HSS_2019_Q4_EP10

♪ theme music ♪

(Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School,

an in-depth, interactive study

of the Word of God.

We are in the middle

of a series of studies

on Ezra and Nehemiah,

an ancient priest, an ancient courtier,

that God used by His Spirit
to give messages,

not only for their generation

but also for us today.

Today we're going to glimpse at worship

in Ezra and Nehemiah's time,

Worshiping the Lord,

and it will inspire us as we think

about out own worship of the Lord today.

So welcome to Hope Sabbath School.

What's the most important lesson

we've learned from Ezra

and Nehemiah so far?

What do you think?

(Jason) God is in control.

(Derek) God is in control,

and God uses people, doesn't He?

People like Ezra and Nehemiah,

and, of course, you've got

a contemporary with Esther,

men and women of God who are, like,

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

And we're just so glad that you are part

of that global team

because it's not just a few of us here

but Hope Sabbath School members

in 150 countries around the world

that are part of God's team, sharing

the good news of a God who loves us

with an immeasurable and unfailing love.

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

(Team) Bula!

(Derek) That's a greeting.

"I want to praise God

for the marvelous work the Holy Spirit

is doing through Hope Sabbath School.

I never miss any of your series.

I always download all of the topics
on my phone

and share them with my friends."

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) "It helps me,

taking the Sabbath School class

in my ministry at the park

where I teach and share with those

who sleep on the streets."

(Team) Wow.

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

We also have Sabbath School in the park.

We share lunch together.

Sometimes there is not enough food,

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

(Team) Amen.

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

and orphanages for visits."

I tell you, Jimilai sounds, like,

on fire for Jesus, wouldn't you say?

"I thank God that He brought me

to Hope ministry to encourage me

in every way and enlighten me
and my family

to press forward until eternity,

knowing the end is near,

and we should be ready to go home."

(Team) Amen!

(Derek) I want to thank you, Jimilai,

for writing to us from Fiji.

And he says, "We really need

your prayers for our lives,

those who are on the streets,

that we can hang in there, no matter

what may come until Jesus comes."

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Did you know we had

a Hope Sabbath School member in Fiji

teaching homeless people in a park? Amen?

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Solomon writes to us from Nigeria.

Solomon, thanks for being part

of our Hope Sabbath School family.

"I'm very happy with the work of God

that you are doing," he says.

"I was born into a Christian family,

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

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) "I watch your program every week,

and it makes me happy,

and I'm filled with the Spirit.

Even if I have problems,

I turn and I watch the program,

and my problems go away."

Well, that's interesting.

Maybe the problems are still there,

but I'm not focusing on them anymore.

"Happiness in the Holy Spirit takes over.

Glory be to God Almighty."

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Solomon, thanks

for your testimony; you cheered us up.

And it's true, when we turn

our eyes towards Jesus, as the song goes,

the things of Earth, what?

(Team) Grow strangely dim.

(Derek) They may still be problems
and challenges,

but they grow strangely dim.

Roatan, Honduras, Leonardo writes

and says, "I just want to say,

'Keep up the good work.'

It's a blessing to learn God's Word

and to understand God's Word with you.

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

Well, Leonardo, thanks for the short note

to Hope Sabbath School.

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

Here's a short note

from a donor in Pennsylvania,

and I just want to thank each one of you

that prays and supports.

We're a donor-supported ministry.

"Thanks once again for all you do

to help people understand the Bible."

Do you hear the theme

coming through over and over again?

My life would be lost without it."

(Stephanie) Wow.

(Derek) As always, keep up the good work

of spreading God's Word."

Well, thanks for writing

to us from Pennsylvania.

We're glad that you're part

of our Hope Sabbath School family.

And thank you for your support
and your prayers.

One last note, from Gaetano in Malta,

the island of Malta; Malta is where?

(Kenneth) Near Greece.

(Derek) Right, in the Mediterranean Sea,

not far from Greece.

"I am from Malta,

a Seventh-day Adventist Christian.

I watch Hope Sabbath School

when I'm at home.

I sometimes lead a class at my church.

Thanks for what you're doing.

May the Lord bless you.

May we all find ourselves

in the city of God."

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) That's the prayer, right?

"I pray for you; please pray for me.

I have still got some things

to get rid of in my life

to be more like Jesus."

Well, you know, it's true,

the closer we come to Jesus,

the more we see our own deficiencies.

But we're not focusing on those things;

otherwise; what happens to us?

We get depressed, right?

We want to turn our eyes on Jesus.

And then he concludes,

"I am thankful for all of you.

God bless you, your brother

in Christ in Malta."

Well, Gaetano, thanks for writing to us

from that beautiful island.

And thanks to each one of you

for writing to Hope Sabbath School.

You can write to [e-mail].

We send it to the team,

and it really gives us encouragement

to see how God is changing lives
around the world.

Right now we want to sing

our theme song, 3,000 years old.

The words, Psalm 25,

the tune is one that my wife composed,

and it's a cheerful little song.

I feel like jumping when I sing it.

Why don't you sing it with us?

♪ music ♪

(Derek) You know, the theme

for our study today

is Worshiping the Lord,

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

You might say, "I can't believe

I've just sung on global television,"

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

because someone in Roatan,

someone in (What were some

of the other places we read?)

