Nehemiah: A Blueprint for Revival Expectant Expository Exultation * Nehemiah 8

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1 Nehemiah: A Blueprint for Revival Expectant Expository Exultation * Nehemiah 8 Please take your Bibles and turn with me to Nehemiah 8. While you are turning, in order to set the stage for our passage today, I d like to tell you a story about one of my personal heroes, William Wilberforce, the man primarily responsible for the abolition of slavery throughout the British Empire in the early 19 th century. Wilberforce was first elected to Parliament in 1780 at the age of 21 and four years later came to faith in Jesus Christ. Shortly after that, largely influenced by the former slave trader John Newton, whom we know as the author of the hymn Amazing Grace, Wilberforce began a long and difficult campaign against slavery. He proposed his first parliamentary bill in 1788 but was defeated over and over again until successfully seeing it abolished in By that time most of his fellow abolitionists had grown old, and some had even died. Wilberforce himself suffered greatly in the cause, both physically and financially. Yet, on the very day the battle was won, he looked at his old friend Henry Thorton and said, Well, Henry, what shall we abolish next? 1 I tell you this story because that s pretty much where Nehemiah finds himself in chapter 8. As we saw last week, the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem has been completed, and in record time. However, Nehemiah has bigger things in mind than simply reconstructing a wall, as great of an accomplishment as that was. And so, once the wall is complete, he moves on to his primary objective, and that is to see a spiritual revival take place amongst the Jewish people. One commentator explains it this way: His commission from God was far more comprehensive than that of merely rebuilding the defenses of Jerusalem. The wall was merely the first step in the rebuilding of a nation. And along with Ezra, Nehemiah was to lay foundations for national reforms that would continue to make their impact for more than four centuries until the coming of Christ. 2 1 Boice, J. M. (2005). Nehemiah: an expositional commentary (p. 88). Grand Rapids, MI: BakerBooks. 2 John White, Excellence in Leadership: Reaching Goals with Prayer, Courage and Determination (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1986), 103.

2 So, the first seven chapters of Nehemiah focus on the rebuilding of the wall. However, now that the wall is finished, attention shifts to the spiritual lives of the people, and today in chapter 8 we are going to see that this results in a re-commitment to corporate worship, specifically to the preaching of God s Word. To set this in the framework we have been using in this series, today we are going to see that the central aspect of a blueprint for revival is what I am going to call Expectant Expository Exultation. Now, I know that s a mouthful, but I hope by the time we are done you will understand exactly what I am talking about. And before we get into the text, I want to make a quick personal note. In June of 1999, 16 years ago right now, I heard a message on Nehemiah 8 that God used to completely change the direction of my life and to ultimately lead me into pastoral ministry. I m preaching to you from Nehemiah 8 today in part because God has done a great work in my own heart from this text, and I hope and pray that he will do something similar for many of you. So, with that said, let s read Nehemiah 8:1-8: And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the LORD had commanded Israel. [2] So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. [3] And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. [4] And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and 2

3 Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. [5] And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. [6] And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people answered, Amen, Amen, lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. [7] Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law, while the people remained in their places. [8] They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading. (Nehemiah 8:1-8 ESV) Ok, in these verses we see three things that should characterize the corporate worship gatherings of our church. Corporate worship is one of our core values at Harmony, and here in Nehemiah 8 we see that it should normally include three things. 1. Expectation (v. 1-5) First, corporate worship should include expectation. You will note in v. 1 that it is the people who tell the pastor to get out the Bible. Now, I don t know about you, but in every church service I have ever been in the pastor tells the congregation to get out their Bibles, but here it s the other way around. The people are telling the pastor to bring out God s Word. They are urging Ezra to preach it to them! Not only that, but v. 3 says that all of them were attentive to what was being said, and as I mentioned a few minutes ago, this wasn t just for a few moments but for six hours! What s more, you will note in v. 5 that when Ezra opens the book, the people immediately stand up. Now, what s this about? I can remember way back in elementary school being required to stand up anytime an adult walked into the room. Why? Well, it was a sign of respect. We were required to show respect to those in authority. And that s what the people are doing here. They are showing respect for God s authoritative Word. 3

