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In this compelling episode, we delve into the book of Nehemiah, exploring the significant steps taken by the Jewish people toward spiritual renewal. With gripping insights, Dr. John Kyle underscores the vitality of scripture in transforming lives. Follow along as the text reveals the essential truths needed to rebuild not just walls, but hearts, instilling a hunger for God's word and precipitating a heartfelt return to His commandments. Experience the revival ignited by scripture, leading to joy, worship, and a renewed commitment to God's authority.
SPEAKER 01 :
Welcome to Expository Truths, where we exalt Christ by bringing clarity of truth through the scriptures with Dr. John Kyle, pastor of Faith Community Church in Vacaville. As Christians, we are called to know the truth and be able to proclaim it. We can know the truth when we know the word of God, which is precise, without error, powerful, and effective for both salvation and spiritual growth. Let's join Pastor Kyle as he takes us verse by verse through the book of Nehemiah, an incredible book showing us how God sovereignly used the faithfulness of Nehemiah to lead the people to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem in the midst of many mighty and powerful enemies.
SPEAKER 02 :
Please turn in your Bibles to Nehemiah chapter 8, verses 13 through 18. Nehemiah 8 says, 13 through 18 now remember nehemiah was a faithful jewish man who was living in the capital city of the persian empire shushan also known as susa and nehemiah was a cupbearer to king artaxerxes as we saw the good hand of god led nehemiah to go to jerusalem where the people were in great distress and reproach and where the walls of the city were still in ruins and look God used Nehemiah to lead the people in rebuilding the wall in 52 days, an absolutely amazing work of God. But now what? Well, do more to help the city return to its former glory, of course, which Nehemiah will continue to do. But even more, help to bring spiritual reformation for the people who have been living in mediocrity and rebellion for way too long. The good news is that the wall-building project lit a fire under the people, and so as we saw at the Feast of the Trumpets on the first day of Tishri, which is the seventh month in 444 B.C., as the people were gathered together as one man to celebrate in Jerusalem... there was indeed a spiritual hunger in the people. They were eager and they were ready and they had no problem with Ezra reading God's word to them for hours and hours. In fact, they loved it. As Ezra read it and as others helped the people to understand what was being read. And good news, they did understand because their response makes that clear. Look, they wept when they heard the words of of the law why clarity they now understood their own sin and what that sin did and so they rightly wept which revealed their sorrow and repentance over their sin The good news is that they didn't remain in that state of weeping because when you've truly sorrowed and repented over your sin, and when you've gone to God with that sin, you can then know that you now stand forgiven, which will then lead to great joy. And as this day was a day of the feast of trumpets, a time to eat, a time to celebrate, a time to rejoice, the people were now truly able to do that which they did. What a day. What a day. Now what? Day 2, let's look, verse 8. Now on the second day, the heads of the fathers' houses of all the people, with the priests and Levites, were gathered to Ezra the scribe in order to understand the words of the law. And they found written in the law, which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month. and that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, Go out to the mountain and bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of leafy trees to make booths as it is written. We'll stop here for now. And here in today's passage, we can note five wonderful events, the first being this, that the leaders gathered together to understand the law. So again, yesterday, the first day, the first day of Tishri, the Feast of Trumpets, was truly an amazing day, a day to come together, a day to celebrate. Weep much, yes, but also rejoice much as everyone turned their hearts to the Lord. That evening, all the families went back home, however. The heads of fathers' houses, together with the priests and with the Levites, they either came back to Jerusalem the very next day, or else they just stayed in the city for a meeting the very next day. So it's now day two, the second day. And look, these leaders are now gathered together once again in Jerusalem to hear Ezra and perhaps some of the others read and study God's law, God's word together. See, they want more. They want more. Yesterday gave them a taste of the wisdom and power of the Word of God. And these leaders understood their responsibility. And so they came back to hear more of the Word of God. So they could first get it into their own heads and into their own hearts. And then, so they could then teach it to others. Look, what do we need to live successfully in this life? Really, truly, eternally, successfully. We need the truth. Lies won't cut it, right? We need the truth so that we can not only know how we must live here, but also so we can know how we can live forever in glory. God's Word is that truth. Oh yeah, liars are all around us who will tell us things that we want to hear, but those things lead to misery and hell in the end. No, only the truth will cut it. And the God who made you and everything else has revealed ultimate truth to us in His book. Psalm 119, 7-11 tells us a few important facts about the Word of God. First, it says that it's perfect. Perfect means complete, comprehensive, without defect or blemish, whole, undefiled, of utmost integrity, sound and wholesome. Talking about the Word of God. In other words, the Word of God lacks nothing in order that it might be what it should be. It is complete as a revelation of divine truth in order that it might be what it should be. It's complete as a revelation of divine truth and it's complete as a rule of conduct. See, the Word of God covers every aspect of life. It isn't deficient in any way. It's an all-sufficient revelation. Therefore, as one says, no matter what our sins may have been or our problems are, the Bible is able to turn us from our sins, amen to that, lead us through our problems and and both feed and enrich us so that we're able to enjoy the full benefits of spiritual life. And that's absolutely right. And so, we have everything we need in the written Word of God. It's perfect. It's complete. It lacks nothing. It's fully sufficient for us. It's flawless. It's reliable. It tells us everything that God wants us to know about Him, about life, about salvation, about sin, and about everything else. Second, Psalm 19 says the Word of God is sure, it's certain, it's firm, it's dependable. This shows us that in a world of lies and in a world of uncertainty, we can stake our present and our future on God's testimony or witness concerning Himself. Because His Word is truth and therefore God's testimony is worthy of our trust. This means that anything that doesn't agree with God's Word is a lie. This means that the Bible is to be our one and only standard for life. This means that the Bible is our one authority. And the wise soul is the one who submits to that godly, truthful authority. Look, because God is the maker of us all, then He has authority over all. And because God is the author of the Scriptures, then His Scriptures have inherent authority. The implication for our lives then is that we are to receive the words of the Bible as God's words and we are to respond to that accordingly. Now, the outworking of God's authority in Scripture can be summarized by a few statements. One, Scripture isn't a derived authority bestowed by humans. No, instead, Scripture is the original authority of God. Two, it doesn't change with the times, the culture, the nation, or the ethnic background. No, instead, Scripture is the unalterable authority of God. Three, Scripture isn't one authority among many possible spiritual authorities. No. Instead, Scripture is the exclusive spiritual authority of God. Four, Scripture isn't an authority that can be successfully challenged or rightfully overthrown. No. Instead, Scripture is a permanent authority of God. Five, Scripture isn't a relativistic or subordinate authority. No. Instead, Scripture is the ultimate authority of God. Six, Scripture isn't merely a suggestive authority. No. Instead, Scripture is the binding authority of God. Now, why stress all of that? Because people today don't live like they believe this even in the church today. People have become their own authority. And so they fashion their God and their doctrine and their practice to their own liking, but what will they do in the end when they have to answer to God? See, look, God makes the rules, we don't. God sets the standards, we don't. God tells us what's true and what's false. We don't. God tells us how He wants us to live. We don't. God tells us what sin is and what sin isn't. We don't. And it doesn't matter. If the doctrine you believe is unpopular, what does God say is the issue? It doesn't matter if your Christian faith goes against the currents of society and culture. What does God say is the issue? See, our standard is the Word of God. His Word alone is truth. And our call is to believe it, to submit to it, and to obey it, because Scripture alone is truth, and Scripture alone is our authority. Third from Psalm 19, God's Word is right. Yashar, which means righteous, straight, upright, just, and correct. That means that the Scripture gives us the right path to walk on, in contrast to the way that leads to death and to misery. Fourth, God's Word is pure, which means that it's without hypocrisy, it's without blemish. Unlike the other sacred books of the other so-called religions, God's Word alone is pure, clean, radiant, and without fault. You say, no, John, God's Word is filled with contradictions. No, it's not. And while there are tensions that are hard for our human minds to comprehend, and while there are indeed some difficult passages, there are no contradictions in the Bible. And God's Word is indeed coherent, consistent, and true. And think about this. Even though the Bible was written by approximately 40 different authors over a period of around 1,500 years, and even though each writer wrote with a different style, from a different perspective, and to a different audience, and for a different purpose, look. God's Word is indeed pure and true because God is the one who wrote it through divine inspiration. See, you don't have to be afraid to ask the hard questions of the Bible. No, go ahead and ask them. We have nothing to fear if it's true and it's true. So ask the hard questions and watch as God's Word passes every test because it's true. Fifth, His Word is clean. Clean means pure, genuine, flawless, and free from impurity. And then six, God's Word is true and righteous. True refers to faithfulness, reliability, and trustworthiness, while righteousness