Being saved and saying thank you (Go Teach)

Text Luke 17:11-19 Time 26 04 21 Place Go Teach thanksgiving on Zoom

This evening I want us to worship God by looking briefly at the story of Jesus and the ten lepers. Lepers not leopards. I heard of a boy who thought it was ten leopards! It would be quite a different story if it was ten leopards. No, ten lepers! It's a great story for kids. I'm not sure if it's on the Go Teach syllabus. There is Jesus healing a leper and Elisha healing lepers but not this specific story.

The Bible uses the word leprosy for various serious skin diseases. It's not entirely clear whether the word is used in exactly the same way as we use it. Leprosy, as you know, is a horrible, debilitating illness, that leads to various levels of disfigurement. Today called Hansen’s disease it can be healed quite easily through a course of medication – as long as the patient is able and willing to keep taking the tablets. Sometimes if the disease is quite advanced, a person can have serious problems being rehabilitated.

As you know, in Jesus’s day there was no cure. Lepers were obliged to live apart from society. It was a wretched thing to get leprosy, then. It meant the end of regular contact with family, friends, the worshipping community, society in general. It meant a bleak future with practically no hope of recovery. Whenever we read about it, it reminds us of our own wretched state by nature.

This story of Jesus miraculously healing a group of lepers reminds us first of all then of our wretched state by nature and the fact that there is hope for all who come to him in faith and then secondly of the importance of those who have been saved always giving thanks to God.

1. Remember the wretched state of men, women, boys and girls by nature and how to be saved

If we are involved in Go Teach in any way then we must never forget this.

1. By nature we are all in a wretched state.

That's the first thing to take in. These lepers give us a striking picture of sin.

• Diseased. By nature we are riddled with sin. It's something we're born with. Sin manifests itself in different ways in different people – some are more disfigured than others - but the truth is we all suffer from it. It begins subtly but there is no permanent way, humanly speaking, of stopping its daily advance. In the end it leads to death. In our very souls something is seriously wrong and there is no cure. There are things designed to produce relief; some even claim they can cure you by means of rules, etc, but the truth is the heart is desperately wicked, beyond cure. Our situation is hopeless by nature. Remember that.
• Cast out. Cut off from God. As I've said, lepers were outcasts, not allowed to live in society once they contracted this terrible disease for fear of contaminating others. Now because in this world we all have leprosy that sense of being an outcast isn't always there. We need to remember, however, that as large as the world is, it is nothing but a great leper colony where we are living out a wretched existence but for the grace of God. This is a fallen world, a world cut off by nature from God's presence. We have no right to heaven, no right to come into God's presence. This is one of the reasons for the sense of alienation people often feel. Remember that fact.
• Far off. Far from Christ. At the beginning of the story we read how the lepers stood at a distance from Jesus. They knew they had no right to approach anyone, least of all him. Again that's our position, in one sense. What right have we to draw near God? What right to come to him? None at all, in ourselves. However, and this is the amazing thing, we can draw near to Jesus today and ask him, as these people did, to have pity on us and rescue us and save us from sin.

These things are true not just of some of us but all of us. We know nine of these men were Jews and one was a Samaritan. However, they all had leprosy. There was no difference in that respect. So whatever differences there may be among us, we are wretched sinners.

2. The only one who can save us is Jesus Christ.

This is the second thing we need to underline. As I've said, leprosy was incurable at this time and these men knew their situation was hopeless. However, somehow they'd heard about Jesus’s power to heal so when they encountered him they saw an opportunity and cried out for mercy. We're told that at this point (11) Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, but at that point he was travelling along the border between Samaria and Galilee. Jesus was headed for the cross. It is by his death that he would win atonement for sin. It is because of that death that your sin and mine can be taken away. He was at this moment on the border between Samaria and Galilee. Jesus is often found on the borders – at the margins of life. He is seldom centre stage. He can be found at the edges of life.

