Aiming for Revival

Nehemiah 8:1–8 NASB95

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. 7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, explained the law to the people while the people remained in their place. 8 They read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading.

INTRO: Sometimes the answer is right in front of you. Do you know what I mean? Sometimes the solution to a major challenge is obvious, but overlooked.

ILL: At our house we have a hedge that is between us and our neighbor. It’s on our property, so we get the joy of maintaining it. Now, it’s kind of a funny bush because it gets these amazing shoots that grow like 3 feet in no time… but they are random. Anyway, I was going to trim it up, but was having a time getting my hedge trimmer to start. It’s only a couple years old- it had gas, I primed the bulb, pulled the choke, and wore my arm out pulling that rope. I took it to my shop and began to examine the spark plug connection, the fuel filter, and anything else I could think of.

Nearly 30 minutes later, just before my last step of throwing the hedge trimmer into the lake, I realized that there is this little switch that says “run/ stop”… yeah. I knew that.

My point is that sometimes the answer is staring us in the face, whether we want to acknowledge it or not. We all probably agree that in our nation, we have a problem: government corruption, spikes in crime, life is no longer valued by the society, truth is denied, lies are celebrated, and the whole country is asking, “What do we do?”

The answer is simple and obvious: Return to the Lord. Return to God’s Word.

This is His world and we cannot expect to flourish while openly rebelling against Him. And here’s the thing: if we hope that the world would know God and come to Him, then as a church, we must hold in high regard the very Word of God we hope to point the world to.

You see, we cannot expect of the world that which even we are unwilling to do. We cannot proclaim one thing with our lips, but live a life that is unchanged.

As we look into our text this morning, we notice a bit of a shift in focus. For the first 7 chapters, we have looked almost exclusively at the process of restoring a physical wall that set Jerusalem apart from the pagan nations. Chapter 8 begins a concentration on a spiritual reformation.

There are a couple interesting notes to highlight before we get into full swing:

While Nehemiah is still involved, we see that the character spotlight is on Ezra, the priest and scribe. No human is adept is all areas of leadership.

God’s Word is central in spiritual renewal and is key throughout our passage.

As we examine this text, we see a nation being led toward renewal. I believe that, as a church, we can learn from this text how we too can aim for renewal. The message is titled, “Aiming for Revival” and I hope to highlight 3 signs of a God-honoring worship service that position us for a movement of God.

Let’s jump in.

The first sign of a God-honoring Worship Service is:

People are Expectant (1-3)

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We get the sense that these people anticipated God to speak through his servant, Ezra. Let me point out their expectant posture:

First, they were unified. (as one man) - Here are thousands of people who have come together with the same purpose. Sure, they had differences, but this took priority. The physical reconstruction of the wall was not all that was needed in Jerusalem.

Second, they were eager to hear from God. They asked for Ezra to bring God’s Word. They didn’t ask for a cool story or to be entertained. They desired God - to know who He is, to know who they were called to be, and what it meant to be a people set apart for Him.

Third, they were engaged. Look at v.3 - Ezra read the Word for 6 hours and “all the people were attentive” - Nobody checking their watch. They weren’t motioning for him to get on with it or ‘land the plane’ - They hung on every word.

This was all possible because the people of Jerusalem expected that God was going to do something in their midst. I want you to take a moment and think with me:

The God of creation has spoken. He has revealed His character, his love and his desire that you would respond to him in repentance and belief. Intellectually, we ought to recognize that there could be nothing more important than to know God and abide in him.

Yet, like the nation of Israel, we get pulled away from this by other obligations, interruptions, and opportunities. But what if, when we gathered together each week, we expected not to just hear from some fellow in a tie, but instead expected that through God’s Word, we would hear from the throne of heaven?

What if we came together in such a way that we put aside our differences- you know those petty things that won’t matter in eternity, and came eager to hear from God’s Word?

What might that look like? Let me give you a few keys to help you come to church with an expectant heart.

PRAY that God would give you a longing for Him. Pray for one another and for the service. Pray through the week that the pastor’s time with the Lord and His Word would be fruitful.

BELIEVE that God’s Word is true. Don’t buy into the lies of culture that tell you this book is just like all the others on the shelf. No friends, this book written through the direction of the Holy Spirit in order to transform lives!

PARTICIPATE in the service. Read ahead- we often study through whole books at a time. It’s rarely a secret what passage we’ll be studying. Take notes- write down what God shows you, and then be intentional about applying it to your life.

