Berean Break
Mar. 7, 2004 broadcast
And All The People Answered
AMEN
by George Sinkie
Good
Morning and welcome to the Berean Break, my name is George Sinkie
and I am so glad that you have tuned in to the program today.
On todays program we are going to learn some lessons that
are taught in the Old Testament - not that we live under the
Old Law but because God desires that we learn principles from
it. The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 15:4
4 For whatever was written
in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through
perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might
have hope.
Before we go into this lesson,
lets go to God in prayer,
Great God and Father, We thank
You for this day in our lives, We thank You for this time today,
When we can share Your word. Be with us that we will open
our minds to Your will. Thank You for Your Word that gives
us all truth. Thank You also for Your Son, Jesus. Who
died for us that we can be saved. Help us to obey Your
will so we can obtain that salvation. In Jesus Name,
we pray !! AMEN !!
The
Old Testament is not the covenant that we live under today, but
it still has a purpose for us today. Those people who look
at the Old Testament as merely interesting reading
deprive themselves of a great blessing. The Old Testament
teaches numerous lessons that can be helpful in living the Christian
life today. One such example lesson can be found in Nehemiah
8:1-12. Lets look at this section of Scripture and
see what we can learn.
First, notice the assembly in verses
one and two,
1 And all the people gathered
as one man at the square which was in front of the Water Gate,
and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of
Moses which the Lord had given to Israel.
2 Then
Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women,
and all who could listen with understanding, on the first day
of the seventh month.
Did
you notice how the people gathered together? The people
gathered as one man, indicating they possessed an
attitude and atmosphere of unity. Today, God desires that
his people display that same unity. Listen to the words
of Jesus as He prayed to the Father concerning all who would
be His followers, John recorded these words in John 17:22-23,
22 And the glory which Thou
hast given Me I have given to them; that they may be one,
just as We are one;
23 I
in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity,
that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love
them, even as Thou didst love Me.
Also
notice what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:10-11
10 Now I exhort you, brethren,
by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree, and
there be no divisions among you, but you be made complete in
the same mind and in the same judgment.
11 For
I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloes
people, that there are quarrels among you.
Yes
friends, God wants His people to be united. Unfortunately,
many people misunderstand the Bibles teaching concerning
unity. Denominations often reach out to other denominations,
proclaiming their desire for unity. But Paul was not writing
about unity among denominations! In fact, denominations
did not even exist at the time Paul wrote to the church at Corinth.
Denominations are all products of men and came much later.
Paul was stressing the need for unity in Christs
church, not a denomination.
Many people want to ignore their
doctrinal differences, compromise the truth, and thus seek unity
at all costs. But how can we have the unity God desires?
Consider Pauls words to the church in Ephesus, Ephesians
4:1-6
1 I, therefore, the prisoner
of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling
with which you have been called,
2 with all humility and
gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another
in love,
3 being diligent to preserve
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body and
one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your
calling;
5 one Lord, one faith,
one baptism,
6 one God and Father of
all who is over all and through all and in all.
When
men discard their own creeds, catechisms, and opinions and instead
choose to strictly adhere to the plain teachings found in Gods
Word, unity will be possible.
That leads us to another point
we can see here in Nehemiah 8 concerning the assembly, the people
which include men and women who had understanding, wanted Ezra
to bring the book of the law of Moses. These people had
a desire to know Gods Word. Imagine a dog running on a
hot summer day. Now can you see the dog, hot and tired
after his exercise, sitting with his tongue hanging out, panting
for water because of his thirst? Friends, we ought to have
that same thirst, only for Gods Word. Consider what
the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 119:131
131 I opened my mouth wide and panted, For
I longed for Thy commandments.
Jesus
also said in the Beatitudes, recorded for us in Matthew 5:6
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst
for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Do
you have a hunger for Gods Word? Do you seek out
opportunities to hear Gods Word? Do you study Gods
Word regularly? Do you read His Word often? Only
Gods word, nothing else, can satisfy mans spiritual
needs.
