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Nehemiah 8:1-18 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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Join me in the book of Nehemiah, chapter 8.
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We are once again taking another break from our study of the book of Romans, and I must tell you why we are doing so once again.
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I find that it's not good for the preaching of a church to follow every cultural whim, to bounce from one topic to another as the zeitgeist of
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social media chaos dictates. We could just go from thing to thing to thing.
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But something has been going on in our country that deserves some particular attention because of its particular spiritual claims.
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On February 8th, at a small private school in Kentucky called Asbury University, a chapel service met beyond its intended conclusion and with little break is continuing to meet even today.
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Now, as a little aside, I saw an announcement that they're planning on bringing the meetings to a close and restricting the time and who can attend.
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This event, though, is being widely referred to as the Asbury Revival.
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And so with the limited amount of time that we will spend together this morning, I want us to think biblically together about what constitutes a revival.
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I think probably most of us in the room have seen or heard something of this.
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If not for you, then I imagine your social media threads are more fun than mine.
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I will not make any comments concerning the events at Asbury.
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I think it's a little early to make many comments about it, to give it a really solid assessment.
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I want to say just simply this concerning the Asbury Revival that I find it concerning.
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I will gladly be proven wrong, and I am praying that it bears much fruit.
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I would just be happy to have all of my concerns put to rest.
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But I am concerned.
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If you'd like to know more about the particulars of that, I'd be happy to speak with you later.
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But what I want to do this morning is help us, not so that we can be critical or affirming.
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I'm not trying to arm you to get on your social media threads and make pithy comments one way or the other.
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But so that we can carefully assess claims made in the place in which we live.
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This is a far removed thing from us, but we will need to make assessments of things like this in our day.
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We need to be a discerning people.
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In fact, we're instructed to be a discerning people.
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Many people would say, don't be critical of things that you're saying.
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But John instructs us in 1 John 4 and verse 1, beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirit to see whether they are from God.
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For many false prophets have gone out into the world.
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We're told to be discerning and careful.
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Did you know, for example, that there is a church in Dawsonville that claims to be the home of the North Georgia Revival?
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This is an event that has been going on now for some years.
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Maybe, and I hope that you've been insulated from this, that you're likely to encounter people who would believe these claims.
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How are we supposed to think about these kinds of things?
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Now, we can't have a problem of definition when we think about revival.
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What is meant by that term, revival?
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It is used in the scriptures, the reviving of things, dead things made alive, or sick things made well.
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But culturally, a lot of things may pop into your mind when you hear this term.
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I once attended a conference for a job I held, not by choice, I was forced to go, that claimed, right, on their introductory statement, on literature that was handed out,
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we are about to have a good old-fashioned Holy Spirit revival.
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Seemed a bit lackluster to me as I attended.
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A revival is not an event put on a calendar and planned for.
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We do not have the power to bring revival about, nor the power to stop it from happening.
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Just this week, a man said to me, I suggested that I think that if revival were to come to our nation, that it would come through the church.
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Just an opinion of mine.
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That would come through faithful preaching, week in, week out, in a church.
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And his response was, yeah, but what if the church doesn't want revival?
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And I said, well, I know some churches that do, and we don't have the power to stop it.
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Revival is a sovereign work of the Spirit of God.
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Making things new.
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Bringing life where there was death.
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Bringing wellness where there was sickness.
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Andrew Murray once wrote, a true revival means nothing less than a revolution.
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Casting out the spirit of worldliness.
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Making God's love triumph in the heart.
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J.I. Packer once said, revival is God's quickening visitation of his people.
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Touching their hearts and deepening his work of grace in their lives.
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We want to be clear-minded about what revival is and who brings about revival.
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It is a sovereign work of the Spirit of God.
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But what kind of filters do we need to assess something claiming to be a revival?
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These filters should not be based on our experience.
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Our thought.
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It felt like revival.
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Therefore, it must be revival.
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It's not a way that God's people should think.
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We should rather hold it up to the lens of the Word of God.
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That's an issue of the sufficiency of Scripture.
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You probably have experienced this in your social media threads.
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Much opinion.
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Very little Bible.
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The Bible is sufficient to help us understand what is and what isn't a work of the Spirit of God.
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Paul writes in 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 16 and 17.
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All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.
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Right?
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It is an inspired word.
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It is inerrant.
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It is authoritative.
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And then verse 17 says that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
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Which includes the work of discerning the spirits.
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Putting them to the test.
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Seeing if something claimed to be a move of God is actually a move of God.
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We find, give or take your opinion of it, ten revivals in the Scriptures.
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And we're going to look at one of them together today.
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And I just normatively don't like doing this, although I do from time to time.
