God Revives His People Through a Scribe
The Gospel Project • Sermon • Submitted
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· 3 viewsGod's Word brings an awareness of sin and prompts repentance.
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
Introduction
Introduction
1051 Saul is installed as King over the theocracy
1012 David replaces Saul
971 Solomon is installed as King
950 Israel is divided by north and south
722-1 Assyrian captivity of the Northern Kingdom
605 Babylonians defeat Assyria & Egypt to once again return as the world power
597 first wave of captivity
586 final wave of captivity
539 the Persians under Cyrus defeat the Babylonians at the battle of Opis
444 Ezra reads the law
1 Kings
1 Now it came about when Solomon had finished building the house of the Lord, and the king’s house, and all that Solomon desired to do, 2 that the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon. 3 The Lord said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your supplication, which you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built by putting My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. 4 “As for you, if you will walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you and will keep My statutes and My ordinances, 5 then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I promised to your father David, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’ 6 “But if you or your sons indeed turn away from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, 7 then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them, and the house which I have consecrated for My name, I will cast out of My sight. So Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 8 “And this house will become a heap of ruins; everyone who passes by will be astonished and hiss and say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’ 9 “And they will say, ‘Because they forsook the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and adopted other gods and worshiped them and served them, therefore the Lord has brought all this adversity on them.’ ”
Why are we prone to settle for less where God’s work is concerned while prioritizing our career or even habits and hobbies?
Sinful & lazy
It is easier to look good than it is to live in righteousness
God’s priorities are not our priorities
Do you remember why Israel wanted a king? They wanted to be like the rest of the nations.
In what ways do we want to be like the world?
Science? Reject young earth.
Morality? Adopt the new morality of the pagans.
The Gospel? Make the gospel a really good way to live but avoid making it a demand. Make it a personal choice, not a transcendent demand.
The Scripture? Find ways to frame the teachings of Scripture so that it isn’t so offensive. Deny the sufficiency of Scripture from a practical standpoint even though you affirm it with your mouth.
God’s People Gather to Hear God’s Word
God’s People Gather to Hear God’s Word
73 Now the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants and all Israel, lived in their cities. And when the seventh month came, the sons of Israel were in their cities. 1 And all the people gathered as one man at the square which was in front of the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the Lord had given to Israel. 2 Then Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women and all who could listen with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month. 3 He read from it before the square which was in front of the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of men and women, those who could understand; and all the people were attentive to the book of the law. 4 Ezra the scribe stood at a wooden podium which 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 Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 Then Ezra blessed the Lord the great God. And all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
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How many people were gathered to hear the Word of God?
66 The whole assembly together was 42,360,
From early morning to midday? They gathered for hours!
Describe how engaged the people were as they listened to the Word of God.
3 He read from it before the square which was in front of the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of men and women, those who could understand; and all the people were attentive to the book of the law.
4 Ezra the scribe stood at a wooden podium which 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.
Neh
How do you respond to someone who says it is bibliolatry to place too much emphasis on reading, understanding, and living the Bible?
10 In God, whose word I praise, In the Lord, whose word I praise,
4 In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?
3 When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity.”
God’s people never are never found to belittle God’s Word, ever.
What about the idea that doctrine divides? Too much focus on affirming the teachings of Scripture only creates division
Christian love never compromises Christian truth for the sake of Christian unity.
You and I have no right to compromise that which is clearly revealed as truth in the Scriptures. The less clear the Scriptures are, the more humility we must exhibit. The clearer the Scriptures, the less flexible we must be.
What are some ways we complicate the simple proclamation and teaching of God’s Word?
We are influenced by our own sinful desires to be entertained.
We are influenced by a highly sensitive culture that has been told all their lives how special they are and when they hear the true Christian message, that God does NOT accept them just for who they are but that he demands repentance, they have a meltdown.
If you are concerned with what the world thinks about you and the gospel, it is highly likely that you will find a way to compromise Christian beliefs in the name of wisdom. The Apostles never did. Ezra read the Law without compromise as did all the prophets before and after him.
What are the only right response to the Word of God?
Believing it as it is.
Obeying it completely.
God’s People Confess Sin as they Proclaim God’s Glory
God’s People Confess Sin as they Proclaim God’s Glory
1 Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the sons of Israel assembled with fasting, in sackcloth and with dirt upon them. 2 The descendants of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. 3 While they stood in their place, they read from the book of the law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God. 4 Now on the Levites’ platform stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Chenani, and they cried with a loud voice to the Lord their God. 5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah, said, “Arise, bless the Lord your God forever and ever! O may Your glorious name be blessed And exalted above all blessing and praise!
Both Martin Luther & John Calvin said that the Word of God only works in us when it threatens our existence.
How does the Word of God threaten our existence?
11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
The Word of God threatens us because it changes us, it transforms us into the image of Christ. Not the image of Christ most modern Americans have engineered. The image of Christ revealed in Scripture.
Guilt and Shame: Scripture teaches that human beings are guilty in an objective sense and also feel the weight of shame in a subjective sense.
Guilt and Shame is an essential doctrine of the Christian faith. All humans stand objectively guilty of violating God’s law and are living under condemnation and wrath. Shame is the emotional pain that comes from the knowledge of sinful actions. It is RIGHT that people feel ashamed of their rebellion against God. The most unloving thing you can do to a sinner is attempt to frame the gospel and their guilt in a way so as to avoid the truth of their guilt so that they experience as little shame as possible.
Just make sure that when you bring the truth of God to bear on the sinner that you do so in a way that they understand that you are one too and it is only by grace that God has saved you from you guilt and shame of your own sin.
What is the connection between confession of sin and praise for God?
There is no greater mercy than that which God demonstrates at the cross in death of his very own Son.
God’s People Commit to Obey God’s Law
God’s People Commit to Obey God’s Law
28 Now the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the law of God, their wives, their sons and their daughters, all those who had knowledge and understanding, 29 are joining with their kinsmen, their nobles, and are taking on themselves a curse and an oath to walk in God’s law, which was given through Moses, God’s servant, and to keep and to observe all the commandments of God our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes;
Why are people prone to shun accountability in their relationships within the family of God?
We don’t want people to know about our shortcomings.
We are full of pride.
We don’t think we need each other in order to walk in faithfulness.
We don’t want to call each other out when appropriate and necessary because we don’t want to be called out when the time comes. (and the time will come)
It is unloving and unChristlike NOT to correct one another for immoral behavior or for serious doctrinal error in our confession. It is one thing to tolerate what is ambiguous in Scripture and another thing entirely to tolerate what God clearly opposes.
Obedience is an act of genuine faith. You are doing the right thing FOR THE RIGHT reason.
How is it possible to corrupt Christian obedience?
Obey to be seen
Obey for the wrong reasons
Selective obedience
How do you need to respond in faith to the reading of God’s Word?
What are some ways your group can cultivate confession and accountability with one another?
What commitment of faithful obedience will you make with respect to sharing the gospel with others?