MELVIN NEWLAND, MINISTER RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
(This is the eighth of a Leadership series featuring Nehemiah. Some ideas & illustrations in these messages were based on or benefited greatly from, to varying extents, the book “Hand Me Another Brick” by Charles Swindoll.)
(The Powerpoints used with this sermon are available free. Just email me at mnewland@sstelco.com and request PP #322.)
A few months ago the Christian world celebrated "Palm Sunday" in recognition of that day nearly 2,000 years ago when Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
It was a great day as crowds lined the road, waving palm branches, throwing flowers, even laying garments on the road as a carpet for Him, & shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David!” (Matthew 21:9) & “Blessed is the King of Israel!" (John 12:13) Some of them even wanted to take Him by force & make Him their King!
So wild & tumultuous was the welcome that the Pharisees who had been plotting against Jesus cried out, "See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after Him!" (John 12:19)
But you know how quickly things changed. Within just a few days the crowds who had been shouting, "Blessed is the King!" were crying, "Crucify Him!... Crucify Him!... Let His blood be on us & on our children" (Matthew 23:22-25), & they crucified Him!
A. But up from the grave He arose! And 50 days after His resurrection there was another great day as the Church began on Pentecost. On that day Peter stood up with the rest of the apostles & preached the first gospel sermon ever preached. In it he said, "Let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord & Christ" (Acts 2:36).
Acts 2:37-38 tells us that “When the people heard this they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ’Brothers, what shall we do?’ Peter replied, ‘Repent & be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’"
Vs. 41 tells us, "Those who accepted his message were baptized, & about 3,000 were added to their number that day."
B. From that day the church grew by leaps & bounds, even in the face of tremendous persecutions. The Jewish Sanhedrin imprisoned Peter & John & commanded them to preach no more in the name of Jesus. But they answered, "We cannot help speaking about what we have seen & heard" (Acts 4:20).
The persecutions scattered the Christians, but the Bible says that they “preached the Word everywhere they went." (Acts 8:4) So great was the influence of this preaching that when Paul entered one city, he was greeted with this accusation, "Those who have turned the world upside down have come here also." (Acts 17:6)
Years later, when the Apostle Paul was imprisoned in Rome, he wrote to the young preacher, Timothy, "Preach the Word; be prepared in season & out of season; correct, rebuke, & encourage - with great patience & careful instruction" (2 Tim. 4:2).
Why this great emphasis on preaching the Word? I think that Paul states it very clearly when he says, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes . . ." (Romans 1:16).
God Himself said, "My word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire & achieve the purpose for which I sent it" (Isaiah 55:11).
C. It has been that way down throughout the centuries. With the fall of the Roman empire to the barbarian hordes the Dark Ages descended like a shroud over Europe. For nearly 1,000 years the preaching of God’s Word was replaced by rituals & superstition, as men went through the forms but knew almost nothing of God’s Word.
ILL. Then in the 1500’s, Martin Luther, who had been studying for the priesthood for 7 years, found an old Bible locked & chained to a pulpit in a storeroom. He broke the lock, & for the first time in his life was able to read God’s Word for himself.
It changed his life, & it changed the history of mankind. Whatever else we may know about Martin Luther, one of the greatest things he did was to make the Bible available to the common people in their own language, so that they, too, might know what God’s Word has to say to them.
ILL. Almost the same kind of thing happened in Scotland. Bloody Mary, Queen of the Scots wanted to rule England also. And she was willing to make her country pay whatever price was necessary to achieve her goal.
But in Scotland there was a fiery young preacher by the name of John Knox. He denounced her sins & said, "She is a Jezebel." Mary said of John Knox, "I fear his tongue & pen more than the armies of England."
John Knox read the Word of God, preached it with conviction & power, & mobilized the people of Scotland into what came to be known in history as the "Scottish Revival."
ILL. It happened in England, too. King Henry VIII rejected the Pope in Rome & then proclaimed himself as Head of the Church in England. It didn’t take long until much of the leadership of the English church was political, corrupt & worldly.
Then came two brothers, John & Charles Wesley. They saw the corruption & worldliness in the English church & proclaimed, "If you are going to be a Christian, you ought to live like a Christian!"
In his 50 years of preaching, John Wesley preached 40,000 sermons. He spoke to audiences as great as 20,000 people without the help of loudspeakers. He traveled 225,000 miles, most of it on horseback, proclaiming the Word of God.
His brother, Charles, wrote 8,000 hymns, including "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing," "Jesus, Lover of My Soul", "O, For a Thousand Tongues To Sing," & many others that we still sing today. Revival came to England as the Word of God was preached, & the people were mobilized to seek the lost.
D. Interestingly, tucked away in the 8th chapter of Nehemiah is the first recorded revival. And it comes about because someone begins to read the Word of God! And another interesting thing it happens at a place in Jerusalem called Water Gate.
Taking a closer look we find that Water Gate was simply a gate in the wall leading to a spring where the people could get water. There was a large area there with plenty of room for people to gather for caravans to stop & water their animals.