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Yesterday, took a big turn from a plan, from a prepared sermon, to do this instead.
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I spent four and a half hours watching video of the events happening in Asbury and pulled this together from Nehemiah chapter 8.
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So I hope it will serve us helpfully in these coming moments.
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Let me give you an outline quickly and I'll reiterate this as we press on before I read the chapter, Nehemiah 8.
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These are evidences of God-sent revival we can find in our text.
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If revival is God-sent, God's people will, number one, be praying.
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Number two, they will reestablish the Word of God as the ultimate authority in their lives.
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Number three, they will recognize their defiance of God and view His chastisement as just.
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And number four, they will turn from their defiance to obedience.
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They will be praying, the Word of God will be exalted,
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and they will be repenting and believing.
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So Nehemiah chapter 8.
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Beloved, this is God's Word to us, written for His glory and our good.
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We would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises and to obey its commands.
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Nehemiah 8.
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And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the water gate.
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And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel.
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So Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, both men and women,
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and all who could understand what they heard on the first day of the seventh month.
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And he read from it, facing the square before the water gate,
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from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand.
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And the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law.
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And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose.
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And beside him stood six men to his right hand.
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For the time and embarrassment, I'll skip their names.
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And seven men to his left hand.
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Verse 5.
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And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people.
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And as he opened it, all the people stood.
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And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered,
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Amen, Amen, lifting up their hands.
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And they bowed their heads and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
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Verse 7.
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Also, 13 men, not all the exact same, and Levites,
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helped the people to understand the law, while the people remained in their places.
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They read from the book, from the law of God, clearly.
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And they gave the sense that the people understood the reading.
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And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe,
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and the Levites who taught the people, said to all the people,
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This day is holy to the Lord your God.
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Do not mourn or weep.
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For all the people wept as they heard the words of the law.
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Then he said to them,
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Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine,
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and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready.
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For this day is holy to our Lord.
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And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
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So the Levites calmed all the people, saying,
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Be quiet, for this day is holy.
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Do not be grieved.
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And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing,
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because they had understood the words that were declared to them.
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On the second day, the heads of fathers' houses of all the people,
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with the priests and the Levites,
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came together to Ezra the scribe in order to study the words of the law.
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And they found it written in the law that the Lord had commanded by Moses
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that the people of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seven month,
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and that they should proclaim it and publish it in all their towns and in Jerusalem,
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go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm,
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and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written.
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So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves,
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each on his roof, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God,
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and in the square at the water gate, and in the square at the gate of Ephraim.
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And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity
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made booths and lived in the booths.
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For from the days of Jeshua, the son of Nun,
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to that day the people of Israel had not done so.
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And there was very great rejoicing.
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And day by day, from the first day to the last day,
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he read from the book of the law of God.
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They kept the feast seven days,
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and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly,
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according to the rule.
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Now, a little background for this chapter.
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It makes some more sense to us.
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In the book of Nehemiah so far, in chapter one,
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we see Nehemiah introduced as the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes,
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who was the ruler of Persia.
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Persia had overthrown the Babylonian empire,
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and the Babylonians had carried the Israelites off to captivity.
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So this is the returning, this is the post-exilic period of the biblical narrative.
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In chapter one, we see that God brings news of the state of Jerusalem.
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It's in disrepair.
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The walls are still torn down from that Babylonian attack.
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And therefore, God's people were in a state of disrepair.
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A couple of waves had been sent back,
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and Nehemiah is grieved by this.
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Not so much because the city is not intact,
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because the well-being of God's people is not intact.
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So, Nehemiah is moved to pray for the situation,
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and God had placed Nehemiah in a very unique position
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to be trusted by King Artaxerxes as his cupbearer, right?
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The one who tasted his wine to see whether or not it was poisoned.
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King Artaxerxes gives permission to Nehemiah.
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That's why he's troubled and gives him permission to return back
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against an edict he himself had given
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to do the rebuilding of the wall.
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Nehemiah chapter one and verse eight records,
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for the good hand of God was upon him.
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So, Nehemiah has returned to Jerusalem.
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He's observed the wall.
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He's reported to the people
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God's sovereign goodness for the task.
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We see roughly 30,000 to 50,000 people,
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Israelites living in the land in this day.
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And the beginning of the building of the wall
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has taken place.
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The Israelites worked in the face of opposition,
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for God had given them, chapter four and verse six,
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a mind to work.
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And then before we get to chapter eight,
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the work is completed.
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It took 52 days, an astounding feat.
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And the surrounding nations are now afraid,
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chapter six and verse 16,
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for they perceived that this work
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had been accomplished with the help of our God.