Do you want to aim for a true revival? God- honoring worship services are filled with expectant people who desire for God to bring revival. The next sign of a God-honoring worship service is:

God is Exalted (4-6)

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I want you to notice that this gathering was intentional and that God’s Word was elevated and central. Notice three things:

They built a wooden podium for this purpose. (4a) The podium demonstrates the focal point. God’s Word and the exaltation of His name was THE REASON for this gathering. Traditional churches often have a podium or pulpit to symbolize the centrality of God’s Word in their gatherings.

This is descriptive, not prescriptive. IOW- You can exalt God without a podium or pulpit. In this context however, the podium helped the people know where to focus; to know where the authority was derived.

The podium and speakers were on an elevated platform. (5a)This was so that all the crowd could see. It’s important that the people can witness the expounding of the Scripture. The larger the crowd, the more important to elevate the speaker.

This is a practical matter, but it demonstrates that above all the distractions and above all the common things, God’s Word is top priority. It takes precedence over everything else.

God’s Word was revered. Look here, when God’s Word was being read, the people stood. (5b) (That might sound familiar to you…) Further, when Ezra blessed the Lord- in prayer and proclamation, the people answered, “AMEN!” They lifted their hands and they bowed low in worship. (6)

Here’s the point. God is worthy, and in Jerusalem we see that there was a clear, intentional demonstration of God’s people humbling themselves and exalting God.

When we look at the man Ezra, we see that he is supported by the priests and Levites who stood on either side of him as if to say, “We are unified in our reverence of God and submission to His Word.” (4b)

As we consider our desire for God to move in Little River, let us consider how we can exalt God in our worship services.

We can be intentional. Actually, you probably see a lot of that symbolic intentionality in our weekly services. We have a podium, an elevated platform, and we do in fact stand in honor at the reading of God’s Word.

We can be physically responsive. When God’s word is proclaimed faithfully, we should respond. Maybe that means you affirm the truth with an audible “amen” or you raise your hand as to say “God is speaking to me” Your authentic, physical response glorifies God.

Leaders can be exemplary demonstrators of humility. In every instance, we, like John the Baptist can say “I must decrease, and You oh Lord, must increase!”

A God-honoring worship service will include an expectant people and will exalt God above all else. Finally, in aiming for revival, the third sign of a God-honoring worship service is the:

Teaching is Explained (7-8)

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God has given us His word not just to inform us, but to transform us. If that is going to happen, then it is vital that we engage the Scripture in such a way that we understand it and apply it to our lives.

In this setting, Ezra read and likely talked about God’s Word, but throughout the crowd there were men who ensured those around them understood it.

It’s helpful for us to note that he was reading Hebrew, but many of the people had been raised in Babylonian, Assyrian, and Persian-influenced cultures. Thus, they likely spoke Aramaic, which would be a slightly different dialect.

ILL: This is kind of like having someone interpret our WNC Southern dialect to a person from London… It’s not the same English - when they say biscuit, they mean cookie, not breakfast... trust me, there is a need for us to explain biscuits and gravy!

But more than just interpreting WHAT is being said, there is also the implication that the WHAT is clear enough to be applied.

Look back with me to v. 7b- people didn’t go anywhere until they understood God’s Word. While there is not any explicit note regarding what this looked like, we can assume that questions likely were asked and answered.

So, basically, if anyone lacked understanding, they would wait and get some further explanation.

My hope and goal is to teach God’s Word in a clear manner so that everyone in the room (and online) can understand and apply it. That’s why I preach expositionally- we go book by book, verse by verse.

It’s why you have a sermon guide and are encouraged to get into a small group for further discussion on the teaching.

It’s why, on Wednesday evenings, we have an interactive study that allows us to make observations together and talk through how to apply the text.

I grew up in a church where the preacher was super nice, yet he almost never explained the Scripture. But when everyone can understand God’s word, we all can put it into practice and help others along the way.

What we do in church shapes us. It doesn’t just inform us or entertain us. It makes us who we are. The worship service, in other words, doesn’t just cater to certain tastes; it develops certain tastes.

Jared C. Wilson

As we aim for revival, we gain a taste for the things of God.

Here’s the thing- the answer to the chaos and brokenness in our country is super obvious: Return to God. And if we hope to point our country to Christ, then we must ourselves be revived and renewed so that we are living as the called out ones of God. THEN we can lead the world to follow Jesus.

Jerusalem was a city in need of revival. They had long wandered from God’s Word and from genuine communion with Him. The church in America is in need of revival today. As we look for God to bring about revival- to move in our lives, we must position ourselves to hear from Him.

This morning, I encourage you: AIM FOR REVIVAL. RESPOND to God’s Word! Don’t let your taste for the world be greater than your hunger for God.

[PRAY]

Discuss: How can you enter worship with expectancy?

Discuss: What responses can you adopt that exalt God in worship?

Discuss: How can we better ensure that Scripture is explained in church?