1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. (Colossians 3:1-2 NIV)

That is a goal. Naturally, if left to ourselves, we do not “set our minds on things above,” but we focus on earthly desires and earthly endeavors. Paul urges us to strive for change, to set a goal, to set our sights on the things above, the things of God. Here’s another one for you. Turn with me to James 1:2-4. James writes,

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4 NIV)

That is a goal. When I go through difficult times my natural reaction is to throw a pity party or focus on me and my pain rather than to seek God and believe that He is at work in the difficulties of my life. Without goals we cannot grow. Without goals there is no way to measure any change at all. Just imagine with me for a moment. What would a basketball game be without a hoop? How about a round of golf with no holes? Or a football game with no goal post or end zone? Without these things there would be no way to measure growth and progress. There would just be a lot of people running around. I’m sad to say, but that is what I am afraid most of us are doing today.

On the day I sent out the email I heard a “morning drive guy” on the radio say, “I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. I’ve made them in the past and have never done any of them for any amount of time so I just figure why set myself up for disappointment?” I think the morning DJ, even though he was speaking for himself, was speaking for lots and lots of folks. Most of us don’t set any goals because we are afraid that we won’t see them through, we won’t reach them. Well, how are you ever going to hit a target if you don’t have one? It has been my experience in life that when I set goals, when I set my sights on something, even if I fall short of the goal, I’m still better off than if I hadn’t tried to do anything.

This morning I want to use an experience from Nehemiah’s life to help us think about goals. If you would turn with me to Nehemiah 2:11-18. While you are turning there I want to give you a little background on the story. If you will remember from our study of the Minor Prophets, the Babylonians overthrew the Jews in Judah in 586 B.C. They took many of the Jews back to Babylon with them where they stayed until the Persians defeated the Babylonians. In 538 B.C. the Persian King, Cyrus, signed an edict to let the Jews go back home to Jerusalem. Once they got back home they started rebuilding the temple, but then opposition came about and they simply quit and went back home.

Well, not all of the Jews left Babylon when they were given the opportunity. About seventy years after the first Jews had made the long journey back to Jerusalem, in 458 B.C., a Jewish scribe named Ezra led another group of Jews back to Jerusalem. Under Ezra’s leadership there was some reform that took place among the Jews, but the security of the city was not established, the city wall remained in ruins.

While all of this was going on there was a young man named Nehemiah, who was a Jew, but he was also the cupbearer for the Persian King, Artaxerxes. Nehemiah’s job was to taste everything that was to be served to Artaxerxes to make sure that it had not been poisoned. I’d say he was a pretty important person. The king sure thought he was.

Nehemiah knew what was going on back in Jerusalem and it grieved his heart. Nehemiah tells us that when he heard the news, he sat down and wept. We read in Nehemiah 1:1-4.

1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. 3 They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” 4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. (Nehemiah 1:1-4 NIV)

Nehemiah was serving the king one day when the king said, “Nehemiah, why are you so sad?” Nehemiah told him what was going on back home and he asked permission to go to Jerusalem and help rebuild the city. The year was 445 B.C. when Nehemiah made his way to Jerusalem with the king’s blessing, and the provisions he needed to rebuild the wall. In Nehemiah 2:11-18 we read what Nehemiah did once he got to Jerusalem.

11 I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days 12 I set out during the night with a few men. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on. 13 By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. 14 Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through; 15 so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate. 16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work. 17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” 18 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me. They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work. (Nehemiah 2:11-18 NIV)

The wall, that had laid in ruins for over 100 years, was rebuilt in 52 days by a man who had vision, passion, a plan, and others who were willing to work alongside of him. There are some great lessons that we can learn from Nehemiah as we seek to pursue our own goals in this new year.

First, I need to share with you that I believe that our goals are more than “our” goals—I believe that they are the nudging of God. Let me share some of the goals with you that have been shared with me this past week.

