Rejoicing in God | Nehemiah 12 | July 5, 2026 | Aaron T. Colyer

In Nehemiah 11-12, God’s people celebrate His faithfulness as they return to His place and rejoice in His goodness. This message calls us to rejoice in the Lord because Christ fulfills God’s promises, God supplies our joy, and thankfulness turns our hearts back to worship.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Good morning. I hope you have a Bible. Turn it to Nehemiah chapter 12. Nehemiah chapter 12. And bro Isaac, our student minister, said, These are the two times you see me in the summer to ask for prayers for camp. He misspoke because in two weeks he will be bringing the word. And I'm very excited. He's going to do a very good job. It's been since uh last fall, since he preached in this pulpit, and uh I'm looking forward to that. I'll be sitting right there in the front row, uh, listening to our student minister preach to me. Nehemiah chapter 12. But before we do that, let's pray. And you have heard a little bit about our trip to Colombia. The team filmed a testimony video, and that's being edited right now. We're looking forward to showing you guys that. But I asked you to pray for a gentleman who is pastoring in Cartagena. Now I'm going to ask you to pray for the gentleman who's pastoring in Dirabomba. So this is the island where a mission church was established about seven or eight years ago, and uh it's going strong. It's incredibly healthy. You'll see some pictures in that testimony video about uh teenagers run the whole music ministry. It's awesome. They set up teardown, it's fantastic. But this pastor's name is Alex Diaz. And Alex is a man of God. Alex loves the people of Tirebumba. Alex shares the gospel. Alex has devoted his life to be on the island. And so moving there with his wife changed the ministry completely because he was present, right? There's this idea that Jesus came to be dwelling among men or in the flesh or incarnate, this incarnational ministry. And Alex and his wife have decided to do that as well. And great things are happening. So let's pray for Alex. They met for church last night, but we're going to pray for him because he has gained my respect and I think is worthy of our prayers for God to continue to use him there. Let's pray, and we'll be right here in chapter 12. Lord, I thank you for what we've already experienced in your presence. I thank you, God, for the power in singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs over one another. I pray, God, that we would continue to experience your presence in this moment of preaching. Would we genuinely seek your face and come to the scriptures with a surrender that says open-handedly, God, if there's something in my life that needs to change, would you help me to change it? God, if there's something that you want to say to me this morning, would you say it through your word?

unknown 2:34

Yes, God.

