WEBVTT

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♪ theme music ♪

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(Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School,

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an in-depth, interactive study

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of the Word of God.

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We are in the middle

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of a series of studies

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on <i>Ezra and Nehemiah,</i>

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an ancient priest, an ancient courtier,

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that God used by His Spirit
to give messages,

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not only for their generation

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but also for us today.

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Today we're going to glimpse at worship

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in Ezra and Nehemiah's time,

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<i>Worshiping the Lord,</i>

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and it will inspire us as we think

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about out own worship of the Lord today.

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So welcome to Hope Sabbath School.

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What's the most important lesson

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we've learned from <i>Ezra</i>

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<i>and Nehemiah</i> so far?

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What do you think?

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(Jason) God is in control.

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(Derek) God is in control,

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and God uses people, doesn't He?

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People like Ezra and Nehemiah,

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and, of course, you've got

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a contemporary with Esther,

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men and women of God who are, like,

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"God, I'm available to be used by You."

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And we're just so glad that you are part

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of that global team

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because it's not just a few of us here

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but Hope Sabbath School members

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in 150 countries around the world

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that are part of God's team, sharing

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the good news of a God who loves us

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with an immeasurable and unfailing love.

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Here is Jimilai in Fiji who says, "Bula!"

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(Team) Bula!

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(Derek) That's a greeting.

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"I want to praise God

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for the marvelous work the Holy Spirit

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is doing through Hope Sabbath School.

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I never miss any of your series.

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I always download all of the topics
on my phone

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and share them with my friends."

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(Team) Amen.

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(Derek) "It helps me,

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taking the Sabbath School class

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in my ministry at the park

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where I teach and share with those

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who sleep on the streets."

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(Team) Wow.

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(Derek) "We meet in the park
every Sabbath.

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We also have Sabbath School in the park.

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We share lunch together.

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Sometimes there is not enough food,

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but God's love is more than what we need."

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(Team) Amen.

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(Derek) "After lunch, we go
to the hospital

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and orphanages for visits."

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I tell you, Jimilai sounds, like,

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on fire for Jesus, wouldn't you say?

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"I thank God that He brought me

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to Hope ministry to encourage me

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in every way and enlighten me
and my family

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to press forward until eternity,

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knowing the end is near,

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and we should be ready to go home."

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(Team) Amen!

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(Derek) I want to thank you, Jimilai,

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for writing to us from Fiji.

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And he says, "We really need

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your prayers for our lives,

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those who are on the streets,

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that we can hang in there, no matter

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what may come until Jesus comes."

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(Team) Amen.

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(Derek) Did you know we had

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a Hope Sabbath School member in Fiji

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teaching homeless people in a park? Amen?

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(Team) Amen.

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(Derek) Solomon writes to us from Nigeria.

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Solomon, thanks for being part

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of our Hope Sabbath School family.

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"I'm very happy with the work of God

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that you are doing," he says.

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"I was born into a Christian family,

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and up til now I'm still following Jesus."

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(Team) Amen.

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(Derek) "I watch your program every week,

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and it makes me happy,

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and I'm filled with the Spirit.

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Even if I have problems,

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I turn and I watch the program,

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and my problems go away."

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Well, that's interesting.

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Maybe the problems are still there,

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but I'm not focusing on them anymore.

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"Happiness in the Holy Spirit takes over.

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Glory be to God Almighty."

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(Team) Amen.

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(Derek) Solomon, thanks

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for your testimony; you cheered us up.

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And it's true, when we turn

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our eyes towards Jesus, as the song goes,

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the things of Earth, what?

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(Team) Grow strangely dim.

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(Derek) They may still be problems
and challenges,

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but they grow strangely dim.

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Roatan, Honduras, Leonardo writes

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and says, "I just want to say,

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'Keep up the good work.'

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It's a blessing to learn God's Word

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and to understand God's Word with you.

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I'm from Bay Island, Roatan, Honduras."

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Well, Leonardo, thanks for the short note

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to Hope Sabbath School.

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We're glad you're part of our family.

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Here's a short note

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from a donor in Pennsylvania,

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and I just want to thank each one of you

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that prays and supports.

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We're a donor-supported ministry.

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"Thanks once again for all you do

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to help people understand the Bible."

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Do you hear the theme

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coming through over and over again?

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My life would be lost without it."

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(Stephanie) Wow.

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(Derek) As always, keep up the good work

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of spreading God's Word."

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Well, thanks for writing

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to us from Pennsylvania.

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We're glad that you're part

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of our Hope Sabbath School family.

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And thank you for your support
and your prayers.

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One last note, from Gaetano in Malta,

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the island of Malta; Malta is where?

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(Kenneth) Near Greece.

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(Derek) Right, in the Mediterranean Sea,

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not far from Greece.

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"I am from Malta,

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a Seventh-day Adventist Christian.

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I watch Hope Sabbath School

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when I'm at home.

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I sometimes lead a class at my church.

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Thanks for what you're doing.

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May the Lord bless you.

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May we all find ourselves

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in the city of God."

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(Team) Amen.

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(Derek) That's the prayer, right?

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"I pray for you; please pray for me.

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I have still got some things

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to get rid of in my life

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to be more like Jesus."

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Well, you know, it's true,

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the closer we come to Jesus,

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the more we see our own deficiencies.

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But we're not focusing on those things;

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otherwise; what happens to us?

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We get depressed, right?

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We want to turn our eyes on Jesus.

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And then he concludes,

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"I am thankful for all of you.

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God bless you, your brother

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in Christ in Malta."

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Well, Gaetano, thanks for writing to us

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from that beautiful island.

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And thanks to each one of you

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for writing to Hope Sabbath School.

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You can write to sshope@hopetv.org.

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We send it to the team,

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and it really gives us encouragement

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to see how God is changing lives
around the world.

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Right now we want to sing

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our theme song, 3,000 years old.

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The words, Psalm 25,

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the tune is one that my wife composed,

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and it's a cheerful little song.

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I feel like jumping when I sing it.

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Why don't you sing it with us?

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♪ music ♪

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(Derek) You know, the theme

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for our study today

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is <i>Worshiping the Lord,</i>

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and we were just doing that, weren't we?

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You might say, "I can't believe

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I've just sung on global television,"

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and the answer is, "It's not about us,"

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because someone in Roatan,

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someone in (What were some

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of the other places we read?)

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Fiji and Malta, they're going

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to be singing along with us

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and praising the Lord,

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every nation, kindred, tongue and people.

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And on that day we gather

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by the sea of glass,

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I don't know what language
we'll be singing,

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whether it will be the language of Heaven,

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or whether somehow God

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will merge all of those languages

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into one symphony of praise,

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"To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul."

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Maybe it will be a different tune,
I don't know.

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But we're going to focus today

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on <i>Worshiping the Lord,</i>

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and we are going to learn some lessons

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from the fifth century B.C.,

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from Ezra and Nehemiah who led the exiles

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in that second and third wave,

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trying to get back to where God

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had originally called them to be.

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We'll learn some lessons.

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Let's pray the Holy Spirit

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will be our Teacher today.

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Our Father in Heaven, we thank You

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for Hope Sabbath School members
around the world.

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We represent every nation,

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kindred, tongue and people.

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You're calling Your people to prepare

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for the soon coming of Jesus.

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And, God, we believe that worshiping You

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in spirit and truth

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is a crucial part

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of our spiritual journey.

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And so, as we study

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lessons from ancient inspired texts

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of Ezra and Nehemiah,

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may your Holy Spirit speak to us

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in a fresh way today.

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We pray it in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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(Team) Amen.

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(Derek) <i>Worshiping the Lord,</i>

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singing the songs of the Lord,

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let's start in Ezra, chapter 3,

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and, Stephanie, if you could begin

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our study today in Ezra,

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chapter 3, verses 10 and 11.

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Let's see how the people

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in the time of Ezra responded

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when the foundations were laid

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for the new temple.

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(Stephanie) And I'll be reading

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from the King James Version:

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(Derek) Isn't that amazing, and I thought

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we were having a good time

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with our Scripture song,

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but we didn't have trumpets and cymbals.

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So how would you describe

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what's going on here

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as the temple's foundation

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is being laid? Jonathan?

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(Jonathan) They're rejoicing

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that their years of separation

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from their connection with God
is finally over,

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and now they're back

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to where God dwells amongst them,

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and they have this special relationship
with God.

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(Derek) How would you describe
their rejoicing?

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(Team) Celebration. Jubilee.

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(Derek) You know, some of us, like,

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I was born in Britain;

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we kind of rejoice like this.

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That's about it, you know.

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It seems pretty uninhibited, doesn't it,

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shouts of joy and cymbals and trumpets.

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We want to hold onto that

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as we go to Nehemiah,

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but we ask our question,

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what are some things

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that might hold us back

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from worshiping God in spirit and truth?

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Now, someone told me this some years ago;

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I'll never forget it.

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They said if in your worship you're trying

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to draw attention to yourself,

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that's called exhibitionism, right?

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But if in your worship

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you're wanting to bring glory to God,

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you know the little child that jumps up

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and, you know, is that exhibitionism?

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Or my wife's grandma from China

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who would kowtow and blow kisses to Jesus,

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is that exhibitionism or is that freedom

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to worship in spirit and truth

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in their culture, right?

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Now, if she was doing it,

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or someone's doing it

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just to draw attention to themselves...

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But let's think about this.

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I think you're right;

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I mean, they were really...

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Is there such a thing as really rejoicing?

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They were rejoicing in spirit and truth.

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Remember that picture Ezra described,

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and let's take a look

00:12:37.470 --> 00:12:39.250
in Nehemiah, chapter 12.

00:12:39.250 --> 00:12:41.987
Jason, if you could read chapter 12,

00:12:41.987 --> 00:12:47.700
look at verse 27, 31, 42 and 43.

00:12:47.700 --> 00:12:49.070
We'll catch a little glimpse

00:12:49.070 --> 00:12:50.364
of what's happening.

00:12:50.364 --> 00:12:52.501
Here, you've got the temple,

00:12:52.501 --> 00:12:54.517
in the time of Ezra, the foundations.

00:12:54.517 --> 00:12:56.000
Now they're celebrating

00:12:56.000 --> 00:12:58.093
that the walls have been rebuilt.

00:12:58.093 --> 00:13:01.449
Let's see how they worship the Lord.

00:13:01.449 --> 00:13:02.551
(Jason) I'll be reading

00:13:02.551 --> 00:13:04.075
from the New King James Version,

00:13:04.075 --> 00:13:06.127
Nehemiah, chapter 12,

00:13:06.127 --> 00:13:09.988
verse 27, 31, and 42 and 43:

00:13:30.592 --> 00:13:32.472
Then we have verse 31:

00:13:45.806 --> 00:13:47.072
42 and 43:

00:14:19.820 --> 00:14:21.109
(Derek) What do you think?!

00:14:21.109 --> 00:14:22.984
How would you compare that to the time

00:14:22.984 --> 00:14:26.313
of the laying of the stones
in Ezra's time?

00:14:26.313 --> 00:14:29.452
Similar, right? There were
a few additions.

00:14:29.452 --> 00:14:31.748
What did you see in terms of additions?

00:14:31.748 --> 00:14:33.254
(Gladys) They have choirs.

00:14:33.254 --> 00:14:34.313
(Derek) They had these

00:14:34.313 --> 00:14:36.551
kind of antiphonal choirs, right?

00:14:36.551 --> 00:14:37.853
I think that was alluded to

00:14:37.853 --> 00:14:38.870
in the time of Ezra.

00:14:38.870 --> 00:14:41.748
But these were large choirs. What else?

00:14:41.748 --> 00:14:42.786
(Nicole) Instruments.

00:14:42.786 --> 00:14:44.813
(Derek) They had stringed
instruments, too,

00:14:44.813 --> 00:14:46.260
and harps, right?

00:14:46.260 --> 00:14:50.822
And how far was the celebration heard?

00:14:50.822 --> 00:14:52.718
(Team) A distance. Far away.

00:14:52.718 --> 00:14:54.331
(Derek) Yeah. So there's

00:14:54.331 --> 00:15:01.850
this tremendous sense of singing songs
to the Lord,

00:15:01.850 --> 00:15:03.257
and, of course, probably many

00:15:03.257 --> 00:15:05.580
of those songs were songs of Scripture,

00:15:05.580 --> 00:15:08.225
like the one we sang for our theme song.

