August 25th, 2024
From The Series: When God Rebuilds…
Part 28 God's Word Rebukes and Reminds Us
Nehemiah 8:1-18
Mountain View Evangelical Missionary
Church
Good morning, again. Great news for those of you who are
getting tired of the Old Testament. Today and next week should be the last time
that we will be spending any prolonged time in the Old Testament for a while. I
still reserve the right to come back to the Old Testament in the future, but after
the long weekend, we will begin a new study of the Gospel of John. It will not
be a quick skip through that book, instead, I hope you will exhibit the
patience needed as we will do an in-depth study of the life and ministry of
Jesus Christ as told through the eyes of the youngest disciple and the one whom
the Lord blessed with the longest of lives. But that's in two weeks.
Today, we will spend a bit more time in Nehemiah and I think it will be time well spent. The title of today's message is, "God's Word Rebukes and Reminds Us!". "God's Word Rebukes and Reminds Us!" The word "rebuke" is a loaded word for some people. When you hear that word does it conjure images of dark skies with clouds and balls of fire and brimstone raining down?
When you think of God's Rebuke, does it conjure up dark storm
clouds, flashes of lightning, and an angry God sitting atop a mountain,
scowling down on His creation looking for someone to hurl a lightning bolt at?
Is that the image of God that you have in your mind's eye? A keeper of the Law
and a recorder of each person's rights and wrongs weighing out both to see If
the person is worthy of entrance to heaven.
If that or any part of that image is in your mind, may I
suggest that you do not have a truly biblical image of who God is? If this is
how you see God watching over His creation you are being swayed by other
influences than the Bible. We have seen over the past year, how the Lord is
intimately involved in His creation and with His people. We have seen in the
Books of Habbakuk and Ezra how Yahweh was able to move even the hearts of Kings
who were not of His people.
We have indeed seen the punishment of Yahweh unleashed on His
people to discipline them and bring His people back into a right relationship
with the Lord. Here's the kicker, people often confuse rebuking with punishing.
Rebuking is not the same as punishing. They are distant cousins of each other,
but they are not the same thing.
We should think of rebuking as "correcting" or
"correction". It is the first stage on the road to punishment.
Punishment is the drastic step that Yahweh takes when His people continue to
ignore the rebuking of the Lord and His pleas to His people to return to Him
and His ways.
We need to constantly check our views of who God is because
it is so easy for people to drift from what the Bible teaches and begin to
craft a god of our own making. Entire denominations have been built around gods
of their crafting. I know some of you may have a problem, or you may be
uncomfortable with the notion of a God who rebukes and punishes people.
Correction and punishment are not always negative things.
We were talking about this at our Bible study this week. An
example was brought up about how a child relative acted differently between
uncles and grandparents. The grandparents were softer and less rigid with the
child and the grandparents were rewarded with terrible behaviour by the child.
The uncle, however, did not accept the bad behaviour and he required more from
the child, like picking up after himself and putting his dishes away. The child
listened and the uncle was surprised by the child wanting to spend more
one-on-one time with the uncle. I suggested that the child saw the correction
as a sign of caring and love. The child may have seen the uncle's actions as a
sign of love because the uncle cared enough to correct the nephew.
If boundaries and discipline are good for children from
loving parents, how much more accepting should we be of rebuking or correction
from our loving Father in Heaven? Once more, Yahweh is not a cold and distant
god who simply set the universe in motion and has stepped back, watching us to
see how this all plays out. No, Yahweh is a loving creator and the image of a
Father to us is one that helps us to understand His role in our lives. One of
the ways in which He communicates with us is through the Bible. Believers,
adopted children of the Father, also have the guarantee of the Holy Spirit
living inside us to assist us in the understanding and proper application of
what God's Word says to each of us.
Quiz time for you. Do you remember a couple of weeks back
when I asked some questions from the Westminster Shorter Catechism? The second
question I asked was:
Question 2. What rule hath God given to direct us how
we may glorify and enjoy him?
Answer. The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures
of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify
and enjoy him.
The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the
Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and
enjoy him.
