Three Things | Sunday, July 24, 2022

Thus says the LORD: Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist, says the LORD. But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word. (Isaiah 66:1–2)

God is not moved by glorious buildings, but by humble hearts that honor His word—and that is why we read, explain, and apply the Scriptures.

God Is Not Impressed by Buildings, but by Humble Hearts

It's an honor to share God's word with you today. We'll be in Nehemiah chapter 8, but I want to begin with the words of the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah spoke these words to religious folk who thought God was impressed by the temple in Jerusalem. It was indeed impressive as far as ancient temples go, but Isaiah reminds them that heaven is God's throne and earth is where He rests His feet. What building could contain Him?

I'm a bit of a history nut. I love seeing old churches and cathedrals in Europe—Florence and Rome have amazing churches filled with the work of the masters. The cathedral in Cologne is stunning; St. John's Cathedral on Malta is a wonder. But as I've stood in them, marveling at their beauty, I remember Isaiah's words. We're now getting images from the James Webb telescope of stunning celestial wonders—clusters not just of stars but of entire galaxies. And God just spoke it all into being. So no, He's not impressed by a building on a planet orbiting a mediocre star.

What God is moved by, Isaiah says, is humble men and women honoring His word. You do that here at Cross Connection, as we do where I serve in Oxnard. The basis of our work is to teach and preach the Bible, because we believe in its power, and because it's biblical—as we find here in the eighth chapter of Nehemiah. This passage sets forth three different ideas we're going to ponder.

Rebuilding the People Through the Word

Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded Israel. So Ezra the scribe 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. (Nehemiah 8:1–2)

The book of Nehemiah has two parts. Chapters 1 through 6 tell the story of rebuilding Jerusalem's walls; chapters 7 through 13 tell the story of rebuilding Jerusalem's people. Once the defenses were restored, Nehemiah moved to ensure they would be preserved. The rebellion of Israel against God years before had resulted in Jerusalem's destruction. Nehemiah wanted to make sure it didn't happen again. So he followed up the physical rebuilding with a spiritual renewal. Stone repaired walls, but people could only be restored by God's word.

At Nehemiah's urging, the people called for a public reading of Scripture. Ezra the priest and scribe was respected as a great teacher, so they invited him to share God's word when they gathered to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. They assembled in a large open square, and Ezra read to them, most likely from the book of Deuteronomy.

There's something to glean in verse 2: those who gathered were old enough to understand. Little children weren't part of this group. We don't want to develop a whole doctrine from this, but it suggests a practical insight. It's wise for parents to put children in age-appropriate classes instead of bringing them into an adult service where they'll be bored to distraction. If your older children can understand and want to stay with you, that's great. But don't make them sit through a service that's over their heads. I grew up in a church where I was bored out of my mind, fidgeting like a chihuahua that had just drunk a Red Bull. My mother was a genius at keeping me quiet, but I grew up dreading church because it was so boring.

A Gathering Marked by Worship

So he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday... 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. (Nehemiah 8:3–4)

Beside Ezra stood six leaders at his right hand and seven more at his left—I'll respectfully not attempt to pronounce them. These leaders surrounded Ezra to let everyone know they endorsed all of this. Though Nehemiah isn't named yet, the wooden platform is evidence that he staged the whole thing. This wasn't thrown together last minute; it was planned well in advance. That such a large crowd gathered at a set time in the same place means the governor Nehemiah was behind it.

And Ezra opened the book in the sight of 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. (Nehemiah 8:5–6)

They began with worship—lifting hands, hearts, and voices to the Lord. They knew a miracle had taken place in the completion of Jerusalem's walls and gates in just 52 days. They took it as evidence that God was once again in their midst after their long exile.

The First Thing: Expository Teaching

Also... the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law... So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading. (Nehemiah 8:7–8)

Note that phrase: they gave the sense. That's why it took several hours. Ezra didn't just read. Every so often he would stop and explain, then pause while the people turned to nearby teachers to ask questions. Those skilled in Scripture were scattered throughout the crowd, ready to help them understand God's word and how it applied to them.

