Nehemiah 8 (Part 2) Bible Study (This Day Is Holy) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (10/9/26)

Good evening, church.

If you

are able, please stand up for the reading of God's word. Psalm 19. To the choir master, a psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.

There is no speech, nor are there words whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them, he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and like a strong man runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat. The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.

The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean enduring forever. The rules of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold. Sweeter also than honey and ripings of the honeycomb. Moreover by them is your servant warned. In keeping them there is a great reward. Who can discern the errors, his errors?

Declare me innocent from the hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous things. Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless and innocent of a great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, oh, Lord, my rock and

my redeemer. I mean, let

us worship the lord together in singing.

When my accused

Lord, we thank you for gathering us here on this Friday night. And Father, it's our joy to draw near to you and to be with your people and to worship you, Lord. And we ask that you would be gracious unto us tonight. We ask that you would allow our hearts to truly worship you. We desire to worship you from our hearts, oh Lord, and we ask that you will be pleased with our gathering today that we would would honor you in everything from beginning to end in this service.

And Lord, as we hear your word, we ask that you would give us understanding of your word tonight that it would be taught and preached with clarity. And we ask that by the power of the spirit that you would truly teach us tonight, oh Lord, through these passages, through these precious verses. And may we leave here with more strength, more joy that you give. And so we look to you now. In Jesus' name

we pray. Amen.

Welcome, church. Why don't you greet somebody before you're seated? Find somebody and embrace them this night. Precious saints, good evening. It is an absolute pleasure to be with you once again for another Friday night If this is your first time here, a special welcome to you.

We're glad that you can join us in this classroom. I like to think of it as a classroom sometimes because, we take our time in God's word. We're looking to know God's mind through the scriptures and, we're in no rush. That's why we're still in the book of Nehemiah, as you know. And before we get to that though, we continue to worship in our giving.

And so if you desire to give, if there's something in your heart that longs to worship the Lord in this way, the ushers are going to help us as they always do and there are different ways that you can contribute to the ministry here at Maranatha Bible Church as, most of you know this word church is dedicated to unfolding God's word, to those primarily who are here but also those who are beyond. And many people are being touched by what's happening here and we give God all the glory for that and we pray that every penny that goes to this ministry would only help advance God's word and bring it to places that desperately need it, and that we're so grateful for your partnership in this regard. May the Lord bless you and may he continue to make us cheerful givers, recognizing that it's a privilege to invest in the kingdom of God. And as that is taking place, a few announcements, things that are coming up in the next few days, things that are actually coming up tomorrow. You've heard this in the last few weeks that tomorrow is our kickoff for two things.

Number one, for a woman breakfast slash bible study that's happening for the first time here in this brand new facility, 10AM tomorrow. Everything is ready. We just need you to be there. So please, ladies of all ages, if you desire to just be a little bit more, intimate with this church and the sisters more particularly, you can join us tomorrow. Feel free to invite anybody if you'd like.

There will be food prepared. There will be a time of of fellowship. There will be prayer and, this is something new that we'll be looking at a study of the woman in the scriptures. There'll be a devotional time set up, questions, breakout time, it'll it'll be wonderful. We're praying and believing that God is gonna use that that morning, to bless the ladies of this house.

And in the evening tomorrow, we also have the launch, the official launch of our youth meeting and so we have, our youth leaders who have been working so hard to make this happen and if you're between the ages of 13 and 17, you're welcome to be a part of this. It'll be at 06:30 at night. There will be food, there will be fellowship, and there will be time in the word as well. And that'll be taking place downstairs in where we pray on Wednesdays, but it's also designated as the Youth Room, so it's not hard, to miss. Please join us for that tomorrow evening.

We have on October 18 also Fall Fest, that's for the little ones. This is after the Lord's Day service on October 18 where we have crafts and activities and things even for the parents to be able to get to know each other with young children. It's a time of fellowship. Our Sunday school teachers are also working hard to put that together. If the weather permits, it'll be outside in the amphitheater area.

If not, we have the space inside, for our little ones to be able to spend some time with their parents and friends and enjoy just some fun together here under this roof. We also have on October 24 for the men, there is a basketball outing and that will be on the twenty fourth and all the information is pretty much there on the screen, but what's more important is for you to put your information on a sheet there on the desk out in the lobby with your name and your number, that way David Chamberlain can reach out to you and give you details about that specific date. This is our first time doing this, since we've moved to the church and we're excited for it as as it's helped us really get men connected here, and we hope that the Lord will continue to use it for that purpose. And I believe that is all I have for you now. We have more announcements reserved for this Sunday.

I don't wanna overwhelm us on this Friday night. I'm aware it's the end of the week and I wanna reserve as much energy as possible for what we're about to do here in God's word. And so, I'd love for us to pray one more time. Can we seek the Lord and ask him to help us as we come to this very thrilling chapter once again in Nehemiah chapter eight? Let's do that.

Lord, we calm our hearts in your presence and we acknowledge you as our father and we thank you, Lord, that you have given us the opportunity to come together as your church and to be in your word. We ask Lord that this living word would make us more alive than how we walked in. We pray Lord that the only voice that would be heard would be that of you and that the only person that would be seen would be Christ. Lord, we do not depend on anything apart from your Holy Spirit's help to make this bible study a life changing one. One that would draw our hearts into more genuine worship, more committed devotion, something that would still ring in our ears when we leave this place tonight.

