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Nehemiah 8 - Finding Joy in God's Word
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Every Christian receives a supernatural gift—a kind of power that can impact people in ways they never thought possible. The gift of preaching, like any spiritual gift, has a remarkable ability to reach into the depths of human hearts.
Hebrews tells us: "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and the attitudes of the heart."
God's words are super powerful. When you become a Christian, you receive a gift that allows you to impact others. Whether your gift is preaching or something else entirely, we affect each other through these gifts. This is why being involved in a church and gathering together is so important.
In Nehemiah chapter 8, we see a powerful picture of what spiritually strong people look like. A great crowd gathered in Jerusalem, and Ezra stood to read the book of the law of Moses—a scripture they hadn't heard in a long time.
"All the people gathered together at the square in front of the water gate... And while he was facing the square in front of the water gate, he read it from daybreak until noon before the men, the women, and those who could understand. All the people listened attentively to the book of the law."
For six hours, Ezra read Scripture aloud. Not one person complained. No one slipped away early. For six hours, the people stood and absorbed God's word without growing weary.
Notice that the people asked Ezra to bring the scriptures out. This wasn't forced upon them—they wanted it. They desired to know what God said.
Spiritual strength begins with a hunger for Scripture that cannot be satisfied. The word insatiable means a desire so intense it can never be fully satisfied. You always want more.
Romans tells us that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. This transformation happens when we collide with the treasure of Scripture.
Jesus told a parable about a man who found buried treasure in a field. When he discovered it, he was so filled with joy that he sold everything he owned to buy that field. Why? Because he had found something far more valuable than anything else in his life.
"When a man found the treasure, he hid it again. And then in his joy, he went and he sold all he had, and he bought that entire field."
Notice the word joy. This is the theme for today.
Paul wrote in Philippians: "But whatever I gained, I now consider lost for the sake of Christ."
Jim Elliot, the famous missionary, said: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."
What's in the box isn't gold—it's God. It's God's kingdom, God's word, God's plan. Nothing in life compares to the joy of living in God's plan and fulfilling His purpose for your life.
One of the best illustrations of the power of conversion is Augustine of Hippo. Born in 354 AD, Augustine spent his teenage years doing bad things. His mother Monica prayed constantly for his salvation. Though he was smart, popular, and successful, he was inwardly restless. Nothing satisfied his soul. He had an insatiable appetite for the world, but he hadn't found the buried treasure yet.
One day, sitting in his yard feeling depressed, he heard a child nearby chanting: "Take up and read. Take up and read. Take up and read."
Augustine assumed God was speaking to him. He found a Bible, opened it at random, and read a passage from Romans about sin. Instantly, he knew the Bible was telling him the truth about himself. The word of God reached him in a way nothing else could.
Later, Augustine wrote: "In that moment, light flooded into my heart."
Everything he had previously valued felt cheap. Everything was different now. He went on to write The Confessions, which people still read 1,500 years later. The impact of Augustine's life began when he heard those simple words: "Take up and read."
After Ezra read the law, something beautiful happened. Look at verses 7 and 8:
"There were 13 teachers... They read out of the book of the law of God, translating and giving the meaning so that people could understand what was being read."
These teachers didn't just listen passively. They broke into small groups and explained Scripture to people. They helped people understand what God had said. They facilitated discussion and conversation about spiritual things.
Spiritual strength includes a hunger to go deeper into Scripture, not just to hear it read. People want to interact with God's word, discuss it with others, ask questions, and understand its meaning.
In the church, we call this discipleship. When someone wants to grow as a disciple, they surround themselves with other growing disciples, and it becomes infectious.
This is why we encourage every person to get into a life group or small circle. When Christians sit in circles, exchange stories, discuss Scripture, share what God is doing in their lives, and confess where they need prayer—that's where real growth happens. God has given many people in the church the gift of teaching, not just the pastor.
The teachers in Nehemiah translated and explained the law. They bridged the gap between hearing God's word and applying it. Sometimes you need people in your life to help you understand Scripture and put it into practice. That's the importance of small group ministry.
Notice verse 6: "Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and with their hands uplifted, all the people said, 'Amen!'"
What does "Amen" mean? It means "I agree" or "That's so true" or "You got that right." Biblically, it's an enthusiastic reaction to God's word. It's a way people show they're engaged with what's being taught.
When the people first heard God's law being read, they became very sad. For a long time, they had not been living according to God's word. They began to weep.
