the people of Israel. 31:39 And it says, "Then Moses and the children of Israel 31:42 sang this song to the Lord, and spoke, saying: 31:46 'I will sing to the Lord, 31:49 for He has triumphed gloriously! 31:52 The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea! 31:56 The Lord is my strength and song, 31:59 and He has become my salvation.'" 32:02 Notice, my salvation, 32:04 you have to make it your own. 32:05 "He is my God, and I will praise Him, 32:08 My father's God, and I will exalt Him." 32:12 The Lord had delivered them from the Egyptians, 32:14 and they are commemorating this in song. 32:17 Perhaps the Lord will put a song 32:19 in your heart of your experience. 32:21 And I encourage you to consider the things 32:23 that God has done for you and thank God accordingly. 32:28 Now, this is interesting, 32:31 in Patriarchs and Prophets, 289. 32:33 Speaking of this, it says, 32:34 "This song and the great deliverance 32:37 which it commemorates, 32:39 made an impression never to be effaced 32:42 from the memory of the Hebrew people. 32:44 From age to age it was echoed by the prophets 32:46 and singers of Israel, testifying that Jehovah 32:50 is the strength and deliverance of those who trust in Him. 32:54 That song does not belong to the Jewish people alone. 32:58 It points forward to the destruction 33:01 of all the foes of righteousness, 33:03 and the final victory of the Israel of God. 33:06 The prophet of Patmos beholds the white-robed multitude 33:09 that 'have gotten the victory,' 33:11 standing on the 'sea of glass mingled with fire,' 33:14 having 'the harps of God. 33:15 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, 33:19 and the song of the Lamb.'" 33:21 Amen. 33:22 Look at it, Revelation 15:2-4, 33:25 "And I saw something 33:26 like a sea of glass mingled with fire, 33:28 and those who have the victory over the beast, 33:31 and over his image, and over his mark, 33:33 and over the number of his name, 33:34 standing on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. 33:37 They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, 33:40 and the song of the Lamb, saying: 33:42 'Great and marvelous are Your works, 33:45 Lord God Almighty! 33:47 Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! 33:52 Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? 33:55 For You alone are holy. 33:57 For all nations shall come and worship before You, 34:01 for Your judgments have been manifested.'" 34:04 And so, I encourage you 34:07 to consider the great salvation of the Lord 34:10 and enter into worship and praise of the Lord. 34:13 That's right. Yes. 34:15 Perhaps it is a good time even now, as this lesson ends, 34:18 stop and thank the Lord for things He has done for you. 34:21 Amen. 34:23 Because even this week, may have been such a week 34:27 that you can say, wow, I'm glad that's over. 34:30 I'm glad that it's the Sabbath. 34:33 I am glad that now 34:35 I can look back and rest and say, 34:37 God has been good to me. 34:39 Amen. 34:41 So, we look forward to a great victory 34:43 through Jesus Christ, 34:44 continue to follow Him with all of your heart. 34:46 Amen. 34:47 And let me say this, if you are a worship leader, 34:50 please start the song service with songs about God 34:55 because people are still coming in 34:57 and they're talking to one another 35:00 and then move from those praise songs 35:02 into the worship songs. 35:04 And if you're in the audience, don't be talking to someone 35:08 when they're singing to the Lord, 35:09 we need to really make music worship. 35:13 Okay. 35:14 Wednesday's lesson is Sacrifices 35:19 as part of worship. 35:20 Let's look at Nehemiah 12:43. 35:26 Nehemiah 12:43. 35:30 "Also that day they offered great sacrifices." 35:35 Now, the sacrifices was, 35:37 this was the most essential part of worship. 35:41 And what did those sacrifices point to? 35:44 They pointed to the Messiah, Jesus Christ. 35:48 So this was how people 35:50 learn the truth of God and who He was, 35:53 and also the weight of sin. 35:56 Now think how solemn it would have been, 36:02 you know, when animals were being slaughtered, 36:05 that's a solemn occasion. 