Welcome

Good morning. Welcome to Big Valley Grace Community Church. Again, we have been studying through the book of Nehemiah. So, if you have a Bible, you can turn to Nehemiah 8. And church family, I’m just going to be real honest with you. I had a procedure done on my right foot Friday morning. I’m going to sit just like you are right now. Okay? I think this is going to go better for all of us if I actually just sit while we do this. Is that okay?

Okay, good. Because if it wasn’t, I wasn’t going to listen to you anyway, because I want to sit, because I want to be able to not feel my heartbeat in my foot. Okay. So, hey, in Nehemiah chapter 8, that’s where we’re going to be today. And if you have a Bible, turn to Nehemiah 8. If you need a Bible, come to the prayer room. We’ll give you a Bible. We want to make sure everyone has a copy of God’s word as we dig in together.

Damian’s Story

Damian, as a young boy, had a very difficult childhood. He grew up in a broken home. The leadership of the home changed. There was great anger in the home that he experienced as a child. And the leader of the home had very angry fists.

And Damian learned to do some things as a child. He learned to hide. He learned to suffer. He learned to become invisible. He learned to agree. And he learned to survive. And in God’s goodness, he did. He survived. And he aged out of that home.

And as a young adult, Damian was very angry. He was not angry at someone. He was angry at everything. And as a young adult, at the age of 25, he knew something had to change for his life. He needed something very, very different than what he had experienced.

And up in Northern California, he entered a church gathering. And when he entered that gathering, he experienced the faithful teaching of the word of God, which introduced him to the Son of God, Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit of God, that he might know the Father God. And Damian’s life became radically changed.

The anger, the bitterness, the suffering met Jesus’ love, and grace and mercy and forgiveness. And this 25-year-old man experienced radical life change when he came into contact with the faithful teaching of the word of God, which introduced him to Christ.

Every one of us is lost until we are found. And the way God chooses to find us is through his word coming into our life that introduces us to who God is, who Jesus Christ the Son of God is, who the Holy Spirit of God is. And God uses his Holy Spirit to open up our hearts and minds to be able to receive the word of God so that we might be able to know the saving power of Jesus and have a relationship with the Father. And that’s the same for every one of us.

The Question: Why Faithfully Teach the Word?

Which brings us right to the question we’re going to ask to get into the text today. And that is this. Why is it so important to faithfully teach the word of God? Why does that matter? Why is it so important to faithfully teach the word of God?

Well, it was important for Damian’s life that someone was faithfully teaching the word of God because it allowed his life to be changed. And it’s important for all of our lives when we came into a church gathering and someone was faithfully teaching the word of God and we got to find out about Christ.

Well, in Nehemiah chapter 8, Nehemiah is going to introduce to us someone. Well, he’s actually going to reintroduce a spiritual leader, because the leader he’s going to reintroduce is actually already on the scene. And the book right before Nehemiah is the book of Ezra. He’s a priest. He’s a scribe. He’s a faithful teacher of the word of God. And in Nehemiah 8, he introduces, or reintroduces, Ezra onto the scene. We don’t hear about him until Nehemiah 8. So I’m going to read verses 1–12.

The Reading of the Law (Nehemiah 8:1–12)

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. 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. 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.

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, Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. 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. 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 they worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites helped the people to understand the law, while the people remained in their places. And they read from the book, from the law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.

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 the words of the law. 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.” So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy. Do not be grieved.” 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.

Prayer

Let’s pray together. Father God, Lord, thank you so much for Nehemiah. Thank you for the spiritual leader Ezra who gets called upon in this passage to faithfully teach the word of God. Lord, we need your word and we need your Holy Spirit to help us understand your word and apply your word to our lives. And so God, would you be at work right here? We’re in desperate need for you to be at work. Would you be at work in us? And God, will we understand that you love us, you know us, you know what’s going on in our lives, and you’re going to speak directly to us. And I pray this in Jesus’ name. And all God’s family said, “Amen.”

