Hey there! This past Sunday (Father’s Day), I had the privilege of guest preaching at Woodlands Community Church in Homewood, IL. The preaching text is Nehemiah 8, which reminds us that God’s children find healing and hope through hearing and responding to the voice of their Father.
You can watch the sermon here or click the link below. I’ve also included the full sermon manuscript below. 🙂
Thank you to everyone who prays for me and for my sermons. Your support means so much.
May the Lord bless you through His Word!
~Blake
P.S. The sermon starts at the 18:35-minute mark.
Introduction // Our Source of Healing and Hope
Good morning. My name is Blake Glosson, and I serve as a pastoral resident at Chapelstreet Church in Geneva. Every time I’ve been here [Woodlands Community Church], I’ve been so encouraged by you and your joy in the Lord, and it’s great to be with you again on this Father’s Day Sunday. To all the fathers and spiritual fathers: God sees you and is pleased by your efforts to love and care for his people.
We’ll be in Nehemiah 8 today. If you have a Bible, you can turn there now. Nehemiah comes a few books before Psalms and Proverbs.
A quick summary of the book: Nehemiah takes place when the Israelites were returning from exile, about 150 years after Jerusalem was destroyed by the Assyrians. The first seven chapters are all about rebuilding the broken walls of Jerusalem—a dream of restoration that initially seemed impossible. But it was fulfilled because, as Nehemiah said, “God’s gracious hand was upon them.” (And what is impossible for man is possible with God!)
Now, here in chapter 8, the focus pivots from rebuilding the broken walls of God’s city to rebuilding the broken hearts of God’s people. And what we’re going to see is that broken hearts find healing and hope through reading and applying God’s Word. Or to say it another way, on this Father’s Day: God’s children—in all our brokenness and sin—find healing and hope through hearing and responding to the voice of our Father.
So, that’s where we’re headed today. Before we dive into the text, let me share a quick story.
Wired to Hear our Father’s Voice
My friends Joe and Lindsey have a two-year-old daughter named Adelynn. I still remember when Lindsey was pregnant, Joe would sing to Adelynn while she was still in the womb. Studies show that babies can recognize their parents’ voice—certainly their mother, but also their father—while still in the womb. Meaning—think about this—Adelynn was literally born into this world wired to hear and respond to the voice of her father. Even now, Joe’s voice calms her when she feels restless. Sometimes, his singing is what settles her down when she feels anxious. (I’m pretty sure my singing gives people anxiety, but that’s beside the point!)
In the same way, you and I were born into this world wired to hear and respond to the voice of our Heavenly Father. In fact, God’s voice is what brought the world into existence in the first place (see Genesis 1-2)—and His voice is also what is presently holding the universe together. Hebrews 1:3 says that the Son of God is “sustaining all things by His powerful word.” This means that, even now—at this very moment—you and I are fully dependent on God’s Word for our lives. Every time our heart beats, it’s because God tells it to beat. His Word is the source of our life.
And—just as Joe’s voice has the power to calm Adelynn—God’s voice has the power to calm your restless heart today. Isaiah 50:4 says He knows “how to sustain the weary with a word.” That’s the kind of power God’s Word has.
But the question, of course, is how? How does God’s Word sustain us, heal us, and give us hope in our brokenness?
In Nehemiah 8, we see that God uses His Word to do three things in us:
God uses His Word to…
- Reveal us (vv. 1-9)
- Relieve us (vv. 10-12)
- Remake us (vv. 13-18)
Let’s consider these one at a time, beginning with…
1. God uses His Word to REVEAL us (vv. 1-9)
Please follow as I read now, starting in verse 1:
1 “All the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel.”
By the way, what is this “Book of the Law”? It is likely a reference to the Torah (or Pentateuch)—the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). This is what Ezra is reading from. Okay, verse 2 now:
2 “So on the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand.”
By the way, this is a great reminder that God wants to speak to all of his people through His Word—not just some special class of Christian or theologian. No matter your age or stage, gender or race, God wants to speak to you through His Word today. Verse 3:
3 “He [Ezra] read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women, and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.”