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And so much good has already begun.
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There's a lot happening with God's good favor
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leading up to this place.
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You could say that maybe the seedbed for revival
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was already being laid and prepared,
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but yet we see here in chapter eight,
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a particular fervency, the pace picks up.
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And so let's think about these four points together
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as we observe this chapter in the life of Israel.
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So number one, if revival is God sent,
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God's people will be praying.
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And we have not studied all of the book of Nehemiah together,
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but there is much praying leading up to this point,
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particularly by Nehemiah,
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chapter one, verses five through 11,
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chapter two, verse four,
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chapter six, verse nine,
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and verse 14.
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You can turn with me if you'd like,
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but otherwise just listen.
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Nehemiah chapter one,
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verse five and following.
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This is after he hears the news
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of the disrepair of Jerusalem.
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Nehemiah prays,
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O Lord God of heaven,
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the great and awesome God
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who keeps covenant and steadfast love
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with those who love him
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and keep his commandments.
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Let your ear be attentive
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and your eyes open
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to hear the prayer of your servant
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that I now pray before you day and night
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for the people of Israel,
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your servants,
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confessing the sins of the people of Israel,
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which we have sinned against you.
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Even I and my father's house have sinned.
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We have acted very corruptly against you
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and have not kept the commandments,
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the statutes and the rules
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that you commanded your servant Moses.
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Remember the word that you commanded
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your servant Moses saying,
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if you are unfaithful,
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I will scatter you among the peoples.
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But if you return to me
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and keep my commandments and do them,
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though your outcasts are
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in the uttermost parts of heaven,
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from there I will gather them
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and bring them to the place
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that I have chosen
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to make my name dwell there.
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They are your servants and your people
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whom you have redeemed
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by your great power
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and by your strong hand.
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O Lord, let your ear be attentive
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to the prayer of your servant
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and to the prayer of your servants
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who delight to fear your name
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and give success to your servant today
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and grant him mercy
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in the sight of this man,
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which is the king.
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So we see here Nehemiah praying,
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right, being brokenhearted,
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both for the sins of his people
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and for his own sin,
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recognizing that God
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had already been faithful
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to the scattering,
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but also calling on God
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to keep his promises
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to be faithful in the inn gathering,
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that God's name would be known.
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So this is the thrust of his praying
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we can see in the book of Nehemiah.
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We also see the prayers
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of the Israelites in the book,
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chapter 4 and verse 9,
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and then chapter 8 and verse 6,
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right, a prayer led by Ezra.
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We see in verse 6,
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and Ezra blessed the Lord,
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the great God.
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I would love a record of that prayer,
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right?
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It was a prayer of blessing
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to the Lord, the great God.
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And all the people answered,
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Amen, Amen.
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Yes, let it be so.
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And they lifted up their hands
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and they bowed their heads
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and worshiped the Lord
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with their faces to the ground.
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So we see in this episode,
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God's people are praying
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as revival takes place.
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Jesus prayed.
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It's one to learn from.
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Luke chapter 6 and verse 12,
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just one example.
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In these days,
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Jesus went out to the mountain to pray.
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And all night he continued in prayer to God.
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Paul instructed the Philippian church to pray.
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Philippians 4 verse 5 and following.
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The Lord is at hand.
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Do not be anxious about anything,
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but in everything by prayer
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and supplication with thanksgiving,
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let your requests be made known to God.
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God uses the prayers of his people.
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God empowers the prayers of his people
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to accomplish the will
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that he has set forth.
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Why?
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Because he pleases to involve us
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in the process of him doing miraculous things.
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I hope that you've experienced this in your life,
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praying for some circumstance
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or for somebody
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and you see God answer the prayer
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and all the glory belongs to God,
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but you've got to be involved
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in seeing his will come to pass.
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A.T. Pearson,
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who's one of my favorite biographers
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because he wrote one of my favorite biographies
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of George Mueller,
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wrote this,
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quote,
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From the day of Pentecost,
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there has not been one great spiritual awakening
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in any land
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which has not begun
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in a union of prayer.
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Wherever the church is aroused
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and the world's wickedness arrested,
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somebody has been praying.
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Charles Spurgeon,
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whether we like it or not,
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asking is the rule of the kingdom.
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If you may have everything
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by asking in his name
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and nothing without asking,
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I beg you to see
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how absolutely vital prayer is.
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The rule of the kingdom.
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Jonathan Edwards,
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It is God's will
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through his wonderful grace
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that the prayers of his saints
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should be one
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of the great principal means
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of carrying on
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the designs of Christ's kingdom
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in the world.