We see the Westminster Catechism directing us to look to the
Scriptures, to look to the Bible and to follow what it teaches for proper instruction
and direction for our lives. Why should we turn to the Bible for this
instruction? Because the Bible will direct us in the ways we may glorify
God and enjoy Him!
When we glorify God, when we recognize all that He
does for us and give Him the credit for these blessings. When we fail to
do this, it is easy for us to get so wrapped up in our affairs and think that
our successes are simply our doing. Do you understand what is at the heart of
this issue, when we fail to give the Lord credit for our blessings? Pride.
Pride is at the heart of our failure to give glory and credit to God when we
receive every blessing from Him.
God's Word is careful to warn us and to give us instruction
against falling prey to this sin of pride. It is a sin! Don't be fooled by
secular teaching about this. The Book of Proverbs is full of warnings against
man succumbing to the sin of Pride. Here are just three examples:
Proverbs 11:2 gives us this guidance, "2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but with humility comes wisdom."
Proverbs 16:5
gives us this instruction, "5 The
Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go
unpunished."
Proverbs 21:4 warns us that this behaviour leads
to problems for us, "4 Haughty
eyes and a proud heart—the unplowed field of the wicked—produce sin." This
is a great agricultural metaphor, haughty eyes and a proud heart are the seeds
planted into the unplowed field. Don't miss that, the unplowed field, meaning
there is no additional effort required to reap the bountiful crop of sin.
Haughty eyes and a proud heart produce sin in abundance for us. Pride is such a
dangerous sin that the bible speaks about pride 231 times in the Bible. 231
times the Bible warns us about pride or illustrates to us the dangers and
consequences of those who have pride issues. We should pay close attention to
these dangers.
Pride is just
one issue that the Bible gives us instruction about. The Bible warns,
encourages, rebukes, illustrates, and tells us of those who ignored God's
teachings in the past and the consequences for them of doing so. God does all
this so that we may live our lives to the fullest and receive the maximum joy
that He has planned for us.
I'm not
saying that we will have trouble-free lives, but what I do mean is that when we
have trouble in our lives, we can face the trouble with a calmness and
certainty that results in joy that surpasses all understanding. I say all of
that as an introduction because as we will see in the passage this morning, the
Jews who had returned to the territory around Jerusalem reacted with joy when
they were given proper instruction from the Word of God.
I want you to
pay attention to the posture of the people as they received this
instruction and the impact that hearing God's Word preached had on them.
Then I want you to ask yourself if the reading and hearing of the Bible has the
same effect on you, and… if not, ask yourself why not? Posture and impact,
listen for those two things from Scripture this morning.
OK, let's
open our Bibles and turn on our devices together and examine what the Holy
Spirit has to say to us this morning. Turn with me to the eighth chapter of the
Book of Nehemiah and we will start at verse 1.
If you did not bring your Bible this morning, you should find
one underneath one of the chairs in the row in front of you. Nehemiah chapter 8
will be found on page 389 of the pew bible. If you do not have a bible at home,
please take that bible with you as a gift from Mountain View Church. We feel
that it is vitally important that you have easy access to God’s Word. And God’s
Word says…
READ NEHEMIAH
7:73b-8:18
And God's
Word says…
73b When
the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,
8 1all
the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told
Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which
the Lord had commanded for Israel.
2 So
on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before
the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to
understand. 3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he
faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and
others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the
Book of the Law.
4 Ezra
the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion.
Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah (Mat-a-tie-ah), Shema (Shee-ma),
Anaiah (AH-Nay-yah), Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah (May-ah-see-ah);
and on his left were Pedaiah (Puh-day-ah), Mishael (Mish-a-ale),
Malkijah (Mal-Key-ah), Hashum (Hay-shum), Hashbaddanah (Hash-Bad-a-nah),
Zechariah and Meshullam.
5 Ezra
opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above
them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6 Ezra
praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and
responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their
faces to the ground.