We too need to see Jesus is our only hope. Because of his death on the cross there is forgiveness for all who come to him. Are you aware of the burden of sin? Do you have a sense of its misery, its power over you, how it threatens to spoil everything in your life? There's no way to be rid of sin in the ordinary way. Jesus is the only one who can deliver you. He alone can save you. There's no point looking in any other direction. He alone can save. Come to him; come to the margins and find him. If you've already found him, remember there is but one way to be saved - through him.

3. Cry out loudly to the Lord and seek his pity.

We read (13) that these men called out in a loud voice, Jesus, Master, have pity on us! These men knew how wretched they were so when Jesus came by, they cried earnestly and loudly. They were determined not to miss this opportunity. They acknowledged Jesus as their Master and they pleaded with him to show them pity. That is how to go to Jesus. If you know how bad things really are, then you'll cry earnestly for forgiveness. Look to him for mercy!

4. How to be saved.

So what did Jesus do? Three things. They show how he deals with all who come in faith.

• He sees us, so take comfort. Jesus could've ignored these men, I suppose. He could've looked the other way, passed by on the other side. But he doesn’t do that. He sees them. He sees us too. He sees you; he sees me. He sees the children in Sunday School or club, whether their parents are believers or not. He knows our need. He understands.
• He commands us to obey. 14 When he saw them, he said, Go, show yourselves to the priests. What is this about? Well, you'll recall those Old Testament laws that explain how anyone with signs of leprosy was to show himself to the priest. It was the Old Testament priest who was able to pronounce a person clean or unclean. Jesus planned to cleanse these men so they needed to go to a priest and be declared clean. No doubt it crossed their minds that this would happen but they still had to obey. We too are under an obligation to obey. Whatever Jesus says, we must do. He calls on us to repent and believe. This we must do. Are we?
• He cleanses from sin, so be glad. And as they went, they were cleansed. It is in the path of obedience that Christ meets us and saves us. Jesus didn't say to them ‘If you obey me I will cleanse you’ nor does he say today 'if you do this I will save you'. No, in both cases he says ‘Do this’ and as it is done so he cleanses and saves. Here is reason to be glad then – Jesus can cleanse, he does cleanse, as we obey. Obey him, therefore, and be sure of salvation.

That's the first part of the story. But there's more. There's the story of how one leper, a Samaritan, comes back and says thank you. On the face of it there is a lesson there about thankfulness. But there's more. Surely it's a lesson for believers on how to live, now we've been saved.

2. Remember now to be grateful, if you've been saved and if God has blessed you in any way

1. Here is an example to follow

• Come to the Lord. We learn that of these ten men (15) One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back. It seems that as these men went on their way they were healed. Nine just carried on. One of them, however, was so thankful to the Lord for what he'd done that he went straight back to him to thank him. If you're a Christian, if you're repenting from sin and trusting in Christ then surely you have an obligation daily to come to Christ. There is never any excuse for neglecting him.
• Give him praise. This man came we read praising God in a loud voice. No surprise there. What a deliverance he'd known. What a change! And it was all due to this one man, to Jesus. Shouldn’t we have the same attitude too? What reason we have to give praise to God.
• Humble yourself before him. 16a He threw himself at Jesus’ feet. When did you last do that? He knew he owed everything to Jesus. He was therefore willing to humble himself before the Lord. Isn’t that the attitude we ought to show to the one who has shown us such loving kindness?
• Give him thanks. This is the most obvious thing and thanked him. Christ had given him life. He'd delivered him from disease and misery and separation. Imagine how thankful he was. The same sort of thankfulness ought to be typical of the believer. What good things God has given us. How kind, how compassionate he's been. What mercies we've known. We ought to be thankful every day and yet how often we are not. How often we fail to give thanks.

2. Hear this rebuke to the many.

Listen next to these words of rebuke (17, 18) Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no-one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner? (he was a Samaritan). Nine out of ten lepers did not come back to give thanks and the one who did was perhaps least instructed in the way of righteousness. Perhaps it's the same today. How many believers are as prompt and as thorough as they should be to give thanks? It may be that the most thankful are those who we'd least expect. Perhaps it's not the ministers and missionaries, not those who grew up in Christian homes but those who seem to be very ordinary Christians in many ways but who are thankful people. Oh how thankful they are. How they praise God! We don't know who the most thankful are but God knows. He sees. What about us? How thankful are we? Thanksgiving ought to seep into every part of our lives.

