The Restoring Power of God’s Word
Nehemiah 7:73b - 10
If there is one thing that we, in the Pentecostal movement, have been concerned with over the years, it is revival. Looking back through the years, we can see revival upon revival that has taken place. We have seen the Brownsville revival, the Toronto Blessing, the Smithton outpouring, and countless others. We have seen excitement and controversy over them. We have seen praises and criticisms. There are always people who chase after them and people who run away from them. There are books and articles written on these revivals to try to analyze and pick them apart. Many Pentecostals have been guilty of obsessing over revival just for the sake of revival and some have been guilty of refusing to allow a genuine move of God in their lives for fear that they might become one of “those wackos”. Why the infatuation with revival? Why are we often so obsessed with it? Because each and every one of us has areas in our lives that need new life. Each and every one of us has dead things in our lives that need new life.
Revival is a hard thing to figure out. How do we know what’s real and what’s not real? Where do we draw the line? How do we know when it’s man and no longer God who is pushing a move forward? It’s sad the way that things turn out sometimes. You see what appears to be a true, genuine move of God and then the people lose sight of what it’s all really about but they just keeping beating the dead horse so to speak. They’re desperately trying to keep something going when God has long since said, “This is no longer about me. It has become the pursuit of what YOU want.” How do we know when that line has been crossed? It’s all very confusing.
I remember when I was at school in Southeastern and Rodney Howard Brown had begun preaching a revival at Carpenter’s Home church (at that time a very large church in Lakeland, FL). Now I’m not trying to analyze this revival and say whether or not it was genuine or not genuine. I try my best not to get involved in doing that. But, I remember when some of the manifestations that were happening in that revival began to happen in our chapel services and guess what happened as a result of it? Division. About 50 % of the students were involved in this move and thought that it was genuinely a move of God and about 50 % of the students wanted nothing to do with it, shunned it.
It caused a major uproar among the student body there. Arguments were breaking out about whether this was of God or whether that was of God. There was a tension on the campus that was so thick that you could have cut it with a knife. It all just kept building and building until one day it came to what I thought of as the climax. We were in chapel and some people began to show these manifestations right in the middle of the message. It pretty much brought things to a halt. There was no way that the speaker could go on in the midst of what was happening there. People began to murmur and complain. The louder they groaned, the louder the people got who were experiencing these manifestations. And then someone stood up with a “Word from God”. They began in a very loud voice to explain how God was displeased with those who didn’t give themselves over to the move of God. Before that person could finish, someone else stood and began in a louder voice to condemn all of those who followed along with the false move of God. Professors were trying to stop the madness and bring order back to things, but the more that they tried, the worse things seemed to get. Half of the people in the chapel got up and left. It was absolute chaos.
I remember that I, along with a number of other students got up and went to the altar and threw ourselves facedown before God. Now, I’m not trying to make myself out to be a saint in the situation, but I was truly grieved in my spirit that we had come to that point. I threw myself down and cried out to God, “God, forgive us! Forgive us that we have allowed ourselves to get to this point. Forgive that we have obviously lost sight of what’s really important here. Restore us, God.”
So many times this happens where there is a move of God. People get confused about what revival is really all about and they began chasing after signs and manifestations. Why? Because they don’t understand what revival truly is. They don’t have a firm, biblical example of God’s restoration of a people. And that’s where we come to the word tonight. As I was reading through the book of Nehemiah just the other day God showed me some things about how he restored the people of Israel.
Let’s get just a little background as we are turning to chapter 8 in the book of Nehemiah. We find the children of Israel here coming out of one of the darkest periods in their history. After a long and harsh captivity, they had now been released to return to their homes and they began to rebuild all that had been utterly destroyed when the Babylonian army marched into Jerusalem. God used several key leaders to restore Israel physically and spiritually. He used Zerubbabel to rebuild the ruined temple. Nehemiah was instrumental in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. And Ezra proclaimed the centrality of God’s Word in the community life. This is where we are focusing tonight. Here in chapter 8 we find the Israelites gathering shortly after the reconstruction of the Walls of Jerusalem. They were done with the physical reconstruction of the walls and now they were ready for the restoration of the spiritual community. So where do they turn? Let’s read Nehemiah starting chapter 7, the last part of verse 73.
