Bring the Book

 

COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SERMON NOTES FROM SUNDAY 31 AUGUST 2025 – PASTOR DENIS LYLE

NEHEMIAH 8 – 3 WORDS FOUND IN VERSE 1 “BRING THE BOOK”

 

French author Victor Hugo said “England has 2 books, the Bible and Shakespeare. England made Shakespeare, but the Bible made England.” Supporting that view historians tell us that Elizabethan England was a nation of one book and that book was the bible.  How far removed are we from those days. If we want to return to the book of God, to return to the blessing of God we need to return to the book of God. The book of Nehemiah falls into 2 sections – chapters 1 to 6 and chapters 7 to 13. Chapters 1 to 6 are all to do with the reconstruction of the walls. Chapters 7 to 13 are to do with the reinstruction of the people and central to that was the word of God.  They were not merely interested in building the walls but what went on inside those walls was more important than the walls themselves. So now attention is turned to the more difficult task of the reviving of God’s people. The test of any movement that claims to be doing the work of God is the place given to the word of God. Is the bible central or is it peripheral? It was central in the days of godly King Josiah in 630 BC when he turned the people from idolatry and apostasy and replaced it by the word of God. It was central to Nehemiah and Ezra as they sought to instruct the people in the things of God. It was central in the days of the early church “they continued steadfast in the apostles doctrine.” 400 years ago God lit a fire in Europe. The bible came into the language and hands of the German people. The word of God was central in the reformation. In Scotland John Knox read God’s words, trusted God’s promises and mobilised Scotland into what became known as the Scottish Revival. Then came the Wesley brothers. In his 50 years of ministry John Wesley delivered 40,000 messages, he spoke to audiences of 20,000 people without amplification. He travelled 225,000 miles on horse back most of the time proclaiming the word of God. One of the pillars of the 1859 revival in Ulster was the infallibility and centrality of the word of God. All the preaching, praying, testifying of the revival was grounded in the word of God. Here we see the word of God was central in a time of revival. The walls were now finished, the gates were hung, the material needs of the people had been met. Now it was time to focus on the spiritual needs of God’s people. Ezra and Nehemiah put the word of God first in the life of the city. Martin Lloyd Jones said “the primary task of the church and of the Christian minister is preaching the gospel to make known the truth of salvation through Jesus Christ.” The decadent eras and periods of the church have also been those times when the preaching of the word of God has declined. The Spirit of God uses the word of God to revive the hearts of the people of God. That is why we need to cry “bring the book”.

The people of the book – various pictures are given to us of this people in the passage. In verse 1 they are united in their desire to hear God’s word, in verse 3 they are attentive to God’s word, in verse 5 they have respect for God’s word because when Ezra opens the book they stand up, in verse 8 they understand God’s word as it is made clear to them, in verse 9 they are repentant as the meaning of God’s word dawns on their hearts, in verse 16 they are obedient as God’s instructions are communicated to them, in verse 17 they are glad as they  promptly obey what was required of them. Here are this congregation gathered before the word of God. Notice their oneness in verse 1. The water gate which symbolized the word of God. They were gathered as one man. Although from different homes within Jerusalem’s walls they were driven by a common desire – to hear the word of God. A united people waiting on God, to hear God speak through his word. Is that how we are to come before the Lord when we meet? Do we expect to hear from God when there is division and discord – “if thou bring thy gift to the altar and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift.” (Matthew 5 verses 23 and 24) Is that what it says? Together as one man. All together as one man. A beautiful picture of ideal congregation before the word of God. Remember when Peter came to Cornelius he said “now therefore are we all here present before God to hear all things that are commanded thee of God.” (Acts 10 verse 32) Is that not how we ought to hear sermons? Biblically and scripturally? Are you here when the word of God is being expounded, always present when the people of God gather around his word? Are you obedient to God’s obedient express command - “Not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together as the manner of some men is.” True Christian unity is not based on subjective experiences, it is based on the objective truth of God’s word. Verse 1 oneness and then there is eagerness. The Pentateuch, the first 5 books of the bible. Notice the initiative came from the people rather than the leaders. They craved for the bread of life, they hungered for the word of God. The cry of their heart was “bring the book”. The old book, the infallible book, the ancient book, the inspired book, the indestructive book of God. “Bring the book.” It was the appeal by people like John Wycliffe who wanted every plough boy to have the word of God. Sir Walter Scott pleaded when he was dying “bring the book”. “What book” they asked. “There is only one book, the bible.” Is your cry this morning bring the book? Do you have a hunger for the word of God? Psalm 19 speaking of the judgment of God he said “More to be desired are they than gold, yea than much fine gold.” Do you have a desire for God’s word? More than making money? Job said “I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.” (Job 23 verse 12) Do I love this book more than meat or necessary food? Do you read God’s word? Do you read it daily, ritually, systematically, methodically? Do you read through the bible once a year? George Mueller was said to have read the bible 200 times in his lifetime. William Evans in the early part of the last century memorised the entire bible in the King James version. Nelson Bell, a medical missionary doctor, made a point of rising early at 4.30 am every day and read the bible for 2 or 3 hours. No medical journals or commentaries but he read the bible. He was a walking bible encyclopaedia. People wondered at the holiness and the godliness of his life. Spurgeon said “a bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone that is not.” If you want to know revival in your life you need to know revival in your bible reading. Notice in verse 3 their attentiveness – this was a period of 6 hours here. They are there gathered for 6 solid hours to listen to the reading and teaching of God’s word. In verse 5 they are standing the whole time. In verse 13 they came back the next day for more. Verse 18 covers 7 days. Imagine that – picture that, visualise that. They had an attentiveness to the word of God. Why? Because of their respect to the word of God. When Ezra opened the book they arose to their feet. They were convinced of the authority of this book. We worship the God who addresses us uniquely through his word. John Calvin “we owe the scripture the same reverence as we owe to God since it has its only source in him.” They did not say “when is this preacher going to stop, he is going on a long time.” These people had been in captivity for 70 years. They had been without God’s word for 70 years. Now they couldn’t do it without it. Roland Hill was an 18^th Century preacher used by God. Before he died he visited an old friend who remembered a sermon he had preached 65 years ago. When Hill asked him what it was he said “When listening to the message some don’t like the delivery of the preacher. But suppose you went to a lawyer to hear the will of a relative, you will hardly criticise the manner in which the lawyer who is reading the will. You want to pay attention to all that was left to you and how much it was. That said Hill is how you hear the word of God preached.” Have you learned to cultivate that state of heart and mind? Do we prepare ourselves before we come, do we pray as we come, do we exercise control when we come? Is your heart atuned to the living God? The people of the book.