• A stay-at-home mom wrote, “I want to do daily Bible study with my daughter and my nephew, who I watch after he gets out of school. The day is coming when they will leave home and I want to make sure they know God’s Word.”
• I want to seek to find my spiritual gifts and use them to glorify God. I want to learn more of the Bible since there is so much I don’t understand. I want to seek God’s will for my marriage.
• My goal is to wake up every morning and get on my knees and pray.
• My goal is to be a more thankful person. Not just internally thankful, but to verbalize my gratitude as well. I want to think and verbalize the gratitude I feel for what God has done for me.
• Two people wrote me and said, “I want to read the entire Bible in 2011.”
• I want to identify my “in the flesh” thoughts and change them to “in the Spirit” thoughts” and to develop a joy in studying God’s Word on a daily basis.
• This year I need to find the joy that I have lost during the past few years.
• My goal is to start and maintain a prayer journal and to begin to exercise regularly.
• A person who has encountered health problems during the past year wrote to me and said, “I need prayer to be upbeat about what lies ahead and patience to be ready to build up to more activity in the spring.”
• A couple wrote to me and said, “We have set a goal of journaling, reading God’s Word, and practicing Scripture memory on Monday nights.”
• Someone else wrote, “I want to take the time to spend more of it with my grandchildren.”
• Here’s another goal, “I want to be more sensitive to the opportunities to be, and share, Christ with others as God puts them in my path.”
• Someone else wrote me that God is leading them to move to another city where they can continue their education and be around family who are really committed to Christ.
• Here’s one: “Daily surrender the idols in my life to God.” Two idols they described were “doing” which has led them to run ahead of God instead of waiting on Him and “worry” which has diminished their trust in God.
• Another person wants to lose weight.
• Someone else wrote, “The verse for me this year is 1 Timothy 6:6, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” They say, “My struggle, as of late, is not being content with who He has created me to be and where I am in life. My goal is not to compare myself with others and to trust that God is perfectly content with who He created me to be as long as I seek Him.

I want you to know that I believe each of these goals that are on your hearts are more than something you have dreamed up—they are God nudging you to do something. Some of you may say, “Well, some of these goals don’t sound very spiritual to me.” Let me ask you, “How spiritual does it sound to say that you have a passion to rebuild a wall?” I believe that it is important to understand that what many call “goals,” are truly the promptings of God to change some things in our lives. If we will understand this, that these are “promptings,” or “callings” from God, rather than just something that “we” want to do, then there will be a greater possibility of us seeing them through. Let me share with you some insights I’ve learned from Nehemiah.

Nehemiah Couldn’t Shake It

First off, how do we know that the idea that has come to us is from God and not just something we want to do? Great question. I believe a great indicator is that we won’t be able to get the thought out of our mind. In Nehemiah 1:4 we read about what happened when Nehemiah heard about the situation going on back home. Listen to this.

4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. (Nehemiah 1:4 NIV)

There were others who heard the same news, but it didn’t have near the affect on them as it did Nehemiah. The news became wedged in Nehemiah’s heart and mind. For days he fasted and prayed about the situation before the Lord. Nehemiah couldn’t shake it. He couldn’t go back to doing life like he had done it before he heard the news. He had to do something even though at this point he didn’t know what to do other than weep, fast, and pray.

I got a note from a lady this past week that started like this: “This is a plan that has been in my head for a while now and the more that I wait for the Lord to let me know that it isn’t the right thing to do the more I know that it is.” That is exactly what I’m talking about! I wrote her back and said, “Go for it!” I’m sure that others of you who have written me this past week have felt the same way. Your goal has been a thought, germinating in your heart and mind, for some time now. You’ve waited until the time is right, you’ve waited for a more opportune time, you’ve waited… I say to you this morning, “Stop waiting and get on with it.” Understand that the Lord is moving you. He is prompting you. He is calling you to get with it.

