The Working of the Word

Today we're gonna open our Bibles in Nehemiah, Nehemiah chapter 8. And what I want to talk about today, with the time that God is going to allow us, is about the working of the Word, the working of the Word. How can the scripture transform my life? How can scripture transform my life? We as a church believe that all the scripture is inspired by God. And we believe that to have true worship, it needs to be based in God's Word. And we believe that a true Christian is a person who truly believes the Word of God is inspired by God, but truly believes as well that this Word needs to transform his entire life.

We believe that the Bible is alive. We believe that if you are here today, it's because God is not done with you. It's because God still has a purpose in you being here, listening to His Word. Otherwise, you'll be dead and this will be a funeral. If God is done with you, you'll be dead. But if you are not dead, and you have ears to listen, and you have a brain and a mind to be attentive to what's gonna preach, this Word is for you. Not for your neighbor, not for the person that didn't show up today, it's for you that made it today.

So this is a good question when we say, how can the scripture transform my life? And I know that many of you over here maybe never experienced a transformation in your life. Maybe you've been coming to church really without understanding what it means that God's Word transform your life. So this morning, what I want to do this morning in this text is to learn five principles, okay? Five principles by which we will understand how we can be transformed by God's Word. Five principles by which we will understand how we can be transformed by God's Word.

Okay? I'm gonna stick to my notes because that was my wife's advice in the morning. If you want to finish, stick to your notes. Don't go around. That's a wife's advice because that's my weakness. So we're gonna stick to the text, stick to the notes, okay? Five principles by which we will understand how we can be transformed by God's Word. When we approach Nehemiah chapter 8, we approach to a time in Israel where Israel needed true transformation, okay? They needed transformation. 70 years went by and Israel was finally coming back to their land.

Finally, they came back after the Babylonians, the Persians, they are coming back to Jerusalem. Why they are coming back? They are coming back to restore the temples, the temple, the city, the walls of the city, and most importantly, they are coming back to restore true worship, true worship based in the book, true worship based in something that they have forgotten about, the law of God. So transformation was necessary in the life of these people because true worship needed to be established and true worship only flows from a heart that is transformed by God's Word.

In Nehemiah chapter 8 verse 1, we're gonna read the text right now. We're gonna read Nehemiah chapter 8 verse 1 through 12, okay? And all the people gathered as one man at the square which was in the front of the water gate and they say to Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which Yahweh had commanded to Israel. Then Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women, and all who could understand when listening to the first day of the seventh month.

And he read from it 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 ears of the people were attentive to the book of the law. Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden podium which they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Naiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, Mashiach on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchihah, Hashim, Hashabadana, Zechariah, and Meshulam on his left hand.

And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people for he was above all the people. And when he opened it, all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed Yahweh the great God, and all the people answered, Amen, Amen, while lifting up their hands. Then they bowed low and worshiped Yahweh with their faces to the ground. Also Yeshua, Bani, Shuribaya, Jamin, Akub, Shabbatai, Hodiah, Maseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Hosebat, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites were providing understanding of the law to the people, while the people stood in their place.

They read from the book, from the law of God, explaining and giving insight, and they provided understanding of the reading. Then Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest, and the scribe, and the Levites, who provided the people with understanding, said to all the people, This day is holy to Yahweh your God. Do not mourn or weep, for all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them, Go eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared.

For this day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of Yahweh is your strength. So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, Be still, for the day is holy. Do not grieve. Then all the people went away to eat, to drink, to send portions, and to celebrate with great gladness, because they understood the words which had been made known to them. Father in heaven, we pray this morning that you work in our hearts. We pray that you use your word to change us, to form us more like Christ. In Jesus name, Amen.

So which are these five principles on how we understand how we can be transformed by God's word? The first principle is the principle of preparation, okay?

The principle of preparation. Prepare your heart. Prepare your heart. The text tells us that in verse one that all the people gathered as one at the square which was in front of the water gate, and they said to who? Ezra. Who was Ezra? Who was Ezra? Ezra appears in this picture as the person in charge of restoring true worship within the people of God. So who was Ezra? And this is the guy I want to talk about when we talk about preparation. Because his preparation came before Nehemiah chapter 8. Ezra wasn't the person who showed up that day and they say, hey Ezra, you have time today?

