Three Things | Sunday, July 24, 2022

Greetings. My name is Lance Ralston, and I pastor a church in Oxnard, just a few hours north of Escondido on the coast. 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. In chapter 66, verse 1, we read this: "Thus says the Lord, heaven is my throne and earth is my footstool. Where is the house that you will build me? 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, I will look on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit and who trembles at my word."

The prophet Isaiah spoke this to religious folk who thought that God was impressed by the temple in Jerusalem, and 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 some amazing churches that are filled with the work of the masters. The cathedral in Cologne, Germany, is stunning. St. John's Cathedral on the island of Malta is a wonder. But as I've stood in them, marveling at their beauty, I remember these words from Isaiah.

We're just 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, what gains His interest, 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. We're dedicated to this because we believe in the power of God's word, and we do it because it's biblical, as we find here in the eighth chapter of Nehemiah. The passage before us sets forth three different ideas that we're going to take a little time to ponder. Let's dive in. Verse 1 of Nehemiah 8.

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 scribe brought the law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding, meaning all those who were old enough to understand. This was on the first day of the seventh month.

In your previous studies in Nehemiah, you may have been given details about who he was and why he was in Jerusalem. The book has two parts. Chapters 1 through 6 tell the story of the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls, while chapters 7 through 13 tell the story of the rebuilding of Jerusalem's people. Once the defenses were restored, Nehemiah moved to ensure that they would be preserved. The rebellion of Israel against God years before had resulted in Jerusalem's destruction, and Nehemiah wanted to make sure that it didn't happen again. 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. The priest and scribe Ezra was respected as a great teacher, so they invited him to share God's word when they had gathered to celebrate a religious holiday called the Feast of Tabernacles. They gathered in a large open square, and Ezra read to them, most likely from the book of Deuteronomy.

There is something to glean here in verse 2. It says that those who gathered were old enough to understand. Little children weren't a part of this group. While we don't want to develop a whole doctrine from this, it does suggest a practical insight. It is wise for parents to put children in age-appropriate classes instead of bringing them into the adult service, where they may be bored to distraction. If parents want to keep their older children, who are able to understand, with them, that's great. However, for the sake of your children, don't make them sit with you if the adult service is over their heads.

I grew up in a church where everyone went first to Sunday school and then to church. 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 just so boring. 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 the women and those who could understand, the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood, which they had made for the purpose. Beside him at his right hand stood six leaders, whose names I will respectfully not attempt to pronounce. At his left hand stood seven more leaders. These leaders surrounded Ezra to let everyone know that they were endorsing all of this. Though Nehemiah isn't named yet, the platform they stood on was evidence that he was the one who staged this whole event. This wasn't some last-minute thing that they just threw together; it was planned well in advance. The fact that such a large crowd had gathered at a set time in the same place indicates that the governor, Nehemiah, was behind it.

Verse three states that it took several hours for all of this. We read on in verse five that Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above them. When he opened it, all the people stood up. Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, "Amen, Amen," while lifting up their hands. They bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. They began with worship, lifting hands, hearts, and voices to the Lord. They recognized that 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.

In verse seven, we read that thirteen more leaders are named, and the Levites helped the people to understand the law while the people stood in their place. They read distinctly from the book of the law of God and gave the sense of it. Note that phrase: they gave the sense and helped them to understand the reading. This is why it took several hours. Ezra didn't just read; he would stop periodically to explain. He paused 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.

Here’s the first of the three things that we’re going to consider today. This is a great example of what's called expository teaching, where the text itself determines the direction of the teaching.

The passage directs the teacher's words and sets the agenda. This is different from many pulpits today that are 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, values, and opinions, pre-held beliefs and pre-held opinions edit the text, bending it into something that people want it to say.

Alistair Begg tells the story of a minister who was a Big B Baptist minister. Preaching on the first chapters of Genesis, he had 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 then apply the text. The text is the thing, not the teacher's words about it.

