Session Focus: Identifying with God’s Word
Scripture Focus: Nehemiah 8
Session Introduction
Consider starting this session with an interactive dialogue. Invite your group members to share about someone they dreamed of being when they were growing up OR someone their kids/grandkids identified with. Ask them to share what comes to mind as they think about someone they or their children identified with and dreamed of being.
Purpose of Discussion: As group members have had an opportunity to share, transition into this fifth session by sharing that the focus of our session for this week is to “Identify with God’s Word”. Just as group members have shared different individuals or characters that they identified with growing up, so our purpose and calling as believers is to identify with God’s Word as the guide for our lives.
Putting this Session in Context
This is the 5th session in this “Rebuilding Faith” series. That means that for the past 4 weeks, your group has studied the life and ministry of Nehemiah. These sessions have focused on how Nehemiah led God’s children in rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem. But what our group has also discovered is that his story is about so much more than just walls – it’s about trusting in God when the odds were stacked against them. It’s about depending on God’s strength when theirs was gone. And as we have walked through this story…we’ve seen 4 keys already to “Rebuilding Faith”.
1. Recognizing that at times we have failed in our walk with Christ. But beyond that…
2. We examined our brokenness…and where there are cracks in our faith. Then we moved to…
3. Believing that God is faithful and basing everything upon that reality. And as He’s faithful…
4. We united our focus towards knowing and serving the Lord more each and every day.
Summary: So that’s what we’ve discovered so far. And in this 5th session, we are considering how God’s Word is a critical part of this “Rebuilding Faith” journey.
Meeting a New Key Character
Now obviously, the character that we have been focusing on over the past four weeks has been Nehemiah. We’ve talked about how he was a great leader and how he was a great example for the people. But now we are introduced to another key character - Ezra.
The occasion for this introduction was the celebration of the feast of the seventh month. Now what’s clear is that God wanted His children to commemorate special events, because the beginning of every month featured a sacred festival. But this particular event here in chapter 8 was distinguished as "the feast of trumpets," which extended over two days. As they celebrated this particular festival, one part of the festival that was required was the “reading of the Law”. But what WAS NOT a given was the RESPONSE of the people that we’re going to see in this session. And so as Ezra stands to read the Law, maybe his expectation would have been no different than the other observances – but God shows up and moves among His people.
Applying this to Us: And so as we seek to capture in this 5th session the idea of “Identifying with God’s Word”…we are going to use a key word – the word pinpoint. You see, if I identify something…I pinpoint it as the person or the object. And so what can we “pinpoint” about God’s Word from Nehemiah 8?
Well the first pinpoint that will help us “identify with God’s Word” is this…
I. Pinpoint your Time - Identifying with God’s Word requires time in encountering God’s Word.
Read Nehemiah 8:1-3
Nehemiah records a key response of the people there in those first few verses – they were “attentive to the Law”. And the first thing that set them up for that attentive focus on God’s Word is the fact that they “pinpointed their time” on the Word.
How did they “pinpoint their time”? Well, first of all, they did it corporately.
a. A Time for of all of the community.
(Group Leader: Invite the group members to keep their Bibles opened to Nehemiah 8 throughout the session).
Notice what it says in vs. 1, “…all of the people gathered together…”
This was a community agreement to seek the Lord as they joined together to hear from God’s Word.
Group Discussion Opportunity: When you get together with a group of friends and it’s time to decide on where to go out to eat together…are you the one throwing out suggestions OR are you waiting on everyone else to decide? Which are you?
Discussion Transition: While it may be tough to get a consensus in a group on eating arrangements, the decision to gather around the Word of God here in Nehemiah 8 came as a time for all of the community. And at this consensus meeting, Ezra was invited to read the Law!
But what is interesting about this meeting of the people is that the focus here is not on Nehemiah…the focus is on the people…and their decision to seek the Lord!
In fact, as we look at this section in chapter 8, one of the recurring statements that we are going to see is “the people”. The word “people” occurs thirteen times in 8:1–12. And even more specifically, the phrase “all the people” occurs in nine of those instances. And so that lets us know very clearly that the focus of ch. 8 is not going to be on Nehemiah or Ezra…the focus is on the response of God’s people to what they are hearing.