We want to read the word. We see that you're not doing anything, Ezra. Do you want to read the word? No, there was a preparation previous to the reading of the word. There was a preparation previous from Ezra before coming before coming before the people of God and reading God's word. And we find this in Ezra chapter 7 verse 10. What is the preparation? What is the preparation? I know if you go to the gym and you don't condition yourself before working out, you're going to break something. You're going to pull something.

So preparation is very important for us as believers. And for Ezra, it was so important that in Ezra chapter 7 verse 10, it tells us the following. For Ezra had what? Set his heart to study the law of Yahweh and to practice it and to teach his statue and judgments in Israel. Preparation. Preparation deals with your heart as well as dealt with Ezra's heart. If you see over here, you see that Ezra in his preparation, the first thing that he did is that he gave direction to his heart.

Okay. He said the GPS of where he's going in his heart. His preparation made him a guy who knew where his GPS is taking him. What is his goal? What is the most important thing for him? What is his mission in life? Preparation. Okay. Preparation. It's interesting that when the text tells us about that Ezra had set his heart, this means that he firmly established something. Okay. This means that an intense preparation with a goal in mind. He's preparing for something. Okay. Something very important for him.

This include establishing direction or guidance to your heart. Okay. That means that you are firmly established until you get to the goal you set. It's something very important because preparation is key for us if we want to understand how the word of God works in our hearts. Preparation. What is the goal of your heart? Why are you here today? Preparation. What is your motivation to be here? What is your heart telling you today that's the reason that you're here? You want to sing? That's good. You want to see your brothers and sisters in Christ?

That's perfect. But what's the main goal of your heart this morning? And the text tells us that in preparation, Ezra set his heart, set his goal as somebody that's going to study the Bible. It says over here that his heart was set to study the law of the Lord. That means that he was willing to investigate, to be intent, to seek with care, to treat the Bible as something very important to him, to care about it, to really see it's something that's very important to him, something that he delighted upon it because it's God's word.

But just not just that because he says that he studied the law. He said his heart is his goal in life. His goal was to study the law. Second, what?

To practice it. Okay? He wasn't just an academic. He was somebody that his goal in life was just not to read the Bible, not just to meditate the Bible, was to understand the Bible so I'm able to practice it, to really do what the Bible says that I need to do.

And lastly, to teach the Bible, to be skillful in the teaching of the Bible. This speaks of the ability to learn as to the ability to teach. That means that Ezra had a heart that had a goal in mind. His goal was to go to the scripture as a person that took his Bible seriously. Ezra is not trying to do something different. He's going back to the word to move forward. Why? Because Israel's experience didn't determine the word, but going into the word determined Israel's experience. For this reason, it's very important for us to understand that when we come before the word, we want to be Christians who are really committed to the word, we need to set this goal in our heart.

We need to set the goal in our heart that the Bible is important to us. But we need to learn something. You know what? That studying the Bible is not easy. It's not easy. Otherwise, everybody will do it. Okay? This auditorium will be full of people that study their Bible every day, every night, are willing to study, practice it, and teach it. But it's not. Why? Because it's hard. Because it demands time, sacrifice, devotion, commitment. Is your heart prepared for this? Be serious about your Bible.

Be diligent to study, to practice, and to teach it. But you know what? Don't try to study their Bible without practicing, because it will make you a hypocrite. Don't try to study their Bible without practicing, because it will make you a hypocrite. Don't try to teach it without practicing, because it will make you prideful. And don't try to teach it without studying, because it will make you look ignorant. So, I love this one, two, three combination of Ezra and the preparation of your heart. You need to set a goal in mind, and you know the Holy Spirit is going to use that word greatly in your heart.

But if your heart is distracted by the things of the world, if your goal in your heart is not to really go to God's Word and commit yourself to God's Word, then we're not in the right place. So, the first principle, set a goal in your heart to study the Bible, to do the Bible, and to teach the Bible.

