Opening The Book
(Pastor Craige LeBreton)
In one of the works…published after his death…Ernest Hemmingway…
Tells his readers… of his inward experience…during a time…
when he had just completed one book…and was trying very hard…
to get started on another…
He said… that these were…very dark days for him…
He said… that he would try to get started…but then…
He would suddenly be stricken…stricken with a feeling…
a feeling of emptiness…He would have a horrible feeling…that he was…
creatively dried up…and that he would never…
have anything to say again…
Hemmingway went on to say…that when this would happen…
He would take hold…and force himself to begin…again…
He kept repeating…that if he could only write… “Just one true sentence,”…
Then…He could go on…The sentence wouldn’t have to be…
anything complicated…or involved…it would only need to contain truth…
any truth…as long as it was…one…true…sentence…
If he could achieve this…he would be able to go on from there…
And begin to write once more…
This was a way… for Hemmingway to… “Open a book”…
This experience of Ernest Hemming way…says something…
Something…very important to me…there are days…in my life…
When I feel drained…sometimes it is physical…and sometimes…
It is emotional…sometimes…I am just drained of everything…
I am also sure…that there are times…. when everyone of us…
Is stricken with this feeling…this feeling of emptiness…of being dried up…emotionally…physically…and sometimes…creatively…
It is like having…a giant vacuum inside of you…
that has sucked everything up…and out of your being…
When those times come…we also feel…as though…
nothing is left for us to say…these are the times…when I know…
that only one thing…only one thing…can help me…
If I can find one bit of truth…
If I can find one true sentence…or even a single word…
and take hold of it…
My needs will be filled…the vacuum will be gone…
the emptiness will be gone…and I will be complete again…
I have only to reach out… and grab my book…my book of truth…
The greatest book ever written…my own personal book…My Bible…
Today…and every Sunday…I share my book with you…
and if you happen to have a copy of this same book…
I encourage you to open it now…to today’s text…
We will start in the book of Nehemiah Chapter 8:1-8
1 ¶ And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel.
2 And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.
3 And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.
4 And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up:
6 And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
7 Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place.
8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.
When we look back in history…we come to discover that this privilege…
This privilege of …opening…and reading the Bible…
has not always been there…
In the bible time of Nehemiah…the Israelites were a people…
a people…who had lost… much of their heritage…
they had been in captivity in Babylon…for a long…dark…time…
Now they had been allowed to return…to their beloved homeland…
the homeland of Israel…God’s promised land…and they would be allowed to start over again…
But the faith of their fathers…was hidden…and nearly forgotten…
by this new generation of Israelites…
and so they were gathered together to listen…once more…to the message…
God’s message…that sustained their faith…
The Priest Ezra…began to read…He opened the sacred scrolls…
the scrolls…that contained the scriptures…that would help the people…
find their way…back to their faith…
that moment…ended a period of darkness for the Israelites…they were no longer empty…they had been renewed…the void was gone…
they were renewed with the knowledge… that God was still with them…
Israel was reborn that day…
In the gospel of Luke…we find the book being opened again…
The son of God Jesus Christ opens this time the book again…
Luke 4:14-24 says:
14 ¶ And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.
15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.
16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
22 And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?
23 And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.
24 And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.
"And Jesus had returned,"… very soon or shortly thereafter
from Judaea…where He had been baptized… fasted…
and been tempted by Satan…He returned with fresh… renewed strength…
having overcome Satan…and having been baptized…
and ministered to by angels… "And there went forth a rumor,"…
a report of fame… a favorable report… This came as a result of two things: first His teaching…and second…His miracle working…And he taught…
in their synagogues… being glorified of all…
Where He had formerly been both a student… and scholar…
He became a teacher and preacher… then he came to Nazareth… where he had been brought up:… and…as was the custom…
he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day… and stood up to read…
"And there was handed to him,"… the Book…the scripture…
for Him to select a passage… and offer His comment on it…
this was a frequent practice of courtesy…
extended by the ruler of the synagogue…
to persons of recognized learning…And when he had opened the book…
to locate a particular passage…. where it had been written…
about the messiah… in Isaiah…as Jesus began to read…
The Spirit of the trinity was upon Him…
in this appropriate passage of prophecy… Jesus read…
then declared it fulfilled…before their eyes…
Jesus proclaimed a release of the people… those captivated…
in sin…prisoners of sin…"And when, he had closed the book of Isaiah…
the prophet…from whom He had read…we find that…
not only was Jesus in the book…
but you and I… are also… in the book…
after Jesus had opened their eyes to the truth…
they wondered who he thought he was…
Who was this self-proclaimed messiah…???
