Sermon Tone Analysis

The Joy of the Lord!

neh 8.9-12

neh 8.

INTRO: It is not healthy for an individual to never be happy or joyful ...

God never intended for us as Christian to be miserable or always filled with guilt feelings.

Some people really struggle with their relationship to God because they can never seem to feel good about how God feels about them!

When they hear a message about forgiveness they immediately respond by thinking, "Yes, I need to confess more" instead of hearing how wonderful it is that God has forgiven and forgotten their sins!

They forget that the word GOSPEL itself means, "Good News" or verses like:

"There is therefore NOW NO CONDEMNATION TO THOSE IN CHRIST..." or

"All things are possible..." or "We are more than conquerors..."

"All things work together for good to those who love the Lord" or "God so loved..." or "Who shall separate us from God's love ... NOTHING SHALL!"

One thing that will help many is to limit your time with toxic people.

ILLUS: The glum, sour faces of many Christians.

... They rather give the impression that, instead of coming from the Father's joyful banquet, they have just come from the Sheriff who has auctioned off their sins and now are sorry they can't get them back again.

-- Helmut Thielicke, Leadership, Vol. 1, no. 4.

Joy is brought by

PROP.

SENT: God desires his people to know HIS JOY!

The very strength of our faith and our fruitfulness comes from God's joy in our lives as a character trait!

This is why God's Word declares that it is the "Joy of the Lord that is our strength!"

Also, "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine."

I. Unity and Desire (Review)

A. Unity

1.

It is a worthy thing to note that they assembled together as ONE man!

a.

This concept is very similar to the picture in the book of Acts when it stated that they were all together in "ONE ACCORD."

b.

When God's people are so blended in unity there is almost a guarantee of God's Spirit to move in a great way ... look at the day of Pentecost!

2. In David says that "it is beautiful when brethren dwell together in unity, like precious oil ... there God commands His blessing, even life for evermore!"

3. Worship should be a time of both brokenness AND great joy ... not just a time of mourning!

4. When we gather together today to worship it should be with a sense of joy and anticipation ... Paul said to the Philippians, "Whatever is good, pure, joyful ... of good report, to think on these things!"

5.

There is nothing sad about being related to God through His Son Jesus Christ!!

6.

We are all equals in the church, we are brethren coming together in unity!

B. Unusual!

They want to understand and the Levites were there to help.....

1.

The interesting comment in verse 2 is that it was the people requesting Ezra to come to them in the public square and read the Word of God to them and teach them!

a. Can you imagine people begging to have the Pastor get together with them for more preaching!

b.

The next unusual item that appears is that the whole assembly of people that made up the crowd was not just the men ... it was women and children as well!

c.

This could not have taken place in the temple due to restrictions of who could enter; it was held in the public meeting place in town!

d.

This makes it unusual as well ... they wanted God's Word proclaimed to the entire town from the center of the city for all citizens to hear!

2. Now here is the real catch; Ezra read the Word of God for 6 hours straight!

a.

And they stayed around for all 6 hours of the message!

b.

Not only that but it later states in the chapter that they all stood for the entire time ... without complaining of length or heat, or boredom or hunger!

c.

The final interesting or unusual feature was the last line of verse 3, "And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law."

d.

They were actually soaking it all in for the entire 6 hours of standing!

e.

These were hungry people for spiritual things; it will be no surprise that God then tells them to celebrate when they at first begin to cry!

3. We should be so unusual today!

Joy is brought by

II.

Worship and Understanding

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A. A large gathering

1. Evidently the people had so taken the lead on this thing that they had built a large wooden platform for the occasion, the Hebrew wording for this text suggests this event was a sudden or spontaneous event not planned by the religious leaders, but by the people themselves!

1. Evidently the people had so taken the lead on this thing that they had built a large wooden platform for the occasion, the Hebrew wording for this text suggests this event was a sudden or spontaneous event not planned by the religious leaders, but by the people themselves!

2. The people had anticipated a large gathering and so built the platform to enable the priest to be above the crowd so he could be seen and heard easier - they didn't want to miss a thing!

a.

This is actually where our concept of a platform in church buildings comes from!

b.

And for the same reasons ... not to elevate the pastor's ego ... just his body and voice!

3. Notice in verse 4 that his associates were on the platform with him ... to give support and be examples of leaders for the people.

a.

This was an unprecedented event ... the planning of it by the people.

b.

The construction by the people.

c.

The desire by the people.

d.

The hunger for the Word by all the people, men, women, and children!

e.

This is really where revival comes from ... a hungry congregation!

ILLUS: Peter Buehler, who helped lead John and Charles Wesley to experience conversions, once said, "If I had a thousand tongues, I'd praise Christ with them all."

Charles Wesley expanded this stray comment into lines that became the well-known hymn "O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing." -- "The Golden Age of Hymns," Christian History, no. 31.

B. They wanted to understand

1.

They all stood for 6 hours as the Word of God was read!

a.

Notice Pastor Ezra's response to this sight; "HE PRAISED THE GREAT GOD!"

b.

And suddenly all the people "LIFTED THEIR HANDS AND RESPONDED, AMEN! AMEN!" (In Hebrew a repeated word meant special emphasis!)

c.

This service was going places, the Pastor was hot with joy ... and they followed suit by joyous shouts of PRAISE and agreement.

(The meaning of the word "amen.")

2. From Praise they entered into worship ... as they all bowed down and just worshipped God as a whole group!

a. Imagine the unbelievable sight of this ... especially for Old Testament times, rarely had such a hunger existed in the people of Israel like this.

b.

At other times they had gone through long periods of time where their worship was nothing more than ritual ... and uneventful!

In the past it had often been religious practice but without passion.

We don't need more religion; we need more PASSION in our relationship with God, healthy passion, the kind that is balanced!

C. Understanding

1. Here's where the balance part comes in; passion alone would lead to emotionalism without content!

2. Just as ritual without any passion leads to cold dead orthodox faith.

3. What brings the balance ... the Word and the desire to understand it!

4.

You will note in the text that the Levites scattered throughout the congregation during Ezra's reading of the Word and explained to all those who desired the understanding of the text ... what does this mean for you and how does God desire your response?