SF713 - How to Build on God's Word - 10 OVERCOMING OBSTACLES TO VICTORY (Nehemiah 8 1-18)
Nehemiah 8:1-18
Introduction
We have seen that no matter what Satan did he could not stop the work of God’s People
In chapter 6 - the walls were completed, in chapter 7 they organize and receive an offering in order to finish the city and to bring security and safety. Yet, there is more. Nehemiah did not have a monument mentality. Nehemiah understood that what goes on inside the walls is more important than the walls themselves.
Less the victorious life be short-lived we must set our lives firmly upon the Word of God. We must build our entire lives on His Word. The question before us today is, How can we build our lives on God’s Word? The answer lies in four words, we must, hunger for God’s Word, hear God’s Word, honor God’s Word, and heed God’s Word.
1A. We must Hunger for the Word of God (8:1)
In Nehemiah’s day, there was a real hunger for the Word of God. It had been nearly one hundred years since the Word of God had been proclaimed in Jerusalem. So the people gathered “as one man” to hear the Word of preached. They understood what the prophet Amos meant when he wrote…
Amos 8:11 (NASB) 11“Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord GOD, “When I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, But rather for hearing the words of the LORD.
I fear we are suffering from the same kind of famine in our day. We have multiplied churches, many of which claim to be conservative evangelical Bible-believing churches that do not preach the Word. We do everything else. We entertain and encourage; we deliver meaningless homilies that seek not to offend. In many of our churches, we place a greater emphasis on form than content on psychology that Scripture. Men and women do not need to hear my opinion or some self help feel good false gospel. We need to hear a word from God from His Word. There is a famine in our land for the Word of God. We have the bread of life and people are hungry, let us give it to them. Jesus tells us…
Matthew 5:6 (NASB) 6“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Notice that because of their hunger for the Word…
1B. They Prioritized the Word of God
Psalm 19:9-10 (NASB) 9The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether. 10They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
The Psalmist placed the highest priority on God’s Word. What priority does the reading and study of God’s Word have in your life?
Ø Would you rather have God’s Word than wealth?
Psalm 119:72 (NASB) 72The law of Your mouth is better to me Than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
Ø Would you rather have God’s Word than sleep?
Psalm 119:147-148 (NASB) 147I rise before dawn and cry for help; I wait for Your words. 148My eyes anticipate the night watches, That I may meditate on Your word.
2B. They had a Passion for the Word of God
Job 23:10-12 (NASB) 10“But He knows the way I take; When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. 11“My foot has held fast to His path; I have kept His way and not turned aside. 12“I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.
Job was passionate about God’s Word. Job said that God’s Word was more important than physical food.
Ø Would you rather have God’s Word than food?
Psalm 119:103 (NASB) 103How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
3B. They took Pleasure in the Word of God
Psalm 119:162 (NASB) 162I rejoice at Your word, As one who finds great spoil.
These God have married and no man shall depart, Dust on the Bible and sin in the heart. Do you take pleasure in the reading and teaching of God’s Word? Do you linger over God’s Word or do you rush in an out of God’s presence. Are you satisfied with a spiritual snack or do you savor His Word daily and feed continually from his banquet table? Jesus reminds us…
Matthew 4:4 (NASB) 4“…It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”
Ø Do you take pleasure in God’s Word?
2A. We Must Hear the Word of God (8:2-4a)
1B. Notice their Anticipation! (8:2)
Everyone came to hear the Word! They gathered not to be entertained but to hear the Word of God. They anticipated God speaking to them. Did you come today anticipating God to speak to you? It seems that Nehemiah and Ezra did not have to beg these people to come. They were anxious to hear from God. Did you have to be begged or made to come to God’s house today?
2B. Notice their Dedication! (8:3a)
They were not clock watchers, they did not have anything more important or pressing to do with their time than to hear God’s Word. They gave the day to the Lord. What would happen if we gave every Sunday to the Lord? What would we have to change and eliminate? They gave God their time as an indication of their dedication to Him.
