Bring Out the Book! (Part 2 of 2)

The chart for most of us to even imagine bringing our family to a church service that starts at sunrise doesn't end until after lunch. That's exactly what happened when Jerusalem's wall was rebuilt today on Truth for Life will hear how the massive crowd responded when they heard God's word, Alister Ben concludes the message bring up Nehemiah to preach is no special, but it is a great Bruce film and says it this way. There is no special honor in being called to the preaching ministry that is only special pain the pool. Because those anointed to as the sea calls it sailors and legacy bankers and bruises and does not Rex to preach to really preach his dying naked a little at a time and to know each time you do that you're going to have to do it again.

What we have now my attempt anything is a classic illustration of this kind of proclamation so notice then first of all, all the people gathered expectantly. God gave Ezra the ability and the authority that people gave him the opportunity and the invitation and what they do. While they listened attentively are still on the first day of the seventh month. As with the priest brought the law before the assembly notice which was made up of men and women in all were able to understand now that is a principal here loved ones are not sure just how it all works out.

But I know that is a principally namely, that the idea that the only way to effectively instruct the congregation is to divvy it up on the basis of age, and special interest is not a biblical principle not necessarily a wrong principle but is not a biblical principle the way of instruction in the Old Testament was first of all, parental instruction to the children and then it was the instruction of the elders of the church to the families we see again possibly expect that those songs I was only five or six possibly sit and listen to this great rambling dissertation. While yes I do actually say we are weird. While yes I accept that as well. I still do.

Does this mean then that there is no place for everything else is going on just now knowing does not mean that for a moment, but I think we need to start when the Bible starts present last Sunday night meeting a church in Florida.

I listened with great happiness as a group of young people saying in the evening service. Bless the people around and it was it was a jolly nice song and then he took off. They proceeded along right out the door, and history before I preach a nice message number of messages I manage not to sin, which was a miracle in itself. Grace. I never said Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I couldn't help my summer start talk about my Wednesday is that I'm going to my system. But here's the I know what it was about. I just think they were wrong. I know when you receive is when you see young people like that one come to a close evening service. Therefore, what we have to do with young people like that is taken out giving basketballs and burgers and and babies and then will get them all and then once you get the best of all the brokers in the bank then will grow up they will be strong and tough questions. And then I will start coming to the body because my parents don't come to the new service to start.

When it already capitulated to if we think women instruct people the Sesame Street Way from preschool to postdoctoral thesis and will live with and when we will live with implications. All these dumb puppets because the theory was that if you have the one to ABC will start about education once they leave behind when they go. But he does know.

The only way noting educated is entertainment education. We entertain them from the age of 47 got a real problem because you got no sushi bar and get some puppets because you never keep them in the league on the junior high. They can't listen to an innocent and so it was the congregation like this. I don't mean this is and you capitulate and Yama congregation of any any notion in the world about thinking a reason. So the notion of the listening attentively is an interesting, but that's exactly what they did note the young and old, but always involved like this in the reading of the Lord. Deuteronomy chapter 31 and 40 Deuteronomy 31 Moses wrote down the law and he commanded the elders of Israel at the end of every seven years to do this. Deuteronomy 3111 when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God in the place he will choose you show me this lobby for them and their hearing now is what you to do besides assembling the people, men, women and children and aliens living in your times why so they can listen and learn.

Learn what learn to fear the Lord your God, and follow carefully all the words of this law. Their children do not know this law, my spirit and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess the other evening a little hospitality time here in the fellowship hall on a Friday evening young girl asked my wife what she thought of the new approach to spelling garner a little off guard.

She said what is that you approach the spelling the girl said well you approach the spelling is that you can spell anyway you want anytime you want, and that what you do is, and that the child dispels another teacher looks at it and says all is is not nice honey that is that is that how you think is found in the Towson and the teacher says says well that's nice and I'm glad you like the spell away and use Gladden spell away from the longer so now that now they can now there are going on in this way and they spelling things are the ages and apps and everything else fish spell pH ISH and ulcers of things and somehow miraculously around the age of 70 and told that's okay. And it all starts to work for you and you leave off the financing stuff and you started. You leave the financing and moved to the pathetic because it said it's it's not going to have under his overall approach to C2 education which is good if you suggested people in the way you learn is that you learn things off by our and I no longer letters from educators like crazy like I'm into. If you learn things off my heart, you're not really learning. If you experience them in learning cc when you bring this mentality of education into a church context and somebody says this is what the Bible says this is what the Bible means. This is the implication the natural reaction is like that stop that's used.