4 Now, here s the application for us. When we gather on Sunday mornings we should do so expectantly desirous of hearing God s Word and then willingly submit ourselves to its authority in our lives. We should cultivate a hunger to hear from God and a willingness to do what he tells us to do and to become what he wants us to become. And Harmony, I think this is an area where we have a lot of room for growth and so I want to challenge you to come to corporate worship expecting and desirous of hearing God s Word being preached. I want to challenge you to give it your full attention for the entirety of the message. And most of all I want to challenge you to place yourselves under its authority and give it the respect it is due. Let s talk for a second about why we should do so. I want to be clear it s ultimately not about this Book, but rather what or whom the Book represents. This book is God s Word. In it, the God of the universe, the one who created all things, including you and me, is communicating with us. Therefore, to ignore this Book or to fail to give it the attention and respect it is due is to ignore and disrespect God himself. Are you beginning to see how serious of an issue this is? Let me get really practical with you for a moment. If we are to grow in this area it means preparing ahead of time. By this I mean corporate worship starts when we get up on Sunday mornings, if not the night before. It means getting our hearts and minds ready to hear from the Lord and not waiting until the preacher steps into the pulpit to engage. It also means doing our very best to be on time and to be in our seats before the service begins and ready and waiting to hear from the Lord. Let me get specific with you; at both of our current campuses our auditorium attendance nearly doubles within the first 10 minutes of the service. One of the big reasons for this is that many of you are out in the foyer talking. And I want to gently and lovingly encourage you to fellowship with one another as much as you want before 10:00 and after 11:20, but when it s 10:00 to be in your seat and ready to go. I am very thankful for all of the fellowship that 4

5 goes on, but listen; your fellowship can t and shouldn t replace your corporate worship. 2. Exultation (v. 6) The second thing corporate worship should include is exultation. Look at v. 6 again: And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, Amen, Amen, lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. All right, we can see in this verse that the people s expectation of hearing from the Lord leads them to participate in worshiping the Lord. Can you see that? Their expectation lead to exultation, which by the way is the whole point of corporate worship. That is what corporate worship is about. It s about gathering to worship the Lord together. So, the primary thing we need to grab hold of from v. 6 is that corporate worship should be participatory. Corporate worship isn t a spectator sport. It s not something we observe, it s something we participate in. As our corporate worship leaders lead, whether that is in singing, or praying, or preaching, we should worship right along with them. Let me make something really clear. Those of us on the stage aren t performers, we are facilitators. We are here to guide you in your worship, but we re not here to do it for you, we re here to do it with you. Now, you will note in our text that the people express their worship in three ways. First, they do so vocally by agreeing with what Ezra is saying. That s what the word amen means. It means to agree that what someone says is true. Second, they worship by raising their hands, signaling their recognition and understanding of the glory of God and the fact that he deserves to be praised. 5

6 Let me take a moment here to answer a question that some of you might have. If you have ever wondered if it s ok to raise your hands in worship, this passage shows us the answer is what? The answer is yes. In fact, the Bible would actually encourage us to do so. For example, in 1 Timothy 2:8, Paul says this: I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling. (1 Timothy 2:8 ESV) So, yes, it s not only ok to raise our hands in worship, it s something we are encouraged to do. Now, that said, let me give this caveat; it s ok to vocally and physically respond in worship as long as your desire is to praise the Lord and not to draw attention to yourself. Third, the people worship by bowing their heads and humbling themselves before the Lord. And this is what corporate worship should really be; alternating between humility before the greatness of God and exalting in his glory. In fact, let me say this. Biblical corporate worship should result both in humility and rejoicing, and we are going to see why that is the case in just a moment. 3. Exposition (v. 7-8) So, we ve seen that corporate worship should include first, expectation, then second, exultation, and now third and most importantly, exposition. Look at v. 7-8, picking up after all of the names in v. 7: The Levites, helped the people to understand the Law, while the people remained in their places. They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading. Let me try and give you a picture of what is going on here. Ezra is up on a platform surrounded by thirteen Levites; six on one side, and seven on 6

7 another. These fourteen men are taking turns reading aloud God s Word. And as they do there are another thirteen Levites scattered amongst the congregation, interpreting what has been read and helping the people understand what it means. In fact, I want to point out that the word understand is the most important word in this passage, as it is used 4 times in these eight verses. This passage is all about the importance of understanding God s Word. And so, what we have going on here is what is known as expository preaching. You ve probably heard me use this term before, but let me make sure you understand what it means. Expository preaching is where the preacher reads God s Word, exposes or explains what it means and then attempts to help his hearers apply it to their lives, to understand what it means for them. So, at the bottom line, expository preaching is the explanation and application of God s Word. Now, let s talk about why expository preaching is such a big deal. Expository preaching is the preaching method we use here at Harmony about 95% of the time, and I want to explain to you why that is so. It really comes down to this: the power and effectiveness of preaching comes not from human words but from God s. What we need from preaching isn t advice, or helpful suggestions, or compelling stories, but rather the explanation and application of God s Word, because that is where the power for life change resides. Listen, while you may or may not find what I have to say interesting and helpful, my words will never change your life. However, you can know for sure that this Word will. Why is that the case? Well, here is what Hebrews 4:12 tells us: For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. [13] And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:12-13 ESV) In other words, the Word of God is powerful, and when it is accurately 7