Nehemiah “Considered” Before He “Acted”

The second lesson I’ve learned from Nehemiah is that it is important to survey the situation, “consider the costs,” and come up with a plan of action before I act on the thought God has given me. Let me give you an example from Nehemiah’s life. Sometime after he heard the initial news of the sad state of his countrymen and city, Jerusalem, Nehemiah’s thoughts turned from an emotional reaction of sitting, weeping, and praying to praying and planning. In Nehemiah 2 we find out that the King asked Nehemiah why he was so sad? Nehemiah told the king about his hometown being in ruins. King Artaxerxes asked, “What is it you want?” (Nehemiah 2:4 NIV) Nehemiah prayed and gave the king his answer which consisted of three things:

1. Send me to the city of Judah…so that I can rebuild it. (Nehemiah 2:5 NIV)
2. May I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe travel until I get to Judah? (Nehemiah 2:7 NIV)
3. May I have a letter for Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so he will give me timber to rebuild the gates by the temple and for the city wall and for my house? (Nehemiah 2:8 NIV)

The king granted each of Nehemiah’s requests and Nehemiah was off to Jerusalem. Once he arrived in Jerusalem, Nehemiah continued to assess the situation. He tells us that he spent three days in Jerusalem before he set out at night with just a few people to take stock of the destruction. (Nehemiah 2:11-16) Nehemiah now had a plan.

You and I need a plan. Zig Ziglar once said, “People don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan.” Those are such true words. I remember several years ago when I decided I was going to run my first marathon. 26 miles is a long ways to run. You just don’t decide one day, “I’m going to go out and run a marathon.” I had to get a plan. I knew that I needed two things: One, I had to find a partner to run with each day or I would never do it on my own. Second, I had to have a plan that would help me build up to running 26 miles or I would die. Once I had those to two things in place then it was only a matter of following the plan.

I would encourage you to do the same with whatever it is the Lord has laid on your heart. Survey the landscape, take stock of what you need in order to reach the goal you have set, and put the plan into action.

Nehemiah Surrounded Himself With Others

The third lesson I have learned from Nehemiah is to involve others in the idea that God has put on my heart. Have you noticed, as we’ve been reading these Scriptures about Nehemiah and his plan, how many people he has pulled into his circle? He shared his heart with the king. He recruited the keeper of the king’s forest to supply him with timber. He took a few men with him as he surveyed the broken down wall. He spoke to the Jews, the priests, nobles, officials, and others about the situation and said,

“…Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” (Nehemiah 2:17 NIV)

Rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem and restoring the security of the city was a job that was too big for one man. Nehemiah needed help to achieve the goal that God had laid on his heart. I’ve got news for you, whatever it is that God has put on your heart it is too big for you to handle by yourself—you need help.

After I wrote out my goals for the year I emailed them to two people and said, “I need your help. Will you pray for me and on a regular basis ask me about the progress I am making?” I’ve set up a monthly luncheon with one of the people I emailed. I also sat down with Connie and read my goals to her so that she knows what God has put on my heart. I need help. I know these people will help me.

That leads me to a warning. Be careful who you share your goal with my friends. Some that you might consider are nice folks no doubt, but they are busy, or forgetful, or simply won’t follow through with what you need them to do in order to help you achieve what God is calling you to do. Pray before you share your goals and ask someone to help you.

Nehemiah Avoided Distractions

A final lesson I’ve learned from Nehemiah that is so helpful in my pursuit of what God has called me to do is this: Nehemiah avoided distractions that would take him away from pursuing what was most important to him.

The story of what God did through the life of Nehemiah and the people of Jerusalem covers thirteen chapters in our Bible. Throughout those thirteen chapters we find opposition arising in the form of two men, Sanballat and Tobiah. The first time they appear is in Nehemiah 2:10 where we find that when they heard that Nehemiah and the people were planning on rebuilding the wall, “they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.” (Nehemiah 2:10 NIV)

Let’s just get honest for a minute. Can we do that? There are those who do not want you to reach your goal. They are your friends, they may even be family members, they profess their love for you, but they really don’t want you to change. Just to give you an example that many of you can relate to. If you are an addict and you decide one day, “I’ve had enough. I’m going to stop drinking or using drugs.” You must realize that most of those you have been drinking or drugging with are not going to want you to stop. They are going to want you to continue to use with them.