Please, Lord, for your name's sake, manifesting great power in our midst, May our hearts burn within us as we now come to these words and these verses and these truths and seek to know them with greater understanding and clarity. We trust that you will be with us as you have been in these last years. We know the Lord that you have been with us and we trust that you are for us. We ask these things in Jesus' name, amen and amen. And do not be grieved for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

Have you heard this powerful declaration before? Have you read it before? Have you shared it with somebody before recently? It's safe to say that most of us, if not all of us have encountered this incredible proclamation at some point in our Christian journey. I remember many years ago that that truth was quoted and attributed to Jeremiah chapter eight verse 10.

And I'm not sure about the others who were listening that day, but I was prompted to look up the reference. And very quickly, I realized that that truth is not found in Jeremiah eight verse 10. If you don't know what Jeremiah eight verse 10 says, let me read to you what the weeping prophet wrote. In Jeremiah eight ten, it reads, therefore, I will give their wives to others and their fields to conquerors because from the least to the greatest, everyone is greedy for unjust gain. From prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely.

That's a very different message, isn't it? And it's a mistake that anyone of us can make, but it reminded me how we as Christians can become so familiar with a biblical phrase, a biblical declaration, know the very words of it but not know where the passage is found. And if we know where it's found, we may know the quotation but not the context. And we may know the promise but not why it was given in the first place. The joy of the Lord is your strength is found in the very chapter that we've begun studying last week in Nehemiah chapter eight, more precisely verse 10.

And let's turn there together because tonight, we continue our study of this marvelous revival that happened in ancient Jerusalem under the leadership of this man of God, Nehemiah. And we will not only take a closer look at this familiar text, but we will also consider other truths that are so crucial to our understanding connected to it and receive greater joy because of it. But let's recapture the scene for a moment. Let's refresh our memory. The first day of the seventh month, this is how the text begins in this chapter.

The leadership of Jerusalem at the time gathered all the people of Judah who eagerly responded en masse there at the square before the Watergate. Ezra, the scribe, appears for the first time in Nehemiah's account and he climbs up a wooden platform and he opens up the scrolls of the law, and from early morning until midday, he just reads. He reads and he reads and he reads and he reads. And periodically, the Levites who were teachers helped the people understand the things that were being read, stirring the hearts of God's people even more. This is the last scene that we witnessed together before we put a pause on our study in this text, and it was truly uplifting.

But there is more encouragement waiting for us because this marvelous, remarkable event has not yet come to a close. It continues. And what we're going to find here is in verse nine through 12, more wonderful things as a result of God's word being honored the way it was honored here at this point of Judah's history. Let's read it together. Nehemiah eight beginning in verse nine to verse 12.

And Nehemiah who is 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. In our last study, you and I discussed the proper and most beneficial way of approaching the word of God. There are different ways that you and I can engage with God's word and earlier in the same chapter, we saw some principles and we we gleaned some disciplines and attitudes and convictions that we must possess if we are to draw out of the word of God, it's transforming power. And by the end of the last session in our last Friday study, we also touched on some of the fruit that we can expect when we come to God's word the way Nehemiah and the people of Judah have modeled for us.

But here's what's so wonderful, in the verses that we just read, there are even more wonderful results that await us. When we come to this book with a hungry heart, when we come to these oracles of God with a desire to understand, when we come to the sacred scriptures with a patient spirit. And for the sake of our time, I wanna look at four of those wonderful treasures that we can guarantee if we do honor God's word the way it deserves to be honored. And the first one is perhaps the most obvious. When you and I come with humility, patience, hunger, desire for clarity and insight, we can also expect this book by God's Spirit to convict of us our sin, to convict us of our sin.

For all the people as you see here at the end of verse nine, wept as they heard the words of the law. That's not a mystery. The tears here is not a mystery. As Ezra is revealing the holy character of God, as he is unfolding the righteous demands that he makes, the people's miserable condition were being exposed by contrast. There's significant imperfections, there are frequent shortcomings, and on top of that, there are history of rebellion that has led them into exile.

Add to that, the severe warnings and the punishments that await those who do continue in idolatry, who do remain in the state of unrepentance, and you can see why they were broken. You can see why they were shattered before Ezra and the other leaders there as they were being washed by God's word. This was genuine grief. This is a real thing being expressed here. And as uncomfortable as those pains may be, those stings to their conscious must have been, The sight of them being broken in this way is a little bit refreshing, isn't it?

It is. Because it reveals a rare sensitivity to the things of God within a community of people. But it also teaches us that one way we know our hearts are respect... Receptive to divine truth is that it causes us to reflect on and examine ourselves in terms of conformity to Christ likeness. Anyone who studies God's word but does not allow the word to study him is not in alignment with God's intended purpose for his written truth.