Lets go on now in Nehemiah
and see another point. Notice these words from Nehemiah 8:3
3 And he read from it (that is the Word of God, GAS) before the square which
was in front of the Water Gate from early morning until midday,
in the presence of men and women, those who could understand;
and all the people were attentive to the book of the law.
The
people in Nehemiahs day were attentive to what they heard,
indicating they concentrated on what was being said. They
listened carefully. Reading the Bible will be of no benefit
to us unless we pay attention to what we read.
Notice what the people were paying
attention to Gods Word! Many people today
are led astray because they pay attention to the words of men,
contained in creeds and catechisms. They pay attention
to the philosophies of men. They pay attention to the opinions
of men. But they fail to pay attention to the simple Word
of God.
Also, this text from Nehemiah teaches
us that the Bible can be understood! Many people fail to
study the Bible because they believe they are incapable of understanding
what it teaches. For years religious leaders in man-made
religions have promoted this false concept so that their rulers
can maintain control over the people. But friends, think
for a moment. What kind of god would give us a Bible that
could not be understood by the common man? An uncaring
god! An unloving god! But the God of the Bible is
not unloving or uncaring. He wants us to understand His
will for us! God has given us a book that can be understood
by the common man. Notice Pauls words to the church
at Ephesus, recorded in Ephesians 3:1-4
1 For this reason I, Paul,
the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles
2 if indeed you have heard
of the stewardship of Gods grace which was given to me
for you;
3 that by revelation there
was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief.
4 And by referring to this,
when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery
of Christ
Dont
merely rely on others to tell you what the Bible teaches. Go
to the Bible and check it out for yourself. Notice how
Luke contrasted the Bereans with those in Thessalonica, in Acts
17:11
11 Now these were more noble-minded than
those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great
eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these
things were so.
Friends,
another point we notice from our text in Nehemiah is the peoples
attitude. Notice Nehemiah 8:5-6
5 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.
6 Then
Ezra blessed the Lord the great God. And all the people
answered, Amen, Amen! while lifting up their hands;
then they bowed low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to
the ground.
The
people stood when the book was read. This was a sign of
their respect for Gods Word.
Further, Ezra blessed the Lord.
The word blessed can have several meanings,
depending upon the way it is used. The word blessed
as used in our text from Nehemiah, means to speak well
of or to praise.
Here we also see that when the
word was read, the people answered, Amen meaning,
let it be done or let it be true. Friends,
these people were in agreement with Gods word. Sadly,
many today choose to argue with what they read in the scriptures.
One example of this is when we read Mark 16:16
16 He who has believed and has been baptized
shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
Godly
people will say Amen, Amen to that teaching, but
most people I share this verse with, try to explain how baptism
is not needed to be saved. I even had one man give me a
guarantee that baptism was not necessary for salvation. Which
would you trust your eternal soul to - Gods word or a mans
guarantee? I choose Gods word.
Our last point from our text is
the peoples awareness of their sins. In Nehemiah 8:8-9
8 And they read from the
book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that
they understood the reading.
9 Then
Nehemiah, who was the governor, and 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
or weep. For all the people were weeping when they
heard the words of the law.
The
people were mourning because they had been convicted of their
sins. They had neglected Gods restrictions concerning
marriage, failed to keep the Sabbath, and had forsaken Gods
house.
When we hear Gods word, we
too ought to be convicted of our sins and mourn. The apostle
Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 7:10
10 For the sorrow that is
according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret,
leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
But
same word of God that causes us to mourn can also bring us joy.
When we repent of our sins and make the necessary corrections,
we can experience the joy of salvation, the joy of forgiveness,
but we must obey Gods will to have this joy.
What can we learn from Nehemiah?
We can learn that God expects us to assemble to hear His
word, to give our attention to His word, to have the proper attitude
toward His word, and to be aware of the changes His word demands
of us. |