Fiji and Malta, they're going

to be singing along with us

and praising the Lord,

every nation, kindred, tongue and people.

And on that day we gather

by the sea of glass,

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

whether it will be the language of Heaven,

or whether somehow God

will merge all of those languages

into one symphony of praise,

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

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

But we're going to focus today

on Worshiping the Lord,

and we are going to learn some lessons

from the fifth century B.C.,

from Ezra and Nehemiah who led the exiles

in that second and third wave,

trying to get back to where God

had originally called them to be.

We'll learn some lessons.

Let's pray the Holy Spirit

will be our Teacher today.

Our Father in Heaven, we thank You

for Hope Sabbath School members
around the world.

We represent every nation,

kindred, tongue and people.

You're calling Your people to prepare

for the soon coming of Jesus.

And, God, we believe that worshiping You

in spirit and truth

is a crucial part

of our spiritual journey.

And so, as we study

lessons from ancient inspired texts

of Ezra and Nehemiah,

may your Holy Spirit speak to us

in a fresh way today.

We pray it in the name of Jesus. Amen.

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Worshiping the Lord,

singing the songs of the Lord,

let's start in Ezra, chapter 3,

and, Stephanie, if you could begin

our study today in Ezra,

chapter 3, verses 10 and 11.

Let's see how the people

in the time of Ezra responded

when the foundations were laid

for the new temple.

(Stephanie) And I'll be reading

from the King James Version:

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

we were having a good time

with our Scripture song,

but we didn't have trumpets and cymbals.

So how would you describe

what's going on here

as the temple's foundation

is being laid? Jonathan?

(Jonathan) They're rejoicing

that their years of separation

from their connection with God
is finally over,

and now they're back

to where God dwells amongst them,

and they have this special relationship
with God.

(Derek) How would you describe
their rejoicing?

(Team) Celebration. Jubilee.

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

I was born in Britain;

we kind of rejoice like this.

That's about it, you know.

It seems pretty uninhibited, doesn't it,

shouts of joy and cymbals and trumpets.

We want to hold onto that

as we go to Nehemiah,

but we ask our question,

what are some things

that might hold us back

from worshiping God in spirit and truth?

Now, someone told me this some years ago;

I'll never forget it.

They said if in your worship you're trying

to draw attention to yourself,

that's called exhibitionism, right?

But if in your worship

you're wanting to bring glory to God,

you know the little child that jumps up

and, you know, is that exhibitionism?

Or my wife's grandma from China

who would kowtow and blow kisses to Jesus,

is that exhibitionism or is that freedom

to worship in spirit and truth

in their culture, right?

Now, if she was doing it,

or someone's doing it

just to draw attention to themselves...

But let's think about this.

I think you're right;

I mean, they were really...

Is there such a thing as really rejoicing?

They were rejoicing in spirit and truth.

Remember that picture Ezra described,

and let's take a look

in Nehemiah, chapter 12.

Jason, if you could read chapter 12,

look at verse 27, 31, 42 and 43.

We'll catch a little glimpse

of what's happening.

Here, you've got the temple,

in the time of Ezra, the foundations.

Now they're celebrating

that the walls have been rebuilt.

Let's see how they worship the Lord.

(Jason) I'll be reading

from the New King James Version,

Nehemiah, chapter 12,

verse 27, 31, and 42 and 43:

Then we have verse 31:

42 and 43:

(Derek) What do you think?!

How would you compare that to the time

of the laying of the stones
in Ezra's time?

Similar, right? There were
a few additions.

What did you see in terms of additions?

(Gladys) They have choirs.

(Derek) They had these

kind of antiphonal choirs, right?

I think that was alluded to

in the time of Ezra.

But these were large choirs. What else?

(Nicole) Instruments.

(Derek) They had stringed
instruments, too,

and harps, right?

And how far was the celebration heard?

(Team) A distance. Far away.

(Derek) Yeah. So there's

this tremendous sense of singing songs
to the Lord,

and, of course, probably many

of those songs were songs of Scripture,

like the one we sang for our theme song.

Let's go back to the time of David,

in 1 Chronicles 25:6-7,

where David appoints singers.

We're looking here at worshiping the Lord,

and certainly one way

is worshiping Him in song.

Somebody have 1 Chronicles 25?

Travis, verses 6 and 7, what does it say?

(Travis) I'll be reading

from the New King James Version:

(Derek) So, I have a question for you.

That's a lot of singers - 288 -

and what does it say about them?

(Nicole) They were all accomplished.

(Derek) Yeah, they were skillful, right?

I mean, some of us, there are leaders,

some of you are leaders,

and some of us are leaners.

That means we're not the soloists, right?

But these were all skillful.

Evelyn, why do you think

David appointed so many to be singers

in the house of the Lord, 288?

(Evelyn) I believe David recognized

the importance to give God

your 100 percent in worship.

To him it was important.

He said, "This is our God.

We have to give Him the best.

We need our skilled musicians

to praise God as joyfully as they can."

(Derek) And he certainly

did that personally, didn't he?

He wrote many Scripture songs,

and probably he sang many of them

to an audience of One - who was that?

To the Lord, right?

Yeah, he sang, "To You, O Lord..."

I don't know what the tune was, right,

but just to an audience of One.

But I think Evelyn's right.

He sensed the value of worship, excuse me,

of music as part of worship,

and so he just wants lots

of skilled musicians

to help lead. Kenneth?