00:15:08.225 --> 00:15:10.667
Let's go back to the time of David,

00:15:10.667 --> 00:15:14.220
in 1 Chronicles 25:6-7,

00:15:14.220 --> 00:15:18.204
where David appoints singers.

00:15:18.204 --> 00:15:20.933
We're looking here at worshiping the Lord,

00:15:20.933 --> 00:15:22.429
and certainly one way

00:15:22.429 --> 00:15:24.675
is worshiping Him in song.

00:15:24.675 --> 00:15:27.529
Somebody have 1 Chronicles 25?

00:15:27.529 --> 00:15:31.963
Travis, verses 6 and 7, what does it say?

00:15:31.963 --> 00:15:33.197
(Travis) I'll be reading

00:15:33.197 --> 00:15:35.234
from the New King James Version:

00:16:01.636 --> 00:16:03.541
(Derek) So, I have a question for you.

00:16:03.541 --> 00:16:08.367
That's a lot of singers - 288 -

00:16:08.367 --> 00:16:10.756
and what does it say about them?

00:16:10.756 --> 00:16:12.720
(Nicole) They were all accomplished.

00:16:12.720 --> 00:16:14.822
(Derek) Yeah, they were skillful, right?

00:16:14.822 --> 00:16:17.133
I mean, some of us, there are leaders,

00:16:17.133 --> 00:16:18.288
some of you are leaders,

00:16:18.288 --> 00:16:19.590
and some of us are leaners.

00:16:19.590 --> 00:16:22.283
That means we're not the soloists, right?

00:16:22.283 --> 00:16:24.407
But these were all skillful.

00:16:24.407 --> 00:16:25.592
Evelyn, why do you think

00:16:25.592 --> 00:16:28.680
David appointed so many to be singers

00:16:28.680 --> 00:16:31.782
in the house of the Lord, 288?

00:16:31.782 --> 00:16:33.605
(Evelyn) I believe David recognized

00:16:33.605 --> 00:16:35.538
the importance to give God

00:16:35.538 --> 00:16:38.203
your 100 percent in worship.

00:16:38.203 --> 00:16:39.378
To him it was important.

00:16:39.378 --> 00:16:40.624
He said, "This is our God.

00:16:40.624 --> 00:16:42.009
We have to give Him the best.

00:16:42.009 --> 00:16:43.396
We need our skilled musicians

00:16:43.396 --> 00:16:46.377
to praise God as joyfully as they can."

00:16:46.377 --> 00:16:47.518
(Derek) And he certainly

00:16:47.518 --> 00:16:49.009
did that personally, didn't he?

00:16:49.009 --> 00:16:50.697
He wrote many Scripture songs,

00:16:50.697 --> 00:16:53.483
and probably he sang many of them

00:16:53.483 --> 00:16:57.195
to an audience of One - who was that?

00:16:57.195 --> 00:16:59.150
To the Lord, right?

00:16:59.150 --> 00:17:01.531
Yeah, he sang, "To You, O Lord..."

00:17:01.531 --> 00:17:03.415
I don't know what the tune was, right,

00:17:03.415 --> 00:17:05.406
but just to an audience of One.

00:17:05.406 --> 00:17:06.751
But I think Evelyn's right.

00:17:06.751 --> 00:17:11.276
He sensed the value of worship, excuse me,

00:17:11.276 --> 00:17:13.297
of music as part of worship,

00:17:13.297 --> 00:17:15.006
and so he just wants lots

00:17:15.006 --> 00:17:16.960
of skilled musicians

00:17:16.960 --> 00:17:18.485
to help lead. Kenneth?

00:17:18.485 --> 00:17:19.831
(Kenneth) One important note

00:17:19.831 --> 00:17:24.632
is the directors in directing these people

00:17:24.632 --> 00:17:26.507
because even though you have the skill,

00:17:26.507 --> 00:17:28.964
if you are not directed
in the right way...

00:17:28.964 --> 00:17:30.882
(Derek) Has anyone been part of a choir

00:17:30.882 --> 00:17:32.246
where there was no director?

00:17:32.246 --> 00:17:33.414
I mean, I suppose

00:17:33.414 --> 00:17:35.270
a very well-trained choir

00:17:35.270 --> 00:17:36.804
because it's kind of ingrained;

00:17:36.804 --> 00:17:40.127
otherwise, it could be
fairly chaotic, right?

00:17:40.127 --> 00:17:42.877
So, you noticed there was someone

00:17:42.877 --> 00:17:45.256
who actually directed them

00:17:45.256 --> 00:17:46.947
so that things actually came

00:17:46.947 --> 00:17:49.029
at the same time; good point. Gladys.

00:17:49.029 --> 00:17:50.142
(Gladys) I was thinking

00:17:50.142 --> 00:17:51.498
that maybe to avoid burnout,

00:17:51.498 --> 00:17:53.351
you know, when you have so many people,

00:17:53.351 --> 00:17:54.816
you can take turns

00:17:54.816 --> 00:17:56.925
instead of having just the same person

00:17:56.925 --> 00:17:59.356
doing everything at the same
all the time.

00:17:59.356 --> 00:18:01.323
(Derek) Yeah, you've got

00:18:01.323 --> 00:18:04.861
almost one per day here, right, 288.

00:18:04.861 --> 00:18:06.109
So, instead of going,

00:18:06.109 --> 00:18:08.141
"Oh, I've got to sing again today,"

00:18:08.141 --> 00:18:10.542
it's like, "It's my day coming.

00:18:10.542 --> 00:18:11.893
I'm going to be able to sing

00:18:11.893 --> 00:18:13.168
in the house of the Lord."

00:18:13.168 --> 00:18:14.727
I'm sure they did it in groups,

00:18:14.727 --> 00:18:16.402
but, yeah, there were many reasons,

00:18:16.402 --> 00:18:18.858
but that's a fairly significant group

00:18:18.858 --> 00:18:20.564
to lead in songs of the Lord.

00:18:20.564 --> 00:18:22.166
(Jason) Also, I was going to add,

00:18:22.166 --> 00:18:24.301
also the more the merrier.

00:18:24.301 --> 00:18:25.930
Like we read the verse before,

00:18:25.930 --> 00:18:27.026
it was heard afar off.

00:18:27.026 --> 00:18:28.364
So the more people you have,

00:18:28.364 --> 00:18:29.603
the more it could be heard

00:18:29.603 --> 00:18:31.603
because I think that was
one of the reasons

00:18:31.603 --> 00:18:32.839
why they had large choirs,

00:18:32.839 --> 00:18:34.367
so that other nations could hear

00:18:34.367 --> 00:18:36.127
and say, "Oh, what's all that about?"

00:18:36.127 --> 00:18:37.367
Intriguing them, you know,

00:18:37.367 --> 00:18:39.419
about the beautiful music
that's being sung.

00:18:39.419 --> 00:18:40.983
(Derek) Sure. So there is

00:18:40.983 --> 00:18:43.118
a certain strength in numbers

00:18:43.118 --> 00:18:44.564
when you have a large choir,

00:18:44.564 --> 00:18:47.863
or there they had choirs antiphonal,

00:18:47.863 --> 00:18:49.274
choirs singing back and forth

00:18:49.274 --> 00:18:51.631
to each other, quite impressive.

00:18:51.631 --> 00:18:53.313
I want to hyperspace forward

00:18:53.313 --> 00:18:54.766
to something Jesus said,

00:18:54.766 --> 00:18:55.701
and then I have

00:18:55.701 --> 00:18:57.427
an application question for us.

00:18:57.427 --> 00:19:01.436
Jesus said that the Father seeks people

00:19:01.436 --> 00:19:06.871
who worship Him in spirit and in truth.

00:19:06.871 --> 00:19:10.389
That's a principle, Jonathan, right?

00:19:10.389 --> 00:19:15.046
It's not like a specific description.

00:19:15.046 --> 00:19:16.986
What does that mean to you?

00:19:16.986 --> 00:19:18.410
(Jonathan) I think the spirit

00:19:18.410 --> 00:19:20.324
can look different for different people.

00:19:20.324 --> 00:19:22.572
To me, it's examining our hearts.

00:19:22.572 --> 00:19:25.000
Like, I think "spirit" certainly applies

00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:26.290
that you just want someone

00:19:26.290 --> 00:19:27.761
that's filled with the Spirit.

00:19:27.761 --> 00:19:29.019
It is coming out of them;

00:19:29.019 --> 00:19:31.211
it is not just something exterior.

00:19:31.211 --> 00:19:33.346
God has changed their heart,
and it's flowing

00:19:33.346 --> 00:19:34.883
out of this relationship,

00:19:34.883 --> 00:19:36.440
but sometimes you can

00:19:36.440 --> 00:19:38.349
get really excited about things, maybe,

00:19:38.349 --> 00:19:40.568
and not all that excitement

00:19:40.568 --> 00:19:42.592
is grounded in truth.

00:19:42.592 --> 00:19:43.792
And so it seems like

00:19:43.792 --> 00:19:45.630
it's capturing, like, yes,

00:19:45.630 --> 00:19:47.103
it needs to be emotional,

00:19:47.103 --> 00:19:49.429
it needs to be wholehearted,

00:19:49.429 --> 00:19:51.339
but it also needs to be based on truth.

00:19:51.339 --> 00:19:55.063
And so God wants all of us,

00:19:55.063 --> 00:19:57.104
every part of our body and brain,

00:19:57.104 --> 00:20:00.509
to be intelligently appreciating
who He is

00:20:00.509 --> 00:20:02.974
and wholeheartedly in love with,

00:20:02.974 --> 00:20:04.853
and expressing that love to Him.

00:20:04.853 --> 00:20:06.214
(Derek) I remember someone,

00:20:06.214 --> 00:20:07.363
while you were sharing,

00:20:07.363 --> 00:20:08.715
saying, "I don't mind making

00:20:08.715 --> 00:20:10.854
a fool of myself in front of God."

00:20:10.854 --> 00:20:12.253
Well, my question would be,

00:20:12.253 --> 00:20:13.667
is God asking you to make

00:20:13.667 --> 00:20:16.622
a fool of yourself in front of Him?

00:20:16.622 --> 00:20:19.769
I like what Jonathan said.

00:20:19.769 --> 00:20:22.128
My worship, we're talking here

00:20:22.128 --> 00:20:23.718
about music, specifically,

00:20:23.718 --> 00:20:25.407
should be uninhibited.

00:20:25.407 --> 00:20:26.587
Like, "Oh, I don't know.

00:20:26.587 --> 00:20:27.982
I'm not the greatest singer.

00:20:27.982 --> 00:20:29.035
Maybe I can't just be

00:20:29.035 --> 00:20:30.192
really singing like this

00:20:30.192 --> 00:20:31.416
because Johnny can sing

00:20:31.416 --> 00:20:33.214
a lot better than I can,"

00:20:33.214 --> 00:20:35.127
or, "Susan is much more..."

00:20:35.127 --> 00:20:37.580
So I'm not, like, inhibited

00:20:37.580 --> 00:20:40.346
by what others might think,

00:20:40.346 --> 00:20:44.151
but my brain is still in gear, right?

00:20:44.151 --> 00:20:46.764
So the principles I've learned
from Scripture,

00:20:46.764 --> 00:20:49.460
you know, if angels cover their faces

00:20:49.460 --> 00:20:51.209
and cry, "Holy, holy, holy,"

00:20:51.209 --> 00:20:53.013
I don't think God's asking us

00:20:53.013 --> 00:20:54.328
to make a fool of ourselves

00:20:54.328 --> 00:20:56.094
in front of Him, whatever that means.

00:20:56.094 --> 00:20:57.238
Does that make sense?

00:20:57.238 --> 00:20:59.735
Anybody else? "Spirit and Truth," Jason?

00:20:59.735 --> 00:21:01.852
(Jason) Building off the idea
of truth there,

00:21:01.852 --> 00:21:05.999
Jonathan referenced grounding it
in the truth,

00:21:05.999 --> 00:21:07.192
and I think in this case

00:21:07.192 --> 00:21:08.395
it's in the Word of God

00:21:08.395 --> 00:21:10.373
and making sure that what you're singing,

00:21:10.373 --> 00:21:11.512
what you're worshiping,

00:21:11.512 --> 00:21:13.375
the music you're saying, is consistent

00:21:13.375 --> 00:21:15.215
with what God has told us in His Word.

