TITLE: The Excellence of Worship

TITLE: The Excellence of Worship

• TEXT: I Chronicles 28• THEME: The ministry of music was Gods

idea so we might honor him

Old Testament instructions from God regarding the temple


• The architectural design and equipment of the temple building.



• The personnel who were to lead in the affairs of the Temple



• The personnel who were to lead in the affairs of the Temple.

• The many faceted ministries to be conducted in the temple



• The personnel who were to lead in the affairs of the Temple.

• The many faceted ministries to be conducted in the temple.

• The could be summarized as Facilities, Staff and Program.

These plans included a total division of responsibility.

• A large number of Levites were assigned to the ministry of music.

I Chronicles 23:5

• Four thousand are to be gatekeepers and four thousand are to praise the LORD with the musical instruments I have provided for that purpose.”

Why should we pursue excellence in our worship of God?

The Ministry of Music was planned by God. (28:19)

I Chronicles 28:19

• “All this, I have in writing as a result of the LORD’s hand on me, and he enabled me to understand all the details of the plan.”

The point is this. The ministry of music and worship was

established by God- not the creativity of man.

I. The Ministry of Music was planned by God. (28:19)

A. It was commanded by God

I. The Ministry of Music was planned by God. (28:19)

A. It was commanded by God• We find in the context of setting up the temple

that this plan is commanded.

I Chronicles 28:15

”the weight of gold for the gold lampstands and their lamps, with the weight for each lampstand and its lamps; and the weight of silver for each silver lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand;”

If God was explicit about his command for something as basic as a lampstand how much for something as important as music

I Chronicles 28:25

• “for the command is from the Lord.”

I Chronicles 28:25

• “for the command is from the Lord.”– The place of music in worship was not an option

for which man could rightfully choose not to exercise.

The Ministry of Music was planned by God. (28:19)

• It was commanded by God (28:15)• It was insured by God (28:20)

I Chronicles 28:20

• When Solomon took on the responsibility of building the Temple David issued this beautiful insurance policy, “20 David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished.”

When God calls his people to do a given task he promises His

presence, His support and His resources.

Rick Warren

• “I'm often asked what I would do differently if I could start Saddleback over. My answer is this: From the first day of the new church, I’d put more energy and money into insuring a first-class music ministry that

• matched our target audience.

Rick Warren

• In the first years of Saddleback, I made the mistake of underestimating the power of music. Because we didn’t have a lot of talented musicians, we minimized the use of music in our services. I regret that now.

• Music is powerful

Rick Warren

• Music is an integral part of our lives. We eat with it, drive with it, shop with it, relax with it, and some non-Baptists even dance to it!

• A song often can touch people in a way that a sermon can’t. Music can bypass intellectual barriers and take the message straight to the heart.

• It is a potent tool for evangelism

Psalm 40:3

• “He put a NEW song in my mouth. … Many people will see this and worship him. Then they will trust the Lord.” Notice the clear connection between music and evangelism: “Then they will trust the Lord.”

Martin Luther

• "Music is God's gift. I place it next to theology. Satan hates music. He knows how it drives the evil spirit out of us"

The Ministry of Music was implemented by Gods servants

(6:31)


(6:31)• It is through David that the organization of

the Levitical musicians is first established.


(6:31)• It is through David that the organization of

the Levitical musicians is first established. • I Chronicles 6 contains an account of music

personnel and leadership which begins this introduction

I Chronicles 6:31

• “Now these are those whom David appointed over the service of song in the house of the Lord.”

II. The Ministry of Music was implemented by Gods servants

(6:31)A. It was well organized (23)

In I Chronicles 23 we are informed of the basic organization

of the ministry of music.

• The total number of Levites for temple service is 38,000.

• The total number of Levites set apart for music ministry is 4,000.

I Chronicles 25 gives us more information

• Within the 4,000 Levitical musicians there are three large families charged with the principle Leadership: the families of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun.

• Three generations from each of those families produced 228 skilled musicians who constituted the instructional leadership for the remaining 3,712 musicians.

The music ministry place a strong emphasis on both vocal and

instrumental music.

Organization Insights

• Levites who reached 30 years of age were fully employed in the Temple ministry


• Levites who reached 30 years of age were fully employed in the Temple ministry.