Jesus knew he would not be accepted in his hometown…
Even though the scripture had revealed who He was…
Jesus had opened the book…to his own people…
yet they fought against the truth…that the scripture presented…
Jesus’ hometown had closed the book on Him…
But this same darkness… of book closing… has come many times in God’s history…The bible has been closed…or hidden away…many times…
And in many ways…to millions of people…throughout the world…
We take our Bible’s…a precious…and valuable asset…for granted…
In our lives…but at what cost???
Imagine yourself…living in a time or a place…when our forefathers…
could not simply…open the Bible and read it…
Imagine yourself…living as an average person…in England…
in the early fifteen hundreds…
Imagine living in the time of William Tyndale….
The man who…sacrificed his life…to open the Bible…for you and I…
William Tyndale…was a teacher…He loved to see…the faces of others…
As they discovered the truth…God’s truth…
These were the times…when the average people…men…women…
And children…made their livelihood…by laboring from dawn to dusk…
A man and his family…might live out heir entire lives…
about forty years…never seeing the world…
beyond that single plot of ground…on which they labored…
In those days…there was little joy…for the common man…
With disease…poverty…and death…facing him at every turn…
There was little cause…for a person to laugh…or even smile…
And the church…the church was a place…where a man went…
To save himself …from the despair of hell…
But then…living itself was often…as much a hell…
as we would care to imagine…
During this same time…across the English Channel…in Germany…
Something astounding…was beginning to happen…
A monk named Martin Luther…was startling the Christian world…
He had broken the rules…He had broken the rules of the church…
Not the rules of Christ’s church….but the rules…of the institutional church…a man made institution…and not the work of Christ…
And his new testament churches…
Martin Luther…was bringing a renewed faith…to the German people…
Through the newly translated word of God…
William Tyndale…the teacher…had heard of these things…these things…
That Martin Luther was doing…
The one thing…that excited his imagination most…was this…
Martin Luther…had succeeded in translating the Bible…
He had translated the Bible…into his native tongue…German…
Until that time…the Bible was written only in…Greek..,Hebrew…
Or Latin…what we would call…dead languages…
The Institutional church…would not allow it to be written…
in German…French…English…or any other language…
spoken by the common people…In this way… the church could control… the common man…and his immortal soul…or so they thought…
Can you imagine this????
Unless you were a priest…or a scholar…the Bible…God’s Holy word…
Was closed to you…it was a closed book…
No one was allowed…to read God’s word…in his or her own tongue…
When Tyndale heard…what Luther had done…in translating the Bible…
Tyndale was thrilled…!!!
He began to dream…He tried to imagine…what it would be like…
If there was an English Bible…What if there was a Bible…
that each and every…man…woman…and child…could hold…
in their own hands…and read in their own tongue…
and learn…first hand…of the truth of God…and the way of salvation…
Tyndale said: “that he dreamed of a day…when it would be possible…
For a boy…who driveth the plow…to know more of the scriptures…
Then the Pope himself…”
This was Heresy!!!!!
In that day…The Roman Catholic church…was the church of England…
Where Luther could get away with his reformation in Germany…
England was an entirely different matter…
No English Bible was ever…to be printed…and that was the law…!!!
Tyndale… tried to change the minds of the Church leaders…
He tried to change the mind…of the king himself…
He pleaded …to let him bring the Bible…
into the “living language” of the land…But…everywhere he turned…
he was told…Never!!!!
No Bible was to be printed…in the crude language…
of the common man…!!!…this was final…!!!
Yet…William Tyndale…would not take no…for an answer…
He recalled the look of emptiness…on the faces of those common people…
He saw their hopeless lives…Tyndale believed…that they needed…
the Word of God…more than he needed…his own safety…and comfort…
So he began to make his transition…He knew…
he would become an outcast…He knew…he would become a fugitive…
He knew…his life would be endangered…
This is the strange…and wondrous difference… found in men…
like William Tyndale…Others were afraid to take the risk…
But...he would give his life…to make a difference…
He set about his work…after he succeeded in making his transition…
Other problems arose…where could he find a person…
who would dare to print…a banned book???