Just as Nehemiah had Sanballat and Tobiah trying to distract him from doing what God had given him to do, so we have our own version of Sanballat and Tobiah who will try, either knowingly or unknowingly, to distract us from doing what God has given us to do. By committing yourself to do what God has given you to do you must reorder your time schedule. You won’t be able to do some of the things you use to do so that you can do what God has now called you to. You are going to have to say, “No” to the “lesser” things. Sanballat and Tobiah wanted Nehemiah to stop his work and come and meet with them. Here is what Nehemiah had to say,

3 …”I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” 4 Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer. (Nehemiah 6:3-4 NIV)

Don’t give in. Don’t give up. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted by lesser things. God has called you to a great work. Whether it is spending more time with your grandkids, practicing Scripture memory on Monday nights, training your mind to become content with who God has created you to be, or devoting yourself to running a marathon—don’t get distracted by lesser things.

These are the lessons I have learned from Nehemiah this past week that I believe can help all of us establish, implement, and see our goals through to completion in 2011. There is one more word that I need to share with you which I’ve not learned from Nehemiah, but from my own life.

Don’t Let Failure Derail You

Nehemiah was successful in reaching his goal. In just 52 days the wall that had been down for more than 100 years was rebuilt. What a thrill! I’ve not reached all of the goals that I’ve ever set in my life. What are we to do when we stumble and fall? Well, the vast majority of people say, “I knew I couldn’t do it.” They fold up their tent and go back to the recliner and the remote to wile away their time languishing in lethargy.

Many years before Nehemiah ever arrived in Jerusalem; the Israelites started working on the temple, but stopped as soon as they faced opposition. They gave it up and went home never to start again until Nehemiah arrived on the scene. We can’t be like those who quit when we run into obstacles or face setbacks.

When we sense God is nudging us and we begin to pursue what He has put on our hearts we will encounter setbacks. Don’t let failure derail you. Get up and start again and again and again.

Paul had a goal. His goal was to “know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death…” I want you to see what Paul says about his pursuit of this goal. Read along with me from Philippians 4:10-14.

10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:10-14 NIV)

Paul had a goal. Had he realized it? Nope. He suffered setbacks throughout his life. He blew it time and time again. Rather than give it up or turn back, he pressed on, he forgot about the past and the times he had blown it, and he continued to run the race.

Oh, my friend the time is now. Whatever it is that God has put on your heart make it a priority right now. Follow these steps to establishing, implementing, and realizing your goals and watch God work in you to accomplish them. Whatever it is that God has put on your heart commit it to Him, to His glory, as you pursue it throughout the year. And never give up. Never turn back. Keep pressing on.

Mike Hays
Britton Christian Church
922 NW 91st
OKC, OK. 73114
January 9, 2011

When you enter the stadium in either Norman or Stillwater you will receive a piece of paper called �Code of Conduct.� The �Code of Conduct� will give you instructions on how you are to behave during the game. Let me read just a few of the requirements from the �Code of Conduct� to you.

� Fans at all home games will be required to stand throughout the game to show support for the home team.

� When the opposing team is facing a third and less than 5 yards to go the crowd must stand to its feet and chant in unison, �Defense, Defense, Defense!�

� Anytime a referee calls a penalty on the home team fans are required to boo and make snide remarks about the referee�s integrity, appearance, or ancestry. Fans are not allowed to throw anything on the field, but anything short of this is allowed.

� All home fans are required to wear the team colors and participate in all chants, the singing of the fight song whenever the home team scores, and to create an atmosphere of mayhem and hysteria throughout the game. Failure to comply to the following regulations may result in removal from the stadium.

Anyone in their right mind knows that this is simply a figment of my imagination. No such thing has ever taken place in any sports arena in America, but something dangerously close is taking place in churches all over America. The �Worship Police� don�t wear red hats or sport �walkie talkies,� they don�t walk up and down the aisles preventing or forcing people to do anything, but boy do they talk. The quickest way to alienate someone and make them feel uncomfortable and unwanted is to talk behind their back and whisper in the ears of those around them so that the word will get back to the �guilty� culprit.