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When God has something
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very great to accomplish
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for his church,
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it is his will
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that there should proceed
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at the extraordinary prayers
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of his people.
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And then one more quotation
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on prayer.
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Matthew Henry wrote,
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When God intends
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great mercy for his people,
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the first thing he does
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is set them
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a praying.
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So,
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true God-sent revival
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will involve
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prayer.
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Prayer that precedes it,
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prayer that is included
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within it.
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Oh,
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that we would be
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a people
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that are praying.
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Secondly,
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if revival is God-sent,
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God's people
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will reestablish
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the word of God
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as the ultimate
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authority
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in their lives.
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It grieves me today
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that there are many Christians
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who take the Bible
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and mix in
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other authority,
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right?
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Pop psychology,
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business ideas,
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the ungodly advice
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of a friend.
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They mix it all together.
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Instagram memes
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are really classic
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for this.
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God's people
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will reestablish
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the word of God
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as the ultimate
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authority
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in their lives.
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Now,
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remember,
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we're talking about
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things that were dead
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coming to life
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or things that were sick
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being made
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well.
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And I just in a moment
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want to encourage you
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if you already find
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that this is true
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in your life,
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that the word of God
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is the ultimate
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authority in your life,
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you may not need
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reviving.
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You may already
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have a good
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and healthy
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fervency
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for the things
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of God.
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Like we live in a
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day,
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I think,
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where people are
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looking for experience
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over and above
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the regular work
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of gathering
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with the church.
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The day in,
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day out
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revering
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God's word,
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opening it together,
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learning from it,
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giving it application
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in our lives.
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It is just possible
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that we don't need
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revival
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in our
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church.
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But,
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the word of God
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must be
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the ultimate
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authority.
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And it will be
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the ultimate authority
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in a revival.
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Paul writes this,
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1 Thessalonians 2.13,
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and we also thank God
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constantly for this,
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that when you
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receive the word
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of God,
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which you heard
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from us,
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you accepted it
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not as the word
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of men,
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but as what it
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really is,
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the word
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of God,
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which is at work
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in you,
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believers.
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People who are in
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the midst of revival,
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who have the spirit
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working in them,
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will take up
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God's word
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and see it
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for what it
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really is,
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the word
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of God.
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God's very
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word
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to man.
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They will not
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throw out
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parts of it.
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They will
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want to adhere
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to it
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in its
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entirety.
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Hebrews 4,
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verse 12,
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for the word
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of God
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is living
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and active,
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sharper than
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any two-edged
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sword,
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piercing to the
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vision of soul
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and of spirit,
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of joints
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and of marrow,
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and discerning
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the thoughts
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and intentions
24:31
of the heart.
24:33
And this happens,
24:34
beloved,
24:34
by the work
24:36
of the spirit.
24:37
This is the
24:39
tool that the
24:40
spirit uses
24:41
to bring about
24:42
revival
24:43
in people.
24:45
The word
24:46
of God
24:46
is the spirit's
24:48
sword.
24:49
The spirit
24:50
of God
24:50
begins working
24:51
in the hearts
24:52
of men
24:52
by first
24:52
drawing this
24:54
sword
24:54
from its
24:56
scabbard.
24:56
The word
24:58
of God
24:58
is the
24:58
supreme
24:59
rule
24:59
and
24:59
authority
25:00
for our
25:01
lives.
25:03
Many people
25:03
give lip
25:04
service to
25:05
the sufficiency
25:06
and efficacy
25:06
of the
25:07
Bible,
25:08
but yet
25:08
they do
25:09
not read
25:09
it,
25:10
they do
25:11
not apply
25:11
it in
25:11
the life
25:12
of their
25:12
church,
25:13
and this
25:13
should not
25:14
be so.
25:17
So note
25:17
three things
25:18
from Nehemiah
25:19
chapter 8,
25:20
three observations
25:21
about the
25:22
opening of
25:23
God's
25:24
word.
25:25
Notice
25:26
first their
25:26
eagerness.
25:28
We see
25:29
a record
25:29
in verse
25:30
three that
25:30
all the
25:31
people are
25:32
there.
25:33
We see
25:33
men and
25:33
women and
25:34
I don't
25:35
think there's
25:35
any exclusion
25:35
for nursery
25:36
workers.
25:36
I think
25:37
they've all
25:37
gathered
25:37
together in
25:38
this place
25:38
to hear
25:39
God's
25:39
word
25:39
open.
25:42
And then
25:42
in verse
25:42
one,
25:43
they told
25:43
Ezra,
25:44
the scribe,
25:45
to bring
25:45
the book
25:46
of the
25:46
law of
25:46
Moses that
25:47
the Lord
25:47
had commanded
25:48
Israel.
