Where Real Transformation Begins-Nehemiah 8

This morning we will be moving forward in the Book of Nehemiah to Nehemiah 8. If you are using one of the Pew Bibles, you will find it on page 510. Go ahead and turn there and we will read some from the chapter a little later.

In last weeks message titled “Accomplishing the Impossible to the Glory of God” we looked at Nehemiah’s declaration of:

Mission Accomplished! The walls surrounding Jerusalem had been rebuilt, walls covering a length of 2 1/2 miles, that were an average of 8 1/2 feet wide with some places as wide as 17 feet wide, an average height of 39 feet, not including at least 6 towers with the possibility of a few other towers near the 10 gates. Pam and I were just talking about this the other day, even today, with all of the incredible equipment available in this day and age, you would not be able to build a wall of that size in 52 days. Simply put, this Mission Accomplished was really:

Mission Impossible. But what is impossible for man is possible when you have the very Hand of God working through faithful servants.

We went on to see that there were several:

Nobles Trying to Walk with Their Feet on both Sides of the Wall. They were trying to give the impression that they were All In in their relationship to God, but the truth is they really had more of a heart for their own selfish interests rather than one of complete devotion to God.

We went on to see that:

Faithfulness To God Does Not Go Unrewarded.

We finished by looking at Malachi 3:16 which says: Next slide

Malachi 3:16 ESV

16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name.

Which lead to the question:

When was the last time God had one of His angels write down of something you did in The Book of Remembrance?

I trust that this week we created a lot of opportunities for God’s angels to record plenty of our action in The Book of Remembrance.

Interesting news report from back in 2004, perhaps some of you will remember the story: Next slide

Shrek the Sheep

This is Shrek the sheep. He became famous in 2004 when he was found after hiding out in caves for six years. Of course, during this time his fleece grew without anyone there to shave it. When he was finally found and shaved, his fleece weighed an amazing sixty pounds. Most sheep have a fleece weighing just under ten pounds, with the exception usually reaching fifteen pounds, maximum. For six years, Shrek was not shaved and in the end he carried six times the regular weight of his fleece. Simply because he was away from his shepherd.

When Shrek was found, a professional sheep shearer took care of Shrek’s fleece in twenty-eight minutes. Shrek’s sixty pound fleece was finally removed - enough wool to make suits for 20 men! All it took was coming home to his shepherd. Next slide

I want you keep this story in the back of your mind as we continue on this morning, we will get back to it a little later, but before we do, I’d like to have all of you stand this morning in honor of the reading of God’s Word. This morning we will be reading from Nehemiah 8:1-8

“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 (and some of you thought my messages were long!), 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,[a]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,[b] and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.”

Please be seated.

I’d like to begin this morning by asking you a question.

Why do you come to church here on Sunday Mornings?

I imagine that if I were to do a poll among those that come here regularly each Sunday I might get a variety of answers.

Perhaps some of the answers might be the people here. We really do have some pretty sharp people here who genuinely care about one another, and as a result you felt welcomed and a part of the family from your very first Sunday.

Or maybe it’s the small church feel that you just don’t get at some of the larger churches in Crawfordsville.

It could be that our special fellowship time after church each Sunday is what keeps you coming back Sunday after Sunday, I mean who else does that?

There are probably a whole host of other reasons people come to Liberty Chapel each Sunday.

You know every one of these reasons for coming to Liberty Chapel are good, and I want you to know I am happy you are here. That being said, this morning we will be looking at a passage of Scripture that really lays out the most important reason that we should make coming to church a priority in our lives, and that reason is: Next slides

To Hear From God.

While hearing from God may not be what drew you to come to Liberty Chapel in the beginning, if you move forward in your relationship to the Lord as a result of your time here, this should be the eventual outcome of what keeps you coming here. You see one of the most important lessons we learn as we look through chapter 8 this morning is:

We are to be a people of The Word.