36:06 But look what it says, "That day they offered 36:09 great sacrifices and rejoiced, 36:13 for God had made them rejoice with great joy." 36:18 So there's reverence and there's godly fear. 36:21 But they knew what these sacrifices meant 36:24 that their sin 36:25 was being transferred to a substitute. 36:29 It pointed to the coming Messiah. 36:31 So they rejoiced. 36:33 "God made them rejoice with great joy, 36:35 the women and the children also rejoiced, 36:39 so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off." 36:45 When was the last time the joy of your church service 36:50 was heard afar off? 36:53 You now, I just have to say 36:54 these sacrifices were worthless 36:58 if they weren't accompanied 37:00 with repentance and an obedient life. 37:04 I mean, this is something that we have to remember, 37:06 this symbol of the sacrifice is to be reflected 37:09 in the heart of the worshipper. 37:12 And as we approach God, yes, 37:15 we approach Him in awe and reverence, 37:19 but we should approach Him in joy. 37:22 You know, in the New Testament, 37:24 the New Testament we see that the sacrifices 37:29 of the Levitical system 37:32 continued until the crucifixion with the believers. 37:36 But with Christ's death, Christians understood that 37:39 animal sacrifices were no longer necessary 37:43 because He died as Hebrews 7:27 said, 37:48 "He gave the perfect sacrifice once for all." 37:52 Yes. 37:54 He doesn't need to be sacrificed again. 37:57 And after the cross, 37:59 we understand that our sacrifices, 38:02 we offer up spiritual sacrifices, 38:07 the Thanksgiving and the joy, 38:10 the praise to God through Jesus Christ. 38:13 You know, Paul called the Philippians gift, 38:15 a sweet aroma 38:16 and an acceptable sacrifice to God. 38:20 Now, the Jewish sacrificial system 38:23 came to a complete halt in AD 70 38:26 when the temple was destroyed. 38:29 But what we find in the New Testament 38:32 is the New Testament is always using terminology 38:36 about Jesus that goes along with the sacrificial terms 38:41 like the Passover lamb, the fragrant aroma. 38:46 John 1:29, when John the Baptist saw 38:49 Jesus approaching the River Jordan. 38:52 It says, "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, 38:55 and he said, 'Behold! 38:57 The Lamb of God who takes away 39:00 the sins of the world!'" 39:04 So, in the temple, 39:05 the morning and the evening services, 39:08 they were the sacrifice 39:10 for the sins of the corporate sin 39:14 if you would. 39:16 But once again, this pointed to Jesus 39:20 becoming the Lamb of God, actually, the Lamb of God 39:23 who was slain before the foundation of the world, 39:26 Revelation 13:8, is the everlasting gospel 39:30 that He was coming. 39:32 And by the way, I was reading a couple of months ago. 39:36 Did you know in classical Greek, 39:40 the word gospel meant good news 39:45 of a victory in a battle? 39:48 It wasn't just good news. 39:50 It was good news of a victory in a battle. 39:54 So the good news is, 39:56 Jesus came to pay the price for our sin, 39:59 the penalty for our sin. 40:01 But He also came, what did He say, 40:04 to do away with sin and the ways of the world? 40:07 Now, it's interesting to me in 1 Corinthians 5:7, it says, 40:11 "Therefore purge out the old leaven, 40:16 that you may be a new lump, 40:18 since you truly are unleavened." 40:22 We're unleavened hopefully. 40:25 "For indeed Christ, our Passover, 40:28 was sacrificed for us." 40:31 What does it mean to be unleavened? 40:33 Well, leaven was a symbol of sin. 40:36 And you remember at the Passover, 40:38 God had them slay a lamb, 40:40 and then they applied the blood to the doorpost, 40:45 and the reason it's called Passover 40:47 is because the angel of death passed over. 40:49 But they also made unleavened bread, 40:52 bread that they didn't have time 40:54 to let the bread rise, 40:55 but God had them sweep out their houses any of the leaven, 41:01 because that is a symbol of sin. 41:05 So when Christ, 41:07 when we accept Him as our Passover lamb, 41:10 He cleanses us of sin. 41:12 I mean, it's not something that we know we're justified, 41:17 that we are declared not guilty. 41:19 But then He takes us 41:21 through this process of sanctification 41:23 and continually bringing us 41:27 and clearing us of sin. 41:30 Now it's interesting to me, let's turn to Exodus 12. 