REAL REFRESHMENT
Nehemiah 8:1-18
S: Courage
Th: Brave Hearts
Pr: WE MUST HAVE COURAGE TO HEAR GOD’S WORD.
?: What? What should we do when we hear it?
KW: Responses
TS: We will find in our study of Nehemiah 8:1-18 three
responses we need to have when we hear God’s Word.
The _____ response we need to have to God’s Word is…
I. EXALT (1-8)
II. ENJOY (9-12)
III. EMBRACE (13-18)
Version: ESV
RMBC 09 March 03 AM
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Personal (babies crying)
When our children were babies, I was always amazed at the listening abilities. Night after night, child after child, when one of them cried, Dondra would be up in a flash.
I, on the other hand, never heard a thing. I would ask Dondra, “Where are you going?” and then inevitably, I would hear the baby crying.
And I would always wonder, “How does she do that? I didn’t hear a thing.”
Are you a good listener?
ILL Notebook: Listen -- C & H (weren’t you listening either?)
In the comic strip, Calvin and Hobbes, we find in the first frame, Calvin is running around the house chasing Hobbes.
As we move to the second frame, we observe Calvin’s mom shouting: Calvin, quit charging around the house!!
Of course, in the third frame, the inevitable happens. We read, “Smash, bink, bonk, boom!”
As we come to the fourth frame, we find Calvin in the middle of a disaster of broken lamps and disheveled furniture with Mom yelling: WHAT DID I JUST TELL YOU?!?
And Calvin responds: Beats me, weren’t you listening either?
Well, our topic today is listening.
TRANSITION:
But, first, let’s consider our…
1. Context: The wall is finished.
In chapter 6, we observed that Nehemiah led the people successfully.
In 52 days, during the heat of summer, and in spite of intense opposition, the task of rebuilding and connecting the wall was successfully completed.
And at the end of the rebuilding, it would have been easy to say, “Well, the task is done.”
“Everything is looking good.”
“This is an impressive wall with all the right people in the right places.”
But Nehemiah does not have a monument mentality.
For…
2. Context: Nehemiah is not done yet.
As we observed in the last chapter, there is much to do.
The most important aspect is observed in today’s study.
For though the lack of physical protection has now been solved, there is still another crucial issue.
It centers on the spiritual nature of the nation.
And it is here that we learn that…
3. WE MUST HAVE COURAGE TO HEAR GOD’S WORD.
We must have such courage because we need to hear the truth.
For when God’s Word is truly heard with spiritual ears and minds, it penetrates the heart.
And stuff happens that no one plans on.
You see, it is that powerful.
So, as a matter of observation…
4. We will find in our study of Nehemiah 8:1-18 three responses we need to have when we hear God’s Word.
As we give consideration to this passage, note that there is no mention of the wall.
Our attention now shifts from the vision to rebuild the wall and its reconstruction to the Author of that same vision.
This is of the utmost importance, for the end of the line is not us, it is God Himself.
OUR STUDY:
I. The first response we need to have to God’s Word is EXALT (1-8).
[1] And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the LORD had commanded Israel. [2] So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. [3] And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. [4] And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. [5] And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. [6] And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people answered, "Amen, Amen," lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. [7] Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law, while the people remained in their places. [8] They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.
1. We need to be single-minded about the Word so to demonstrate its value.
We are not given any specific reason why the people gathered in the square, but it is apparent that they have hungry hearts.
They need the satisfying refreshment that comes from God’s Word.
It is this that had in common.
Whether they lived close or far away…
Whether they had money or did not…
Whether they liked fish or mutton…
Regardless of the diversity, what they held in common was the Word of God.
So they came front and center to hear the Word spoken.
It is interesting that this has not changed for us either.
We are held together today by this book and the acknowledgement that it contains God’s words for us.
And though, at times we may disagree on its meaning and its interpretation, we know that it is the value of the book that draws us and has our attention.
ILL Notebook: Attention (jostle car)
Two friends were sitting together in a cafe when a noisy car alarm interrupted their conversation. "What good are car alarms when no one pays any attention to them?" one of them wondered out loud. "Some are quite effective," his friend said. "Last summer, my teenager spent a lot of time at our neighbor’s house. So whenever I wanted him home, I’d go out to the driveway and jostle his car."
So, what gets your attention?
You see…
2. We need to give sole attention to the Word.
We see in our text that Ezra is the captain of the teaching team.
And for the people, there is a vitality and urgency to their listening, for they stand and listen for six hours.
Isn’t that something?
We start shifting our feet if we stand for more than a few minutes.
Not only that, we can only sit and listen to teaching for thirty or so minutes (or sooner), and then our minds are racing off to what is next during the day.
But the people are at the Water Gate on purpose.
