Old Llantrisant Hill
Intro
- Britain was on the verge of a revolution in 1700 - 1740
- The nation was on the verge of destruction
- God raised up two men to preach
- This period was known as the Evangelical Awakening in the 18th Century
- There was no moral decline in the Book of Nehemiah but the people were not acting as they should
- Revival breaks out
- At least 30'000 people come to hear the word of God
- They listened attentively
- They wept when they heard the word of God
- Nehemiah and Ezra tell the people not to mourn but to rejoice
Our desire for the word of God
- Is the word of God precious to you?
- What is your reading and appetite for the word of God like?
- Do you want to go to church?
- The word of God had a healing effect on the nobles
- The people gathered as "one man" together
- They were totally united in their desire
- All expectant and wanting to hear God to speak
- We have so much access to the word of God today
- Have we become complacent?
- The Spirit works through the word of God during revival
- Not all were there - those who couldn't understand were absent
- How do we feel about young people in the church?
- There was a belief that young people could understand the word of God
- During revival people have so a hunger for the word of God
- God is working even though there is not such a hunger today
Declaring and explaining the word of God
- The wooden platform had be built high up so the preacher could be seen and heard
- It is so important that the word of God is heard
- Jesus would often go up on a mountain to preach
- The pulpit is the centre of the building
- The people were listening to all the points of the word of God
- The helpers read distinctly (v8)
- The helpers "gave the sense" (v8)
- They explained the word of God
- Do we explain the word of God in a way people can understand?
- The role of sharing the word of God is to all members of the church
- Elders are tasked to share the word of God
Our response to God's word
- The people were attentive (v3)
- What is your attention like?
- We need to be careful not to fill our minds with other things and not give attention to the word of God
- The people affirm the word of God (v6)
- Ezra prayed before speaking and the people replied "Amen, Amen"
- They the bowed their heads and worshipped The Lord
- Posture shows a lot
- Kneeling shows humility - at times we need to kneel and worship The Lord
- We must not exhibit ourselves to look spiritual
- But it is the heart that matters
- An emphasis on understanding (v2, 3, 8, 12)
- Preaching is first to the mind and not to the emotions
- This should then cause the emotion - not the other way around
- The people wept (v9)
- The Spirit of God had convicted them
- They were weeping over their sin
- Perhaps they were also weeping over things neglected (e.g. Feast of Tabernacles and the Passover Feast)
- The role of a pastor is to convict those of their sin and to encourage the children of God
- We are to be masters of our emotions
- These people only had the law but rejoiced much
- We have the whole Bible and know of Christ's sacrifice on the cross
- We must desire the word of God