41:35 And in Exodus 12, we're going to see 41:39 something that happened with the Passover lamb. 41:43 Exodus 12, you guys are getting, 41:45 get there before me. 41:47 Isn't it funny how sometimes... 41:50 I wanna look at verses 3 and then verse 6. 41:55 Exodus 12:3, He says, 41:58 "Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: 42:00 'On the tenth of this month 42:02 every man shall take for himself a lamb, 42:05 according to the house of his father, 42:07 a lamb for a household.'" 42:08 This is for the Passover. 42:10 So they went on the 10th, 42:14 and they got this little lamb. 42:17 And then when you jump down to verse 6, it says, 42:19 "Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day 42:25 of the same month and kill it at twilight." 42:29 So the lamb was in their house, 42:32 three and a half days this beautiful, 42:36 spotless, little baby lamb. 42:39 Just think, the children probably, 42:42 mom and dad are saying, don't name it, don't name it. 42:45 And the kids, you know, 42:47 how could you not love a little lamb? 42:49 Well, it's interesting. 42:51 In Revelation 5:6, when it is speaking of Jesus 42:57 as our lamb. 42:58 It says, "I looked, and beheld, in the midst of the throne 43:01 and of the four living creatures, 43:03 and in the midst of the elders, 43:05 stood a lamb as though it had been slain." 43:09 The word lamb here is not the same word 43:13 that has been used 43:16 when John said, "Behold the Lamb of God." 43:19 This word is a lambkin, a little baby lamb, 43:24 and He ministered for three and a half years. 43:27 Yes, yes. 43:29 I think what the purpose of this is, 43:31 is that God wants us to see 43:35 and make this sacrifice 43:38 a very personal thing. 43:41 Well, you know, when we recognize 43:43 that only worthy is the lamb who was slain. 43:48 When we recognize that God came down 43:52 to earth to die for us. 43:56 He humiliated Himself by becoming a man, 43:59 to me that's probably His greatest sacrifice 44:02 was taking on our flesh, because He returned to heaven 44:06 as the perfect God-man. 44:08 That's right. But He died for us. 44:12 That is something that is so personal. 44:15 And that's why God had the Passover. 44:19 He had the instructions, so that it wasn't just, 44:23 you're saying, oh, okay, I'll take that lamb over there, 44:26 go kill him and let's... 44:29 that will be my Passover. 44:30 No, it was a very personal thing. 44:33 And we pray for you, and for each one of us 44:36 that we will continually remember 44:39 what our God has done. 44:41 And as we remember, that we will, yes, 44:45 worship with reverence and awe, but worship with joy. 44:49 Amen. That's right. 44:51 Thank you, Shelley, thank you every one of you, 44:53 as we lead into now the Priests 44:55 and Levites as a part of worship. 44:58 Now before I dive into Nehemiah, 45:00 what I'd like to outline are some cautioned parameters 45:04 about worship. 45:06 Because Matthew 7:21-23, 45:10 cautions us that everything 45:12 that appears to be 45:16 Christian is really not. 45:18 Well. That's good. 45:20 You know, many will say to me in that day, 45:22 Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in the name, 45:25 cast out demons, done many wonderful works, 45:27 and I'll declare I never knew You. 45:29 Now when we go back to this very act of worship, 45:32 because worship was prevalent in Babylon, 45:35 when you look at some of the hindrances 45:37 that the Israelites had to deal with, 45:39 they had to get past the way that they worshiped in Babylon 45:43 and recalibrate to the way that they worship in Israel. 45:45 That's good. 45:46 So I wanna begin with a caution. 45:48 Let's go to Deuteronomy 12:30-31. 45:52 Deuteronomy 12:30-31, this is a very amazing caution. 45:56 Matter of fact I read my Bible so frequently 45:58 and we've gone through this, my wife and I 46:01 are now up to the Book of Ezra and Nehemiah, 46:02 we just finished Ezra. 46:04 But I came across this 46:07 in our devotional life together. 46:10 Look at verse 30 of Deuteronomy 12. 46:13 "Take heed to yourself 46:17 that you are not ensnared to follow them, 46:22 after they are destroyed from before you, 46:24 and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 46:29 'How do these nations serve their gods? 46:32 I also will do likewise.' 