25:50
Right?
25:51
They built
25:51
a platform
25:52
for him
25:53
just for
25:53
the occasion
25:54
to get him
25:54
high above
25:55
the crowd
25:56
that everybody
25:57
might be
25:57
able to
25:59
hear.
26:00
And they're
26:00
gathering for
26:01
a particular
26:02
feast.
26:04
In the
26:04
Hebrew,
26:05
and I just
26:05
hesitate to
26:06
say these
26:06
things,
26:07
I'm sure
26:07
I'm going
26:07
to mispronounce
26:08
it,
26:08
but Rosh
26:09
Shoshana,
26:10
the feast
26:10
of trumpets.
26:12
This is a
26:12
feast that
26:13
preceded the
26:15
day of
26:16
atonement.
26:17
They would
26:17
have known
26:18
that they
26:18
were to
26:18
do this
26:19
thing because
26:19
of Ezra's
26:20
14-year
26:21
ministry
26:22
amongst
26:22
them.
26:23
He'd
26:23
already been
26:24
back there.
26:25
They had
26:25
rebuilt the
26:27
temple and
26:27
he had been
26:28
ministering God's
26:29
word to
26:29
them already.
26:31
They had
26:31
some knowledge
26:32
that this
26:33
thing needed
26:33
to be done
26:34
and so
26:35
they are
26:35
eager and
26:36
they invite
26:37
Ezra to
26:38
come and
26:39
to teach.
26:41
Notice also
26:42
verse 3,
26:42
from early
26:44
morning until
26:45
midday,
26:47
and we
26:47
don't know
26:47
the exact
26:48
time of
26:49
early
26:50
morning,
26:51
but it
26:51
was likely
26:52
around
26:53
sunrise,
26:55
all the
26:55
people,
26:56
including
26:56
the littles,
26:58
get this in
26:58
your mind,
26:59
five to
27:01
seven hours
27:01
the law
27:03
of God
27:03
was opened
27:04
and it
27:05
was read.
27:07
And not
27:07
only that,
27:08
notice in
27:08
verse 13,
27:09
there's a
27:09
second day,
27:11
maybe perhaps
27:12
for logistics,
27:13
I'm not
27:13
sure,
27:13
but this
27:14
time the
27:14
heads of
27:14
household
27:15
come back
27:15
to learn
27:16
more and
27:17
I would
27:17
imagine
27:17
then disperse
27:18
that teaching
27:19
amongst
27:19
the people.
27:21
They're eager
27:22
that God's
27:23
word would
27:23
be opened
27:24
to them.
27:26
Notice
27:27
also their
27:27
reverence,
27:29
verse 5,
27:30
as he
27:30
opened it,
27:32
all the
27:32
people,
27:33
stood.
27:35
I don't
27:36
think this
27:36
is a
27:36
prescriptive
27:37
thing,
27:37
right?
27:37
Some
27:38
traditions
27:38
always
27:39
stand
27:39
when
27:39
God's
27:40
word
27:40
is
27:41
read.
27:41
I'm
27:42
not
27:42
concerned
27:42
about
27:42
our
27:43
bodily
27:43
position,
27:44
but the
27:44
position
27:45
of our
27:45
hearts
27:46
as the
27:47
scripture
27:47
is opened
27:48
to us,
27:49
right?
27:49
They
27:50
revered it,
27:50
they respected
27:51
it,
27:52
they knew
27:52
it was the
27:52
very words
27:53
of God
27:54
himself.
27:56
And so
27:56
they treated
27:56
it with
27:57
reverence.
27:58
they were
27:59
hungry for
28:00
this thing
28:01
that was
28:01
being opened
28:02
before them.
28:05
Perhaps
28:05
it's possible
28:06
that we have
28:07
too much
28:08
Bible,
28:09
too many
28:10
copies,
28:10
too much
28:11
access.
28:12
There are
28:12
people in
28:13
the world
28:13
that travel
28:14
great distances
28:15
and spend
28:16
vast amounts
28:17
of time
28:18
to be around
28:19
the reading
28:20
of the
28:21
scripture
28:21
who longed
28:23
to hear it
28:23
opened up
28:24
for them.
28:25
And yet
28:26
we,
28:26
and I'm
28:27
guilty of
28:27
this just
28:28
the same,
28:28
try to
28:29
compress
28:29
our time
28:29
down,
28:30
right?
28:30
Got things
28:31
to do,
28:31
places to
28:32
go.
28:33
We don't
28:34
revere the
28:35
coming together
28:35
and opening
28:36
up God's
28:36
word the
28:37
way I
28:38
would suggest
28:38
we should.
