Why Worship Is so Special! -- Nehemiah 8:8-12
Why Worship Is so Special! -- Nehemiah 8:8-12
By Pastor Lee Hemen
May 10, 2020
My mother was a character. She left home at an early age to seek her fame and future in the wilds of Alaska from the wilds of Wyoming! She was about 15 years old and it was right before WWII. She had a 7th grade education, could ride a horse, shoot a rifle, and roll a cigarette using the “fixings” with one hand. Now I am not commending that teenagers leave home at 15, smoke, and learn to ride a horse; but my mother like most Americans enjoyed her freedom and willingly went north.
The Israelites had not enjoyed freedom for many years. They had been enslaved by the Persians and had only recently been allowed any kind of freedom. Ezra the Priest went to Jerusalem to try and get the people educated in the word of the Lord. Nehemiah came later to help rebuild. They both knew that with the Israelites new found freedom and not having temple worship they would soon stray from God. Here in Nehemiah we discover why worship is so special…
READ: Nehemiah 8:8-12
The middle-aged man stood before me and whined, “My mother forced me to go to church.” It was his excuse as to why he did not now go with his family. I responded, “So your mean old mother forced you to go listen to how God loves you, see how God’s people fellowshipped, and desperately tried to make you a better person; what a dastardly thing for her to do!” He needed to learn that…
I. Worship is special when God’s people do it freely and willingly! (Vv. 8-9)
They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read. Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is sacred to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
1. When Ezra first arrived in Jerusalem, the moral and spiritual condition of the people was at an all time low and deplorable. But as he prayerfully and diligently taught them God’s Word, they began to respond to and to obey the Laws of God. A few years later Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem and challenged them to trust God to help them rebuild the walls. The two-month building program was an interlude in Ezra’s teaching, but apparently it helped motivate the people to want to know more of God’s Law. They themselves asked Ezra to continue his teaching ministry among them. We discover that this was “the first day of the seventh month”, the day which was to be the Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:24; Numbers 29:1). Adults and children who were old enough to understand listened attentively all morning as Ezra faced west by the Water Gate. No sermon in a second! “They read from the Book of the Law of God”, made “it clear” enough and gave “the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read.” They made it easy for everyone from kids to curmudgeons to understand! The religious, “Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites” and the government leadership, “Nehemiah the governor”, came together to worship the Lord in front of the people! They reminded the people and instructed them that “This day is sacred to the LORD your God.” Because of the words they heard (God’s) and the willingness of their leadership to come together to read it and worship with them, the people wept as they listened to the words of the Law. But notice they were told, “Do not weep” because what they were hearing was “sacred” special. God’s Word is a blessing! This is a beautiful picture of God’s people who had not been able to worship together now are able to. Nehemiah not only came and built the walls and the city of Jerusalem, but the temple as well. However, he realized that the central binding force for God’s people is for them to worship the Lord. Worship is special when God’s people do it freely and willingly!
EXAMPLE: When we allow ourselves to be distracted by the behavior of little ones in worship it says a lot about what our focus is. Children need to be in worship with their parents. When we usher kids out of our sight what does it teach them about how we view them and God? When people were bringing their children to Jesus so he would touch them, his disciples rebuked them. Jesus responds, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. (Matthew 19:14 NIV)” The kingdom of God is for those who willingly come to him like little children! Worship is special when God’s people do it freely and willingly!
My father was saddened because my mother would not take us regularly to church with him. She would drag us to Buddhist temples, LDS meetings, Unitarian Fellowships, Theosophical Society gatherings, and tarot card fortune tellers. You might think it gave us a good “rounded” understanding of religions but all it did was thoroughly confuse us kids. We learn from Nehemiah that…
II. Worship is special when it is done together in fellowship! (Vv. 10-12)
Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve.” Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.
1. Worship should be a family affair! From the youngest to the oldest, all of God’s people should enjoy the fellowship of worshiping with one another together! In the New Testament it is referred to as koinonia. Koinonia is translated many different ways in English Bibles. The first appearance of koinonia in the New Testament appears in Acts 2:42: “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship (koinonia), to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” In 2 Corinthians 9:13 Paul writes that it is “Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing (koinonia) with them and with everyone else.” Wow, giving was seen as a matter of fellowship! Paul also wrote: “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship (koinonia) of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Philippians 3:10 NIV). Our faith is koinonia! We find that Nehemiah tells the people to “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Basically he is calling people to share a potluck meal (koinonia) after their worship! Nehemiah knew that worship was to be enjoyed. And even the “Levites calmed all the people, saying, ‘Be still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve.’” This is why churches should involve all of its members in some way during worship. It is a matter of sacred fellowship! “Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.” Worship is special when it is done together in fellowship!
EXAMPLE: This is why nonbelievers cannot truly worship the Lord. They do not have an intimate relationship with him that the “body of Christ” does! Worship is actions without spiritual fellowship (koinonia). When I first went over to my wife’s house as a teenager for supper I could not believe the relationship that flowed around their table. It was intimate and loving. I could sense they were a close knit family by how they related to one another. Denise’s mother Thelma made it so. Worship is fellowship with Jesus and the family of God! Worship is special when it is done together in fellowship!
Conclusion:
Worship is special when God’s people do it freely and willingly! Worship is special when it is done together in fellowship!