00:21:15.215 --> 00:21:17.430
The principles, the beliefs, the values.

00:21:17.430 --> 00:21:18.866
(Derek) Okay, anyone want

00:21:18.866 --> 00:21:20.268
to add to that before I want

00:21:20.268 --> 00:21:21.670
to apply it a little further?

00:21:21.670 --> 00:21:22.764
Nicole and then Gladys.

00:21:22.764 --> 00:21:24.151
(Nicole) I would add to that,

00:21:24.151 --> 00:21:27.112
that it should be a worship that draws
you closer to Christ.

00:21:27.112 --> 00:21:29.319
(Derek) So, what is the result
of that worship?

00:21:29.319 --> 00:21:31.092
(Nicole) Right, and it should reflect

00:21:31.092 --> 00:21:32.499
the Person you're worshiping.

00:21:32.499 --> 00:21:34.434
(Derek) Oh, and the character of...Okay.

00:21:34.434 --> 00:21:35.418
So if I just go back

00:21:35.418 --> 00:21:37.794
with a lot of adrenaline
and emotional hype,

00:21:37.794 --> 00:21:40.102
and then I just kind of crash,

00:21:40.102 --> 00:21:41.468
rather than walking away

00:21:41.468 --> 00:21:44.002
saying "God is awesome,"

00:21:44.002 --> 00:21:47.718
"Jesus is my marvelous Savior," right,

00:21:47.718 --> 00:21:49.959
what's the focus, okay?

00:21:49.959 --> 00:21:55.357
Now, we've heard...Gladys, I'm sorry;
I forgot you.

00:21:55.357 --> 00:21:56.563
(Gladys) Nicole just told

00:21:56.563 --> 00:21:58.328
what I was going to say basically.

00:21:58.328 --> 00:21:59.774
Sometimes we just get consumed

00:21:59.774 --> 00:22:02.039
in the activity itself

00:22:02.039 --> 00:22:04.369
instead of Who we're worshiping.

00:22:04.369 --> 00:22:06.480
So, that should be the focus,

00:22:06.480 --> 00:22:07.863
and, like you said,

00:22:07.863 --> 00:22:09.838
after the worship is over,

00:22:09.838 --> 00:22:12.582
that has to be like a renewal
of our spirit

00:22:12.582 --> 00:22:14.506
instead of a draining activity

00:22:14.506 --> 00:22:17.394
because we were just working out,
you know...

00:22:17.394 --> 00:22:22.841
(Derek) Let's get very practical
then, okay?

00:22:22.841 --> 00:22:24.914
Do we allow our worship

00:22:24.914 --> 00:22:26.723
to really express to God

00:22:26.723 --> 00:22:30.760
how we genuinely feel?

00:22:30.760 --> 00:22:37.068
You know, I hear, "Holy, holy,
holy" [sad voice],

00:22:37.068 --> 00:22:38.196
and you look at them,

00:22:38.196 --> 00:22:43.367
and you go, "That's scary."

00:22:43.367 --> 00:22:45.802
What are some things that hold us back?

00:22:45.802 --> 00:22:47.228
Again, we're not talking

00:22:47.228 --> 00:22:51.733
about showmanship or exhibitionism,

00:22:51.733 --> 00:22:54.660
but, you know, that the angels

00:22:54.660 --> 00:22:57.590
would look down and say, "Those people

00:22:57.590 --> 00:22:59.547
really love our heavenly Father.

00:22:59.547 --> 00:23:00.946
Look at them; look at the way

00:23:00.946 --> 00:23:04.374
they're singing the songs of the Lord."

00:23:04.374 --> 00:23:06.430
What might hold us back from that,

00:23:06.430 --> 00:23:07.560
do you think? Nicole?

00:23:07.560 --> 00:23:10.508
(Nicole) I think sometimes we get consumed
by our circumstance,

00:23:10.508 --> 00:23:12.883
and we also get so down

00:23:12.883 --> 00:23:14.291
by what's going on around us

00:23:14.291 --> 00:23:15.636
that when we come to church,

00:23:15.636 --> 00:23:17.384
we can't even put that aside to say,

00:23:17.384 --> 00:23:19.681
"Thank You, Lord, for what You
<i>have</i> done for us."

00:23:19.681 --> 00:23:20.772
We get so bogged down,

00:23:20.772 --> 00:23:21.972
and, "Oh, this happened,"

00:23:21.972 --> 00:23:23.773
and you're in church, "Holy, holy..."

00:23:23.773 --> 00:23:26.514
It's our circumstances; we let those
take over our ability

00:23:26.514 --> 00:23:28.519
to really be able to worship the Person...

00:23:28.519 --> 00:23:29.767
(Derek) So, one thing then

00:23:29.767 --> 00:23:31.673
that may hold us back, Nicole is saying,

00:23:31.673 --> 00:23:33.363
is we bring a lot of stuff with us,

00:23:33.363 --> 00:23:34.760
which is part of our lives,

00:23:34.760 --> 00:23:36.117
but it could distract us.

00:23:36.117 --> 00:23:39.186
What else might hold us back? Kenneth?

00:23:39.186 --> 00:23:40.758
(Kenneth) Sometimes it's because

00:23:40.758 --> 00:23:42.280
of those...like, we are afraid

00:23:42.280 --> 00:23:44.451
of how people are going to criticize us,

00:23:44.451 --> 00:23:46.535
so we are looking at how people

00:23:46.535 --> 00:23:49.120
are going to interpret what we are doing.

00:23:49.120 --> 00:23:50.424
And then, because of that,

00:23:50.424 --> 00:23:53.433
we hold back from actually rendering

00:23:53.433 --> 00:23:56.530
a very heartfelt worshiping to God.

00:23:56.530 --> 00:23:57.977
(Derek) And part of the reason

00:23:57.977 --> 00:23:59.017
we might be concerned

00:23:59.017 --> 00:24:00.198
by what people think

00:24:00.198 --> 00:24:01.318
is because we don't see

00:24:01.318 --> 00:24:04.336
many other people uninhibited

00:24:04.336 --> 00:24:06.436
in their expression of singing

00:24:06.436 --> 00:24:07.569
the songs of the Lord.

00:24:07.569 --> 00:24:10.641
If we saw some of them, and we see

00:24:10.641 --> 00:24:14.320
they're not showmanship or exhibitionism,

00:24:14.320 --> 00:24:17.840
they're just genuinely worshiping
the Lord,

00:24:17.840 --> 00:24:21.434
that might give us a sense of what?

00:24:21.434 --> 00:24:24.418
Freedom to be able to do so as well.

00:24:24.418 --> 00:24:26.192
We've got lots of hands raised here.

00:24:26.192 --> 00:24:27.866
Is this an important topic?

00:24:27.866 --> 00:24:29.607
(Team) Yes.

00:24:29.607 --> 00:24:31.035
(Derek) We have much to learn

00:24:31.035 --> 00:24:33.792
from Ezra and Nehemiah.

00:24:33.792 --> 00:24:36.043
Have you been to a worship service
recently

00:24:36.043 --> 00:24:37.779
that looked like what we read

00:24:37.779 --> 00:24:39.338
in Ezra and Nehemiah

00:24:39.338 --> 00:24:42.683
where just, it was heard afar off?

00:24:42.683 --> 00:24:46.534
There were choirs and singing.

00:24:46.534 --> 00:24:49.837
(Team) No. It's been awhile.

00:24:49.837 --> 00:24:51.350
(Derek) Jonathan, share a time

00:24:51.350 --> 00:24:52.696
with me, if you would,

00:24:52.696 --> 00:24:57.300
when you experienced worship with music.

00:24:57.300 --> 00:24:59.116
You were talking to me about a time

00:24:59.116 --> 00:25:00.918
that just really lifted you

00:25:00.918 --> 00:25:02.788
to the throne room of God.

00:25:02.788 --> 00:25:04.055
(Jonathan) Yeah, there was

00:25:04.055 --> 00:25:05.776
a Christian concert that was

00:25:05.776 --> 00:25:10.476
specifically focused on worship
that was amazing.

00:25:10.476 --> 00:25:12.237
I went to it; I wasn't sure,

00:25:12.237 --> 00:25:14.239
but after a little while, it was...

00:25:14.239 --> 00:25:16.558
Yeah, I kind of lost the sense of time.

00:25:16.558 --> 00:25:17.880
I was just forgetting

00:25:17.880 --> 00:25:19.136
about the people around me

00:25:19.136 --> 00:25:20.816
and just worshiping God...

00:25:20.816 --> 00:25:22.436
(Derek) And what was your takeaway

00:25:22.436 --> 00:25:24.343
when you left that concert?

00:25:24.343 --> 00:25:25.454
(Jonathan) It felt like

00:25:25.454 --> 00:25:26.716
kind of a taste of Heaven,

00:25:26.716 --> 00:25:29.090
just the joy that it will be

00:25:29.090 --> 00:25:33.491
to truly be able with your whole heart

00:25:33.491 --> 00:25:36.767
to express and be singing beautiful songs.

00:25:36.767 --> 00:25:38.810
Just, yeah, you enter another world,

00:25:38.810 --> 00:25:41.446
and you don't have to worry
about the people around you.

00:25:41.446 --> 00:25:43.976
It's loud enough that no one else
can really hear you,

00:25:43.976 --> 00:25:45.984
and you're worshiping with all your heart.

00:25:45.984 --> 00:25:46.993
(Derek) Anybody have

00:25:46.993 --> 00:25:48.538
an experience like that? Evelyn?

00:25:48.538 --> 00:25:50.587
(Evelyn) I think a time that I sensed that

00:25:50.587 --> 00:25:52.506
was when you came to preach at Southern.

00:25:52.506 --> 00:25:54.787
It was fairly recently.

00:25:54.787 --> 00:25:56.951
We were singing, "Wonderful,
Merciful Savior,"

00:25:56.951 --> 00:25:58.667
and I remember you kept directing

00:25:58.667 --> 00:26:00.310
the students to sing the line

00:26:00.310 --> 00:26:01.321
over and over again.

00:26:01.321 --> 00:26:03.248
And I remember being so choked up

00:26:03.248 --> 00:26:04.513
I could barely sing

00:26:04.513 --> 00:26:05.832
because I felt like crying.

00:26:05.832 --> 00:26:07.372
I was like, "God, You are

00:26:07.372 --> 00:26:09.105
the One that we praise."

00:26:09.105 --> 00:26:10.491
And I just remember thinking,

00:26:10.491 --> 00:26:12.305
"I wish the service could be like this

00:26:12.305 --> 00:26:14.001
every time we have vespers."

00:26:14.001 --> 00:26:17.047
I mean, the music was
absolutely beautiful.

00:26:17.047 --> 00:26:18.193
(Derek) I happened to be

00:26:18.193 --> 00:26:20.706
at that same meeting,

00:26:20.706 --> 00:26:26.670
and the presence of God was so palpable,

00:26:26.670 --> 00:26:29.173
we didn't want to leave.

00:26:29.173 --> 00:26:36.494
So, we know God wants to be with us
always like that.

00:26:36.494 --> 00:26:39.133
So, again, maybe the stuff that we bring?

00:26:39.133 --> 00:26:41.104
Now, to give a little context

00:26:41.104 --> 00:26:43.478
to that beautiful music and worship,

00:26:43.478 --> 00:26:47.124
the leaders of music had really prepared.

00:26:47.124 --> 00:26:48.804
They were singing in key.

00:26:48.804 --> 00:26:50.538
They had some beautiful instruments.

00:26:50.538 --> 00:26:54.485
It wasn't loud and kind of overwhelming.

00:26:54.485 --> 00:26:56.628
It was sweet and beautiful.

00:26:56.628 --> 00:26:58.956
But also the people who had gathered;

00:26:58.956 --> 00:27:00.429
many of them were going to go,

00:27:00.429 --> 00:27:02.268
either as student missionaries...

00:27:02.268 --> 00:27:03.921
Travis, you were there that night.

00:27:03.921 --> 00:27:04.691
(Travis) I was.

00:27:04.691 --> 00:27:06.687
(Derek) Many of them were going to go

00:27:06.687 --> 00:27:09.945
for a year of volunteer mission service.