In this passage, they bring the book of the law, the law, the word of God. It would have been the Pentateuch. We now understand the fullness of scripture, the truth of God, the word of God. Jesus is the living word of God. So why is it so important to faithfully teach the word of God? Well, the Lord uses faithful teaching of the word of God to change our lives. The Lord used faithful teaching of the word of God to change Damian’s life. The Lord uses faithful teaching of the word of God to change all our lives as we’ve come to Christ. The Lord uses faithful teaching of the word of God to change lives.

Gathered as One Man

In verses 1 and 2 it says, “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.” 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.

It says they came together as one man. This is a term that’s not used very often, but it’s used a few times about Israel, that they would come together as one man. It was used in the time of Judges, and it said they came together as one man for a civil war at Gibeah of Benjamin. During the time of King Saul, it says they came together as one man for the Ammonite war at Jabesh-gilead. In the time of King David, it says they came together as one man to reestablish David as the king of Judah. The book prior to this is called Ezra. And during the time of Ezra, in that time period, the exiles were coming back into Jerusalem. And they came together as one man to rebuild the altar.

Well, here now, Nehemiah — the wall of Jerusalem has now been completed under Nehemiah as the builder. And now they’re coming together as one man for a totally different purpose. And the Bible says this about what God is looking for. It says the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. So in this moment of time, as the eyes of the Lord are going throughout Jerusalem, the eyes of the Lord land on Ezra. Ezra is the one with the blameless heart that God is seeing. Ezra is the one that God is supporting. And the people knew about the faithfulness of Ezra. They knew he was a faithful teacher of the word of God. And they request for Ezra to come, and they request that the law of God is brought to them.

Now, this assembly was not for a civil war. This assembly was not for war against the nations. This assembly was not to reestablish a kingdom or rebuild the altar. But this assembly — it was for the purpose to bring the law of God to the next generation. Israel had rejected the law of God. That’s what led to the exile that you know Nehemiah is now rebuilding from. They had rejected the law of God. They had turned aside from the law of God. That’s what led to their exile.

But the Lord had disciplined them. And this is what God says about discipline. Okay? And this applies to all of us when the Lord disciplines our lives. For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant. But later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. And the people of Israel, they had experienced very painful discipline in their life. They were exiled from their country into a foreign country, slaves to another king. And now after they’ve returned, God’s done a great work in their heart. It’s now yielding the peaceful fruit of righteousness in their life.

It says that all who could understand. So all ages have gathered together to receive the law. They’re out of exile. They’re out of slavery. They’re back in the promised land. They’re in the city of Zion. If you think about it, so far up into Nehemiah, we’ve just been talking about Nehemiah. He was the cupbearer. He was the builder. He finished the wall. Nehemiah rebuilt the wall. Ezra rebuilt the people, because as soon as the wall was built, Nehemiah is calling on Ezra so that he can come and bring the law of God so that the people could have the law of God. They were hopeless. Things were so beyond their control because God had exiled them into a foreign nation. But this is a picture of a people who are desperate. They are desperate for the Lord. They are desperate for the law. They are desperate for their lives to change.

So let’s think about our own lives. Have you or one of your loved ones ever refused to obey the word of God for a season in your life? Has disobedience to the word of God ever led to painful, unpleasant discipline in your life? Has the pain of sin become greater than the pain of humility before God? We often say that people will choose their sin until sin becomes more painful than choosing to humble themselves before God. Well, God uses pain in our lives. He uses pain in our lives to get our attention so that we’ll listen to him.

1. Life Change When We Listen to the Word of God

The Lord uses faithful teaching of the word of God to change our lives. And the first thing is, we experience life change when we listen to the word of God. If we refuse to listen to the word of God, it has no way to change our life. But we will experience life change when we listen to the word of God.

In verses 3 and 4 it says this. “And he read from it” — so Ezra reads from the book of the law — “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. And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that had been made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand.”