That is why the Book of Nehemiah does not end with the completion of the Wall in Jerusalem. While Nehemiah is a book about rebuilding, it is not merely a book about the rebuilding of a wall. Far beyond the rebuilding of a wall, this book is about a rebuilding of the people of God.

I want to take a moment now and remind you of what led up to this passage. By “what led up to this passage” I am not just talking about the previous 2 chapters, or even the previous 7 chapters. In fact I want to go all the way back to Joshua 1:8, where we read: Next slide

Joshua 1:8

Joshua 1:8 ESV

8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

In this passage the Nation of Israel is just getting ready to enter into the Promised Land. They had been wandering in the wilderness for 40 years and during that time the Law of Moses had been given to them. Joshua has now taken the leadership baton from Moses who recently passed away, and as you would expect, he is fearful. Not fully sure how to lead God’s people. God’s Word to him is “Don’t be afraid, as I was with Moses, I will also be with you” but beyond that His Word is Be a man devoted to My Word, if you want to have success in this life, meditate on My Word, obey My Word, think about it day and night.

Fast forward a few decades, now Joshua is in his last days and in his farewell address to the Nation of Israel, one of the last things he says to them is recorded in Joshua 23:6 where we read: Next slide

Joshua 23:6

Joshua 23:6 ESV

6 Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left,

Joshua repeated God’s challenge to him to the people God had directed him to lead, because he understood that true success in life was dependent on a devotion to knowing and obeying God’s Word. Unfortunately it didn’t take long before the Nation of Israel turned their back on God’s Word and as a result on God Himself, and this led them into captivity which culminated with Nebuchadnezzer sweeping in to conquer the land. This captivity lasted for 70 years until we saw their return to the Land of Promise as recorded in the Old Testament Book of Ezra. Now close to a hundred years has past since their return, the wall has been completed and somehow the people understand that the rebuilding of the Nation did not end with the rebuilding of the wall.

Just a few days after the wall had been completed the Nation gathered together and: Next slide

This gathering was marked by three characteristics:

The first characteristic is: Next slides

I. They Were Hungry for the Word of God. Vs. 1-6

The people of God were hungry for the Word of God.

Their hard physical labor in the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem and the miraculous way God had moved through them, had created an hunger inside of them, but it wasn’t a physical hunger, it was a spiritual hunger.

So, the people were hungry for the Word of God and as a result we see that; Next slides

A. The People Asked for God’s Word. Vs. 1

Look at what they ask for in verse 1: Next slide

Nehemiah 8:1 ESV

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.

They ask Ezra to “bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel.”

This is absolutely amazing, this is 30-40,000 people who had just assembled after the rebuilding of the wall and the very first thing they ask for, is that Ezra would bring out God’s Word to them. This is a people who were hungry to hear from God.

Oh how I hope and wish and pray that as God continues to move among us here, as He continues to do the miraculous, as he continues to bring us numerical growth, as He brings more young families and more young people into this chapel on the hill, that the growing request of those whom he brings here, both the new ones and the ones who have been coming here for decades, is that those of us God has called to lead here would bring to you His Word. Because:

There is life in His Word.

In Hebrews 4:12 we read: Next slide

Hebrews 4:12

Hebrews 4:12 ESV

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.

There is life in God’s Word because His Word is living and active.

And:

There is power in God’s Word.

In Jeremiah 23:29 we read: Next slide

Jeremiah 23:29

Jeremiah 23:29 ESV

29 Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?

The answers to the vast majority of the problems of life are found in His Word.

Do you struggle with anger? Look to passages like Eph. 4:26-31; James 1:19-20; Prov. 29:11; James 1:20; James 4:1-2.

Do you struggle with forgiveness? Look to passages like Mark 11:25; Eph. 4:32; Mt. 6:14-15; Col. 3:13.

2 weeks ago you received 52 verses dealing with God’s promises regarding fear, and I was happy to find out this week that at least one family has already been going through those verses together.