(Kenneth) One important note

is the directors in directing these people

because even though you have the skill,

if you are not directed
in the right way...

(Derek) Has anyone been part of a choir

where there was no director?

I mean, I suppose

a very well-trained choir

because it's kind of ingrained;

otherwise, it could be
fairly chaotic, right?

So, you noticed there was someone

who actually directed them

so that things actually came

at the same time; good point. Gladys.

(Gladys) I was thinking

that maybe to avoid burnout,

you know, when you have so many people,

you can take turns

instead of having just the same person

doing everything at the same
all the time.

(Derek) Yeah, you've got

almost one per day here, right, 288.

So, instead of going,

"Oh, I've got to sing again today,"

it's like, "It's my day coming.

I'm going to be able to sing

in the house of the Lord."

I'm sure they did it in groups,

but, yeah, there were many reasons,

but that's a fairly significant group

to lead in songs of the Lord.

(Jason) Also, I was going to add,

also the more the merrier.

Like we read the verse before,

it was heard afar off.

So the more people you have,

the more it could be heard

because I think that was
one of the reasons

why they had large choirs,

so that other nations could hear

and say, "Oh, what's all that about?"

Intriguing them, you know,

about the beautiful music
that's being sung.

(Derek) Sure. So there is

a certain strength in numbers

when you have a large choir,

or there they had choirs antiphonal,

choirs singing back and forth

to each other, quite impressive.

I want to hyperspace forward

to something Jesus said,

and then I have

an application question for us.

Jesus said that the Father seeks people

who worship Him in spirit and in truth.

That's a principle, Jonathan, right?

It's not like a specific description.

What does that mean to you?

(Jonathan) I think the spirit

can look different for different people.

To me, it's examining our hearts.

Like, I think "spirit" certainly applies

that you just want someone

that's filled with the Spirit.

It is coming out of them;

it is not just something exterior.

God has changed their heart,
and it's flowing

out of this relationship,

but sometimes you can

get really excited about things, maybe,

and not all that excitement

is grounded in truth.

And so it seems like

it's capturing, like, yes,

it needs to be emotional,

it needs to be wholehearted,

but it also needs to be based on truth.

And so God wants all of us,

every part of our body and brain,

to be intelligently appreciating
who He is

and wholeheartedly in love with,

and expressing that love to Him.

(Derek) I remember someone,

while you were sharing,

saying, "I don't mind making

a fool of myself in front of God."

Well, my question would be,

is God asking you to make

a fool of yourself in front of Him?

I like what Jonathan said.

My worship, we're talking here

about music, specifically,

should be uninhibited.

Like, "Oh, I don't know.

I'm not the greatest singer.

Maybe I can't just be

really singing like this

because Johnny can sing

a lot better than I can,"

or, "Susan is much more..."

So I'm not, like, inhibited

by what others might think,

but my brain is still in gear, right?

So the principles I've learned
from Scripture,

you know, if angels cover their faces

and cry, "Holy, holy, holy,"

I don't think God's asking us

to make a fool of ourselves

in front of Him, whatever that means.

Does that make sense?

Anybody else? "Spirit and Truth," Jason?

(Jason) Building off the idea
of truth there,

Jonathan referenced grounding it
in the truth,

and I think in this case

it's in the Word of God

and making sure that what you're singing,

what you're worshiping,

the music you're saying, is consistent

with what God has told us in His Word.

The principles, the beliefs, the values.

(Derek) Okay, anyone want

to add to that before I want

to apply it a little further?

Nicole and then Gladys.

(Nicole) I would add to that,

that it should be a worship that draws
you closer to Christ.

(Derek) So, what is the result
of that worship?

(Nicole) Right, and it should reflect

the Person you're worshiping.

(Derek) Oh, and the character of...Okay.

So if I just go back

with a lot of adrenaline
and emotional hype,

and then I just kind of crash,

rather than walking away

saying "God is awesome,"

"Jesus is my marvelous Savior," right,

what's the focus, okay?

Now, we've heard...Gladys, I'm sorry;
I forgot you.

(Gladys) Nicole just told

what I was going to say basically.

Sometimes we just get consumed

in the activity itself

instead of Who we're worshiping.

So, that should be the focus,

and, like you said,

after the worship is over,

that has to be like a renewal
of our spirit

instead of a draining activity

because we were just working out,
you know...

(Derek) Let's get very practical
then, okay?

Do we allow our worship

to really express to God

how we genuinely feel?

You know, I hear, "Holy, holy,
holy" [sad voice],

and you look at them,

and you go, "That's scary."

What are some things that hold us back?

Again, we're not talking

about showmanship or exhibitionism,

but, you know, that the angels

would look down and say, "Those people

really love our heavenly Father.

Look at them; look at the way

they're singing the songs of the Lord."

What might hold us back from that,

do you think? Nicole?

(Nicole) I think sometimes we get consumed
by our circumstance,

and we also get so down

by what's going on around us

that when we come to church,

we can't even put that aside to say,

"Thank You, Lord, for what You
have done for us."

We get so bogged down,

and, "Oh, this happened,"

and you're in church, "Holy, holy..."

It's our circumstances; we let those
take over our ability

to really be able to worship the Person...

(Derek) So, one thing then

that may hold us back, Nicole is saying,

is we bring a lot of stuff with us,

which is part of our lives,

but it could distract us.

