Revival Caused By God's Word Nehemiah
Chapter 8
 

I. Background
   A. Most people are being fed " junk " food when it comes to religion
   B. Many care more for their intake of physical food than spiritual food
   C. The right spiritual food will change your life - Jn 5:38-39 ; Col 3:16 ;
I Thess 1:13; Jam 1:22
 
II. The Children Of Israel Returned To The Promised Land After Seventy
Years Of Slavery
   A. They build the wall around Jerusalem for their physical safety - Nehemiah 1-7
   B. Now Ezra reads God's word to cause a revival of their souls - Nehemiah 8
   C. Sometimes because of their disinterest, God sent a famine of his word - Amos 8: 11-12
   D. In those days AS IN OUR DAYS there was a famine of God's word
 
III . What The People Did To Get Ready
   A. They got ready to hear
      i) unified to hear - vs. 1
      ii) men and women and young people that could understand were here - vs. 2 -3
      iii) leaders were there - vs. 4
   B. They had a great attitude
      i) people asked Ezra to read - vs. 1
      ii) they stood and were attentive for 3 hours - vs. 3 - 5
   C. Presentation of God's word
      i) He stood on the pulpit - vs. 4
      ii) they could see him ; they could hear him ; and they understood him - vs. 5-8
      iii) he read distinctly , explained the sense of the word , and caused them to understand - vs. 8
 
IV. Three Things We Need To Get From The Scripture
   A. See what it says ( observation )
   B. See what it means (interpretation)
   C. See what it means to me (application)
 
V. What Happened When They Heard The Word
   A. They wept when they realized they had failed to serve God - vs. 9
   B. Then they
      i) gathered and understood - vs. 13
      ii) proclaimed the word - vs. 15
      iii) learned they were to gather on the 7th month - vs 14
      iv) made booths and gathered - vs. 16-17
 
VI . What Should We Do When We Hear God's Word ?
   A. Purpose of studying God's word is to CHANGE lives
   B. Proposal For 2009
      i) read 1 chapter a day
      ii) improve Godly living - give up one questionable thing
      iii) find one AREA OF SERVICE and do it !!
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Heb 10:25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but
exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.