BRING US THE BOOK!
Nehemiah 8: 1-12
I do not claim originality for this message, but I have gleaned the thoughts and
truths from many sources over the years preaching and teaching the Word of
God. As one man said, “I milk a lot of cows, but I churn my own butter.”
It is my prayer that this message will be a blessing to all that read or hear it. As I
have often said, “It’s not the knowledge of the Word of God that makes a
difference, but it’s the application of God’s word that changes lives.” Be ye doers
of the word and not hearers only!
Please you this sermon as the Lord leads, no credit needs to be given or
acknowledge except to the Lord.
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BRING US THE BOOK!
Nehemiah 8: 1-12
INTRO:
How well do you know the Bible?
Let’s take a little quiz to find out. Here are ten questions taken from the Probe
Ministries Bible Literacy Quiz:
1. Who was thrown into a den of lions?
2. What is the beginning of wisdom?
3. Which angel appeared to Mary?
4. Which two people walked on water?
5. What was Christ's first miracle?
6. Who had a coat of many colors?
7. How many books are there in the entire Bible?
8. Whose tomb was Christ buried in?
9. How many people were on Noah's ark?
10. What is the Golden Rule?
If you don’t know all the answers, don’t worry about it. I’ll give you the answers in
just a moment.
Several weeks ago the Barna Group released the results of a survey commissioned
by the American Bible Society called The State of the Bible—Six Trends for 2014.
The survey reveals that most Americans still respect the Bible, but few of us read
it on a regular basis. Geof Morin, executive vice president of the society, put it
this way:
“We know 88 percent of people say they have a Bible. They think: ‘I have
a Bible. I've had one for a long time. I must know what’s in it.’ But people
overestimate their knowledge.”
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With that in mind, here are the answers to the quiz:
1. Daniel (Daniel 6)
2. The fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7)
3. Gabriel (Luke 1:26)
4. Jesus and Peter (Matthew 14: 22-33)
5. Turning water into wine (John 2: 1-12)
6. Joseph (Genesis 37:3)
7. 66
8. Joseph of Arimathea (Matthew 27:57)
9. 8 (1 Peter 3:20)
10. “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,
do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." (Matthew
7:12)
Doing well on a Bible quiz does not guarantee that you have a healthy Christian
life. Having said that, most people would agree that we live in an age of declining
Bible knowledge, even in our churches.
As Christians, if were not careful, there are two dangers we might face.
1. First, we may begin to take the Bible for granted, as if owning a Bible is
the same as knowing the Bible.
 Everyone of us own books we never or rarely read.
 It’s quite possible for “People of the Book” to become bored with
the Bible because we think we know it better than we really do.
2. The second danger comes from a different direction. Because we live in
a high-stress world, we are easily distracted.
 It’s hard for us to sit still even ten minutes without checking our
smartphones.
 Often the good things of life—our work, our time with family, our
hobbies, our social outings, and so on--squeeze out our time in
God’s Word.
 So our Bibles gather dust.
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We never mean it to be that way, but it happens. That's one reason why we need
to study Nehemiah 8. This is the story of what happens when God’s people
rediscover the Bible.
By way of background, you need to know that Nehemiah was the man God raised
up to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. You can read the amazing story of how he
accomplished that feat in Nehemiah 1-6.
Nehemiah 8 tells of a great assembly that took place one week after the walls
were finished.
We can think of the book of Nehemiah this way:
 The first half (chapters 1-6) tells about the rebuilding of the walls.
 The second half (chapters 7-13) tells about the rebuilding of the people.
Taken together, the two halves teach us that the inside matters as much as the
outside.
 Unless we build our lives on a solid foundation in God’s Word, no walls
can protect us in the time of trouble.
 We certainly need this message today.
Read Nehemiah 8: 1-12 and pray
What happens when God’s people rediscover God’s Word? Nehemiah 8:1-12
gives us six answers to that question.
First, there is . . .
I. A NEW INCLINATION
A. Verses 1-3 Introduce Us To The Story
1. When the people cry out, “Bring the Book,” they are asking Ezra to read
from the “Book of the Law of Moses,” the Torah, the first five books of
the Bible.
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2. What book is this?
 It is “The Book,” the Book of God’s Word.
 This is no new book.
 This is the old book that Moses wrote.
 But this marks a new beginning in the history of God’s people.
3. Derek Kidner explains it this way:
 “This day was to prove a turning-point. From now on, the Jews
would be predominantly a people of the book’” (Ezra and
Nehemiah).
B. Lately I’ve Heard Several People Talk About The Need For A Great
Revival In Our Church's
1. Given the sad state of the world and the spiritual confusion of the
church, I agree with them.
2. We need a great revival from the Holy Spirit.
3. Here in Nehemiah 8 we have one mark of true revival.
 We know revival has come when God’s people once again hunger
for God’s Word.
 When they say, “bring the book,” we know that God’s Spirit has
come in great power.
4. Verse 3 says they listened to the reading for at least six hours.
 That’s amazing!