What else might hold us back? Kenneth?

(Kenneth) Sometimes it's because

of those...like, we are afraid

of how people are going to criticize us,

so we are looking at how people

are going to interpret what we are doing.

And then, because of that,

we hold back from actually rendering

a very heartfelt worshiping to God.

(Derek) And part of the reason

we might be concerned

by what people think

is because we don't see

many other people uninhibited

in their expression of singing

the songs of the Lord.

If we saw some of them, and we see

they're not showmanship or exhibitionism,

they're just genuinely worshiping
the Lord,

that might give us a sense of what?

Freedom to be able to do so as well.

We've got lots of hands raised here.

Is this an important topic?

(Team) Yes.

(Derek) We have much to learn

from Ezra and Nehemiah.

Have you been to a worship service
recently

that looked like what we read

in Ezra and Nehemiah

where just, it was heard afar off?

There were choirs and singing.

(Team) No. It's been awhile.

(Derek) Jonathan, share a time

with me, if you would,

when you experienced worship with music.

You were talking to me about a time

that just really lifted you

to the throne room of God.

(Jonathan) Yeah, there was

a Christian concert that was

specifically focused on worship
that was amazing.

I went to it; I wasn't sure,

but after a little while, it was...

Yeah, I kind of lost the sense of time.

I was just forgetting

about the people around me

and just worshiping God...

(Derek) And what was your takeaway

when you left that concert?

(Jonathan) It felt like

kind of a taste of Heaven,

just the joy that it will be

to truly be able with your whole heart

to express and be singing beautiful songs.

Just, yeah, you enter another world,

and you don't have to worry
about the people around you.

It's loud enough that no one else
can really hear you,

and you're worshiping with all your heart.

(Derek) Anybody have

an experience like that? Evelyn?

(Evelyn) I think a time that I sensed that

was when you came to preach at Southern.

It was fairly recently.

We were singing, "Wonderful,
Merciful Savior,"

and I remember you kept directing

the students to sing the line

over and over again.

And I remember being so choked up

I could barely sing

because I felt like crying.

I was like, "God, You are

the One that we praise."

And I just remember thinking,

"I wish the service could be like this

every time we have vespers."

I mean, the music was
absolutely beautiful.

(Derek) I happened to be

at that same meeting,

and the presence of God was so palpable,

we didn't want to leave.

So, we know God wants to be with us
always like that.

So, again, maybe the stuff that we bring?

Now, to give a little context

to that beautiful music and worship,

the leaders of music had really prepared.

They were singing in key.

They had some beautiful instruments.

It wasn't loud and kind of overwhelming.

It was sweet and beautiful.

But also the people who had gathered;

many of them were going to go,

either as student missionaries...

Travis, you were there that night.

(Travis) I was.

(Derek) Many of them were going to go

for a year of volunteer mission service.

Many of them were going to go

and share the gospel message

in short meetings during the summer.

So the kind of people who came,

does that make a difference?

(Team) Yes.

(Derek) If people come with an open heart?
Stephanie?

(Stephanie) I was thinking

somewhat along the same line as Nicole.

The distraction that could be

is that we have lost our taste

and our desire for the things of God.

And so it no longer is beautiful to us.

(Derek) Ah, wow. Either it's

no longer beautiful,

or we just don't even know

what it looks like or what it sounds like.

I'm going to take one more comment
from Jonathan,

and then we need to go on

because singing is just one part

of worshiping the Lord.

But could we agree

from the 288 that David named

that it is an important part?

(Team) Yes.

(Derek) Yes, Jonathan.

(Jonathan) I just want to add something

to what was just previously said.

In our focus, where we
have our attention,

also affects the way we worship

and the way we sing.

So here we see that they were focused

on what God was doing for them,

so they could properly worship Him.

Sometimes we come to a church

thinking of other things,

and then the way we worship

is affected by that.

(Derek) Absolutely.

(Jonathan) If our taste,

as she was saying, for music, for worship

is destroyed or damaged

by what we observe,

if we want to restore it,

we have to observe

the proper thing, which is God.

(Derek) So, we come focusing on Him.

And I think, back to Evelyn,

your experience there,

people came who had surrendered

their lives to God,

and the worship leaders came prepared

to bring attention to God

and not to themselves,

and God showed up in a powerful way.

Another aspect of worshiping the Lord

is experiencing cleansing.

Let's look in Nehemiah, chapter 12.

Jason, if you could read that for us,

chapter 12 and verse 30?

(Jason) All right, and I'll be reading

from the New King James Version,

and the Bible says:

(Derek) Another word for purified is...?

(Derek, Team) Cleansed.

(Derek) So let's talk

about cleansing and worship.

Question: Should I be cleansed

before I come to worship - is that

an essential preparation for coming -

or can I experience cleansing
in the worship?

(Team) Both.

(Derek) Oh, both.

(Nicole) What is "cleansing"?

(Derek) Okay, that's

a good question, Nicole.

What is "cleansing"?

Well, "Create in me

a clean heart, O God..."

(Derek, Team) "Renew a right spirit
within me."

(Derek) Or...? Acts, chapter 2,

"Be baptized...for the washing away
of your sins."

So cleansing is forgiveness

and a restoration of purity,

and that's a gift of God.

