TITLE: The Excellence of Worship

2. TITLE: The Excellence of Worship • TEXT: I Chronicles 28 • THEME: The ministry of music was Gods idea so we might honor him

4. Old Testament instructions from God regarding the temple

5. Old Testament instructions from God regarding the temple • The architectural design and equipment of the temple building.

6. 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

7. 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 many faceted ministries to be conducted in the temple

8. 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 many faceted ministries to be conducted in the temple. • The could be summarized as Facilities, Staff and Program.

9. These plans included a total division of responsibility. • A large number of Levites were assigned to the ministry of music.

10. 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.”

12. Why should we pursue excellence in our worship of God?

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

14. 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.”

15. The point is this. The ministry of music and worship was established by God- not the creativity of man.

16. I. The Ministry of Music was planned by God. (28:19) • It was commanded by God

17. I. The Ministry of Music was planned by God. (28:19) • It was commanded by God • We find in the context of setting up the temple that this plan is commanded.

18. 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;”

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

20. I Chronicles 28:25 • “for the command is from the Lord.”

21. 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.

23. The Ministry of Music was planned by God. (28:19) • It was commanded by God (28:15) • It was insured by God (28:20)

24. 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.”

25. When God calls his people to do a given task he promises His presence, His support and His resources.

26. 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.

27. 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

28. 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

29. 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.”

30. 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"

32. Why should we pursue excellence in our worship of God?

33. The Ministry of Music was implemented by Gods servants (6:31)

34. The Ministry of Music was implemented by Gods servants (6:31) • It is through David that the organization of the Levitical musicians is first established.

35. The Ministry of Music was implemented by Gods servants (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

36. I Chronicles 6:31 • “Now these are those whom David appointed over the service of song in the house of the Lord.”

37. II. The Ministry of Music was implemented by Gods servants (6:31) A. It was well organized (23)

38. 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.

39. 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.

40. The music ministry place a strong emphasis on both vocal and instrumental music.

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

42. Organization Insights • Levites who reached 30 years of age were fully employed in the Temple ministry. • Young men between 20-30 were apprentices

43. Organization Insights • Levites who reached 30 years of age were fully employed in the Temple ministry. • Young men between 20-30 were apprentices. • Both sexes were include and children were trained from their early years in preparation for future service

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

46. The Ministry of Music was implemented by Gods servants (6:31) A. It was well organized (23) B. It employed a special group of dedicated men

47. God selected members of the priestly Levitical line to provide musical leadership and ministry for the OT people of God.

48. 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.”

49. 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.

50. 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.”