It says that he read from it. This is describing like five or six hours they’re reading from portions of the book of the law. That’s a long time. That’s a big reading. It says that everyone who could understand — so this is all ages, men, women, boys, girls, anyone who could understand what was being read — they were all present. It says that their ears were attentive. They’re hearing the truth of the word of God. For some of those who were there, this would have been the very first time they would have ever heard the law read to them. They might have heard portions of it orally. They might have heard stories from their families’ account, but this would have been the first time for an entire generation of people that they would have heard the word of God read out loud.

It says that there was a platform built. So, if you think about it this way — Nehemiah was totally focused on rebuilding that wall, setting up those gates, putting on those doors. Why? To protect the city, that the city might be safe. Well, as soon as the city is safe, Nehemiah had another building project. He went and built a platform. And it was a platform at least big enough for 14 people, because that’s who’s named. There’s 14 people who are named who are going to stand on this platform. And it says that the leaders stood beside him. So these are possible leaders. These are possible priests. These are possible Levites. It’s possible that they’re all taking turns reading. I mean, they’re reading for five or six hours from the book of the law. I mean, you read for five or six hours. How’s that going to go? We need the buddy system. You know, someone else needs to take a turn. And you got all these people listed. They’re all up here on this platform, and they’re helping to read the word for hours at a time.

Well, it was a part of God’s instruction that God wanted people to listen to his word. God said through Moses in Deuteronomy 5:1, “Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the rules that I speak in your hearing today, and you shall learn them and be careful to do them.’” So that was the instruction given to the people of Israel. They were to hear. They were to listen.

Well, Jeremiah the prophet helps us understand that they didn’t. They didn’t listen. And in Jeremiah 13:10, it says, “This evil people, who refuse to hear my words.” So this is what led to the nation of Israel being exiled — they didn’t do what God asked them to do, which is to listen to his word, to hear what he had to say. That’s why the beginning of Nehemiah, which we looked at nine weeks ago, has this message: “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.” That’s the message that came to Nehemiah at the beginning of this book. And it is a direct result of the state of the people after the exile. They’re living in shame. The wall, the city’s torn apart. There’s no security because they weren’t willing to listen. But now, after exile, after a season of painful discipline, now the people are ready to listen to the law of God. Their ears are attentive.

Jesus talks about this very, very simply. He says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Well, what about our own lives? Have you ever listened to a teaching from the word of God and you didn’t hear a word that was said? It might be happening right now. Have you ever shared the word of God with somebody and they didn’t listen to anything you said? Have you ever been humbled to the place to where you began to have ears that are attentive?

Well, interestingly enough, the way God built us — God built our bodies where there’s a direct connection with our knees hitting the floor and our ears opening up. And if God puts you in a position that causes you to have your knees hit the floor, listen up, because there’s probably something for you to hear. Because as soon as we bow before the Lord and our knees hit the floor, our ears open up and we’re ready to listen to what God has to tell us. But when we stand proud, our ears are closed.

2. Life Change When We Agree with the Word of God

Well, we experience life change when we listen to the word of God. Number two is, we experience life change when we agree with the word of God. Because if we listen to the word of God but we don’t agree with the word of God, then we are not going to experience life change. But when we listen to the word of God and agree with the word of God, we’re going to experience life change.

In verses 5 and 6 it says, “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. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, ‘Amen. Amen.’” — this is why people say “Amen” in church — “lifting up their hands, and they bowed their heads, and they worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.”

It says that Ezra opened the book. It is so important to see that he opened the book, because without Ezra opening the book, he has nothing to say. Ezra has nothing to say without opening the book. It is why every time I get up here, I say, “Take your Bible and turn to.” And if you don’t have a Bible, we’ll get you one, because we want to make sure everyone has a copy of God’s word. I’m okay if you forget what I had to say. I just am concerned that you would remember the Lord.