Be serious about your Bible. Don't try to jump, study the Bible, do the Bible, teach the Bible. And this takes us to the second principle, which is found in Nehemiah chapter 8, verses 1 through 2.

And this second principle of how we know that the Word is working in our heart, talks about the priority.

What is the priority of the life of God's people? Verse 1, it tells us that all the people gather as one man at the square which was in front of the water gate. And what is their petition? What is their priority? Their priority is Ezra, the scribe, to bring the book of the law. Okay, what is their priority? Their priority is this, give us the Word, give us the Bible. We know that we're coming to the land again and we are restoring the temple, we restore the walls, but what do we need so this makes sense?

What do we need so being God's people makes sense? Because when he says that all the people gather, this people, this word people is using the sense of identifying the people with their God. That means that the people of God are related to the book of God. You cannot separate them. If you say that you are people of God, that means that you love the book of God. If you are people of God, that means that you're going to love what comes from God's Word. They are connected. That's why he says that all the people gather as one man in the square which was in front of the water gate, not to form a union to complain about Ezra and Nehemiah.

Not to complain, but to give this cry out from their heart, give us the book. What brought them together as one is the desire of their hearts to listen from the book of God. A commentator said it this way, this is like a new celebration of the Torah given at the Mount Sinai when God spoke the Ten Commandments from the fire on the mountaintop. So the people of God know that they need the word and what is their petition to the man of God who has prepared his heart for this moment? Bring the book of the law of Moses.

Bring the book. And it's interesting that it tells us that in verse two, it tells us that then Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of who? Men, women, and all who could understand when listening on the first day of the seventh month.

And you know this speaks of two things. First, there is a responsibility before the written word when you ask bring out the book.

There is a responsibility before the written word because it says that everyone who could listen with understanding, everyone who could understand when listening was there. So everybody was going to be held accountable to what's what being read. Nobody was going to escape from that reading. If you could understand, this is for you. So there is a responsibility before the written word. And secondly, there is a responsibility to obey what is written in the book.

Okay, there is a responsibility to obey what is written in the book. Because at the last part of verse two, it says that on the first day of the seventh month.

Why is that significant for Israel? What is so significant for them? Because in the law of Moses, it said that on the first day of the seventh month, they needed to celebrate the feast of trumpets.

On the 10th day of the seventh month, they needed to celebrate the day of atonement. And on the 15th day of the seventh month, they needed to celebrate the feast of tabernacles. That's what God's word said to them that they needed to be doing. And they were not doing this. So it's interesting to see that they are asking for the book. And when they ask for the book, they are committing themselves to obey the book. And this includes all these feasts. They were supposed to be celebrating as the people of God.

So the principle of your priority. If you set your heart in the right direction, you're going to start asking for the right things. God's things. The things that God wants you to have. And one of them, and most importantly, is God's word. So let me ask you this.

Let me ask you this. What do we do when we come together as God's people? Picnic, potluck, celebrate birthdays. That's secondary to the reality of we come as God's people to ask for the book. So when Pastor Lance is here, when Esteban is here, when Tom is here, when Roger is here, when Bruce is here, ask them for the book. I want to listen from the book. I want to know what the book has to say because it's God's word. Let me ask you something.

What are you asking for this morning? What are you asking for? Are you asking in your mind, man, I'm thinking about lunch right now.

I'm very hungry. I hope the lunch is good. I hope I get that promotion at work. I hope so. I hope so. I hope these problems in my life stop because I have many problems. But what's interesting is that your priority in any time of every time, every aspect of your life, it should be, bring me the book. What do you want to hear? What is your desire? Because if we have the conviction that when the man of God steps on the pulpit, the cry from our heart should, must always be, give us the word. Give us the word.