We need to spend more time in the Word. I am afraid that too often we come to church in a hurry to leave. What could possibly me more important than hearing from the God of heaven?
3B. Notice their Participation (8:3b)
They paid attention during church. They were not passing notes or planning dinner. They were “attentive” to the Word. They listened. They refused to allow the clock or circumstances to control their worship. They stood and listen for up to five hours. What is it the holds and controls your attention today. Is it God’s Word or the world? Is it God’s Word or worries? Is it God’s Word or self-centeredness? They participated by listening and meditating upon God’s truth.
3a. We must Honor the Word of God (8:4-6)
1B. When the Word was read they Rose (8:4-5)
“Stood up” = rises to stand
Standing showed their respect of and love for the Lord. We stand in honor of God’s Word and God. We are commanded to read God’s Word publicly…
1 Timothy 4:13 (NASB) 13Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.
We honor God’s Word by standing when it is read and my handling it with reverence. Some would accuse us of bibliolatry but I believe we should respect and reverence God’s Word. We should handle it with care. We should cherish the Word of God.
2B. When the Word was read they Responded (8:6)
The Word of God excited them - “Amen, Amen”
It is easier to cool down a zealot than it is to wake up a corpse! They were excited and agreed with God’s Word. I believe there is a place in worship for a hearty “amen.” But do not say it unless you mean it. Amen means, “let it be.” So do not say amen unless you intend to “let it be” in you life.
The Word of God convicted them - “they bowed low and worshipped”
The response of the regenerate heart to the Word of God is worship for God. They were not worshipping the Word, they were worshipping the God of the Word. Isaiah tells us of the intrinsic value and longevity of God’s Word when he writes…
Isaiah 40:8 (NASB) 8The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.
Thomas Payne - “The Age of Reason;” claimed to have destroyed the tenets of Christianity and the Bible. “I have gone through a wood with an axe and felled trees and here they lie never to grow again.” But on his deathbed he called out to God and Christ for help.
Voltaire; “With my single hand I will destroy the edifice that it took twelve apostles to rear.” Voltaire is dead and gone and the old book lives on.
Psalm 119:81 (NASB) 81My soul languishes for Your salvation; I wait for Your word.
Do you honor the Word of God? Does God’s Word excite you? Does God’s Word convict you? In genuine worship; God is the audience, the congregation is the performers, and the worship leaders are the prompters.
4A. We must Heed of the Word of God (8:7-16)
1B. The Word was Read (8:7-8)
The Word was expounded (8:7)
The Levites repeated and expounded the Word that Ezra read. They put the Word in the language of the people.
The Word was examined (8:8a)
Verse eight is the best definition I know of for expository preaching. Ezra “read from the book.” That is he read directly from God’s Word. The Word of God was read and examined. Ezra did not take a text and depart from it, as is the practice of so many today. Ezra gave them the Word; he opened the scrolls and read to them from God’s Word. That is what we must do today. We must read the Word and examine it. After all God’s Word is eternal not my opinion or ideas. Sunday School teachers expound and examine the Word. Parents, teachers expound and examine the Word. May PBC be known as a place where God’s Word is expounded and examined.
The Word was explained (8:8b)
Once he had expounded the Word and examined the Word, Ezra explained the Word. That is what I endeavor to do Sunday by Sunday. That is expository preaching and anything less is not truly biblical preaching. We must expound, examine, and explain God’s Word, that is the work of a preacher. That is my job! My job is not primarily to comfort God’s people, though I may do that. My job is not primarily to administrate God’s program. My job is to expound, examine, and explain God’s Word.
2B. The Word was Received (8:9-16)
First, there was repentance (8:9)
The people were broken hearted. Whenever, God’s Spirit applies His Word to our hearts our first reaction is repentance. We are made to realize our sin and God’s holiness and it breaks our hearts. Paul tells us that God’s Word informs us of our sin…
Romans 3:20 (NASB) 20because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.
Paul also tells us that God’s Word leads us to Christ…
Galatians 3:24 (NASB) 24Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.
