Nehemiah 8-10
Posted for: October 5, 2014
If I were going to preach on this passage I would entitle it "Three Essentials for New Life" (probably not the most compelling title...whatever...
and I would have three points: 1. Hear and Obey 2. Confess 3. Commit
Chapter 8 speaks of how the people listened and opened their hearts. They didn't just listen passively, they were listening for action points. As soon as they heard that they weren't celebrating the festival correctly they went out and gathered branches. That's active listening. Sitting in a pew (or chair) and enjoying what is said without ever acting on it isn't helpful. That's why our church has "next steps" for each sermon. We ask "what do you plan to do with the information you have received today?
Confession can be a "next step". We must recognize our guilt and own it, taking responsibility for our failure. Each of us is responsible to admit before God that we have fallen short. Our responsibility doesn't end with admitting it...we must ask to be forgiven. These two actions confirm that we have accepted two truths: 1. God is the authority, not us. 2. God is able to fix it, not us. There is a third, and probably most important truth: 3. God exists. Unless we cry out to God we cannot be saved. The people recognized their sin, recognized that God would forgive if they asked, and were willing to do so.
The third thing I see here is commitment. Saying your sorry is one thing, but agreeing to change is the next step. In the church we call it repentance. Repenting means saying your sorry, and being willing to change and not repeat the behavior. Actually, if you keep doing what you were doing, you might be a little sorry, but not sorry enough to quit (or change). And unless you repent, you aren't forgiven. So we can't just commit sin after sin and smile toward heaven and say "Sorry" and believe that God is going to overlook it. Having said that, some addictions and habits are hard to change and take a long time to overcome. It may require a genuine apology before God many times before the habit is broken. Trust me, I know from experience.
God can deliver you from whatever your problem or habit is immediately. And sometimes He does. But it seems to me that there are other times when He doesn't. I'm not sure why, I'll have to remember to ask when I get to heaven...if it still seems important then.
PR
One of the blessings we have in this country is the ability to have at our fingertips, at any moment, wherever we are... God's word, the Bible. The downside to having it so readily available is that we take it for granted. When we have something so valuable and incredibly important to us, and we set it aside, what a terrible travesty it is, yet I'll bet we all know many people who have Bibles in their homes that never...ever...open them up. I wonder why? Are we too complacent, to apathetic? Because you are reading this blog, my guess is, you do care about the Bible and are interested in reading and hearing what it has to say.
ReplyDeleteIn today's reading, isn't it wonderful to see just how treasured the Law of Moses is to the exiles who have returned to Jerusalem. After being asked by the people, Ezra stands on a platform and begins reading from the Law (this was probably the first five books of the Bible, also known as the Pentateuch). The people when they hear him stand up out of respect and raise their hands in praise, with shouts of Amen, Amen! Ezra read the Bible from daybreak til noon, which would have been about 6 hours (need I remind you they were standing). And they listened attentively! No nodding off, no texting their bff's, no looking at their watches... they listened so attentively and they were filled with praise. And just in case it wasn't clear, the priest instructed the people, helping them to understand what was being read. This reading went on for several days then.
In this day and age, almost everyone has access to a Bible, but very few (even the Christians among us) bother to take even 15 minutes a day to read their bibles. Do you know that if you watch a one hour show there is more that 15 minutes of commercials in it? Wasted time. Do you know what impact 15 minutes of reading your Bible could have on your life? And here's the other part of reading/hearing the Word...the people, after hearing God's Word read to them, acted on what they heard.
In their reading and hearing they realized their was a festival that they had neglected to celebrate. It was known as the Festival of Booths or Feast of Tabernacles. This festival is celebrated usually in late September early October (this year it is October 8th through the 16th). It is a thanksgiving-type celebration that lasts for eight days. The festival helped to remind the Jews that once they lived in tents (Leviticus 23:43) and wandered around without a home. It was a reminder of how they had to rely completely on God during the time of exodus, that God would guide and protect them.
When I read 8:9, it reminded me of a gentleman I knew from another church I attended, he would on occasion be the one reading the Bible during the service and about half way through he would pause, because the tears would well up in his eyes and he'd point at the Bible in front of him, and say... “this is good stuff.” The Jews wept because they realized what "good stuff" was in there and also, because they understood how far away from God they had gone. They mourned and fasted and remembered. How special it is to read God's word with such passion, such connection to the one whose Word it is.
The story of how God saved them was told over and over again. It is always a good idea to remember how Jesus has helped us in the past to realize He will continue to help us in the future.
My prayer for you today is that when you read God's Holy Word, that you will take it into your heart, mind, and soul with this same conviction and understanding and love for the One who gave His Life for you and me.
Blessings
Pastor Kathy