Anybody who claims to be dedicated to examining the scriptures but does not invite the scriptures to examine his heart is not approaching God's word the way God desires His word to be approached. You know, it's amazing that the longest chapter in the Bible from start to finish is dedicated to illuminating the vast wonders of God's word. I'm speaking about Psalm 119, of course. And many Christians over the years since it was penned have drawn from that Psalm to bring to mind the beauty and the blessings that are reserved for those who study the scriptures, who search the scriptures, who savor the scriptures, who stand on the promises of the scriptures. And we should.

It's a splendid Psalm. But I'm not sure how many people remember or know how Psalm one nineteen begins. Do you? How does the whole lengthy Psalm even start? What is the first step into that incredible text?

Well, let me remind you. Turn with me to Psalm one nineteen. This really sets the tone of all the celebration and all the glory regarding God's word and the gift that it really is. Psalm one nineteen beginning at verse one. Notice what the psalmist says from the outset.

Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong but walk in his ways. The very first thought of this incredible Psalm that speaks of the glory of the scriptures is that ultimate blessing comes not from those who read the law, who mind the depths of the law, who meditate on the law, who memorize the law. No. It is for those who walk in the law.

Those who approach the Bible with a longing to have their actions and attitude shaped by God's will until when? Until they are blameless, until they are free from wrongdoing. That is the blessing that you and I should chase after through the word. That is the goal that we must all possess in our hearts as we come to this text. It says though the Holy Spirit from the beginning wants to make us aware, do not miss it.

Do not miss my ultimate aim for you. When you come to this book, when you hear it, when you rehearse it, it's meant to change the way you walk. And this is the way the people of Judah and Nehemiah eight are experiencing the scriptures and it is manifesting itself through sorrow and grief over their sin. It's actually impacting them. It's actually bringing to light things in their own lives that are not in alignment with God's heart and His desire.

And so they begin to shed tears and

we have

to be careful because this this does not mean at all that if you and I don't weep every time we come to the word or hear it preach, if if we don't experience the gushing of intense emotion every time we we look at a passage, in no way does that indicate that we are failing to receive God's word as we ought. However, this does call us for something. This does make us examine ourselves to to establish this truth. Am I constantly aware that this book is designed to challenge me? Am I open to it piercing me, in correcting me, in stopping me from doing something that I'm entertaining or repenting of something that I have been entertaining, and making things right where I have gone wrong.

Is that the way I think about the scriptures when I know that I'm coming to a place like this ready to hear it or every time I open it on my own? We see here that these individuals in Nehemiah chapter eight understand that God's word is meant to transform and they submit to that transforming work. And that will look like from time to time experiencing conviction. Again, that's quite obvious, but here's what's really striking to me in the very same verse that we read there in nine, of the people weeping as they heard the words of the law being read, we also find Nehemiah in the leadership telling them to stop. I can't imagine any preacher doing that.

I mean, to see people being so tender and humble as God's Word is being read and explained and then for the the teacher in that setting to say, Enough, that's that's fine now. I mean, this kind of response is an answer to many prayers for the true preacher. And you want it to come to a halt? What's the reason for it? Well, the answers are found there in the very words of the people who who called them to stop.

Look at it again in verse nine. Here's the explanation. This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep. This day is holy.

So there's something about the timing of this gathering that makes it extra special from any other day. And you and I already learned this last week. When did this congregation come together in this manner according to the same chapters? Anybody remember the exact timing? That is, in fact, the feast.

But look here at verse two of Nehemiah eight, the last part, on the first day of the seventh month. And as we just heard, according to the book of Leviticus, this is when the Feast of Trumpets was to be observed. This is when a particular feast out of seven was to be honored and recognized. Now, there is nothing in the scriptures that explicitly prohibits mourning or tears or repentance during the Feast of Trumpets. However, there is strong indication that this feast among others was a time for rejoicing and gladness.

And there is a passage that reinforces this conclusion and it's it's not very known, but you'll never forget it, I'm sure, from this day forward. It's in the book of Numbers and you have to turn there to see what it said. This is an easy reference, chapter 10 verse 10. There is some insight here of what the Lord really wanted from his people concerning his feasts. There's a word association that I want us to highlight together.

Numbers chapter 10 beginning in verse 10, and really it's only found in verse 10. In Numbers ten ten, we read, On the day of your gladness also and at your appointed feast and at the beginnings of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings. They shall be a reminder of you before your God, I am the Lord your God. Do you see it? Gladness was associated with the appointed feast.

Glee and delight and rejoicing is there for the beginning of each month, and the blowing of the trumpets over the sacrifices and the offerings, all of which have foundational relevance to the Feast of Trumpets. So you see what's happening here. Right? The sorrow that the people were expressing in Nehemiah eight was not suitable for the occasion. What did the feast call for?

Rejoicing, celebrating, reflecting on God's goodness and his faithfulness. So rather than allowing the grief to dominate the occasion, the leaders now step in and they redirect the people's emotions. And they said, Hey, listen. This is wonderful. We understand you're you're being moved here.

We understand that God's holiness is bearing upon you and showing you where you have fallen short, but this day is holy. And as I meditated on this, I realized something. As genuine as their emotions were, this is real, this is raw, this is revival. The people had to choose not to allow their grief to dictate how the Lord prescribed them to worship him on this particular day. And remarkably, the people listened.