Tyndale traveled across the English Channel…and found a printer…
Willing to help in his work…spreading the good news of the Gospel…
To all those…whom had been denied…its truth…and way of salvation…
God’s hand was in Tyndale’s work…thousands of copies were printed…
Of the first English Bible…for the common man…
Yet Satan…was just as hard at work as Tyndale…another problem arose…
The Church and the government…were on the lookout…
for any suspicious books…entering the country…
Christian shipping merchants…were more than willing to help smuggle…
The Bibles into England…they hid them in barrels of flour…
and bolts of clothe…anywhere they would not be detected…
Satan’s handy men…did destroy thousands of Bibles…
The ones that were discovered…were put to fire…
A Cardinal of the Church commented at the time…
“No burnt offering could be more pleasing to God”….
Think of it:…The Bible that you and I take for granted…
as it sits in our homes…was considered subversive…and burned on sight…
There was never a book in history…nor shall there ever be…
That has so often been burned…or so often banned…as the Bible…
Why do you think that is…????
One word….Satan…
Satan will do all in his power…to prevent the word of God…
from entering the world…
Tyndale could not be stopped in his efforts…until…
A Knock came to his door…Satan had found him…
The so called agents of the church…found him…and took him away…
Imprisoned…He waited for a verdict…he waited and waited…
one lone man…in a musty cell…waiting for the judgment…
that would befall him…the verdict came…Tyndale was declared a heretic…
a dissenter from the established church…
they took him…and strangled him to death…and then they took his body…
and burned it…just like they burned his Bibles…
William Tyndale…the little schoolteacher…is said to have uttered…
one prayer…”Lord, open the king of England’s eyes”…
Sometimes…the answer to prayers…comes much later…
in William Tyndale’s case…his prayer was answered…after his death…
The king…finally gave in…and let the Bible be printed…in English…
and made it available… to the common people…
The Book was opened…and the book was loved…it became the Bible…
of the English people…the William Tyndale translation...!!!
Since that time…many translations of the Bible …
have come into our language…some are very good…
and some are not so good…
One of the later translations… was commissioned…
by another king of England…His name was King James…
and it also had its troubles…
in the beginning…they did not like it…
because it was not the Tyndale translation…
does this sound like us today…???
As each new translation comes into being…
each generation discovers the Bible again…in new words…
in it’s own time…
whether it is the King James…The new King James…the NIV…or the American Standard…
I can imagine William Tyndale…looking down from heaven…
I can see him smiling…for he knows… that because of men like him…
The Bible remains an open book…
The Bible; in this country…can be read by any man…in any language…
Or in any translation…we enjoy an unprecedented freedom…
But there are many in the world…who cannot get their hands…
on God’s Word…
As we read from the book of Luke today…
We heard how Jesus went into the synagogue…and was given the scripture to read…He opened them up…he both read…and explained them…
Jesus Christ opened the meaning of God’s true word…
Jesus Christ opened them up with His life…his teachings…
His death on the Cross-at Calvary…and his glorious resurrection…
And that is the good news for our whole life…God’s grace…
through repentance of sin…and the belief in Jesus Christ His son…
Since the time of Jesus Christ’s ascension up to heaven…
countless others… have lived…and died as martyrs…to make the Bible…
an open book…
Each Sunday…as we enter into this church…or any other…of our Lord’s… New Testament Churches…we come to open the Bible…
to hear the Gospel…and it’s meaning to our lives…
The Bible must be opened…by one person at a time…
one life at a time…
If tomorrow morning it was decreed…that you and I…
would no longer…be allowed to own…or read…our own Bible…
If tomorrow the Bible…were to become a banned book again…
Would it matter to us…???
If the Bible is to remain an open Book…
You and I have to be the ones…to make it happen…
We must ensure that the word of the Gospel… is presented…
to every man…woman…and child…throughout the world…
You and I… must make the Bible… our personal responsibility…
We must make it our own…
We must open God’s Book…and keep it open for all…
So that none should perish…without the truth…the truth…
Of Jesus Christ…