8 preached and applied, it will transform those who hear and obey it. And so listen, you can hear preaching that will get you excited and make you feel good, but if that preaching doesn t come from God s Word, it will ultimately have no lasting effect in your life. This, by the way, is why there are so many anemic churches and Christians today. When the Word of God isn t preached, people aren t saved, Christians don t grow, and the church fails to fulfill the mission God has called it to. To put it another way, here s how the book of Proverbs describes it: Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint. (Proverbs 29:18 ESV) Let me do a quick exposition of this verse for you. Prophetic vision means word from the Lord. So, where there is no word from the Lord, i.e., where God s Word isn t preached, people cast off restraint or another way to put it is that people run into all kinds of wickedness. This verse gives perhaps the best description of the where our culture is today. Why is there so much wickedness going on, both inside and outside of the church? It s because God s Word isn t being preached, and so people are running into all kinds of wickedness. Two Result of Expectant Expository Exultation Which leads to this. Let s talk about the effects of expectant expository exaltation. What happens when people expect to hear God s Word, they do hear God s Word, and they worship God as a result? Take a look with me now at v Note what happens when the people hear the exposition of God s Word: And 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 wept as they heard 8

9 the words of the Law. [10] Then he said to them, Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength. [11] So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved. [12] And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them. (Nehemiah 8:9-12 ESV) 1. Sorrow over sin. From these verses we can see two results of expectant expository exaltation. The first is sorrow over sin. As Ezra and the Levites begin to preach God s Word, the people begin to mourn and weep over the fact that they have failed to keep God s commandments. You see, this is what God s Word does; it exposes our sin and reveals where we have fallen short of what he desires. In a real way the Bible is a mirror that exposes what we are really like. This is important because we have a tendency to deceive ourselves into thinking we are doing ok. We have a real habit of deluding ourselves about the sin in our lives and what God thinks about how we are living. And listen, I know our initial response to the fact that expository preaching produces sorrow is likely not a positive one. I mean, none of us want to hear preaching that makes us feel bad, right? I m guessing none of you came here today to hear how bad you are. We d all much rather hear an encouraging message that makes us feel warm and fuzzy. But here s the problem. We all have sin in our lives that is doing us great harm, and unless that sin is exposed by God s Word, we are almost assuredly going to continue in that sin and continue reaping it s consequences. You do realize that sin has consequences, don t you? And so the thing we need the most isn t to be told that we are doing ok, but rather shown where there is sin in our lives so we can be healed and experience the blessings that come from repentance. 9

10 2. Joy That said, there is another result of expectant expository exultation, and that is joy. In v. 9 it s interesting to note that when the people begin to mourn and weep, Nehemiah steps back into the picture immediately. Nehemiah was a layperson, and so he wasn t initially involved in the preaching. However, when he sees how the people respond to God s Word, he quickly jumps in and encourages them that it s not a time for mourning or weeping, but rather for joy. Now, why would Nehemiah say this? How could he say this? Well, it all has to do with the fact that not only does God s Word point out our sin, but it also provides us with the remedy for that sin. You see, the Bible never simply tells us what we are doing wrong. The Bible is not like the spouse or parent or teacher who constantly badgers us about where we fall short, without providing any instruction on how to make things right. The Bible doesn t wound us just to wound us. No, it wounds us so that we might be healed. The Bible points out where we are wrong, so it can show us how we can be made right. Let me take you to Romans 3 for moment. Let s pick up in v. 23. Paul writes: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, [24] and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:23-24 ESV) You see, God never points out our problem without also providing us with the solution. The people in our story today were going to have a great illustration of this truth in just 10 days when they observed the Day of Atonement, the most important religious festival on the Jewish calendar. On that day, the high priest would take a goat and offer it as a sacrifice for the people s sins. Then, he would take a second goat, known as the scapegoat, and send it off into the wilderness, representing the fact that the people s sins had been carried away. And this is why Nehemiah could tell the people to rejoice. Because, yes, they were guilty, but God was going to take their guilt away. 10

11 And you know what brothers and sisters, today we have even more reason to rejoice than the Jews in our story did. You see, they had a Day of Atonement every year. They had to make sacrifices for their sins over and over again. We, however, through the blood of Jesus, have been made right with God once and for all. Hebrews 10 tells us this: But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. (Hebrews 10:12, 14 ESV) You know what, this would be a really good place for an amen or two. As believers in Jesus, we don t have to pay for our sins in any way. We don t have to make sacrifices again and again, because Jesus paid for them in full 2,000 years ago. As a result, we can leave this place today rejoicing. So, let me finish with this. The ultimate goal of our corporate worship services is for you to leave rejoicing at what God has done for you in Jesus Christ, because it is this joy and this joy alone that will give you the strength you need to live for him. This, by the way, is what you came in here looking for today. You came looking for satisfaction. For contentment. For joy. And brothers and sisters, I am here to tell you today, and every Sunday, that true joys comes only from being made right with God and knowing that your debt has been paid in full. Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers by Chris Carr. You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that: (1) you credit the author, (2) any modifications are clearly marked, (3) you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction, (4) you include Harmony Bible Church s website address ( on the copied resource. 11

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