I used to just assimilating thing.

My own level in my own way I want to spell. I specify when I had. I want to do what I want to do I do it, but there's no suggestion of that in the reading of the law reading the law of God says Moses so that they may listen and they may learn to fear God and do another old despite the length of time involved back in MIA they did just that from now early in the morning until the middle of the day there. Attentive listening, was an indication of what was going on now for a photorealistic expedience of preaching to take place once put it to be something more than just a knowledgeable fella banging up against a box to things that involve the congregation as they come. Prayerfully expected and whoever has the privilege of teaching has also become prayerfully expected and when you have that meeting of expectations before then God will do what he is pledge to do through his work. If you have someone who speaks merely to hear their voice to praise or if you have congregations that listen merely to be tickled and entered and there is no real proclamation and there is no significant reaction.

The people listen attentively. Thirdly, and second, to the end. The people responded properly. Interesting thing is that they had a platform erected for this thing.

They had a poop large enough for as Randy's 13 men since they were reading from the break of dawn to noontime our and they were reading from the law of God.

It seems more than likely that Ezra was not doing all of the reading, but rather that he was sharing so that different one stood up and they readily admit and then someone else do it and read another portion that in between the readings of the book of the law were pauses and I swear these characters in verse seven come into play. The Levites to make it understandable so that individuals can apply it to the light, I saw a sense I think and certainly it establishes something of a principal I don't know whether it gives her the basis of small groups whether provide for as the notion of Sunday school just exactly how we would rain it is a principal unit needs to be adhered to, understood and apply it certainly speaks to the issue of eldership in a local church. Because no individual who is the privilege of proclaiming the word of God systematically consecutively, week by week can possibly answer all the questions that come concerning the word of what you have a plurality of elders in a church who are quote acts to teach them the questions that are raised by the congregation may be answered by these men dispersed amongst the congregation so that they may turn to the people and say do you understand what was just being taught. This is why, for example in the book of Titus and in chapter 1 and in verse nine it says that an elder must be one who holds firmly to the trustworthy message as it is being taught is going to be a guy have absolute biblical conviction going to believe understand it, apply limits why so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine or teaching, and refute those who oppose it.

And that is exactly in some measure what was going on here. As a result of the construction of this poop. The people gathered and they listened attentively and they responded properly. It is also of some interest to me and I would want to make too much of this, but I would like to make something up that at the dedication of Solomon's Temple. There was glory and beauty. There was drama, there was natural and supernatural dimensions to overwhelm the worshiper. But here the focus of the people 50,000 of them when they gathered was on a wooden platform and on a scroll, or more properly, was upon that which was written in this so the focus of the people was directed to a large wooden platform and the significance about the large wooden platform was not the 14 individuals who were on, but was the book from which the array notices of implications. While I personally believe it. I think it is implications for church architecture. He sees when you give up the preaching of the word and turn it into a liturgical thing that you no longer give preeminence to the book you create liturgical stations all around base because the liturgy has preeminence over the proclamation when you have a church where the proclamation is that which establishes all of form and function of flows from it, then you may have a church building just as plain as the absence of other things are doing so. The one thought.

It is only in the Scriptures that God has revealed himself seemingly he is not revealed himself seemingly any created thing, save him see his son and his book. Therefore thing which creates in the mind of the worshiper and there is significant there as opposed to over there the deviation falls of the first two commandments which we so sometime so they gathered and the respondent by lifting up their hands and say that men women saying amen so much. And lastly, while here the part you noticed is not cool to say amen outline, especially businessmen don't like to see on an outline.

Businessmen don't like the saying. That's why many of you don't say when the spirit regardless of your time you see your surprise, your wife, your kids and yourself. But until he does exactly the way you until the spirit of God listens our tons, we will either say amen because somebody said we will see it because it comes from our hearts, the people lifted their hands and they said so we can lick your hands here, why not. We were told you that shows no one is going to church one woken first Church of the lifted hands. Why is this first community church of sin on your nobody ever told you that you meet your wife after she'd be gone. Are you go for her like that. He said I love you. I want your children coming greet you with a tiny Kinsey, I love you. I want posture congregation is significantly lifted their hands. They said amen and amen and he fell down the bow down in the worship with their faces to the ground.