I�ve seen the worship police at work in all kinds of churches. When I was in college I attended a charismatic church in Lawton, OK. I went to the church because the music was incredible and the worship I experienced there was meaningful to me. Because of my involvement in the church I made friends who were also members of the church. One of my friends was a young guy about my age named Arthur. Arthur was fun to be around, but he was also like a bull in a china closet.

Connie and I were married my Senior year in college and Arthur stopped by our house one day to see me. While we were outside talking the conversation turned to worship. Arthur made it very clear that I didn�t know how to worship. He said that he knew that I loved the Lord, but he just believed that I was an immature believer because I didn�t worship like he did. Arthur didn�t mean to alienate me by what he said, but it did hurt my feelings. Needless to say, Arthur didn�t know my heart. He didn�t know what was going on in my heart and head when I worshipped God.

On the other end of the spectrum, I have been in so-called �mainline� churches when someone felt the presence of God and responded by saying, �Amen,� �Praise God,� �Hallelujah,� or by lifting their hands to the Lord — you would have thought the person was a terrorist by the way some of the members looked at them.

When I was in Plano, TX., we had an El Salvadorian church meeting in part of our complex. There was talk of merging the church with the fellowship of First Christian. Board meetings were held in which discussions took place. Some people, including me, were very excited about what God wanted to do, but there was a small, but very vocal group of people who felt that the move would be disastrous for the church because of how different �those� people were. They sang with guitars and a drum set rather than a $250,000 organ like we did, they lifted their hands to the Lord when they felt moved, something which rarely took place on Sunday morning at First Christian, and they responded to the preacher with �Amen,� or �Gloria a Dios� (Glory to God).

God�s heart breaks over what is taking place in the American Church today. God has given worship to His people, to unite His people, to draw them together at the foot of the cross to adore and worship His Holiness, but the church has used worship to divide and separate the people of God. God will not continue to tolerate the self-centeredness of His people forever. He will judge, and judge harshly, those who continue to divide His people over style when substance is what He is looking for from His people.

When we study the worship of the people of God throughout the Bible we find a wide range of responses of God�s presence. I want us to take a look at some of those responses this morning and I want us to look at some of the directives given in Scripture concerning what we are to do with our voices, our hands, our hearts, and instruments when we come into His presence.

Let�s first begin by looking at the great worship service which took place in the book of Nehemiah. Before we read the Scripture found in Nehemiah 8, we need to know that the literal Hebrew for �worship,� actually means, �to prostrate oneself on the ground.� I would dare say that if we were gathered for worship some Sunday morning and a person felt led by God to prostrate themselves before the Lord, I would hear about it on Monday morning. Folk would be made uncomfortable. I tell you this is only a symptom of how far we have strayed from the heart of God! If God�s Word calls us to respond to His presence in particular ways, but our culture or the church says, �We don�t do it that way� — you had better go with God!

In Nehemiah 8, the people, who were working on rebuilding the wall around the city, had gathered together for the Feast of Trumpets, one of Israel�s holy worship observances. We read,

All the people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded for Israel. (2)So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. (3)He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law. (4)Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam. (5)Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. (6)Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. (7)The Levites–Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah–instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. (8)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. (9)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.” (Neh 8:1-9 NIV)

In this section of Scripture which highlights one of the great worship services in the book of Nehemiah, we find some things taking place. The one I like the best is that Ezra had from daybreak till noon to preach — Isn�t that every preacher�s dream! All kidding aside, it must be difficult for God to move upon the hearts of His people to the extent that He would like to move when we pencil Him in for 60 minutes on Sunday.