00:27:09.945 --> 00:27:11.404
Many of them were going to go

00:27:11.404 --> 00:27:12.992
and share the gospel message

00:27:12.992 --> 00:27:14.978
in short meetings during the summer.

00:27:14.978 --> 00:27:16.484
So the kind of people who came,

00:27:16.484 --> 00:27:17.848
does that make a difference?

00:27:17.848 --> 00:27:18.588
(Team) Yes.

00:27:18.588 --> 00:27:21.076
(Derek) If people come with an open heart?
Stephanie?

00:27:21.076 --> 00:27:22.339
(Stephanie) I was thinking

00:27:22.339 --> 00:27:24.215
somewhat along the same line as Nicole.

00:27:24.215 --> 00:27:27.098
The distraction that could be

00:27:27.098 --> 00:27:29.817
is that we have lost our taste

00:27:29.817 --> 00:27:32.494
and our desire for the things of God.

00:27:32.494 --> 00:27:37.843
And so it no longer is beautiful to us.

00:27:37.843 --> 00:27:39.652
(Derek) Ah, wow. Either it's

00:27:39.652 --> 00:27:40.828
no longer beautiful,

00:27:40.828 --> 00:27:42.077
or we just don't even know

00:27:42.077 --> 00:27:44.103
what it looks like or what it sounds like.

00:27:44.103 --> 00:27:46.444
I'm going to take one more comment
from Jonathan,

00:27:46.444 --> 00:27:47.648
and then we need to go on

00:27:47.648 --> 00:27:49.996
because singing is just one part

00:27:49.996 --> 00:27:51.303
of worshiping the Lord.

00:27:51.303 --> 00:27:52.237
But could we agree

00:27:52.237 --> 00:27:55.030
from the 288 that David named

00:27:55.030 --> 00:27:56.817
that it is an important part?

00:27:56.817 --> 00:27:57.573
(Team) Yes.

00:27:57.573 --> 00:27:58.718
(Derek) Yes, Jonathan.

00:27:58.718 --> 00:28:00.612
(Jonathan) I just want to add something

00:28:00.612 --> 00:28:03.195
to what was just previously said.

00:28:03.195 --> 00:28:07.909
In our focus, where we
have our attention,

00:28:07.909 --> 00:28:10.200
also affects the way we worship

00:28:10.200 --> 00:28:12.647
and the way we sing.

00:28:12.647 --> 00:28:15.495
So here we see that they were focused

00:28:15.495 --> 00:28:18.390
on what God was doing for them,

00:28:18.390 --> 00:28:21.175
so they could properly worship Him.

00:28:21.175 --> 00:28:22.653
Sometimes we come to a church

00:28:22.653 --> 00:28:24.277
thinking of other things,

00:28:24.277 --> 00:28:26.104
and then the way we worship

00:28:26.104 --> 00:28:27.449
is affected by that.

00:28:27.449 --> 00:28:28.588
(Derek) Absolutely.

00:28:28.588 --> 00:28:32.403
(Jonathan) If our taste,

00:28:32.403 --> 00:28:36.595
as she was saying, for music, for worship

00:28:36.595 --> 00:28:39.019
is destroyed or damaged

00:28:39.019 --> 00:28:40.730
by what we observe,

00:28:40.730 --> 00:28:42.220
if we want to restore it,

00:28:42.220 --> 00:28:43.327
we have to observe

00:28:43.327 --> 00:28:45.742
the proper thing, which is God.

00:28:45.742 --> 00:28:47.472
(Derek) So, we come focusing on Him.

00:28:47.472 --> 00:28:49.123
And I think, back to Evelyn,

00:28:49.123 --> 00:28:50.279
your experience there,

00:28:50.279 --> 00:28:52.119
people came who had surrendered

00:28:52.119 --> 00:28:53.080
their lives to God,

00:28:53.080 --> 00:28:55.928
and the worship leaders came prepared

00:28:55.928 --> 00:28:57.211
to bring attention to God

00:28:57.211 --> 00:28:58.881
and not to themselves,

00:28:58.881 --> 00:29:02.557
and God showed up in a powerful way.

00:29:02.557 --> 00:29:05.400
Another aspect of worshiping the Lord

00:29:05.400 --> 00:29:07.555
is experiencing cleansing.

00:29:07.555 --> 00:29:10.951
Let's look in Nehemiah, chapter 12.

00:29:10.951 --> 00:29:13.092
Jason, if you could read that for us,

00:29:13.092 --> 00:29:14.997
chapter 12 and verse 30?

00:29:14.997 --> 00:29:16.863
(Jason) All right, and I'll be reading

00:29:16.863 --> 00:29:18.402
from the New King James Version,

00:29:18.402 --> 00:29:19.468
and the Bible says:

00:29:27.401 --> 00:29:29.496
(Derek) Another word for purified is...?

00:29:29.496 --> 00:29:31.140
(Derek, Team) Cleansed.

00:29:31.140 --> 00:29:32.300
(Derek) So let's talk

00:29:32.300 --> 00:29:38.029
about cleansing and worship.

00:29:38.029 --> 00:29:44.803
Question: Should I be cleansed

00:29:44.803 --> 00:29:47.654
before I come to worship - is that

00:29:47.654 --> 00:29:50.155
an essential preparation for coming -

00:29:50.155 --> 00:29:55.054
or can I experience cleansing
<i>in</i> the worship?

00:29:55.054 --> 00:29:56.209
(Team) Both.

00:29:56.209 --> 00:29:57.348
(Derek) Oh, both.

00:29:57.348 --> 00:29:59.074
(Nicole) What is "cleansing"?

00:29:59.074 --> 00:30:00.050
(Derek) Okay, that's

00:30:00.050 --> 00:30:01.202
a good question, Nicole.

00:30:01.202 --> 00:30:02.305
What is "cleansing"?

00:30:02.305 --> 00:30:03.884
Well, "Create in me

00:30:03.884 --> 00:30:06.050
a clean heart, O God..."

00:30:06.050 --> 00:30:08.482
(Derek, Team) "Renew a right spirit
within me."

00:30:08.482 --> 00:30:12.186
(Derek) Or...? Acts, chapter 2,

00:30:12.186 --> 00:30:15.185
"Be baptized...for the washing away
of your sins."

00:30:15.185 --> 00:30:17.566
So cleansing is forgiveness

00:30:17.566 --> 00:30:20.943
and a restoration of purity,

00:30:20.943 --> 00:30:23.732
and that's a gift of God.

00:30:23.732 --> 00:30:26.021
Would that be a good preparation
for worship?

00:30:26.021 --> 00:30:27.376
(Team) Yes. Sure.

00:30:27.376 --> 00:30:28.417
(Derek) Can I come

00:30:28.417 --> 00:30:30.104
if I've not experienced that?

00:30:30.104 --> 00:30:31.118
(Team) Yes.

00:30:31.118 --> 00:30:32.042
(Derek) Jonathan?

00:30:32.042 --> 00:30:33.425
(Jonathan) I just want to say

00:30:33.425 --> 00:30:34.996
that we cannot cleanse ourselves,

00:30:34.996 --> 00:30:36.123
so we cannot pretend

00:30:36.123 --> 00:30:39.412
to go in, cleaned, to worship.

00:30:39.412 --> 00:30:42.881
So we have to have a "please" position,

00:30:42.881 --> 00:30:44.789
a willingness to be cleansed,

00:30:44.789 --> 00:30:46.715
and go in before His presence,

00:30:46.715 --> 00:30:47.958
as we behold His presence,

00:30:47.958 --> 00:30:49.291
as we worship Him,

00:30:49.291 --> 00:30:54.174
as we are in contact with God,
we are cleansed.

00:30:54.174 --> 00:30:55.744
(Derek) I remember someone said,

00:30:55.744 --> 00:30:57.306
"I can't go and celebrate

00:30:57.306 --> 00:30:58.921
the Lord's Supper," or Communion,

00:30:58.921 --> 00:31:00.356
"because I don't feel worthy."

00:31:00.356 --> 00:31:05.414
And I'm thinking, "Then no one could go."

00:31:05.414 --> 00:31:08.153
That's why we go, because we're
not worthy - Who's worthy?

00:31:08.153 --> 00:31:09.041
(Team) Jesus.

00:31:09.041 --> 00:31:10.250
(Derek) Jesus is worthy.

00:31:10.250 --> 00:31:11.265
Now, that's different

00:31:11.265 --> 00:31:12.508
from 1 Corinthians 11,

00:31:12.508 --> 00:31:13.774
talking about doing it

00:31:13.774 --> 00:31:16.293
in an unworthy manner.

00:31:16.293 --> 00:31:21.990
That's talking about carelessness,
lack of reverence.

00:31:21.990 --> 00:31:25.042
but Jonathan makes a good point.

00:31:25.042 --> 00:31:26.797
If I say, "Well, I don't think

00:31:26.797 --> 00:31:28.061
I'm clean enough to come

00:31:28.061 --> 00:31:29.297
and worship the Lord,"

00:31:29.297 --> 00:31:31.285
it's in coming and worshiping Him

00:31:31.285 --> 00:31:33.946
that I can experience that restoration

00:31:33.946 --> 00:31:35.712
then transformation. Kenneth?

00:31:35.712 --> 00:31:37.339
(Kenneth) Recently my wife took me

00:31:37.339 --> 00:31:39.175
to enjoy one of the Christian

00:31:39.175 --> 00:31:41.706
contemporary music festivals,

00:31:41.706 --> 00:31:44.519
and at first I was hesitant.

00:31:44.519 --> 00:31:46.230
But when we got there, what I saw

00:31:46.230 --> 00:31:48.603
and what the musicians there said,

00:31:48.603 --> 00:31:50.034
"You know, sometimes you guys

00:31:50.034 --> 00:31:52.679
just think that the music
just comes naturally,

00:31:52.679 --> 00:31:53.719
but let me tell you,

00:31:53.719 --> 00:31:56.277
before I come to sing,

00:31:56.277 --> 00:31:58.471
I spend some time with God.

00:31:58.471 --> 00:32:00.360
Not a day," he said, "I dedicate

00:32:00.360 --> 00:32:02.667
a week praying and preparing myself

00:32:02.667 --> 00:32:05.756
so that the music that I'm going to sing
or minister,

00:32:05.756 --> 00:32:07.828
is going to impact the lives of people."

00:32:07.828 --> 00:32:10.044
So this is how I see this

00:32:10.044 --> 00:32:12.473
about cleansing and preparation

00:32:12.473 --> 00:32:14.369
that we can do, so that when we

00:32:14.369 --> 00:32:16.422
come together with fellow believers,

00:32:16.422 --> 00:32:19.106
the music will make a joyful noise to God

00:32:19.106 --> 00:32:21.719
and impact the people who come there.

00:32:21.719 --> 00:32:23.027
(Derek) That's interesting.

00:32:23.027 --> 00:32:24.632
Kenneth's saying the preparation

00:32:24.632 --> 00:32:27.739
is not only by the worshiper who comes

00:32:27.739 --> 00:32:29.516
but the one who's leading in worship.

00:32:29.516 --> 00:32:30.674
We're going to come back

00:32:30.674 --> 00:32:31.921
to that a little later,

00:32:31.921 --> 00:32:33.112
but that's so important.

00:32:33.112 --> 00:32:35.418
Let's focus again on the need

00:32:35.418 --> 00:32:37.364
for cleansing as part of worship.

00:32:37.364 --> 00:32:40.187
First John 1, verse 9,

00:32:40.187 --> 00:32:44.215
is fairly well known by many Christians

00:32:44.215 --> 00:32:46.142
about, "If we confess our sins,"

00:32:46.142 --> 00:32:50.021
but I would like to start in verse 7.

00:32:50.021 --> 00:32:53.081
First John 1, Adison,

00:32:53.081 --> 00:32:54.916
if you could start with verse 7.

00:32:54.916 --> 00:32:56.916
Listen carefully, the Apostle John

00:32:56.916 --> 00:32:58.819
speaking under inspiration of God,

00:32:58.819 --> 00:33:00.556
verses 7 through 9.

00:33:00.556 --> 00:33:01.933
(Adison) And I'll be reading

00:33:01.933 --> 00:33:03.313
from the King James Version:

00:33:32.565 --> 00:33:34.372
(Derek) How many of us need cleansing?