And I know we're tired. Okay. I know we're tired. The heat is killing us, right? I'm dying over here. I'm just, but it's not supposed to be easy. Okay. Just imagine the people of God standing in the square outside the water gate, the heat, dust. But the text tells us that they asked for the book. You want to listen for the book. Okay. We know it's hard. We know, I know I'm tired. Okay. I know. I want to go to bed. I didn't sleep all night last night. Okay. I understand that, but there is no excuse to not be asking for the book.

So if the conviction of your heart is to ask for the book, then you got to be willing to listen to the book. And this is the third principle, right?

You have a responsibility to listen to the word. Look what it says in verse three. And he read from it before this square, which was in front of the water gate. And you know, this is the part that I'm going to, I'm going to help you a little bit to process right here. What is the principle about listening to God's word? Okay. What are the principles? First, it says in verse three, that he read it from it before this square, which was in front of the water gate from what early morning until midday.

So first principle in listening to the word, give it a time. Okay. Give the time to listen to God's word. I know you could be doing other things today. Okay. I know, I know there are many things that you could be doing today. Other than being here. But it's interesting that it says that in verse three, they were in front of the water gate from early morning until midday. This includes five to seven hours of listening to Ezra. Okay. Five to seven hours under the heat, dust, hunger, different things that they were experienced as God's people, but you know what?

They wanted the book. Now they have to listen to the book. So give it the time. Give it the time. It says over here that it was read until early morning until midday in the presence of who men and women, those who could and their stand, you know, give it the time because you have a responsibility of what is being read. Know that the word is for you. Okay. If you are able to hear today, the word is for you. There is a responsibility from you to be accountable to what is being said today. And it's interesting to see that when we leave church, usually people ask us, you know, what did the pastor preach about?

I don't know, but it was good, right? It was good. The important part is that it was good. Okay. I'm coming back. But if you leave this place with that in your heart, we didn't get it. Right. We didn't get it. We didn't get it because we didn't, we didn't know. Okay. Maybe we were in our minds in another place, maybe the beach. I don't know, but we've got to take a responsibility towards being read. And thirdly, first is give it the time.

Second, responsibility of what's being read. Thirdly, your attitude when you listen. Okay. Over here, it says that in verse three, at the end, all the ears of the people were attentive, attentive to God's word. They were attentive to the book of the law. So that should be your attitude. Attentive. Okay. Attentive. You need to be looking for it. You need to be asking yourself, what can I get from this sermon? Lord, what do you have for me today? Okay. I know that you brought me here for a purpose.

I know that I could be doing something else, but why do you bring me here today, Lord? You need to be looking for it. Attentive. Be active. It's for you. Not for the person that didn't show up today. It's for you. So in your attitude, you need to be attentive. You know why? Verse four tells us, because it says that Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden podium, which they had made for the purpose. Why you need to be attentive? Because it's God's word. He's authoritative. You are not listening to any book.

Okay. You're not listening to the storybook that you read to your kids at nighttime. It says over here that Ezra, a scribe, stood on a wooden podium, which they had made for what? Specifically for the purpose of reading the word. Why? It tells us in verse five. It says, and Ezra opened the book and the sight of who? Of all the people, for he was where? Above all the people. He was above all the people. That just shows how important God's word needed to be for them. If they saw something, it has to be God's word.

Ezra was important because he prepared his heart. But the most important part of this is God's words in display in this podium. And they needed to understand. Their attitude needed to be attentive because they needed to recognize the authority of God's word. The word was above all people. And secondly, it tells us in verse four that the leaders of the people, the Levites and leaders from the people, they were next to Ezra, showing as well that they are submitting to the reading of the word.

Everybody was on the same page. Everybody understood the authority of God's word and everybody was looking up to God's word. What God is going to tell us today. Fourthly, it's not just about your attitude, but it's about how you approach to it. And he speaks of reverence. If you see in verse five, it tells us that the sight of all the people for he was above all the people. And when he opened it, what happened? All the people stood. For what? For what? For the reading of the word. Okay. Because it's authoritative, because it's God's word.

