“So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month.

Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.” Nehemiah 8:2,3

We have been going through the book of Nehemiah for the past few weeks and this week we did Nehemiah 8. Personally speaking, it has been ages since I read the book of Nehemiah, so going through this book was awesome!

• We live in a time when the noise of the internet is on the highest volume figuratively speaking. Imagine your stereo system on the highest frequency levels. What would happen to your ears? They’d go deaf beyond a certain point, right? Figuratively speaking, that is what is happening to our generation today.
• They ( the voices on the internet ) lure people into ideologies that is far, far from the truth and the generation of today that is more inclined to tune into the internet, is getting farther and farther away from the TRUTH of Gods Word.
• Nehemiah 8 is such a classic setting where in many ways it reflects the culture of today.
• After many, many generations, the Book of the Law is being read by Ezra the priest in the presence of Nehemiah the governer and other elders and levites of the land. And the people, on realizing how far away they have strayed from the Book of the Law, WEPT.
• Why are the people weeping? – Because their eyes are now open to see and their ears that had become dull of hearing is awakened by the reading of the LAW. They begin to see their sin and are grieving because they have strayed far, far away from the LORD.
• Another important thing to note is that Nehemiah 8 records the names of the people who stood by Ezra as the Word was read. Why were their names recorded? 1. Those who stood to the right and left of Ezra were all elders and levites which speaks of spiritual authority. 2. But also because it PLEASED THE LORD to write their names in the Word. They stood by Ezra and Nehemiah when the people repented with tears.
• A thousand years from now, do you think you might be remembered by God for standing by your leaders when St Louis had a great awakening? A revival? You don’t have to be someone great to be remembered by Heaven. A faithful prayer, a simple sharing of your testimony, the smallest of things that can spark conviction of sin into someone is REMEMBERED AND RECORDED in heaven.
• We live in a time when people need the truth. Everywhere we turn, we hear the “me- oriented gospel”. We must move away from the ” me- oriented gospel” to the ” Jesus- oriented gospel.” It is time to lift JESUS HIGH to bring Salvation to your city.