SPEAKER_01 2:35

I ask that I would get out of the way and you would be in charge of this moment, Lord. I pray for Pastor Alex as well, and I'm grateful to experience ministry with him, to be on the island with him, to learn stories, to see how he's pouring into the next generation, to see amazing stories of redemption, investment into these young men and young women coming out of the school, teaching them a trade, being excited about their futures. God, I just ask your blessing over Pastor Alex and his bride. God, thank you for their commitment to live out the gospel. Thank you for their hospitality. That all kinds of people are in and out of their home all the time. Their open door policy, Lord, use that for your glory. I pray for the refugio. And I pray that this church would be a bright beacon of light and hope because people see Jesus when they go to worship on Saturdays. People see Jesus when they see those church members out in the community. We just ask God that you would rain down your blessing on that church family and on Pastor Alex. And we pray all that in Jesus' name. Amen. Nehemiah chapter 12 is full of rejoicing. I think we can relate. I think especially, I've been hearing a lot of grandkids being born. We got a call from our little niece, Krista's brother, yesterday. That's a rejoicing. Every time kids are born, there is rejoicing. Now I could tell you long stories about each of our three kids and unique parts about their birth story that make us rejoice. But I'll just give you a glance over. Okay, Gracie was born. She's our bluegrass baby. She was born in Louisville, Kentucky, while I was in seminary there. We lived right across the river in southern Indiana, and they had like a hundred-year blizzard the day that Gracie was born. And we were in the hospital for two or three days for recovery. And of course, the hospital had power, but we were hearing that the streets were closed, that people were losing power, that people didn't have heat in their homes. And so we we get to the hospital, we we get from the hospital to our home, we get into our home, and then we thought we're good. We've got power, we're in a newer neighborhood. And Krista wakes me up in the middle of the night and says, Aaron, Aaron, we have no heat. Aaron, we have no power. I was like, it's fine, it'll come back on. Aaron, Aaron, I'm trying to feed this little baby and I don't know what we're doing. It's our first baby. We don't have any heat. What are we gonna do? And I said, I don't know what we're gonna do. And God provided, and so we rejoiced. Church members with a Jeep came over and said, We live in one of the only neighborhoods in this area that has buried power lines, and we have a whole spot in our basement with two bedrooms and a bathroom, and you can stay there. When Krista's mom came to visit, she could stay there. God provided and we rejoiced. Becca was born and we were expecting a healthy delivery. We were expecting a no-drama delivery like we had with Gracie. And as soon as it was time for me to cut the cord, they said, Dad, if you want to do this, you better do this now because we got to cart her off right away. I didn't quite understand what the urgency was, but I later learned that she had not one, two knots in her umbilical cord. And these nurses were sure that she was gonna have oxygen deprivation, brain damage. They were sure that she was gonna have learning delays, that they need to cart her off to make sure that she was healthy. And she came back into our room and we held our baby girl and we rejoiced because she was a healthy baby girl. And we heard from the nurse that said, I have seen four babies delivered with knots in their umbilical cord. Two of them were stillborns, one of them had serious learning delays, but your baby seems to be healthy, and we absolutely rejoice. Absolutely rejoiced. With our son, there's an amazing healing miracle that's a little bit longer. Maybe I'll tell that story later. Let me just tell you a fun one about our son. Both Becca and Zadek were born in Dallas, Texas, and our pediatrician was very close friends of ours, and her husband had done student ministry, and and we had this connection, and her best friend was the OBGYN, and the student ministry guy got to catch his third kid. And so I went in and a healthy labor, healthy boy, and I said, Hey, I heard, I heard that our mutual friend got to suit up and catch his third born. And this is our third born. What are the what are the odds? And I cannot believe this OBG way. I said, Well, do you want to do that today? And I said, If you'll let me, I'd love to. And before I knew it, they were saying, Christa, you got to push, and they had to put on like the sterile gloves, the one that go all the way here to my elbows, and like, don't touch anything, and we're gonna wrap you up and mask you up and hat you up, don't touch anything because you have to be really, really clean. And Chris is saying, Aaron, if you're gonna do it, you better get dressed. Let's go, because this baby boy's coming, and praise God, we rejoice because I'm under underneath in that chair saying, Come on, Zadek, let's go. And I got to catch my son. It was amazing, it's absolutely amazing. Every time kids are born, rejoicing happens. Every time kids are born, rejoicing happens. What we're gonna see in the scripture is in Nehemiah chapter 12, there is serious reason to rejoice. God has repopulated Jerusalem. The people have come back in, and now they're dedicating this wall, and there's a massive worship service, and they're rejoicing with large, large crowds and large choirs. They're singing their praise to God. It's celebration day. Let's read about it in Nehemiah chapter 12. I'm gonna start in verse 27. We'll go through verse 43 for now. Nehemiah 12, 27. And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, they sought the Levites in their places to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgiving, and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres. And the sons of the singers gathered together from the districts surrounding Jerusalem, and from the villages of the Nephatites, also from Beth Gilgal, and from the region of Giba and Azmabeth. For the singers had built for themselves villages around Jerusalem, and the priest and the Levites purified themselves, and they purified the people and the gates and the wall. Then I brought the leaders of Judah up onto the wall and appointed two great choirs. Not one, but two, two great choirs that gave thanks. One went to the south on the wall to the dumb gate, and after them went Hoshiah, and half of the leaders of Judah, and Azariah, Ezra, Meshelem, Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah, and certain of the priests' sons, with trumpets, Zechariah, the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, son of Mataniah, son of Meccah, son of Zechir, son of Aesaph, and his relatives, Shemaiah, Azrael, Melaliah, Gilaliah, E, Ma'ai, Nathaniel, Judah, and Hanani with the musical instruments of David, the man of God. Now catch that. These are King David's musical instruments at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem. And Ezra the scribe went before them. At the fountain gate they went up straight before them by the stairs of the city of David, at the ascent of the wall above the house of David to the water gate on the east. The other choir of those who gave thanks went to the north, and I followed them with half of the people on the wall, above the tower of the ovens, to the broad wall, and above the gate of Ephraim, and by the gate of Yeshina, and by the fish gate, and the tower of Hananel, and the tower of the hundred, to the sheep gate, and they came to a halt at the gate of the guard. So both choirs of those who gave thanks stood in the house of God, and I and half of the officials with me, and the priest, Eliakim, Maasaiah, Maniamen, Mekaiah, Elianiah, Zechariah, and Hananiah with trumpets, and Maasaiah, Shemaniah, Eliezer, Uzi, Jehonan, Melchizah, Elam, Ezer, and the singers sang with Jezrehai as their leaders, and they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced. For God had made them rejoice with a great joy. The women and the children also rejoiced, and the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away. He said, Aaron, that's like if the if the praise that rises out of FBC Wimberly this morning is heard all the way up Luke 12 and all the way down to San Marcus and H E B on the square and all the way out to Dripping Springs. What if we praise God in such a way and have rejoicing in such a way that this building shakes? I know every Sunday can't be that kind of Sunday, but golly, I would love to praise God like that. It's a day of rejoicing. It's a day of celebration. Let's remember the big picture here. Exiled over 70 years, they had no place of their own to live. No temple, no sacrifice, no presence of God. But now they're back. They're back in God's place, God's people, and they're rejoicing. Man, what a cause for celebration. I don't know if you attended our 3rd of July parade, but I walked the whole two and a half miles, and it was a day of rejoicing. Man, America, 250 years. Is that not cause for celebration?