3. Hear this encouragement for the few.

The final thing to notice is what Jesus says to this unnamed man, this good Samaritan. He says

• Rise. There's a word to lift him up. It's right that we humble ourselves before God when we think of all that he's done for us but it's right too that we rise with confidence when we know our thanks and praise have been received.
• And go. We must also go. We can't spend every moment in prayer. There are things to be done, lives to be lived. There ought to be regular coming to Jesus to give him thanks but also regular going out in his name and strength.
• Your faith has made you well. Salvation is by faith. Jesus wanted this man to see faith's importance. Whether it was true in the same way of the others or not it was true of this man that his faith in Jesus had healed him. If you're a true Christian it must be by faith. It's because you trust in Jesus that your sins are forgiven. It's very important then that you go in faith. It's by faith you've been saved – in faith you must go on, looking only to Jesus.

Reflections on the recent death of HRH Prince Philip

Text Hebrews 9:27 Time 04 03 21 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

You will all be aware of the recent death of Philip Mountbatten, the Duke of Edinburgh, the husband of the Queen and the longest serving UK consort ever. In Scripture we are told (1 Timothy 2:2) to pray for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. Prince Philip was a bit unusual in this, in that he had no official role in leading the nation but, as the Queen's husband and right hand man, he was enormously influential. It is appropriate for us to note his passing then I think and to try and learn some lessons.

Firstly, it is a reminder that we are to pray for those in authority, including the Queen. We ought to pray for her and the family especially in their grief, as they mourn.

But then, secondly, it is a reminder that we too will all one day die. Few of us will reach the age of 99, as he did, but whether we do or not, we must all one day die and this recent death is a reminder of that fact.

So what I want to do is first just to remind you of some of the facts about his life and death and then take a text - Hebrews 9:27 where it says that ... people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment. I want to ask three questions of the text.

So, as many of you know, Philip was born into the Greek Royal family on the Island of Corfu in 1921. While still young, his family was forced into exile so he ended up growing up in France, Germany and Britain. He went to a boarding school in the Scottish Highlands, called Gordonstoun, where the headmaster was a German refugee called Kurt Hahn. Hahn was an enormous influence on Prince Philip. During the war he served in the Royal Navy. In 1934 he first met Princess Elizabeth, as she was then, and in 1947 they were married. She was the oldest daughter of King George VI. The King died quite young and quite suddenly in 1952 and Elizabeth became Queen. She was only 26. Philip left the navy and after struggling to find a role threw himself into working for a variety of charities, in 1956 beginning the Duke of Edinburgh awards for young people, promoting Hahn's ideas. He was always a keen sportsman playing polo until he was about 50 and was still competing in the sport of carriage driving quite late in life. He also liked flying aeroplanes and sailing yachts as well as art.

Philip was born into the Greek Orthodox Church. Later in life his mother became an Orthodox nun. She was buried in Jerusalem. He, of course, was officially an Anglican. He was involved in the St George's Centre, Windsor, that in the sixties tried to bring together people from various walks of life to discuss religious and social issues. His work with the Worldwide Fund for Nature led to a fondness for inter-faith gatherings that focussed on conservation and green issues. Sadly, one never gets the impression that he had a personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. However, he apparently took notes when he heard a sermon and wanted to discuss it after and had a very good knowledge of the Bible. Apparently, it was he who encouraged the Queen to talk of her faith in her Christmas broadcasts, as she has since the year 2000. What a good providence that is.

One other thing, weirdly, you should know that there is a small village in the Pacific Island of Tanna, part of Vanuatu, where Prince Philip has long been revered as a god. It is based on a so-called prophecy that a mountain spirit’s peripatetic son would one day return to the island in the company of his powerful wife. It is one of the cargo cults that abound in the area.

So now to Hebrews 9:27 and the phrase ... people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment. And then three questions. You will find these questions very interesting I hope because none of the multitude of news programmes has raised these questions, as far as I am aware.

