1-20-25 Nehemiah 8:13-18a

SPEAKER 01 : 0:08

Welcome to Expository Truths, where we exalt Christ by bringing clarity of truth through the scriptures with Dr. John Kyle, pastor of Faith Community Church in Vacaville. As Christians, we are called to know the truth and be able to proclaim it. We can know the truth when we know the word of God, which is precise, without error, powerful, and effective for both salvation and spiritual growth. Let’s join Pastor Kyle as he takes us verse by verse through the book of Nehemiah, an incredible book showing us how God sovereignly used the faithfulness of Nehemiah to lead the people to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem in the midst of many mighty and powerful enemies.

SPEAKER 02 : 0:58

Please turn in your Bibles to Nehemiah chapter 8, verses 13 through 18. Nehemiah 8 says, 13 through 18 now remember nehemiah was a faithful jewish man who was living in the capital city of the persian empire shushan also known as susa and nehemiah was a cupbearer to king artaxerxes as we saw the good hand of god led nehemiah to go to jerusalem where the people were in great distress and reproach and where the walls of the city were still in ruins and look God used Nehemiah to lead the people in rebuilding the wall in 52 days, an absolutely amazing work of God. But now what? Well, do more to help the city return to its former glory, of course, which Nehemiah will continue to do. But even more, help to bring spiritual reformation for the people who have been living in mediocrity and rebellion for way too long. The good news is that the wall-building project lit a fire under the people, and so as we saw at the Feast of the Trumpets on the first day of Tishri, which is the seventh month in 444 B.C., as the people were gathered together as one man to celebrate in Jerusalem… there was indeed a spiritual hunger in the people. They were eager and they were ready and they had no problem with Ezra reading God’s word to them for hours and hours. In fact, they loved it. As Ezra read it and as others helped the people to understand what was being read. And good news, they did understand because their response makes that clear. Look, they wept when they heard the words of of the law why clarity they now understood their own sin and what that sin did and so they rightly wept which revealed their sorrow and repentance over their sin The good news is that they didn’t remain in that state of weeping because when you’ve truly sorrowed and repented over your sin, and when you’ve gone to God with that sin, you can then know that you now stand forgiven, which will then lead to great joy. And as this day was a day of the feast of trumpets, a time to eat, a time to celebrate, a time to rejoice, the people were now truly able to do that which they did. What a day. What a day. Now what? Day 2, let’s look, verse 8. Now on the second day, the heads of the fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and Levites, were gathered to Ezra the scribe in order to understand the words of the law. And they found written in the law, which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month. and that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, Go out to the mountain and bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of leafy trees to make booths as it is written. We’ll stop here for now. And here in today’s passage, we can note five wonderful events, the first being this, that the leaders gathered together to understand the law. So again, yesterday, the first day, the first day of Tishri, the Feast of Trumpets, was truly an amazing day, a day to come together, a day to celebrate. Weep much, yes, but also rejoice much as everyone turned their hearts to the Lord. That evening, all the families went back home, however. The heads of fathers’ houses, together with the priests and with the Levites, they either came back to Jerusalem the very next day, or else they just stayed in the city for a meeting the very next day. So it’s now day two, the second day. And look, these leaders are now gathered together once again in Jerusalem to hear Ezra and perhaps some of the others read and study God’s law, God’s word together. See, they want more. They want more. Yesterday gave them a taste of the wisdom and power of the Word of God. And these leaders understood their responsibility. And so they came back to hear more of the Word of God. So they could first get it into their own heads and into their own hearts. And then, so they could then teach it to others. Look, what do we need to live successfully in this life? Really, truly, eternally, successfully. We need the truth. Lies won’t cut it, right? We need the truth so that we can not only know how we must live here, but also so we can know how we can live forever in glory. God’s Word is that truth. Oh yeah, liars are all around us who will tell us things that we want to hear, but those things lead to misery and hell in the end. No, only the truth will cut it. And the God who made you and everything else has revealed ultimate truth to us in His book. Psalm 119, 7-11 tells us a few important facts about the Word of God. First, it says that it’s perfect. Perfect means complete, comprehensive, without defect or blemish, whole, undefiled, of utmost integrity, sound and wholesome. Talking about the Word of God. In other words, the Word of God lacks nothing in order that it might be what it should be. It is complete as a revelation of