28:41
Notice
28:42
also verse
28:42
six,
28:43
the lifting
28:43
of their
28:44
hands and
28:44
the bowing
28:45
of their
28:46
heads,
28:47
right?
28:47
Their
28:48
prostrate,
28:48
faces to
28:49
the ground,
28:50
a position
28:50
of reverence
28:51
which communicates
28:52
we are not
28:53
worthy to be
28:55
in your
28:55
presence.
28:57
God's
28:57
word opened,
28:58
right?
28:59
Prostrate
28:59
on the
29:01
ground.
29:03
And notice
29:03
also as
29:04
they're eager
29:04
and they're
29:05
reverent,
29:05
notice their
29:06
responsiveness,
29:08
right?
29:08
They're actually
29:09
hearing the
29:10
word,
29:11
they're
29:11
understanding
29:12
the word
29:12
as it's
29:13
being explained
29:14
to them
29:14
and they
29:16
have a
29:17
response
29:17
to that.
29:19
Last part
29:19
of verse
29:19
nine,
29:21
for all
29:21
the people
29:22
wept
29:23
as they
29:24
heard the
29:25
words
29:25
of the
29:26
law.
29:27
As Ezra
29:28
and the
29:28
other men
29:29
read and
29:30
explained,
29:32
helped them
29:32
to understand,
29:33
they recognized
29:34
that they
29:35
had transgressed
29:36
this good
29:37
law of this
29:38
merciful God
29:40
and an
29:40
ever-widening
29:42
chasm opened
29:43
between them
29:44
and him.
29:46
Like they
29:46
wept over
29:48
it,
29:48
over their
29:49
sinfulness.
29:52
But,
29:52
they are
29:54
told not
29:55
to weep,
29:55
right?
29:56
This
29:56
celebration,
29:58
this feast
29:59
of trumpets
30:00
preceded a
30:02
time,
30:03
preceded a
30:05
time of
30:05
repentance,
30:05
but it was
30:06
meant to be
30:06
a time of
30:07
rejoicing because
30:08
it looked to
30:09
the day
30:10
of atonement.
30:12
So they're
30:12
commanded in
30:13
verses nine
30:13
and ten
30:14
and eleven
30:15
to there to
30:15
be holiness
30:16
and joy,
30:18
right?
30:18
To look
30:19
toward the
30:19
future promise
30:20
of the
30:21
atoning work
30:22
of Christ.
30:24
Their sins
30:25
would be
30:25
forgiven,
30:26
that their
30:26
relationship
30:27
with God
30:27
would be
30:28
restored.
30:31
There will
30:32
be no revival
30:33
amongst people
30:34
who do not
30:35
love,
30:36
read,
30:37
hear,
30:38
and proclaim
30:38
the words
30:39
of the living
30:40
God.
30:42
Ask me
30:44
if I think
30:44
something is
30:45
of the spirit,
30:46
I will say
30:47
to you,
30:48
how much
30:49
exaltation of
30:51
Christ through
30:52
his word is
30:54
happening.
30:55
This is what
30:56
the spirit does.
30:57
He exalts
30:58
Christ using
30:59
the word.
31:02
Number three,
31:04
if revival is
31:04
God sent,
31:05
God's people
31:05
will recognize
31:06
their defiance
31:07
of God and
31:08
view his
31:08
chastisement
31:09
as just.
31:13
Again,
31:13
we see
31:13
verse nine,
31:14
this weeping,
31:17
this concern
31:18
as they heard
31:19
the words
31:20
of the law.
31:22
And then we
31:22
look further
31:22
in Nehemiah
31:23
chapter nine.
31:24
There's an
31:24
extended prayer
31:26
there.
31:28
The first
31:28
two verses
31:28
of Nehemiah
31:29
nine says,
31:29
now on the
31:30
24th day of
31:30
this month,
31:31
the people
31:31
of Israel
31:31
were assembled
31:32
with fasting
31:33
and in
31:34
sackcloth,
31:36
right?
31:36
Outward signs
31:37
of repentance
31:38
and with
31:39
earth on
31:39
their heads
31:40
and the
31:41
Israelites
31:41
separated
31:42
themselves
31:42
from all
31:43
foreigners
31:43
and stood
31:44
and confessed
31:44
their sins
31:45
in the
31:46
iniquities
31:47
of their
31:48
fathers.
31:49
There will
31:50
be repentance
31:51
if revival
31:52
is happening.
31:54
People will
31:54
be confessing
31:55
their sin
31:57
and turning
31:58
from it.