Ezra opens up the book, and what is elevated — it says he’s up on a platform with his guys who are going to read, right? They’re up on a platform. What is elevated is not the man. What is elevated is not the priest. What is elevated is the word of God. The word of God is elevated.

It says the people stood. They’re in an assembly, and everyone’s standing as one man for like five or six hours to listen to the law. He commands the people to bless the Lord. The Bible’s full of people blessing the Lord. Abraham’s servant blessed the Lord. King David blessed the Lord. Jehoshaphat blessed the Lord. Hezekiah, Ezra — they all bless the Lord. If you read through the Psalms, 23 times in the Psalms it says, “Bless the Lord. Bless the Lord. Bless the Lord.” We are commanded to bless the Lord.

It says that they bowed their heads and their faces were to the ground. When you read your Bible, you’re going to find out that there are many physical expressions in the word of God. And here’s how you can understand what these physical expressions mean. It is the condition of the soul played out in the body. If the condition of the soul is to bow before the Lord, the head bows and the knees bow. If the condition of the soul is to be lifted up before the Lord, the head goes up and the hands go up. Whatever the condition of the soul is, that’s what’s being displayed in the physical expression. It is that simple. The physical expression without the condition of the soul means nothing. But when the condition of the soul leads to a physical expression, it’s the body playing out what is in the spirit.

You know, we’re all going to have a moment where we have a physical expression before the Lord. The scriptures teach this in Philippians 2:9–11. “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father.” Did you know that your future and my future is the same? We are going to bow before Jesus. That is going to happen. We should practice. Did you know that your future and my future is the same? We are going to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father. We should practice — that is in our future. It’s going to happen. We should practice. We should practice bowing before the Lord. We should practice confessing Jesus.

So, how about us? How often are you opening up the book? How often are you opening up the Bible? It’s God’s holy word to you. What’s elevated in our lives? What’s the source we go to when we need to make an important decision? When we have a length of time in God’s word, do we perceive a length of time in God’s word as burdensome, or do we see a length of time in God’s word as joyful? How about this — are we going to bless the Lord? What are we going to bless the Lord for? Will we bless the Lord for who he is? Will we bless the Lord for what he has done in our lives? What he’s accomplished? What part of our body needs to be in submission to the Lord? What part of our body do we need to bring into reverence before the Lord?

You know, when we choose to agree with God’s word, our lives are going to become aligned.

3. Life Change When We Understand the Word of God

And we experience life change when we listen to the word of God. We experience life change when we agree with the word of God. And the third thing is, we experience life change when we understand the word of God. If we listen to the word of God and we agree with the word of God, but we don’t understand it, then we’re not going to experience life change.

Well, in verses 7 and 8, it describes in this scene how they made sure everybody understood. It says, “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. And they read from the book, from the law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.”

So the scene is that Ezra and about 13 guys are up on a platform. They’re doing the reading for five to six hours. These other guys are through the assembly. They’re spread out everywhere. And as these guys are reading up on the platform, these guys are explaining it to people. They’re helping people understand. They’re helping people. They’re having their own little small groups all throughout the assembly. And they’re helping people understand what’s being read.

Did you know that we need help? In my Bible right here — this Bible, this very Bible — 195 times in this Bible it says the word “help.” I think God’s trying to tell me I need help. I think when I read my Bible, God is trying to help me understand. I’m a guy who needs help. Do you realize we need help? These guys were there. They were there to help them. To help them understand.

It says a very clear description of what faithful teaching of the word of God is. It says they read it clearly. They gave the sense, and the result was people understood. And that’s just a description of the faithful teaching of the word of God — to read the word of God clearly, to give the sense, and the result is people understand.

Well, how about our own lives? How willing are we to receive help from others to engage the word? Ezra had a group of guys to read for five or six hours. Do you have a list of people that you’re studying the word of God with? What do you do when you read something confusing in God’s word? How do you handle that? How do you pursue clarification regarding a difficult passage that you read in your Bible? Has there been a recent teaching that you have been a part of where God allowed you to experience that term, “gave the sense” — to where you experienced the sense being given to you, and then you understood something, and that helped you to follow the Lord?