The preacher of the book.  Notice something interesting here. Nehemiah’s name means Jehovah comforts. He is for the most part in the background. Ezra is the man who steps to the front. Nehemiah in the first section occupies the foreground. Now we meet another outstanding leader – Ezra. His name means Help. God always takes a man with the bible in his hand to be the key to spiritual revival of the church and the winning of the lost for Christ. There are several things about this man. The modesty of this man. Up to now Nehemiah is in the forefront. In 538 BC 50,000 Jews returned to the land of Judah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and the temple. Cyrus the pagan king gave a decree. Notice God in in control. He can take up a pagan ruler like Cyrus to accomplish his sovereign purposes. In 515 BC the temple is rebuilt. In 458 BC Ezra returns to Jerusalem with another group. Now 13 years later in 445 Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem and rebuilds the walls. He is a gifted administrator. He mobilises the people. When it came to the word of God he took a backseat to Ezra. He had set his heart to study the word of God. He could only carry out his ministry in a limited way. There in the background all the time. He was not pushing or projecting himself. He was waiting for the right time to exercise his ministry. Now the time had come. Is there not a word of encouragement for those waiting on the Lord in his service. You may not have been able to carry out all you desire to do. There may be weeks, months, years when your gift is not recognised but in God’s time the opportunity will come. The gift will be utilised. God is there thrusting him to the forefront. Not only modesty but the maturity of this man. One test of true leadership in the work of the Lord is the willingness to work with others, Just as gifted, as godly, as talented. There was some things that were others better at than he was. Ezra leads in the worship service. He didn’t know anything about building, he left that to Nehemiah. Similarly, Nehemiah was not good at preaching, he left that to Ezra. These 2 men illustrate beautifully God’s idea of team ministry. Sometimes people who think they are good leaders also think because they are good at doing one thing they are good in everything. They are expert in everything. You do not have all the gifts or talents. Ezra needed Nehemiah and Nehemiah needed Ezra. As each served in the orbit of God’s will there was blessing for God’s people. Is that not how God intends it to be? Paul to the Corinthians church compares the church to a body, all are interdependent,  complementary to each other. There is that in the body of Christ. Unity, diversity. All parts belonging to the same body. Do not have the same function. I need you and you need me. We both need each other. Have you been given place of position, a position of responsibility? Do you recognise others gifts as well as your own? In verse 5 we see the ministry of this man. Ezra opened the book and all the people stood up. What a respect they had for the word of God. They are all on their feet – verse 8. This was the ministry Ezra had been trained. He was the right man to lead them in revival. He had the qualifications. Ezra 7 verse 6 and 10. He loved the word – verse 10 “he prepared his heart.” The most important thing a preacher can do is not to prepare sermons and messages. No, it is to prepare his heart. Heart preparation is the most important thing. He loved the word. He also learned the word – verse 10 “to seek the law of the Lord.” Before Ezra could teach he had to learn God’s word. If God has called you to preach or teach the word there is one book you need to concentrate on – the bible. Verse 10 he lived the word - he studied this word to do it. He lectured the word – to teach in Israel’s statues and judgements . A black preacher was once asked what was the secret of his preaching. He thought to himself “I think myself full. I think myself clear. I reads myself fulI, I praise myself hot then I lets myself go.” One man said “I don’t even take my bible to church anymore, they don’t use it.” How sad. Someone once said “Liberalism takes the word of God from us, humanism takes us from the word of God.” Nehemiah chapter 8 verse 8. Is that not a good statement or definition of expository preaching? Exposition is simply the opening up of the scriptures so people can understand them, to know what the bible says. Ezra is a bible expositor. He is explaining the scriptures. To open up the scriptures is the job of preachers. We don’t need to follow fads and fashions and fables. We need to keep the ship of our ministry anchored to the rock of this book, believing it, defending it, proclaiming it, obeying it. The people didn’t seek Ezra’s opinion nor the ideas of Nehemiah. They honoured the servants of God. Rightly so. But they were to be ministers of the word of God. One of the principles of the reformation was grace alone, faith alone, Christ alone but also scripture alone. Here’s a ministry that was scriptural. It was said of the early church “they spake the word of God boldly and they went everywhere preaching the word of God.” Is my ministry bible centred? It is so easy to become engaged in politics and philosophy instead of the word of God. When CH Spurgeon came to London many years ago he found that the people were so starved that a morsel of the gospel was a treat to them.  A remarkable work for God took place. As he preached week after week souls were being saved. When he died it was said the congregation knew more of their bible that the theologians. Why? Because Spurgeon expounded the word of God. The people of the book. The preacher of the book.