 Evidently no one was watching the clock to make sure Ezra didn’t
go overtime.
 The text even says they listened attentively.
 I wonder how we would do in a six-hour service?
 We’re so media-saturated that our minds start wandering after
about 10 minutes.
 But these Jews were so hungry for God’s Word that they stayed
the whole morning.
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Illus:
Ray Prichard once received a note from a prisoner in Texas who had read a
book of his and wrote to tell us his story.
The prisoner had decided to kill himself when the Holy Spirit convicted him
on the spot and caused him to cry out to Jesus for mercy. Here’s what
happened next:
The next morning, a fellow inmate, whom I had never spoken with, came to
me and asked me if I wanted a Bible—go figure, huh? I of course said yes
please, and I have not stopped reading and praying over God’s Word since.
Then he adds: I am so addicted to the Word. Every day I read about 3-4
hours a day. I have no interest in TV at all.
5. Going to prison is not “good” in the usual sense of the term, but it is
truly good to go to prison if you meet Jesus there.
 And it is good to be “addicted to the Word.”
 That’s the kind of addiction we all need.
Not only will we have a new inclination when we rediscover the Word of God,
but notice secondly, we'll have a genuine appreciation.
II. GENUINE APPRECIATION vs) 4-6
A. See How Simple And Plain This Is
1. No pomp, no ceremony, no choir, no gold, no silver, no sacrifice, no
offering.
 Just a platform with Ezra reading from the scrolls while the people
listened intently.
 They stand out of respect for the Word of God.
 They lift up their hands, and then they bow down with their faces
to the ground.
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2. Most of the time in we think of “worship” as music.
 It’s what we do when we sing or when the choir sings or when
the worship team leads us or when we listen to special music.
 I’ve been to many services where they sang (a lot), prayed (a
little), and preached (a long time), but they didn’t spend any time
reading the Bible.
 I've even been guilty of doing that myself.
 Standing, lifting of hands, and bowing to the ground are all ways
of saying, “The reading of God’s Word is very important. It
matters to us.”
B. When God’s Word Is Read In Worship, It's Not A Small Thing
1. You are worshiping God when you listen to God’s Word.
2. Don't think for a moment they stood to hear Ezra’s opinion.
 They stood to hear God’s message, that ought to say something
to us.
 Unless we honor God's Word, we will hardly read it, rarely
understand it, and never be moved to tears.
3. There is hymn written by John Burton in 1803-called "Holy Bible, Divine
Book" verses one and four go like this.
Holy Bible, Book divine,
Precious treasure, thou art mine:
Mine to tell me whence I came;
Mine to teach me what I am.
Mine to tell of joys to come,
And the rebel sinner's doom:
O thou holy book divine,
Precious treasure thou art mine.
4. Even today our children learn this little chorus:
"The B-I-B-L-E, Yes, that’s the book for me.
I stand alone on the Word of God, The B-I-B-L-E."
5. There's a world of truth in those simple words.
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May God grant us a genuine appreciation for his Word!
Not only will we have a new inclination and a genuine appreciation when we
rediscover the Word of God, but notice thirdly, we'll have a clear explanation.
III. CLEAR EXPLANATION vs)7-8
A. Do You See Those 13 Unpronounceable Names In vs)7
1. Those were the Levites who assisted Ezra.
 We don’t know exactly how this worked.
 Perhaps the 13 stood on the platform with Ezra or perhaps they
circulated throughout the crowd.
2. This was necessary because the Torah (first five books of the bible, or
today Christians refer to it as the Pentateuch) was written in Hebrew but
some of the people spoke Aramaic.
 So someone had to make the sense of the words clear to them.
3. Verse 8 offers us the clearest definition of preaching in the Bible:
 Reading
 Explaining - "gave sense"
 Understanding
B. That's What Preachers Do
1. They read the Bible and they explain it clearly so that people
understand what it says.
 That’s what we sometimes call expository or textual preaching.
 You take a text from the Bible and you explain it so that the
hearers understand what it means.
2. Ezra wanted to make sure that all the Jews understood what God was
saying.
 That’s why he had 13 men helping him with the interpretation
and the application.
 I have listened to sermons where I heard the preacher wax
eloquent and go down deep.
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 But when I left, I didn’t know any more about what God had said
than when I came in.
 Let me help you, that’s not good preaching.
 We should preach so that even the children can understand what
God is saying.
Illus:
Some time ago I read an article entitled “What They Didn’t Tell You at Bible
College Graduation.” Among the humorous sayings was this:
“Fifty-one Sundays of the year, preach so that the youngest child in your
congregation can understand you. The fifty-second Sunday, preach so that
the Ph.D., the Th.D., the Ed.D., and the M.D. are bewildered, awestruck,
or filled with wonderment.”
That sounds about right to me, especially the first part.
Not only will we have a new inclination, a genuine appreciation, a clear
expectation when we rediscover the Word of God, but notice fourthly, we'll have
a personal application.