7 The
Levites—Jeshua (Yesh-u-wah), Bani (Bay-nigh), Sherebiah (Cher-a-Bi-ah),
Jamin (Jaw-Min), Akkub (A-Cub), Shabbethai (Sheb-a-thigh),
Hodiah (Hoe-die-ah), Maaseiah (May-ah-SEE-ah), Kelita (Kell-lite-ah),
Azariah (As-a-rye-ah), Jozabad (Joe-Za-bad), Hanan (HEY-nan)
and Pelaiah (Puh-Lay-ah)—instructed the people in the Law while the
people were standing there. 8 They read from the Book of the
Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people
understood what was being read.
9 Then
Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites
who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the Lord
your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they
listened to the words of the Law.
10 Nehemiah
said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who
have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy
of the Lord is your strength.”
11 The
Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a holy day. Do
not grieve.”
12 Then
all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to
celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been
made known to them.
13 On
the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the
priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the teacher to give attention to
the words of the Law. 14 They found written in the Law, which
the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in
temporary shelters during the festival of the seventh month 15 and
that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in
Jerusalem: “Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and
wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make temporary
shelters”—as it is written.
16 So
the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves temporary
shelters on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of
God and in the square by the Water Gate and the one by the Gate of Ephraim. 17 The
whole company that had returned from exile built temporary shelters and lived
in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had
not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great.
18 Day
after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law
of God. They celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day, in
accordance with the regulation, there was an assembly.
Before we get started too deep, I just wanted to address one
thing that is taught in this passage. I want us to look at a couple of verses
carefully and I want us to pay particular attention to the posture of
the people. The posture, of the attitude of the people as described by
the author. When you read of their attitude, I want you to ask yourself if you
share their same posture and attitude when you come to church on Sunday
morning?
First posture, verse 1, "They told
Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses…" They
told Ezra the teacher to bring out the Book of the Law and to read
it to them. God's people showed up to this gathering eager to hear from
God that morning simply through the reading of God's Word. Are you eagerly
receiving when God's Word is simply read? Are you paying attention to the
reading of Scripture or do you tune out a little and wait for the good part to
begin when the preacher begins to explain what he just read? You should find just
the reading of Scripture to be every bit as edifying as the description of what
was read, perhaps even more so.
First
posture, they were eager. Second posture, they were patient. Look
at verse 3, "3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon…" Daybreak
till noon at that time of year in Isreal was about six hours. SIX HOURS! For
six hours God's people, men and women who were able to understand, stood for
six hours and actively listened to the reading of God's Word. Just the reading!
The teaching portion didn't begin until after Ezra had finished reading and
then he praised God and all the people responded by lifting their hands and
saying "Amen, Amen".
Then in verse 7, "7 The
Levites instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. 8 They
read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the
meaning so that the people understood what was being read." So God's
people heard the Word read for six hours and then the preaching and
teaching began until they "understood what was being read". So
apparently, church services should last at least six hours!
Ok, we have
seen the first posture was they were eager. The second posture was they
were patient. The third posture I want to draw your attention to is
found at the end of verse 3, "And all the people
listened attentively to the Book of the Law." The people listened attentively.
They were engaged. This week I had another premarital teaching session with
the couple who I will be marrying in November, and the lesson that we covered
this week was "active listening". Did you know that listening,
attentive listening, is an active event? We are not to just sit back passively,
drifting off when we listen. If we care about the person speaking we
will actively listen being fully engaged with what the other person is saying.
Now in the case of Sunday mornings, if you love Jesus, you will actively listen
to what He has to say on Sunday morning. Not what I say, but what the
Holy Spirit is saying to you through me. More on that in a bit.
Now for the
final posture of God's people in this passage that I want to draw your
attention to. We have seen the first posture was they were eager. The
second posture was they were patient. The third posture was they listened
attentively. The fourth posture was they responded. Look at verse 9,
"For all the people had been weeping as they
listened to the words of the Law." There was a response from
the people. The response this particular time was weeping, perhaps because they
were convicted by the reading of God's Word of the errors in their lives. And
they were responding. How do we know? Because we will see a little later how
they changed. I'm not suggesting that it is mandatory for weeping and gnashing
of teeth to occur after the message is delivered each week. Frankly, that would
be a little weird and it may cause me to question your mental health. But there
should be some kind of response inside of you.
I'm not
looking for pats on the back or words of praise from you each week, what I am
talking about is a response inside of you at the hearing of God's Word.