unknown 12:49

Yes. Woo!

SPEAKER_01 12:50

With the freedoms we have in this country, the grace of God over us in this country. Man, what a cause for celebration. I got to go to the Wimberly Big Band and the community chorus for the first time. We sat right over here. It's fantastic. The Battle Hymn of the Republic came on. Man, what a good song. You just you feel a sense of pride welling up in you. We got to salute to the armed forces and all across the room watching these veterans stand and show our appreciation and go up to someone and say, I didn't know you served. Thank you. Maybe you've attended a sporting event, Wimberley High School football, or a bigger event, an NBA game, or an NFL game, or a Major League Baseball game, and you stand to sing the Star Spangled Banner. Have you ever got a little misty-eyed in that moment? And I'm proud to be an American. Can I tell you, as much pride wells up in me and should well up in you when you think about the goodness of God, even more celebration should well up in us. Even more pride to see God's faithfulness in your life. And Nehemiah chapter 12 is a perfect example of that. Two very large choirs, David's instruments. Here's from Psalm 89, something David said. You have said that I've made a covenant with my chosen one. I have sworn to David, my servant, I will establish your offspring forever and build your throne for all generations. And now that's coming to fulfillment after many, many decades in exile. And what a cause for celebration. I told Brother Ronnie back there, we were gonna make a choir this morning. I'm gonna give it my best shot. Why don't you stand on up? Everyone, stand on up. We're gonna see if we can do this, okay? Here is the chorus of an old hymn: Great is Thy Faithfulness. Here's the line. If you don't know the line, let me give you the line. Great is thy faithfulness, great is thy faithfulness, morning by morning. New mercies I see. All I have needed, thy hand hath provided. Great is your faithfulness, Lord, unto me. We're gonna try. Are you ready, church? I know there's not, there's some people like I'm not a singer, Pastor Aaron. That's okay. We're just gonna make a great rejoicing together, all right? We're gonna try very, very hard. And then if if y'all are singing louder than me, then I'll just stop singing. We'll just have a beautiful noise in this room. Got it? You ready? Great is thy faithfulness. Great is thy faithfulness.

SPEAKER_00 15:27

Morning by morning. Give yourselves a hand.

SPEAKER_01 15:37

That was that was good. I invite you to take a seat. Listen, the reason that there's such great cause for rejoicing is we see God's faithfulness from generation to generation. I mentioned at verse 43. They offered great sacrifices and rejoiced. For God had made them rejoice with a great joy. The women and children also rejoiced, and the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away. I wonder this morning how you answer this question. Do you celebrate the Lord in your life? Or how should you celebrate the Lord in your life? Or what ways do others see you celebrate the Lord in your life? I know Sundays are such a great time for that. It's exciting to come into this worship service. And I want it to be exciting every single time when we lift up the praise of our Father and Jesus, our Savior, and the Holy Spirit that empowers us, our wonderful counselor. I want you to know this morning as we continue that there is greater reason for us to rejoice than these Israelites in Nehemiah. Because our King of Kings and Lord of Lords has come. That's right, broken into history, lived perfectly, died on the cross to pay for sin, and rose from the grave. So we have even greater reason to rejoice. So you known as a person who celebrates the Lord? I hope the answer is yes. If you continue to take notes, write this. The beautiful thing about these Old Testament passages in asking the question, how did they respond when they saw God on the move? is we also can say, How should we respond when we see God on the move? I told you, Messiah has come, and all the promises of God find their yes in Jesus. Amen?

unknown 17:39

Amen.