suggests conformity to a moral standard. See, there's nothing impure, false, or unrighteous in the Word of God. What's the point of all this? This, that God has given us a book, a perfect book of That gives us everything that we need to know for life and for salvation forever. And woe to us if we overlook this amazing gift from God to us. And the people in Nehemiah's day had been overlooking that for many years to their own detriment. But now they've woken up and they've seen their great need for the truth of God. They've repented and look, they're hungry for more. And I love that. They're hungry for more. So here they are, the leaders gathered together for a feast, not a feast of food, not now, but for a feast of the Word of God. I'm hungry. I'm hungry. I'm starving. I need more. Feed me. That's how they felt spiritually. So here they are. The family heads were responsible for the lifestyle of their extended family. The priests were select men from the tribe of Levi who were called to lead in worship and to serve as mediators between men and God. And then the Levites were also men from the tribe of Levi who assisted the priests. All the priests were to be Levites, but not all Levites were priests. But here you have the religious leaders of the people along with the family leaders coming together to read and to study more of the Word of God. How good is that? How good is that? See, they aren't content with what they already know. No, they want more. And so should we. And that's a challenge for all of us here right now, myself included. See, you are responsible for yourself first, and then for any who are under your spiritual care and authority. Elders to the church, husbands and fathers to their families, parents to their children, and then everyone else to yourself, even if your only responsibility is to yourself. So here's a question. Could you say that you're an expert in the Word of God like Ezra was? Why not? Why not? Why not? I mean, at least why aren't you seeking to be if you're not? You say, because I'm not a preacher and that's the preacher's job. Okay, okay. But why let that be an excuse when you know that knowing God's Word more is the best thing that you can do for your soul? See? Because it helps you draw nearer, ever nearer to the God of the Word, the God whom you love. Don't you see we settle for way too little? And the challenge is to get more of God's Word, which is true and powerful, into our heads and into our hearts so that we can then give it out, well, get it in there and affect our lives, but then so we can give it out to those around us, especially to those who are under our care. And please note that I'm not talking about knowing a bunch of big words. No, I'm talking about knowing the Word of God better because we love the God of the Word. You want spiritual revival, refreshing and restoration? You want true wisdom so that you can be skilled in all aspects of godly living? Do you want more joy in your life? Do you want to be enlightened in the things that truly matter so that you don't waste your precious life away on things that rust and rot and fade? Do you? Psalm 19 tells us that all of that comes from the Word of God. Henry Law wrote that the Bible is the richest treasure in the world. It's a transcript of God's heart. It's a compass through souls and rocks amid winds and waves to heaven's eternal rest. It's a solace for every hour. It cheers when other comforts fail. Its readers become more wise and more holy. The Bible is from heaven and it leads to heaven. Why wouldn't we want more of that? Wisdom says to dive in. John Piper says, I love the Bible the way I love my eyes. Not because my eyes are lovely, but because without them, I can't see what's lovely. And the Bible is what shows us what's lovely, right? Our Lord and how to know Him are all in all, and how to please Him, and how to be with Him and glorify Him forever. This applies to us today. See, neglecting God's Word helps absolutely no one. Knowing little of God's Word makes for weak Christians. And I don't want to be a weak Christian, do you? I didn't think so. So here these leaders are and they're making sure that they get fed so that they can then turn around and feed others. Wait, what does that say? What does that mean? Explain that again to me. How can I apply that to my life? Tell me again. Let's talk about that. See, they were eager to learn more of God's Word because they now understood what truly matters. They're ready to stop playing around and wasting their lives away, and now they're focused on the things that have eternal value, and so here they are. But look, as they listened to the reading of the Scriptures along with the explanation of it, the men discovered something that it seems they had forgotten. This shows us how much they really had been neglecting the word before. I mean, they didn't even know about the requirements and the law to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles or the Feast of Booths, which was also called the Feast of Ingathering. It seems that during the 70 years of exile in Babylon, neither those who were left in the land nor those who had been deported to Babylon were able to celebrate this feast. Almost a century had passed since the initial return to Jerusalem following the decree of Cyrus. And apart from an initial celebration of Passover following the return, there had been no further celebrations of the Feast of Booths. A hundred years. A hundred years. So they're out of practice, right? Right? And they also haven't been reading their Bibles, which at that time consisted of Genesis through Deuteronomy. But as the men gathered that morning in the city, and as they listened to passages being read from Leviticus and Deuteronomy being read and explained to them, it was all too clear what they needed to do. It was time to gather branches and make booths and celebrate this feast once again. And that is so good. I mean, I love their eagerness to obey. Remember how the day before the people wept when they heard the Word of God? That weeping was real, and it indicated their heartfelt repentance, their heartfelt turning away from their sin and to the Lord once again. But an indicator of true repentance is an immediate desire to obey God's Word, and here we see that. The Feast of Tabernacles? The Feast of Booths? I just read about that. That's just around the corner. Remember? We need to let the people know. We need to get ready for it. And so they took action. And there was no negotiating. There was no delaying. No, just do it. And that makes sense. For wholehearted, happy obedience to God is what Scripture demands to those who know the joy of being forgiven. That makes sense. Romans 6.17 But thanks be to God that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed. What? God has forgiven me? He's forgiven me. I love Him and love compels me to gladly obey Him now. See, that's how it works. Ephesians 6.6 says that Christians are servants of Christ who do the will of God from the heart Gladly, I mean, right? Because we love Him. And we want to please Him. And look, the men's obedience was immediate. As soon as they knew what God demanded of them, that they went to go out. To the hills and bring branches of olive and wild olive and myrtle and palm and leafy branches, leafy trees. When they heard that, they immediately acted on that. I mean, no questions were asked. No excuses were made. No delay was given. No, they immediately got to it. And that's what the lovers of God do. They obey. Martin Luther said, faith is a busy little thing. Oh, it's a living, busy, active, mighty thing, this faith. It's impossible for it not to be doing good work incessantly. It doesn't ask whether good work are to be done, but before the question is asked, it's already done them and is constantly doing them. And that makes sense. I love my wife. I tell my wife I love her. She says, cool. But don't just say it. Show me you love me. Because actions speak louder than words. And the Bible is very clear about that. It says, go and do. It says, don't just be hearers of the Word, but be doers of the Word. It says, whoever practices righteousness is righteous. And so, while we aren't saved by works in any way, no, we're saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Look, works, obedience, actions prove our salvation, and it proves our love for the Lord. And the immediate response by these people was a great sign. They knew that God was telling them to do something. And so they acted gladly, willingly, and wholeheartedly. Amen to that. Now, the first thing to do was to let everyone know. So third, they proclaimed to everyone what they should do. Go out, get branches, make booths as it's written. Now it's day two on the second day of Tishri in 444 B.C. And the Feast of Tabernacles was supposed to start on the 15th day of that month. So the people still had some time to prepare for the feast. Not a lot, but they had some time to prepare. And so they went and announced in all the surrounding cities and also in Jerusalem what was going to happen. Hey everyone, God's Word tells us that we're supposed to celebrate a feast. Sound good? Yeah, I thought so. Called the Feast of Tabernacles. You have two weeks to prepare, so get prepared, and we will all see you on the 15th. I'm sure that when they announced this, they gave a better explanation of what the feast was, what it meant, and why they were to celebrate it. But verse 15 gives us a nutshell of what they announced. Go out, get branches, bring them with you to Jerusalem, where you will then make booths, and we'll all see you soon. How exciting is that? Kids, we get to build a fort. We get to camp out for eight days. Let's get ready. That's exciting. So now everyone knows what they must do in order to obey the Lord. The leaders were all in, and their leadership obviously had a good impact on the rest of the people. We all wept yesterday about our sin, and now let's obey. Let's act. Let's do. And they were eager to do it. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, Lord, we love You so very much and we thank You for this time. Thank You for blessing us. Thank You for joy. The joy that comes through You and You alone. Thank You that You reveal Yourself to us through Your Word. Thank You for saving us, Lord. And if there's any here who aren't saved, I pray that You would open their eyes so that they can see that You are our answer. You alone. You save. You give hope. You give peace. You give life. And when we surrender to You in repentant faith, we discover that for ourselves. Oh Lord, help us. Help us to cling to You. Help us to walk faithfully. And help us to dive in and eat up Your Word which is truth so that we can know You and glorify You better in our fading lives. Bless us now. Encourage us. Help us to encourage one another. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
SPEAKER 01 :
Amen. Amen. Amen. A seminary professor and a trainer of preaching pastors overseas. Join for services at Faith Community Church Sundays at 9 and 1045 a.m. 192 Bella Vista Road, Suite A. To learn more, visit vacavillefaith.org or call 707-451-2026. That's 707-451-2026. Or visit vacavillefaith.org.