This is a great example of expository teaching—when the text itself determines what's said. The passage directs the teacher's words and sets the agenda. That's different from many pulpits today given over to polite religious talks—sermonettes for Christianettes, motivational homilies on how to have your best life now, or in so-called progressive churches, how to be woke. Instead of the text shaping beliefs and opinions, pre-held opinions edit the text, bending it into something people want it to say. Alistair Begg tells of a Big-B Baptist minister preaching on the first chapters of Genesis with four points: Adam's creation, Adam's commendation, Adam's condemnation, and finally a few words on baptism.

The task of the Bible teacher is to do what we see here—read, explain, and apply the text. The text is the thing, not the teacher's words about it. At a pastor's conference, a speaker shared how he'd been convicted by the way he read the text. He tended to rush over God's actual word to get to what he wanted to say about it. He's a gifted speaker—people love his puns, stories, and witticisms—but he was reminded of passages that speak of the glory of God's word.

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword. (Hebrews 4:12)

In Isaiah 55, God says His word shall not return to Him void, but shall accomplish what He pleases. And 1 Corinthians 1:18 says the message of the gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the very power of God. So this pastor determined that from then on he would read Scripture as the most important thing to come out of his mouth, because it was. It's God's word that changes lives, not our words about His word.

Look at what they did in Nehemiah 8. The people focused on God in worship. Ezra read the very words of God through Moses, pausing to make sure they were getting it. A thousand years had passed since Moses penned Deuteronomy, and the language had changed greatly. Try reading a 1611 King James Bible—and that's only 400 years ago—or read Beowulf, written in the 10th century. So Ezra paused to comment and gave the teachers opportunity to ensure everyone understood. But understanding was just a step toward the ultimate goal: application. Ezra and Nehemiah knew that if they could expose the people of God to the Word of God, the Spirit of God would do the rest.

The Second Thing: Repent at the First Whisper of Conviction

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. (Nehemiah 8:9)

They wept because, as Ezra read, he came to the place in Deuteronomy where God warned what would happen if they forsook Him—all the devastation that would follow. Though the walls were rebuilt, everywhere they looked was evidence of their ancestors' failure. The poverty and hardships they faced were seen in a new light. Their distress wasn't a mistake or beyond their control—it was the judgment of God for generations of sin and rebellion. So they wept tears of repentance. The Spirit of God used the Word of God to affect the heart, so blessing could once again be poured out.

That's why Ezra and Nehemiah told them to stop weeping. Their tears were evidence of genuine repentance, and what they needed to know now was that God's heart was to restore blessing immediately upon the turning of their hearts back to Him.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Note that there's no time clause in that. We don't need to confess and repent for four hours, three days, or a month to prove our sincerity. God sees the heart at the instant of our brokenness. That's one of the great truths in the story of the prodigal son. While he was still a great way off, but intent on returning with a contrite heart, the father who'd been searching the distance sees his son and runs to embrace him.

I want to drill down on this, because many of us have experienced it. We sin and we're immediately convicted by the Holy Spirit. We know the right response is to repent and ask God to forgive us. But we hesitate, because it seems disingenuous to repent right after sinning. We think maybe it's best to spend a little time feeling bad first. We have a goofy idea that feeling bad for a while is a necessary part of repentance. We should regret sinning, but that isn't repentance—it's a perverted form of penance. We may not be Roman Catholics told by a priest how many Hail Marys to say, but we prescribe our own penance and how long we must feel bad before we go to God. We want Him to know how sincere we are—as though He won't forgive us unless we muster up enough angst and regret. We ought to repent at the first whisper of conviction.

The Third Thing: The Joy of the Lord Is Your Strength

When Ezra and Nehemiah saw the evidence of genuine repentance, they shared God's heart by calling the people to rejoice.

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." (Nehemiah 8:10)

This is remarkable. They say the day is holy to God, so party. We don't usually think of holy and party as going together, do we? For many, holy conjures up somber, joyless formalism. Ezra and Nehemiah tell the repentant to wipe wet cheeks, crack a smile, put some ribeyes on the grill, open an Arizona tea, and celebrate. For the joy of the Lord is your strength. It's God's delight to forgive and restore you.

Again, 1 John 1:9 says if we confess our sins He is faithful to forgive. Confess means to agree with. We agree with the Spirit that our sin is wrong; we agree that we can't undo it by good works; we accept that only God can forgive. But then we must go on to agree with God that once we've asked Him to forgive, He does, and removes sin's stain. The proper response is delight, joy, celebration—not moping around depressed because we messed up. Never forget that the resurrection means God gets the last word, and His word over us is forgiven, clean.