32:01
Verse 33
32:02
of chapter
32:02
nine says,
32:03
yet you,
32:06
speaking of
32:06
God,
32:06
have been
32:06
righteous
32:07
in all
32:08
that has
32:08
come upon
32:09
us.
32:10
For you
32:10
have dealt
32:11
faithfully
32:11
and we
32:12
have acted
32:13
wickedly.
32:16
There's going
32:16
to be a
32:17
preaching of
32:17
the word.
32:18
There's going
32:18
to be a
32:18
returning to
32:20
God through
32:20
repentance
32:21
and faith
32:23
if revival
32:23
is happening.
32:25
Second
32:26
Corinthians
32:26
chapter seven
32:27
verse eight
32:27
and following
32:28
Paul says,
32:29
for even
32:30
if I made
32:31
you grieve
32:31
with my
32:31
letter,
32:32
I do not
32:32
regret it,
32:34
though I
32:34
did regret
32:34
it,
32:35
for I see
32:35
that the
32:36
letter
32:36
grieved you
32:36
though only
32:37
for a
32:38
little while.
32:39
As it
32:40
is,
32:40
I rejoice
32:41
not because
32:41
you were
32:41
grieved,
32:42
but because
32:42
you were
32:42
grieved
32:43
into
32:43
repenting.
32:45
For you
32:46
felt a
32:46
godly
32:47
grief
32:47
so that
32:48
you
32:48
suffered
32:48
no
32:49
loss
32:49
through
32:49
us.
32:51
For
32:51
godly
32:51
grief
32:51
produces
32:52
a
32:52
repentance
32:52
that
32:53
leads
32:53
to
32:53
salvation
32:54
without
32:54
regret,
32:55
whereas
32:55
worldly
32:56
grief
32:57
produces
32:57
death.
32:59
For
32:59
see what
33:00
earnestness
33:00
this
33:00
godly
33:01
grief
33:01
has
33:01
produced
33:01
in
33:02
you,
33:02
but
33:02
also
33:02
what
33:02
eagerness
33:03
to clear
33:03
yourselves,
33:04
what
33:04
indignation,
33:05
what
33:06
fear,
33:06
what
33:07
longing,
33:07
what
33:08
zeal,
33:08
what
33:08
punishment.
33:09
At
33:09
every
33:09
point
33:10
you
33:10
have
33:10
proved
33:10
yourselves
33:11
innocent
33:12
in the
33:13
matter.
33:14
When
33:15
revival
33:16
comes,
33:16
people
33:16
will be
33:17
grieved
33:18
for their
33:18
sin.
33:19
They
33:19
will
33:19
repent
33:20
and
33:21
they
33:21
will
33:21
turn
33:22
to
33:22
God
33:22
in
33:23
obedience.
33:25
Jonathan
33:25
Edwards
33:26
wrote a
33:26
great
33:27
little
33:27
book.
33:27
If
33:27
this
33:28
thought
33:28
of
33:29
revival
33:29
is
33:29
on
33:29
your
33:29
mind
33:30
and
33:30
you
33:30
want
33:30
to
33:31
read
33:31
and
33:32
study
33:32
more
33:32
about
33:33
it,
33:33
Jonathan
33:34
Edwards
33:34
was one
33:35
of the
33:35
Puritan
33:35
pastors,
33:36
New England,
33:37
that was
33:37
part of
33:38
God's
33:39
bringing
33:39
about
33:40
what's
33:40
called
33:40
the
33:41
great
33:41
awakening.
33:42
And he
33:43
wrote a
33:43
great little
33:43
book called
33:43
A Faithful
33:44
Narrative
33:45
of the
33:45
Surprising
33:46
Work
33:46
of God.
33:47
One of
33:48
the
33:48
All-Time
33:49
Best
33:49
Book
33:49
Titles,
33:50
A Faithful
33:50
Narrative
33:51
of the
33:52
Surprising
33:52
Work
33:53
of God.
33:54
And there
33:55
in it
33:55
he wrote
33:56
about
33:56
godly
33:56
grief.
33:58
There
33:58
is a
33:58
great deal
33:59
of
33:59
difference
33:59
in the
34:00
distinctness
34:01
of these
34:01
awakenings.
34:03
Some
34:03
people who
34:03
have not
34:04
had such
34:04
a clear
34:05
sight of
34:05
God's
34:05
justice
34:06
in their
34:06
condemnation
34:07
still mention
34:08
things that
34:08
plainly
34:09
imply it.
34:11
They
34:11
develop
34:11
disposition
34:12
to
34:12
acknowledge
34:13
that God
34:13
is just
34:14
and righteous
34:15
in declaring
34:15
that he
34:16
will inflict
34:17
punishment
34:17
on those
34:18
who sin.