They obeyed. They submitted their feelings to a standard that was greater. As real as their emotions were when they learned what God asked of them, they did not act upon what they were feeling, they bowed their hearts to truth which brings us to our second thought. Remember, we're considering the fruit that awaits those who come to God's word with hunger and the desire to understand and a patient spirit. We can expect it to cut our hearts regarding our sin and that's a gift in itself.

But secondly, as we progressively grow in God's word, we can expect it to govern our emotions, to govern our emotions. There is a similar command that's repeated in these short verses that we read. Look at it again in verse nine, do not mourn or weep. Verse 10, do not be grieved. Verse 11, do not be grieved.

I mean, it's repeated over and over again. Stop weeping. Stop being sorrowful. Stop mourning. And each time that command is given, it is grounded in this very reason, this day is holy, each time.

That is amazing to me because it shows that the people's sorrow had to surrender to God's desires for them. What was taking place in their hearts was to be guided by the truth that God had already established in His word. That is fascinating. Generally speaking, our emotions are largely driven by what we think. And while circumstances certainly have a way to stir our emotions, the way we perceive them and the way we process those experiences ultimately shapes the way we feel about them.

And that does not mean that the more we grow in God's word, the more our emotions are suppressed, not at all. What it does show us, however, is that spiritual maturity is proven when our feelings are incrementally and progressively being influenced and trained by God's revelation. That is how you know God's word is working in you in a very deep way. Have you ever meditated how much in the Bible commands the way we should feel? Do not be anxious about anything.

Rejoice in the Lord always. Even in Matthew ten twenty eight, God in Christ tells us what not to fear and what to fear. Do not fear those who can kill the body but cannot destroy the soul, rather fear him who can destroy both body and soul in hell. And the honest reader going through the scriptures might ask themselves or others, how can God give orders concerning what I feel? Aren't my feelings spontaneous?

Aren't they involuntary to some extent? But clearly, the Lord wants to show us that what we feel is considerably influenced by what we think and what we believe. And the more you shape and renew your mind through the truth, the more that will have and influence the way you feel things and about things. And so, we see here that that same principle is being applied in Nehemiah chapter eight, the people are mournful. And what does Nehemiah and the others do?

They say, This is what God's word says about this day. Stop it. Now, we have to be careful because, that doesn't suggest that our emotions will never arise spontaneously. It doesn't mean that we will never be surprised by certain sentiments. That's not realistic.

However, this is a helpful observation to show us that even though we may be entering into a certain pattern of thinking or something that, we're fearful of because we know that these emotions can get the best of us, what we find here in this incredible text is that we do not have to become slaves to our feelings, and that is really good news. The scriptures are so authoritative, the Bible is so persuasive that when it is rightly believed, rightly applied, rightly understood, it can actually put a harness on the way we feel. Meaning, we don't have to act on our feelings every time we feel them. And so many people justify their actions because of what? Well, that's what I was sensing.

That's what I was moved to do. That's what something I couldn't control. Well, Nehemiah shows us that God's word can actually help you control it. Distance yourself from this book and you'll find yourself more and more submitting to your emotions instead of the truth. But the closer you are to God through his word, the more you'll be able to realize this wonderful, wonderful restraint and not just a restraint, a sanctification of your feelings and mine where we grieve about the right things and we rejoice over the right things and we not completely stop perhaps, but we know a greater grace over things that we shouldn't be grieving about and we know a dimming in the things that we shouldn't be so happy about.

Do not grieve. It's said over and over again. Why? This day is holy. How did they know this day was holy?

God's word said it. God's word said it. And this is hope for those who think to themselves and even tell others, I can't just help. I can't help. I'm an emotional person.

Okay. Well, do you think Jesus can't sanctify that part of who you are? Of course, he can and he's given us the means through his word. But look with me now in Nehemiah eight verse 10 and I want you to see a third wonderful outcome for those who take the word of God seriously. Nehemiah eight verse 10, look at the first part.

We won't consider the last part just yet. 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. Again, Nehemiah's instructions here are grounded on the fact that this day is holy to the Lord. And because this is a feast, there is exhortations here to eat of the best food and to drink of the best drink. Because a lot of these feasts called for such participation, this was a way of responding to God's faithfulness and his covenant.

This is a celebration again and most celebrations include food, don't they? And again, we have to remember like in first Samuel chapter one, these feasts invited the worshipers to actually partake of the very food that they were giving to God at the house of God. There was almost like a meal being shared between the worshipers and the Lord himself. And so God wanted many of these feasts to be connected to actually tasting and delighting and replenishing and refreshing. But notice how Nehemiah not only encourages them to eat and drink, but to also do what?

Send portions to anyone who has nothing ready. Now, at first glance, this may be a command that's stemming from Nehemiah's own thoughtfulness and his mindfulness of others. Remember, we saw that he was a leader who was very much concerned about those who were the least fortunate. But you also remember here that his actual reasoning is because this day is holy to the Lord, And he is bringing to mind to these people something that they might have come across while Ezra earlier that day was reading through the law of God. So here's an example of it.

In Deuteronomy chapter 15, I'm sure that they heard words similar to this at some point on that wonderful day. In Deuteronomy 15, you don't have to turn there. Just listen to these two verses. Chapter fifteen seven and eight, If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, and any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God has given you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need whatever it may be. Interestingly, in Leviticus 23 where you have the calendar of all the feasts that were to be observed by the people of God.

