What’s Missing?
Nehemiah 8
all the people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the
scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel.
2 So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law
before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to
understand.
3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the
presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened
attentively to the Book of the Law.
4 Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion.
1. The Word of God is for everyone, v. 1-4
2. The Word of God fosters worship, v. 5-6
5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and
as he opened it, the people all stood up.
6 Ezra praised the Lord , the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded,
"Amen! Amen!" Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
“Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or
disputing.” 1 Timothy 2:8
3. The Word of God brings joy, v. 7-12
7 The Levites-Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita,
Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah -instructed the people in the Law while the people were
standing there.
8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the
people could understand what was being read.
9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing
the people said to them all, "This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep." For
all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
10 Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have
nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your
strength."
11 The Levites calmed all the people, saying, "Be still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve."
12 Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with
great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.
“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they
believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without
someone preaching to them?” Romans 10:14
2
4. The Word of God compels action, v. 13-18
13 On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the
Levites, gathered around Ezra the scribe to give attention to the words of the Law.
14 They found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the
Israelites were to live in booths during the feast of the seventh month
15 and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem:
"Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from
myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make booths"-as it is written.
16 So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves booths on their own
roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate
and the one by the Gate of Ephraim.
17 The whole company that had returned from exile built booths and lived in them. From the days
of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was
very great.
18 Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They
celebrated the feast for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation,
there was an assembly.
What's Missing?
Nehemiah 8
July 22, 2018 • Pastor Allen Bonnell
What will you be remembered for?
September 2, 2018 • Pastor Allen Bonnell
What will you be remembered for? Nehemiah 13:23-31 1. You are remembered for the convictions you hold. 2. You are remembered for the decisions you make/risks you take. “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” Theodore Roosevelt 3. You are remembered for the people you influence. Be loving “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiples kisses.” Proverbs 27:6 Be an encourager Be generous "No man can become rich without himself enriching others. The man who dies rich dies disgraced" -- Andrew Carnegie
Rhythm of Work and Rest
August 26, 2018 • Pastor Brett Martin
Rhythm of Work and Rest Nehemiah 13:15-22 You’re responsible when people follow your example. The world says keep busy and stay nervous. God says work hard, then go to bed. Set rhythms and have others help you keep them. Resting provides fine tuning for hearing God’s voice in the midst of the static of life. Opportunities for rest: Time: Listen: Sleep: Life Together: The sabbath is not about resting perfectly but resting in the One who is perfect. Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Reform
August 19, 2018 • Pastor Allen Bonnell
REFORM Nehemiah 13:1-14 Knowledge is knowing what to do; wisdom is doing it. I need to _________________________________. Nehemiah 13:1 On that day the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people and there it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be admitted into the assembly of God, 2 because they had not met the Israelites with food and water but had hired Balaam to call a curse down on them. (Our God, however, turned the curse into a blessing.) 3 When the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all who were of foreign descent. 1. Do what you know to do. Transformation doesn’t happen without reformation. 2. Stop doing what you know not to do. Nehemiah 13:4 Before this, Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God. He was closely associated with Tobiah, 5 and he had provided him with a large room formerly used to store the grain offerings and incense and temple articles, and also the tithes of grain, new wine and oil prescribed for the Levites, singers and gatekeepers, as well as the contributions for the priests. 6 But while all this was going on, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had returned to the king. Some time later I asked his permission 7 and came back to Jerusalem. Here I learned about the evil thing Eliashib had done in providing Tobiah a room in the courts of the house of God. 8 I was greatly displeased and threw all Tobiah's household goods out of the room. 9 I gave orders to purify the rooms, and then I put back into them the equipment of the house of God, with the grain offerings and the incense. “It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it 'a den of robbers.'" Matthew 21:13 3. Surround yourself with the right people. Nehemiah 13:10I also learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been given to them, and that all the Levites and singers responsible for the service had gone back to their own fields. 11So I rebuked the officials and asked them, "Why is the house of God neglected?" Then I called them together and stationed them at their posts. 12All Judah brought the tithes of grain, new wine and oil into the storerooms. 13I put Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and a Levite named Pedaiah in charge of the storerooms and made Hanan son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah, their assistant, because these men were considered trustworthy. They were made responsible for distributing the supplies to their brothers. 14Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services. “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” Proverbs 4:7