Sermon Tone Analysis

INTRO

Have you ever thought about how blessed you are to have a copy of the Bible??

Lots of talk about a wall but the wall was only there for the people… People = 13 times in todays text… People are Gods concern !!

God’s Word forms God’s people, and God’s joy is their strength.

Are you part of God’s people?

Are you formed by His Word?

Is His Word your joy?

Is His Word your strength?

Jews know as the people of the book

Christians known as the people of the book

Look To The Book = Neh 8…

Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (1.

The Law Read and Explained (7:73b–8:12))

Williamson has suggested that we have here almost the same elements as in a typical synagogue service: (Church Service)

(1) the assembly of the people;

(2) the request (desire) for reading of the Torah;

(c) the opening of the scroll; (text)

(d) the people standing; (prayer)

(e) the praise (by Ezra);

(f) the response of the people; (worship)

(g) sermon instruction;

(h) reading the law; (sermon)

(i) oral explanation and exhortation;

(j) departure for a fellowship meal.

(pot luck)

5 Progressive Principals for us as People of the Book… look to the book now!

PRAYER

God our Father in Heaven…

MESSAGE

1 Listen to the Word

The people were united

Neh 8.1-3 “1 And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate.

And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. 2 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month.

3 And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand.

And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.”

What brought you hear today?…

I don’t mean what kind of car do you drive…

there are a lot of things that bring us together but only one things brings unity…

The necessity for being united over the Word of God… What do we stand for as Christians?

there are a lot of things that bring us together but only one things brings unity…

Children in service… VS… Children's church

If there is one thing we must be united on it is upon this Word of God !!

The people were enthusiastic

Neh 8.1-3 “1 And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate.

And they TOLD Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. 2 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month.

3 And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand.

And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.”

What is the condition of your heart on Sunday morning?…

Are you excited to hear the Bible read and preached?

you should be !! … Why Pastor ?

… glad you asked

What did you go out to see?

How would you feel this morning if all of a sudden I decided to preach for 3 hours ??

God never leaves a heart hungry at the table of his Word… “blessed are those who hunger and thirst”

Are you enthusiastic about the hearing of the Word?

The people were attentive

Neh 8.3, 5 “3 And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand.

And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law… 5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood.”

Does the Bible being the very Word of God actually move you?

Spurgeon said it was a sin to bore people with your preaching… Word of God!

It may be the scriptures delivery but it is never the scriptures deliverer, AMEN

We worship God not the Bible… but we know God by the Bible… Are you Listening FOR him / TO Him?

Do you know how fortunate you are to have the Word of God??… God speaking to you !! YOU

You wanna hear Him?…

The people were responsive

Neh 8.5-6 “5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood.

6 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands.

And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.”

You see the people of God cannot help but be moved to worship by the Word of God

The reading of God’s word brings revival !!

do you believe this book has power ??

If a mans home was on fire and he sat at the table while the room burned around him you would plead for him to respond and flee from certain destruction… This book is no different it protects and warns us and demands for us to respond, … if we are listening !!

Are you a “person of the book”?

Do you want to see God work in your life?…

Let us respond to His Word !!

As we LISTEN to the word we must also…

2 Learn from the Word

The people were submissive

Neh 8.7 “7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law, while the people remained in their places.”

You don’t have all the answers and neither do I… What gave these men the authority to teach??… God did !

Submission to leadership… to the Word of God

if the Bible says it will you receive it ??

For the Word to take root the soil must not be hard !

The people were teachable

Neh 8.8-9 “8 They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.

9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people …

Aren’t you blessed by this !? … You are not alone, some things are hard to understand !

Jesus taught… every generation must be taught

Listen, did you know we have a better teacher then Nehemiah, Ezra, Levites… HS is our teacher… if we submit and want to learn

We must work to understand… He will not disappoint !!

Listen up and you might learn something…

The people were grieved

Neh 8.9b “who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.”

For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law.”

Bible study is not for the faint of heart !! … The danger of encountering the Living God...

God is Holy… We have sinned … Our sin caused separation, damnation

The bible is a mirror… Without the mirror we would have no vision of ourselves.

The people wept because what they heard in the reading of Scripture condemned their lifestyle.

But they would not have had an awareness of their sinfulness unless they had first been confronted with the mirror of Scripture’s revelation of the majesty of God.

One of the chief lessons to be learned by scripture is the depth of our sin before a Holy God.