“And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel.” Nehemiah 8:1 (KJV)
I heard a true man of God preach today, my friend Eugene Braswell. He was preaching from Nehemiah, concerning the period of time when Israel was allowed to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city. Many of them had forgotten their native language, because of their long captivity and many had little exposure to Gods Word, so the people called on Ezra the scribe to bring out the Pentateuch and read it. They built a special platform, so that the people could see Ezra and hear the Word of God, and enlisted several men that could correctly interpret and translate the Word of God so that the people could understand. They had a hunger for the Word. They welcomed the Word and they wanted to live the Word.
Eugene did a great job today. I love to hear a preacher preach the Word, without compromise and without worrying about hurting feelings of sinners that just want to hear that God loves them and as long as they’re good people everything is going to be okay. Well, if they aren’t redeemed by the blood of the precious Lamb of God and born again, with Jesus as their Lord and Savior, then things aren’t going to be okay. People, we need to read, understand and properly interpret the Word of God, so that we can be doers of the Word, not just hearers of the Word. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15. We also need to welcome the truth, chastisement, rebuke and hope within the pages of God’s Holy Bible. “If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?” Hebrews 12:7-9.
Folks, if we are indeed children of God, we need to do everything in our power to act like children of God. Being as like Jesus as we can, all the time, not just at church, but all the time – at church, work, shopping, talking to friends, sporting events, etc. – we need to be as Christ like as humanly possible, not only for ourselves, but for those around us that are potential children of God. We need to have a hunger for living according to God’s Word, we need to welcome it and live it, because it is the inspired, inerrant, infallible precious Word of God.
“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” II Peter 3:18