Joy comes from knowing we stand in God's favor. It's a deep-seated confidence that because we're forgiven and clean, we're right with God—a foundation of strength from which we can take on all of life. What Nehemiah told those people is as potent today as then, more so because of Jesus. If anyone ought to be infused with joy, it's the Christian. Why then are there so many depressed and defeated believers?

A History of Joyless Christianity

Bear with me as we dive into history. After 300 years of persecution, the Emperor Constantine made Christianity a tolerated religion. But 50 years later, the Emperor Julian came to the throne wanting to restore paganism. Julian hated the gospel because it threatened to make the old gods irrelevant. But he had another complaint: he said Christians seemed more interested in dying than living. He wrote:

"Have you looked at these Christians closely? They are hollow-eyed, pale-cheeked, flat-chested all. They brood their lives away, unspurred by ambition. The sun shines for them, but they do not see it. The earth offers them its fullness, but they desire it not. All their desire is to renounce and to suffer that they may come to die."

That wasn't true of every Christian, but it was true for enough that it shaped his perception. He wasn't far off the mark, because Christianity had unfortunately been welded to the idea that holiness meant complete detachment from the world. Pleasure in any form was suspect. That idea drove hundreds of hermits into the desert, whose rigid asceticism made them heroes others sought to emulate. As Julian saw it, Christianity took the joy and vitality out of life. Sadly, that view prevailed for hundreds of years and continues among some today.

Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes said, "I might have entered the ministry if certain clergymen that I knew had not looked and acted so much like undertakers." Robert Louis Stevenson wrote in his diary, as if recording some extraordinary event, "I have been to church today and I am not depressed." That's tragic and contrary to the picture the Bible paints. Nehemiah said the joy of the Lord is our strength—not depression is the badge of godliness.

Followers of Christ Ought to Be the Happiest People on Earth

In John 10, Jesus didn't just say He came to give us life. He said He came to give us life more abundant—however much life we have in Him, there is more. He came that we'd have ever-increasing life. May we never give the impression that we're just waiting to die, as Julian assumed of the Christians of his day. If someone who had never met a Christian read a Bible for the first time, they would probably conclude that the followers of Christ ought to be the happiest people on earth. Garrison Keillor once said, "Some people think it's difficult to be a Christian and to laugh, but I think it's the other way around. God writes a lot of comedy. It's just that He has so many bad actors."

Hebrew has more words for joy and rejoicing than any other language—27 different words for joy and joyful participation in worship. While the worship of other religions is usually marked by cringing fear, the worship of God is joyous. Psalm 16:11 says, "You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

Their strength wasn't in the walls they'd just completed. Walls of stone may repel a physical enemy, but our real enemies aren't physical—they're spiritual. Only spiritual strength can deal with them, and that strength comes from the confidence of being in right relationship with God through His forgiveness. It comes from knowing that because Jesus has reconciled us to the Father, God takes joy in us. That divine good pleasure overflows into us. The joy of the Lord is our strength.

The Joyless Christian Is a Contradiction

The joyless Christian is a contradiction. In Galatians 5, one of the fruit of the Spirit is joy. Jesus told His followers to "ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be full." In 1 John 1:4 we read, "These things we write to you that your joy may be full." Paul repeatedly told his readers to rejoice in the Lord—"again I will say, rejoice." How sad when believers deprive themselves of the joy that is their inheritance in Christ. A church is in a bad way when it banishes laughter from the sanctuary and leaves it to the theater and the nightclub.

Charles Spurgeon was criticized by ministers of his day who thought he used too much humor and was too joyful in the pulpit. In Lectures to My Students, he wrote:

"Sepulchral tones may fit a man to be an undertaker, but Lazarus is not called out of his grave by hollow moans. I know brethren who, from head to foot, in garb, tone, manner, necktie and boots are so utterly parsonic that no particle of manhood is visible... An individual who has no geniality about him had better be an undertaker and bury the dead, for he will never succeed in influencing the living. There are more flies caught with honey than with vinegar, and there will be more souls led to heaven by a man who wears heaven in his face than by one who bears death in his looks."

In contrast to the joyless Christian is the one whose life is infused with joy. He or she has come to the cross, and then gone forth forgiven and reconciled to a loving, ever-present Father.