The overriding theme of this portion of Scripture is solemnity. The people were there to listen to the Word of God. They were attentive as they listened and it pierced their soul. Nehemiah 8:3 says, “He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.” (Nehemiah 8:3 NIV)

God�s Word brings life to His people. When we come into His presence and God�s Word is read, we need to be cognizant of the fact that, the book of Hebrews says,

… the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (13)Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:12-13 NIV)

The Word of God was being read in the midst of the people and they broke out with thanksgiving as Ezra opened the book and we read in Nehemiah 8:5-6,

Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. (6)Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. (Nehemiah 8:5-6 NIV)

One of God�s central elements for bringing us into His presence is His Word. It is through His Word that we are reminded of His holiness, it is through His Word that we are reminded of our sinfulness, it is through His Word that we are reminded that God does not take sin lightly, and it is through His Word that we are reminded that God deals with sin in a reconciling way. The gateway to worship is through the Word of God.

The people were solemn because the Word of God was being read in their midst and their hearts were being pierced by what was being shared with them. In Nehemiah 8:9, we see that the Word had pierced their hearts because we are told that they were weeping and grieving. When we are being confronted with our dire need of God�s grace because of the waywardness of our hearts, we are ripped to the core of our being. It�s not the time to wear party hats and blow party horns. It is time to fall before God�s merciful throne and worship His holiness and righteousness.

There is another worship service which is found in the same chapter of Nehemiah which I want us to take a look at this morning. The Feast of Tabernacles lasted an entire week and was a glorious celebration of the great harvest given by God. During the week, the Israelites were constantly reminded of God�s provision for the people while they moved from Egypt to Canaan, and for the productivity of the land in Canaan. Take a look at Nehemiah 8:10-17,

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.” (11)The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve.” (12)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. (13)On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the scribe to give attention to the words of the Law. (14)They found written in the Law, which the LORD had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in booths during the feast of the seventh month (15)and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: “Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make booths”–as it is written. (16)So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves booths on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate and the one by the Gate of Ephraim. (17)The whole company that had returned from exile built booths and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great.” (Nehemiah 8:10-17 NIV)

I love the line that says, �From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this.� The Israelites had a party before the Lord. Joy reigned in their midst as they were reminded of God�s provision, of God�s faithfulness, and of His great love for His people.

The overriding theme of the worship service held by the Israelites was celebration. There is a time to be solemn before the Lord, to be still before His presence, but there is also a time to celebrate. When we are reminded of God�s provision for us through His son Jesus — it�s time to celebrate! God�s goodness has been manifest to us over and over again and His benevolence calls for a response of joy and thanksgiving.

There have been times following our worship service when I have talked to people in our church who have said, �When we sang �Friend of God� or �You Are Good� I just wanted to jump out of my pew and say, �Amen!� You know what? That is exactly what God wanted to happen.

The word �celebrate� occurs 53 times in God�s Word. If God says to celebrate, then what should we do? I say let�s celebrate! We may celebrate in different ways; some may clap their hands while others nod their head, but we are called by God to celebrate His goodness.

What amazes me is that while the Church worries and frets over folks celebrating before the Lord, we have no problem celebrating in other arenas in life. We go to a ball game and the crowd is as diverse as the flowers of the field, but nobody will force anyone to refrain or behave in a particular way. I only wish the Church had such freedom. We go to a concert and some people scream at the top of their lungs, others clap their hands, and still others simply listen to the music, drinking in the beautiful sounds and moving lyrics. Nobody gets bent out of shape. Nobody turns to the person next to them and makes snide remarks. I only wish the Church could emulate the tolerance I see at concerts.

I really believe that part of the problem which plagues the Church today is because we have come to view worship in the same vein as the spectator events we attend. Whether it be a play, a concert, or a sporting event — we are spectators, being entertained by those who are the participants. Worship was not designed by God to be a spectator sport, worship is for participants only. There is no power in spectator sports. We go into the arena, watch the contest, and leave, but when we enter into worship we are forever changed. John MacArthur has written,

In holy intimacy, the true worshipper comes face to face with God and he is transformed by the glory. If the corporate worship in the church leaves people unchanged, the church is not really worshipping. If what goes on in a church service does not spur the saints to greater obedience, call it what you will, it isn�t worship. Worship always results in a transformation and the church is edified by it. (MacArthur, The Ultimate Priority, p.155).