Now, this is kind of wild—the text says Ezra read God’s Word from daybreak til noon—which is likely about six hours of reading. That is why today, to give us a small taste of this, I have prepared my sermon to be six hours long. (Just kidding.)
But, in seriousness, notice that the people listened attentively for six hours. That’s how hungry they were for God’s Word. I wonder: Are you that hungry for God’s Word today? You don’t have to read the Bible for six hours today (although you could!), but let me ask you: Are you hungry enough to prioritize time in the Bible this week, simply to meet with God and hear Him speak? Do you, like Adelynn, long to hear the voice of your Heavenly Father? Okay, verse 4:
4 “Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbadannah, Zechariah and Meshullam.”
Not going to lie, I’m a bit relieved to make it through those names! (Almost blacked out after Hashbadannah…) The hardest part of the sermon is over now.
God Reveals Himself to Us
Notice verses 5-6 now:
5 “Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6 Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, ‘Amen! Amen!’ Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.”
Let’s pause here for a moment. Here we see that when God’s people heard God’s Word, it led them to worship God himself.
In a moment, we are going to see how God’s Word reveals us to us. But before we do that, it’s important to pause and observe that God’s Word not only reveals us, but it also reveals God to us.
In fact, the ultimate reason we should cherish God’s Word is that God himself is revealed to us through it.
Maybe you’ve saved a voicemail on your phone from someone special—a spouse, a significant other, a friend, parent, child, sibling, or other family member.
When you listen to that voicemail, it’s not the words you cherish most—it’s the person who speaks them. You love the words primarily because you love the person who is revealed through them.
In the same way, the ultimate reason we read the Bible—and even store it in our hearts the same way we store voicemails on our phones—is not only for the words themselves, but for the person who is revealed through them.
We cherish God’s Word primarily because we cherish God himself, who is revealed through it. And we want to know Him, love Him, be close to Him, and experience fellowship with Him.
I love the way Matt Smedhurst put it:
“[Reading Scripture] is not about making you more precious to God. It’s about making God more precious to you.”
We don’t read Scripture to earn God’s love. We read Scripture to experience and enjoy God’s love—and to deepen our relationship with Him and commitment to Him.
God Reveals Us to Us
Okay, let’s keep reading now, in verses 7–9:
7 The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah—instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there.
8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.
9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
Why were God’s people weeping when they heard God’s Word?
Many commentators note that the indication here is that when God’s people heard the Scriptures read, they were cut to the heart with sorrowful conviction, realizing how far they’d strayed from the voice and commandments of their Father.
And that’s because God’s Word reveals us.
Two Ways God Reveals Us
Now, sometimes that revelation is deeply encouraging. For example, God’s Word reveals us as being…
- Created in the image of God (e.g., Genesis 1:27)
- Dearly loved children of God (e.g., Colossians 3:12)
- Forgiven and without fault in God’s eyes (e.g., Ephesians 1:4)
God’s Word reveals many encouraging things about us—which should cause us to rejoice. But God’s Word also reveals the brokenness and sin in our hearts—and for these things, the proper response is grief.
For example, when we consider the times we have lied, lusted, gossiped, harbored bitterness, lashed out in anger, spoken words that were hurtful or unwholesome, failed to love the vulnerable or the immigrant, acted selfishly at the expense of someone else, etc.—when we notice these things in our hearts, we should grieve.
We ought to hate our sin to the point of tears. We ought to be like the tax collector who beats his chest and says, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
And why should we grieve? Is it because we are legalists—obsessed with keeping all of the rules in the religious rulebook? No! We grieve because sin always creates distance between us and God, and between us and others. And therefore, our grief over our sin is a reflection of our love for God and others.
As Tim Keller observed (paraphrased): Legalism says, “I broke God’s rules.” Genuine repentance says, “I broke God’s heart—and I’m committed to changing. I’m committed to pursuing new obedience by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
I wonder—is there a sin in your life that God is calling you to grieve, and confess, and turn away from?
Here’s the good news: Repentance isn’t God’s way of shaming you. Repentance is God’s way of freeing/healing you.
