Right Doctrine, Right Practice

I want to begin with an illustration. This isn’t a true story, it’s just a story to illustrate a point. I wrote it as I sat down to write this sermon.

There once was an aspiring sailor. This was before the time of propellers and boat engines. This was during the height of sails and tradewinds. He had just purchased his first watercraft. A marvelous sailboat that could make it all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to the New Land with just one sailor. In fact, this was the reason he purchased the boat. It had been his lifelong dream to cross the Atlantic.

Upon purchasing the ship, he decided to ask some of the other sailors about how long it takes them to cross the Atlantic. “Oh, about 3 or 4 weeks. 2 if you’re quite lucky,” one wisened sea captain told him.

So the young sailor spent the next few weeks charting his course. Making his rounds to tell all his friends and family of his soon departure to the new world, the land called, “America.” Gathering dry foods and water to last him the trip.

Finally, the day came to set sail. The young sailor went down to the port. He heard someone yell to him: “Nice winds to begin your journey!” It was the wisened captain who had counselled him before. “They’ll take you right out to sea.” The young sailor nodded as he loaded the last of his supplies onto his boat, untied from the dock, and set out to sea.

The favorable winds took the young man far off, deep into the ocean. For a while, he could see the other ships, most of which were much larger than his. Eventually, he got to the point where he could see no one else on the ocean.

For 2 days, he coasted on the favorable winds. But on the third morning, as he arose from his slumber, he noticed his sail was blowing a different direction. He hadn’t accounted for this. In his ignorance, he assumed that the winds would just take him off to where he wanted to go. He was at a loss for what to do in the event that the winds would no longer be favorable to his direction of travel.

His boat was now at the mercy of the winds.

Two months later, back at the port, the wisened old sea captain saw a boat in the distance, but its direction seemed off. It would miss the port and surely shipwreck on the rocks just a few miles away. As the boat drew closer, he recognized that it was the young sailor’s. He knew something was wrong, and followed the boat to the place where it would run aground on the rocks of the shore.

Sure enough, the boat dashed into the rocks, its sails in tatters, and no young man to be found. The supplies had been emptied, and all that was left was a glass bottle with a note inside. The old sea captain broke the glass and picked up the note to read it.

To My Family:

If you’ve found this note, I have perished. I have run out of food and water, and I have not reached my destination. The sea is an unforgiving master, its winds, unpredictable. On the third day of my journey, I had learned of my grave error that began well before I ever set sail. Before departing, I had never learned what to do in the event that the wind worked against me. Watching my compass, I noted that for several days I sailed the ocean aimlessly. After two weeks of this, I gave in, with no land in sight. I write to you on the fifth week of my journey, and my doom is near. I send you my love.

The wise Captain knew what this meant. The young sailor had met his demise, and the boat came in without him.

This young sailor thought of sailing as a freeform method of travel across the ocean. Surely all he had to do was get on the ocean and allow the winds to carry his boat to his destination. However, anyone who’s sailed a boat knows how you must tack your sails to continue in your desired direction when the crosswinds come. Because the sailor failed to learn how to sail, he was a slave to the winds.

The thing the sailor failed to consider about the ocean and his lack of preparation was just how dangerous the ocean could be. Christian, let me encourage you, when you go out into the world without a knowledge and a commitment to the Word of God as the Supreme Truth, you risk what this sailor risked. Don’t make shipwreck of your faith because you figured you could make it without reading the manual. It could end in your demise.

That’s what today’s sermon is about as we come out of Nehemiah: The Word of God. Specifically, we are looking at

Now, I have a companion text to go with this passage. There’s a New Testament parallel to this story, at least one that makes sense in my mind. It’s this:

Romans 10:14–17 ESV

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Gathering to Hear the Word

Nehemiah 8:1-6

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As I just mentioned, the people of God were gathered, “as one man.” This means that they come, not as a double-minded people, nor as a collection of various opinions and directions. They came in one accord. And that accord was to hear the Word of the Lord.

And it’s Ezra who’s tasked with bringing the Word before them and reading it.

The people who gathered were, “all who could understand what they heard.” This was likely children who were at an age at which they could understand the Word of God being taught.