Some years ago, at a pastor's conference, one of the speakers shared how he had been convicted by how he read the text when he taught. He tended to read it quickly and in a monotone. He would rush over God's actual word to get to what he wanted to say about it. Now, he is a gifted speaker. People love his puns, his stories, his jokes, and the numerous witticisms that he scatters over every message. However, he was reminded of those passages in the Bible that speak of the glory of God's word. For instance, Hebrews 4:12 says, "The word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword." Or Isaiah 55, where God says that His word shall not return to Him void, but it shall accomplish what He pleases. It shall prosper in the thing for which He sends it. First Corinthians 1:18 states that 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 the scripture as the most important thing to come out of his mouth, because it was. It is God's word that changes lives, not our words about His word. The task of the preacher is really just to help people better understand God's word. Look at what they did here in Nehemiah 8. The people gathered and began by focusing on God in worship. Then Ezra read the very words of God through Moses.

He would pause every so often to make sure the people were getting it. Both he and the other teachers wanted to ensure that they were conveying the sense of the text. A thousand years had passed since Moses penned Deuteronomy, and that period of time had seen many changes in the language. Try reading a 1611 King James Bible, and you'll see what I mean. That's only 400 years ago. Or read Beowulf, originally written in the 10th century. The English of a thousand years ago looks little like the English of today.

Ezra paused often to comment on the text and give the other teachers an opportunity to ensure that everyone understood. However, understanding was just a step on the path to their ultimate goal, which was application. Both 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.

We read in 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." They wept because, as Ezra read, he reached the part in Deuteronomy where God warned what would happen if they forsook Him— all of the devastation and ruin that would follow.

Though the walls of Jerusalem were now rebuilt, everywhere they looked was evidence of their ancestors' failure. The poverty and hardships they faced were seen in a new light. They realized that their distress wasn't just a mistake or due to factors beyond their control; it was the judgment of God for generations of sin and rebellion. Thus, they wept tears of repentance. The Spirit of God used the Word of God to affect the heart they needed so that blessings could once again be poured upon them.

That's why Ezra and Nehemiah told them to stop weeping. If they hadn't wept, they would have been told that they should be doing so. But their tears were evidence of genuine repentance. 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. First John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Please note that there's no time clause in that. We don't need to confess and repent for four hours, three days, two weeks, or a month to prove our sincerity. God sees the heart at the instant of our brokenness. He's there to forgive and restore. That's one of the great truths in the story of the Prodigal Son. While he was still a great way off, Jesus says, intent on returning with a contrite and humble heart, the father who had been searching the distance saw his son and ran to embrace him.

Now I want to drill down on this a bit because I think it's an important point. It's the second thing that we're going to ponder today. I suspect that many of us have experienced this. We sin, and we're immediately convicted by the Holy Spirit about it. We know that the right response is to repent and ask God to forgive and restore us. However, we hesitate to do it right away because it seems a bit disingenuous to repent right after sinning. We think that maybe it's best to spend a little time feeling bad about our sin before officially asking to be forgiven.

We have a goofy idea that feeling bad for a while about our failure is a necessary part of repentance. We should regret sinning, but that isn't repentance; it's something else. It's a perverted form of penance. We may not be Roman Catholics who go to a confessional where we're told by a priest what penance to perform, how many trips around the rosary, or how many Hail Marys we should say, but we do prescribe our own penance and how long we must feel bad about our sin before we can go to God and ask Him to forgive us.

We want Him to know how sincere we are, how bad we feel, thinking what? That we're proving how repentant we are? As though God won't forgive us unless we muster up enough angst and regret? We ought to repent at the first whisper of conviction.

Look at what happened here. When Ezra and Nehemiah saw the evidence of genuine repentance, they shared God's heart by calling the people to rejoice in His renewal. Look at what we read in verse 10: "Then he said to them, 'Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing was prepared. For this day is holy to the Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.'"

This is remarkable. They say the day is holy to God, so party. We don't usually think of the words "holy" and "party" as going together, do we? For many, "holy" conjures up an image of 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.

