“The Joy of Celebration”
Nehemiah Chapters 8-12
150th Anniversary Celebration of First Christian Church
INTRODUCTION:
A. King Solomon wrote: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: (There is) a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” First Christian Church has been worshipping God and serving Jesus for 150 years and it’s a time to laugh, shout, dance, sing and clap. Take it a little light on the dance, but the rest is certainly fine! God is the One who should be honored here and we need to take time to rejoice in His goodness to us through the years.
B. There are two preliminary reminders we need to underscore.
First, let’s remember that this is a milestone but it is not the finish line. Our goal is not just to exist for 150 years, but our goal is to continue to introduce people to Jesus Christ and to help them become dedicated followers of Him, until Jesus returns. God should receive the credit here, not any of us and it should be a testimony to the greatness of God. But let’s remember that our ultimate goal is not just staying open and paying the bills. (Read Matthew 28:18-20; 2 Tim. 2:2) I have no insider information about when Jesus is going to return, but with all that’s going on in our country and around the world, I have to assume Jesus is coming back in my life time. So there ought to be sense of urgency in these times. But if He doesn’t return during the next few years, we have to ask ourselves, “What do we want to see First Christian Church accomplishing 30-40 years from now? Either way, we have much to do yet. That’s why next weekend is also a very important time for us. (insert/screen) I can’t emphasize enough the importance of every member possible being here for the seminar sessions this coming Friday & Saturday, as well as on Sunday morning.
Secondly, let’s remember that this is a celebration of what God has done and not what we have done. We are celebrating what God has been able to accomplish through people over the last 150 years. When the Children of Israel marched through the Red Sea on dry ground and they reached the other side and the Egyptian army was drowned in the sea, they realized that they were absolutely free. Mission accomplished! They immediately began to celebrate. Miriam, the sister of Moses, danced and the people rejoiced and sang. But no one said, “Did you see how Moses parted the Red Sea?” Nobody said, “Do you see how we drowned the Egyptians?” No, they gave thanks to God. It’s important that we remember that, because it will dictate how we celebrate. We don’t celebrate to please ourselves; we celebrate in such a way to bring honor to God. Hopefully, it will be enjoyable for us and it will be healthy for us; however, the primary purpose is to please God.
You see this principle of celebrating by pleasing God when Nehemiah and the Israelites rejoice over the completion of the wall around Jerusalem. They had worked feverishly for fifty-two days. They had rebuilt the wall that had been in ruins for almost a century and a half. I’ve observed four things that Nehemiah and the people did then to celebrate this great accomplishment. These are the responses that please God and the responses that we need to emulate. The first thing they did was that… Word.
- They Read God’s Word.
Nehemiah 8:1 reads:
All the people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel. So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand.
Let me pause there for a second. Apparently, the little children and babies were not there—just those who were old enough to understand—so the adults could really focus on what was being read. Verse 3:
He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law. Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Steve, Anthony, John, Howard and Bill… and on his left were Alan, Sam, CD, Jody, Ken and a bunch of his friends.
And Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. (They stood up out of respect for the Word of God.) Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. The Levites (a whole bunch of them) instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there.
A. Now the Levites were the teachers. So they would read a portion and then they would explain what this portion of Scripture meant. Now keep in mind these people had been in exile, where they were slaves for decades and they had not heard the Word of God. It was fresh falling on their ears. So the Levites made application as it was read. Verse 8 says:
They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read. Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
STORY: Max Lucado once told of the time ago he went over to England and went to preacher and author John Stott’s church. He said, “I have a great deal of respect for John Stott’s ability to teach the Bible.” He said, “I was surprised as I listened to him preach that I began to weep. I seldom cry. But there was something so powerful and so penetrating about the truth of the Word of God that it touched the deepest part of my soul.”
Hebrews 4:12 says, “The Word of God is living and it penetrates to the thoughts and the attitude of the heart.” And as these Jewish people heard the Word of God read, they wept.
B. I’d like for us on this special occasion to do something that we use to do all the time when I was a youngster growing up in the small, country church in southeast Iowa and I’m confident most everyone here has participated in worship like this too. I want you to turn to responsive reading 646 near the back of the hymnal and let’s stand together and share this reading about the church out loud together. I’ll lead and we’ll all read the scriptures that are bold. (Responsive reading #646)
Now, there is nothing magical about the Bible read aloud from the pulpit or congregationally, but I hope that that will be a meaningful symbol of our intent that God’s Word will be honored in this place as it has been in the past. That God’s Word will be read, preached, taught and obeyed in this place. David said, “Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”
C. I think one of the greatest tragedies in the church today is the erosion of respect for the authority of the Word of God. There are liberal preachers who are denying that it’s God’s Word, saying that it’s full of myths and it’s no longer reliable and can’t be applied to the lives of people today in the 21st century. But when God’s Word is believed and taught, the unbeliever is convicted by the Holy Spirit, the believer is nourished by God’s truth, And the church is unified as Jesus Christ is honored. Psalm 119:165 reads, “Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.” We celebrate by reading the Word of God.
- They Had a Feast.
The second way that they celebrated was that they had a feast. Nehemiah 8:10 reads:
Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve.” Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.