00:33:34.372 --> 00:33:35.097
(Team) All.

00:33:35.097 --> 00:33:37.049
(Derek) In fact, if we think we don't...?

00:33:37.049 --> 00:33:38.383
(Team) We deceive ourselves.

00:33:38.383 --> 00:33:41.295
(Derek) We deceive ourselves, right?

00:33:41.295 --> 00:33:45.222
We all need cleansing, and, ideally,

00:33:45.222 --> 00:33:46.942
before I even come to worship

00:33:46.942 --> 00:33:48.434
I prepare, and I say, "Lord,

00:33:48.434 --> 00:33:51.293
make me clean like the new-fallen snow."

00:33:51.293 --> 00:33:54.401
But I may come just as I am and say,

00:33:54.401 --> 00:33:56.448
"God, have mercy on me, a sinner."

00:33:56.448 --> 00:33:58.570
Remember that man who beat on his...?

00:33:58.570 --> 00:34:00.949
If he had waited to come...

00:34:00.949 --> 00:34:03.121
No, he came just as he was,

00:34:03.121 --> 00:34:04.677
and he experienced the cleansing

00:34:04.677 --> 00:34:06.908
that he so desperately needed.

00:34:06.908 --> 00:34:08.897
So this cleansing experience,

00:34:08.897 --> 00:34:11.164
I'd like someone to share

00:34:11.164 --> 00:34:13.345
a time when you experienced

00:34:13.345 --> 00:34:18.617
that cleansing of God as you lifted

00:34:18.617 --> 00:34:21.368
your heart in praise and worship to Him.

00:34:21.368 --> 00:34:22.679
Anyone have a story

00:34:22.679 --> 00:34:24.584
that comes to mind? Gladys.

00:34:24.584 --> 00:34:26.755
(Gladys) Actually I was not in church.

00:34:26.755 --> 00:34:28.293
I was in my classroom,

00:34:28.293 --> 00:34:30.423
and my heart was very burdened

00:34:30.423 --> 00:34:32.138
with situations that I had before.

00:34:32.138 --> 00:34:34.183
But I had to teach Bible,

00:34:34.183 --> 00:34:35.588
so I was like, "Lord,

00:34:35.588 --> 00:34:36.878
I don't know how to do this

00:34:36.878 --> 00:34:38.908
because my heart is not in it."

00:34:38.908 --> 00:34:40.487
And it was Creation, so I said,

00:34:40.487 --> 00:34:42.157
"Oh, I don't have to...I really...

00:34:42.157 --> 00:34:44.428
I can do this with my eyes closed

00:34:44.428 --> 00:34:46.412
because it's about Creation.

00:34:46.412 --> 00:34:47.831
And for the first time,

00:34:47.831 --> 00:34:50.823
God, with the singing the kids were doing,

00:34:50.823 --> 00:34:52.580
and the reading of the Word of God,

00:34:52.580 --> 00:34:55.009
God just blessed my heart.

00:34:55.009 --> 00:34:56.825
When I read that Scripture,

00:34:56.825 --> 00:34:58.830
"In the beginning, God

00:34:58.830 --> 00:35:01.028
created the heavens and the earth,"

00:35:01.028 --> 00:35:04.038
it struck me like for the first time.

00:35:04.038 --> 00:35:05.408
I just started weeping

00:35:05.408 --> 00:35:06.942
because I just could not believe

00:35:06.942 --> 00:35:08.179
that in the beginning

00:35:08.179 --> 00:35:09.974
the world was in chaos,

00:35:09.974 --> 00:35:12.039
and I felt like God was talking to me,

00:35:12.039 --> 00:35:13.785
"Your world is in chaos,

00:35:13.785 --> 00:35:17.235
and I am here to bring light."

00:35:17.235 --> 00:35:18.352
And it was just like

00:35:18.352 --> 00:35:21.272
a wonderful worship experience for me,

00:35:21.272 --> 00:35:23.382
and I was just not even ready for that.

00:35:23.382 --> 00:35:25.841
And the kids were singing and singing,

00:35:25.841 --> 00:35:27.352
you know, "Let There Be Light,"

00:35:27.352 --> 00:35:28.695
"This Little Light of Mine."

00:35:28.695 --> 00:35:30.417
I don't know how they just connected

00:35:30.417 --> 00:35:31.614
all these songs together.

00:35:31.614 --> 00:35:33.191
And it was just such a blessing,

00:35:33.191 --> 00:35:34.581
and it was not even a church.

00:35:34.581 --> 00:35:36.774
(Derek) It was a church, actually,

00:35:36.774 --> 00:35:38.171
and the angels were saying

00:35:38.171 --> 00:35:42.407
to the children, "Keep singing,
keep singing."

00:35:42.407 --> 00:35:44.768
We can experience the cleansing of God

00:35:44.768 --> 00:35:47.595
sometimes in unexpected places.

00:35:47.595 --> 00:35:50.092
Anybody else have a story? Adison.

00:35:50.092 --> 00:35:51.943
(Adison) Well, lately, I've been doing

00:35:51.943 --> 00:35:55.319
a lot of road-tripping.

00:35:55.319 --> 00:35:56.719
(Derek) For those who may be,

00:35:56.719 --> 00:35:58.541
because we've got 150 countries,

00:35:58.541 --> 00:36:00.388
"road-tripping" would mean...?

00:36:00.388 --> 00:36:01.710
(Adison) Well, sometimes

00:36:01.710 --> 00:36:02.944
it means going to Canada.

00:36:02.944 --> 00:36:05.013
(Derek) Okay, so, long drives in a car?

00:36:05.013 --> 00:36:08.215
(Adison) Long drives, sometimes
45, 48 hours.

00:36:08.215 --> 00:36:10.163
(Derek) That is long.

00:36:10.163 --> 00:36:12.956
(Adison) I try to space it out
a little bit

00:36:12.956 --> 00:36:14.444
but sometimes knock it all out.

00:36:14.444 --> 00:36:16.614
Anyway, there is a lot of time

00:36:16.614 --> 00:36:19.338
to think as you're driving.

00:36:19.338 --> 00:36:23.556
And I also enjoy listening to music.

00:36:23.556 --> 00:36:25.635
And so, I was listening as I was driving

00:36:25.635 --> 00:36:27.268
and thinking about Heaven

00:36:27.268 --> 00:36:28.412
and thinking about Jesus

00:36:28.412 --> 00:36:29.518
and all the good things

00:36:29.518 --> 00:36:31.427
He's done for me personally.

00:36:31.427 --> 00:36:33.302
This song began to play, and it was

00:36:33.302 --> 00:36:35.890
called, "Lord, Have Mercy on Me,"

00:36:35.890 --> 00:36:37.325
and I just began to...

00:36:37.325 --> 00:36:38.858
It even brought tears to my eyes

00:36:38.858 --> 00:36:40.764
because I began to rethink

00:36:40.764 --> 00:36:43.745
just how imperfect I am

00:36:43.745 --> 00:36:45.260
and the times I let people down

00:36:45.260 --> 00:36:48.401
and the times when I just fall short.

00:36:48.401 --> 00:36:50.555
And it really was a moving experience

00:36:50.555 --> 00:36:52.266
at an unexpected time.

00:36:52.266 --> 00:36:53.650
(Derek) And you were driving?

00:36:53.650 --> 00:36:54.786
(Adison) I was driving.

00:36:54.786 --> 00:36:57.417
(Derek) And you had windshield wipers
to wipe the tears?

00:36:57.417 --> 00:36:59.426
(Adison) I suppose, yeah.

00:36:59.426 --> 00:37:02.432
(Derek) God can catch us if we don't

00:37:02.432 --> 00:37:05.334
keep putting up barriers, right?

00:37:05.334 --> 00:37:07.437
Maybe at a Christian concert

00:37:07.437 --> 00:37:10.577
or maybe one-on-one listening

00:37:10.577 --> 00:37:12.862
while I'm on a long road trip,

00:37:12.862 --> 00:37:15.223
God can catch our attention.

00:37:15.223 --> 00:37:19.082
Songs of praise, important,

00:37:19.082 --> 00:37:23.210
cleansing, important as part of worship.

00:37:23.210 --> 00:37:24.823
But also the Bible speaks

00:37:24.823 --> 00:37:27.918
about offering sacrifices.

00:37:27.918 --> 00:37:30.793
Now we know in the Old Testament time,

00:37:30.793 --> 00:37:33.833
the ceremonial system, those sacrifices

00:37:33.833 --> 00:37:37.099
were animals, right, birds and animals

00:37:37.099 --> 00:37:41.080
and grain offerings, and different parts,

00:37:41.080 --> 00:37:42.814
all pointing forward to...?

00:37:42.814 --> 00:37:44.014
(Team) Jesus.

00:37:44.014 --> 00:37:46.444
(Derek) Jesus, our all-sufficient Savior.

00:37:46.444 --> 00:37:49.247
Look at Nehemiah, chapter 12, verse 43.

00:37:49.247 --> 00:37:50.503
Again, we're focusing here

00:37:50.503 --> 00:37:52.755
on how they were worshiping

00:37:52.755 --> 00:37:55.347
the Lord at that time.

00:37:55.347 --> 00:37:57.557
Nehemiah, 12, Travis,

00:37:57.557 --> 00:37:59.649
if you'd read verse 43.

00:37:59.649 --> 00:38:00.815
Notice what it says.

00:38:00.815 --> 00:38:01.985
(Travis) I'll be reading

00:38:01.985 --> 00:38:03.786
from the New King James Version:

00:38:19.243 --> 00:38:20.866
(Derek) What do you think it means

00:38:20.866 --> 00:38:25.190
when it says they offered
"great sacrifices"?

00:38:25.190 --> 00:38:27.267
First of all, do you think it's talking

00:38:27.267 --> 00:38:30.139
about animal sacrifices there?

00:38:30.139 --> 00:38:32.041
(Kenneth) Maybe even more than animals.

00:38:32.041 --> 00:38:33.309
(Derek) Maybe more, but it

00:38:33.309 --> 00:38:35.141
could include that, right? Jonathan.

00:38:35.141 --> 00:38:36.472
(Jonathan) I was thinking it

00:38:36.472 --> 00:38:38.327
could be alluding back to when Solomon

00:38:38.327 --> 00:38:39.335
dedicated the temple.

00:38:39.335 --> 00:38:41.270
And I was trying to think of the number,

00:38:41.270 --> 00:38:44.242
but it was like thousands upon thousands,
all these sacrifices.

00:38:44.242 --> 00:38:46.966
(Derek) So, would you say then...

00:38:46.966 --> 00:38:48.566
But Kenneth's thinking it was

00:38:48.566 --> 00:38:52.788
more than just maybe animal sacrifices
or sacrifice.

00:38:52.788 --> 00:38:55.231
What other kinds of sacrifices

00:38:55.231 --> 00:38:58.698
might they have offered that day?

00:38:58.698 --> 00:39:01.097
(Gladys) Their time.

00:39:01.097 --> 00:39:04.500
(Derek) Their time? Grain? Okay.

00:39:04.500 --> 00:39:05.889
First fruits.

00:39:05.889 --> 00:39:07.114
(Team Member) Themselves.

00:39:07.119 --> 00:39:08.858
(Derek) Themselves, right?

00:39:08.858 --> 00:39:10.738
(Team Member) For God's service.

00:39:10.738 --> 00:39:13.138
(Derek) What's the "great," Travis?

00:39:13.138 --> 00:39:15.480
(Travis) It says, the verse after that,

00:39:15.480 --> 00:39:17.099
"At the same time," they appointed

00:39:17.099 --> 00:39:18.208
rooms for a storehouse,

00:39:18.208 --> 00:39:20.231
so that means if there were rooms

00:39:20.231 --> 00:39:23.373
being appointed to store the offerings
and the things,

00:39:23.373 --> 00:39:25.472
I'm thinking that they were bringing

00:39:25.472 --> 00:39:28.306
gifts to the Lord, you know,

00:39:28.306 --> 00:39:29.608
presenting things to Him.

00:39:29.608 --> 00:39:32.153
(Derek) Some might have been animals
that were killed.

00:39:32.153 --> 00:39:36.278
Some might have been free-will offerings,

00:39:36.278 --> 00:39:38.218
sacrificial offerings that would help

00:39:38.218 --> 00:39:39.681
the support of the temple,

00:39:39.681 --> 00:39:44.511
the priests, the Levites,
the singers, right?