IV. PERSONAL APPLICATION vs)9
A. Why Did They Weep
1. Because when they finally heard and understood the Word of God.
 The Holy Spirit brought its truth home to their hearts.
 As the Word hit home, they saw their true condition.
2. If we don’t occasionally weep, it's not because we are better off.
3. It's probably because we never let God’s Word come close to us.
B. Weeping Is A Positive Sign
1. Like getting sore after you get shot, it means the medicine is taking
effect.
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2. Hebrews 4: 12 reminds us that "The word of God is quick, and
powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the
dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and
is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
3. That's why these people wept as they considered their own condition in
the eyes of the Lord.
Not only will we have a new inclination, a genuine appreciation, a clear
expectation a personal application when we rediscover the Word of God, but
notice fifthly, we'll have a compassionate demonstration.
V. COMPASSIONATE DEMONSTRATION vs)10
A. Nehemiah And Ezra And The Other Leaders Told The People To Stop
Weeping And To Start Celebrating
1. Then they said, “And when you do, send gifts to the poor so that they
can celebrate with you.”
2. Verse 12 says that’s exactly what the people did.
 In the midst of their grand celebration, they didn’t forget the poor
in their midst.
 This is the inevitable result of God’s Word working in your life.
3. Anytime we rediscover the Bible, we will eventually come to Proverbs
19:17 where it says, "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the
LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.
 Perhaps you will volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center.
 Perhaps you will take in foster children.
 Perhaps you will tutor at your local elementary school.
 Perhaps you will give food to our feed the hungry program.
 Perhaps you will volunteer for a prison ministry.
 Perhaps you will go on a mission trip to build a church.
 Perhaps you will give a little extra to the fellowship fund.
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4. The possibilities are endless.
 As James 1:27 reminds us "Pure religion and undefiled before
God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in
their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."
 Someday we will be judged for we have done to demonstrate our
faith before a watching world.
Not only will we have a new inclination, a genuine appreciation, a clear
expectation, a personal application, a compassionate demonstration when we
rediscover the Word of God, but notice lastly, we'll have.
6. HOLY CELEBRATION vs) 11-12
A. Notice The Progression In Nehemiah 8:1-12:
1. Teaching . . . hearing . . . understanding . . . applying . . . demonstrating
. . . joy.
 But this is not by chance.
 The end of verse 10 contains a phrase we’ve all heard before: “For
the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
 This doesn’t happen automatically.
 I know Christians who never find joy because they skip part of
the plan.
 They never hear the Word, they never apply it, they never obey
it, and so they never find joy.
2. On the other hand I know many who live in continual joy (even during
times of great trials) because they follow God’s order.
3. When you take God’s Word seriously, you will find that His joy truly is
your strength.
Illus:
C. S. Lewis said, "How little people know who think that holiness is dull.
When one meets the real thing . . . it is irresistible. If even ten percent of
the world’s population had it, would not the whole world be converted
and happy before a year’s end?" (Letters to an American Lady)
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B. He’s Right, Of Course
1. People who think holiness is dull don’t understand what it really means.
 When you meet a truly holy person, you feel drawn to them
because they are so much like God.
 We’ve all known at least one person like that—someone whose
life radiates God in such a way that you were drawn to them.
2. Those people are filled with contagious joy.
 This ought to the usual experience of those know Jesus.
 But it's sad to say most Christians don't radiate a constant joy.
 Holy people have holy joy.
CONCLUSION:
Nehemiah 8 shows us what happens when God’s people rediscover God’s Word.
Look at the end of vs)12. All of this happened “because they had understood the
words that were declared to them.”
God’s message has come to us in words we can understand.
We have a message based in fact and grounded in history, a message which can
be understood. The Bible is revealed truth to us today!
What has God said?
Read the Bible and find out!
There is a warning in all of this that we must not miss.
 Outward success is never the final measure of any church or any
Christian.
 We’re not safe just because we are busy.
 We must have good programs, we need a place to meet, we want
uplifting music, and we need leaders to guide us.
But just as in the days of Nehemiah, it is not enough to build the outward walls
to protect ourselves against attack.
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The inner commitment to the Word of God is just as important. And if that is not
there, the outer walls will not protect us.
We need spiritual resources to fight spiritual battles.
That’s why we need the Word of God.
Many of our problems stem from basic mistakes in the Christian life—and one of
the most basic is ignoring God’s Word.
It’s time for all of us to rediscover the Bible.
“Bring us the book,” for in it we find the words that lead to eternal life.
O preachers, “bring us the book” when you stand up and preach.
O teachers, “bring us the book” when you stand up to teach.
“Bring us the book,” and our churches will be strong.
“Bring us the book” so that we might have the Bread of Life.
“Bring us the book,” and we will be satisfied.
Perhaps to make this personal, you should stop listening to this sermon and
simply say, “Bring me the book!”
When you do cry that out you'll discover….
1. New Inclination
2. Genuine Appreciation
3. Clear Expectation
4. Personal Application
5. Compassionate Demonstration
6. Holy Celebration
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