I want you to know, church family, one of the greatest compliments I ever receive is when I get done teaching and someone simply just says this: I understood what you said from God’s word. I’m not trying to confuse you. In fact, I’ve spent hours trying to not confuse you. I’ve spent so many hours. You’re not getting it — you’re just getting this. Okay? I spent hours and hours and hours so you don’t walk away confused. I don’t want you to be confused. I’m just fine with you saying, “I understood.” Praise the Lord.

Because if we listen to the word of God and we agree with the word of God and we understand the word of God, we’ve got an opportunity for the word of God to change our lives. And when we understand what the word of God teaches, it does require a response.

4. Life Change When We Submit to the Word of God

And that leads us to number four. We experience life change when we submit to the word of God. If we listen to the word of God, agree with the word of God, understand what the word of God says, but then we reject it, we will not experience life change. But we experience life change when we submit to the word of God.

Well, we’ve got an opportunity to hear from one of our local reach partners. This is Ken Sylvia. He works with Youth for Christ, working with the younger generation in our community right here. So, let’s check out this video.

Guest Video: Ken Sylvia, Youth for Christ

Hello, Big Valley. My name is Ken Sylvia and I’m the executive director of Youth for Christ. And I want to thank you for your support this morning. As you read through Nehemiah chapter 8, you’re going to see Ezra the priest read from the book of law, the scriptures, and explain what they mean to the people as they stand for hours on end.

Raise your hand if you have a hard time sitting still in church for an hour. Guilty as charged. Just ask my wife. I fidget a ton. But imagine being so hungry for God, you hang on every word.

Did you know these next generations, those in their mid to late 20s and under, are hungry for God? Research is showing this across the board. And it’s an incredible thing to see. We see it in our campus clubs and our outreaches. These kids are asking tons of great questions and are seeking Bible truths and knowledge. In fact, Gen Alpha — those are maybe ages 14, 15, freshman or sophomore in high school and under — they’re telling people that actually the home is one of their primary sources of spiritual instruction and direction, even competing with the church in importance. So moms and dads, that’s a heavy burden to carry, that we accurately handle the biblical truths and share that with our kids. My daughter, who’s four — like, I think about even how I talk with her about the scripture and teaching basic Bible stories and good memory verses that will impact her life so she knows the heart of God.

I want to share with you a quick story. Over summer, we took 34 kids to camp. It was awesome. One kid accepted Christ. 14 others rededicated their life. It was incredible. One of these boys was in my cabin and shared some really heavy stuff, and that he felt like God just couldn’t give him a second chance. Like, what was the point of even trying, because he was just going to fail again and again. And I had to inform him that as a Christian myself, I fail still. That’s called sin. And that’s where God’s grace comes in. In fact, maybe you’ve heard of this verse in Hebrews 4:16, which says, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace in our time of need.”

No matter what dark place you’re going through today, maybe you need to hear that. No matter what you’ve done, even if you think God’s given up on you, you can approach his throne, because God is an approachable God who wants to be in your life. No matter what you’ve done, or where you’ve gone, or where you’ve been, or who you think you are, he wants to make you a new creation. Today could be a new day. So, I pray this blesses you. Thank you again, Big Valley. Have a great service.

Submitting and the Holiness of God

We experience life change when we submit to the word of God. In verses 9, 10, and 11, it explains this. It says, “And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and the 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 the words of the law. 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.’ So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, ‘Be quiet, for this day is holy. Do not be grieved.’”

Now, in this chapter, we don’t hear about Nehemiah until this moment. And it’s very significant that Nehemiah shows back up, because he’s the leader. He’s the governor. And this is a moment where they need to submit to the word of God. And it’s very important that the leader is the first one listed. He is there at the front of the line to lead by example to submit to the word of God.