00:39:44.511 --> 00:39:46.870
So, "great," would you say "great"

00:39:46.870 --> 00:39:53.963
in terms of quantity or significance...?

00:39:53.963 --> 00:39:58.053
(Team) Both.

00:39:58.053 --> 00:40:02.844
(Derek) You say quality and quantity;
it was both.

00:40:02.844 --> 00:40:05.871
You would say they weren't saying,

00:40:05.871 --> 00:40:09.091
"What's the least I have to bring?"

00:40:09.091 --> 00:40:11.093
You remember when Moses called

00:40:11.093 --> 00:40:12.749
for the building of the sanctuary,

00:40:12.749 --> 00:40:19.123
that the response was so overwhelming,

00:40:19.123 --> 00:40:23.523
Moses had to say, "We have enough."

00:40:23.523 --> 00:40:28.000
That's a heartfelt response, isn't it?
Yes, Nicole?

00:40:28.000 --> 00:40:30.571
(Nicole) I was just thinking
it would be so nice today

00:40:30.571 --> 00:40:33.278
if our churches could tell people
to stop bringing

00:40:33.278 --> 00:40:34.551
because we have enough

00:40:34.551 --> 00:40:36.066
to support the needy, the folks

00:40:36.066 --> 00:40:37.493
who are in need in our church.

00:40:37.493 --> 00:40:39.031
And it's just an example for us

00:40:39.031 --> 00:40:40.516
that we have a ways to go

00:40:40.516 --> 00:40:42.531
when it comes to doing what Christ wants,

00:40:42.531 --> 00:40:44.070
which is helping those around us

00:40:44.070 --> 00:40:46.010
that are in such need.

00:40:46.010 --> 00:40:48.815
(Derek) So, let's talk about today.

00:40:48.815 --> 00:40:52.167
We don't sacrifice animals.

00:40:52.167 --> 00:40:54.577
Why don't we sacrifice lambs anymore?

00:40:54.577 --> 00:40:55.774
(Team) Jesus came.

00:40:55.774 --> 00:40:57.409
(Derek) Jesus <i>is</i> the Lamb of God.

00:40:57.409 --> 00:41:00.101
He died once for all, right?

00:41:00.101 --> 00:41:01.473
And so, instead of focusing

00:41:01.473 --> 00:41:06.255
on a little, helpless lamb, beast,

00:41:06.255 --> 00:41:08.948
we focus on Jesus, right?

00:41:08.948 --> 00:41:12.057
So, what sacrifices can we bring

00:41:12.057 --> 00:41:16.321
as part of worship in spirit and truth?

00:41:16.321 --> 00:41:17.936
What do you think?

00:41:17.936 --> 00:41:19.266
(Kenneth) I think somewhere

00:41:19.266 --> 00:41:20.671
in the book of Romans it says

00:41:20.671 --> 00:41:21.961
we should present ourselves

00:41:21.961 --> 00:41:23.200
as a living sacrifice.

00:41:23.200 --> 00:41:24.256
(Derek) That's right,

00:41:24.256 --> 00:41:26.176
in Romans, chapter 12, doesn't it?

00:41:26.176 --> 00:41:28.679
It says, "Present your bodies..."?

00:41:28.679 --> 00:41:29.921
(Team) A living sacrifice.

00:41:29.921 --> 00:41:31.606
(Derek) A living sacrifice,

00:41:31.606 --> 00:41:35.055
holy, acceptable to God," my translation

00:41:35.055 --> 00:41:38.291
says, "which is your reasonable service."

00:41:38.291 --> 00:41:39.556
And it goes on to say,

00:41:39.556 --> 00:41:42.221
"Don't be conformed to..."?

00:41:42.221 --> 00:41:43.243
(Team) This world.

00:41:43.243 --> 00:41:45.062
(Derek) "...to this world, but be..."?

00:41:45.062 --> 00:41:47.391
(Team) "Transformed by the renewing
of your mind."

00:41:47.391 --> 00:41:48.462
(Derek) So, maybe part

00:41:48.462 --> 00:41:49.652
of the sacrifice we bring

00:41:49.652 --> 00:41:52.283
is a willingness to...?

00:41:52.283 --> 00:41:53.343
Finish the sentence.

00:41:53.343 --> 00:41:54.628
(Gladys) To be transformed.

00:41:54.628 --> 00:41:57.313
(Derek) To be transformed, that's right.

00:41:57.313 --> 00:41:59.639
It's not, as Jonathan mentioned earlier,

00:41:59.649 --> 00:42:01.924
that we come because we look so good.

00:42:01.924 --> 00:42:03.369
But we are willing for God

00:42:03.369 --> 00:42:04.845
to do whatever He wants to do.

00:42:04.845 --> 00:42:06.325
Is that an act of worship?

00:42:06.325 --> 00:42:07.625
(Team) Amen. Yes.

00:42:07.625 --> 00:42:09.638
(Jonathan) It makes me think of the verse,

00:42:09.638 --> 00:42:10.956
"The sacrifices of the Lord

00:42:10.956 --> 00:42:12.667
are a broken and contrite spirit."

00:42:12.667 --> 00:42:13.934
And I think that captures

00:42:13.934 --> 00:42:16.011
a lot of what it's about

00:42:16.011 --> 00:42:17.360
and what Christ went through

00:42:17.360 --> 00:42:19.507
and His example for us.

00:42:19.507 --> 00:42:22.619
Willing to be humble and come down

00:42:22.619 --> 00:42:24.884
and be beaten by all these people

00:42:24.884 --> 00:42:27.244
and to live a life without...

00:42:27.244 --> 00:42:28.929
All the things that we look for,

00:42:28.929 --> 00:42:31.185
He gave up and said, "Okay,

00:42:31.185 --> 00:42:33.966
I give this up," and He lived

00:42:33.966 --> 00:42:36.675
that Romans 12, "Let your bodies

00:42:36.675 --> 00:42:38.228
be a living sacrifice."

00:42:38.228 --> 00:42:39.317
(Derek) And I think

00:42:39.317 --> 00:42:41.602
Jonathan's making an important point here

00:42:41.602 --> 00:42:43.705
that, when we come to true worship

00:42:43.705 --> 00:42:44.952
in spirit and truth,

00:42:44.952 --> 00:42:49.087
our focus is not on whatever sacrifices
we are making.

00:42:49.087 --> 00:42:50.406
We will make them,

00:42:50.406 --> 00:42:51.956
as a loving response,

00:42:51.956 --> 00:42:54.477
but our focus should be
on the sacrifice...?

00:42:54.477 --> 00:42:56.266
(Team) That Jesus made.

00:42:56.266 --> 00:42:58.538
(Derek) That He has made, right?

00:42:58.538 --> 00:43:00.361
"God forbid," Paul says,

00:43:00.361 --> 00:43:02.528
"that I should boast," or glory,

00:43:02.528 --> 00:43:03.599
"except in the cross

00:43:03.599 --> 00:43:05.828
of our Lord Jesus Christ."

00:43:05.828 --> 00:43:11.430
That's where my focus should be,
in true worship.

00:43:11.430 --> 00:43:16.003
So, how are we doing with that?

00:43:16.003 --> 00:43:21.885
Is Christ always the focal point?

00:43:21.885 --> 00:43:22.949
Is that not our prayer

00:43:22.949 --> 00:43:24.507
in Hope Sabbath School?

00:43:24.507 --> 00:43:26.716
Whatever we're studying about,

00:43:26.716 --> 00:43:28.759
that people would catch a clearer

00:43:28.759 --> 00:43:31.079
and yet clearer revelation of what?

00:43:31.079 --> 00:43:32.028
(Team) Jesus.

00:43:32.028 --> 00:43:34.278
(Derek) The immeasurable, unfailing
love of God,

00:43:34.278 --> 00:43:35.919
and that Jesus would be...?

00:43:35.919 --> 00:43:36.848
(Team) Lifted up.

00:43:36.848 --> 00:43:38.207
(Derek) Would be lifted up.

00:43:38.207 --> 00:43:41.701
So, the sacrifices we bring -

00:43:41.701 --> 00:43:44.405
we're singing songs to the Lord,

00:43:44.405 --> 00:43:46.957
we are experiencing cleansing,

00:43:46.957 --> 00:43:50.179
and the sacrifice is...?

00:43:50.179 --> 00:43:53.848
Ourselves in worship

00:43:53.848 --> 00:43:56.539
and thankfulness to...?

00:43:56.539 --> 00:43:57.551
The One who loved us

00:43:57.551 --> 00:43:59.811
and gave Himself for us, right? Travis?

00:43:59.811 --> 00:44:01.108
(Travis) And our sacrifices

00:44:01.108 --> 00:44:03.067
also can be with our tithes and offerings

00:44:03.067 --> 00:44:04.431
as they did back then

00:44:04.431 --> 00:44:06.655
because the work can go forward,

00:44:06.655 --> 00:44:09.536
you know, when we contribute.

00:44:09.536 --> 00:44:11.846
Hope Sabbath School is donor-based.

00:44:11.846 --> 00:44:15.836
Without offerings to the Hope Channel,

00:44:15.836 --> 00:44:17.845
we wouldn't be here.

00:44:17.845 --> 00:44:20.646
(Derek) Right, and some of you

00:44:20.646 --> 00:44:22.377
pay to drive all the way here

00:44:22.377 --> 00:44:25.684
or to fly all the way here, right?

00:44:25.684 --> 00:44:28.721
Why do you do that?

00:44:28.721 --> 00:44:30.420
Some might say, "They just want

00:44:30.420 --> 00:44:31.452
to be on television."

00:44:31.452 --> 00:44:33.466
Let me tell you, it's not worth it.

00:44:33.466 --> 00:44:34.817
It has to be because you see

00:44:34.817 --> 00:44:36.344
lives are being changed, right?

00:44:36.344 --> 00:44:37.340
(Team) Amen. Yes.

00:44:37.340 --> 00:44:40.119
(Derek) So your coming here
is an act of...?

00:44:40.119 --> 00:44:41.304
(Team) Worship.

00:44:41.304 --> 00:44:43.143
(Derek) It's an act of worship. Jason?

00:44:43.143 --> 00:44:45.164
(Jason) And the utilizing
of our time, too.

00:44:45.164 --> 00:44:46.865
(Derek) Which is an act of worship.

00:44:46.865 --> 00:44:47.645
(Jason) Yes.

00:44:47.645 --> 00:44:48.856
(Derek) Sure. Well, good.

00:44:48.856 --> 00:44:50.619
We've got three important lessons

00:44:50.619 --> 00:44:52.775
we've learned so far.

00:44:52.775 --> 00:44:55.713
We've learned singing songs to the Lord

00:44:55.713 --> 00:44:58.342
was a really important part
of worship then.

00:44:58.342 --> 00:45:02.804
And we mustn't lose sight of that, right,

00:45:02.804 --> 00:45:04.399
even if we're singing

00:45:04.399 --> 00:45:07.894
a 200-, 300-, 500-year-old song,

00:45:07.894 --> 00:45:10.466
a 3,000-year-old Scripture song.

00:45:10.466 --> 00:45:12.563
If we're singing Martin Luther's

00:45:12.563 --> 00:45:16.297
<i>A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,</i> you know?

00:45:16.297 --> 00:45:18.662
"And though this world,
with devils filled,

00:45:18.662 --> 00:45:23.503
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear."

00:45:23.503 --> 00:45:25.684
I mean, let's sing it like we meant it!

00:45:25.684 --> 00:45:27.011
What do you think?

00:45:27.011 --> 00:45:27.856
(Team) Yes. Amen.

00:45:27.856 --> 00:45:30.110
(Derek) So that is an important part
of worship.

00:45:30.110 --> 00:45:34.230
The cleansing is an important part
of worship.

00:45:34.230 --> 00:45:40.488
And then thirdly, offering sacrifice,

00:45:40.488 --> 00:45:45.836
not animals, but heart and gifts

00:45:45.836 --> 00:45:47.516
in gratitude for what God has done,

00:45:47.516 --> 00:45:50.745
not to pay or to earn His favor, right?

00:45:50.745 --> 00:45:53.169
But a fourth lesson we learn,

00:45:53.169 --> 00:45:56.694
look in Nehemiah 12, verse 44.