You have this instructions that's tucked sandwiched between the feast of weeks and the feast of trumpets, which is being recognized here in Nehemiah chapter eight. The Lord slips something in that again showcases his heart for those that we can easily overlook while we are worshiping the Lord. Listen to this, in Leviticus 23 verse 22. After explaining what they were to do in the Feast of Weeks and before he goes into the Feast of Trumpets, the Lord says, and when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner.

I am the Lord your God. And if still you're not convinced on your own time, go to Deuteronomy 16. I know I'm giving you a lot of scripture here, but it's Bible study. And there is the Lord elaborates on some of these feasts. He includes with these people who are coming to make pilgrimage, the fatherless, the widows, the sojourners.

So virtually, every time in in these texts that we're bringing up here, the feasts are mentioned, there is also this recognition for those who may not have the means to be able to worship like the average Israelite. And he puts the responsibility on the Israelites to go and take care of their neighbors. What does this teach us as we're looking at what God's word will create in our lives as we consume it? Well, here's the third observation. It will encourage selflessness.

Show me show me a man who knows God's word and loves to dive into its depths. And you should be able to show me a man who does not also sense a responsibility towards God but also to his fellow man. You wanna know if God's word is really working in you? Here's what Nehemiah reveals to us. Not only will you be drawn closer to the Lord, but you will know a greater fondness and care for those who are created in God's image especially those who belong to him.

There are some people who I've met over the years who consider themselves expert in theology, but they're so isolated. They're up there in their ivory towers or they're secluded. They have no relationship whatsoever with the local church. It's just them and their Bibles. And based on things like what we see here in Nehemiah eight and others, I can conclude safely that such a person is not reading their Bibles right.

You're not because you will constantly come into contact with commands and exhortations and encouragement and warnings pertaining to others in your life. And this word is so powerful in the same way we discuss how it governs our emotions, even your personality type, introvert, extrovert, something in between. This word energizes you in a in a supernatural way to actually look upon others with eyes of love and a desire to do what God asks you to be an extension of blessing to them. Does anybody remember last week which church or which epistle Paul said of them, the believers that he was writing to, that they did not receive God's word as the word of man but as it really is God's word. Anybody remember?

First, Thessalonians. I think you all whispered it. First Thessalonians. And in that same place in first Thessalonians two verse 13, he acknowledges that they recognize God's word for what it really was and then he ends it on this point which is at work in you. Wow.

Paul could recognize with this group of believers that God's word was working in them. That that is incredibly insightful to me at least. And that's what I was thinking about when when I thought of another scripture in that same epistle that I believe carries a connection. The same group of Christians where Paul said the word of God is at work in you also says this at the end of the epistle. Listen to this in first Thessalonians five verse 14.

Paul is ready to wrap things up and he says this to the church at large. In first Thessalonians five verse 14, and we urge you brothers, admonish the idol, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, and be patient with them all. I believe this single verse gives us some kind of a clue of the type of people you can expect in any church. You're gonna find some idle people in your church. You're gonna find some faint hearted people.

You're gonna find some weak people. Who is Paul writing to? A group of Christians where he affirmed the word of God is at work in you. And if it's truly at work in you, then you'll take commands like this to heart. We urge you brothers.

Admonish, encourage, help. Don't ignore. It's not just you and God's word working in you that that's gonna spill over in some way. That's gonna animate you in some way. One of the ways that it does is how you look at others who may not be on the same spiritual level as you, who may not be as consistent at you...

As you, who may not be as strong as you. You wanna know if God's word is really working in you, you'll be able to look at others with all their failures and all their unique personalities and all their shortcomings, and you're patient with them. You do what you can to help them. You put your arm around them. This is...

Well, you wanna talk spirituality? This is spirituality. Not you being able to explain the seven year tribulation period merely. There are people who can do that and they stink in terms of their character. I'm not interested in it and neither should you be.

I'm interested in this kind of fruit, a knowledge that produces a love, a knowledge that gives you fuel for the faint hearted and wisdom for the weak and compassion even for the idle. But now we come to the fourth and last outcome of God's word, working in the hungry, those who seek understanding and those who are patient with the results. It causes great rejoicing. God's word will cause you to rejoice greatly. Let's look at the second part of verse 10.

We'll read the whole verse. And 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. I have to tell you something. That single statement deserves a series of messages on its own.

We're very familiar with it, right? But when you meditate on it, I was getting so excited earlier today because I recognized there is so much packed in those words, so much. But before we explore the life changing insights it provides, we have to establish something very important and it is this, the joy of the Lord. Is Nehemiah speaking about God's joy for us or our delight in God? Does that question make sense?

When he says the joy of the Lord is your strength, is what he is saying is you can draw strength from the realization that God actually takes pleasure in you. The the God of the universe and all his splendor and holiness delights in you, and and that does something to you. Is that what Nehemiah is saying? Or is he saying, your joy in God is the secret to your longevity, is the secret to your spiritual stamina? I think that's a good question to ask.