Would that be a good preparation
for worship?

(Team) Yes. Sure.

(Derek) Can I come

if I've not experienced that?

(Team) Yes.

(Derek) Jonathan?

(Jonathan) I just want to say

that we cannot cleanse ourselves,

so we cannot pretend

to go in, cleaned, to worship.

So we have to have a "please" position,

a willingness to be cleansed,

and go in before His presence,

as we behold His presence,

as we worship Him,

as we are in contact with God,
we are cleansed.

(Derek) I remember someone said,

"I can't go and celebrate

the Lord's Supper," or Communion,

"because I don't feel worthy."

And I'm thinking, "Then no one could go."

That's why we go, because we're
not worthy - Who's worthy?

(Team) Jesus.

(Derek) Jesus is worthy.

Now, that's different

from 1 Corinthians 11,

talking about doing it

in an unworthy manner.

That's talking about carelessness,
lack of reverence.

but Jonathan makes a good point.

If I say, "Well, I don't think

I'm clean enough to come

and worship the Lord,"

it's in coming and worshiping Him

that I can experience that restoration

then transformation. Kenneth?

(Kenneth) Recently my wife took me

to enjoy one of the Christian

contemporary music festivals,

and at first I was hesitant.

But when we got there, what I saw

and what the musicians there said,

"You know, sometimes you guys

just think that the music
just comes naturally,

but let me tell you,

before I come to sing,

I spend some time with God.

Not a day," he said, "I dedicate

a week praying and preparing myself

so that the music that I'm going to sing
or minister,

is going to impact the lives of people."

So this is how I see this

about cleansing and preparation

that we can do, so that when we

come together with fellow believers,

the music will make a joyful noise to God

and impact the people who come there.

(Derek) That's interesting.

Kenneth's saying the preparation

is not only by the worshiper who comes

but the one who's leading in worship.

We're going to come back

to that a little later,

but that's so important.

Let's focus again on the need

for cleansing as part of worship.

First John 1, verse 9,

is fairly well known by many Christians

about, "If we confess our sins,"

but I would like to start in verse 7.

First John 1, Adison,

if you could start with verse 7.

Listen carefully, the Apostle John

speaking under inspiration of God,

verses 7 through 9.

(Adison) And I'll be reading

from the King James Version:

(Derek) How many of us need cleansing?

(Team) All.

(Derek) In fact, if we think we don't...?

(Team) We deceive ourselves.

(Derek) We deceive ourselves, right?

We all need cleansing, and, ideally,

before I even come to worship

I prepare, and I say, "Lord,

make me clean like the new-fallen snow."

But I may come just as I am and say,

"God, have mercy on me, a sinner."

Remember that man who beat on his...?

If he had waited to come...

No, he came just as he was,

and he experienced the cleansing

that he so desperately needed.

So this cleansing experience,

I'd like someone to share

a time when you experienced

that cleansing of God as you lifted

your heart in praise and worship to Him.

Anyone have a story

that comes to mind? Gladys.

(Gladys) Actually I was not in church.

I was in my classroom,

and my heart was very burdened

with situations that I had before.

But I had to teach Bible,

so I was like, "Lord,

I don't know how to do this

because my heart is not in it."

And it was Creation, so I said,

"Oh, I don't have to...I really...

I can do this with my eyes closed

because it's about Creation.

And for the first time,

God, with the singing the kids were doing,

and the reading of the Word of God,

God just blessed my heart.

When I read that Scripture,

"In the beginning, God

created the heavens and the earth,"

it struck me like for the first time.

I just started weeping

because I just could not believe

that in the beginning

the world was in chaos,

and I felt like God was talking to me,

"Your world is in chaos,

and I am here to bring light."

And it was just like

a wonderful worship experience for me,

and I was just not even ready for that.

And the kids were singing and singing,

you know, "Let There Be Light,"

"This Little Light of Mine."

I don't know how they just connected

all these songs together.

And it was just such a blessing,

and it was not even a church.

(Derek) It was a church, actually,

and the angels were saying

to the children, "Keep singing,
keep singing."

We can experience the cleansing of God

sometimes in unexpected places.

Anybody else have a story? Adison.

(Adison) Well, lately, I've been doing

a lot of road-tripping.

(Derek) For those who may be,

because we've got 150 countries,

"road-tripping" would mean...?

(Adison) Well, sometimes

it means going to Canada.

(Derek) Okay, so, long drives in a car?

(Adison) Long drives, sometimes
45, 48 hours.

(Derek) That is long.

(Adison) I try to space it out
a little bit

but sometimes knock it all out.

Anyway, there is a lot of time

to think as you're driving.

And I also enjoy listening to music.

And so, I was listening as I was driving

and thinking about Heaven

and thinking about Jesus

and all the good things

He's done for me personally.

This song began to play, and it was

called, "Lord, Have Mercy on Me,"

and I just began to...

It even brought tears to my eyes

because I began to rethink

just how imperfect I am

and the times I let people down

and the times when I just fall short.

And it really was a moving experience

at an unexpected time.

(Derek) And you were driving?

(Adison) I was driving.

(Derek) And you had windshield wipers
to wipe the tears?

(Adison) I suppose, yeah.

(Derek) God can catch us if we don't

keep putting up barriers, right?

Maybe at a Christian concert

or maybe one-on-one listening

while I'm on a long road trip,

God can catch our attention.