• Young men between 20-30 were apprentices



• Young men between 20-30 were apprentices.

• Both sexes were include and children were trained from their early years in preparation for future service



• Young men between 20-30 were apprentices. • Both sexes were include and children were

trained from their early years in preparation for future service.

• Musical skill was an important factor for consideration in the selection of musical leadership.


(6:31)

A. It was well organized (23)B. It employed a special group of dedicated men

God selected members of the priestly Levitical line to

provide musical leadership and ministry for the OT people of

God.

Numbers 3:41

“And you shall take the Levites for me… (45) Take the Levites instead of all the first-born among the people of Israel.. and the Levites shall be mine: I am the Lord.”

Numbers 8 “5 The LORD said to Moses: 6 “Take the Levites from among all the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean… Bring the Levites to the front of the tent of meeting and assemble the whole Israelite community. 10 You are to bring the Levites before the LORD, and the Israelites are to lay their hands on them. 11 Aaron is to present the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the Israelites, so that they may be ready to do the work of the LORD. .. 14 In this way you are to set the Levites apart from the other Israelites, and the Levites will be mine.

I Chronicles 9:33

“Those who were musicians, heads of Levite families, stayed in the rooms of the temple and were exempt from other duties because they were responsible for the work day and night.”

I Chronicles 25:7

“the musical leaders were trained in singing to the Lord, all who were skilful…”

I Chronicles 15:22

“Chenaniah, leader of the Levites in music, should direct the music for he understood it.”

I Chronicles 15:22

“Chenaniah, leader of the Levites in music, should direct the music for he understood it.”

Note these men were chosen- not volunteers.

III. The Ministry of Music was designed to promote excellence

A. The men were assigned specific responsibilities (I Chronicles 23)

I Chronicles 23:5

• “four thousand shall offer praises to the Lord with the instruments witch I have made for praise.”

Jeremiah 33:22

• the Lord says that the “the Levitical priests…minister to me.”

II Chronicles 29:30

• the Levites are “commanded…to sing praises to the Lord.”

I Chronicles 25:7

• the Levites were “trained in singing to the Lord.”

I Chronicles 9:33

• Their songs filled the House of God day and night.

I Chronicles 23:3

• The Lord was praised in song every time a burnt offering was made.

I Chronicles 16:4

• Their songs expressed their joy and thanks.

I Chronicles 15:16

• Their songs were often accompanied by instruments.

I Chronicles 15:25

The Levites lead Israel in praise and worship to God.

III. The Ministry of Music was designed to promote excellence

A. The men were assigned specific responsibilities (I Chronicles 23B. Excellence honours God and is blessed by Him. ( II Chronicles 5)

God’s work done God’s always rewarded with blessing of God.

I Chronicles 5

“1 When all the work Solomon had done for the temple of the LORD was finished… 4 When all the elders of Israel had arrived… 11 The priests then withdrew from the Holy Place. All the priests who were there had consecrated themselves, regardless of their divisions.

I Chronicles 5• 12 All the Levites who were musicians—Asaph,

Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives—stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. 13 The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: “He is good; his love endures forever”

I Chronicles 5

“Then the temple of the LORD was filled with the cloud, 14 and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God.”

Excellence honours God and inspires people.

• From the front door all the way to the back door, whatever you do. How much more is this true for worship?

Bill Hybels

• . "Good enough is just not good enough when it comes to honoring God through the Church. In response to his holiness and greatness, in gratitude for his monumental sacrifice for us, our attitude ought to be to pay tribute to him with the best we can offer. Not obsessive perfectionism, but an attitude of excellence that permeates all we do in the Church and in our personal lives. What we do as Christians reflects on the Christ we serve."

APPLICATION

• In a few weeks Ben Smith will start here. He was called to lead our worship to a new level. He was called to this area because we believe that excellence honour God and moves people to worship God.

APPLICATION

• God understands the power and importance of worship and His design in the Old Testament promoted excellence. When his plan was implemented He blessed by sending His presence, the Shekinah glory, to the temple.

APPLICATION

• We need to pursue excellence in our ministry. Excellence is a moving target in that we do the best with what God has given us but we devote ourselves to keep improving to a new level of excellence.

TITLE: The Excellence of Worship

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