I. Israel Returns to the Word
a. The first course of action for the Israelites as they come together now that they have returned to their homes and to some extent rebuilt the city is to dive into the Word of God.
i. We will see later that they rejoice and they mourn. They confess, they pray, they repent, but the first thing that the Israelites do upon gathering together is to return to the Word of God.
b. Most scholars believe that the tone of this passage suggests that Ezra, in his presentation of the Word that day was re-initiating something that had lapsed in the Jewish community in their time in exile—an understanding of the Word of God.
i. For whatever reason, it seems apparent that they had been lacking in instruction and understanding of the Word while in Exile.
ii. Now as they’re gathered together in this assembly realizing their past mistakes and ready for restoration in their lives, their homes and their community, they realize that what they needed first and foremost was a deep understanding and knowledge of the word of God.
iii. Now let’s think about this. There are a lot of things that they could have done at this assembly on that day.
1. They could have broken out the wine and begun feasting in celebration because they were home! After an eternity of oppression and captivity, hardship, slavery, they had finally returned home to reclaim their lives. Now’s that’s cause for celebration if I’ve ever heard one. But they didn’t do that.
2. They could have discussed the reorganization of their government.
3. They could have had a pity party to pat each other on the back and comfort one another for all that they had been through, but that was not first on their agenda.
c. No, as the people of Israel stood there that day, they realized what had been lacking in their lives and they called out to Ezra to “Bring Out the Book”.
i. In looking back over the years, they saw that the reason they ended up in such bad situations is because they had failed to know and OBEY the Word of God.
ii. That’s why the were in this mess in the first place.
iii. Now they realize, If we’re going to do it right this time, we’ve got to know and obey the Word of God.
d. Israel had become ignorant of the Word of God and they now realized that it was the reason for their downfall.
i. Does this ring a bell for us in the church today? Do we spend enough time in the word? Do we really KNOW the Word of God like we should?
ii. Maybe you’ve heard about the preacher who was visiting various classes during the Sunday School Hour to see how they were doing. One Sunday he visited the class of 6th grade boys. They were talking about things in the O.T.
He listened for a while & then asked, “Who knows who knocked down the walls of Jericho?” Two boys answered, “Preacher, we don’t know who, but we sure didn’t do it.”
Surprised by their lack of Bible knowledge, he turned to the teacher & asked, “What do you think of that answer?” The teacher replied, “Well, I’ve known them since they were little, & they’ve always been honest. If they said they didn’t do it, I believe them.”
Dismayed, he went out into the hallway & saw the chairman of the church board. He told him, “I was just in the 6th grade boys’ class & asked who knocked down the walls of Jericho. Two boys held up their hands & said, “We didn’t do it, preacher.” And the teacher told me that if they said they didn’t do it, he believed them.”
The chairman of the board interrupted him & said, “Preacher, let’s not fuss about who did what. We’ll just fix the walls & pay for it out of the General Fund.”
iii. Most Americans own a Bible. In fact, 92% of households in America own at least one copy. Of those households that own a Bible, the average number of Bibles is three.
In a poll taken by the Gallup Organization in October, 2000, 59% of Americans reported that they read the Bible at least occasionally.
The percentage of Americans who read the Bible at least once a week is 37%.
When it comes to going beyond merely reading the Bible to actual study of the Bible, the numbers decline sharply. Only one in seven Americans report an involvement that goes beyond just reading the Bible.
How about knowledge of the Bible? According to Gallup, "Despite the impressive statistics concerning Bible reading and study, it is apparent that ignorance about its contents is widespread." 8
He gives evidence for this conclusion:
Only half of adults interviewed nationwide could name any of the four Gospels of the New Testament.
Just 37% of those interviewed could name all four Gospels.
Only 42% of adults were able to name as many as five of the Ten Commandments correctly.