SPEAKER 1 :
Thank you.
In this insightful episode of Expository Truths, Dr. John Kyle explores the profound events of Nehemiah chapter 8, where the people of Jerusalem, under Nehemiah's leadership, experienced a deep spiritual awakening. Amidst the celebration in the city, the reading of God's Word evoked a powerful response—a collective weeping born of an understanding of their sins and a desire for holy repentance. Listen as Dr. Kyle unravels the significance of this historical moment and its implications for our spiritual journey today.
SPEAKER 02 :
Welcome to Expository Truths, where we exalt Christ by bringing clarity of truth through the scriptures with Dr. John Kyle, pastor of Faith Community Church in Vacaville. As Christians, we are called to know the truth and be able to proclaim it. We can know the truth when we know the word of God, which is precise, without error, powerful, and effective for both salvation and spiritual growth. Let's join Pastor Kyle as he takes us verse by verse through the book of Nehemiah, an incredible book showing us how God sovereignly used the faithfulness of Nehemiah to lead the people to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem in the midst of many mighty and powerful enemies.
SPEAKER 01 :
Please join me in our Bibles to Nehemiah chapter 8, verses 9 through 12. Nehemiah 8, 9 through 12. Now remember, Nehemiah was a faithful Jewish man who was living in the capital city of the Persian Empire, Shushan, also known as Susa. And Nehemiah was a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. As we saw, the good hand of God was on Nehemiah, and that good hand of God led Nehemiah to go to Jerusalem, where the people were in great distress and reproach, and where the walls of the city were still in ruins. And look, God used Nehemiah to lead the people in rebuilding the wall in 52 days. An absolutely amazing work of the Lord God Almighty. Okay, so now what? Do more to help the city return to its former glory, of course, which Nehemiah will continue to do. But even more, help to bring spiritual reformation for the people who have been living in mediocrity and rebellion for way too long. The good news is that the wall rebuilding project lit a fire under the people. And now at the Feast of Trumpets on the first day of Tishri, which is the seventh month in 444 BC, as the people are gathered together as one man to celebrate in Jerusalem, there is indeed a spiritual hunger in the people. They are eager and they are ready. And they had no problem with Ezra reading God's word to them for hours. In fact, they loved it. as Ezra read it, and as others helped to properly understand it. Today's passage gives the people's response to that most amazing event. Let's look, verse 9. And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people, said to all the people, This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn nor weep. For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them, go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow for the joy of the Lord is your strength. So the Levites quieted all the people saying, be still for the day is holy. Do not be grieved. Then all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly because they understood the words that were declared to them. Now here in today's passage we can observe four facts, the first being this, that the law of God was read and it was explained to all the people and that's just a review from what we looked at last week. Remember that? This is a notched up feast of trumpets. As the wall has just been finished and as all the people are gathered together at the water gate in Jerusalem, right there in the Kidron Valley, perhaps as many as 50,000 people gathered And look, they're all eager to celebrate the feast. They are eager to hear from God. So Ezra brought out the scroll of the law of God, the first five books of the Old Testament, and then he began reading it. And then the Levites, men from the tribe of Levi, who served in the temple, some of them who were also priests, they moved among the people and they helped them understand what was being read. And that went on for six hours. Six hours. And the people are hungry to hear it, which is a great change. I mean, I'm sure that some, if not many of these people had heard the Bible before as parents would teach their children and as the priests and the Levites most certainly engaged in some sort of public biblical instruction. That said, this day was different. The people came here hungry. The people came here eager. And the sustained... Reading of the Word of God under the powerful influence of the Spirit of God turned the hearts of these people in an amazing way. Second, we see the people's response. What was that? They wept. That's very interesting. Again, remember this is a corporate thing. All the people wept. Can you picture that? Thousands of people there gathered together to celebrate God. And after reading and explaining God's powerful word, all the people are now weeping. Why? I mean, that's a good question to ask, right? I mean, why did all these people weep like this? Because this isn't normal. And while I've seen weeping at funerals, I've never seen it at a celebration and from so many thousands of people together at the same time. So why did all the people weep? Here's why. Because they were sorrowful over their sin. As the law was read and explained to the people, it was as if God himself was speaking to them and reading their hearts. Perhaps Ezra was reading the Ten Commandments, and as he was reading, the people were really examining themselves like they never have done before. You shall have no other gods before me. Uh-oh. I put all kinds of gods before him. All the time. Myself, my children, my comfort, my sleep, my job, my money. I'm in trouble. I'm in trouble. Perhaps they made it to Deuteronomy 6.5 that says, Then you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. Oh no, I've never really done that. Not ever. Yeah, I say I love Him, but I've never really loved Him like that. I love my sin more than that. Because I choose sin over pleasing Him so much of the time. I revel in mediocrity when He deserves so much more from me. I go through the spiritual motions and I don't remotely live worthy of being His saved child. Uh-oh. Perhaps that was it. So as Ezra read the law of God, there was much that could have brought on the guilt and the shame and the conviction. And while most people can read God's Word and pass over, letting it really penetrate into their hearts, this time it was different as all the people really examined themselves and were hypersensitive to the Word of God. And so they responded accordingly with intense weeping. Third, look what the leader said, this day is holy. It's very interesting, isn't it? They said it in verse 9 and they said it in verse 10. This day is holy. What does that mean? Holiness means consecrated or set apart. And here it's referring to the fact that this day was a feast of trumpets or Rosh Hashanah, which was the first of the fall feasts. It literally means head of the year. And it's observed as a start of the civil year on the Jewish calendar. According to Leviticus 23, 24 through 27, the celebration consisted of a time of rest, an offering made by fire, and the blowing of trumpets or the shofar, which was a ram's horn. The feast marked the beginning of the ten days of consecration and repentance before God. After that came the day of atonement, Yom Kippur, and then after that came the feast of tabernacles. But this day was the feast of trumpets, and it was a time to celebrate, a time of joy, a time of eating, a time to help the needy, a time to glorify and praise God, not a time of weeping. So Nehemiah, Ezra, and the Levites said, Hey everyone, you can stop your weeping now. That's good, right? Weeping is important, but there's a time to stop. Stop it. This is a consecrated day, a feast day. And because of God's readiness to forgive those who are repentant, you guys can now stop weeping and you can commence celebrating. Now, please note this. Note that I don't believe that Ezra, Nehemiah, and the others would have told the people to stop weeping if those tears weren't heartfelt. But because those tears were clearly heartfelt, and because these people had clearly repented, and because these people had turned back to God with soft, pliable, repentant, fervent hearts, guess what? It's now time to celebrate, which they could now certainly do. See, the Bible not only condemns sin, but it also gives a remedy. How good is that? These people repented. They went to God with their sin. Yes! And God readily forgave them, which is what God does. Don't we know it? That's who we are. By the way, He saved us from hell and wrath. By the way, He continues to forgive us of our many sins. So yes, weep over your sin, but after you wake up and weep and repent and go to God, you then can rejoice because guess what? You stand forgiven. You stand forgiven. This applies to us in two ways. First, in the fact that we who believe are saved. What else matters? Those in Nehemiah's day looked forward to what Christ would do, and in faith they trusted God to save them, and we today look back at Christ and what He did on the cross to save all who believe. What was that? God the Son, Jesus, left heaven and came here to rescue undeserving sinners like us from eternity in hell. The price for that is costly, but He paid that price to save us out of love when we're just wallowing around. So He came, He lived a perfect life, He suffered and died on the cross, and three days later He rose up from the dead. Now look, I can't make myself right with God. All I can do is pay sin's wages in hell. But the good news is that God can do for us what we can't do for ourselves. I can't make myself right with God and be with Him forever in heaven, but God can do it even though I don't remotely deserve it. How? Jesus. And while I'm not right, Jesus is. He was perfect. He was holy. He met all the requirements from holy God. He never sinned. And through faith in Him, because of what He did on that cross, I can be declared righteous, right, and fit for heaven. Because of Him, I can be cleansed of all my sin. Because of Him, I can be washed clean. And because of Him, I can go to heaven instead of hell. Because of Him and His perfect work on my behalf. How? Look, sin committed against an infinite and eternal God demands infinite and eternal wages. So either you pay for your own sin for an infinite amount of time in hell, or else an infinite and eternal one pays your wages once and for all in your place. Who is able to do that? Who would do that? Anybody? Jesus, God the Son, on the cross, where He took the sin of every believer onto Himself, where He was punished for