Scripture: Nehemiah 12:27-28
Now
at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites from all
their places, to bring them to Jerusalem so that they might celebrate the dedication
with gladness, with hymns of thanksgiving and with songs to the
accompaniment of cymbals, harps and lyres. So the sons of the
singers were assembled from the district around Jerusalem, and from the
villages of the Netophathites,
Insights: I
started the sermon yester in a rather dismal and depressing way. I verbally painted a picture of our society
and many of its woes, ranging from economics and divorce to suicide and
international tensions. In the lost
world there are not a lot of things in which one can place their hope. Theologically speaking, for the lost world
there is NOTHING in which they can place their hope, because we know that true
hope only comes through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. After painting this picture, however, I
expressed the truth of our Lord Jesus in our lives as Christ-followers. I informed the congregation that I believed
God wanted His children to be full of joy in their lives and that lead into my
first point of the sermon and today’s Thought
by Scott. Remember back with me over
the past few weeks. The wall had been
completed, a revival service held, a prayer of repentance followed and they
concluded it with a written declaration of their faithfulness to God. All of those things lead up to today’s verses
in which we see the people of Jerusalem holding a celebration. Notice with me that this celebration is held
with gladness. That Hebrew word literally
means with gaiety, mirth, pleasure and delight.
Also notice all of the instruments used in this celebration. There were cymbals, harps and lyres. These people were singing hymns of
thanksgiving. Were all of their problems
and struggles over? No, they were slowly
rebuilding the city and removing the rubble, but the people had a new spark of
enthusiasm. Their vision had been
renewed and they were looking to the future with their God with expectant
eyes. Beloved, we need to celebrate the
times in our lives in which the Lord had done great things. We are a short-minded people and these times
of celebration help us to remember the goodness of God. The Bible does not prescribe a frequency for
such celebrations, but I believe they should be often. These celebrations among fellow
Christ-followers do not have to always be a formal setting at a church building. One could have a celebration party at their
home. The point is CELEBRATE the
goodness of God.
Questions:
- For what do you have to celebrate in your life?
- Is your celebration full of gaiety, mirth, pleasure and
delight?
Prayer: Father, for
salvation alone, I have all the reason I need to celebrate. You, however, continue to bless me beyond
imagination and for all of these I am able to celebrate. I pray, my celebration of Your great goodness
pleases You. Amen.
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