Do you meditate on what you hear from your pastor after Sunday morning? Do you think
about it at all? Do you allow the work of the Holy Spirit to continue with the
lesson in you during the week? Or are you quick to put that lesson behind you
and go on to the next thing? Are you eager to go home and listen to your favourite
celebrity pastor and listen to what he or she is preaching on that day while
putting the lesson that God delivered to you that morning behind
you?
I just want
to point out a couple of things with this behaviour. First, God appoints your
local shepherd. The sovereign God arranges all things for the good of His will
and glory. So it is no accident that I am here. I don't claim to be the best
pastor or preacher, or even the best Bible teacher. What I am aware of is that
God has orchestrated events so that I am here at this time for His purpose. I
am your pastor and your shepherd. The person on TV or on radio is
their pastor and their shepherd and you are just listening in on
what he has to say to them. Don't brush past this thought too quickly.
We are each
here at such a time as this because this is where God desires each of us to be.
Most of you new people have shared the same story, "I have driven past
this church for years and something caused me to turn in and join you for
Sunday Service". I'll let you in on a secret, that "something"
was God answering our prayers. This is the flock that you are to be a part of
at this time and I am to be the shepherd of this flock under the guidance of
the Ultimate Shepherd of us all, Jesus Christ. I say this with full humility
and understanding of the responsibilities that come with it.
If you are
not growing in your sanctification, if you are not growing closer to Jesus, if
you feel stagnant in your walk, if you feel that you are not being fed, then
perhaps it is because you are brushing past what God is speaking to you here on
Sunday mornings at Mountain View Church! Instead of steeping in the message
from Sunday morning, you are rushing out of here to catch a game, or searching
for the next better message, while forgetting this morning's message, you may
not be actively listening to what God is trying to tell you! These four
postures are your responsibility on Sunday mornings and whenever you spend time
in God's Word.
Alright, the four main points I see that God is speaking to
us from this passage this morning are the following and you will find them
mentioned in your bulletin:
1. God's Word will rebuke us.
2. God's Word reminds us.
3. God's Word is for all His People.
4. God's Word causes His people to respond.
These are the four main points I want us to examine as they
are taught here in this passage. One important thing to remember is that the
Bible does not teach these things here in this passage. I am sure that as we
cover each of these points this morning the Spirit will bring to your mind
other passages in the Bible that teach a similar point. Our Creator knows us so
well, and He understands that we human beings learn best through repetition.
That is why we will often see teachings, especially if it is an important
lesson, we will see the same lesson presented multiple times. The Lord
recognizes that we need repetition to remember, and we remember through
repetition.
Let's look for the first point this morning.
God's Word will rebuke us. When you hear that term does this
image or something similar come to mind? An image of a wicked storm coming
across a mountaintop throwing down hail and torrential rain into your life. Or
does the concept of rebuke bring to mind the end of Sodom and Gomorrah being
destroyed by balls of fire and brimstone falling from heaven? That is not rebuking,
that was punishment from God.
As I said in the introduction, punishment is a long way down
the road that begins with rebuking. The first step on this road is the adoption
by the Father of us into the family of God. For God does not rebuke
unbelievers. The Apostle Paul was not even comfortable rebuking an unbeliever.
In his advice to the church at Corinth, Paul wrote these
words, "12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you
not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside.
“Expel the wicked person from among you." 1
Corinthians 5:12-13.
Here is a
thought that is not very popular these days. It is a major part of a pastor's
job to rebuke his flock. Did that get your hackles up? A major part of a
pastor's job is to rebuke his flock. People love to say that the Bible tells us
not to judge people. And to a certain extent that is true. But pay attention to
what Paul is saying here, it is not his business to judge those outside
the church implying that it is his job to judge those inside the church.
That is why Paul instructs the church to expel the wicked person from among
you. For an unrepentant wicked person is not of God and therefore does not
belong among the flock. Notice I said " an unrepentant wicked
person". Emphasis on the lack of repentance not on the wickedness.
But with
culture cramming down our throats these days the concepts of tolerance and
acceptance, this idea of rebuking by a pastor really rubs us the wrong way.