divine truth in order that it might be what it should be. It’s complete as a revelation of divine truth and it’s complete as a rule of conduct. See, the Word of God covers every aspect of life. It isn’t deficient in any way. It’s an all-sufficient revelation. Therefore, as one says, no matter what our sins may have been or our problems are, the Bible is able to turn us from our sins, amen to that, lead us through our problems and and both feed and enrich us so that we’re able to enjoy the full benefits of spiritual life. And that’s absolutely right. And so, we have everything we need in the written Word of God. It’s perfect. It’s complete. It lacks nothing. It’s fully sufficient for us. It’s flawless. It’s reliable. It tells us everything that God wants us to know about Him, about life, about salvation, about sin, and about everything else. Second, Psalm 19 says the Word of God is sure, it’s certain, it’s firm, it’s dependable. This shows us that in a world of lies and in a world of uncertainty, we can stake our present and our future on God’s testimony or witness concerning Himself. Because His Word is truth and therefore God’s testimony is worthy of our trust. This means that anything that doesn’t agree with God’s Word is a lie. This means that the Bible is to be our one and only standard for life. This means that the Bible is our one authority. And the wise soul is the one who submits to that godly, truthful authority. Look, because God is the maker of us all, then He has authority over all. And because God is the author of the Scriptures, then His Scriptures have inherent authority. The implication for our lives then is that we are to receive the words of the Bible as God’s words and we are to respond to that accordingly. Now, the outworking of God’s authority in Scripture can be summarized by a few statements. One, Scripture isn’t a derived authority bestowed by humans. No, instead, Scripture is the original authority of God. Two, it doesn’t change with the times, the culture, the nation, or the ethnic background. No, instead, Scripture is the unalterable authority of God. Three, Scripture isn’t one authority among many possible spiritual authorities. No. Instead, Scripture is the exclusive spiritual authority of God. Four, Scripture isn’t an authority that can be successfully challenged or rightfully overthrown. No. Instead, Scripture is a permanent authority of God. Five, Scripture isn’t a relativistic or subordinate authority. No. Instead, Scripture is the ultimate authority of God. Six, Scripture isn’t merely a suggestive authority. No. Instead, Scripture is the binding authority of God. Now, why stress all of that? Because people today don’t live like they believe this even in the church today. People have become their own authority. And so they fashion their God and their doctrine and their practice to their own liking, but what will they do in the end when they have to answer to God? See, look, God makes the rules, we don’t. God sets the standards, we don’t. God tells us what’s true and what’s false. We don’t. God tells us how He wants us to live. We don’t. God tells us what sin is and what sin isn’t. We don’t. And it doesn’t matter. If the doctrine you believe is unpopular, what does God say is the issue? It doesn’t matter if your Christian faith goes against the currents of society and culture. What does God say is the issue? See, our standard is the Word of God. His Word alone is truth. And our call is to believe it, to submit to it, and to obey it, because Scripture alone is truth, and Scripture alone is our authority. Third from Psalm 19, God’s Word is right. Yashar, which means righteous, straight, upright, just, and correct. That means that the Scripture gives us the right path to walk on, in contrast to the way that leads to death and to misery. Fourth, God’s Word is pure, which means that it’s without hypocrisy, it’s without blemish. Unlike the other sacred books of the other so-called religions, God’s Word alone is pure, clean, radiant, and without fault. You say, no, John, God’s Word is filled with contradictions. No, it’s not. And while there are tensions that are hard for our human minds to comprehend, and while there are indeed some difficult passages, there are no contradictions in the Bible. And God’s Word is indeed coherent, consistent, and true. And think about this. Even though the Bible was written by approximately 40 different authors over a period of around 1,500 years, and even though each writer wrote with a different style, from a different perspective, and to a different audience, and for a different purpose, look. God’s Word is indeed pure and true because God is the one who wrote it through divine inspiration. See, you don’t have to be afraid to ask the hard questions of the Bible. No, go ahead and ask them. We have nothing to fear if it’s true and it’s true. So ask the hard questions and watch as God’s Word passes every test because it’s true. Fifth, His Word is clean. Clean means pure, genuine, flawless, and free from impurity. And then six, God’s Word is true and righteous. True refers to faithfulness, reliability, and trustworthiness, while righteousness suggests conformity to a moral standard. See, there’s nothing impure, false, or unrighteous in the Word of God. What’s the point of all this? This, that God has given us a book, a perfect book of That gives us everything that we need to know for life and for salvation forever. And woe to us if we overlook