46:38 You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, 46:41 for every abomination to the Lord 46:43 which He hates they have done to their gods, 46:47 for they burn even their sons and daughters 46:49 in the fire to their gods.'" 46:51 And there was an example established by heathen nations 46:55 that were a part of their worship. 46:57 And the Lord said, whatever you do, 46:58 do not ask how do they worship their gods 47:02 and we will do likewise. 47:03 Right. That's good. 47:04 What's happening in Christianity today, 47:06 there's a melting happening in Christianity, 47:09 I call it the wax factor. 47:12 Now, the reason I use that term 47:14 is because hearts are being melted from truth 47:18 and are going towards... 47:21 And I'm a musician, 47:22 so this is a very strong term for me. 47:24 People are putting truth second and music first. 47:29 I've seen that happening in Christianity, 47:31 where music is coming first, 47:34 and worship is coming second. 47:36 Music is coming first, and truth is coming. 47:40 We are talking less about worship the Lord 47:42 in spirit and in truth. 47:43 And the term if you listen to it 47:45 and look forward, worship the Lord in experience, 47:48 experience worship, experience God, 47:50 experience Jesus, not worship Him in spirit 47:54 and in truth. 47:55 And one is being pushed aside in favor of the other. 47:58 And the Lord always cautioned to that. 48:00 Matter of fact, in Psalm 29:2, it says, 48:03 "Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name, 48:07 Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." 48:11 Not in the emotion of holiness. 48:13 I wanna make this really clear, 48:14 because not everything that's emotional is holy. 48:16 That's right. 48:18 We know that today, 48:19 there are those who would rather say, 48:21 well, you don't know what I felt. 48:22 Well, Jesus, when He went to the cross, 48:25 it wasn't a feeling. 48:27 That's why He responded to every appeal the enemy made, 48:31 He said, it is written. 48:33 So the foundation of our worship 48:34 should be parametered into the pages 48:36 of the Word of God. 48:38 Another example is, you find the question 48:42 that I would like to a pose before I go to Nehemiah, 48:48 is when does worship cease to be acceptable to God? 48:52 It's a powerful question. That is. 48:53 Let's go to Daniel Chapter 3. I want you to see this. 48:57 When does worship cease to be acceptable to God? 49:01 Now, you'd say that, well, how could worship 49:03 ever cease to be acceptable to God? 49:05 Well, let's look at one of the most classic examples 49:07 we find in Scripture. 49:08 In Daniel 3, well, we know the scene. 49:11 The scene is the Hebrews are there on the plane of Dura, 49:14 and all the nations are gathered 49:17 before King Nebuchadnezzar 49:21 and the golden image has been erected. 49:24 And notice what's happening. 49:26 All the instruments are being played. 49:29 All the instruments, you find, verse 5, verse 4, 49:33 "Then a herald cried aloud: 49:35 'To you it is commanded, 49:37 O people, nations, and languages, 49:38 that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, 49:40 the flute, the harp, the lyre, the psaltery, 49:44 the symphony with all kinds of music, 49:47 you shall fall down and worship the gold image 49:50 that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.'" 49:53 Notice, the focus was worship. 49:55 Yeah. Yeah. 49:56 So we have to keep in mind, 49:57 not all worship is acceptable to God. 49:59 That's right. 50:00 And I was sitting in a parking lot 50:02 one day in Florida 50:04 when my wife went into Wal-Mart to get something. 50:06 And the Lord poured this into my musician mind. 50:09 Because music, we have to always maintain 50:12 a parameter to make sure that our music... 50:15 And I'm not talking about instruments here because 50:16 what I discovered when I saw the instruments, 50:19 I began to study the instruments used in Israel 50:22 and they were the same instruments, 50:24 very slight variation. 50:27 But the instruments were pretty much the same, 50:28 the flute, the harp, the lyre, the psaltery. 