Do you struggle with the pain grief brings? Look to passages like Ps. 23; Rev. 21:4; Ps. 34:18; Ps. 147:3; Ps 73:26; Rom. 8:28

God’s Word is packed with the answers to lives toughest questions and we as God’s people need to have a hunger for God’s Word. So,

The people Asked for God’s Word.

But it wasn’t enough that the people asked for the the Word of God. The next key thing they did was: Next slides

B. The People Listened to God’s Word. Vs. 3

By the way, don’t miss the identity of those who were listening. Based on what we read the only ones not listening were the very young children who didn’t yet have the capacity to understand. Outside of that everyone listened intently to the proclamation of God’s Word. And the listening that was taking place was not just an in one ear and out the other ear type of listening. No, at the end of verse 3 we read: “And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.”

These people were actively engaged with what was being read. As we move on to verses 9-12 we will see how actively they were engaged. This is an important reminder for us, to be honest, this is one of the reasons I work hard to provide you with handouts each week so you can take notes on the message. Because I want to assist you in being actively engaged in the listening process. And by the way, part of being actively engaged may include you taking these notes home with you and going back through them throughout the week and looking at some of the verses that are included in a more in depth way.

The people asked, the people listened and then: Next slides

C. The People Responded. Vs. 5-6

We learned in verse 4 that the people saw such a great importance in hearing from God that they built a high platform for Ezra so that he could stand above them which would have enabled his voice to carry much farther than if he was at the same level as they were. We also saw that this was not a small platform. It had to be large enough for 13 other individuals to stand.

By the way, what is the first thing we see the people do as a response to Ezra’s reading of God’s Word? We see it in the very last phrase of verse 5. (and as he opened it all the people stood). By the way, this is why I have you all stand for the reading of God’s Word on Sunday mornings.

What is the next response we see from the people in verse 6? (they responded to Ezra’s blessing the Name of the Lord with Amen and Amen). Their Amen and Amen means that they were agreeing with Ezra and his blessing the Name of the Lord. That is what Amen means, it means we agree.

Then we see them lifting up their hands. This is often done as an expression of worship to God. This is something Pam and I do often as we participate in the music portion of our worship service on Sunday mornings.

Then we see them “bow their heads and worship the Lord with their faces to the ground.” Honestly, this is something we don’t do often enough. And it may not be something we will do on a Sunday morning, but I think it would be good for this to be a part of what we do when we get together for our special nights of worship that we do from time to time. It is also something we can each add to our times of personal worship, which by the way means that worship is not something we should be doing only as a corporate body, worship should be a part of our daily routine.

We will look at the next thing they did to respond later when we get to verses 9-12, but I will tell you briefly that they responded with weeping as they heard God’s Word.

Do you see what has happened within the hearts of the people in these verses?

They were now more excited in what they were hearing by the proclamation of God’s Word than they were are the completion of the wall.

I believe it was because they understood that they had built with their hands would not last, but they now understood the words of Isaiah the prophet written 250 years earlier: Next slide

Isaiah 40:8

Isaiah 40:8 ESV

8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

We know that they had a Hunger for God’s Word because they asked for it, they listened to it and finally they responded to what they heard, and that leads us to the second characteristic that these people were marked by: Next slides

II. They Had a Seriousness with The Word. Vs. 7-12

The first thing we see that tells us that they were serious about God’s Word was: Next slides

A. The Leaders Explained the Word to them. Vs. 7-8

This is what we seek to do here on Sunday mornings, wether it is those that are working with the children or Julie in Sunday School or me here from the pulpit. It is what we seek to do in all of our small group Bible studies on Sunday morning and evening, Wednesday nights and Thursday nights. It is what we see to do in working with the youth and on Wednesday nights in AWANA. We do our best to explain the Word of God in such a way that those present can understand it.

By the way, my desire when I bring forth the Word is to also create in you an hunger that cannot be quenched merely by listening to me on a Sunday morning. Kind of like what the wicked queen did in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe when she gave Edmund the Turkish Delight. She gave it to him to create an insatiable appetite for more.