34:20
They know
34:21
that they
34:21
are undeserving
34:22
of his
34:22
comforts.
34:23
Many times
34:24
though they
34:24
did not
34:25
have such
34:25
a clear
34:26
sight of
34:26
it at
34:26
the beginning
34:27
they have
34:28
very clear
34:28
discoveries
34:29
of their
34:30
unworthiness
34:31
soon after
34:31
their
34:32
conviction
34:32
along with
34:34
being made
34:34
humble
34:35
in the
34:35
dust
34:36
before
34:37
God.
34:38
They're
34:38
grieved
34:39
over their
34:40
sin.
34:40
They see
34:41
God's
34:41
wrath
34:42
as just
34:43
before
34:43
them.
34:44
And in
34:45
other places
34:45
in the
34:46
text he
34:46
talks about
34:46
them turning
34:47
to God
34:48
for the
34:48
mercy he
34:48
shows
34:49
in Christ.
34:52
So
34:53
fourthly
34:53
and lastly
34:54
if revival
34:55
is God
34:55
sent God's
34:56
people will
34:56
turn from
34:57
their
34:57
defiance
34:58
to
34:59
obedience.
35:01
Verse 14
35:02
we see
35:02
them discover
35:04
the feast
35:05
of booths
35:07
right?
35:07
It's a
35:08
feast that
35:08
has not
35:09
been kept
35:09
for a
35:10
long time
35:11
and they
35:12
decide
35:13
to celebrate
35:14
this feast.
35:15
It's a
35:15
feast that
35:15
was designed
35:16
to remind
35:17
them of
35:17
the way
35:17
that God
35:17
cared for
35:18
their
35:18
ancestors
35:19
when they
35:20
tarried in
35:20
the desert
35:21
after being
35:22
delivered
35:22
from Egypt.
35:24
So they
35:24
set up
35:24
booths or
35:25
tents,
35:26
temporary
35:26
structures,
35:27
and they
35:27
dwell in
35:28
them all
35:28
over the
35:30
city.
35:31
The mark
35:32
of Christian
35:33
maturity.
35:35
And this
35:35
is why
35:36
it is
35:37
dangerous to
35:38
call something
35:38
a revival
35:39
that has yet
35:40
to be given
35:41
time.
35:42
the mark
35:43
of Christian
35:43
maturity
35:44
is not
35:45
how much
35:45
you know
35:46
or feel
35:47
how expressive
35:49
you are,
35:49
but what you
35:50
do with
35:52
what you
35:52
know.
35:53
Do you
35:53
faithfully
35:54
pursue God
35:56
having turned
35:57
from your
35:57
sin,
35:58
turning to
35:59
the righteousness
36:00
that is found
36:01
in Christ?
36:03
Notice the
36:04
result of their
36:05
obedience,
36:06
verse 17.
36:07
Now,
36:08
this is
36:09
obedience.
36:09
This is
36:10
obedience
36:11
brought
36:12
joy.
36:14
They've been
36:14
doing something.
36:15
They've been
36:15
active.
36:16
They've been
36:16
going out
36:17
of the city
36:17
and gathering
36:18
up wood
36:18
and bringing
36:19
it in
36:19
and building
36:20
things and
36:21
celebrating,
36:22
cooking food,
36:22
doing all
36:23
this stuff.
36:23
They've been
36:24
obedient over
36:25
time and
36:26
verse 17
36:27
says,
36:27
there was
36:28
great
36:29
rejoicing
36:30
results in
36:32
joy that
36:33
couples with
36:34
their obedience.
36:37
so,
36:38
beloved,
36:38
we need
36:39
to be
36:39
discerning.
36:41
We need
36:41
to have a
36:41
biblical lens
36:42
for which
36:43
to run
36:44
claims of
36:45
spirituality
36:46
in our
36:47
day.
36:48
We must
36:48
be thoughtful.
36:50
We must
36:50
be hopeful.
36:52
We certainly
36:52
must pray.
36:55
May we be
36:56
a people who
36:56
pray for
36:57
revival,
36:58
for our
36:58
local
36:59
communities,
36:59
for our
36:59
region,
37:00
for our
37:00
country,
37:01
and for
37:02
the world.
37:03
May we be
37:04
a people who
37:04
are discerning
37:05
of the claims
37:06
of revival
37:07
for the
37:08
good of
37:09
people,
37:09
and for
37:10
the glory
37:10
of our
37:11
God.
37:13
And may
37:13
we be a
37:13
people who
37:14
embrace
37:14
revival,
37:15
if and
37:16
when it
37:17
comes.
37:18
Let's
37:18
pray together.