Seven in ten (70%) were able to name the town where Jesus was born, but just 42% could identify him as the person who delivered the Sermon on the Mount. 9
Researcher George Barna has also documented the lack of Bible knowledge in the United States:
38% of Americans believe the entire Bible was written several decades after Jesus’ death and resurrection (While this is true of the New Testament, the entire Old Testament was written hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus Christ).
12% of adults believe that Noah’s wife was Joan of Arc.
49% believe that the Bible teaches that money is the root of all evil. (The love of money is said to be the root of all types of evil).
75% believe that the Bible teaches that God helps those who help themselves.
iv. A lot of times we joke about this, but this is not funny, it’s sad. It’s sad how little we really know about the Word of God in the church today.
e. Let me ask… how do we expect to HEAR from God if we never crack the pages of this book?
i. Some would say “Well God speaks to me every day in His own way.”
ii. This IS God’s way. Why would he have gone to the trouble of inspiring all of the authors in this book if He didn’t expect His people to read it, to know it, and to LIVE it.
iii. How do we expect to GROW if we never feed our souls?
1. 1 Pet 2:2-3 says You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you can grow into the fullness of your salvation. Cry out for this nourishment as a baby cries out for milk, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.
2. The Word is spiritual milk.
a. That word Spiritual is from the Greek logikos which means 1) pertaining to speech or reason or 2) spiritual, pertaining to the soul.
b. So the word of God is food for our minds or for our souls and naturally is what is required for us to grow spiritually.
f. We as the people of God have got to make up our minds that we are returning to the Word.
II. Let’s take a look at how Israel responded to the Word.
a. Back in our text in Nehemiah 7:73b we see that the people “assembled together as one person”.
i. There were people there that day from every walk of life, from every corner of Jerusalem.
1. They all had different likes and dislikes, different ideas and opinions, but they came together that day with a single-mindedness.
2. They came together that day with a common purpose, to hear and to know the word of God
3. They didn’t focus on where they agreed and disagreed: they focused on the word of God and were united by a common desire to know it more and obey it.
ii. We have to decide that we, as a corporate body, will return to the Word of God.
b. They were enthusiastic about the Word.
i. As we said earlier, there were a lot of other things that they could have done as they gathered together that day, but the people were ready for the Word.
1. They were eager to hear the Word of God.
2. Just like Peter said in 1 Peter Chap 2, they “craved” the Word of God.
ii. We need to be craving the Word of God again.
1. We need to get excited about it again.
2. We need to long for it.
3. As the Psalmist said in Psalm 119 starting in verse 97……
4. We need to come to the place where out lives are driven once again by the Word of God, where every step that we take and every word that we speak is in light of it.
5. We need to meditate on it day and night. It should be so much a part of us, that it just naturally comes to mind when we go to make that big decision or when someone comes to us in need of comfort or counsel.
6. We need to get enthusiastic about the Word again.
c. They were attentive to the Word.
i. You see how long they listened as the Word of God was read and explained to them? From early morning until noon. Again in 9:3, we see that they came together again and listened for three hours.
1. Let’s tell the truth now. We start getting antsy if a sermon goes more than a half an hour. Let’s be honest.
2. We start shifting positions every 5 seconds, looking at the watch every 15 seconds, staring out the window, reading through the bulletin 5 times.
3. Let’s face it, sometimes we start zoning out.
4. But these people, they were there. They didn’t just sit through it because they felt that it was their religious duty, they sat through it because they had a genuine desire to hear and to know the Word of God.
d. They revered the Word.
i. When Ezra read the Word, he stood on a high wodden platform that was raised up above everyone and everything else.
1. Now I’m sure that this helped the entire assembly to hear what was being said and to see the speaker, but this was not the only reason for it.
2. It was symbolic of their placement of the Word of God in absolute authority over everyone and everything else there.
ii. There was a solemn mood in the community that day as they gathered there for the reading of the Law. We see that as the Book was opened, the Israelites all stood in reverence.