And what is clear is that the COMMUNITY came together to “Identify with God’s Word”.
Illustration: Lay Renewal Weekends
Beginning around 50 years ago a ministry began entitled “Lay Renewal Weekends”. It was a revival type ministry that focused more on the role of the individual members in seeking the Lord in prayer and renewal rather than focusing on a speaker. It was a movement used by God to impact many lives.
But this lay emphasis goes deep into our Christian history. In fact, it was the precedent for the Second Great Awakening. Common church members and community leaders began coming together to pray. And as they gathered for prayer, God began to move! So it wasn’t clergy led…it was led by lay people!
Back to the Text: Vs. 1 says, “all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate…”
As the community of faith pinpointed their time corporately, they also realized this truth…
b. A Time for all of the Message.
Nehemiah gathered the people and Ezra stood before them with the scroll opened. And as the community gathered, they came with the intent of truly hearing the message.
Look together at vs. 3. , “…he read from it…from morning until midday…”
Group Discussion Opportunity: Take a few moments to have a lighthearted conversation about how long is too long for a preacher to preach. Is it 20 minutes? 30 minutes? 45 minutes? What about if the preacher started in the morning and was still preaching at midday?
Purpose of Discussion: Share that this is exactly what took place here in Nehemiah. They invited Ezra to speak, and he definitely was a long winded preacher!
So how much time is enough?
Jonathan Edwards Example: Well, how about the example of Jonathan Edwards from the 1730s…he would spend at least 13 hours daily in his study!!
While we may not be able to spend those kinds of extended periods in God’s Word, we truly ought to be willing to invest time in God’s Word each and every day so that we are hiding His Word in our hearts! You see, if I read ANYTHING often enough, it’s going to start sticking in my head eventually! And so we have a purpose for “pinpointing our time”… time for ALL of the message.
But when we talk about time…we also have to be willing to be patient in reading God’s Word so that it’s…
c. A Time for all of the Understanding.
Vs. 3 says that the Book of the Law was read “before the men and women and all those who could understand”.
Scenario for Group: Propose this scenario to the group. “Has there ever been a time when you have read God’s Word and then wondered what you just read?” Share that this is perfectly normal for group members to feel a bit confused at times by the Bible. That is why it is a guide book that we will study all of our lives! In fact, if your group members have spent much time at all in God’s Word, they have likely encountered some complex teachings! But the key is this – there are lots of tools out there to help your group members to understand the more complex teachings in God’s Word.
Working with the Right Tools: It’s like working in the yard or working on your car. When you see someone pull out the right tools…it looks so much easier!
Well in the same way, God has blessed us with an abundance of resources for studying His Word!
Resources: Now of course there are a lot of books, commentaries, and paid resources out there. But there are now a lot of FREE ones too! For those of you who are online from time to time, you can go to sites like “Biblestudytools.com” and there are lots of resources for UNDERSTANDING the message.
As we have considered this “Rebuilding Faith” theme for the past four weeks, we need to be willing to invest the work necessary in growing in faith. But at this point in our journey…we have acknowledged God’s faithfulness…we have united our focus…and as we seek to “identify with God’s Word”…it means we truly become STUDENTS of God’s Word.
Summary of First Point: So the people have gathered together. The wall is finished…but their spiritual journey is not. And that FIRST STEP in grounding themselves in the Lord was to gather together and HEAR God’s Word! They pinpointed their time…in the priority of God’s Word.
Everything in this 7 step journey has been building in emphasis and value. And so if we started at the point of recognizing where we have fallen short in faith…now we are truly ramping up this study…pinpointing the TIME that we’re willing to spend in God’s Word.
But we have a bigger objective than just reading…we want to see how it applies to our lives.
II. Pinpoint your Focus - Identifying with God’s Word requires that we focus on the message of God’s Word.
Neh. 8:3, “Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.”
Nutcracker Illustration: Feel free to substitute your own illustration here to make your session more personal. If not, you can use the illustration as follows…
“The author of this series shared an illustration in the leader guide of a time in college when he was required to get just a few more chapel credits in college in order to finish out the semester. Unfortunately, the only remaining opportunity was to attend “The Nutcracker” ballet event being hosted on campus (they allowed cultural events to help make up the credit gap). So he and his fiancée took their spot at the back of the auditorium and commenced watching that ballet/musical. But as the play went on and on, he shared that his eyelids went down and down until finally he was fast asleep! Fortunately he got credit for attending the event, but to this day can tell you nothing about the event!