00:45:56.694 --> 00:45:59.357
You could almost miss it.

00:45:59.357 --> 00:46:02.851
It's actually just at at the end
of that verse,

00:46:02.851 --> 00:46:06.886
and it talks about giving thanks

00:46:06.886 --> 00:46:10.417
for those who lead in worship.

00:46:10.417 --> 00:46:12.340
Would someone like to read that for us?

00:46:12.340 --> 00:46:15.765
Gladys? Nehemiah 12, verse 44.

00:46:15.765 --> 00:46:17.232
(Gladys) Yes, I'll be reading

00:46:17.232 --> 00:46:18.916
from the New International Version:

00:46:41.243 --> 00:46:42.578
(Derek) "Judah was pleased."

00:46:42.578 --> 00:46:44.698
My Bible says they "rejoiced."

00:46:44.698 --> 00:46:48.823
In other words, they appreciated

00:46:48.823 --> 00:46:51.271
the spiritual leadership

00:46:51.271 --> 00:46:54.621
that was being provided.

00:46:54.621 --> 00:46:55.802
Who did they represent,

00:46:55.802 --> 00:46:59.756
these priests and Levites?

00:46:59.756 --> 00:47:02.965
Who do they represent?

00:47:02.965 --> 00:47:04.870
The solemn thought

00:47:04.870 --> 00:47:06.959
is that they actually represent

00:47:06.959 --> 00:47:08.858
the character of God.

00:47:08.858 --> 00:47:12.619
And that's why Jesus gets so upset

00:47:12.619 --> 00:47:14.558
when He comes and they've turned

00:47:14.558 --> 00:47:16.195
His Father's house into...?

00:47:16.195 --> 00:47:17.725
(Derek, Team) A den of thieves.

00:47:17.725 --> 00:47:20.171
(Derek) A marketplace, "How <i>dare</i> you

00:47:20.171 --> 00:47:21.874
do that?" He says.

00:47:21.874 --> 00:47:24.058
"It shall be called a house
of prayer for..."?

00:47:24.058 --> 00:47:26.025
(Derek, Team) All people.

00:47:26.025 --> 00:47:27.713
(Derek) So the responsibility

00:47:27.713 --> 00:47:29.855
of those leading in worship

00:47:29.855 --> 00:47:34.318
is to reflect the character of God, right?

00:47:34.318 --> 00:47:37.235
So, let's talk about a time

00:47:37.235 --> 00:47:39.325
when God blessed you...

00:47:39.325 --> 00:47:40.492
We talked about music,

00:47:40.492 --> 00:47:42.443
but I'm now going to broaden it out

00:47:42.443 --> 00:47:44.250
to worship in general,

00:47:44.250 --> 00:47:50.107
when God used someone,

00:47:50.107 --> 00:47:52.103
in a sense representing the truth

00:47:52.103 --> 00:47:55.353
about who He was,

00:47:55.353 --> 00:47:58.053
to bless your life in worship.

00:47:58.053 --> 00:47:59.399
Can you think of a time?

00:47:59.399 --> 00:48:00.861
It may have been in a church,

00:48:00.861 --> 00:48:02.561
or it may have been somewhere else.

00:48:02.561 --> 00:48:04.268
It may have been at a camp,

00:48:04.268 --> 00:48:07.290
or it may have been at a training program.

00:48:07.290 --> 00:48:09.390
Travis, a time that God used someone

00:48:09.390 --> 00:48:14.016
to bless your life in worship.

00:48:14.016 --> 00:48:16.039
(Travis) I did the school of evangelism

00:48:16.039 --> 00:48:18.201
in Australia, an ARISE program,

00:48:18.201 --> 00:48:20.458
and I remember the last day,

00:48:20.458 --> 00:48:24.258
It was a Thursday, and the presenter
was James Rafferty.

00:48:24.258 --> 00:48:26.610
And he was presenting Revelation in a way

00:48:26.610 --> 00:48:29.109
I had never seen it presented before.

00:48:29.109 --> 00:48:32.106
And I remember it was an hour long,

00:48:32.106 --> 00:48:33.300
and I remember weeping

00:48:33.300 --> 00:48:35.007
almost the entire time,

00:48:35.007 --> 00:48:36.491
the way he presented Jesus

00:48:36.491 --> 00:48:38.719
in the light of love in Revelation.

00:48:38.719 --> 00:48:40.319
It was just an amazing thing.

00:48:40.319 --> 00:48:42.254
I taped it on my phone,

00:48:42.254 --> 00:48:44.222
and I still have it and will listen to it

00:48:44.222 --> 00:48:45.837
sometimes, from time to time.

00:48:45.837 --> 00:48:47.638
And it still brings tears to my eyes.

00:48:47.638 --> 00:48:49.856
So God used him in a powerful way.

00:48:49.856 --> 00:48:55.525
(Derek) So God used a man named James

00:48:55.525 --> 00:49:00.312
to reflect the beauty of God's character

00:49:00.312 --> 00:49:02.061
in the message that he shared.

00:49:02.061 --> 00:49:05.162
And praise God that that messenger

00:49:05.162 --> 00:49:08.099
didn't get in the way, right?

00:49:08.099 --> 00:49:10.365
It could happen. Stephanie, a time?

00:49:10.365 --> 00:49:11.954
(Stephanie) Yeah, I was thinking

00:49:11.954 --> 00:49:14.705
of a church that I attended in Tennessee,

00:49:14.705 --> 00:49:16.065
and the leader who was

00:49:16.065 --> 00:49:17.972
leading out in the songs,

00:49:17.972 --> 00:49:20.969
she sang with such joy.

00:49:20.969 --> 00:49:22.941
And I told her later, I said,

00:49:22.941 --> 00:49:24.870
"You sing as if you believed

00:49:24.870 --> 00:49:26.184
what you were singing."

00:49:26.184 --> 00:49:28.179
And she said, "I do."

00:49:28.179 --> 00:49:29.880
And it was just so inspiring

00:49:29.880 --> 00:49:32.445
to see her smiling face.

00:49:32.445 --> 00:49:34.342
And really, we're marching

00:49:34.342 --> 00:49:36.120
to Zion, you know?

00:49:36.120 --> 00:49:38.102
Whatever the songs were,

00:49:38.102 --> 00:49:41.104
she was very engaged, and you could tell

00:49:41.104 --> 00:49:44.568
she believed the message she was singing.

00:49:44.568 --> 00:49:47.028
And that inspired me because I thought

00:49:47.028 --> 00:49:48.980
that's an awesome example.

00:49:48.980 --> 00:49:50.489
(Derek) That was part

00:49:50.489 --> 00:49:53.462
of the sermon, right?

00:49:53.462 --> 00:49:55.057
That God can use a person,

00:49:55.057 --> 00:49:56.082
we ought to thank God

00:49:56.082 --> 00:49:59.280
for those people. Adison?

00:49:59.280 --> 00:50:01.966
(Adison) A pastor back home came to mind.

00:50:01.966 --> 00:50:03.595
He's an old family friend of ours.

00:50:03.595 --> 00:50:06.929
He baptized my dad back in 1994,

00:50:06.929 --> 00:50:11.444
and in 2011 he baptized my brother and me,

00:50:11.444 --> 00:50:13.909
my twin brother, both on the same day,

00:50:13.909 --> 00:50:15.635
so it was a really special moment.

00:50:15.635 --> 00:50:16.687
But what led to that

00:50:16.687 --> 00:50:19.676
was his involvement in our church.

00:50:19.676 --> 00:50:21.045
He would come to our church,

00:50:21.045 --> 00:50:21.978
and he would preach

00:50:21.978 --> 00:50:23.486
and lead out in worship.

00:50:23.486 --> 00:50:26.694
And I remember growing up as a child

00:50:26.694 --> 00:50:28.629
and moving into my early teens,

00:50:28.629 --> 00:50:31.284
just the impact of his messages,

00:50:31.284 --> 00:50:37.184
and the sincerity that he possessed.

00:50:37.184 --> 00:50:38.549
He was truly vindicating

00:50:38.549 --> 00:50:39.950
the character of Christ,

00:50:39.950 --> 00:50:42.026
and it had a huge impression on my life.

00:50:42.026 --> 00:50:44.586
And so his ability to lead in worship

00:50:44.586 --> 00:50:49.469
ultimately led to my cleansing,
experiencing baptism

00:50:49.469 --> 00:50:51.084
and truly a blessing.

00:50:51.084 --> 00:50:52.385
(Derek) Is he still living?

00:50:52.385 --> 00:50:53.731
(Adison) He is still living.

00:50:53.731 --> 00:50:55.015
(Derek) I hope he watches.

00:50:55.015 --> 00:50:56.169
(Adison) I hope so, too.

00:50:56.169 --> 00:50:58.031
(Derek) And he will see that testimony,

00:50:58.031 --> 00:50:59.388
and you know what he'll say?

00:50:59.388 --> 00:51:00.554
(Team) Praise God.

00:51:00.554 --> 00:51:02.254
(Derek) Probably with tears running

00:51:02.254 --> 00:51:04.321
down his cheeks, right,

00:51:04.321 --> 00:51:06.991
he'll say, "Praise God," or he may

00:51:06.991 --> 00:51:09.095
even use my favorite Hebrew word.

00:51:09.095 --> 00:51:11.345
(Team) Hallelujah.

00:51:11.345 --> 00:51:14.073
(Derek) Maybe a little less inhibited.

00:51:14.073 --> 00:51:17.874
Hallelujah! That God could use

00:51:17.874 --> 00:51:21.623
a woman, a man like us, you know,

00:51:21.623 --> 00:51:25.633
to do something supernatural

00:51:25.633 --> 00:51:27.995
like change a person's life?

00:51:27.995 --> 00:51:32.666
Praise God. Someone else. Yes, Jason?

00:51:32.666 --> 00:51:34.414
(Jason) I was invited to church

00:51:34.414 --> 00:51:37.037
a while back in Norfolk, Virginia.

00:51:37.037 --> 00:51:38.664
And I forget his name,

00:51:38.664 --> 00:51:40.725
but he asked me to come, and I did.

00:51:40.725 --> 00:51:42.755
He was an older gentleman, kind of stocky,

00:51:42.755 --> 00:51:43.627
but he had a voice

00:51:43.627 --> 00:51:45.844
that was very, very bass-like,

00:51:45.844 --> 00:51:47.203
and they had a song

00:51:47.203 --> 00:51:48.964
that they were singing at the church.

00:51:48.964 --> 00:51:50.522
He was sitting right next to me,

00:51:50.522 --> 00:51:52.297
and he was drowning me out.

00:51:52.297 --> 00:51:55.638
And it allowed me to be uninhibited,
for me to express,

00:51:55.638 --> 00:51:58.267
and I could just sing and sing and sing.

00:51:58.267 --> 00:51:59.713
And, you know, it might not

00:51:59.713 --> 00:52:00.762
seem like a blessing,

00:52:00.762 --> 00:52:02.138
but at the same time, it was

00:52:02.138 --> 00:52:03.997
because I could just be myself and sing

00:52:03.997 --> 00:52:05.263
because, of course, no one

00:52:05.263 --> 00:52:06.231
could really hear me

00:52:06.231 --> 00:52:07.520
because he was next to me,

00:52:07.520 --> 00:52:08.839
just barely, and from afar,

00:52:08.839 --> 00:52:10.477
everybody could hear him.

00:52:10.477 --> 00:52:12.487
As I looked back, it really was a blessing

00:52:12.487 --> 00:52:14.011
because at that point,

00:52:14.011 --> 00:52:15.176
I was a babe in Christ.

00:52:15.176 --> 00:52:17.059
I was kind of scared to sing, you know,

00:52:17.059 --> 00:52:18.449
because I really can't sing.

00:52:18.449 --> 00:52:19.731
But I made a joyful noise,

00:52:19.731 --> 00:52:21.094
however that sounded to him,

00:52:21.094 --> 00:52:22.492
but it really was a blessing.

00:52:22.492 --> 00:52:23.420
It really helped me

00:52:23.420 --> 00:52:24.911
to come out of my comfort zone.

00:52:24.911 --> 00:52:25.887
(Derek) Like singing

00:52:25.887 --> 00:52:26.975
with the angel choirs;

00:52:26.975 --> 00:52:29.745
like, sing up; it's going to sound okay.