50:30 And I said, well, okay, 50:33 I guess the instrument is not the issue. 50:35 And here's what the Lord brought to me. 50:37 Let's look at Daniel 3:15. This was a key. 50:43 "Now if you are ready at the time you hear 50:45 the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, 50:48 and psaltery, and symphony with all kinds of music, 50:52 and you fall down." 50:54 You do what? Fall down. 50:55 "Fall down and worship the image 50:57 which I have made, good! 51:00 But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately 51:03 into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 51:05 And who is the god 51:07 who will deliver you from my hands?" 51:09 The key is when worship leads you 51:12 to bow at the wrong altar, 51:14 it ceases to be worship to the true God. 51:17 It's never about the music, and most cases not about them, 51:20 because you can sing some of the... 51:22 same praise songs in a place where truth is proclaimed, 51:25 as well as a place where truth is not proclaimed. 51:28 But if it leads you to bow at the wrong altar, 51:31 and that was the issue in the Hebrews' hearts, 51:33 we will not bow at your altar, we will not bow. 51:37 Because they remember, what's the commandment? 51:40 "Thou shall not bow down themselves to them 51:42 nor serve them." 51:44 Bowing is always an act of service. 51:47 When it leads you to the wrong altar, 51:49 that's when it ceases to be worship to the true God, 51:52 and today and the reason I lead with that is 51:53 because the joy over the Levites 51:56 and the Priests were we have 51:59 and the reason why Nehemiah rejoiced, 52:00 the reason why there was rejoicing 52:02 over the Levites and Priests 52:04 that ministered in the time of worship 52:05 is we have parameters. 52:08 These men were taught the parameters of worship. 52:13 Worship without parameters is not worship. 52:16 These men were given the parameters by God 52:20 as to how our worship should be communicated. 52:22 That's why in one of our former lessons, 52:24 you have those who read 13 and those who interpreted 52:27 what was read, 52:29 so that people will go forth to God 52:30 and worship Him, not based on just feeling 52:33 or emotion or music, but on understanding. 52:37 And so understanding is so significant 52:39 when it comes to worshiping the Lord. 52:41 So we find here that was the big issue, 52:45 that when it leads you to bow at the wrong altar, 52:47 it ceases to be worshiped to the true God, 52:49 because you know, they had no issue bowing, 52:51 but it was where they were told to bow. 52:53 That's right. So here's my point. 52:55 Let's make application to today. 52:56 If you are walking away from truth 52:58 and find yourself in a place where truth is not taught, 53:01 and you say, well, I like the music, 53:03 you're bowing at the wrong altar. 53:04 That's right. I'm gonna be candid. 53:06 And so many of our young people are following music 53:09 and abandoning truth in favor of feeling and emotion 53:13 and so called "Worship." 53:14 That's why the Lord say, 53:16 "Many will come in my name saying, 53:17 'I am Christ, and will deceive many.'" 53:19 So there's a false Christ centeredness today 53:22 that's taking over worship that belongs to the true God, 53:25 be careful with that. 53:27 Yes. 53:28 Another question is, why did Judah rejoice 53:30 over the Priests and Levites who ministered? 53:32 Five very important points. 53:34 Judah rejoiced over the Levites 53:35 because they represented 53:37 those that interceded for God's people. 53:39 Yes. 53:40 They were to intercede, 53:42 they were the ones who interceded. 53:43 There was a connection 53:45 between the worship of the people 53:46 and those who had led them into the presence of God. 53:48 Secondly, the Priest and Levites 53:50 had exclusive access to the holy things of God. 53:54 That's why Uzzah was destroyed. 53:57 He shouldn't touch things. 53:58 Don't allow yourself to cross a barrier. 54:02 And that was the issue in Uzziah's life. 54:05 He went to the temple and the Lord cast him out, 54:08 80 priests came and told him, get out of here 54:10 because you are not appointed by God 54:13 to minister in these things. 