that sin as your substitute, and where He paid those infinite and eternal wages in your place as God the Father. crushed Him instead of you for all your sin. And look, in return, He gives you His perfect righteousness that fits you perfectly for heaven. That's the ultimate trade-off, by the way. Your sin for His perfect righteousness. And this trade-off comes by faith. Where you surrender to Christ as Lord and Savior in repentant faith. Where you believe on Him as revealed in the Scriptures in His person and in His work. And you put all your trust in Christ as a living person for forgiveness of all my sin and for eternal life with God. Result? Because of Christ? Forgiveness. Of all your sin. Heaven. Purpose and joy and life. God forever. Eternal glory. Because of Christ. So. Stop your weeping if you have Christ. Weep for a little bit, but stop your weeping. And for those in Nehemiah's day, stop your weeping if you have put your trust in the Lord for salvation and life. This also applies to the believer though. That while sin can't condemn us anymore because we have Christ who justifies us in the sight of God, look, sin in our lives can still hurt us. And unrepentant sin in our lives can greatly hinder us and it can greatly hinder our walk with the Lord. Our call when we sin is to repent of that sin right away. To go to God with it and to seek the forgiveness of God which He freely gives. And the last thing we should ever do is wallow around in our sin. To get calloused in our sin. To get hardened in our sin. But too often we wallow around in our sin and we get hardened to it. We indulge it, we cling to it, we treat it like it's no big deal. We don't weep and hate sin like we ought to. We embrace sin and we toy around with that sin and we get calloused and indifferent and cold to God like the Israelites were before this day in Nehemiah chapter 8. Stop it. Wake up. see it for what it is, hate that sin, weep over that sin, go to God with that sin, and lay it down at His feet in heartfelt repentance, and then feel His forgiveness and mercy wash over you, which He is always eager to give to those who want it. And then what do you do once you've done that? Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Get on with the celebration, see? Look what Ezra said, verse 10. Go. Go your way. Eat the fat. Drink the sweet. And send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared. For this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. How good is that? See, now that these people have wept over their sin... Now that these people have repented and gone to God with their sin, go your way and celebrate. Don't sorrow. The joy of the Lord is your strength. That's absolutely right. The call here was for the repentant people to get on with the feast. Because now they could truly enjoy the feast. There was no unrepentant sin hindering them anymore. See? See? Hey, weeping over your sin is good. It's very, very good. But once you've done that and gone to God with that, rejoice and get on with it. The high and glorious call to glorify God with your fading life. So for those in Nehemiah's day, partake of the feast. Eat up. Eat all the turkey and the trimmings. Enjoy that sweet potato casserole with all that sugar on the top. that makes it taste, you know, anybody? Oh, eat up, eat up. Enjoy an extra slice of pumpkin pie. Eat up, drink up, celebrate, because now you have a real reason to celebrate. Note that it was customary with the Israelites to send portions of food and drink on festivals to the houses of the poor that they too might share in the joy of the Lord. So don't just keep the joy to yourself. No, spread it out to those around you. Because look, the joy of the Lord is your strength. What does that mean? The word strength means a stronghold, a place of refuge, a place of protection. It's a place where someone turned to for a place of assistance and security. The joy of the Lord is that place. So encourage it. See, always remember the joy that God gives you because when you remember that joy, it'll be a source of strength and protection for you. God gives true joy. Anybody? True joy. Never forget that. Never lose sight of that. It's your strength. It's a protection for you when things get hard. And they will get hard because life is hard. Never forget the joy of the Lord. How much more us today who get to look back at the cross with clarity instead of looking forward dimly. See, true joy is found in Christ, and we in Christ have that. Oh yes, happiness comes and goes with our circumstances. I'm happy until my car breaks down. I'm happy until my team loses. I'm happy until someone is mean to me. Happiness comes and goes, but in Christ, we can have true joy all the time, and we should because we have Christ. Because joy is a deep down confidence and all is well between me and God. And therefore, no matter what happens to me in this life as a Christian, look, I am God's and God is mine forever. What else matters? 1 Peter 1.8, "...whom having not seen you love, in whom though now you don't see Christ, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." Don't you see? Spiritual joy transcends circumstances. You in Christ can be joyful even if you're sick. You can be joyful even if you are in pain. You can be joyful even if earthly things are crumbling down around you. Why? Because we know who we are. We know whose we are. We know where we're going. We know that life is short, but eternity is long. It's forever. And we know that no matter what happens, we're still going to heaven to be with our beloved Lord forever. What else matters? In the Psalms, we're repeatedly told to be joyful in the Lord. Paul says, rejoice in the Lord always. Always. Again, I say rejoice. Christ says, rejoice for your names are written in heaven. And our relationship to God should bring great joy to our hearts and lives that should be seen. See, we have hope. We know that God loves us and will never leave us nor forsake us, not ever. Never. We know that all the pains of this life won't compare to the glories of the next life. And joy, even in the midst of hard circumstances, should mark us in Christ. You? Joy comes from the Lord. And in Him, there's a fountain of joy that can never fail. Rejoicing is a command. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit of God. And it's to be a continual part of our lives as Christians. And look, it's our strength. It's a refuge for us. It's a protection. How is it a refuge and protection for us? Well, when I remember the joy of the Lord, my trials seem smaller. When I remember the joy of the Lord, my enemies seem way less powerful. When I remember the joy of the Lord, my sins seem a lot less attractive. When I remember the joy of the Lord, God is much bigger and greater in my heart. When I remember the joy of the Lord, my love for Him grows. How could my love for Him not grow when I remember the joy of the Lord? He forgave me, a rebel, a leper, a harlot. He forgave me of all my sin. And look, the best is yet to come because of Him. I can be joyful. Cling to that. Remember that. Don't ever lose sight of that. It'll be a stronghold for you when things get hard and when life assaults you. I have the joy of the Lord. Things are crumbling down around me. Oh, yes, but I have the joy of the Lord. And so I rejoice because if you have him, you have everything. So weep, please. We need to weep more over our sin. You need to pray that God would convict you of your sin. That you would hate sin the way God hates sin. That you would see sin the way God sees sin. Yeah, we need to weep over our sin a whole lot more than we do. Weep, yes, but don't stay there. Because after weeping comes rejoicing for the forgiven people of God. Fourth, the people responded accordingly and rejoiced. Verse 12. All the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly because they understood the words that were declared to them. I love that. See, instead of wallowing around in their tears, they understood God's mercy and forgiveness, and so they celebrated. I'll bet they really celebrated greatly on that day. The first day of Tishri in 444 B.C. Don't you think? I'll bet they ate and drank. I'll bet they celebrated well. I'll bet they shared with the many of the poor around them because they understood God's grace and mercy as they wept and after they wept and then repented of their sin. And so they feasted accordingly. I'm sure many belts were loosed that day. I'm sure many had to undo the first button. Anybody on their pants? They wore robes. You get the point. They celebrated on that day. And I have no doubt that they celebrated on the days after as well. The joy of the Lord. God forgave me. And He continues to forgive me every day. God loves even me. God is good and gracious to a rebel like me. The best is yet to come for me. Joy. And so they understood the words that were declared to them. How good is that? They understood. I pray we understand today. If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who should stand? Answer, no one. But look, we. We can stand. Because He's a God of forgiveness for all who want it. It's good to weep over your sin, but again, once you've done that, rejoice in Him. The joy of the Lord really is our strength and those who have been forgiven much love much. So the question, I guess, is do you love Him? Lord, help us to see this clearly today. As preacher Thomas Doolittle said, Behold the wounds which He has endured for you. Behold the crown of thorns on His head that there may be a crown of glory upon your head. Behold Him dying that you... might live. Behold Him suffering, that you may be saved. Behold Him poor, that you may be made rich with the best, surest, and most durable of riches. Behold Him condemned, that you may be absolved. Behold Him in agony, that you may have rest and ease in glory. Behold Him bearing the cross and the cross bearing Him, that you might not bear the curse. Behold Him bearing the Father's wrath, that you might be made the subject of His grace and the object of His everlasting love. So let me ask you again, I'm preparing you, do you love Him? Good. Doesn't a God like this, a God of grace and mercy and forgiveness and love, doesn't He deserve your love back today? There we were. wallowing around in our blood. And he came along and he rescued us. He cleaned us up, clothed us. He protects us. He made us beautiful. He gave us a purpose. He gave us himself. He gave us heaven. We didn't deserve any of it. Not any of it. He died for us. Rebels. He died for us. Response? How about loving him back? Hate your sin. Pursue holiness for the glory of God. Live for the pleasure of God in this fading life and weep often over your wretched sin until finally the day comes where he perfects you in glory.