Purpose of Illustration: The point is this - his APPROACH affected the OUTCOME. And in the same way, our attitude in approaching God’s Word affects the outcome. So as we “Identify with God’s Word”…we pinpoint our focus and we make a RESOLUTION to be IN HIS WORD!
Group Discussion Opportunity: Can you think of an example of a resolution that you have made in your own life. Maybe it was for a brief period of time…or maybe it’s been a lifelong resolution. What was that resolution and how’d you do in that resolution?
Jonathan Edwards’ Resolutions: Jonathan Edwards (the 1700’s pastor mentioned earlier) came up with 70 Resolutions that would guide his Christian walk. There are resolutions that touch on just about everything (not speaking ill of others, not living life with regrets, and doing everything cheerfully).
Point: But one of his key resolutions was one that he made in regards to studying the Bible. Listen to how he wrote his resolution on God’s Word…
“Resolved, to study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly, and frequently that I may find, and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the Scriptures.”
So let’s use that as a pattern. If we are “Identifying with God’s Word”…how does a resolution like that one by Jonathan Edwards challenge us? Well first of all it is…
a. A resolution to be consistent in the Word.
Paul outlined that kind of commitment in being in the Word…and in everything…
Paul said in the letter to Colossians (3:23), “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord…”
That changes why I come to the Word on a consistent basis. I do it as my service to the Lord.
Truly everything that we do ought to be done “as unto the Lord”. If that were the guiding principle for our lives, it would change our focus and resolution towards most everything that we do!
And for Paul, he used words that would challenge our resolve to be IN God’s Word – doing it heartily as to the Lord”.
b. A resolution to be frequent in the Word.
That’s the second thing that Jonathan Edwards resolved to do in one of his 70 resolutions – frequency in the Word.
Paul said in 2 Tim. 2:15, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
Transition into Joke: And as we think about this idea of being “frequent in the Word”…think about the dangers that we encounter on a daily basis. In fact, here are some warnings about our daily activities.
• Avoid riding in automobiles because they are responsible for 20% of all fatal accidents.
• Do not stay home because 17% of all accidents occur in the home.
• Avoid walking on streets or sidewalks because 14% of all accidents occur to pedestrians.
• Avoid traveling by air, rail, or water because 16% of all accidents involve these forms of transportation.
• Of the remaining 33%, 32% of all deaths occur in hospitals. Above all else, avoid hospitals.
• But there’s good news…you will be pleased to learn than only .001% of all deaths occur in worship services in church, and these are usually due to previous physical disorders. Therefore logic tells us that the safest place for you to be at any given point in time is at church…studying God’s Word!
To the Leader: So you can share with your group members that being active and in attendance at your group settings may very well save their lives!
The third aspect of Jonathan Edwards’ resolution was that he made…
c. A resolution to be growing in the Word.
The writer of Hebrews speaks to this truth…Hebrews 6:1, “Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity…”
Quick Summary: Nehemiah has led the people in rebuilding the wall. That’s now complete and they’re focusing on their Spiritual Construction at this point. They have pinpointed their TIME in the Word. They have pinpointed their FOCUS on the Word.
And as they have done just that…we realize the crucial NEXT STEP…you must…
III. Pinpoint your Response - Identifying with God’s Word requires that we are willing to respond to what we discover in God’s Word.
Nehemiah 8:6, “And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. Then all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.”
Group Discussion: Invite group members to share of a time when they found themselves in a situation and they didn’t really know how to act. Maybe it was at a fine dining event. Maybe it was at some kind of social gathering. Invite them to come up with an example of a time when they just didn’t know how to respond in a situation?
Purpose of Discussion: In the same way that we can find ourselves in situations where we don’t know how to respond, we can also be guilty of that when it comes to the study of God’s Word. There was a very clear…marked response to the Word of God. Our text says that they “bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground”.
a. They identified with God’s Word by responding in reverence to the place of God’s Word.