1. Why did he die?

I don't mean what was the physical reason but what was the fundamental reason? The physical reason has not yet been disclosed.

The fundamental reason why Philip died, indeed had to die and was dying all his life, is the same reason we all have to die - because he was a sinner. We tend to think sometimes of death as quite natural but it is not. We must see that it is unnatural and alien. It is a great enemy. It only came into this world because of sin. Until there was sin, there was no death. The reason we die is because of sin, because we are sinners.

Now when I say that Prince Philip died because he was a sinner, what do I mean? I mean that he was a sinner in two senses.

Firstly, in the sense that he was born a sinner. Like all of us, Philip was descended from Adam and so genetically he was related to him and federally too. That is to say that Adam was his representative in the Garden, as he was my representative and yours, and so when Adam fell all his descendants fell too. Philip was born with original sin and with original guilt. He was born already condemned. He was born condemned to death because of the sin of Adam.

'But then Philip, like us all, was also a sinner because of his own personal sins. Now I don't know what those sins might have been. Whether he committed adultery or told lies or not; whether he misused God's name or kept the Lord's Day or not; whether he was covetous or hateful or not. What I do know is that there were sins. No-one who knew him has ever claimed he was perfect. A lot of very positive and appreciative things have been said since his death but no-one is saying that he was perfect.

"So", you may say to me, "if a person was not a sinner, he would not deserve to die?" That is so. The Lord Jesus Christ was without sin in that he was conceived by a virgin and he had no personal sin of his own. He did not deserve to die. He did die, of course, and the reason he did die was so that he might bear the sin of others - those who put their trust in him.

All who are sinners, have to die, as did Prince Philip. Indeed, the death of Prince Philip is something of a proof of this.

2. What happened after he died?

Hebrews 9:27 makes perfectly clear not only that we all die but also what happens after a person dies. It says ... people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment. As soon as a person dies, they are judged. At the very moment they die God judges them and they are immediately consigned to heaven or to hell in their souls.

When the Lord Jesus comes again and all are raised from their graves, then there will be the more formal judgement - the fine detail of what was done and what was not done - but straight after death there is a judgement of the soul and, whatever happens to his body on earth, his soul goes directly to heaven or to hell.

And so when we think of the death of the Duke of Edinburgh then we know that his body will soon be buried - this Saturday. We do not know the full arrangements for that but they will become clear no doubt. At the same time, his soul is either in heaven or hell. There is no purgatory as Romanism teaches, no only heaven or hell. And heaven and hell last forever.

It is a sobering thought to think that in a moment you can die and once you die you are judged and you are then either in heaven forever or in hell forever. That is what the Bible clearly teaches, however, and expects us to believe, however difficult we may find it to accept.

So those two things then - Prince Philip died because he was a sinner. Immediately after his death God judged him and he was consigned either to heaven or to hell forever.

3. What does that teach us who are still alive?

The final thing I want to do is to ask what we can learn from this death.

The first and obvious thing is that we are all going to die. We are all sinners and so we will all die. Prince Philip was a very rich man (worth $30 M they say); he was a powerful man in many ways and he was a famous and a popular man and a man who lived a very long time. But he still died. And it is the same for all of us - however rich or poor you are, you will die; however powerful or powerless you are, you will die; however famous or popular or obscure and unknown you are, you will die; however long you live, you will die in the end. Therefore, it is wise to get ready.

When you die you will be judged. Your soul will immediately be in heaven or in hell the moment you die and you will remain there. You need to be ready for it. If you knew there was going to be a test or an exam some time soon then you would get ready for it. You know you are going to be judged - so get ready. How do I get ready? Whether you go to heaven or hell really depends on your trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you trust in him he will save you.

Another thing to remember, as we have said, is that heaven and hell are eternal. This is not something you can afford to make a mistake over. I urge you to trust in Jesus Christ today.

Finally, we all need to be ready to die. We do not know how ready Philip was for death. He had a long time to think about it, longer than most. May be God will give you a similar length of time. It is more likely that he will not. We all need to be ready to die. Cf Matthew 24:44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Luke 12:35 Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, John 9:4 As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no-one can work. Are you ready?