And I believe you can make a case for both. I believe you can even make a case of it being two dimensions, almost a cause and effect relationship. Then as you understand God's joy over you, it then produces a joy for God. However, contextually, I'm persuaded that the primary meaning is actually about our joy in the Lord. I mean, you just have to look at the surrounding passages.

There are many other places in the Bible that speak about God's pleasure for his people, but what Nehemiah seems to be doing here is calling the people to get rid of their sorrow, put away their grief, and replace it with joy. That's the direction that he is leading them in. And we see later on here in verse 12 where they they are rejoicing greatly, and so what seems to be the focus is that Nehemiah wants the people of God to tap into a joy on a day that calls for their rejoicing and to replace the sorrow and mourning with it. Now once that is clarified, we can then apply it rightly. I'm telling you, if you just if you just sit here and camp at this part of this verse, we can have a series of messages, but we're just going to skim some of these things.

So I want us... This is just me spilling over my notes, my thoughts, my reflections, and I hope you catch it. Here's some sub points, if you will, that makes things easier, sub points to this final point about this word causing great joy in us, and God's joy, and our joy in him, and what it all means. What I see here in this text is that joy is a powerful motivator for obedience. Conviction of sin is here.

Conviction of sin is needed being broken over our failures as a beautiful experience from time to time. But prolonged and excessive sorrow is not helpful to your worship or mine. To barely know this joy is a detriment is a detriment to our spiritual progress, and what I find so helpful in these verses is that Nehemiah is communicating how the joy of the Lord is what gives us the energy and the grace that actually fulfill God's will. In fact, what I discovered here in in my study of the seven feasts is how many of them call for joy. The only exception out of the seven feasts where joy is actually explicitly barred from being something that you know is the day of atonement.

The day of atonement was a was a call for self affliction. However, when you look at the other feasts, some are very clear, some are implied. And I began to look, I was just searching over and over like, Lord, when you were calling your people to observe the... These holy days, when you were summoning them three out of the seven to actually come to Jerusalem, the the designated place of worship, what were you after? What were you looking for?

What did you wanna see come out of your people? And then a verse came to me. A verse came to me and I said, that's it. It's it's what you find here in Nehemiah chapter eight. It was there in the law.

So this is a really good reference to to put in the margins of this chapter. It's in Deuteronomy 12 in verse seven. This is a chapter, at least the first part, dedicated to what the people were to do when they come into the promised land and God designates a place for their worship. Here's what he says. In Deuteronomy twelve seven, and there you shall eat before the Lord your God and you shall rejoice.

You and your households in all that you undertake in which the Lord your God has blessed you. Read the verses before that. He's talking about burnt offerings and different kind of sacrifices being made. But what was the Lord after ultimately? Their joy.

Their joy. To approach the house of worship with joy, to leave with greater joy. And so what I see here is that joy is a powerful motivation for obedience. In fact, joy carries more force in producing holiness than guilt. Even if you know conviction, do you think conviction is the end?

Do you think that's the ultimate goal? Do you think that the Lord wants you to sit there in your pain as you reflect in remorse? Joy is a wonderful stimulant to sanctification. But I see another thing here, and it is how holiness does not equate somberness. Holiness does not equate somberness.

I find it interesting that in the same passage where holy is emphasized, joy is mentioned just as often. This day is holy. This day is holy. This day is holy. Do not mourn.

Do not mourn. Do not grieve. Rejoice. The joy of the Lord is your strength. You know, there are some Christians who have the strange understanding of what it means to actually be godly And it is that you have to be perpetually sad and sorrowful and gloomy.

And you shouldn't smile because spiritual people don't smile. You shouldn't be approachable because you're so holy. Now, you should you should show a little excitement about what God is doing because God can always do more and there's a lot of sin still in this church and in this city and in this nation. And don't be too cheerful and don't be demonstrably thankful either. Keep it inside.

It's this very, very strange concept of what it means to be actually holy. And yet in this book, in this chapter more specifically, holiness is greatly connected to joy. Christians should be the happiest people on earth. Not because of superficial material things, but because of the riches we have in Christ. I was thinking of a verse at the end of Psalm 144, blessed is the people whose God is the Lord.

If you

have the King James or the New King James, it says, happy are the people whose God is the Lord. Holiness does not equate somberness. I wonder why little children wanted to go to Jesus. I wonder why they felt so comfortable around him. I mean, how much could they actually understand?

There was something he radiated. There was a gentleness about it. There was a kindness about it. Yes, he was surely fierce when he needed to be with those who would oppose the truth and held positions of authority. Yet, the same Jesus who flipped tables could have a child on his lap and that child stay there so comfortably.

Holiness does not equate somberness. This text shows us that there is a great marriage between joy and being holy. Thirdly, I see here that spiritual leaders are called to help others grow joyful in the Lord. So in the same way that you have some Christians who have this misunderstanding that holiness is somehow the absence of happiness, There are also some spiritual leaders who feel like it is their call to make people guilty and to keep them guilty. And this can be done in many ways, imposing legalistic terms and conditions within that church setting so that nobody would dare even come close to actually sinning.

Let's put up some more parameters here. Or it could look like them preaching in a way where there is zero zero sense of pleasure and delight in the truth. It's just law, it's just condemnation, it's just judgment. And the people don't leave joyful. The people are not maturing in that joy.