SPEAKER_01 17:40

And if that's true, we certainly can be a people known for rejoicing. Philippians chapter 4 comes to mind where we're commanded to rejoice. Verse 4 says, Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonable be let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. We rejoice for the same reasons that they rejoiced, but I think we have even greater reason. And here in the New Testament, we are commanded rejoice in the Lord always. So important that Paul says, if you didn't catch it the first time, let me say it again. Rejoice. Rejoice always. Three reasons I think we can rejoice today. I think there's many more than three, but three that we'll focus our minds and hearts on this morning. Number one, rejoice because of God's faithfulness. Remember, God's people in God's place. They were longing for the promise that Messiah is going to come from the line of David. There's a snake crusher. The seed of the woman is going to come and crush the head of the serpent. We are longing for redemption and longing for Messiah. And guess what? New Testament Christians get to not long for future, but look back to the greatest moment in history when Jesus rose from the grave.

unknown 19:18

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 19:19

We look back and claim promises like we see right here in Ephesians chapter 1. In him, meaning in Christ, the whole passage is about Christ. 13 times it says, in Christ, in him, in Christ, in Christ. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promise Holy Spirit, who is a guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. This is the gospel story. If you've heard the word of Christ and believed, you're sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. Verse 7 in that other chap in the same chapter says, In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses. So we're called holy, righteous, staying free, forgiven. We're called adopted in that passage. And then right here, if you've heard the word and believed, you're sealed with the Holy Spirit. This is the gospel story of everyone who has said, Jesus, I want you to be my king. I'm gonna turn away from sin and I'm gonna trust in you. Jesus, I I'm asking you to take the wheel. Jesus, I want you to take control. And if that is true in your life, you of all people should be known for your joy and your rejoicing. I wonder this morning, is that gospel story of God's faithfulness true for you personally? And if it's not, don't leave church today without talking to a friend that took you to church, or without talking to a pastor or a minister saying, I want that gospel story to be true of me. We rejoice because of God's faithfulness. He has kept every single one of his promises. Number two, we rejoice because God is the one that supplies our joy. I hope you mark in your Bible. I say that a lot, but you can underline, circle, highlight whatever you need to in verse 43. Let me take you back there. Verse 43. They offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy. Did you catch that the first couple times I read it? God is the one that gave them their joy. They rejoice with a great rejoicing. Why? For God had made them rejoice with great joy. God is the one supplying their joy. I love reading those words and say, okay, God, if you can do that, in Nehemiah chapter 12, over 2,500 years ago, Lord, can you do that for me? Would you supply my joy today, Lord? I want to rejoice in you. I want to claim the promise of Lamentation chapter 3. That your steadfast love never ceases. Your mercies are new every morning, God. That gives me joy. Lord, I want to trust what it says in the Psalms that you can trade my sorrows for your joy. God, would you this morning turn it back around and supply my joy? God, I need to be joyful in you.

SPEAKER_00 23:00

Regardless of the circumstances.