Jesus does not want to rob you of joy by calling you out of sin. Satan wants to rob you of joy by keeping you in sin. As Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
Repentance is not a punishment. Repentance is the path to restoring your joy.
And this brings us to our second point—and that’s that God uses His Word not only to reveal us (and the true condition of our hearts), but also…
2. God uses His Word to RELIEVE us (vv. 10–12)
Notice verses 10–12 now:
10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
11 The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a holy day. Do not grieve.”
12 Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.
Now, the text tells us that there are two reasons why the Israelites were told not to grieve here:
First, this was a holy day that was meant for celebration—rejoicing in all of the times God had delivered them in the past (including slavery in Egypt), and also the ways that God would provide for them in the future.
But the second reason why they were told not to grieve—and the point I want to camp out on for a few minutes—is that despite their sinfulness, the joy of the Lord was to be their strength.
In other words, the message was this: Yes, you have sinned. But rejoice in the fact that—as one Puritan put it—“There is more mercy in God than there is sin in you” (Richard Sibbes).
Or, as one of my favorite worship songs puts it, “Praise the Lord… though our sins are many, His mercy is more.”
That’s worth celebrating!
We have a pastor at our church whose name is Andrew Griffiths. He has an English accent, which makes everything he says sound twice as smart smart (it’s not fair!). I won’t try to emulate his accent, but he said this: “Nehemiah is not saying, ‘Don’t mourn because your sin isn’t that bad.’ He’s saying, ‘Don’t mourn because God’s grace is that good!’”
The reason you and I can celebrate today is not that we haven’t sinned, but that God has sent a Savior to remove our sin—and He delights in showing us mercy (see Micah 7:18-19).
As David Sunday put it:
Jesus is not eager to scold you… He’s not checking to see how many quiet times you had this week to see if He’s going to pay any attention to you today. At this very moment, Jesus’s heart is melting with mercy toward you. He is drawing near to you, because that’s the kind of Savior He is.
Where Do You Run in Your Sin and Suffering?
I wonder—when you are feeling the weight of sin or shame or suffering, does that cause you to run to God or away from Him?
Satan’s greatest lie is convincing us that we need to hide from our Heavenly Father when we’re stuck in sin and suffering (see Gen. 3:10). Yet our Heavenly Father is the one who lifts us out of sin and brokenness. He is who we need most when we’re in the deepest pits of darkness and despair.
One of the best pictures of this comes in Aimee Joseph’s wonderful book, Demystifying Decision-Making. Here’s the excerpt (adapted):
My nine-year-old son stood with his bicycle at the top of the steep hill in front of our house. His gaggle of neighborhood friends stood at the base of the hill where my husband and I were doing some gardening. Suddenly, my son cried out from the top of the hill, “Hey guys, watch this!” My husband and I immediately looked up in alarm, as those are dangerous words coming from a young boy.
Much to our surprise, our son’s next move was not to ride down the hill on the bike but to send the bike down the hill without a rider. So, that’s what he did. Our eyes moved back and forth between the bike, which was picking up speed, and the new-to-us car toward which it was headed. Sure enough, the bike slammed into the side of the car as we watched in shock and horror.
My son, recognizing what he had done—and not even understanding himself why he had done it—began running down the hill. I fully expected him to run to his room in embarrassment, but then he did something we did not expect. He ran directly into my husband’s arms, paying my husband one of the greatest compliments of his life. In a moment when fear of shame and consequences might have made him run from his father, he chose to run to his father instead. While he knew his father was the one who could (and probably would) discipline him, he also knew his father loved him and that the safest place he could be in that moment was in his father’s arms.
Friend, in all our brokenness and sin, the safest place we can be is in our Father’s arms. Don’t let Satan deceive you and push you away from God. Run to the Father, and find the healing and forgiveness you long for in Him.
This brings us to our final point. How does God’s Word heal us and give us hope in our brokenness?
