Sermon Tone Analysis

God’s People Gather

Nehemiah 8:1-12

MI: God’s word is living and active, it brings, people in, it convicts, it drives us to repentance but also joy

ME:

When people gather.

When I see people gather it is often for something important.

It could be for a certain cause such as a rally or when people go on strike.

It is something very unique that causes people to band together.

It brings about a sense of unity and strength.

The Golden State Warrior had a slogan for last season that was “strength in numbers.”

It is a coming together for a common good.

When people gather it changes things.

My mom a couple of years ago went to New York during New Years Eve.

My aunt lives there and it is something that she always wanted to see.

So they went to time square and watched the ball drop.

And hearing her explain this experience gives me anxiety.

She would tell me that everyone was just packed in like sardines.

There is hardly any room to move.

And she was so far away from town square that watching the ball drop was not very impressive.

But there was something special about being surrounded by thousands if not millions of people that she told me, you just have to be there.

I have been to concerts and football games, and other large gatherings, and there is something so incredible about when people gather for a common purpose.

Now some gathers are not for good reasons, we know this, but a gathering of people for one purpose is something that is powerful.

Regardless if it is good or bad.

I know that we have probably experienced this before.

WE:

Who has been to a concert before?

What concert? (Toby Mac and Skillet)

Who has been to a professional sports game or college?

What was it?

(Cubs games/ Seahawks game)

Have you ever been to conference?

Youth pastor conference/ Leadership conference/ Promise Keepers

Now put yourself back in that setting.

Its a large group of people gathering.

It’s a ton of people singing the same song!

It is thousands of voices cheering for a team when they score.

It is hearing a message and feeling a conviction in your soul!

We understand what it is like to be in a crowd of people.

It is powerful and it is moving.

Now take that and that is what we are stepping into here in Nehemiah 8.

The wall has been built the people are feeling secure.

Recall Austin told us about this last week.

The people have and are continuing to return from captivity.

And remember they have been in captivity because they were not following God’s commands.

And now that everything is coming together— they are beginning to establish some traditions that they have not had for over 70 years.

And many of those traditions involved the reading of God’s word.

The reading of God’s word would be read to large gatherings of people.

It was powerful and it was moving.

I think that this can still be true when believers gather to hear God’s word.

While we are a small group of people it is always amazing to get together and open up God’s word and seek to understand and grow in our relationship.

It is a common goal that unites us.

We see this happening at church or at youth group.

So lets open up to Nehemiah 8 and being to read about what is happening now with Nehemiah.

GOD:

The plan tonight is to slowly walk through these 12 verses.

Notice that phrase all people— you will see that 8 more times and when you see it say YO!

All the people— YO

So they were gathered at the water gate.

This was just a place that was a bit larger then the temple and allowed a larger crowd to gather.

Now we are introduced to a new character named Ezra.

Ezra was helping Nehemiah as he was actually there rebuilding the city before Nehemiah showed up and Ezra was a scribe and priest.

So He was asked to read the law of moses.

And you may be thinking?

Why?

Well this was actually a tradition for God’s people that dated back to Moses time.

The people who have been away for 70 years are now beginning to establish their customs, their traditions again.

This is a big deal for God’s people who have not been following the Lord— they are coming back into this convent relationship that they broke which caused their city to fall 70 years ago.

Okay— we good so far—

Let continue to read:

Ezra just read to the people for like 6 hours.

And the people just stood there.

I know we may not fully grasp this but they did this because they were hungry for God’s word!

They haven’t had it in so long.

Think about your favorite food.

Now imagine going 20 years without consuming that— can you imagine what you would do to have something that you didn’t have for 20 years?

I wouldn’t need a seat, I would eat it standing and until I was too full to move.

The people wanted to hear the word!

They needed to hear the law!

They had such respect for God’s word that they stood up while the word was being read.

And as they were reading the law— look at how the people responded.

They knelt— they worshiped, they prayed, they shouted.

God’s word moves people.

And not only that but God’s word is for everyone: it is alive, it convicts, and it brings joy.

All the people were present and there was this hunger not for food, or water, but for God’s word.

Have you ever longed for God’s word like these people did?

I don’t know if I have?

What does that say about our relationship with God and his word?

Maybe nothing, but maybe something right?

Let’s keep reading:

The law was being read and the people were listening, and as they were listening, they begin to be convicted.

And the more all these people began to explain the law the more the people begin to weep.

They were cut to the heart.

God’s word is alive, and it convicts.

And the people were hearing His word, some for the very first time and it moved them.

They were convicted of how they had been living, and it was a day that was not intended to be like this.

But to me it just shows me a couple of things.

God’s word should move us us.

God’s timing has nothing to do with us.

Conviction can happen even when it is intended to be joyful.

I do wonder what was read to cause the people to weep, but we are not told, but what most scholars can conclude it had to be a combination of the Law that was given to Moses that the people were not up holding and just the fact that many were hearing God’s word for the first time.