Looking back at what we have read in the book of Nehemiah during these past few weeks we find that the wall is finished. The gates have been hung, the city is protected, & the people are secure.
Once the work was done, the 7th chapter tells us that the people quickly began to settle down into their old, comfortable life styles. We can almost see them getting out their barbecues, cooking steaks, making ice cream, going swimming, celebrating the 4th of July (well, maybe not that) but they’re settling down to a peaceful, affluent existence.
However, nothing of any spiritual significance is happening. They look at the wall & say, "Boy, that was great! When we were building that wall it was a challenge, & we were all united. That was a wonderful time! But now it’s finished & it’s great to be safe & secure behind the walls of Jerusalem!"
But what was happening spiritually was death. Nehemiah looked at the people & realized that they were spiritually dying on the vine. They weren’t following God’s commandments. They were God’s people, & they weren’t acting like it. Somehow, there needed to be a revival among the people.
Now Nehemiah was a fine cup bearer & a good wall builder, & he is making a good governor, but he realizes that if the people are going to be revived spiritually, help is needed. So he brings in Ezra, a priest of God & a scribe, to make known God’s Word to the people.
Turn with me to the first 3 verses of the 8th chapter of Nehemiah, & please listen as I read: “When the seventh month came & the Israelites had settled in their towns, all the people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel.
“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. He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women & others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.”
I. TO HAVE A REVIVAL, GOD’S WORD MUST BE MADE KNOWN!
A. You see, if there is ever to be a revival of faith in God among the people, God’s Word must be made known! And that often requires a faithful teacher. So here is Ezra a man of God who is willing to stand up & with deep conviction present the truth of God to the people.
APPL. I believe that is just what we need today, too. I believe that it is time for churches to insist that preachers proclaim the Word of God, not just travelogues or psychological treatises or moral stories. We need good & faithful men, like Ezra, who will preach & teach the gospel with deep conviction & concern.
ILL. I’ll never forget the preacher who stood in my office one day & said, "I’ve never preached a sermon about Jesus because I don’t know anything about Him." And it wasn’t too much later when he quit the ministry & joined the navy.
B. Vs. 4 says that “Ezra the Scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion.” And in vs’s 5-6 we’re told that “Ezra opened the book… & as he opened it, the people all stood up. Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; & all the people lifted their hands & responded, ‘Amen! Amen!’ Then they bowed down & worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.”
Ezra stood up to read & the people listened. They were attentive to the Word of God. What had happened in Jerusalem was that it had been so long since they had heard anyone teach the Law of God that they had forgotten it. Now, for the first time in years, they were hearing the Law of God & it says that they "lifted their hands in praise & they bowed their heads in reverent respect for the Word of God."
They realized that God was reaching into their hearts & ministering to their needs. It was not enough to build the walls. Now it was time to build something that would endure for eternity. God’s Word was being proclaimed! And they were listening attentively with great respect for it.
APPL. I wonder, have we gathered around the Lord’s table so many times that these emblems no longer have any real significance for us? Have we read so much from this old book that it no longer speaks to our needs? Or have we read so little from this Book that we have forgotten what it says?
Not only do we need preachers who can preach the Word of God we need people who are in tune with & attentive to what the Word of God has to say.
II. TO HAVE REVIVAL, THE PEOPLE MUST RESPOND WITH CONVICTION!
Next, notice the people’s response as the Word of God is explained to them. Vs. 9 says, “Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest & scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, ‘This day is sacred 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.”
You see, their initial reaction was to weep & mourn. No one had clearly presented the Word of God to them for years. Now they were hearing it, & the result was that they were deeply convicted of their sins & their negligence in doing what God had commanded. That brought about their sincere repentance, mourning, & weeping.
But listen to vs. 10: “Nehemiah said, ‘Go & enjoy choice food & sweet drinks, & send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” And vs. 11 says, “The Levites calmed all the people, saying, ‘Be still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve.’”
It was a holy day & the beauty of it was that even though they had neglected the Word of God, & even though they had fallen away from God, God was anxious to forgive them. So, because of that, there was to be joy in their hearts & "the joy of the Lord is your strength."
SUM: Ezra preached the Word to them he explained the Word to them, & they listened to it attentively. They responded at first with weeping, & then with joy. "Joy is to be in your hearts for today the Lord is anxious to forgive you of all the sins you have committed."
That is the message that we have today the very same message. Through Jesus Christ God has made known once again & for all time that He loves us, & that He wants to forgive us of all our sins if only we will come to Him & let Him.
ILL. Back in the 1960’s a lot of people proclaimed that "God is dead." They said that they didn’t need Him, & they didn’t want Him. A few years later, you could see bumper stickers proclaiming, "God is back, & boy, is He mad!"
He’s not mad. He loves us. He may be sad about what we have done with all that He has given us. He hates sin, but He loves the sinner, & He invites us to come to Him, through Jesus. Will you come, as we stand & sing?