But Nehemiah stepped in and said:
"This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep. Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your strength."
It's good to feel sorry for our mistakes—that's called repentance. It's good to know we've done wrong. But here's the good news: We serve a God of endless second chances. We serve a God of great mercy, kindness, and compassion toward sinners.
When we realize God's love, that realization should overpower the sadness we feel about our sin.
Spiritual strength is characterized by a joy that only comes from God. This joy doesn't come from a straight A report card, a state championship trophy, or a Division 1 scholarship. Earthly accomplishments never produce this deep joy.
No matter what you achieve or win on earth, it will never give you the feeling of deep joy that comes from knowing Jesus. You won't find it anywhere else.
When C.S. Lewis was a child, his mother died of cancer. The grief caused him to question if God was real. He begged God to save his mother, but no miracle came. So he decided there was no God. When you die, it's game over. He became an atheist.
But throughout his life, Lewis kept having strange experiences that filled him with pleasant, unexplainable joy. These moments made him wonder if he should doubt his doubts.
Once, his big brother showed him a tiny toy garden he had made. Lewis saw it and felt what he called "a kind of magic" stir up inside him. He felt homesick for a land he had never seen. It was a little taste of heaven. This joy didn't stop in childhood—it kept happening throughout his life.
Lewis ultimately wrote: "If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world."
One day, while riding in the sidecar of a motorcycle on the way to the zoo, Lewis gave his life to Christ. The joy of the Lord became his strength. He wrote The Chronicles of Narnia—a story about children who find a portal to a land they never believed could exist, ruled by a loving lion who would sacrifice himself for them.
Here's the thing about the joy of the Lord: When you have it, you can't help but share it. It's contagious. When you're around a Christian who has this kind of joy—a joy above their circumstances—you know there's a strength within that person that comes from another place.
When Jesus died on the cross, He took away the fear of death and the fear of punishment that all of us have coming for our sins. Jesus truly paid it all.
After His resurrection, Jesus told His disciples: "Very soon, you're going to receive something. Don't leave the city until you get it. You will be empowered from on high—the coming of the Holy Spirit."
The Holy Spirit is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance. It's the foretaste of heaven. The Holy Spirit reminds us that this world isn't so great—there's another one coming that's way better. This is biblically called hope.
The Holy Spirit gives us hope and joy. So what do you do with all this joy God gives you when you come to know Jesus? You share it.
Life is like train tracks: there's always a track of joy and a track of pain. At any moment in life, you can point to flowers that are blossoming, and at the same time, find fault with life.
At dinner time or bedtime, start a ritual with your family:
When families do this together, it creates a real atmosphere where you're counting your blessings while also knowing how to pray for one another. Healthy families do this well.
Philippians 2:14 says: "Do everything without grumbling or arguing."
The word for "grumbling" comes from the Old Testament story of Moses leading people out of Egypt. God had rescued them from slavery, parted the Red Sea, and led them toward the promised land. But when life got hard—when food was short and water was scarce—they started murmuring and complaining. God punished them for being grumblers.
When Paul tells us to do everything without grumbling, he's taking us back to that story: "Don't be like those people. You know what God did to them."
The Greek word for grumbling actually sounds like whining when spoken aloud: gongysmos. When life gets hard, serve the Lord with gladness, not with gongysmos.
When you're in a group of people, it only takes one complainer to produce a group of complainers. Jesus said: "Whoever believes in me, streams of living water will flow from within them."
The joy of the Lord is our strength when we refuse to complain that life is hard—because everybody's life is hard. The joy of the Lord is our strength when we focus on all the good that God is doing and endure hardship without complaining.
One of the best ways to make someone else's day and increase your own joy at the same time is to put words on paper about how they've been a blessing in your life.
Most communication today happens through rapid-fire texts, but handwritten notes matter more. People hang on to them and read back over them repeatedly.
If you have writer's block, start with Galatians 5:22-23, which lists the fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Look at each word and think of the first person that comes to mind. If you think of the word "joy," who is someone whose joy you wish you could emulate? Tell that person through written words. They will hang on to that note.
Here's the remarkable thing: The greatest blessing isn't to the recipient—it's the expansion of your own heart when you're thinking about people in these ways.
Write notes like:
Jesus said: "It is more blessed to give than to receive." One way to apply this sermon is to go home and put words on paper about another human being and give it to them. It encourages people in the most remarkable ways.