By coming into God�s presence we are changed by His power. Simply because we assemble in a building called a church doesn�t mean that we will enter into God�s presence. We must prepare the sanctuary, this building, as well as prepare the sanctuary of our hearts for God to move in our lives or we will miss God altogether. When we are made aware of God�s presence, and our minds and spirits are quickened to God�s mercy and grace at work in our life, and in the life of His church — how should we respond? I�m so glad you asked.

I want to share with you just a few responses to God�s presence which we find in the Bible. The first area I want us to look at is our voice. Listen to the following verses.

Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he left. I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. (Psalm 34:1 NIV) — extol, commend, glorify, praise

Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart! (Psalm 32:11 NIV) — rejoice, sing

Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. (Isaiah 12:5 NIV) — sing

They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might… (Psalm 145:11 NIV) — testify, speak

The verses I�ve shared with you tell us that we are to use our voices to praise God, or to commend Him for His marvelous ways. We are to use our voices to sing to God, not to perform for an audience, but to sing to God, and we are to use our voices to tell of His marvelous ways, to speak of God�s dealing with humanity.

There is a real question which must be answered when we talk about what kind of singing we are to do. Are we to sing hymns from the hymnbook and only hymns from the hymnbook? If so, which hymnbook is God�s choice? Are we to only sing songs of praise, the little choruses which we sing during our preparation for prayer? Once again, we don�t need to form a committee to address the situation, we have the authority before us, God�s Word. Let�s take a look.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. (Acts 16:25 NIV)

So that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name.” (Romans 15:9 NIV)

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord… (Ephesians 5:19 NIV)

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16 NIV)

We are to use our voices in a myriad of ways to bless God for who He is. We are to sing the hymns of our faith, we are to lift our voices in singing the great psalms and spiritual songs of praise to our God, and we are to speak of God�s richness and glory to the world.

There is another thing we are to do with our voice — remain silent. There are times when we should shut our mouth and remain silent before God in reverent awe of His majesty. Habakkuk says, “But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.” (Habakkuk 2:20 NIV) The important thing for all of us is to know when it is time to remain silent before the Lord and when it is time to voice to bless His holiness.

We are also given directives by God on what we should do with our bodies when we come into His presence. Take a look at these examples.

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. (Psalm 95:6 NIV)

Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with tambourine and harp. (Psalm 149:3 NIV)

He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. (Acts 3:8 NIV)

�Bow down, kneel, dance, walking, jumping, and praising God.� God�s Word directs us to use our bodies to worship Him. I didn�t find �let your head roll back in a deep sleep while sitting in a pew� anywhere. I didn�t see �slouch before the Lord in apathy� anywhere. Did you? God animates His creation. When you and I come into His presence our entire body will be invigorated and energized!

God also gives us insight into how we are to use our hands when we come into His presence. In Psalm 63:4 we read, “I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.” We are also told to clap our hands in Psalm 47:1 as the writer of the Psalms writes, “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.” Now you may not like that, but that is what God�s Word says. Nobody is going to force you to lift your hands or to clap your hands either, but for those who feel led to do so, who are you or me to say, �We don�t do that here.� This is not our church, we did not assemble these people here in this place, this is God�s business — let Him take care of it!

Our worship is directed to God in a way that is pleasing to Him and how He leads us to worship Him. Whenever we become so concerned with how folks are worshipping around us we will miss the presence of God.

I have two friends that I have known for awhile who come from very diverse religious backgrounds, as a matter of fact, you probably couldn�t come from more different backgrounds. The way they respond to the presence of God is different: He likes to lift his hands and face and sing to the Lord, she likes to bow her head and be still before God. Praise God that they allow one another the freedom to worship God in the way they feel led. Wouldn�t it be a shame with these two people if one tried to force the other to worship in his or her way? God gives us the freedom to come into His presence and worship Him with heads bowed or with our eyes lifted to the heavens, with our voices silent or singing songs of worship to Him, with our hands held up to Him in submission or clasped in front of our face. God desires our worship, genuine, uninhibited worship! If you and I will focus our eyes upon Him we will not be distracted with those around us. Come into His presence.