So they approach with reverence. Okay. They are listening with reverence. They understand that they are before the word of God almighty. It says that when Ezra opened it, all the people stood up. They are before God's own words. This is not a prescription. This is a description. Okay. But we do something in the Spanish ministry. Okay. When we have a time to read the Bible during the service, we stand up. Okay. That's something that we do. That doesn't mean that everybody needs to do it that way. Okay.

That doesn't mean that everybody should stand up every time we read the word of God, because you could be standing up and your heart is just somewhere else. So start with setting your heart with the right goal. Okay. The Bible has to be important for you. Okay. The Bible needs to be important for you. And then you need to approach with reverence. Your heart should match the desire that you have for God's word, to open it, to read it, to pray with it, to sing with it. Approach to the Bible with reverence.

Read it correctly. Listen to it correctly. Don't skip. Don't miss. And lastly, it says that in verse six, it says that Ezra blessed Yahweh, the great God, and all the people answer what? Amen. Amen. While lifting up their hands, then they bow low and worship Yahweh with their faces to the ground. Attitude of worship. Okay. What should be the result of reading God's word? It was good. It was good. No, it should result in worship. It should result in worship. Okay. Because it says over here that they humbled their hearts to receive the word.

And it's interesting that bow low and worship by two words connected. And it says that they worship Yahweh with their faces to the ground. And let me tell you this, when we come to the principle of listening to the word, you know, the word of God will be as important for you.

The word of God will be as important for your family as it is to you. They are watching. Your wife is watching. Your husband is watching. Your kids are watching. So if the word of God is important for you, it will be important for them. The four principle, we come to the purpose of proclaiming the word, the purpose of proclaiming the word. And this deals with the opportunity to understand the word, the opportunity to learn from the word. Verses seven and eight. It tells us that Yeshua, Bani, Sharia, Baya, Jamin, Akub, Shabbatai, Hodiah, Mashiah, Gelita, Shariah, Jehoshabat, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, what they were doing, what is the purpose of proclaiming the word?

It says over here that they were providing understanding of the law to the people while the people stood in their place. What was their job? There is not just reading, there is understanding what I'm reading, okay? There's understanding what I'm reading. So it tells us first that there is an explaining and giving insight.

This means over here when they say, when it says that they were providing understanding, it says that they were causing people to understand. That means to teach with the goal of truly understanding something, to comprehend the meaning of nature of something. So it is not just about the exercise of the mind, but it is an understanding that is necessary for me to put it into practice. Understanding and obedience go hand by hand. Understanding and instruction, it says that people over here in verse 7, it says that they were providing understanding of the law to the people while the people did what?

Stood in their places. They will still help me understand because when I come to scripture, I don't come to see how much I know. I don't come to see, oh, yeah, I understand everything. I know everything. When you approach a scripture, you come as somebody that doesn't know and needs to know what is God's will for my life, what I must do. So it says that they explain and give insight. And the manner, it says that people remain expectant and patiently waiting to understand what it meant for them. So the question wasn't this, what does it mean to you?

What do you think about this? How God spoke to you about this text? That's not the question, okay? They are not asking people, what does it mean for you? They are telling them what it means. This is what it means, okay? So the question is, what is the original meaning of the text that was written by Moses many years ago? And therefore, they needed people, they needed interpreters to help people and understand. That's what we're trying to do today, okay? Otherwise, you just stay home and read the Bible and think whatever you want to think about, okay?

That's why I say it's very hard to understand what it really means. I'm not talking about something mystical, okay? I'm not talking a deeper, deeper meaning of the text where only a few people can understand. No, I'm talking about the plain meaning of the text, what is right there, but it takes work to really take it out. It takes time, it takes devotion, it takes commitment to really invest your life into this. And over here, it says that this man were devoted to help people understand. And it says that they read from the book, from the law of God, explaining and giving insight as they provided understanding of the reading.

So understanding in this context is connected to obedience, okay? This means that the people were guiding them to decide about it. So it's not open for interpretation. It's the text that decides what it means. It's the text that gives us the meaning. That's why you are here today, okay? Because you want to understand what God's Word is saying. You want to know what God is saying, okay? So you need to understand that that was their job. Their job was to tell people this is what the text means. Because what?

