Morning Message Texts: Nehemiah 8: 1-3, 5-6, 8-10
Ezra Reads the Law
1 all the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded for Israel.
2 So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand.
3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up.
6 Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.
9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Morning Message:
I took the time away from my sermon preparation on Monday to watch the inauguration of our new president and vice president. Some may find these events boring, but I do not. I was impressed with the gathering of clergy. There was a mix of Protestants, Catholics, and a Jewish Rabbi. I found the prayers of all of them very enriching and meaningful. Of course I had a favorite, a young, black minister from Detroit, I swear if you closed your eyes, you would have thought that the Rev. Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. was speaking. Their prayers were all very positive and uplifting; prayers for God’s blessings upon this nation and its new leaders. Their prayers were different in many ways according to each one’s faith, but there was one thing they had in common besides their hope for this nation. Every one of their prayers was biblically based. I am so encouraged that our leaders raise their right hands and place their left hands on the Bible. What an awesome sight to watch and listen as our leaders swear on God’s Word to protect us. You might think skeptically that they really don’t mean it, but I assure you, God heard it.
Sometimes, as God’s people, we need to be reminded of our roots and our commitments to Jesus. Our text today is so important for today’s church. The first thing that I am impressed with when I start to read this text is that the people come to the priest and ask for God’s Law. They gathered together for worship and instead of their eyes glazing over and them tuning out until the next hymn, they wanted to hear God’s Word. We have such a privilege in this nation that we can enter a church and hear God’s Word read. Maybe we are so privileged that we take the Word for granted. Our attitude, weather we realize it or not, might be, let’s tune out the scripture reading and get to what the pastor has to say about it. Let me tell you a little secret. Apart from God’s Word my sermons are worthless. Apart from God’s Word and His guidance I couldn’t preach my way out of a wet paper bag. I am just an ordinary man that God has gifted with the ability to open his mouth and produce sound, but without God and his Word I am just noise.
People make the mistake of thinking that revival will come from pastors and ministers, leaders of the church, great speakers and evangelists. I have found myself at times thinking that I could create an atmosphere in the church that would spark revival. The truth is that it comes from God, and he starts the fire in His people. The people asked for the Law to be read and then they stood from daybreak, let’s say six o’clock in the morning, until noon and listened. Not to an eloquent sermon, but to the Word of God. I have an idea. Let’s all gather here next Sunday at 6:00 am, and I will read to you from the Bible until noon. Who is coming? I would not want you to come just because I invited you and made you feel obligated to come. No, I am waiting for the day when I get a phone call from one of you at 6:00 am on Sunday or any other day of the week, and you say, “Pastor Bob, we are here, are you coming?” They all listened attentively to the book of the Law. You must want God’s Word. God does not need to be patronized with half-hearted loyalty. We have to come to a point in our faith where the Holy Spirit inside of us gives us the want to.
Ezra opened the book; the people stood up. Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and the people lifted their hands and responded. I wonder what that felt like. I have an idea, let’s try it. Everyone who is able stand up. Repeat after me, “The Law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold. They are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.” Amen! Amen! Now listen. Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Go ahead! Just kidding.
After worship they were left in tears. Tears of joy from hearing God’s Word, tears of sorrow and regret for being disobedient so long, emotional tears from sharing in God’s Word and the togetherness of the congregation blessed by the presence of God in their midst. This is not a day of sadness; this is the Lord’s Day. “This is the day the Lord has made.” What do we do with it church? “We will rejoice and be glad in it.”
Listen to me for just a minute longer. In your hearts, in your souls, within the Holy Spirit that God has placed inside of everyone who belongs to Jesus, don’t you feel the urge, the want to? You must feel it. You must want it. Close your eyes and listen for a moment. God is calling out to all of us. The first step to renewal is Getting Back to the Book. Until we do that, God will not let us move forward. This is not just another book, it is the Holy Word of God, It’s where God speaks to his people, It’s where the miracle of revival takes place. This Book is the very essence of God. Listen and see if this makes sense to you, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Everything began with God’s Word, and every good thing, even revival, still begins with God’s Word.
In Christ’s Love and Peace,
Pastor Bob
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