this amazing gift from God to us. And the people in Nehemiah’s day had been overlooking that for many years to their own detriment. But now they’ve woken up and they’ve seen their great need for the truth of God. They’ve repented and look, they’re hungry for more. And I love that. They’re hungry for more. So here they are, the leaders gathered together for a feast, not a feast of food, not now, but for a feast of the Word of God. I’m hungry. I’m hungry. I’m starving. I need more. Feed me. That’s how they felt spiritually. So here they are. The family heads were responsible for the lifestyle of their extended family. The priests were select men from the tribe of Levi who were called to lead in worship and to serve as mediators between men and God. And then the Levites were also men from the tribe of Levi who assisted the priests. All the priests were to be Levites, but not all Levites were priests. But here you have the religious leaders of the people along with the family leaders coming together to read and to study more of the Word of God. How good is that? How good is that? See, they aren’t content with what they already know. No, they want more. And so should we. And that’s a challenge for all of us here right now, myself included. See, you are responsible for yourself first, and then for any who are under your spiritual care and authority. Elders to the church, husbands and fathers to their families, parents to their children, and then everyone else to yourself, even if your only responsibility is to yourself. So here’s a question. Could you say that you’re an expert in the Word of God like Ezra was? Why not? Why not? Why not? I mean, at least why aren’t you seeking to be if you’re not? You say, because I’m not a preacher and that’s the preacher’s job. Okay, okay. But why let that be an excuse when you know that knowing God’s Word more is the best thing that you can do for your soul? See? Because it helps you draw nearer, ever nearer to the God of the Word, the God whom you love. Don’t you see we settle for way too little? And the challenge is to get more of God’s Word, which is true and powerful, into our heads and into our hearts so that we can then give it out, well, get it in there and affect our lives, but then so we can give it out to those around us, especially to those who are under our care. And please note that I’m not talking about knowing a bunch of big words. No, I’m talking about knowing the Word of God better because we love the God of the Word. You want spiritual revival, refreshing and restoration? You want true wisdom so that you can be skilled in all aspects of godly living? Do you want more joy in your life? Do you want to be enlightened in the things that truly matter so that you don’t waste your precious life away on things that rust and rot and fade? Do you? Psalm 19 tells us that all of that comes from the Word of God. Henry Law wrote that the Bible is the richest treasure in the world. It’s a transcript of God’s heart. It’s a compass through souls and rocks amid winds and waves to heaven’s eternal rest. It’s a solace for every hour. It cheers when other comforts fail. Its readers become more wise and more holy. The Bible is from heaven and it leads to heaven. Why wouldn’t we want more of that? Wisdom says to dive in. John Piper says, I love the Bible the way I love my eyes. Not because my eyes are lovely, but because without them, I can’t see what’s lovely. And the Bible is what shows us what’s lovely, right? Our Lord and how to know Him are all in all, and how to please Him, and how to be with Him and glorify Him forever. This applies to us today. See, neglecting God’s Word helps absolutely no one. Knowing little of God’s Word makes for weak Christians. And I don’t want to be a weak Christian, do you? I didn’t think so. So here these leaders are and they’re making sure that they get fed so that they can then turn around and feed others. Wait, what does that say? What does that mean? Explain that again to me. How can I apply that to my life? Tell me again. Let’s talk about that. See, they were eager to learn more of God’s Word because they now understood what truly matters. They’re ready to stop playing around and wasting their lives away, and now they’re focused on the things that have eternal value, and so here they are. But look, as they listened to the reading of the Scriptures along with the explanation of it, the men discovered something that it seems they had forgotten. This shows us how much they really had been neglecting the word before. I mean, they didn’t even know about the requirements and the law to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles or the Feast of Booths, which was also called the Feast of Ingathering. It seems that during the 70 years of exile in Babylon, neither those who were left in the land nor those who had been deported to Babylon were able to celebrate this feast. Almost a century had passed since the initial return to Jerusalem following the decree of Cyrus. And apart from an initial celebration of Passover following the return, there had been no further celebrations of the Feast of Booths. A hundred years. A hundred years. So they’re out of practice, right? Right? And they also haven’t been reading their Bibles, which at that time consisted of Genesis through Deuteronomy. But as the men gathered that morning in the city, and as they listened to passages being read from Leviticus and Deuteronomy being read and explained to