What are Nehemiah and Ezra and the other priests and scribes doing here? They're fighting for the joy of the people. They're coaching and they're leading and they're guiding the people to actually walk in joy. And I wanna tell you something, you find the same kinda attitude among the leaders in the New Testament for the church of Jesus Christ. You know what text came to mind when I was reflecting on this?

What Paul said to the Corinthians when he he gave him many rebukes. But notice what he says in the second epistle. I think it's worth turning there together. In second Corinthians chapter seven verse eight, he receives word back of how the people responded to his initial epistle. And what he says here says something so glorious about Paul's heart as a leader, as an apostle, as a pastor in many ways for this particular church.

In second Corinthians chapter seven verse eight, For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it, though I did regret it. For I see that the letter grieved you though only for a little while. As it is, I rejoice not because you were grieved but because you were grieved into repenting. Do you see? For you felt a godly grief so that you suffered no loss through us.

You can almost see Paul being transparent here. He goes, I know that my words were were sharp. I know. And when I knew that it grieved you, I wrestled because my intention is not to wound you with my words, but but I ended up rejoicing. Why?

Because I saw the fruit of your grief. It led you into repentance, and we know that repentance ultimately leads us to joy. But notice Paul here, his aim was not getting people to be in a continual state of remorse over their imperfections, over their weaknesses. I'm telling you, there are some people who who are driven by that. He said, no, you grieve for a little while.

Just like in Nehemiah eight, they they started with their mourning and their sorrow, but the leaders didn't want them to stay there. Why? Because this this is ultimately about joy. Joy in the Lord, enjoying God as we revel in the truth that he genuinely loves us. So notice what he says earlier in second Corinthians chapter one.

In case you're not convinced of this, look at verse 24, how he begins the second epistle. In second Corinthians one twenty four, not that we'd lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your what? For your joy. We work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith. So Paul and his team, you know what they were ultimately about?

Preaching the gospel, yes, seeing people broken over their sin, repenting of their iniquity, absolutely. But once they have crossed that point to say, now how do we build up the people's joy in the Lord? Not compromising, not avoiding difficult subjects. I mean, read first and second Corinthians. He deals with very sensitive subjects.

But for what end? To what end? For their joy. Lastly, as we're looking how the Word of God produces this joy, our greatest joy according to this truth is spiritual in nature. Notice that Notice that the reason for the people's great rejoicing in verse 12.

Let's read it again in Nehemiah eight verse 12. And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing. Notice, not just rejoicing, great rejoicing. Because they had understood the words that were declared to them. Pay pay careful attention here.

Their joy did not stem from their eating. Their joy was not excited by their drinking. Their joy was not even unlocked because of the community of the people gathering together in this way for this feast. Where did their joy come from? The last part of verse 12, because the understanding that the words that were declared to them, they had received.

In other words, possessing the word of God and having it made known to you with greater clarity is the key to abundant joy. And that kind of joy is lasting. That quality of joy is free from impurity of shame or regret. That kind of joy is independent of our circumstances. And more amazingly, that kind of joy can actually be multiplied.

The better you understand God's will and His mind and His heart as revealed in these sacred pages. In fact, I believe Nehemiah's famous statement claims something that we often miss. There's no other joy worth pursuing and nurturing more than this one. The joy of the Lord is your strength. Now, when we hear that, we often think the happier I am in God, the more energy I have in my spiritual stride and the more I can secure myself in the will of God, the more muscle I gain.

And though that may be true in some ways, it's far more profound than that. Do you know why? Because that word strength in that wonderful declaration in Hebrew is and it actually means place of safety, refuge, stronghold, fortress. If you look at the biblical usage of that word in its original language, more than anything else, it's actually describing a physical location, a safe haven that one can hide in, A refuge again, a fortress, a stronghold. So if we wanna be more accurate with that famous statement, we could render it in the following way, the joy of the Lord is your stronghold.

Does it really make a difference? I think so. It adds a whole another layer to our understanding of it. Think of Nehemiah's story at large. Here's a man moved by God to come to Jerusalem to help rebuild the walls of the holy city.

Why? To reestablish its security and its identity and he accomplishes it. But now, he looks at the same people who are being moved to live in that city and he reminds them, the joy of the Lord is your stronghold. What do we make of that? Well, I think there are many things that are implied.

Here's one for us to land on. People of God, your security does not rest on these physical structures. Do You wanna know true preservation? You wanna know true prosperity? Do you wanna know perpetual victory as you live in this place?

Your true stronghold is the joy of the Lord. When you are happy in God, you know true protection. When you live in that state of continual satisfaction in the Lord, that is the greatest shield against temptation. That is the greatest place to hide when people fail you. When people disappoint you, oh, your delight is in God.

This is my stronghold. When people abandon you, when they betray you, when they wanna attack you, oh, the joy of the Lord is my stronghold. When taunts come your way, when all these tricks that Satan has in mind to try to veer you off of the path of God's will, the joy of the Lord is my stronghold. I'm not going anywhere else. I had the best thing ever.

My joy is in God. And that is why the greatest men of God knew success from beginning to end, not perfect success, but enduring success. Men like George Mueller. I had this quote written in my office at home and I tried to look at it every single day. George Muller said, The first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day is to have my soul happy in the Lord.

