Scriptures are Enough for this life and the life to come Epiphany II
The Scriptures are enough for this life and the life to come
“The first service one owes to others in the fellowship consists in listening to them. Just as love of God begins in listening to His Word, so the beginning of love for the brethren is learning to listen to them. It is God's love for us that He not only gives us His Word but lends us His ear. So it is His work that we do for our brother and sisters when we learn to listen to them.”
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), Life Together [1954]
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“Let us be very careful that we never exalt any minister, or sermon, or book, or friend above the Bible." ~ J.C. Ryle
The wall in Jerusalem was rebuilt yet the people were not reinstructed in the law of God. I took some time to re-read the whole Book of Nehemiah . It is a picture of loss. The people of God had been exiled to Persia ( and Nehemiah was in Babylon- Ezra 2:1-“ Now these are the children of the province ..of those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon …)
In chapter 8 Nehemiah , their governor, and leader has the people gather at the Water Gate . It was time to get some spiritual reason for what they were doing and a reason to live. “…In this community , even though its residents had nice homes and good jobs and were well protected, they still lacked something. Nehemiah sensed the spiritual vacuum , as did the people.” Hand Me Another Brick- Chuck Swindoll.
POINT 1. EMPTY HEARTS This is the USA . We are not exactly having a great time in our nation right now due to poor economy, etc………but if we do not have a spiritual foundation we are absolutely in glass houses! People are absolutely Biblically ignorant. We are so as well. When is the last time we actually read the Bible at length? Read it by Books is a good idea . I sent a link from the on line magazine of the PCA, “ By Faith” that some books only take a few minutes to read. You get the whole sense of the Book by doing that instead of just snippets. Without God we are an unhappy people. I like the way Swindoll illustrates this:” During the 1960’s, some high-profile cultural figures declared, ‘ God is dead.’ To the Jews who had been in exile for seventy years, God at least seemed to have been away on a long journey; they had ‘ lost touch’ and were fearful of him. Years ago, I saw a camper with a big sign that read, ‘ God is back, and boy is He mad!”
POINT 2. REVIVAL “ And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation…” 8:2
They heard it with “understanding” . “ so they read in the book in the law of God distinctly , and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.” This was not just a ritual or a dry exercise. It was God speaking to them. No not in tongues, or visions or dreams, or by a whisper but God spoke through the law . He had already given it. It was now being re-discovered by the people. This was the way they were to live. It was the way of true happiness and life. It happened when I was in college. Or should I say God ordained it? I lived with my grandfather for a time while I was in seminary….but I want to tell you about something before that! I was visiting from college in New York . I said, what are these books? Oh, they were written by your great-grandfather who was a preacher in England. Here I was almost 19 years old and never knew. I never knew yet by God’s grace I got so excited. I read them all. I saw that here was a way of living that I had not heard about. Another world, should I say the true world was opened to me of God and His eternal values. I was making my covenant with God just as those people in Israel did before the Water Gate. You see revival comes in all ways. It does not come from just meetings or putting up a sign. It comes in small ways too. When anyone hears the Word and receives it and plans to act on it, that is REVIVAL!
POINT 3. ACT ON IT! The people were joyful. They had heard the words and now rejoiced. “ They found written in the Law, which the LORD had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in booths during the feast of the seventh month “ 8: 14 They did it. “ So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves booths…” Why live in these little huts when you can live in big houses? Because God said to. Because you can take time away from your duties and listen to the Word of God. When I was in the Army I think I told you about the time I was the Chaplain supervising a Rabbi. He was Orthodox. One day I went out to the side of the chapel and there was the rabbi building a booth. I like a dummy asked, “ What are you doing?” He reminded me of the Old Testament books that commanded this. I said, “WOW!” He and I became good friends even though he was an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi . He really believed the Old Testament . He was trusting in God but not in the Divine Jesus. I hoped that our friendship would one day lead to his trust in the Messiah, Jesus.
Conclusion- We have the whole counsel of God, His inerrant Word that is life. It is enough for our knowledge of this life and the life to come.
Let me pray with this prayer:
“ BLESSED Lord , who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace , and ever hold fast , the blessed hope of everlasting life , which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.”
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