SPEAKER_01 23:25

God, I want more of you. I want more of your presence. I want to walk in fullness of joy. The Bible promises that you supply that at your right hand there's pleasures forever. Oh God, would you supply my joy today? Jesus said it like this in John chapter 10. The thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy, but I have come that you might have life and have it abundantly. That's right. Or have it to the full. That's the kind of life I want to live as a Christian. Jesus, you have changed me from the inside out. You're continuing to change me every day. And I want to work in a full, I want to walk in full joy. So if you had to say where your joy meter was this morning, you know, that that thing they put up at the at the basketball game, say, get louder, and it goes louder, it goes to the loud. If that was your joy meter, would it be kind of half and half? Would it be more tool toward full? Would it be more toward empty? Just walking around with a look on your face saying, I hate the world. Where would your joy meter be this morning? People should know there's a difference about you because of your joy in Jesus. I'll brag on my wife. I wasn't there. She was at market days yesterday with her parents, with our girls. It's very encouraging a ministry. Our church partners with Carpenter's Helpers, they hand out white crosses, and she saw them handing out crosses, and so she wanted to go and say hi. And uh lo and behold, there were two people that walked up that wanted a cross and walking in all kinds of burden and serious need for prayer. And Chris says, I'd love to pray for you. Then they start talking about cancer and breast cancer, and Chris says, I'm a breast cancer survivor. Starts to share her testimony, starts to share how the Lord has carried her through and how God has provided miraculous healing. And the conversation just keeps getting deeper and deeper and deeper. They spend that moment of prayer, and those two individuals said, I'm so glad we met you today. And then someone that was helping with the crosses said, Man, Krista, I just I'm so inspired by you. Because when I see the way that you interacted with those people, it's you just have the joy of Jesus all over you. I love that about my life. And that should be the story of every single believer. God supplies our joy, and we interact with people that need hope, the hope of Christ. And that should be contagious. It should just come off of us because we're so full that we get squoths, and what comes out is, man, I'm just trusting the Lord, and even through this circumstance, I want to walk in the joy of Jesus. The Christian life is not always happy and clappy. I'm not saying that. I'm not saying put on a fake smile. I'm not saying put on a fake face. I'm not saying, oh, how are you? Well, I'm blessed. And that's that's all I can say, right? That's a good response, but you better mean it. Don't make it fake. Make it real. And if it's not, bend your knees at the throne of God and say, Lord, it's not real today, but you can change that. Would you supply my joy? Maybe the simplest response to a sermon like this is having an honest conversation with God that says, God, it's been way too long since I've walked in that kind of joy. And I just have a simple request. Even if it's a fraction every day, would you just start changing that joy meter where I'm reflecting the joy of Christ in my life? That would be a beautiful response. Third reason why we rejoice, rejoice because of our thankfulness. And I love the repetition in this passage. Here we'll get to the rest, the service of the temple. So the first dedication in verse 27 says this. And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, they sought the Levites in all their places to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings, and with singing. Now we have a second reference of Thanksgiving in verse 46. Let me read this last paragraph of Nehemiah 12. On that day men were appointed over the storerooms, the contributions, the first fruits, the tithes, to gather into them the portions required by the law of the priest, and for the Levites, according to the fields of the towns. For Judah rejoiced over the priest and the Levites who ministered. And they performed the service of their God and the service of purification, as did the singers and the gatekeepers, according to the command of David and his son Solomon. Right here. For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there were directors of the singers, and there were songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. And all Israel, in the days of Zerubbabel, and in the days of Nehemiah, gave the daily portions for the singers and the gatekeepers, and they set apart that which was for the Levites, and the Levites set apart that which was for the sons of Aaron. Did you see? The motive was thanksgiving. Just as David and Asaph had commanded in the Psalms direction for the singers and those that were causing the song of celebration, it's because of thanksgiving. I know many people might have walked in this morning. They're walking through it, man. They're walking through hard things, personal things within their family, hard circumstances all around them. But can I tell you, one of the ways to go from discontent to thankfulness and rejoicing and joy is just to make a list of all the things you're thankful for? I've got a prayer journal. I cast my burdens on the Lord all the time. I'll write down notes from sermons, but so often it's just, God, I'm thankful for this. And I just start a bullet point and it goes, and then I flip the page and it goes and it goes and it goes and it goes. And wouldn't you know that when I'm done praying that kind of prayer, I'm in a much better place in my heart? Why should we rejoice? Rejoice. Because of our thankfulness. My wife loves to set up the Christmas tree early. She has a birthday in the first week of November. For the longest time, I said, okay, look, we shouldn't be putting the Christmas tree up before Thanksgiving. But in recent years, she just loves having the Christmas tree out. And it just delights her heart for us to set that up on her birthday week and just call it one of the special things about celebrating her birthday. And so I said, Well, I guess what we can do is not call it a Christmas tree. We'll just call it a Thanksgiving tree because it's up before Thanksgiving. But isn't that a good reminder for me? The weeks leading up to Thanksgiving to have this tree and say, God, here are all the things I'm thankful for. There's so many reasons for me to be thankful. And then that stirs in me a rejoicing and stirs in me a joy, and I can continue to live for him. We have so many reasons to rejoice. I wonder how God is changing your heart even here this morning. Last week, chapter 11, God moved the people in, and today there's great rejoicing at the dedication of the wall. There's great celebration. And verse 43 stands out. That word rejoice, rejoice, the joy, rejoice. It's over and over and over. Can I tell you something really interesting as we come to a close? Nehemiah is giving direction. He's telling people, rejoice. This choir is going over here to this gate. This choir is going over there. And there's gonna be a loud singing and a loud celebration all across the land. Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice. I'm telling you to rejoice. I want to go back to those stories of our three kids and the very unique details behind their birth stories. Did you know no one had to tell Krista and I to rejoice when our kids were born? We didn't have to be told to do that. It was a natural response. It's just an overflow of our heart. I want to encourage you this morning if you're a Christian, nobody needs to tell you to rejoice either. That is a natural overflow of your heart because you know Jesus, your Savior. How is that going to shape the way we're about to sing this song? Pray with me. Lord, thank you for this church family. Thank you for this place. Thank you for all the reasons that you stirred our hearts to rejoice in you. And God, I pray very specifically for our church. And not just when we gather, of course, when we gather. Of course, when we gather. That there would be a palpable joy in the room. But also as we scatter, we scatter out into the highways and the byways, into the Wimberley Valley, that people would see something different about us. Lord, there may be people here this morning that just want to come to these steps and cast their cares on you. Would you meet them in that place? Or come and talk to a pastor or minister, God, would you would you meet us in that place? Help us respond in such a way that you are honored and you are glorified. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.