Jesus tells us…
(Matthew 5:4 NIV) "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."
The devil will try to pervert God’s Word to bring you down to keep you down. The Holy Spirit will apply God’s Word bring you down so He can bring you to God.
Then there was rejoicing (8:10-12)
After they heard the Word and honored the Word, they began to heed the Word. They were first brought to repentance but when repentance has finished its work there is reason for rejoicing. Paul wrote…
2 Corinthians 7:10 (NASB) 10For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.
True repentance brings salvation and salvation brings joy. Indeed it is the joy only the Lord can give. It is the joy of the Lord. Nothing that makes the Christian stronger than the joy of the Lord! Salvation comes by the Word of God proclaimed by the child of God and applied by the Spirit of God, which produces the joy of God in our lives. Joy is related to our relationship with Christ not our reasoning of circumstances and it all begins with His Word, Jesus said…
John 15:11 (NASB) 11“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
The Psalmist writes…
Psalm 112:1 (NASB) 1Praise the LORD! How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who greatly delights in His commandments.
Finally there was a response (8:13-16)
The people obeyed the Word! They did what God’s Word had commanded. They obeyed God. James writes…
James 2:14-17 (NASB) 14What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
Application
In Chapter 8 the people experienced a Revival! Revival is a sovereign act of God. Jonathan Edwards referred to revival as a “surprising work of God.” We need this kind of revival. The revival in Nehemiah’s was based on the Word of God and flowed from a commitment to the Word of God. Revival is not a result of man’s wisdom or work. Revival does not flow from our programs and plans. Revival is the result of God’s Spirit sovereignly moving among His people. We can seek revival but we cannot start revival. We can no more determine the movement of God in revival that we can control the wind. However, we can be assured that when God’s Word is hungered for, heard, honored and heeded that His Spirit is at work.
Father and son and daughter swimming off the coast of NJ. The tide took them out too far. Told the little girl to wait and swim on her back until he came back for her. Four hours later they found her “I was just doing what he told me to do until he came for me.”
Nehemiah 8:1-18
Introduction
We have seen that no matter what Satan did he could not stop the work of God’s People
In chapter 6 - the walls were completed, in chapter 7 they organize and receive an offering in order to finish the city and to bring security and safety. Yet, there is more. Nehemiah did not have a monument mentality. Nehemiah understood that what goes on inside the walls is more important than the walls themselves.
Less the victorious life be short-lived we must set our lives firmly upon the Word of God. We must build our entire lives on His Word. The question before us today is, How can we build our lives on God’s Word? The answer lies in four words, we must, hunger for God’s Word, hear God’s Word, honor God’s Word, and heed God’s Word.
1A. We must Hunger for the Word of God (8:1)
Amos 8:11 (NASB) 11“Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord GOD, “When I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, But rather for hearing the words of the LORD.
Matthew 5:6 (NASB) 6“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
1B. They Prioritized the Word of God (8:1)
Psalm 19:9-10 (NASB) 9The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether. 10They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
Ø Would you rather have God’s Word than wealth?
Psalm 119:72 (NASB) 72The law of Your mouth is better to me Than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
Ø Would you rather have God’s Word than sleep?
Psalm 119:147-148 (NASB) 147I rise before dawn and cry for help; I wait for Your words. 148My eyes anticipate the night watches, That I may meditate on Your word.
2B. They had a Passion for the Word of God
Job 23:10-12 (NASB) 10“But He knows the way I take; When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. 11“My foot has held fast to His path; I have kept His way and not turned aside. 12“I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.
Ø Would you rather have God’s Word than food?
Psalm 119:103 (NASB) 103How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
3B. They took Pleasure in the Word of God
Psalm 119:162 (NASB) 162I rejoice at Your word, As one who finds great spoil.
These God have married and no man shall depart, Dust on the Bible and sin in the heart.
Matthew 4:4 (NASB) 4“…It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”
2A. We Must Hear the Word of God (8:2-4a)
1B. Notice their Anticipation! (8:2)
Ø Everyone came to hear the Word!