Because understanding the text is going to bring transformation to your life, okay? Understanding the text is going to bring transformation to your life. So we cannot live today just saying, yeah, it was good, it was nice. You need to get something out of this, because you need to be more like Christ today. And it takes us to the fifth principle and the last one, which is the reward that comes from the Word. And that is rejoice in the Word. That is a command to rejoice, because you understood the Word, okay?

Rejoice, because you understood the Word. Listen to what it says in chapter 9. Then Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the prison scribe, and the Levites, who provided the people with understanding, said to all the people, this day is holy to Yahweh, your God. Do not mourn or weep, for all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law. Huh, don't cry. It's interesting over here, because it tells them don't cry, because it's a time to celebrate what? The feast of trumpets, according to the law of Moses.

So they are trying to go back to the Word. So what it tells them, do not cry. Why? Crying seems the proper response to the Word of God. So why do not cry? Were they being legalist? Were they being insensitive to their needs? Their feelings didn't matter? No, what he's talking over here is, leadership in Israel is establishing the priority of God's Word over everything, even over your emotions and your feelings. So although crying was a proper response, according to the book, the first day of the seven months, they needed to rejoice in the Lord's joy, because the Lord's joy is their strength.

They needed to do things according to the Bible, not according how they felt, not according to what I need. It was okay to cry, okay? When I was reading this, I was like, what? Don't cry? Don't cry? Man, every time we come to scripture, we realize how weak we are. But it's interesting to see that you see people committed to go back to scripture in their experience. And he tells them over here, in verse 10, that he tells them, go eat the fat, drink up the sweet, send portions to him who has nothing prepared, for this day is holy to your Lord.

Do not grieve. Why? Because the Lord, the joy of the Lord is your strength. Not your joy, okay? Not what you find joy in. The joy of the Lord is your strength. Why? What is the joy of the Lord? You know what they are telling the people? They are telling the people, rejoice in God's faithfulness, because he always fulfills his promises. Because his pleasure is to bring you back to the land so you can worship him again using the book. That's God's joy. God's joy is sovereignly, he uses government to fulfill his purposes.

Remember, Ezra and Nehemiah came back to Israel with money from the Persian empire. God did that. Okay? God put in the heart of this pagan king to give money to reconstruct the city, to restore the temple, and he sent them materials, letters, and everything they needed to be, to get to safety in Jerusalem. So God is faithful because he sovereignly uses government to fulfill his purposes. Second, he's faithful and gives his people what he promised.

Thirdly, he's righteous and gives people his word so they know how to keep enjoying his blessings in the land.

And fourthly, he is forgiving and reminds his people that it is a time of rejoicing because the Lord brought him back regardless of their unfaithfulness. And that's the joy of the Lord, him being faithful to his promises. He brought him back. So he said you need to rejoice in the fact that God's pleasure is to bring you back from Persia to restore the city, to restore the walls, to restore true worship. So your reward is what? It says in verse 12, then all the people went away to eat, to drink, to send portions, and to celebrate with great gladness because what?

They celebrated with great gladness because they understood the words which had been made known to them. What is your reward? What is your reward today? That you understood the scripture because when you understand the Holy Spirit uses that scripture to transform your heart. So he says rejoice, rejoice today because you understood what God wanted for you. You understood what is your reward, understand the scripture. I don't know if you have seen it that way before. I don't know if you thought about it.

The fact of understanding scripture, so beautiful. The Bible says that's your reward. That's your reward. Be glad that God in his mercy allow you to understand scripture so your life could be changed. So you will live according to the book. So if your life is not being transformed today, set the direction of your heart towards studying, applying, and teaching the word. Set a priority in your heart to ask for God's word every time. Take responsibility to listen to God's word. Set yourself under people who can explain to you God's word and be ready to rejoice when your life is transformed by that word.

Let's pray. Father in heaven, we thank you, Father, for today and thank you for your word. We pray, Father, that you'll use greatly this word today, that the Holy Spirit, Father, will really break our hearts and our wills. In Jesus' name, Amen.