Revering something means that we elevate it in our lives.
Group Discussion: Invite group members to give an example of something in their home that they revere. The idea here is to give an illustration of something that has been given to them or something that they hope to pass down to others (a trinket, an inheritance, etc)?
Purpose of Discussion: In the same way, that’s exactly what God’s people had done here in the book of Nehemiah. As Ezra read the law…they “elevated the status of the Word”.
b. They identified with God’s Word by responding in worship.
No doubt, they had a reaction of honoring God with a vocal response.
Different Responses: I know all of you have observed the fact that the way people respond to most everything is different. In fact, you sometimes wonder WHY people react differently than you!
• Maybe you’re one that will laugh out loud at a joke...or maybe your response is silent.
• Maybe you’re one that will cry openly at a movie…or maybe you keep it all inside.
The point is…we all respond differently to things that move us. And in the same way, when it comes to God’s Word, HOW that response manifests itself can be different…but WHETHER we respond is a non-negotiable.
If we are truly “identifying with God’s Word”…then it means we PINPOINT OUR FOCUS…and that focus will lead us to respond. And in this setting in Nehemiah…God’s people worshipped.
c. They identified with God’s Word by responding in sorrow.
Paul spoke to this issue of responding in sorrow…
2 Cor. 7:10, “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”
Quick Review: Invite the group members to quickly review the session points before moving forward.
1. Pinpoint our TIME.
2. Pinpoint our FOCUS.
3. Pinpoint our RESPONSE.
And as we look at this final aspect of “Identifying with God’s Word” this evening…we see that you must…
IV. Pinpoint your Celebration - Identifying with God’s Word requires that we remain as students of God’s Word until it leads us to celebrate.
Neh. 8:9-10
“And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
There is one key statement in those verses - “the joy of the Lord is your strength”. That’s a HUGE statement. It’s a statement of defining where I gather my strength – in knowing that my life, my actions, my obedience bring JOY to the Lord.
The Context for Ezra and Nehemiah
As we consider the context for JOY as it happened in this original context, Nehemiah was calling them to joy even as their hearts had been pricked by the Word of God. And so he was teaching them that when we ENCOUNTER God in His Word, we’re broken over our sinfulness and it should lead to JOY in the freedom we discover in the Word.
And that context leads us to two questions:
1) Where does the JOY come from…and (2) what are we to do with that JOY?
RESOURCE: These are two key questions that Charles Spurgeon addressed in a sermon back in 1871 in England.
a. The Joy that Nehemiah is describing is of Divine Origin.
In other words, true joy can only come from one place – from the Lord.
Implications: But how many of us here have been guilty of searching for JOY in other places and from other people??
Listen to what Charles Spurgeon stated…he said, “Joy springs from God, and has God for its object. The believer who is in a spiritually healthy state rejoices mainly in God himself; he is happy because there is a God, and because God is in his person and character what he is.”
Point: So first of all…we celebrate because we realize that JOY only can come from the Lord!
And so if JOY can truly only come from God…then there’s a natural conclusion. The conclusion is this…
b. The Joy that Nehemiah is describing is for Serving Him
You see, if joy comes from the Lord…then it’s only natural to conclude that SERVING HIM will only increase that joy.
Question for Thought: Why could the people rejoice at this point? Well they could rejoice because they had been faithful in their service to the Lord. And the lesson here is that there really ought to be JOY in getting to SERVE God!
And so if JOY only can come from God…and serving ought to increase that joy…then as we experience that abundance of joy in our lives…then it becomes that which gives us strength. Notice…
c. The Joy that Nehemiah is describing is the Source of His Strength
Question for Contemplation: Are you a collector or a consumer?
If I’m a collector, then I want to do everything that I can to ACQUIRE something…but not use it!
If I’m a consumer, I do everything that I can to ACQUIRE something…so that I CAN use it!
Purpose of Comparison: If I’m a consumer of the Joy of the Lord, then I use it for my daily strength. And when I use it up, I return to the Word of God to be filled with His truths that will RESTORE my joy.
Invite your group members to be consumers, not collectors of God’s Word. That’s what will move you forward in this journey of “Rebuilding Faith”.