It talks about this day being holy. Did you know the word “holy” — did you know that holiness is kind of like a big deal? Did you know that’s kind of like a big theme in the Bible? In this Bible right here, the one I’m reading from — 698 times in this Bible. I think God wants to tell us something. 698 times the word “holy” is in this Bible. It means to be set apart. It means to be consecrated for God, something that belongs to him.

And when the people are hearing about the holiness of God, it’s causing them to mourn. It’s causing them to weep. And that’s a very natural response, because when we realize our sin and we confess our sin and we repent of our sin, oftentimes mourning is involved. Tears are involved when we’re broken before God. But in this passage, they tell them not to mourn, not to weep.

Well, they’re not saying — the leaders aren’t saying you shouldn’t mourn and weep when you realize you’ve sinned, because you should. I mean, even Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Paul said, “Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.” So the clear teaching of scripture is, mourning and weeping in response to our sin is actually appropriate. But this day is different, because the issue on this day is that the Lord had commanded rejoicing. Very specifically, the Lord had commanded rejoicing.

It says it was in the seventh month. The seventh month is a pretty important month in the Bible. So the seventh month, on the first day, is the Feast of Trumpets. It’s a day of solemn rest. The seventh month, on the tenth day, is the Day of Atonement for the sins of Israel. Fun fact — seventh month, on the seventeenth day, that’s the day Noah’s ark rested on Mount Ararat. Seventh month, on the fifteenth day, that is the Feast of Booths for seven days, or the Feast of Tabernacles. In other words, they went camping. They put up tents, okay? They went camping.

Well, here he’s saying, “Hey, today’s not a day to mourn. Today’s not a day to weep. Today is a day to rejoice. And we need to rejoice, and we need to remember what God has done. We need to remember who he is and what he’s done. And we need to make a big deal rejoicing about God.”

So, how about our own lives? Have you ever observed someone do what Nehemiah has done? Nehemiah showed up as a leader. You ever seen a leader show up in a difficult time and lead by example? What about the issue of holiness? How does the issue of holiness impact your life? Do you ever think about the word “holy”? Do you think about being set apart or consecrated? How does the word “holiness” impact your life on a day-to-day basis? When’s the last time you mourned or wept because you realized you were sinning? When’s the last time you mourned or wept because you realized the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ in your life?

5. Life Change When We Rejoice in the Word of God

Well, we experience life change when we submit to the word of God. And we also experience life change when we rejoice in the word of God. And if we listen to the word of God and we agree with the word of God and we understand the word of God and we submit to the word of God — my friends, it is going to lead to rejoicing in the word of God.

In verse 12, we see it. And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions, and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.

And what are some of those words that were declared to them? Well, they’re from Leviticus. Leviticus 23:40 says, “You shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees, and boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.” What is that describing? That’s saying, “Go build a tent. Hang out in that tent for seven days, and the entire time rejoice. And you remember how God brought you out of slavery in Egypt as a nation. And you remember how God supplied you for 40 years in the wilderness. And you remember how God has brought you into the promised land. Go build a tent. Go build a tent and remember the Lord and rejoice in the Lord.”

Well, what about our own lives? What does it look like when we rejoice? Do you rejoice? Do you rejoice every day? If you were rejoicing, would the people around you know that you were rejoicing? Would they be able to see you are rejoicing? If you learned today that God actually wanted you to live differently, would that lead you to rejoice?

Who’s Next?

At age 25, when Damian entered that worship gathering and he heard the faithful teaching of the word of God, it started a chain reaction in Damian’s life. And during the next five years, Damian submitted himself to the faithful teaching of the word of God. And he listened to the entire Bible taught from front to back two and a half times in a three-year period. And God used it to radically change Damian’s life through the faithful teaching of the word of God.