----
This article is copyrighted © 2020 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
By Pastor Lee Hemen
May 10, 2020
My mother was a character. She left home at an early age to seek her fame and future in the wilds of Alaska from the wilds of Wyoming! She was about 15 years old and it was right before WWII. She had a 7th grade education, could ride a horse, shoot a rifle, and roll a cigarette using the “fixings” with one hand. Now I am not commending that teenagers leave home at 15, smoke, and learn to ride a horse; but my mother like most Americans enjoyed her freedom and willingly went north.
The Israelites had not enjoyed freedom for many years. They had been enslaved by the Persians and had only recently been allowed any kind of freedom. Ezra the Priest went to Jerusalem to try and get the people educated in the word of the Lord. Nehemiah came later to help rebuild. They both knew that with the Israelites new found freedom and not having temple worship they would soon stray from God. Here in Nehemiah we discover why worship is so special…
READ: Nehemiah 8:8-12
The middle-aged man stood before me and whined, “My mother forced me to go to church.” It was his excuse as to why he did not now go with his family. I responded, “So your mean old mother forced you to go listen to how God loves you, see how God’s people fellowshipped, and desperately tried to make you a better person; what a dastardly thing for her to do!” He needed to learn that…
I. Worship is special when God’s people do it freely and willingly! (Vv. 8-9)
They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read. Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is sacred to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
1. When Ezra first arrived in Jerusalem, the moral and spiritual condition of the people was at an all time low and deplorable. But as he prayerfully and diligently taught them God’s Word, they began to respond to and to obey the Laws of God. A few years later Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem and challenged them to trust God to help them rebuild the walls. The two-month building program was an interlude in Ezra’s teaching, but apparently it helped motivate the people to want to know more of God’s Law. They themselves asked Ezra to continue his teaching ministry among them. We discover that this was “the first day of the seventh month”, the day which was to be the Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:24; Numbers 29:1). Adults and children who were old enough to understand listened attentively all morning as Ezra faced west by the Water Gate. No sermon in a second! “They read from the Book of the Law of God”, made “it clear” enough and gave “the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read.” They made it easy for everyone from kids to curmudgeons to understand! The religious, “Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites” and the government leadership, “Nehemiah the governor”, came together to worship the Lord in front of the people! They reminded the people and instructed them that “This day is sacred to the LORD your God.” Because of the words they heard (God’s) and the willingness of their leadership to come together to read it and worship with them, the people wept as they listened to the words of the Law. But notice they were told, “Do not weep” because what they were hearing was “sacred” special. God’s Word is a blessing! This is a beautiful picture of God’s people who had not been able to worship together now are able to. Nehemiah not only came and built the walls and the city of Jerusalem, but the temple as well. However, he realized that the central binding force for God’s people is for them to worship the Lord. Worship is special when God’s people do it freely and willingly!
EXAMPLE: When we allow ourselves to be distracted by the behavior of little ones in worship it says a lot about what our focus is. Children need to be in worship with their parents. When we usher kids out of our sight what does it teach them about how we view them and God? When people were bringing their children to Jesus so he would touch them, his disciples rebuked them. Jesus responds, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. (Matthew 19:14 NIV)” The kingdom of God is for those who willingly come to him like little children! Worship is special when God’s people do it freely and willingly!
My father was saddened because my mother would not take us regularly to church with him. She would drag us to Buddhist temples, LDS meetings, Unitarian Fellowships, Theosophical Society gatherings, and tarot card fortune tellers. You might think it gave us a good “rounded” understanding of religions but all it did was thoroughly confuse us kids. We learn from Nehemiah that…
II. Worship is special when it is done together in fellowship! (Vv. 10-12)
Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve.” Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.
1. Worship should be a family affair! From the youngest to the oldest, all of God’s people should enjoy the fellowship of worshiping with one another together! In the New Testament it is referred to as koinonia. Koinonia is translated many different ways in English Bibles. The first appearance of koinonia in the New Testament appears in Acts 2:42: “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship (koinonia), to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” In 2 Corinthians 9:13 Paul writes that it is “Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing (koinonia) with them and with everyone else.” Wow, giving was seen as a matter of fellowship! Paul also wrote: “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship (koinonia) of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Philippians 3:10 NIV). Our faith is koinonia! We find that Nehemiah tells the people to “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Basically he is calling people to share a potluck meal (koinonia) after their worship! Nehemiah knew that worship was to be enjoyed. And even the “Levites calmed all the people, saying, ‘Be still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve.’” This is why churches should involve all of its members in some way during worship. It is a matter of sacred fellowship! “Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.” Worship is special when it is done together in fellowship!
EXAMPLE: This is why nonbelievers cannot truly worship the Lord. They do not have an intimate relationship with him that the “body of Christ” does! Worship is actions without spiritual fellowship (koinonia). When I first went over to my wife’s house as a teenager for supper I could not believe the relationship that flowed around their table. It was intimate and loving. I could sense they were a close knit family by how they related to one another. Denise’s mother Thelma made it so. Worship is fellowship with Jesus and the family of God! Worship is special when it is done together in fellowship!
Conclusion:
Worship is special when God’s people do it freely and willingly! Worship is special when it is done together in fellowship!
----
This article is copyrighted © 2020 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
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