The Worship of God - Some Reminders

Text 1 Chronicles 14 Time 25 11 20 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church (Zoom)

I want us to go back this evening to our studies in 1 Chronicles and to 1 Chronicles 16. In this chapter we have the last part about how in David's time they moved the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. At that time the ark was in one place, the altar at another. It is only in Solomon's time that the two are brought together at the Temple. The chapter, of course, describes Old Testament worship so we have no direct instruction on the subject of New Testament worship but several principles arise from what is said. They will be helpful for us in this area. Let's ask three questions

1. What are the chief elements in the worship of God?

I think that if we look at verses 1-7 carefully we will see at least five elements that together make up true worship.

1. God's presence. It would be easy to skip over this but the chapter begins by saying that They brought the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched for it in Jerusalem. I remind you this refers to the ark of the covenant containing the ten commandments with its solid gold atonement cover or mercy seat. This is where in Old Testament times God visibly dwelt. It is sometimes referred to as his Sechinah glory. God, of course, is everywhere but he is able to bring his special presence near in a fixed locality. He did it in the Old Testament period, appearing above the ark and he continues to do it today by coming near to his people as they worship him. At the beginning of Psalm 89 the psalmist says Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth .... In the New Testament Jesus promises (Matthew 18:20) that where even just two or three come together in his name he is there. Some think we come together only to be instructed but we come together to worship God and when we do, we can know the special presence of God. Hence Cowper's hymn

Jesus, where'er your people meet, there they behold your mercy seat;

where'er they seek you, you are found, and ev'ry place is hallowed ground.

For you, within no walls confined, are dwelling in the humble mind;

such ever bring you where they come, and going, take you to their home.

2. Sacrifice. We read next and they presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before God. Burnt offerings, a holocaust or Shoah were so called because the animal was completely consumed. With fellowship offerings some of the sacrifice was enjoyed by the worshipper. Old Testament sacrifice is now superseded by the once for all sacrifice of himself by Christ but we also are called to make spiritual sacrifices. Our whole lives are to be living sacrifices and in particular (Hebrews 13:15) we are Through Jesus ... to continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.

In order to worship we must sacrifice our time and our concern for ourselves and whatever else may take up our time and energy and devote it all to God.

3. Blessing and giving. In verse 2 we read that After David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD. Here the king blesses the people. We tend to keep the benediction in our worship services to the end but we can begin with it (Grace and peace to you) or have it at any point. It is an important part of worship, however. We too who worship are blessed. Just as the king here blesses his people so our king blesses us. In verse 3 we read of David Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each Israelite man and woman. So there was not only a blessing but a tangible gift for everyone present. We express this in the New Testament by our giving to God I guess but what we give is only what God has already given us.

4. Extolling, thanking and praising. Finally, in verses 4-7 we read of how David appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, to extol, thank, and praise the LORD, the God of Israel. The details are that Asaph was the chief, in this and next to him in rank were Zechariah, then Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, etc. The way it was done was that They were to play the lyres and harps, Asaph was to sound the cymbals, and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow the trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God. Verse 7 concludes That day David first appointed Asaph and his associates to give praise to the LORD in this manner which then leads into the content of their praise in verses 8-36.

So first David set aside people to extol, thank, and praise the LORD. In the Old Testament it was the task of specific people set aside to it. In these New Testament times we all have to play our part as we are all priests to God, as believers. It is good to remember, as we sing and pray and hear preaching, that what we are seeking to do is to extol or celebrate - to mark out clearly who God is and thank him and give him praise from our hearts.

So we see something of the nature of worship. Let's worship God - now and whenever we can.

2. What can we learn from this example of the content when we praise the LORD?

In verses 8-36 we have the content of this praise. The words are typical of what we find in the Book of Psalms and in particular appears to be from Psalms 105:1-15; 96:1-13; 106. Let's take it in six parts and remind ourselves of the content of worship.

