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Nehemiah 12Page 415 in Pew Bibles

Nehemiah Nehemiah 1212

27. At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, they sent for the Levites wherever they lived and brought them to Jerusalem to celebrate the joyous dedication with thanksgiving and singing accompanied by cymbals, harps, and lyres.

28. The singers gathered from the region around Jerusalem, from the villages of the Netophathites,

29. from Beth-gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for they had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem.

30. After the priests and Levites had purified themselves, they purified the people, the gates, and the wall.

31.Then I brought the leaders of Judah up on top of the wall, and I appointed two large processions that gave thanks. One went to the right on the wall, toward the Dung Gate.

37.At the Fountain Gate they climbed the steps of the city of David on the ascent of the wall and went above the house of David to the Water Gate on the east.

38. The second thanksgiving procession went to the left, and I followed it with half the people along the top of the wall, past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall,

39. above the Gate of Ephraim, and by the Old Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, to the Sheep Gate. They stopped at the Gate of the Guard.

40. The two thanksgiving processions stood in the house of God. So did I and half of the officials accompanying me, as well as

41. the priests…

42. …Then the singers sang, with Jezrahiah as the leader.

43. On that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced because God had given them great joy. The women and children also celebrated, and Jerusalem’s rejoicing was heard far away.

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Nehemiah 12

The DedicationThe DedicationSix Elements of Worship

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Note the TimingNote the Timing• The wall was completed in 6:15

• The wall is not dedicated until the people have:– Reaffirmed their identity & updated the

“church roll” (Chapter 7)

– Returned to the Bible (8)

– Repented of their sins (9)

– Reconnected with God (10)

– Resettled Jerusalem (11)

• Now in 12:27 we see the Dedication>

The word is HanukahThe word is Hanukah

1. Dedication1. Dedication

• Vs. 27 “At the dedicationdedication of the wall of Jerusalem…”

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1.1. To thank God for the fresh startTo thank God for the fresh start2.2. To begin for God’s gloryTo begin for God’s glory3.3. To recognize God’s ownership ofTo recognize God’s ownership of4.4. To affirm God’s purpose forTo affirm God’s purpose for

To make, to keep, to doTo make, to keep, to do

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2. Celebration2. Celebration

• Vs. 27 “…they sent for the Levites wherever they lived and brought them to Jerusalem to celebratecelebrate the joyous dedication with thanksgiving and singing accompanied by cymbals, harps, and lyres.”

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2. Celebration2. Celebration

• Vs. 27 “…they sent for the Levites wherever they lived and brought them to Jerusalem to celebrate the joyousjoyous dedication with thanksgiving and with thanksgiving and singingsinging accompanied by cymbals, harps, and lyres.”

• In worship, celebration is about what God has done for us, not what we have done for Him.

• Vs. 30 “After the priests and Levites had purifiedpurified themselves, they purified the people, the gates, and the wall.”

• The more pure we are, the more ready for service we are

• 2nd Timothy 2:21 “So if anyone purifies himself from these things, he will be a special instrument, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.”. >

3. Purification3. Purification

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4. Giving Thanks4. Giving Thanks

• 12:31 “Then I brought the leaders of Judah up on top of the wall, and I appointed two large processions that gave thanksgave thanks.”

To give thanks in songTo give thanks in song

• 12:32 “Half the leaders of Judah followed” one thanksgiving choir

• 12:38 “The second thanksgiving procession went to the left, and I followed it with half the people along the top of the wall”

• The wall was nearly nine feet wide

• To credit God with the wall as a whole and in its parts

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4. Giving Thanks 4. Giving Thanks

• 12:40 “The two thanksgiving processions stood in the house of God.”

• True worship leads us to the presence of God

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4. Giving Thanks 4. Giving Thanks

• 12:43 “On that day they offered great sacrifices”

• Worship = worth-ship• 1st Peter 2:5 “You yourselves, as living

stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

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5. Sacrifices5. Sacrifices

• 12:43 “On that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced because God rejoiced because God had given them great joyhad given them great joy. The women and children also celebrated, and Jerusalem’s rejoicing was heard far away.”

HL >

6. Rejoicing6. Rejoicing

• 12:43 “On that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced because God had given them great joy. The women and children also celebrated, and Jerusalem’s rejoicing was heard far Jerusalem’s rejoicing was heard far awayaway.”

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6. Rejoicing6. Rejoicing

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