Songs of praise, important,

cleansing, important as part of worship.

But also the Bible speaks

about offering sacrifices.

Now we know in the Old Testament time,

the ceremonial system, those sacrifices

were animals, right, birds and animals

and grain offerings, and different parts,

all pointing forward to...?

(Team) Jesus.

(Derek) Jesus, our all-sufficient Savior.

Look at Nehemiah, chapter 12, verse 43.

Again, we're focusing here

on how they were worshiping

the Lord at that time.

Nehemiah, 12, Travis,

if you'd read verse 43.

Notice what it says.

(Travis) I'll be reading

from the New King James Version:

(Derek) What do you think it means

when it says they offered
"great sacrifices"?

First of all, do you think it's talking

about animal sacrifices there?

(Kenneth) Maybe even more than animals.

(Derek) Maybe more, but it

could include that, right? Jonathan.

(Jonathan) I was thinking it

could be alluding back to when Solomon

dedicated the temple.

And I was trying to think of the number,

but it was like thousands upon thousands,
all these sacrifices.

(Derek) So, would you say then...

But Kenneth's thinking it was

more than just maybe animal sacrifices
or sacrifice.

What other kinds of sacrifices

might they have offered that day?

(Gladys) Their time.

(Derek) Their time? Grain? Okay.

First fruits.

(Team Member) Themselves.

(Derek) Themselves, right?

(Team Member) For God's service.

(Derek) What's the "great," Travis?

(Travis) It says, the verse after that,

"At the same time," they appointed

rooms for a storehouse,

so that means if there were rooms

being appointed to store the offerings
and the things,

I'm thinking that they were bringing

gifts to the Lord, you know,

presenting things to Him.

(Derek) Some might have been animals
that were killed.

Some might have been free-will offerings,

sacrificial offerings that would help

the support of the temple,

the priests, the Levites,
the singers, right?

So, "great," would you say "great"

in terms of quantity or significance...?

(Team) Both.

(Derek) You say quality and quantity;
it was both.

You would say they weren't saying,

"What's the least I have to bring?"

You remember when Moses called

for the building of the sanctuary,

that the response was so overwhelming,

Moses had to say, "We have enough."

That's a heartfelt response, isn't it?
Yes, Nicole?

(Nicole) I was just thinking
it would be so nice today

if our churches could tell people
to stop bringing

because we have enough

to support the needy, the folks

who are in need in our church.

And it's just an example for us

that we have a ways to go

when it comes to doing what Christ wants,

which is helping those around us

that are in such need.

(Derek) So, let's talk about today.

We don't sacrifice animals.

Why don't we sacrifice lambs anymore?

(Team) Jesus came.

(Derek) Jesus is the Lamb of God.

He died once for all, right?

And so, instead of focusing

on a little, helpless lamb, beast,

we focus on Jesus, right?

So, what sacrifices can we bring

as part of worship in spirit and truth?

What do you think?

(Kenneth) I think somewhere

in the book of Romans it says

we should present ourselves

as a living sacrifice.

(Derek) That's right,

in Romans, chapter 12, doesn't it?

It says, "Present your bodies..."?

(Team) A living sacrifice.

(Derek) A living sacrifice,

holy, acceptable to God," my translation

says, "which is your reasonable service."

And it goes on to say,

"Don't be conformed to..."?

(Team) This world.

(Derek) "...to this world, but be..."?

(Team) "Transformed by the renewing
of your mind."

(Derek) So, maybe part

of the sacrifice we bring

is a willingness to...?

Finish the sentence.

(Gladys) To be transformed.

(Derek) To be transformed, that's right.

It's not, as Jonathan mentioned earlier,

that we come because we look so good.

But we are willing for God

to do whatever He wants to do.

Is that an act of worship?

(Team) Amen. Yes.

(Jonathan) It makes me think of the verse,

"The sacrifices of the Lord

are a broken and contrite spirit."

And I think that captures

a lot of what it's about

and what Christ went through

and His example for us.

Willing to be humble and come down

and be beaten by all these people

and to live a life without...

All the things that we look for,

He gave up and said, "Okay,

I give this up," and He lived

that Romans 12, "Let your bodies

be a living sacrifice."

(Derek) And I think

Jonathan's making an important point here

that, when we come to true worship

in spirit and truth,

our focus is not on whatever sacrifices
we are making.

We will make them,

as a loving response,

but our focus should be
on the sacrifice...?

(Team) That Jesus made.

(Derek) That He has made, right?

"God forbid," Paul says,

"that I should boast," or glory,

"except in the cross

of our Lord Jesus Christ."

That's where my focus should be,
in true worship.

So, how are we doing with that?

Is Christ always the focal point?

Is that not our prayer

in Hope Sabbath School?

Whatever we're studying about,

that people would catch a clearer

and yet clearer revelation of what?

(Team) Jesus.

(Derek) The immeasurable, unfailing
love of God,

and that Jesus would be...?

(Team) Lifted up.

(Derek) Would be lifted up.

So, the sacrifices we bring -

we're singing songs to the Lord,

we are experiencing cleansing,

and the sacrifice is...?

Ourselves in worship

and thankfulness to...?

The One who loved us

and gave Himself for us, right? Travis?