1. You can almost hear the hush over the crowd that day as they all stood awaiting God’s Word.
2. You can feel the sense of awe that was spread throughout the people: you can feel the sacredness of the moment.
1. You see, in their restoration, the Israelites seemed to once again take hold of the fact that God’s word is to be handled with the absolute utmost of respect and that the Word is to be held in the highest authority over the spiritual community
iii. We’ve got to stop putting the Word of God on equal ground with all of the popular authors of the day and with all of the popular ideas of the day.
1. John Maxwell, as great as he is on the topic of leadership is not on equal footing with the Living Word of God!!
2. Max Lucado, as inspirational as his writings may sometimes be, is not a rival of God’s Word!
3. You need answers to life’s problems… don’t go to Family Christian Bookstores to look for a book… certainly don’t look in the direction of horoscopes and new age writing.
4. Don’t turn to John Maxwell or Max Lucado, Billy Graham, Binny Hinn, or anybody else before you look in the Word of God!
a. It’s great that we have all of these resources at our fingertips and they can be extremely helpful at times, but only when they are in complete and utter submission to this Book.
iv. We, as the people of God, must put the Word of God once again in it’s rightful place of authority in our lives, in our families, and in our churches if we ever expect God to move among us.
III. There was chain of events that resulted from the Israelites new commitment to the Word of God. There were several things that happened as a result of it.
a. They were reminded of God’s Goodness. (8:9-11)
i. As they listened to the Word, many of the people began to be moved emotionally and began to weep.
ii. Ezra and Nehemiah reminded them that this was not a time for tears, but a time to rejoice in what God had done for them.
iii. They celebrated God’s goodness.
b. They were moved to obedience. (8:13-15)
i. As they continued to study the law, they found that God had commanded a certain festival.
ii. v. 6 “So they went…”
1. Because they submitted themselves to the authority of God’s word, they were obedient to its commandments.
2. The more we get into God’s word, the more we want to obey it and live it.
c. They were moved to confession. (9:1-2)
i. In chapter 9, we see that they gathered again, but this time the mood was mournful.
ii. The more they found themselves in the Word of God, the more they realized that they did not measure up to its standard.
iii. The Word of God is light and the more it is shone into the deep inner reaches of our souls, the more we realize how filthy we really are.
iv. Our only response to this can be to cry out to God in confession and to beg Him for His mercy.
v. The Word moves us to confession.
d. They were reminded of God’s Mercy and their Own Sinfulness. (9:5-38)
i. As they dug deeper, they were reminded of how God’s people through the ages have been rebellious and stubborn.
1. We don’t look back on this as an event that is distanced from the church today or from our own lives, but a history of mankind that stretches from the beginning of creation right up to the present day.
2. We are as much a part of this history of rebellion as the people of Israel were.
ii. At the same time, they were reminded that time and time again, God responded to our slaps in His face with mercy, with kindness, with patience, with grace.
iii. The word of God brings into sharp contrast the sinfulness of man and the mercy of God.
e. They were moved to repentance. (10:30-39)
i. The people resolved to turn from their wickedness and once again live their lives in accordance with God’s word.
ii. They were moved to repentance.
iii. When we stay in the Word of God on a regular basis and we give it the priority that it deserves, we begin to make up our minds that we are gonna serve God.
iv. The Word of God changes us, changes who we are and changes the way that we choose to live our lives.
Two of our greatest presidents said some pretty important statements about the Bible. George Washington said, “It is impossible to righteously govern the world without God and the Bible.” President Ronald Reagan said, “Within the covers of one single book, the Bible, are all the answers to all the problems that face us today—if only we would read and believe.” If only, friends. If only we would read and believe.
Just as Washington said that it is impossible to righteously govern the world without God and the Bible, it is impossible to live life righteously without God and His word. If only we would return to the Word and return the Word to its rightful place of authority in our lives, I believe that we would begin to see God restoring our lives. You say, “Pastor Scott, my family is falling apart.” Are you in the Word? “My fianaces are in the worst shape I’ve ever seen them in”. Are you in the Word? My wife or my husband is unsaved, my kids are all living in sin. What place do you give to the Word of God in your life?