At age 25 is when he walked into that church service. At age 30, God put the call on his life to plant a church. And he left Northern California and he came to a town called Modesto. And he planted a church in downtown Modesto. And he began to faithfully teach the word of God, allowing people who were just like him five years earlier to come into a worship gathering and hear the faithful teaching of the word of God. And for decades, he’s done that.

Well, there was a couple people who were hurting just like Damian used to be hurting, and who were searching just like Damian used to be searching, and who were looking for something just like Damian was looking for something. And those two people walked into a church service where Damian was faithfully teaching the word of God, and it radically changed their lives. And those two people are my wife and I. Around age 18, 19, we showed up into a church where Damian was faithfully teaching the word of God. And it was exactly what we needed to hear, because we were hurting. We were searching. We were a people who was lost. And we needed what was real. And we needed God to change our lives. And the Lord has allowed, over a long period of time, faithful teaching of the word of God to come into my own life, and to allow us as a family to be able to have the ministry of faithfully teaching the word of God.

And now, here — I’m just wondering, who’s next? Who’s next? Who’s the person that came in hurting like Damian at age 25? Or who’s the person that came in hurting like my wife and I when we were about 18, 19? It doesn’t matter what age you are. Who’s the person that’s here that’s hurting? And man, your past is brutal, but your future is bright, because you can come into contact with Jesus Christ. And God uses his word. God uses his word to introduce us to the person of Jesus Christ. And by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can understand the word of God. And through Jesus, we can know the Father. And I’m just wondering, who’s next? Who’s next?

I want to challenge you to commit to regularly receiving the faithful teaching of the word of God. I just want to challenge you to commit to that — to commit to regularly receive the faithful teaching of the word of God. If you are here and what you need is life change, I want you to know, life change is waiting for you on the other side of God’s word. Life change is waiting for you on the other side of God’s word, because God’s going to use his word to change your life if you’re willing to listen to it, if you’re willing to agree with it, if you’re willing to understand it, if you’re willing to submit to it, because it’s going to lead to rejoicing in your life. And you might not be in a place of rejoicing right now, but I can tell you, rejoicing can be on the other side of God’s word as God uses his word to change your life.

And as a church, we want to be committed to the faithful teaching of the word of God. We want to consistently, faithfully provide opportunities for people to listen to the word of God, agree with the word of God, understand the word of God, submit to the word of God, and rejoice in the word of God.

Closing Prayer and Invitation

And if you’re here and you need life change, and you’re like Damian when he was 25 walking into that service, you’re like my wife and I when we were 18, 19 walking into a service — I don’t know how old you are, but you’re here today and you need life change. I want to pray for you. If you’re here and you need the word of God to teach you, you need faithful teaching in your life, you need to experience life change in Jesus, I would invite you to stand right now. I’ll pray for you right now.

If that sounds like you — you walked in today, maybe you’ve heard it a thousand times, maybe you’re hearing it for the first time today, I don’t know — but if you’re here and you need the faithful teaching of the word of God, I’m going to pray for you right now, because I’m glad you’re here. We’re glad you’re here. And God has you here for a reason.

Father God, Lord, thank you for those who are standing. You know exactly what their story is. You know what their hurt is. You know what their past is. You know what brought them to a place to where they know they need something from you right here, right now. And God, I just ask that you would bless my friends, my brothers and sisters. Lord, you’d bless them. That every one of them would know the love of the Father. Every one of them would know the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. That they might experience the power of the Holy Spirit of God. And Lord, that you would have your word come alive in them — living and active, sharper than a two-edged sword, dividing them all up and down, God — that they would totally be known by you, and they would embrace you and understand that God, you embrace them. So God, I pray for everyone who’s standing. Lord, would today be a great day, because today would be a day where you’re doing something really special and significant in their life. So God, I pray a blessing over my brothers and sisters. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, and all God’s family said, “Amen.”

If you need further prayer, our team would love to pray with you. We’ve got Big Valley Christian School in the lobby. If you need a baptism class, that’s happening right here. Hey, church family, we love you and we’re going to see you again real soon.