Secondly: Next slides

B. The People Celebrated Their Understanding. Vs. 9-12

As I mentioned earlier, the first thing we see in these verses is that as a direct response to hearing the proclamation of God’s Word they were weeping. We talked about this some last week. The reading of God’s Word opened their eyes to their own sin. Sin that brought them into captivity to begin with back in the days of King Nebuchadnezzer. They were thinking “Oh no, we have done it again!”

But then we see in verse 9 and then again in verse 10 that the Levites instructed them not to mourn and weep because “This day is holy to the Lord your God”. Instead they were to “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.” But look at what we read at the end of verse 12 about what it was that brought them from weeping and mourning to rejoicing and celebration:

“they understood the words that were declared to them.”

This is what we talked about some last week when we were looking at these verses. Those that were explaining God’s Word to them, God’s Word that brought them to the point of mourning and weeping at the thought of their sin, then declared to them the forgiveness of God and that God was giving to them another chance to get things right. This realization opened the door to the great celebration we see taking place in verse 12.

This brings us to the last characteristic these people were marked by:

Next slides

III. They Were Obedient to The Word. Vs. 13-18

This is what we see taking place in these verses. As they listened to God’s Word, they learn of a specific command God had given them way back in the days of Moses that had not been celebrated corporately since the days of Joshua.

Look at the way their obedience unfolds, first of all we see that:

Next slides

A. The Word Was Studied in Families. Vs. 13

This is key, and Dad’s you and I need to pay attention to what is taking place here. We have a job to do as dads. These dads got together with the Levites and studied the Word.

If your a single mom, this applies to you as well, or if you as a wife are in a home where the father does not have a relationship with God, then this falls on you. The point is that this is a job for the spiritual leader of the family.

The next thing we see taking place is: Next slides

B. Discoveries in The Word were Shared. Vs. 14-15

The spiritual leaders of the home took the things they had studied with the Levites and in turn taught them to their families. But it didn't end with their families, we also see that they also proclaimed what they had studied in the surrounding communities. Can I ask you a question?

When was the last time you shared something you learned from God’s Word with someone else?

I’m not just talking about at church or you small group Bible study. What about at work, or school, of walking about in your neighborhood, or driving down the road.

A few month before Pam and I came here Brittany and I went on a mission trip to India. While there I was overjoyed to see my friends from church teach the truths from God’s Word to the people of India. Our last morning there I had the opportunity to teach our last Bible study as a group together. My main challenge that morning was that our team would continue to boldly teach God’s Word to those we came in contact with once we returned to our home.

That is the challenge for us this morning also, that we would boldly proclaim the truths of God’s Word wherever God leads us.

The next thing we see taking place in these verses is: Next slides

C. The Word Was Obeyed with Joy. Vs. 16-17

By the way, look back at verse 2 of chapter 8 and tell me what month the people were in when all this was taking place (the 7th month)? Now look at verse 14 and tell me what month the “Feast of the Booths” was supposed to take place (the 7th month)?

I could be wrong, but I think that is one of the reasons they obeyed with joy, their eyes were opened at the perfect time for them to obey and they didn’t hesitate, they stopped what they were doing and immediately obeyed God’s Word.

This should be our response as well. And we should obey with joy.

I think that one of the keys for us in chapter 8 is this: Next slides

As God’s Word becomes central to the gathering of God’s people, the Lord’s joy strengthens His people.

We started this morning with the story of Shrek the sheep. He had hidden from the shepherd for 6 years and as a result he was in a desperate condition. That same thing can happen to us spiritually if we don’t follow the characteristics we see set forth here in chapter 8.

We need to have a hunger for the Word of God.

We need to have a seriousness to the truths we see proclaimed in the Word of God. And:

We need to Joyfully and Immediately Obey what we see in God’s Word.

What is the title of this mornings message?

Where Real Transformation Begins.

Real transformation begins when we become fully devoted to the truths of God’s Word, and that transformation does not end with you and me, it affects those around us. And if we do it right, great things are going to take place as a result if what God accomplishes through us.