2B. Notice their Dedication! (8:3a)
Ø They were not clock watchers.
3B. Notice their Participation (8:3b)
They paid attention during church.
Revival came because they refused to allow the clock to determine the nature of their worship!
3a. We must Honor the Word of God (8:4-6)
1B. When the Word was read they Rose (8:5)
Ø Standing showed their respect of and love for the Lord.
1 Timothy 4:13 (NASB) 13Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.
2B. When the Word was read they Responded (8:6)
Ø The Word of God excited them. - “Amen, Amen”
Ø The Word of God convicted them - “bowed and worshipped”
Isaiah 40:8 (NASB) 8The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.
Thomas Payne; Voltaire
Psalm 119:81 (NASB) 81My soul languishes for Your salvation; I wait for Your word.
4A. We must Heed of the Word of God (8:7-8)
1B. The Word was Read (8:7-8)
The Word was expounded (8:7)
The Word was examined (8:8a)
The Word was explained (8:8b)
2B. The Word was Received (8:9-16)
First, there was repentance (8:9)
Ø They were broken hearted.
Ø God’s Word informs us of our sin
Romans 3:20 (NASB) 20because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.
Ø God’s Word leads us to Christ
Galatians 3:24 (NASB) 24Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.
(Matthew 5:4 NIV) "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."
Then there was rejoicing (8:10-12)
Ø When repentance has finished its work there is reason for rejoicing
2 Corinthians 7:10 (NASB) 10For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.
Ø Joy is related to our relationship with Christ not our reasoning of circumstances and it all begins with His Word, Jesus said…
John 15:11 (NASB) 11“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
Psalm 112:1 (NASB) 1Praise the LORD! How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who greatly delights in His commandments.
Finally there was a response (8:13-16)
Ø The people obeyed the Word!
James 2:14-17 (NASB) 14What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
Application
Father and son and daughter swimming off the coast of NJ. The tide took them out too far. Told the little girl to wait and swim on her back until he came back for her. Four hours later they found her “I was just doing what he told me to do until he came for me.”
HOW TO BUILD ON GOD’S WORD
Overcoming Obstacles to Victory – Part 10
Nehemiah 8:1-18
1A. We must ____________________ for the Word of God (8:1)
Amos 8:11
Matthew 5:6
1B. They Prioritized the ___________ of God (8:1)
Psalm 19:9-10
Ø Would you rather have God’s Word than ____________________? (Psalm 119:72 )
Ø Would you rather have God’s Word than _________________? (Psalm 119:147-148)
2B. They had a ____________ for the Word of God
Job 23:10-12
Ø Would you rather have God’s Word than ______________? (Psalm 119:103 )
3B. They took _____________ in the Word of God
Psalm 119:162
Matthew 4:4
2A. We Must _________ the Word of God (8:2-4a)
1B. Notice their _______________________! (8:2)
2B. Notice their Dedication! (8:3a)
3B. Notice their ______________________ (8:3b)
3a. We must __________ the Word of God (8:4-6)
1B. When the Word was read they ________ (8:5)
1 Timothy 4:13
2B. When the Word was read they ___________________ (8:6)
Ø The Word of God ________________ them. - “Amen, Amen”
Ø The Word of God _____________________ them - “bowed and worshipped”
Isaiah 40:8
Psalm 119:81
4A. We must ________ of the Word of God (8:7-8)
1B. The Word was ___________________ (8:7-8)
The Word was expounded (8:7)
The Word was ______________________ (8:8a)
The Word was ______________________ (8:8b)
2B. The Word was __________________ (8:9-16)
First, there was _______________________ (8:9)
Ø God’s Word _______________ us of our sin Romans 3:20
Ø God’s Word leads us to Christ Galatians 3:24; Matthew 5:4
Then there was rejoicing (8:10-12)
2 Corinthians 7:10
Psalm 112:1
Finally there was a ________________ (8:13-16)
James 2:14-17