(Travis) And our sacrifices

also can be with our tithes and offerings

as they did back then

because the work can go forward,

you know, when we contribute.

Hope Sabbath School is donor-based.

Without offerings to the Hope Channel,

we wouldn't be here.

(Derek) Right, and some of you

pay to drive all the way here

or to fly all the way here, right?

Why do you do that?

Some might say, "They just want

to be on television."

Let me tell you, it's not worth it.

It has to be because you see

lives are being changed, right?

(Team) Amen. Yes.

(Derek) So your coming here
is an act of...?

(Team) Worship.

(Derek) It's an act of worship. Jason?

(Jason) And the utilizing
of our time, too.

(Derek) Which is an act of worship.

(Jason) Yes.

(Derek) Sure. Well, good.

We've got three important lessons

we've learned so far.

We've learned singing songs to the Lord

was a really important part
of worship then.

And we mustn't lose sight of that, right,

even if we're singing

a 200-, 300-, 500-year-old song,

a 3,000-year-old Scripture song.

If we're singing Martin Luther's

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, you know?

"And though this world,
with devils filled,

should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear."

I mean, let's sing it like we meant it!

What do you think?

(Team) Yes. Amen.

(Derek) So that is an important part
of worship.

The cleansing is an important part
of worship.

And then thirdly, offering sacrifice,

not animals, but heart and gifts

in gratitude for what God has done,

not to pay or to earn His favor, right?

But a fourth lesson we learn,

look in Nehemiah 12, verse 44.

You could almost miss it.

It's actually just at at the end
of that verse,

and it talks about giving thanks

for those who lead in worship.

Would someone like to read that for us?

Gladys? Nehemiah 12, verse 44.

(Gladys) Yes, I'll be reading

from the New International Version:

(Derek) "Judah was pleased."

My Bible says they "rejoiced."

In other words, they appreciated

the spiritual leadership

that was being provided.

Who did they represent,

these priests and Levites?

Who do they represent?

The solemn thought

is that they actually represent

the character of God.

And that's why Jesus gets so upset

when He comes and they've turned

His Father's house into...?

(Derek, Team) A den of thieves.

(Derek) A marketplace, "How dare you

do that?" He says.

"It shall be called a house
of prayer for..."?

(Derek, Team) All people.

(Derek) So the responsibility

of those leading in worship

is to reflect the character of God, right?

So, let's talk about a time

when God blessed you...

We talked about music,

but I'm now going to broaden it out

to worship in general,

when God used someone,

in a sense representing the truth

about who He was,

to bless your life in worship.

Can you think of a time?

It may have been in a church,

or it may have been somewhere else.

It may have been at a camp,

or it may have been at a training program.

Travis, a time that God used someone

to bless your life in worship.

(Travis) I did the school of evangelism

in Australia, an ARISE program,

and I remember the last day,

It was a Thursday, and the presenter
was James Rafferty.

And he was presenting Revelation in a way

I had never seen it presented before.

And I remember it was an hour long,

and I remember weeping

almost the entire time,

the way he presented Jesus

in the light of love in Revelation.

It was just an amazing thing.

I taped it on my phone,

and I still have it and will listen to it

sometimes, from time to time.

And it still brings tears to my eyes.

So God used him in a powerful way.

(Derek) So God used a man named James

to reflect the beauty of God's character

in the message that he shared.

And praise God that that messenger

didn't get in the way, right?

It could happen. Stephanie, a time?

(Stephanie) Yeah, I was thinking

of a church that I attended in Tennessee,

and the leader who was

leading out in the songs,

she sang with such joy.

And I told her later, I said,

"You sing as if you believed

what you were singing."

And she said, "I do."

And it was just so inspiring

to see her smiling face.

And really, we're marching

to Zion, you know?

Whatever the songs were,

she was very engaged, and you could tell

she believed the message she was singing.

And that inspired me because I thought

that's an awesome example.

(Derek) That was part

of the sermon, right?

That God can use a person,

we ought to thank God

for those people. Adison?

(Adison) A pastor back home came to mind.

He's an old family friend of ours.

He baptized my dad back in 1994,

and in 2011 he baptized my brother and me,

my twin brother, both on the same day,

so it was a really special moment.

But what led to that

was his involvement in our church.

He would come to our church,

and he would preach

and lead out in worship.

And I remember growing up as a child

and moving into my early teens,

just the impact of his messages,

and the sincerity that he possessed.

He was truly vindicating

the character of Christ,

and it had a huge impression on my life.

And so his ability to lead in worship

ultimately led to my cleansing,
experiencing baptism

and truly a blessing.

(Derek) Is he still living?

(Adison) He is still living.

(Derek) I hope he watches.

(Adison) I hope so, too.

(Derek) And he will see that testimony,

and you know what he'll say?

(Team) Praise God.

(Derek) Probably with tears running

down his cheeks, right,

he'll say, "Praise God," or he may

even use my favorite Hebrew word.

(Team) Hallelujah.

(Derek) Maybe a little less inhibited.

Hallelujah! That God could use

a woman, a man like us, you know,

to do something supernatural

like change a person's life?

Praise God. Someone else. Yes, Jason?

(Jason) I was invited to church

a while back in Norfolk, Virginia.

And I forget his name,

but he asked me to come, and I did.

He was an older gentleman, kind of stocky,

but he had a voice

that was very, very bass-like,

and they had a song

that they were singing at the church.