Once again, I want to quote 1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The word "confess" means to agree with. We begin by agreeing with the Spirit, convicting us that our sin is wrong. Then we agree with God that we can't undo it by good works. We accept that we need to be forgiven, and only God can do that.

But then we need to go on to agree with God that once we've asked Him to forgive, He does and removes sin's stain. The proper response to that is delight, joy, and celebration, not continuing to mope around depressed because we messed up. Never forget that the resurrection means that God gets the last word, and His word over us is forgiven and clean.

This brings us to the third and final thought for us to ponder today. Nehemiah said the joy of the Lord is your strength. Joy comes from knowing that we stand in God's favor. It's a deep-seated confidence that because we're forgiven, because we're clean, we're right with God. That is a foundation of strength from which we can take on all of life.

What Nehemiah told those people so long ago is as potent today as it was then, more so because of Jesus. If Nehemiah and Ezra could call the people of their day to a strength-generating joy, how much more should those who have been redeemed by Christ? If anyone ought to be infused with joy, it's the Christian. Why then are there so many depressed and defeated believers? Bear with me as we do a little dive into history.

After 300 years of persecution, the Roman Emperor Constantine made Christianity a tolerated religion. However, 50 years later, another emperor came to the throne who wanted to restore paganism. Julian hated the gospel because it threatened to make the old gods and goddesses of the Roman pantheon that he revered irrelevant.

Julian had another complaint against the faith of the Christians. He said that they seemed more interested in dying than living. He remarked, "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."

Julian's observation wasn't true of every Christian at that time, but it was true for enough of them that it shaped his perception of the faith. He wasn't far off the mark because Christianity had, unfortunately, been welded to the idea that to be holy meant a complete detachment from the world. Pleasure in any form was suspect of being sin. This idea drove hundreds of hermits to head off into the desert. Their extreme devotion to rigid asceticism made them heroes that many people sought to emulate.

As Julian observed, Christianity took the joy and vitality out of life. Sadly, that view of Christianity prevailed for hundreds of years. Though not as widespread, it continues among some even to this day. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes said that he might have entered the ministry if certain clergymen he knew had not looked and acted so much like undertakers. The famous author 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 both tragic and contrary to the picture that the Bible paints of a relationship with God. Nehemiah said, "The joy of the Lord is our strength," not "depression is the badge of godliness." In John 10, Jesus didn't just say that he came to give us life; he said that he came to give us life more abundantly, meaning however much life we have.

In Him, there is more. And when we've obtained more, there's more yet. He came that we might have an ever-increasing life. May we never give the impression that we're just waiting to die, as the Emperor Julian the Apostate assumed of the Christians of his day. If someone who had never met a Christian nor read the Gospels 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 that some people think it's difficult to be a Christian and to laugh, but he believes 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 different words for joy and rejoicing than any other language. In the Old Testament, there are 27 different words that are used for joy and joyful participation in worship. While the worship of other religions is usually marked by a cringing fear, the worship of God is joyous.

In Psalm 16, verse 11, the worshiper says to the Lord, "You show me the path of life; in Your presence, there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Nehemiah said, "Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." Their strength wasn't in the walls that they had recently completed. Walls of stone may repel a physical enemy, but they are not the source of strength needed to live in real peace because our real enemies aren't physical; they're spiritual. Only spiritual strength can deal with them.

That strength comes from the confidence of being in a right relationship with God through the forgiveness that He gives. 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.

In Galatians 5, one of the fruits of the Spirit is joy. Jesus told His followers to ask and they shall receive, that their joy may be full. In 1 John 1:4, we find, "These things write we unto you, that your joy may be full." Paul, the Apostle, 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 just to the theater and the nightclub. Charles Spurgeon was criticized by other ministers of his day because they thought that he used too much humor in his preaching and was too joyful in the pulpit. In his classic work, Lectures to My Students, he wrote this: several curled 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. Some men appear to have their clerical collar twisted around their souls. Their manhood is throttled with that starched rag. 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.