SPEAKER 02 :
Thanks for joining us for today's exposition from the book of Nehemiah on Expository Truths with Dr. John Kyle. We'll be right back. Join for services at Faith Community Church Sundays at 9 and 1045 a.m. 192 Bella Vista Road, Suite A. To learn more, visit vacavillefaith.org or call 707-451-2026. That's 707-451-2026. Or visit vacavillefaith.org.
This episode takes us on a journey through the historical and spiritual landscape of Nehemiah’s mission to lead Jerusalem back to its former glory. Amidst the physical reconstruction of the city's walls, a much greater repair takes root—a spiritual revival, sparked by the reading of God’s Word. Dr. John Kyle reflects on how the Israelites’ collective weeping signified a heartfelt recognition of their sinful state, reminiscent of spiritual leprosy. Through Pastor Kyle’s vivid storytelling, listeners are invited to confront their own spiritual complacency and encouraged to seek God’s unwavering grace and redemption.
SPEAKER 02 :
Welcome to Expository Truths, where we exalt Christ by bringing clarity of truth through the scriptures with Dr. John Kyle, pastor of Faith Community Church in Vacaville. As Christians, we are called to know the truth and be able to proclaim it. We can know the truth when we know the word of God, which is precise, without error, powerful and effective for both salvation and spiritual growth. Let's join Pastor Kyle as he takes us verse by verse through the book of Nehemiah, an incredible book showing us how God sovereignly used the faithfulness of Nehemiah to lead the people to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem in the midst of many mighty and powerful enemies.
SPEAKER 01 :
Please turn with me in your Bibles to Nehemiah chapter 8, verses 9 through 12. Nehemiah 8, 9 through 12. Now remember, Nehemiah was a faithful Jewish man who was living in the capital city of the Persian Empire, Shushan, also known as Susa. And Nehemiah was a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. As we saw, the good hand of God was on Nehemiah, and that good hand of God led Nehemiah to go to Jerusalem, where the people were in great distress and reproach, and where the walls of the city were still in ruins. And look, God used Nehemiah to lead the people in rebuilding the wall in 52 days. An absolutely amazing work of the Lord God Almighty. Okay, so now what? Do more to help the city return to its former glory, of course, which Nehemiah will continue to do. But even more, help to bring spiritual reformation for the people who have been living in mediocrity and rebellion for way too long. The good news is that the wall rebuilding project lit a fire under the people. And now at the Feast of Trumpets on the first day of Tishri, which is the seventh month in 444 BC, as the people are gathered together as one man to celebrate in Jerusalem, there is indeed a spiritual hunger in the people. They are eager and they are ready. And they had no problem with Ezra reading God's word to them for hours. In fact, they loved it. as Ezra read it, and as others helped to properly understand it. Today's passage gives the people's response to that most amazing event. Let's look, verse 9. And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people, said to all the people, This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn nor weep. For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them, go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow for the joy of the Lord is your strength. So the Levites quieted all the people saying, be still for the day is holy. Do not be grieved. Then all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly because they understood the words that were declared to them. Now here in today's passage we can observe four facts, the first being this, that the law of God was read and it was explained to all the people, and that's just a review from what we looked at last week. Remember that? This is a notched up feast of trumpets. As the wall has just been finished, and as all the people are gathered together at the water gate in Jerusalem, right there in the Kidron Valley, perhaps as many as 50,000 people. And look, they're all eager to celebrate the feast. They are eager to hear from God. So Ezra brought out the scroll of the law of God, the first five books of the Old Testament, and then he began reading it. And then the Levites, men from the tribe of Levi, who served in the temple, some of them who were also priests, they moved among the people, and they helped them understand what was being read, and that went on for six hours. Six hours! Six hours! And the people are hungry to hear it, which is a great change. I mean, I'm sure that some, if not many of these people had heard the Bible before as parents would teach their children and as the priests and the Levites most certainly engaged in some sort of public biblical instruction. That said, this day was different. The people came here hungry. The people came here eager. And the sustained... reading of the Word of God under the powerful influence of the Spirit of God turned the hearts of these people in an amazing way. I mean, it must have felt as though many of them were hearing the Word of God for the very first time because it impacted them in a profound way. The Scriptures searched them and tried them and found them lacking and they knew it, which is a wonderful thing. And it's not just one person who felt this conviction. No, this was a corporate thing. And as the hours went on, amazingly, the passion and the conviction of the people didn't fade away. No, no, it even grew more intense. And that certainly is more than mere emotion. God is clearly up to something. Clearly. We see the people's response. What was that? They wept. That's very interesting. Again, remember this is a corporate thing. All the people wept. Can you picture that? Thousands of people there gathered together to celebrate. And after reading and explaining God's powerful word, all the people are now weeping. The word for weeping means to bewail, to lament, to cry freely, to cry intensely, and to cry profusely. So this wasn't just a little bit of crying going on here. No, this wasn't just a few tears. No, this was the real deal. I mean, these people were weeping loud, intense, weeping from the bottom of their heart from all the people. Why? Why? I mean, that's a good question to ask, right? I mean, why did all these people weep like this? Because this isn't normal. And while I've seen weeping at funerals, I've never seen it at a celebration and from so many thousands of people together at the same time. So why did all the people weep? Here's why. Because they were sorrowful over their sin. As the law was read and explained to the people, it was as if God Himself was speaking to them and reading their hearts. Perhaps Ezra was reading the Ten Commandments, and as he was reading, the people were really examining themselves like they never have done before. You shall have no other gods before me. Uh-oh! I put all kinds of gods before him! All the time. Myself, my children, my comfort, my sleep, my job, my money. I'm in trouble. Perhaps they made it to Deuteronomy 6.5 that says, Then you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. Oh no, I've never really done that. Not ever. Yeah, I say I love Him, but I've never really loved Him like that. I love my sin more than that. Because I choose sin over pleasing Him so much of the time. I revel in mediocrity when He deserves so much more from me. I go through the spiritual motions and I don't remotely live worthy of being His saved child. Uh-oh. Perhaps that was it. So as Ezra read the law of God, there was much that could have brought on the guilt and the shame and the conviction. And while most people can read God's Word and pass over, letting it really penetrate into their hearts, this time it was different. As all the people really examined themselves and were hypersensitive to the Word of God. And so they responded accordingly with intense weeping. See, they saw themselves as sinners. They saw themselves as lawbreakers. And they didn't just feel the guilt. But they had the stark realization that their sin rendered them liable to God's just punishment. And so they began to weep openly and freely. They wept collectively with sobs of remorse and with a sense of unworthiness. Rightly so. You say, really? Rightly so, John? Really? Yes. Really? Yes. Rightly so. And you know what? We today should feel the same way. We should feel the same way. Look, you are a wretched, horrible, dirty, offensive sinner. And you fully deserve to go to hell for all eternity because of that fact. And you know what? So do I. And that's true for all of us. In Mark 1, Jesus healed a man who was full of leprosy. Remember that? Leprosy was disgusting. It smelled. It consumed a person. It overtook a person. And eventually, it killed the person. We're all spiritual lepers. Leprosy vividly illustrates the terrible effects of sin in the lives of every person. As John MacArthur said, like leprosy, sin infects the whole person and it's ugly, loathsome, corrupting, contaminating, alienating, and incurable by man. Lepers in ancient Israel were vivid object lessons of sin. That's right. And so again, we're all spiritual lepers and Christ is the only cure. Leprosy was sick and disgusting. Sin is sick and disgusting. Leprosy consumed a person. Sin consumes a person. Leprosy banishes someone from the people. Sin banishes you from God. Leprosy turns someone into a walking corpse. Sin does the same thing to us spiritually. As Kent Hughes said, Sin's leprosy runs from the soles of our feet to the crowns of our heads so that we are wholly unclean. And he's absolutely right. That is us, spiritually speaking. Even more, just as Israel was often portrayed as a harlot, so too are we all spiritual harlots. Look, many of the prophets referred to the Israelites as playing the harlot. And that terminology was used in reference to the many instances where the Israelites denied the one true God and instead they sought after all kinds of other false gods. What sin? As Jeremiah 3.6 says, Have you seen what backsiding Israel has done? She's gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree and there played the harlot. And I, the Lord, said, after she has done all these things, I say, return to me. but she did not return. Or as Ezekiel 23, 19 says, speaking of Judah and Jerusalem, yet she multiplied her harlotry in calling to remembrance the days of her youth