Keep in mind, that what the culture advocates is rarely in line with what the
Bible teaches. Our English Bibles translate the Greek word elencho as "rebuke".The
Greek New Testament uses the word elencho 17 times with one-third of those occurrences
happening in the Pastoral Letters. 1st and 2nd Timothy
and the Book of Titus were books written by Paul for instruction for his two
proteges Timothy and Titus who were left behind and in charge of churches that
Paul had started with them.
Too many
leaders in too many churches today shirk their responsibility of elencho in
their daily duties. Now, what do I mean that the pastor's job is to rebuke the
flock? Keep in mind, the biblical definition of rebuking. It is the duty
of the pastor to correct the flock using the proper interpretation of
the Bible as his guide. It is not an easy thing to do, for most people do not
enjoy conflict and they try to avoid it at all costs, but as I also said
earlier, correction is a sign of love. Don't just take my word for it look at
what Scripture has to say about it.
Hebrews 12:5-6 provides us with these
instructions, " 5 And have you
completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father
addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s
discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because
the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as
his son." The Lord also speaks to his people through the preaching
and actions of men he has called to positions of leadership within the church,
especially those involved in teaching and preaching God's Word.
Back at the
end of July, when we had the congregational vote, I hope that you voted yes not
because I'm a nice guy or a good teacher, but I hope that you voted yes as you were
guided by the Holy Spirit to recognize the call that God has placed on me. I
say this will all humility possible. I know just exactly how unworthy I am to
be teaching God's Word for I am far from sinless myself. I have mentioned
before that no one is more convicted by these sermons than I am while I am
reading, researching, and studying God's Word in an attempt to bring the message
to you on Sunday morning.
Here's the
most amazing thing that happens on Sunday morning. Anyone who has been in
ministry or has done some preaching will tell you the same thing. Something
miraculous happens between the speaking of my words and the receiving of them
by God's people. The Holy Spirit will interpret what I am saying and cause you
to hear what God desires for you to hear.
So, when
people come to me and accuse me of picking on them or nagging them… when they
blame me for the conviction of the Holy Spirit, I calmly take the blame while
silently giving God the glory for the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
Can I get an amen? As Voddie Baucham says, "If you can't say amen, you outta
say ouch". That too is the convicting work of the Holy Spirit. Now, the
condition to all that I have just said, is that the preacher is delivering
God's Word in love and respect, not in an abusive or controlling manner.
I can't tell
you what to do in your life, because you will just ignore me. What I can do is
encourage you to change, if you need to, using God's Word and the work of the
Holy Spirit in your life to bring you closer to Jesus Christ.
We saw the
strongest example of the rebuking or correcting of God's Word a few weeks back
when we examined Ezra chapter ten. We spent two messages examining the Holy
Spirit's effects on the lives of the priests once they had been convicted of
the errors in their lives. If you missed those sermons, I encourage you to go
back and listen to them on the church website. The two messages on Ezra chapter
ten were parts 23 and 24 of this series.
The second main point I wish us to examine from this
morning's message is that God's Word will remind us. We see this best
illustrated in verses 13 to 17. But first, a little context to help us
understand. We see in Nehemiah 7:73 that all these events in this chapter are
occurring in the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar. Now the seventh month
happens to be the high-holy month of the calendar. Three major festivals are
observed in this month, even through to today, The Feast of Trumpets, or Rosh
Hashanah, the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur, and the Feast of Booths or
Sukkoth (SUE-coath). This was a high holy month, think Christmas and
Easter happening in the same month.
The Feats of Trumptes was observed on the first day of the
sebenth month and was a call to the Jewish people to prepare for the Messiah's
return at the end of days. Of course, they are not speaking of Jesus Christ, as
the Jewish people continue to fail to recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
The Day of Atonement occurred on the 10th day of
the seventh month and it is the last day of the ten days of repentance observed
by the Jewish people. It was a day marked with fasting, praying, and
confessions of sins.