them, it was all too clear what they needed to do. It was time to gather branches and make booths and celebrate this feast once again. And that is so good. I mean, I love their eagerness to obey. Remember how the day before the people wept when they heard the Word of God? That weeping was real, and it indicated their heartfelt repentance, their heartfelt turning away from their sin and to the Lord once again. But an indicator of true repentance is an immediate desire to obey God’s Word, and here we see that. The Feast of Tabernacles? The Feast of Booths? I just read about that. That’s just around the corner. Remember? We need to let the people know. We need to get ready for it. And so they took action. And there was no negotiating. There was no delaying. No, just do it. And that makes sense. For wholehearted, happy obedience to God is what Scripture demands to those who know the joy of being forgiven. That makes sense. Romans 6.17 But thanks be to God that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed. What? God has forgiven me? He’s forgiven me. I love Him and love compels me to gladly obey Him now. See, that’s how it works. Ephesians 6.6 says that Christians are servants of Christ who do the will of God from the heart Gladly, I mean, right? Because we love Him. And we want to please Him. And look, the men’s obedience was immediate. As soon as they knew what God demanded of them, that they went to go out. To the hills and bring branches of olive and wild olive and myrtle and palm and leafy branches, leafy trees. When they heard that, they immediately acted on that. I mean, no questions were asked. No excuses were made. No delay was given. No, they immediately got to it. And that’s what the lovers of God do. They obey. Martin Luther said, faith is a busy little thing. Oh, it’s a living, busy, active, mighty thing, this faith. It’s impossible for it not to be doing good work incessantly. It doesn’t ask whether good work are to be done, but before the question is asked, it’s already done them and is constantly doing them. And that makes sense. I love my wife. I tell my wife I love her. She says, cool. But don’t just say it. Show me you love me. Because actions speak louder than words. And the Bible is very clear about that. It says, go and do. It says, don’t just be hearers of the Word, but be doers of the Word. It says, whoever practices righteousness is righteous. And so, while we aren’t saved by works in any way, no, we’re saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Look, works, obedience, actions prove our salvation, and it proves our love for the Lord. And the immediate response by these people was a great sign. They knew that God was telling them to do something. And so they acted gladly, willingly, and wholeheartedly. Amen to that. Now, the first thing to do was to let everyone know. So third, they proclaimed to everyone what they should do. Go out, get branches, make booths as it’s written. Now it’s day two on the second day of Tishri in 444 B.C. And the Feast of Tabernacles was supposed to start on the 15th day of that month. So the people still had some time to prepare for the feast. Not a lot, but they had some time to prepare. And so they went and announced in all the surrounding cities and also in Jerusalem what was going to happen. Hey everyone, God’s Word tells us that we’re supposed to celebrate a feast. Sound good? Yeah, I thought so. Called the Feast of Tabernacles. You have two weeks to prepare, so get prepared, and we will all see you on the 15th. I’m sure that when they announced this, they gave a better explanation of what the feast was, what it meant, and why they were to celebrate it. But verse 15 gives us a nutshell of what they announced. Go out, get branches, bring them with you to Jerusalem, where you will then make booths, and we’ll all see you soon. How exciting is that? Kids, we get to build a fort. We get to camp out for eight days. Let’s get ready. That’s exciting. So now everyone knows what they must do in order to obey the Lord. The leaders were all in, and their leadership obviously had a good impact on the rest of the people. We all wept yesterday about our sin, and now let’s obey. Let’s act. Let’s do. And they were eager to do it. Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, Lord, we love You so very much and we thank You for this time. Thank You for blessing us. Thank You for joy. The joy that comes through You and You alone. Thank You that You reveal Yourself to us through Your Word. Thank You for saving us, Lord. And if there’s any here who aren’t saved, I pray that You would open their eyes so that they can see that You are our answer. You alone. You save. You give hope. You give peace. You give life. And when we surrender to You in repentant faith, we discover that for ourselves. Oh Lord, help us. Help us to cling to You. Help us to walk faithfully. And help us to dive in and eat up Your Word which is truth so that we can know You and glorify You better in our fading lives. Bless us now. Encourage us. Help us to encourage one another. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

SPEAKER 01 : 24:35

Amen. Amen. Amen. A seminary professor and a trainer of preaching pastors overseas. Join for services at Faith Community Church Sundays at 9 and 1045 a.m. 192 Bella Vista Road, Suite A. To learn more, visit vacavillefaith.org or call 707-451-2026. That’s 707-451-2026. Or visit vacavillefaith.org.

SPEAKER 1 : 25:58

Thank you.