He was sitting right next to me,

and he was drowning me out.

And it allowed me to be uninhibited,
for me to express,

and I could just sing and sing and sing.

And, you know, it might not

seem like a blessing,

but at the same time, it was

because I could just be myself and sing

because, of course, no one

could really hear me

because he was next to me,

just barely, and from afar,

everybody could hear him.

As I looked back, it really was a blessing

because at that point,

I was a babe in Christ.

I was kind of scared to sing, you know,

because I really can't sing.

But I made a joyful noise,

however that sounded to him,

but it really was a blessing.

It really helped me

to come out of my comfort zone.

(Derek) Like singing

with the angel choirs;

like, sing up; it's going to sound okay.

It's going to sound okay.

We certainly can thank God

for people who lead in worship,

who God's used to bless our lives.

I'd like to close by asking...
We're talking here

about Worshiping the Lord.

The Bible also says, "When you give,

it's given back to you."

Can you think of a time

when God gave you the opportunity

to help lead a worship,

and you were blessed in that experience?

Anybody? That you were given

an opportunity to lead

in worship. Kenneth?

(Kenneth) I recently was at one

of our Friday worships that we have,

young couples, we meet.

And everyone, not knowing

that everyone has had a very rough week,

so when we came, they said I should lead.

And after we read a Scripture,

I asked how is the message...

You know, how is God

speaking to them personally.

And then each individual shared

their experience throughout the week

and how the hymns and then

the Scripture was very appropriate,
speaking to us.

So, that, yeah, testimony

that they shared on that day

really blessed me and lifted me up.

(Derek) And this was a group

of how many couples?

(Kenneth) About eight.

(Derek) About eight couples,

you and your wife were helping
to lead that.

And as God gave you a Scripture,

and as they responded

to how that impacted them,

you were blessed in return?

(Kenneth) More than blessed.

(Derek) More than blessed,

more than blessed. Yes, Gladys.

(Gladys) Every month I do prison ministry

at a prison here in Maryland.

And it's just amazing how...

We don't have any contact with them

prior to going to visit,

and I preach there regularly.

And it amazes me always

the message that God

impresses me to present,

how the songs that they prepare,

the prayers that they prepare,

everything that they share,

it just goes together.

It amazes me every single time

because we never talk with them

to say, "Hey, read this Scripture,"

or, "Sing this song,"

or, "Prepare this hymn."

We just come prepared

to bring the message,

and everything in the worship
just comes together,

and it blesses me every single time.

And I always say that that's

my favorite Sabbath of the month.

(Derek) As you come to worship together.

(Gladys) Yes.

(Derek) God may give you the opportunity,

not only to go and worship,

sing with all your heart,

experience cleansing, offer sacrifices,

affirm those who are leading in worship,

but God may also give you

an opportunity to lead.

He may, in response

to what we've studied here,

or maybe you're watching,

God may give you a chance to lead.

So, we've talked about the importance
of preparation.

From what you've learned

about worshiping in spirit and truth,

what would you say

is the most important preparation,

either in coming to worship

or in coming to lead worship?

Maybe it's the same for both.

The most important preparation,

what would you say, Travis?

(Travis) Courage and humility.

(Derek) Okay, courage to not be inhibited,

but humility to say

it's all about Him and not about me.

All right; you want to add
to that, Jonathan?

(Jonathan) Recognition of our dependence
upon Him

and just throwing ourselves upon Him...

(Derek) Even when we come to worship,

not just coming to lead worship.

(Jonathan) Yeah, in multiple ways.

(Derek) Right? "God, even
coming to worship,

I really can't worship You
like You deserve,"

for a variety of reasons,

bringing a lot of stuff with me,

or, "I've never seen people

really worshiping in spirit and truth,

but here I am, and I come
in my great need.

You do what You need to do." Evelyn?

(Evelyn) I've been a part

of some worship teams here and there,

and sometimes the team is very focused

on, "We need to get the harmony right,"

and, "We need to make sure

we hit every note exactly."

And we don't exactly focus

on, "Okay, is this music
really uplifting God?"

Or, "Are the people who are going to hear

going to be blessed?"

And I realize that those worships

are the ones where I'm most nervous in.

It's the worships that we are

anxious to go and sing.

However, I've contrasted that

with worships where we're really praying.

We're saying, "God, I ask

that this music bless those who hear it."

Those are the best worships
that we've had.

(Derek) The very best.

When God is lifted up,

when my heart is aligned with His heart,

when I'm saying, "God,

this is all about You," whether I'm

worshiping or leading in worship,

whether I'm singing, whether I'm asking
for cleansing,

whether I'm offering a sacrifice

or giving thanks for those
who are worshiping,

"Let my heart beat with Your heart,

and let my worship, by Your grace,

bring joy to Your heart."

Is that your prayer today?

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Let's pray that will happen

even in the worships

that are just ahead of us.

Father in Heaven, You are

worthy of all worship.

Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

for all You have done for our salvation,

we praise You and worship You even today.

And we pray, from the principles

we've learned from Ezra and Nehemiah,

that we would go on to worship You

in spirit and truth, just as Jesus

longed for us to do.

We pray it in Jesus' name. Amen.

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Thanks for joining us

for Hope Sabbath School!

Go out and be a blessing

to those around you.

♪ theme music ♪