This shows some semblance of reason for children’s church up to a certain point. As kids grow in understanding, they should learn about the gathering of believers and join in with their families for church. This is my philosophy of ministry on that, anyway.

The people gave their full attention to the reading of God’s Word.

Ezra stood on a wooden platform so as to be heard.

About 6 hours Ezra read from the Law. Probably not the entire Law, but certainly a portion of the Torah.

Upon reading the Word, the people said, “Amen,” which means, “Truly.” They worshipfully agree with the Word of the Lord.

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Christian, what do you make of this group of people worshipfully agreeing with the Word? In one accord, gathering and agreeing with the Word of God…

When we gather around to hear the Word, believers do not come to the Bible as skeptics. We come as those who have found our skepticism to be empty and vain.

To the world that prizes what they call, “Free-thinking,” this is offensive. Some would even go so far as to say it’s cultish.

I used to think I was a free-thinker. I prided myself on it. Truthfully, I was just enslaved to the blowing winds of secular thought. Listen, the sailboat with no captain to maneuver the sails is merely a slave to the winds and waves. Without a foundation, we have little ground to stand in the search for Truth. I am the sailboat, Jesus is my Captain, using the tools of the Spirit and His Word to guide me to my destination: Forgiveness and Fellowship with the Father.

When we agree in one accord with the Word of God, there is great strength in our collective obedience. A church without agreement on what the Word of God is or says is a weak church. Now listen, we won’t agree on everything. We can’t. It’s nearly impossible. But there are things we *should* agree on as a church body. That means if you’re a member here, you agree to certain doctrinal distinctives.

Seeking to Understand the Word

Nehemiah 8:2, 7-8

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Ezra set priests among the peoples in order to help the people understand what was being spoken. Ezra and his team went above and beyond merely presenting the Word before the people.

Some of this was due to the fact that at this time, many Jews spoke and understood Aramaic better than they did Hebrew. So there were some issues in translating that had to be overcome.

This is what the preaching act is all about. Seeking to help the people of God not only hear His Word, but to help bring understanding to the Word! This should be the goal of every preacher. Not to make you dependent upon the preacher, but to help you see and savor the fountain of life that springs forth from God’s Word.

Hearing the Word is not enough. We must also seek to commit to our understanding of the Word.

Simply put, that’s doctrine. Doctrine is our understanding of the Word of God. Doctrine is our set of beliefs. But it’s not an arbitrary set of beliefs. It is founded in the Word of God. So we begin by hearing or reading the Word of God, and we gather our beliefs from the Word of God.

Three Tiers of Theology

When we commit our hearts and minds to right doctrine, we are saying, “God, Your ways are higher than my ways.”

This is what Ezra and his fellow priests are doing in helping the people to understand. They are teaching them what the Word requires from them and what the Word promises them.

Taking Steps to Obey the Word

Nehemiah 8:9ff

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Two things the Jews were told they needed to make right: They were told what it means to regard a day as holy- The reason for this holiness was the return to the practice of the Law in Jerusalem (v9)… And they were brought back to celebrating the Feasts. (v14-15)

One area I’ve been convicted of lately that we need to get right.

And it’s just like Satan to do this to me. Let me just describe his tactics of capitalizing on our disobedience. You see, one thing we need to get right is our heart for evangelism. And I’ve been dealing with that over the past two weeks. But I’ve also been personalizing it, and not calling on the church body to take the opportunity to make it right.

You see, Satan comes in on the conviction that rests on our heart and says, “It’s all your fault. You can’t do anything about this.”

What do Ezra and Nehemiah do? They teach the people what they are to do, and they move forward. It’s that “Next Right Thing” mentality. Instead of living in despair and condemnation, they repent, move forward, and do the next right thing: Call the people to observe the Feasts again.

The practice of evangelism we need to get back in the habit of is twofold.

Missions: Praying that the Lord of the harvest would send His workers out into the field. (Matthew 9:35-38)

Personal Evangelism: Going and making disciples of all nations. (Matthew 28:19-20)

Two separate challenges this week in that regard. I want to get it right, personally, and I want us to get it right collectively. Josh and Shelia.

So pray! Every time you gather with someone from this church you pray together that the Lord of the harvest would send out His workers. And get serious about the business of making disciples.