1. In worship, praise God and make known his wonders to all with gladness. 8-10 Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. So

• Give praise to the LORD/proclaim his name/Sing to him, sing praise to him/Glory in his holy name
• Do so by making known among the nations what he has done. Tell of all his wonderful acts
• As you do so, your heart seeking the LORD, rejoice.

2. In worship, look to God for strength, recalling who he is, who we are and the covenant (11-22)

• Look to the LORD for strength Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always
• Recall who he is Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles ... the judgments he pronounced ... (14) He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth. Remember.
• And who you are. Recall that (13) we are his servants, the descendants of Israel, (by faith if not by flesh) his chosen ones, the children of Jacob (by faith). We are his people.
• And his covenant. In verses 15-22 comes a reminder that God remembers his covenant forever, the promise he made, for a thousand generations, the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac. It goes on He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant: To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit. When they were but few in number, few indeed, and strangers in it, back in the days of the Patriarchs they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another Egypt, Philistia, Aram Naharaim. He allowed no one to oppress them; for their sake he rebuked kings: Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm. That same covenant protection remains today, if we are trusting in Jesus Christ.

3. In worship, declare God's glory to all for he is great and most worthy of praise

• Declare God's glory to all Sing to the LORD, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvellous deeds among all peoples. (28, 29) Ascribe to the LORD, all you families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him. 30a Tremble before him, all the earth!
• He is great and most worthy of praise For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendour and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his dwelling place. 29b Worship the LORD in the splendour of his holiness. ... The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.

4. In worship, rejoice because God is King and Judge of all

• Let there be gladness everywhere Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad/Let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them! Let the trees of the forest sing, let them sing for joy before the LORD,
• For God is King and Judge of all let them say among the nations, The LORD reigns!... for he comes to judge the earth.

5. In worship, give thanks to God for his goodness and love and pray he will save us

• Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
• Call on the Lord to save us. Cry out, Save us, God our Saviour; gather us and deliver us from the nations
• that we may give thanks to your holy name, and glory in your praise.

6. In worship, end with a Hallelujah and an Amen. In verse 36 the whole thing is summed up Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Then all the people said "Amen" and "Praise the LORD." (Hallelujah). Amen means "it is so". If not formally, certainly in spirit this is how worship should close - with a Hallelujah and an Amen.

3. How should we see worship?

The chapter closes (37-43) with something about what happened once that inaugural day was over. In each thing that is said, there is hint about how we should think of the worship of God.

1. See it as ministry. 37, 38 David left Asaph and his associates before the ark of the covenant of the LORD to minister there regularly, according to each day's requirements. He also left Obed-Edom and his 68 associates to minister with them. Obed-Edom son of Jeduthun, and also Hosah, were gatekeepers. Worship can be thought of as ministry or service. That is why we call our meetings services and why those who lead them are often called ministers who minister the Word.

2. See it as obedience. 39, 40 David left Zadok the priest and his fellow priests before the tabernacle of the LORD at the high place in Gibeon to present burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of burnt offering regularly, morning and evening, in accordance with everything written in the Law of the LORD, which he had given Israel. What was done was what was laid down in the Old Testament Law. Now in these New Testament times, things are not laid down it may be with the meticulousness that we have in the Old Testament but we are clearly commanded to worship God together. In John4:23, 24 Jesus says ... a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in the Spirit and in truth. 1 Peter 3:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Hebrews 10:25 talks too about not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Apart form anything else we have a duty to meet to worship God.

3. See it as thanksgiving. 41, 42 With them were Heman and Jeduthun and the rest of those chosen and designated by name to give thanks to the LORD, "for his love endures forever." Heman and Jeduthun were responsible for the sounding of the trumpets and cymbals and for the playing of the other instruments for sacred song. The sons of Jeduthun were stationed at the gate. Giving thanks was so important that certain men were set aside simply to do that. How important that we are thankful people and that we express our thankfulness to God. Remember the story of Jesus and the ten lepers - how ungrateful if we do not return to the Lord to give thanks.

4. See it as something that requires time and effort. 43 Then all the people left, each for their own home, and David returned home to bless his family. There is a further hint here that worship takes time and effort. We must remember that.