 

The power of the book. Martin Luther said “the bible is alive, it speaks to me. It has got feet it runs after me, it has got hands it lays hold of me.” One thing is sure, when Ezra  expounded the word the people were moved – and moved in 3 ways. First - emotionally. They wept. Because what they heard in the word of God condemned their lifestyle. Then they rejoiced.  It was an occasion for rejoicing. It was the Feast of Trumpets. Their hearts were touched. The word of God brought conviction to their hearts and tears of penitence to their eyes. Does the word of God no longer move us? When was the last time as you read God’s word you wept. Has it ever happened? Remember King Josiah when his life was brought under the search light of God’s word “because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the LORD.” (2 Kings 22 verse 19) Is your heart tender when you sit under God’s word? We don’t see a lot of weeping over the word of God today. Who weeps for this old world weighed down by sin? Who weeps for men and women and families on their way to hell? They were moved emotionally. They were moved intellectually. An earnest listening to the word of God wetted the appetite for more. They came back the second day. As they listened they discovered the will of God. This related to the keeping of the Feast of Tabernacles. Leviticus 23. God had revealed the details of this Feast but it had not been observed for a long time. Are you seeking God’s will for your life? Your cry should be bring the book? Are you seeking God’s will? Is the cry of your heart bring the book? There is only one way to guide the flock – bring the book. The Psalmist said “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” They were moved emotionally, intellectually and they were moved relationally. The word of God not only touched their heart and will. They kept the Feast of Tabernacles. It involved inconvenient living but they kept it  because it was God’s will. The Feast of Tabernacles commemorated when the children of Israel were brought out of Egypt and they camped in a place of Succoth, the place of booths. For 40 days they had no permanent shelter.  A Feast of Remembrance. They looked back to the Exodus and the wandering of their forefathers in the desert. They kept the feast. Ours is also a feast of Tabernacles when we remember the Saviour who died and rose again for our sins and salvation. How long is it since you kept the feast? Since you sat at the Lord’s table in fond remembrance? In verse 16 it was not only national obedience (verse 14) but it was unquestioning obedience. In verse 17 it was glad obedience. People of the book. Preacher of the book. Power of the book. Here we see an expectant people. An expository preacher. You may be looking for someone to fill your pulpit. Don’t be looking for someone who is going to fill your ears with fables. The cry of your heart needs to be “we need a man who is saturated in the word of God.” I took part in a funeral service in Coagh recently. I said he was a man of Psalm 1, he was a separated man. He was separated from the counsel of the ungodly, from sin to salvation, from death to life from hell to heaven. He was a saturated man – his delight was in God’s word and he meditated on it day and night. But also he was a situated man – like a tree he was planted by the rivers of water and his fruit brings forth its fruit in season. We need someone who is going to bring the book and expound the word of God. There is a lovely phrase in the last verse what a bible convention this was. The word of God had a central place of God in their lives day by day is. “O how I love thy law, it is my meditation all the day.” (Psalm 119 verse 97)