54:14 Yeah. 54:16 Don't allow the place that God puts you 54:18 to become a place of discontent 54:19 and cross over where God never put you. 54:21 Amen. 54:23 The third thing, 54:24 without the Priests and Levites, 54:25 the temple services would not function. 54:27 The Priests and Levites were exclusively chosen 54:29 and anointed of God as His ministers. 54:32 The singers and the worship leaders 54:34 were also considered ministers. 54:37 And so whenever God anoints you to do something, 54:40 and I can't get to Hebrews 9, right now, 54:41 but I'll just summarize it by saying, 54:44 why was it vitally important? 54:46 The Levites and all the Priests 54:49 were a symbol of the true Christ. 54:51 And so here it is. Yes. 54:53 True worship takes us 54:54 from the symbolic to the substantial. 54:58 Never get locked into the symbolic. 55:00 That's right. 55:01 It always leads us to the substantial 55:02 who is Christ Himself. Amen. 55:04 Amen. Awesome. 55:06 Well, I appreciate each and every one 55:07 of you more, good input, 55:09 the Holy Spirit gives to each one. 55:10 It really makes the lesson come alive 55:13 and does something to our thinking, 55:14 we praise on the same thing to you. 55:16 We've got just a few minutes left. 55:17 And again, always we go back 55:19 and just get a final thought that the Holy Spirit 55:21 through listening to each other what the Holy Spirit 55:24 might have said to you? 55:25 I had Monday's talking about purity 55:28 and the importance of purity for worship. 55:30 I wanna read Revelation 21:3, 55:33 "I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 55:35 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, 55:39 and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people.'" 55:44 So God wants to purify our hearts, 55:46 so that we can dwell with Him forever. 55:49 Amen. 55:50 Well, I like to say that far more than we do, 55:53 we really need to praise the Lord 55:55 and thank the Lord, 55:57 for the things He has done for us. 55:58 And I encourage you to take the time. 56:00 Yeah, there's a song, 56:02 Heritage Singers used to sing it, 56:04 where the person says, 56:06 "Lord, I'm just coming to thank You." 56:09 Yeah. 56:11 Tomorrow there may be sorrow, tomorrow there may be trials, 56:13 but I'm just coming to thank you. 56:15 Take your time to pray and just say, Lord, I just... 56:19 I'm not gonna ask for anything, 56:21 I'm just gonna thank You for this, and this, 56:22 and this, and this. 56:23 And I think you'll be blessed. 56:25 Amen. Amen. Amen. 56:26 Our Sabbath School quarterly asked an interesting question. 56:29 When we think that at the cross the creator 56:32 of all that is created, hung there, 56:34 dying for the sins of His creation, 56:36 what emotion do we first experience? 56:38 What role can and should joy play 56:42 in our experience of the cross? 56:45 And so, what we have to do is find that balance 56:49 between joy and reverence. 56:53 It's crucial to show the Lord that we adore Him, 56:58 that we praise Him and that we are worshiping 57:01 Him as our Creator. 57:03 But I do believe we need to smile. 57:06 That's right. Amen. Good. 57:08 And worship is a continual act in a holy life. 57:13 The NIV, Romans 12:1, "Therefore, I urge you, 57:16 brethren, in view of God's mercy, 57:18 to offer your bodies a living sacrifice, 57:21 holy and pleasing to God." 57:23 And listen to this. 57:24 "This is your spiritual act of worship." 57:27 That's right. Amen. 57:28 Praise the Lord. 57:29 I have one passage of scripture, 57:31 maybe we might get two of them, 57:32 I found in Book of Psalms 127:1, 57:35 it says, simply says, 57:36 "Except the Lord build the house, 57:38 they labor in vain that build it: 57:41 except the Lord keep the city." 57:43 What's going to happen? 57:45 "The watchman waketh but in vain." 57:47 You know what a good lesson, 57:49 we pray it's touched your heart, 57:50 touched your life. 57:51 And you know, really, 57:53 next week's lesson is really, really good 57:54 because we're gonna be talking about 57:55 not that we want to talk about it, 57:57 but we need to because we can learn from it. 57:58 It talks about the backsliding people 58:01 and God's gonna bless 58:02 so you make sure you tune in next week to join us here. 58:04 Thank you. We'll see you next time. |
Revised 2024-09-04