They have come to get their bearings.
They have come for direction.
They weren’t looking for shortcuts.
They wanted to hear the whole counsel of God.
It is amazing today where we seek our direction.
We try to find out how to live from Oprah and Dr. Phil.
We let Peter Jennings, Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw do our thinking for us.
Instead, though, we need to engage and be attentive to the book of truth.
And when we do, we will understand that…
3. We need to worship God in response to hearing the Word.
When we hear God’s words, we can’t help but exalt Him.
Let us be clear here…
We do not worship the book.
We worship the Author of the book.
An observation we must make here is that we see that the people do not check either their minds or their feelings at the door.
They are fully engaged to what is happening.
They are agreeing with what is being said and responding with “Amen,” in effect saying, “Yes, Lord, it is as you say.”
They are lifting their hands to God.
They do not care what others are thinking.
They do it for Him and no one else.
And they also bowed down, to the place of being flat on the ground.
They do this because seeking God’s face sometimes means covering your own.
They bow down recognizing they were in desperate need of help.
They were indebted to Him and undeserving of His mercy.
An integral part of this worship, though, was also a full understanding of God’s truth.
For…
4. We need to understand the meaning of the Word.
Have you ever noticed that we can miss things in our understanding?
Sometimes we need explanation…
ILL Notebook: Understand (get the quarter back)
There was a boy who took his girlfriend to a football game for the first time. After the game he asked his girlfriend how she liked the game.
“Oh, I really liked it,” she said, “but I just couldn’t understand why they were killing each other for 25 cents.”
"What on earth do you mean???"
“Well I saw them flip a coin and one team got it and then for the rest of the game all they kept screaming was, ‘Get the quarter back! Get the quarter back!’”
Our goal should always be to be intelligent, clear, and understandable.
The explaining of the text is not to be confusing.
The long list of names that we find here are the ones that are taking the text of study and giving the sense of its meaning.
It looks like they were breaking down into smaller groups so people could ask questions and hear answers.
This is important.
For the texts of Scripture relate to the “now.”
God’s Word is always contemporary and relevant.
This means that there is to be an understanding of how it works in today’s world.
Now we come to…
II. The second response we need to have to God’s Word is ENJOY (9-12).
[9] And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and 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 or weep." For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. [10] Then he said to them, "Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." [11] So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, "Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved." [12] And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.
1. We need the conviction that comes with the Word.
Do you see their reaction to hearing God’s Word?
They cry and grieve over their failures.
Their sin gets exposed and their conscience is touched.
And, as a result, they are broken.
It says in Hebrews 4:12…
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Without God’s Word in our lives, our hearts get hard.
We become self-absorbed.
We become casual about God.
This is where we need courage.
We must be willing to be made uncomfortable to the point of conviction and grief.
But, this is not the end of the story!
For…
2. We need to move from sorrow to joy.
In Psalm 30:5, it says…
For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
You know, I have met a lot of Christians that are more like Eeyore (you remember him from Winnie the Pooh).
They go around saying (deadpanned), “I’m so happy in Jesus.”
And it is hard to believe, because if they are so happy, they need someone to tell their face.
We may sorrow, but God does not leave us there.
He turns our mourning into dancing.
For joy is not found in circumstances or prosperity, but in the Lord.
Joy is the result of repentance and the discovery of grace
For instead of condemning us, God gives forgiveness.
Celebrate!
Instead of heaping on the guilt, God heaps on His love.
Celebrate!
We know the joy of prayers heard, God’s promises fulfilled, sins cleansed and our strength renewed.
For…
3. We need to know that our strength finds its source in joy.
Despair does not promote growth.
It does not promote transformation.
It does not promote thanksgiving, praise and worship.
Despair knows no victory over temptation and trial.
No, but joy does!
Joy is the power that produces successful, fruit-bearing Christians.
For the people of that day, it was time to party.
It was time to party, not because of the wall.
It was time to party, because they heard and understood God’s Word.
And as a result they had the joy that would push them forward.
ILL Notebook: Joy (Hybels)
I like how Bill Hybels describes the power of joy in his book Descending Into Greatness:
When it comes to defining joy, there is a certain wildness, a near recklessness in its [The Bible’s] choice of words. Joy is framed in the positive: be, do, trust, risk, love. From the biblical perspective, joy is not defensive, but rather inherently offensive. Barriers are broken down, not erected. Instead of hiding in safe corners, we run toward life at full speed, embracing whatever it offers.
Now we come to…
III. The third response we need to have to God’s Word is EMBRACE (13-18).
[13] On the second day the heads of fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and the Levites, came together to Ezra the scribe in order to study the words of the Law. [14] And they found it written in the Law that the LORD had commanded by Moses that the people of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month, [15] and that they should proclaim it and publish it in all their towns and in Jerusalem, "Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written." [16] So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at the Water Gate and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim. [17] And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths, for from the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day the people of Israel had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing. [18] And day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. They kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the rule.