She has one of the great advantages and going into the African country is going to the continent of Africa by church buildings like this got a bunch of rickety old chairs a few things in corrugated tin and everything else legal my life.

Can we really have church here in Boyd and the church.

But if they read in the Bible it says I may worsen with their faces in the grounding are nothing in front of them so they just get done not to rearrange an infidel at all. If we want to kneel down here in this church got a big problem. You can even kneel down and try kneel down. We are seeing is virtually impossible to love her two front teeth white. We do not want to redesign a church. This tomorrow not today. The reason we get. That is largely because we got the notion that people kneel down. They don't really mean anomaly all those people kneel down is kneel down but they don't know enough not to kneel down. Maybe they know something we don't know, maybe they know when a man down and do something to said I ask every man right now to move to the side of the island kneeled down on the floor to be an awesome site because our posture revealed they all gather they all list Bill respond, they lifted their hands in worship. Their faces and contrition, and they went. They went quite weak, because the word of God struck Hartman the book of the law. Hit them where they needed hit scene auto Guild is wrong when God moves in our hearts, and said you know what you have been praying the way you are to be praying as good Guild as they are not in order to make us feel bad is there in order mind is that you might you haven't been witnessing to people the way you were witnessing to sharing your faith is your here for the last week last two weeks. The last one nobody around you is ever heard one thing about Jesus :-( your lips says to me, Alister Wiseman, Guild Jim is notion that all Guild is wrong. All Guild is not wrong Guild, which is very hard to show as our need of a senior need of repentance. Needed faith is good Guild and the people listen to this thing be in red and he went very seldom.

When I preach the people away that has to do this very seldom that I am wet as others. That is mostly to do my who will we for the powerless state who we for our hard hearts when our friends and neighbors do not know Jesus will we and our lethargy in pre-they gathered expectantly. They listened attentively responded properly and they went home joyfully and now my constantly says okay guys that's enough of the crying let's go right here. Go get something nice to eat and what you buy something nice neat send some dear friends. This is a sacred date of the law of the joy of the Lord is your strength.

Weeping comes in the evening and joy comes in the morning let's go, let's go. Glad we came expectantly.

We listened attentively responded properly were leaving joyfully. That's where this is a simple lesson on the place of preaching in the way in which God's people to depend upon what may God help us to learn from God's people, men, women and children worshiping together. That's what happens when the congregation and the pastor come expectantly and prayerfully before God's word listing to Truth for Life with Alistair Begg.

Please keep listing because Alister will be back in just a minute to close with prayer. If you're in charge about Christian ministry. How do you define success is by the size of your audience or your class number of likes you get social media today we want to recommend to you a book titled faithful leaders of the things that matter most. The author of the book is Alister's friend Rico Tice and he explains that the ultimate measure of success for a Christian leader is to hear God say well done on the day we die.

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You'll see how you can be more effective at fighting temptation living a holy life and serving your local church faithfully request a copy of faithful leaders. When you make a one-time donation@truthforlife.org/donate or if you prefer you can call 888-588-7884. If you'd rather mail your donation and request the book right to truthfully at PO Box 39, 8000, Cleveland, OH 44139. Now, here is Alister with the closing prayer to God and our father, we thank you for this wonderful day.

We thank you for your book, the Bible that you've given to us in order that we might understand and live by.

We thank you for our church and for all the blessings you poured upon us, we thank you for one another. We pray that you will help us as they passes day to remember these simple principles as we think about bringing our families and friends to worship. I was Lord to gathered expectantly to listen attentively to respond properly and in your goodness to leave joyfully knowing that you. The Lord blesses and keeps you make your face to shine upon us and be gracious on you. Lift up the light of your countenance upon us and you give is your peace today and forevermore about the pain the culture that's growing increasingly more tolerant toward a lot of things but even more intolerant comes to Christian convictions in recent times. Join us tomorrow to find out how we can resist the worldly pressure to conform the Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life Learning is for Living