The Feast of Booths was to be a week long celebration to
remember God's deliverance of the Isralites out of the bondage of slavery while
they were in Egypt. It was to mark God's Salvation of His people. They were to
build temporary shelters in their yards or on their rooftop and they were to
move into and live in them for the seven days to mark the time that the
Isrealites wandered in the desert. It culminated with the reading of the entire
Torah on the eight day. Let's look at verses 13 to 17.
"13 On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along
with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the teacher to give
attention to the words of the Law. 14 They found written in the
Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to
live in temporary shelters during the festival of the seventh month 15 and
that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in
Jerusalem: “Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and
wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make temporary
shelters”—as it is written.
16 So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves
temporary shelters on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of
the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate and the one by the Gate of
Ephraim. 17 The whole company that had returned from exile
built temporary shelters and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun
until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy
was very great." So we see from these verses that the
people had forgotten about this important festival and how they were to observe
it in remembrance of God's mercy and deliverance. Verse 17 tells us that they
had not celebrated this since the times of Joshua son of Nun, which was, for
the record about eight hundred years earlier.
The equivalent
would be like the Christian Church forgetting about the Lord's Supper for eight
hundred years and then discovering a Biblical text giving them instructions to
observe the ordinance.
God's Word
reminds us of our duties to the Lord. It is so easy to be swayed by culture and
forget how we are to speak, how we are to live, and how we are to worship and
instead, we start adopting the ways of culture because we have forgotten God's
ways. God's Word reminds us what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ in
all aspects of our life.
Another point that we glean from this passage is that God's
Word is for all of His people. Seven times the phrase "all the people"
is repeated. Seven times we read that what was being spoken and taught in this
seventh month was for "all the people". We need to understand this
accurately, however. Those who benefitted were God's chosen people. All who
were chosen by God at this time. In the Old Testament, God decided to choose
His people primarily through birthright. This is why the genealogies were so
important. We saw several times already in both Ezra and Nehemiah where people
who could not prove their Jewish bloodline were not permitted to participate.
Thankfully, God has decided to broaden the selection process
and it is no longer tied to our bloodlines, it is now tied to His selection and
our faith. Those are the new parameters for selection under the new covenant.
We have covered a lot of ground this morning and I have touched on more than
just the four points outlined in the bulletin.
If you missed something or care to review the items that were
mentioned, simply look for my blog where you will find a written copy of this
sermon on Monday morning.
CONCLUSION
We are running short on time so I will make this quick. You
know that we have been spending quite some time in the Books of Ezra and
Nehemiah. I have spent this much time here because I think that these words are
particularly relevant to this church at this time. We too are in a rebuilding
stage. You know one thing that I neglected to point out at the start of the
series, was that there were people already living in Jerusalme before Ezra or
any of the govenors showed up. They had been there for sometime just sitting
among the rubble. They had been in the rubble for so long that they had become
comfortable there among the mess and just accepted it as their lot in life.
Perhaps they were too tired or too discouraged to make any
changes on their own before the new leaders began showing up after being called
by Yahweh. Whatever the reasons, the people did little to build back the city
on their own.
Until… the reading of God's Word was re-established by His
people. Once the reading of God's Word resumed, the people saw purpose for
their lives again. They became motivated to make changes, to get involved, and
to join God in His work.
In other words, the reading of God's Word caused His people
to respond. It motivated them to once again see the Glory of who He was and the
wonder of His work. It began to pave the way for the arrival of His Son in
about 500 years and He would accomplish the most magnificent of any work to be
done, the work which allowed us to be reconciled with the Father once more.
How did the Jewish people of Jerusalem and surrounding towns
respond to the remembrance of God's Word and its teachings? Look at the last
statement of verse 17, "And their joy was very great."
Friends, if
you are lacking in joy in your life right now, that may be the correction of
the Lord happening to you and you may want to return to the Bible more often
until you begin to align your life more completely with the teachings of Jesus,
then you will know the Joy of the Lord!
Praise God and Hallelujah!!
Pastor
Paul’s Points:
1) God's Word will rebuke us.
2) God's Word will remind us.
3) God's Word is for all His
people.
4) God's Word causes His people
to respond.
Questions
to meditate on this week:
1. What is the purpose of God's Word?
2. Are you prepared to renew your
covenant with God?
3. What effects does the reading of
God's Word have on you?
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