A. They quit weeping and they began to have a feast. In fact, they actually celebrated what the Bible calls “the Feast of the Tabernacles” that lasted a week. God had instructed each family to make a booth or kind of a makeshift shanty and to live in that shanty for a week to remember that once they had been nomads in the wilderness. So these people built these tents on the rooftop, in the courtyard, or maybe in the courtyard of the city, and they camped out with their families. They cooked out with their family for a week. They celebrated.
B. Now, we decided against having you bring a tent so you could camp out in the courtyard or in the Activity Center this weekend. But we do want you to stay today and enjoy great fellowship and good food in the Activity Center after the service here!
Nehemiah 8:17 says, “The whole company that had returned from exile built temporary shelters and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great.”
There are times when God wants His people to have a party. Remember when the Prodigal Son returned home? The father saw that he was far off, ran and threw his arms around his neck and kissed him; and he said to his servants, “Go kill the fatted calf and let’s have a feast and celebrate, because this son of mine was lost but he’s found.”
- They Humbled Themselves Before God.
The third thing that the Israelites did in Nehemiah’s day was that they humbled themselves before God.
A. The real important truth here is the attitude of the heart. They humbled themselves before God. Verse 1 of chapter 9 reads:
On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and having dust on their heads. Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the wickedness of their fathers. They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the Lord their God.
B. Now in this section I see three evidences of a humble worship.
1. Number one, they fasted. They had just had a feast and now they go without food for a period to heighten their spiritual awareness and to focus attention on God. Now, I’ve mentioned the importance of next weekend’s seminar. So I’d like to challenge every member of First Christian to join me in a period of fasting and prayer this week. The length of the fast is up to you. You chose the best day or days, the best time for your schedule. No one is going to quiz you, this is between you and God. And please use common sense and good judgement. You may need to consult your family doctor. We have a number of resources about fasting in the Information Station in the side foyer. But I would like for us to use this week as a time of prayer and fasting for the future of this church. It may be just skipping a meal. It may be going for a longer period. It will be your choice. We’re going to humble ourselves by prayer and fasting asking for God’s blessing and guidance as we look to the future.
2. The second thing they did was they separated themselves from all foreigners. That was unusual because the Jewish people really interacted with these foreigners in business. But for this period, they focused on God and His people. As New Testament believers we’re to live in the world and yet, not live like the world. Jesus commanded His followers to be salt and light in the world around us, so we’re not asking you to have no contact with people who aren’t Christians. I don’t think that’s very practical, but you get the idea, use this week in prayer and fasting not only seeking God’s guidance for our future, but to enhance your own personal relationship with God.
3. Then the third thing they did was they confessed their sins. They wore sackcloth, old scratchy burlap-like, and they put dust on their heads to designate their unworthiness. They even confessed the sins of their forefathers. They were hiding nothing from God. They were completely transparent, humble and repentant before Him. This period of celebrating our 150th year and looking forward to the future should be a time for us individually to humbly come before God and say, “These are some sins in my life and I want to make this a time of repentance, renewal, cleansing and starting over.”
So if you’ve been frequently using profanity, say, “God, this is going to be a benchmark for me. With Your help I’m going to clean up my speech.” If you’ve been exploiting people, this is a time to be respectful to people. If you’ve been greedy, this is a time to be generous. If you’ve been immoral, this is a time to practice self-control. If you’ve lied a lot, this is a time to begin to be honest. If you’ve been prejudiced, this is a time to become compassionate. If you’re in the grips of alcohol or drugs, this is a time to become sober and clean. If you’ve been a gossip or a critical spirit, this is the time to determine you’re going to become an encourager.
There has been a lot of cleaning, painting, and sprucing up in preparation for this weekend of celebration and we appreciate all the hours of hard work by many people. I’ve been impressed by the way you’ve come together and prepared. But, let’s remember, God is not nearly as impressed with a clean, spruced up building and grounds as He is cleansed hearts and new spirits. King David collected a big offering for the building of the temple, and then he wrote in 1 Chronicles 29:17, “I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity.” Let’s humble ourselves, confess our sin, and make this a time of renewal. The Bible says, “God resists the proud but He gives grace to the humble.” And it’s not just God who resists the proud, but other people resist the proud too.
One of my favorite stories is the time years ago that at the height of his career there was a game when Michael Jordan scored 69 points for the Chicago Bulls. Toward the end of the game, which was a blowout, a substitute came in for the last minute…a rarely used substitute…and he hit two meaningless free-throws at the end of the game. And weeks later a reporter asked that substitute, “What would you say has been the highlight of your career?” and he said, “The night that Michael Jordan and I scored 71 points together.”
Always remember, it’s “To God be the glory; great things HE has done.” In Nehemiah’s day God’s people honored God by entering with a humble, contrite spirit.
Then the final thing they did was…
4. They Had a Dedication Service.
Nehemiah 12:27 says:
At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from where they lived and were brought to Jerusalem to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps and lyres.
They celebrated the completion of this wall with an elaborate, orchestrated worship. Verse 28 says, “The singers also were brought together from the region around Jerusalem,” and the next verse says, “The singers had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem.”
In Jerusalem, these singers came in to practice and they built themselves a temporary village around the outskirts so they could be there to prepare.
Verse 31 tells about a gigantic parade with instruments and two choirs. “I had the leaders of Judah go up on top of the wall. I also assigned two large choirs to give thanks. One was to proceed on top of the wall to the right, toward the Dung Gate.” Verse 38 says, “The second choir proceeded in the opposite direction. I followed them on top of the wall, together with half the people—past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall.”