where she played the harlot in the land of Egypt. And that spiritual harlotry continued to happen in Israel and in Judah. God's people, think about this, God's people turning against God and following after fake false gods who are no gods at all. Spiritual harlots. Spiritual prostitutes. That's us. We're the same as them. We do the same thing much too often. Shameless, sinful, rebellious, mediocre, lazy, idolatrous. You know it's true. It's true. We certainly aren't what God desires us to be. We sin all the time. In Ezekiel 16, we get a good picture of reality. It's a picture of Israel, and it's also a picture of us. The picture goes like this, referring specifically to Israel, but definitely applying to us today. Ezekiel 16, 4. On the day you were born, your navel cord was not cut. nor were you washed in water to cleanse you. You were not rubbed with salt nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. No, I pitied you to do any of these things for you to have compassion on you, but you were thrown out into the open field when you yourself were loathed on the day that you were born. What a vivid picture. What a horrible picture. It gets worse. Verse 6. And when I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, live. Yes, I said to you in your blood, live. I made you thrive like a plant in the field and you grew, matured and became very beautiful. Your breasts were formed, your hair grew, but you were naked and bare. So that's what God did for Israel. God rescued Israel. He gave life when certain death was their reality. And God made Israel thrive. His passion for Israel is reflected in the two-fold declaration. In your blood live. So that's what God did out of love for them. An amazing rescue, right? An amazing act of incredible, gracious love. Verse 8. When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed, your time was a time of love. So I spread my wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you and you became mine, says the Lord God. What a gift! I mean, a gift of protection, a gift of ownership, a gift of grace. You are mine! The passage continues, I washed you in water. I thoroughly washed off your blood. I anointed you with oil. I clothed you and I adorned you. Verse 14, your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty. For it was perfect through my splendor which I had bestowed on you, says the Lord God. Again, how amazing is that? For God to do that for them. How incredible is God to do this, which is also what God has done for us today in Christ. Because without Him, we're all hopelessly lost and doomed for wrath. We can relate, see? We can relate to this. But look how they responded, verse 15. But you trusted in your own beauty, played the harlot because of your fame. and poured out your harlotry on everything passing by who would have it. What sin is this? This is what God gets for doing all that for them? Yep. They went after other gods. They made their children pass through the fire. They erected altars for themselves. They committed wretched sins without even blushing. And they spitefully rebelled against the God who had rescued them. It gets worse. You say, how can it get worse? It does. Verse 30. How degenerate is your heart, says the Lord God, seeing you do all these things, the deeds of a brazen harlot. Verse 33. Men make payments to all harlots, but you've made your payments to all your lovers and hired them to come to you from all around for your harlotry. In other words, she has hired rather than been hired by her clients. Israel. She not only gives herself away for free, but she buys lavish gifts for all of her illicit lovers. Might as well slap God in the face. Israel. What a bunch of wretched sinners. That's us. This applies to us. Yes, it applies. I mean, we have done the same thing. We're no better than the harlot Israel. We do it every time we sin. We have idols. We put ourselves first instead of God. We chase after money and things way too much. We're spiritually lazy. We love the things of this world way too much. We choose to watch TV instead of pray. We watch YouTube instead of reading the Word of God. We don't battle sin like we ought to battle sin. We exalt much lesser things over the one great thing. And we can very much relate to the harlot Israel. And God certainly deserves better. You say, John, what are you trying to accomplish here? I'd really like to make you cry. I'd like to make me cry. Like they cried in Nehemiah 8, you know? But I can't do that. Only the Spirit of God can do that. Only the Spirit of God can do that. But I sure wish He would. Like He did here. Because people who see their sin and people who truly weep over their sin, they're the ones who really love God from the depths of their innermost hearts because they know, that is me. I'm the spiritual leper, the spiritual harlot, the child that's in that field in Ezekiel 16. That is me. And look, God rescued me because of amazing love. And I sin against Him so very often. And Lord, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry, Lord. I'm sorry. See, the more you understand God's incredible forgiveness and grace that you don't deserve, the more you love Him. He who has been forgiven much, loves much. And overlooking our wretched sinfulness, brushing it aside, sloughing it off, becoming hardened to it, will create a bunch of mediocre Christians instead of red-hot, passionate, love-compelled, earnest Christians who know that they don't deserve God and what He gives to us. But look, we still get it because He's so incredibly amazing. Who are we to have a God like that? Look, we too often develop a callous attitude towards Scripture. And we refuse to allow it to penetrate deep into our hearts. We long for peace when there should be a war in our soul. We want pleasure and not pain. We feel that it's our right to be happy and churches that make us feel otherwise are ridiculed and derided. But being convicted about our sin and being cut to the heart over our sin is a very, very good thing. Not that we stay there. but that we flee to God with that sin for forgiveness and mercy. That we repent and turn back to God, our God who is full of grace and love, for all who go to Him with their sin. What's next in Ezekiel should make us all weep, by the way. Verse 60, Nevertheless, I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. What? What? What? God did all this for us and we rebelled so blatantly against Him and this is how God responds? What's going on? Lord, why? How, Lord, could you accept me? Why? Verse 62, I will establish my covenant with you. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, that you may remember and be ashamed and never open your mouth anymore because of your shame when I provide you an atonement for all you have done, says the Lord God. Again, what? I spit in his face and he does all this for me? How could he? But he does. For believing, repentant, weeping Israel back then, and certainly for all who believe and go to him in repentant faith today, for salvation of course, but also for restoration. It's called grace. The amazing grace of God. What is grace? Grace is God's unmerited favor towards sinners who don't deserve it. Grace is everything for nothing to those who don't deserve anything. Grace is what every man needs, what no one can earn, and what God alone can and does freely give. Grace makes strangers into God's sons. Grace is God's generous favor to undeserving sinners and to needy saints. And God is a God of amazing grace to dirty, undeserving sinners like us. He saves us by His grace. He keeps us by His grace. And He daily sustains us and restores us by His grace. And don't we know it? Anybody? Anybody? Don't we know it? Who are we? Shouldn't He be sick of us by now? Shouldn't He be sick of me by now? I mean, sinning day by day by day. By day. And Him continually showering me with undeserved grace. I'd be sick of me. Lord, here I am again with all this sin. I'm a harlot, Lord. I'm a harlot. I'm a harlot. He should have been done with me a long time ago. But he doesn't do away with me. That's the kind of God we have. So the people wept over their sin rightly so. Upon hearing the law, these sinful people recognize their dire standing before God and they're intensely convicted of their sin. They experienced physical release from Babylonian captivity, but at the water gate, they experienced spiritual release from their bondage of sin as they repented of that sin before God. As one said, just as their sin had led them into Babylonian captivity, it had led them into spiritual captivity too. And just as God mercifully and graciously freed them from the Babylonian captivity, so is He ready to free them from their spiritual captivity. And their weeping over their sin on that day, their repenting over their sin is essential. It's a great thing. When's the last time you wept over your sin? You should. We all should. Isaiah said when he saw the Lord, Woe is me, I am ruined. I'm a man of unclean lips and I dwell among a people of unclean lips. And that's the right response. May God speak to our hearts today. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I pray that you would soften hard hearts, Lord. We can all become hardened and calloused in our sin. We get used to grace. We get used to amazing grace so that as time goes by, if we're not careful, it's not so amazing grace. I pray that we would be reminded of how amazing Your grace and mercy and forgiveness is, of how amazing You are. Help us, Lord. Help us to hate sin with more fervor and passion. And help us in response to be the most joyful people there are. People who are filled with intense and passionate love for You. Because You deserve it. You are worthy. Speak to our hearts now. Help us to respond accordingly. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
SPEAKER 02 :
Thanks for joining us for today's exposition from the book of Nehemiah on Expository Truths with Dr. John Kyle. To expositorytruths.org. Faith Community Church seeks to exalt Christ by bringing clarity of truth through the scriptures with a commitment to glorifying God through the pure, deep and reaching message of the gospel. Pastor John is the preaching pastor at Faith Community Church of Vacaville, a seminary professor and a trainer of preaching pastors overseas. Join for services at Faith Community Church Sundays at 9 and 1045 a.m. 192 Bella Vista Road, Suite A. To learn more, visit vacavillefaith.org or call 707-451-2026. That's 707-451-2026. Or visit vacavillefaith.org.