Obeying the word teaches us that…
1. We need to be thankful for our past.
When the Word was being read to them, they discovered that it was the time for the Feast of Tabernacles.
The Feast of Tabernacles was a harvest festival that remembered the time of Israel’s wilderness journey.
As the Israelites made their way from Egypt to the Promised Land, they lived in tents.
Do you like to live in tents?
Are you one of those crazy people that like to go camping?
Me too.
I like to camp at the Holiday Inn.
Well, at the Feast of Tabernacles, Israelites would leave their homes, come to Jerusalem and stay in makeshift shelters.
And as they did this, it was a clear reminder of God’s protection and provision for them as a nation.
And it was a reminder that they were still dependent.
It was a recognition that “Thus far the Lord has helped us!”
So, they obeyed the Word and they were thankful for the past.
But what also happens when we embrace God’s Word is that we impact the present, because…
2. We need to be a witness in our present.
As they discovered that the Word of God called on them to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, they were eager to practice it.
And as they did so, it became an opportunity to proclaim, explain and spread the good news.
Embracing the feast was a teaching aid to all those that would come their way.
They were not to indulge themselves in groveling introspection.
No, it was time to celebrate and demonstrate to the world that God’s forgiveness and love was available to them as well.
Finally, when we embrace God’s Word we demonstrate that…
3. We need to have confidence about our future.
The Feat of Tabernacles demonstrated that they (and we) are essentially pilgrim people.
We are not home here.
Instead, we are to be looking forward to what God is preparing for us.
We are to live what the old hymn writer said:
This world is not my home.
I’m just a-passing through.
My treasures are laid up
Somewhere beyond the blue.
The angels beckon me
From Heaven’s open door,
And I can’t feel at home
In this world anymore.
ILL Notebook: Heaven (Lucado — Applause)
In his book, The Applause of Heaven, Max Lucado tells about flying home after having been gone for more than a week of speaking engagements.
He says, "I know that my wife and our two daughters will be waiting at the airport for me. And as I walk down the long corridor and round the bend and into the terminal, I’ll see my wife and she’ll have a big smile on her face, and my two little girls will be there. Then my youngest daughter will begin to applaud because Daddy’s been gone and now Daddy’s come home."
Then Lucado adds, "One of these days we’re going to walk down the long corridor through the pearly gates onto the streets of gold. We might see Paul over here and Peter over there and maybe Moses and Elijah."
"But finally," he says, "we’re going to round the bend into the throne room of God, and there on the throne will be God the Father. And by His right side Jesus the Christ."
"Then," he said, "we’ll hear the applause of heaven and begin to enjoy God, and God will begin to enjoy us for all eternity."
When we embrace God’s Word and obey it, we live with confidence.
Heaven is ours.
And so is joy…for eternity.
APPLICATION:
So…
1. Do you have the courage to hear what you need to hear?
Sometimes, we don’t want to hear things, but to hear them and respond to them appropriately is exactly what is needed.
It is for our benefit.
We are so often afraid of restriction.
We are afraid that we won’t have the freedom to do what we want.
Have you ever noticed that when you are in an airplane that you want to land on the runway?
From the sky, it can look pretty narrow and restrictive.
There does not seem to be a lot of room.
I mean, why not land in a cornfield or out on Lake Erie?
There’s a lot more room there.
Well, we know that the airplane is designed to land on the runway, and not in a field or a lake.
And in the same way, we are designed to hear God’s Word and respond to it in a positive way.
It is for our benefit!
For…
2. God’s Word brings the change we need accompanied with genuine joy.
It brings real refreshment.
In today’s world, amid all the laughter of entertainment and parties, there is such a lack of joy.
No matter what others may say, joy does not come in material prosperity.
It does not come in social popularity.
But when we focus on God and understand and welcome His involvement, we stop playing God, this is where the peace and joy is.
You see, our joy is derived from the knowledge of who He is, what He does, what He says, and what He gives.
So, be of good courage.
Hear the word of God and embrace it.
For this is where the real joy is.
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Hear God’s Word…and Exalt Him…for worship is our most proper response when we recognize that God has given a most precious gift…His words to us; so rejoice in Him.
Hear God’s Word…and Enjoy Him…He has not designed us for sadness and grieving, but that we might be full of joy…because He has spoken to us, He has forgiven us and to us He has given strength.
Hear God’s Word…and Embrace Him…He has give us His words to heed, obey and embrace, so that we will know Him, love Him and enjoy Him forever.
Now may the God of peace equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