Before I do anything else, before I answer any emails, before I preach any sermon, before I tend to any orphan's needs, my primary business every single day before I step outside is to get my soul happy in the Lord. Why? Because the joy of the Lord is your stronghold. And the means by which we taste that joy and we stretch that joy and we deepen that joy is through this book. This is how God has ordained it for us.

You wanna come before the Lord's feet? Open this book. You wanna have a conversation with him, open this book. You want him to speak to you, you'd be amazed to know how God and his providence will bring the right scripture for the right circumstance, for the right situation. It's amazing.

What we learn here in Nehemiah helps us measure our spiritual health. The moment I begin to lose my sense of joy in the Lord, of the Lord, I need to be I need to be careful. I'm not saying every day you need to know this pristine, untouched, unmoved sense of delight in God. That's always going to be challenged. But if it's non existent all the time or a stretch of time, hold on, this is going to lead down a very dangerous path.

Because if I'm not happy in God, you and I were created, this may shock you, you and I were created to know satisfaction. If it's not in God and it must be in God, you're gonna look for something else to satisfy it. That's why the joy of the Lord is your stronghold. People ask me all the time, how do I overcome this temptation? How do I overcome this lust?

How do I overcome this thing? How do I overcome this love for that and this love for this? The joy of the Lord, you need joy in

God.

People try to deal with the symptoms, you're not getting to the source. The source, go deeper. Where's your joy? What's the object of your your delight, your gratification? Are you at rest knowing I have access to communion with God.

And in this new covenant, I don't have to make pilgrimage to Jerusalem to do it. I can go into my bedroom, close the door, and enter into the Holy of Holies. I can do it in my car. I can open myself up as I take these promises and take these precepts and engage with them in a prayerful spirit, in a singing way, in an honest manner before the Lord. Oh, and when you taste that joy, when you've really tasted that joy, sin loses its charm.

The praise of people becomes so cheap. Ministry is exciting, but it's not your identity. And so Nehemiah here shows us just some of the things that we can expect when we come to this word the way it deserves to be approached. It will convict you of sin. Praise God for that.

And thank God that doesn't end with conviction. It's a means to an end. It will convict you of sin. It has the ability to actually govern your feelings and your emotions or how we need that at critical times. It encourages selflessness And it is the cause for the greatest joy that you can know on this side of eternity.

The joy of the Lord is your strength. The joy of the Lord is our stronghold. I wonder tonight, if you're listening to this and you think to yourself, I'm not happy in God. I'm not. And Satan has so many substitutes waiting for us to nibble on.

But perhaps God is using this Bible study to remind you where your true stronghold is, where the safest place for you is in this very dangerous world, revisiting the joy of the Lord and asking him to make you joyful again. Are you struggling in that area? God is ready to help you. God is ready to help you. Let's seek him for that help, shall we?

What an amazing thought it is, oh lord, that you desire us to be a joyful people. Help us know what that is, Lord. If we don't understand, if if we've never been taught this, if we've missed this, if we've reduced our Christianity to just not doing certain things instead of arriving to the most blissful state of mind and fulfilling heart condition that you have planned for each of us. Lord, we pray that we would know it. I pray for any person here who grew up in the faith and they have registered Christianity as a simple conviction that you have so that you don't join the craziness in the world around you.

Lord, I pray that they would realize that it is much more personal and satisfying than that. I pray lord that every person here sitting in this place would be able to say the joy of the lord is my stronghold. I don't wanna go anywhere else. I am so satisfied in God. And Lord, if we've walked away from that refuge, if we have stepped away from that fortress that keeps us from so much trouble, Lord, use these truths to bring us back again and to make our home there.

Help us know how to make our soul happy in you every single day. Help us believe that this book was put together so that we would know joy in you. Help us see it. Help us find it. Help us taste it again.

And Lord, for those who are growing weary, for those who are running on empty, for those who are just doing what they're doing just because they know they're supposed to be doing it absent of joy, bring that joy back. Only you can do it, Lord. We've done our part to look at the text and look at these truths together and to faithfully explain them and hear them, but Lord only you can generate that joy and we pray that we would experience it in this place. May it be our inheritance experientially in this place. In Jesus name we pray, amen and amen.

Let's worship the Lord. You wanna stay seated and worship the Lord, you do that. Is that you ask God for this joy. Ask him for it. No preacher can give it to you.

No song can help you get there. It's God himself who puts it in the heart. Ask him for it and he's willing to do it.

I sing praises to your name.

To your name. Oh, Lord.

Praises to your name.

Oh, Lord. For your name is great

It's amazing when you read the book of Deuteronomy how life changing it can be. I mean, Jesus quoted from it every single time Satan tempted him in the wilderness. It was all from Deuteronomy that says something. And in Deuteronomy, as the Lord was preparing the people to go into the land of promise, he already predicted and knew that they were going to fail him. He knew that they were going to deny him and follow false gods and adopt the ways of the nations and at one point he tells them the reason for the departure.

Listen to this, in Deuteronomy 28 verse 47, because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart because of all the abundance of all things. Notice he didn't say because you did not serve the Lord your God.