SPEAKER 1 :
Thank you.
Join us as we venture into the heart of expository preaching, where the timeless principles of reading and understanding Scripture are brought to life. Witness the awe-inspiring dedication of the Israelites as they stand for hours, hungry for the divine wisdom that guides their every action. Learn how applying these biblical lessons can ignite a revival in our own lives today.
SPEAKER 01 :
Welcome to Expository Truths, where we exalt Christ by bringing clarity of truth through the scriptures with Dr. John Kyle, pastor of Faith Community Church in Vacaville. As Christians, we are called to know the truth and be able to proclaim it. We can know the truth when we know the word of God, which is precise, without error, powerful and effective for both salvation and spiritual growth. Let's join Pastor Kyle as he takes us verse by verse through the book of Nehemiah, an incredible book showing us how God sovereignly used the faithfulness of Nehemiah to lead the people to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem in the midst of many mighty and powerful enemies.
SPEAKER 02 :
All right, please turn with me in your Bibles to Nehemiah chapter 8, verses 1 through 8. Nehemiah 8, 1 through 8. Now remember, Nehemiah was a faithful Jewish man who was living in the capital city of the Persian Empire, Shushan, also known as Susa. And Nehemiah was a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. As we saw, the good hand of God led Nehemiah to go to Jerusalem where the people were in great distress and reproach and where the walls of the city were still in ruins. And God used Nehemiah to lead the people in rebuilding the wall in 52 days. An absolutely amazing work of God. Okay, so now what? Here's what. Figure out a plan. for the sparsely populated city to be filled. Why? Because Jerusalem is a very special city, and the need to reoccupy it had redemptive reasons. See, this is a city where the temple was located. And this is a city where the worship of God was centralized for His people. And while walls around Jerusalem were very important, the best way to secure Jerusalem's future was to ensure that people actually lived in the city of Jerusalem. And so, if you remember... Nehemiah sought to register the people by genealogy so he could then use that to choose the families who would make the move to live inside the city of Jerusalem. In the process of doing that, Nehemiah found a list of the people who had returned to Judah from their Babylonian captivity, which had lasted 70 years, and we looked at that list last week. Why was that 90-year-old list important for the people of Nehemiah's day to look at? Here's why. Because it could help him to begin formulating a fair way to revitalizing the city. But even more, this list would remind the people of who they are. They are the Lord's covenant people. They are the sons and daughters of the heroes who came back to the promised land out of Babylon. They're the sons and daughters of the faithful ones who had rebuilt the temple. They are the sons and daughters of those who had lived here and who had died here. And they wouldn't be here if it hadn't been for those people. And so the list in chapter 7 was a great encouragement for the people in Nehemiah's day. And it's also a good transition for what comes next. So now what? Well, it is now the first day of Tishri, which is the seventh month in 445 B.C. The construction project of the city walls has been completed for just a few days. For today, for the minute that I'm going to read just a part of this passage, let's be like those in Nehemiah's day who stood for hours as the Word of God was being read. And let's stand now as I read Nehemiah chapter 8, verse 1. Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the water gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month. Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the water gate from morning until midday before the men and women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. So Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood which they had made for the purpose. And beside him at his right hand stood Mattathiah, Shammah. Ananiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseah. And at his left hand, Padaiah, Mishael, Melchijah, Hashum, Hashbedanah, Zechariah, and Meshulam. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people. And when he opened it, all the people stood up. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God." Then all the people answered, Amen, Amen, while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Here in today's passage, we first find four general descriptions of what took place. First is this, that all the people gathered together. Second, look, Ezra brought out the book. So, the people are now gathered in Jerusalem to hear the law of God read and explained to them. Now, many had camped out in Jerusalem during the construction project, but they had returned home when that project was complete. But look, only days later, all of them are back in the city, men, women, and children. One imagines that it was Nehemiah or maybe Ezra who said after the wall building project was completed, you all deserve some time off. So take a break. Take some time off. But be back here on the first and bring the women and children with you for a Bible conference. Moses requires it. And now here they are. And they're eager. Ezra, let's go. Let's get going. We're ready. We're excited. So, Ezra, bring out the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel. So, at the people's request, Ezra went and got the scroll of the law, the first five books of the Bible, Genesis through Deuteronomy, and third, he read it. The law of God, the Word of God. Today, we have the complete Word of God at our fingertips, at our disposal. But at that time, they had only the law, which was enough for them to learn about God and what He says and what He wants and how to properly worship Him and how you need to respond to Him. What's a summary of the law of God? I mean, you say, oh, the law is boring. Really? What's a summary of the law of God which isn't boring? Two commandments, what? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And what? Love your neighbor as yourself. That's not boring at all. So Ezra began reading the law. The Word of God to the people. You picture it? Ezra goes and gets the scroll. He comes back to the platform as all the people grow silent. He unrolls the scroll. Everybody's standing. He starts to read in the beginning. God created the heavens and the earth. He continues on and reads the story of creation. He continues on and reads about the fall of man and the garden and then the flood. He keeps reading Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph. He keeps reading on into Exodus. Exodus. The people of God becoming slaves in Egypt, Moses, the ten plagues, and then the Passover, which is an excellent picture of Christ. And he keeps on reading. How long? From morning until midday, at least six full hours of reading God's Word. Note that they're standing the whole time and there's no coffee break. How far can you get in six hours? Pretty far. Pretty far. Even with some breaks for interpretation and explanation. They wouldn't have been able to read the entire law of God, but their priority is clear. Give people the Word of God. Why? Well, what's more important than that? These sinful and spiritually dry people desperately needed to hear the word of God. And so here they are. And Ezra is going to seize the moment. So he seized the moment. Fourth look, everyone was attentive. Oh man, how I love that. Here's a question. And this is for me as well. Where's the earnestness? Where's your zeal and passion for the Lord? No judgment, I'm just asking. What's your prayer life look like? What does your intake of the Word of God look like? What ministries are you gladly serving in because you want to please and honor the Lord? Where's your hunger for godly fellowship, Sunday worship, Bible study? What about your obedience, your joy in the Lord, your hunger to be challenged by the Word of God? How about this? Can you look back and see that you don't pray or read or serve the way you used to years ago, last month, last year? Danger. When we had our first love, it was how much can I do for Christ, but with too many these days, it's how little can I do for Christ and still feel okay about it. Have you left your first love? Mediocrity reigns supreme here in America. I'm convinced of it. May it not reign supreme here in you, in me, at Faith Community Church. So I say, may God bring some persecution to the church so we can wake up and grow strong, so we can be intent on living for the things that truly matter, because the things of this life mean nothing, absolutely nothing in the end. It was a great day on that first day of the seventh month for the people of God in Jerusalem. May today be a great day for us as we put our focus on Him and on the things that truly matter. It all begins with our intake of His powerful and effective Word. Verses 1 through 3 give us a general description of what took place on the most amazing day, on that most amazing day. And verses 4 through 6 give us a more detailed explanation. Look, first, and as far as specific details go, we're now going to get specific. First, Ezra stood on a platform, verse 4. Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood which he had made for this purpose. This shows us that preparation had been made for this event. The term platform of wood is literally a tower of wood in the Hebrew. It seems that this not only included a stage, but also a sort of pulpit for Ezra to use as he reads the Word of God to the people. This would not only serve as a practical purpose that would assist him as he reads, but it also shows the forethought that they gave to what was going to happen. So they made the podium and platform in preparation for the reading of the Word of God. This platform of wood also served as a focal point for the people as they listened. Verse 5 indicates that Ezra is on a platform above the people so that he could be in sight of all the people. What's the point? This. That God's Word is vitally important for your life and for your soul, and listening to it is a high priority for you, and practical steps to enhance your ability to focus on listening to God's Word is also very important, as one said. The way the people of God treat the reading and teaching of God's Word speaks volumes about their spiritual condition. And that's right. See, this is serious. This is important. This has eternal ramifications. This isn't a light thing. And that's why we do what we can to eliminate distractions within reason. See, we don't want phones going off as much as possible. I just set myself up there, I know. We don't want people distracting other people within reason, knowing that sometimes it's inevitable. We don't want people getting up and getting down a million times throughout the service if we can help it, because again, it's a serious thing. Not that we get legalistic and judgmental about it, not at all, but that we take it seriously like it ought to be taken. Isn't it true that Really, the last thing you should want as a Christian in worship, in corporate