According to Nehemiah 8, God uses His Word to reveal us, to relieve us, and finally:
3. God uses His Word to REMAKE us (vv. 13–18)
Please follow with me as I read verses 13-18 now:
13 On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the teacher to give attention to the words of the Law. 14 They found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in temporary shelters during the festival of the seventh month 15 and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: “Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make temporary shelters”—as it is written.
16 So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves temporary shelters on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate and the one by the Gate of Ephraim. 17 The whole company that had returned from exile built temporary shelters and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great.
18 Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation, there was an assembly.
So, here we see that God’s Word not only reveals us (and the true condition of our hearts) and relieves us (with a reminder of God’s grace), but it also remakes us. Scripture is one of the primary means that God uses to free us from sin and lead us into a deeper joy than we could ever imagine. Notice the text says that when God’s people responded in obedience to God’s Word, they experienced a greater joy and celebration than they had ever known.
This is what God wants to do for us, too. He doesn’t only want to reveal your sin and remind you of His forgiveness. He also wants to spur you on to a new way of living—to new obedience.
As it has been said, “God loves you just as you are, but He loves you too much to leave you as you are.”
God wants to free you from sin’s bondage. He wants to help you become the person He created you to be—the person you long to be. He wants to give you a greater joy than you’ve ever known—a joy that comes from knowing Jesus and walking in obedience to His Word.
God does this sanctifying work over time in our lives, but one day, He will take away our sins in a moment. 1 John 3:2 says, “When Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see Him as He is.”
Conclusion // The Heart and Hope of Jesus
I began this sermon talking about how Adelynn was born into this world wired to hear the voice of her father. As I considered this analogy over the past few weeks, two additional thoughts came to my mind.
First is the beauty of Adelynn’s father singing over her—a habit with biblical precedent. A friend reminded me of Zephaniah 3:17 this past week:
“The LORD your God is among you, a warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will be quiet in His love. He will delight in you with singing.”
Did you know that God delights in you so much that He is singing over you today?
God is not disappointed with you. He is not disgusted with you. He delights in you and even sings over you with joy.
The second thought I had is how cool it is that Adelynn heard and recognized her father’s voice before she ever saw him face to face.
In the same way, God has given us His Word in this life—so that we can know and recognize His voice—and especially the voice of our Shepherd, Jesus Christ (see John 10:3ff). One day, we will be born into heaven (so to speak)—and on that day, we will finally see with our eyes the voice we heard our entire lives.
Church family, Jesus is the Word made flesh. Whereas Ezra read the law of God, Jesus perfectly fulfilled the law of God—and then died in our place for the times we fell short.
Jesus is the Greater Ezra. And today, Jesus is calling you to Himself. He wants to reveal you, to relieve you, and remake you into the person you long to be. Will you respond to His voice?
If so, please pray this prayer with me:
Lord Jesus, thank You for giving us Your Word. Forgive me for the times I have strayed from it. Thank You for being a Good Shepherd, who pursues and lays down Your life for Your sheep. Thank You, Jesus, for dying in my place. Help me to trust You as my Savior, and follow You as my Good Shepherd, today and for the rest of my days. In Jesus’ name, amen.
_________________
Blake Glosson (MDiv, Reformed Theological Seminary) is a pastoral resident at Chapelstreet Church in Geneva, Illinois. He has been published and/or republished or referred by:
- The Gospel Coalition
- Life Bible
- Crosswalk
- Eternal Perspective Ministries (Randy Alcorn)
- Challies.com/Tim Challies (here, here, and here)
- DashHouse (Darryl Dash)
- Moody Radio (here, here, and here)
- The JOY FM (here and here)
- ChurchLeaders.com
- Monergism.com
- The Aquila Report (here, here, and here)
Previously, Blake served as the director of young adults at New Covenant Bible Church in St. Charles, Illinois.
Read or watch “God Won’t Let Your Story End as a Tragedy” here.
Read “10 Ways the Sunrise Reflects Jesus” here.
Read “Do This Every Time You See or Feel the Wind” here.
Read or watch “What Jesus Does with Your Tears” here.
Watch or listen to Blake’s sermons here.
Feel free to drop a comment below with thoughts or questions!
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