Baptist Christian Church

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Nehemiah 8: 10 – 12

We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can also download our service at Baptist-Christian at iTunes. The normal response of the true Christian heart to The Word of God is celebration. Celebration is the result of meditating and understanding The Word in our hearts. The fun part is when a person who is not yet redeemed sees the Word actually working in our life, they are drawn to us and we have the opportunity to share the Gospel with them so God can save them. Nehemiah teaches us how to make that happen. First we see

1. A CONCERN FOR THE COMMUNITY! In verse 10 the people were told to stop mourning and weeping. That sounds strange because in verse 9 we learn they were broken hearted because of their sin. Question: when was the last time you were brokenhearted over your own sin. When was the last time you wept over your sin? Notice the celebration is community wide. One of the most intimidating principles of NT Christianity is sharing with others. One reason is that sharing is countercultural or in opposition to the “me first” attitude that pervades our society today. True spiritual revival expresses itself by turning our heart first upward to God, then outward to the members of the local body, then to the unsaved around us. When Christians truly hunger and thirst for the Word, God brings understanding and that brings celebration. Remember, understanding doesn’t come from a casual glance at Scripture, but from concentrated effort in quiet time alone with God and His Word. Second there was a
2. CALL FOR CALMNESS! The contrast between verses 9 and 10 to this verse is interesting. When people realized their sin, they wept. However, the people were told to focus on worship before the Lord. Why? Because God came to them in that sorrowful situation to deliver them from it! Read David’s Psalms (20-70) and see how he constantly asked God for help in his time of sorrow, and how God caused David to understand that God would see him through his trials. God will do the same for you. Notice
3. A CELEBRATION OF CLARITY! Simply, they were to celebrate the fact they understood the Word. They were to remember and celebrate God’s provision for Israel through the wilderness (Feast of Tabernacles), and His deliverance from captivity now! The joy of the Lord becomes our strength when we fear the Lord. That causes us to obey God and allows Him to accomplish those good works He’s planned for us. One writer sums this passage up this way:

1. God wanted the people to be more aware of His strength than their weakness.
2. 2. God wanted them to be more instilled with the joy of His presence than just linger in a sense of shame.
3. 3. God wanted them to know what a wonderful thing it is to gain insight into God’s Word so they can obey rather than just sob over how they had disobeyed. I think he hit the nail on the head!

If we can help you with this or any spiritual situation or question, call us at (574) 643-9419.

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Neh. 8:6-9

We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can also download our service at Baptist-Christian at iTunes. We have studied that revival happens when people hunger for God’s Word. That hunger leads us to desire a deeper under- standing for God’s Word. One writer says, “our longing for God’s Word directly relates to our worship of God.” Ask yourself: “When was the last time I was so moved by the Word of God it stirred the very depths of my heart?” Our passage today reveals at least three evidences these people experienced revival in their hearts.

1. EZRA WAS MOVED TO PRAYER! To get the full meaning of verse six as it is written in Hebrew, we would have to write it in English saying “Ezra knelt to his knees and prayed intensely praising God for the blessings He had given His people.” The same word used for “praise, or bless” is used in Daniel when he prayed three times each day praising God. It’s also used when David prayed asking for forgiveness for his sin with Bathsheba. The point is that just reading the Word so moved Ezra that he fell to his knees praising and blessing God as a source of blessing to the people. Notice that it was God’s Law Ezra read. God’s Law is how God interacts with His covenant people. Ezra began to realize the extent to which God had shared His blessings with His people. Ezra realized that God had extended to the people His own blessings (thanks, salute, well wishes) because they had repented of their sins. Our salvation today puts us into a covenant relationship with God. Now, stop and think about what you’ve just read! Does it move you to humble prayer before Creator God?
2. THE PEOPLE WERE MOVED TO WORSHIP! In the last part of verse six we see the kind of humility that must fill our sanctuaries if we want to see true worship and revival. These people bowed their heads to the ground because the reading of God’s Law brought them face-to-face with their sin. Their hearts were broken because they saw the result of their sins in the trashed city around them. Today we’ve become so used to living in the garbage of the world, we no longer recognize it as garbage. We are hundreds, even thousands, of times more blessed than these people, yet we often focus on how we think God’s shortchanged us because we have problems. No wonder our worship has turned to entertainment!
3. THE PEOPLE WERE MOVED TO A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING (of The Word)! In verses seven and eight we see why revival happened among the Israelites. They became true students of The Word! Notice in verse seven the people were taught “while standing there.” They wanted to hear, learn, and understand. We often think a quick glance at a devotional is all we need to get buy. As good as devotionals are, they aren’t The Word, but should drive us deeper into study to learn the deeper truths of God’s Magnificent Word! When was the last time you were so moved by reading the Word, tears came to your eyes, or you responsively fell to your knees in prayer and worship? Ask God to help you meet Him the way these people did, and see what He does.

If we can help you with this or any other spiritual matter, call us at (574) 643-9419.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 46:54 — 42.9MB)

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Nehemiah 8:1-5

We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can also download our service at Baptist-Christian at iTunes. After considering several reasons why true spiritual revival is necessary, we must admit that if it were ever necessary, it is certainly necessary now; not just nationally, but locally as well! True spiritual revival happens when a Christian’s heart is awakened by the fear of God allowing Him to bring new, deeper, richer understanding of His Word. In light of the requirements we studied in Proverbs 2:1-6 let’s consider what the intended results are in light of our Nehemiah passage.

1. A DESIRE TO BE FILLED WITH THE WORD! One of the most revealing truths Jesus taught is whatever fills the heart of a person is what the person really is inside and out. America has become a nation of junk food junkies who want to keep on eating themselves into oblivion, while funding a multi-billion dollar diet industry! The reason is we want to keep on indulging without concern for the consequences while at the same time trying to suppress the guilt! The sad truth is that our physical eating habits are the same as our spiritual habits. We have lost our hunger for God’s Word. We feed for six day a week on the junk of the world, and when Sunday comes we are so full of junk that we are not hungry for the Water, Word, and Bread of Life! Think for a moment about this past week, and the junk food from the world you took into your heart, compared to the amount of The Word you took into your heart! Are you ok with that? Is God? We also need a
2. DESIRE TO BE SATISFIED WITH THE WORD! When Jesus began His ministry He said to be happy, we must hunger and thirst for righteousness. The reason He said that is because righteousness satisfies, permanently! Read Isa. 55:1, 2; then Prov. 4:5-7; then 1 Cor. 1:28-30. When we put Scripture together we learn that only in them do we find true satisfying fulfillment that meets the needs of our hearts. Most people still enjoy a Sunday dinner, often with family and/or friends. The question is how often do you feed your spirit a Sunday dinner? We must also have
3. A DESIRE TO BE CHANGED BY THE WORD! When I turned 50 my Dr. told me I needed to be much more concerned about my diet if I wanted to be 51! I talked with a dietician who helped me learn to eat properly. She told me the diet would work only if I followed it the rest of my life! I did what my Dr. told me to do in losing weight, but I did what the dietician told me to keep it off! The point? When we take in God’s Word, we must realize that it isn’t just a temporary thing to get us through a day or a crisis. We must allow the Word to fill our hearts and change us for the rest of our life on earth. The spiritual health of Christians is determined by how closely we follow the spiritual “diet” God has provided through the Living Word of Life. It can only work if we follow it daily, every day for the rest of our lives. If we do, God will satisfy us completely, fully, and permanently!

If we can help you with the answers to your spiritual questions, call us at (574) 643-9419.