worship, is to be a distraction from others hearing the Word of God read and preached. To be a distraction from their worship of God. The Word that has power to change their lives and souls forever. See, so the platform and wooden pulpit was made so the people could focus. Thirteen people were also up on the platform while Ezra read. Some to his left and some to his right. Why? Why? I believe to give credibility and support. These were probably religious leaders who had some cloud in Jerusalem. And then having them be on the platform with Ezra spoke volumes to the people. We support Ezra. We support what's happening here. We're all in. We support what he's doing. Very good. Second, the people stood when the word was read. Verse 5, Ezra opened the book inside of all the people. He was standing above all the people, and when he opened it, all the people stood up. We already looked at that, but their standing was a sign of their reverence for Scripture as the Word of God. Now again, this isn't a rule for us, but it's simply what they did at that time. Note that Mary sat at Jesus' feet and listened to His teaching, and then the people told Baruch, Jeremiah's scribe, to sit down and read the Scriptures to them in Jeremiah 36. So this isn't a rule to insist that standing is the only correct posture for reading and listening to Scripture. It simply shows us what they did at that time, and it shows us the reverence that they had for the Word of God and for the God of the Word. See, they aren't flippant. They aren't playing with their phone. They aren't sidetracked by a billion other things. No, they're intent on listening to God's Word that points us to God Himself. Hey, think about this. Think about this. People died to get this book into our hands. One said, our Bible is a blood-stained book. Why? Because many people were tortured and killed to get this book to us today. And we should have a healthy love and respect for it. For again, it leads us to the God who wrote it. It seems that the people stood for the entire six hours as the Word of God was read and explained. Comfort? Ha! Hearing from God, worshiping God was their priority, not comfort. We can stand, we can take the heat, and we can take the cold, and we can take some discomfort, and we can stay long, and we can sacrifice for God, of course. Our priority isn't our comfort, our priority is Him. And hearing His Word read and expound, it is vital, it's essential for our walk with the Lord. So forget comfort, give me the Word of God. Bring out the book. See, next time you want to complain because you're a little bit uncomfortable in church, think of these people here who gladly stood for hours and hours and hours to glorify God. Think of them. That ought to give us all proper perspective. Third, as we get more specific about what happened, Ezra blessed the Lord, verse 6. This shows us that Ezra began with a prayer which makes sense. Ezra is a man of God, so Ezra begins talking to God and by leading the people in a prayer to God. Bless means to praise, to adore, and to speak words of excellence about. So Ezra begins by blessing God, praising God, extolling the greatness and goodness of God. We talk much about the importance of prayer and about the power of prayer and how God mightily works sovereignly through the prayers of His people, which is all true. See, that being said, prayer is much more than making requests to God, right? As good as that is. Much of our prayers should be us offering up our praises to Him, our love to Him, our thanks to Him, our adoration to Him. He is worthy, and we do well to let Him know that. We love Him. Anybody? Amen. And we do well to let Him know that. We exalt Him and we praise Him for who He is and for what He's done. And letting Him know that regularly is good and it's important for us to do. It glorifies Him, yes. And it reminds us where our focus should be. And when Ezra blessed God, it did two things. It honored and pleased the God who hears. Amazing. And it also reminded the people who their God is. And it turned their hearts to him as a people. Good job, Ezra. He began by blessing God. Fourth, the people said amen and they worshiped. Look, verse 6. Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. Then all the people answered, amen, amen. While lifting up their hands and they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. How good is that? And it was only after that. that they read from the book, and it was then explained to the people. You see the eagerness and the love of the people here? They can't help but respond. And look, they all responded. How? By lifting up their hands in worship. Nothing wrong with lifting up your hands in worship, by the way. And by showing a sense of need by saying, Amen, Amen. And thus, affirming their submission to the authority of Scripture. And then, by bowing down to the ground with a sense of humility and submission before God. Should we respond like that externally? Maybe, but not necessarily because many people can raise their hands and not mean it. And many people can be vocal and not mean it. And many people can bow and make an external show and not mean it. So no, not necessarily. But we should definitely feel this way when we come together and worship, right? I mean, I'm needy. I'm ready. I'm low and He is exalted and I'm here to lift Him high and I'm here to worship Him. My all in all, my beloved Lord, my King, it's about Him. You feel that way? Because you should. Look at Him. Look at you. You should feel that way. He died to save you. You should feel that way. He bled on a cross to deliver you from hell. You should feel that way. He took on human flesh and came all the way down to rescue us. You should feel that way. You deserve hell. And you get heaven as a believer. You should feel that way. You should feel the same way that they felt. Do you? And then it's after that. that they read from the law of God, the word of God. Verses 7 and 8. More names. Also, Yeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akub, Shabbatai, Hodijah, Maaseah, Kelada, Kelida, Azariah, Josabath, Hanan, Peliah, and the Levites helped the people to understand the law and the people stood in their place. So they read distinctly from the book in the law of God. They gave the sense and helped them understand the readings. You have Ezra now reading the law of God and you also have a group of people going around helping the people to understand what it meant when it was written. So it seems that Ezra would read portions of God's word and then the helpers would go around to the people and give the sense of it. In other words, they would explain it and help the people to understand what it meant so they could then apply it and live it out in their own lives. And then Ezra would read some more for hours on end and the people ate it up, rightly so. See, Ezra and Nehemiah knew. What did these people need the most? Money? Food? Land? What did they need the most? They needed the Word of God. And that's what people need today as well, even us. See, this passage is saying that the most important thing in all of our lives is the Lord. And how do we know the Lord in saving faith? And then, how do we know the Lord in growing measure? How? The Word of God! If we want to know the way of salvation, if we want to know how to be a Christian, if we want to know how to live our lives in this world, if we want to know the answer to a thousand questions, the answer lies in the Word of God. This verse shows us what true preaching ought to look like, by the way. Read the text. Give the sense what it means, which means that you're to explain what it meant when it was written, and then help the people to understand, which leads them to applying it to their lives. That's biblical preaching. That's what they did. That's called expository preaching. Webster's dictionary defines expository as a setting forth of the meaning or purpose of a writing. And so when it comes to preaching, expository preaching seeks to set forth the true meaning of the Word of God. On a broad level, expository preaching has been done by going verse by verse and book by book through the Bible. However, true expository preaching is much more than just going through a passage or book of the Bible because many people do that and they never really explain what the passage really means. No, true expository preaching does what Ezra did. True expository preaching doesn't just preach from the Bible, but it preaches the Bible. And that's a big difference. A lot of people preach from the Bible. They use the Bible. They read a verse or passage from the Bible, but they never really preach the Bible. Expository preaching, however, explains the meaning of the verse or passage. It digs into the text to find out the author's original intent, and then it seeks to apply that in a God-honoring way. Some might say that that's boring, but that wasn't boring for the people in Nehemiah chapter 8. Why? Because they wanted to hear from God. They wanted to hear from God. And God's Word isn't boring. God's Word is alive and powerful and effective and exciting. And anybody? Convicting? Anybody? Right? The heart of the expository sermon is the authority of the Word of God. Expository preachers believe that the Word of God truly is God-breathed, and because of that belief, they seek to expose the Word as best they can to the listeners. Expository preachers believe that the Word has more authority than their own personal opinions and anecdotes, and they consider it their divine mandate to expose that Word. The Word of God is powerful and it changes lives and it's true and it has our answers and it's the means of saving lost souls and of growing the saved. And our need isn't some catchy message that I make up that makes you feel pretty good but has no redeeming power. No, our need is to hear what God has to say. Lord, help us to see that today and Lord, help us to be eager and passionate to do it daily and then corporately. Look. You're only hurting yourself if you're ignoring the Word of God. Did you hear that? You're only hurting yourself if you're ignoring the Word of God. Reading it, listening to it, studying it. Why would you hurt yourself? Stop hurting yourself and bring out the book. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, Thank you, Lord, so much for your wonderful word of truth. Thank you for conviction, convicting us, Lord, in these things that really do have eternal value. And I pray, Lord, that this would indeed convict us, that it would cut us out of the heart like it did in Nehemiah's day, and that we would respond like they did, which we're going to look at next week. But Lord, help us to have ears to hear. to receive this truth, to have it go into our heads, sink into our hearts, and help us to respond accordingly by lifting you high, by repenting much, and by drawing ever closer to you, our amazing God who saves. Speak to our hearts now. May we encourage each other in your word. In Jesus' name, amen.
SPEAKER 01 :
Pastor John is the Preaching Pastor. Thank you. Join for services at Faith Community Church Sundays at 9 and 1045 a.m. 192 Bella Vista Road, Suite A. To learn more, visit vacavillefaith.org or call 707-451-2026. That's 707-451-2026. Or visit vacavillefaith.org.