00:52:29.745 --> 00:52:32.231
It's going to sound okay.

00:52:32.231 --> 00:52:33.627
We certainly can thank God

00:52:33.627 --> 00:52:35.585
for people who lead in worship,

00:52:35.585 --> 00:52:38.056
who God's used to bless our lives.

00:52:38.056 --> 00:52:40.730
I'd like to close by asking...
We're talking here

00:52:40.730 --> 00:52:42.287
about <i>Worshiping the Lord.</i>

00:52:42.287 --> 00:52:44.036
The Bible also says, "When you give,

00:52:44.036 --> 00:52:45.837
it's given back to you."

00:52:45.837 --> 00:52:47.210
Can you think of a time

00:52:47.210 --> 00:52:49.437
when God gave <i>you</i> the opportunity

00:52:49.437 --> 00:52:50.909
to help lead a worship,

00:52:50.909 --> 00:52:56.009
and you were blessed in that experience?

00:52:56.009 --> 00:52:57.796
Anybody? That <i>you</i> were given

00:52:57.796 --> 00:52:58.884
an opportunity to lead

00:52:58.884 --> 00:53:00.102
in worship. Kenneth?

00:53:00.102 --> 00:53:01.595
(Kenneth) I recently was at one

00:53:01.595 --> 00:53:03.949
of our Friday worships that we have,

00:53:03.949 --> 00:53:05.952
young couples, we meet.

00:53:05.952 --> 00:53:08.560
And everyone, not knowing

00:53:08.560 --> 00:53:11.752
that everyone has had a very rough week,

00:53:11.752 --> 00:53:13.827
so when we came, they said I should lead.

00:53:13.827 --> 00:53:16.832
And after we read a Scripture,

00:53:16.832 --> 00:53:19.387
I asked how is the message...

00:53:19.387 --> 00:53:20.391
You know, how is God

00:53:20.391 --> 00:53:21.741
speaking to them personally.

00:53:21.741 --> 00:53:23.509
And then each individual shared

00:53:23.509 --> 00:53:25.264
their experience throughout the week

00:53:25.264 --> 00:53:26.519
and how the hymns and then

00:53:26.519 --> 00:53:28.899
the Scripture was very appropriate,
speaking to us.

00:53:28.899 --> 00:53:31.336
So, that, yeah, testimony

00:53:31.336 --> 00:53:32.794
that they shared on that day

00:53:32.794 --> 00:53:34.702
really blessed me and lifted me up.

00:53:34.702 --> 00:53:36.045
(Derek) And this was a group

00:53:36.045 --> 00:53:37.177
of how many couples?

00:53:37.177 --> 00:53:38.429
(Kenneth) About eight.

00:53:38.429 --> 00:53:39.799
(Derek) About eight couples,

00:53:39.799 --> 00:53:41.933
you and your wife were helping
to lead that.

00:53:41.933 --> 00:53:44.171
And as God gave you a Scripture,

00:53:44.171 --> 00:53:45.330
and as they responded

00:53:45.330 --> 00:53:47.578
to how that impacted them,

00:53:47.578 --> 00:53:48.936
you were blessed in return?

00:53:48.936 --> 00:53:50.321
(Kenneth) More than blessed.

00:53:50.321 --> 00:53:51.596
(Derek) More than blessed,

00:53:51.596 --> 00:53:53.184
more than blessed. Yes, Gladys.

00:53:53.184 --> 00:53:56.377
(Gladys) Every month I do prison ministry

00:53:56.377 --> 00:53:58.749
at a prison here in Maryland.

00:53:58.749 --> 00:54:00.684
And it's just amazing how...

00:54:00.684 --> 00:54:03.228
We don't have any contact with them

00:54:03.228 --> 00:54:05.356
prior to going to visit,

00:54:05.356 --> 00:54:07.559
and I preach there regularly.

00:54:07.559 --> 00:54:09.239
And it amazes me always

00:54:09.239 --> 00:54:11.226
the message that God

00:54:11.226 --> 00:54:13.736
impresses me to present,

00:54:13.736 --> 00:54:16.236
how the songs that they prepare,

00:54:16.236 --> 00:54:18.050
the prayers that they prepare,

00:54:18.050 --> 00:54:19.573
everything that they share,

00:54:19.573 --> 00:54:22.669
it just goes together.

00:54:22.669 --> 00:54:25.153
It amazes me every single time

00:54:25.153 --> 00:54:27.771
because we never talk with them

00:54:27.771 --> 00:54:29.468
to say, "Hey, read this Scripture,"

00:54:29.468 --> 00:54:30.749
or, "Sing this song,"

00:54:30.749 --> 00:54:31.930
or, "Prepare this hymn."

00:54:31.930 --> 00:54:32.961
We just come prepared

00:54:32.961 --> 00:54:34.147
to bring the message,

00:54:34.147 --> 00:54:37.246
and everything in the worship
just comes together,

00:54:37.246 --> 00:54:39.348
and it blesses me every single time.

00:54:39.348 --> 00:54:40.739
And I always say that that's

00:54:40.739 --> 00:54:43.212
my favorite Sabbath of the month.

00:54:43.212 --> 00:54:45.122
(Derek) As you come to worship together.

00:54:45.122 --> 00:54:46.069
(Gladys) Yes.

00:54:46.069 --> 00:54:49.755
(Derek) God may give you the opportunity,

00:54:49.755 --> 00:54:53.042
not only to go and worship,

00:54:53.042 --> 00:54:55.711
sing with all your heart,

00:54:55.711 --> 00:55:03.095
experience cleansing, offer sacrifices,

00:55:03.095 --> 00:55:06.432
affirm those who are leading in worship,

00:55:06.432 --> 00:55:07.705
but God may also give you

00:55:07.705 --> 00:55:09.743
an opportunity to lead.

00:55:09.743 --> 00:55:10.970
He may, in response

00:55:10.970 --> 00:55:12.708
to what we've studied here,

00:55:12.708 --> 00:55:13.920
or maybe you're watching,

00:55:13.920 --> 00:55:16.485
God may give you a chance to lead.

00:55:16.485 --> 00:55:20.988
So, we've talked about the importance
of preparation.

00:55:20.988 --> 00:55:22.844
From what you've learned

00:55:22.844 --> 00:55:25.794
about worshiping in spirit and truth,

00:55:25.794 --> 00:55:26.732
what would you say

00:55:26.732 --> 00:55:29.056
is the most important preparation,

00:55:29.056 --> 00:55:31.933
either in <i>coming</i> to worship

00:55:31.933 --> 00:55:34.108
or in coming to <i>lead</i> worship?

00:55:34.108 --> 00:55:36.069
Maybe it's the same for both.

00:55:36.069 --> 00:55:38.062
The most important preparation,

00:55:38.062 --> 00:55:39.945
what would you say, Travis?

00:55:39.945 --> 00:55:41.950
(Travis) Courage and humility.

00:55:41.950 --> 00:55:45.397
(Derek) Okay, courage to not be inhibited,

00:55:45.397 --> 00:55:46.952
but humility to say

00:55:46.952 --> 00:55:49.482
it's all about Him and not about me.

00:55:49.482 --> 00:55:52.012
All right; you want to add
to that, Jonathan?

00:55:52.012 --> 00:55:54.304
(Jonathan) Recognition of our dependence
upon Him

00:55:54.304 --> 00:55:56.195
and just throwing ourselves upon Him...

00:55:56.195 --> 00:55:58.184
(Derek) Even when we come to worship,

00:55:58.184 --> 00:56:00.562
not just coming to lead worship.

00:56:00.562 --> 00:56:02.404
(Jonathan) Yeah, in multiple ways.

00:56:02.404 --> 00:56:05.113
(Derek) Right? "God, even 
coming to worship,

00:56:05.113 --> 00:56:10.399
I really can't worship You
like You deserve,"

00:56:10.399 --> 00:56:11.658
for a variety of reasons,

00:56:11.658 --> 00:56:13.479
bringing a lot of stuff with me,

00:56:13.479 --> 00:56:14.898
or, "I've never seen people

00:56:14.898 --> 00:56:17.477
really worshiping in spirit and truth,

00:56:17.477 --> 00:56:21.458
but here I am, and I come
in my great need.

00:56:21.458 --> 00:56:23.923
You do what You need to do." Evelyn?

00:56:23.923 --> 00:56:25.137
(Evelyn) I've been a part

00:56:25.137 --> 00:56:27.295
of some worship teams here and there,

00:56:27.295 --> 00:56:29.131
and sometimes the team is very focused

00:56:29.131 --> 00:56:31.031
on, "We need to get the harmony right,"

00:56:31.031 --> 00:56:32.294
and, "We need to make sure

00:56:32.294 --> 00:56:34.075
we hit every note exactly."

00:56:34.075 --> 00:56:35.509
And we don't exactly focus

00:56:35.509 --> 00:56:38.040
on, "Okay, is this music
really uplifting God?"

00:56:38.040 --> 00:56:40.041
Or, "Are the people who are going to hear

00:56:40.041 --> 00:56:41.075
going to be blessed?"

00:56:41.075 --> 00:56:42.703
And I realize that those worships

00:56:42.703 --> 00:56:44.879
are the ones where I'm most nervous in.

00:56:44.879 --> 00:56:46.823
It's the worships that we are

00:56:46.823 --> 00:56:50.205
anxious to go and sing.

00:56:50.205 --> 00:56:52.288
However, I've contrasted that

00:56:52.288 --> 00:56:54.241
with worships where we're really praying.

00:56:54.241 --> 00:56:55.452
We're saying, "God, I ask

00:56:55.452 --> 00:56:57.430
that this music bless those who hear it."

00:56:57.430 --> 00:56:59.474
Those are the best worships
that we've had.

00:56:59.474 --> 00:57:00.546
(Derek) The very best.

00:57:00.546 --> 00:57:01.822
When God is lifted up,

00:57:01.822 --> 00:57:05.075
when my heart is aligned with His heart,

00:57:05.075 --> 00:57:06.166
when I'm saying, "God,

00:57:06.166 --> 00:57:07.848
this is all about You," whether I'm

00:57:07.848 --> 00:57:09.820
worshiping or leading in worship,

00:57:09.820 --> 00:57:14.460
whether I'm singing, whether I'm asking
for cleansing,

00:57:14.460 --> 00:57:17.259
whether I'm offering a sacrifice

00:57:17.259 --> 00:57:20.868
or giving thanks for those
who are worshiping,

00:57:20.868 --> 00:57:23.098
"Let my heart beat with Your heart,

00:57:23.098 --> 00:57:26.617
and let my worship, by Your grace,

00:57:26.617 --> 00:57:27.841
bring joy to Your heart."

00:57:27.841 --> 00:57:29.093
Is that your prayer today?

00:57:29.093 --> 00:57:29.962
(Team) Amen.

00:57:29.962 --> 00:57:31.659
(Derek) Let's pray that will happen

00:57:31.659 --> 00:57:32.644
even in the worships

00:57:32.644 --> 00:57:33.914
that are just ahead of us.

00:57:33.914 --> 00:57:35.142
Father in Heaven, You are

00:57:35.142 --> 00:57:36.954
worthy of all worship.

00:57:36.954 --> 00:57:38.542
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

00:57:38.542 --> 00:57:41.245
for all You have done for our salvation,

00:57:41.245 --> 00:57:43.968
we praise You and worship You even today.

00:57:43.968 --> 00:57:45.639
And we pray, from the principles

00:57:45.639 --> 00:57:47.467
we've learned from Ezra and Nehemiah,

00:57:47.467 --> 00:57:49.925
that we would go on to worship You

00:57:49.925 --> 00:57:52.395
in spirit and truth, just as Jesus

00:57:52.395 --> 00:57:54.422
longed for us to do.

00:57:54.422 --> 00:57:56.706
We pray it in Jesus' name. Amen.

00:57:56.706 --> 00:57:57.934
(Team) Amen.

00:57:57.934 --> 00:57:59.344
(Derek) Thanks for joining us

00:57:59.344 --> 00:58:00.490
for Hope Sabbath School!

00:58:00.490 --> 00:58:02.247
Go out and be a blessing

00:58:02.247 --> 00:58:03.497
to those around you.

00:58:03.497 --> 00:58:29.428
♪ theme music ♪