1. Text: Nehemiah 8:1-18 7/9/2016 1

2. “Revival”: “1. The act of reviving, or the condition of being revived. 2. A restoration to use, acceptance, activity, or vigor after a period of obscurity or quiescence.... 4. A reawakening of interest in religion. 5. A meeting or series of meetings for the purpose of reawakening religious faith, often characterized by impassioned preaching and public professions of faith.” (The American Heritage Dictionary) 7/9/2016 2

3. ALL THE PEOPLE GATHERED THEMSELVES TOGETHER AS ONE MAN. Nehemiah 8:1--And all the people gathered as one man into the square before t the Water Gate. And they told u Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the L ORD had commanded Israel. t u Everyone came The gathering was characterized by unity. 7/9/2016 3

4. ALL THE PEOPLE GATHERED THEMSELVES TOGETHER AS ONE MAN. THE PEOPLE GATHERED TO HEAR THE LAW OF THE LORD Nehemiah 8:1--And all the people gathered as one man into the square before t the Water Gate. And they told u Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the L ORD had commanded Israel. t u The people took the initiative to call the revival. The people wanted to hear the law of God proclaimed. We too should have this attitude. Luke 24:32; Luke 10:26; 1 Cor. 2:1-5 The people were attentive to the Book of the Law. 7/9/2016 4

5. James Hahn: “It is indeed a sad commentary on a person who claims to be serving God when the most important thing to him about a sermon is its length....When the length of a sermon is the only or primary concern of an individual then it is quite apparent that he is not really interested in things spiritual. The truth of the matter is that the problem is not the length of the sermon but his attitude toward the word of God. “But, just as it is a sad commentary on the listener whose only concern is the length of a sermon, it is equally sad that the most notable thing about some sermons is their LENGTH....” 7/9/2016 5

6. “Maybe we preachers need to examine our preaching to see if all the problem is with the listeners. I know some preachers who are constantly being criticized by brethren for their ‘lengthy’ sermons and usually these are the preachers who do so much criticizing of brethren who can’t ‘endure’ long sermons. “It is very possible that these preachers DO need to be criticized but that brethren are criticizing the wrong thing. They may be criticizing the LENGTH of the sermon when they should be criticizing the CONTENT of the sermon.... “If you are a listener who is constantly criticizing a preacher for the length of his sermons, you need to examine yourself. It may be that it is your lack of interest in things spiritual that needs to be corrected rather than the length of the preacher’s sermons. If you are a preacher who is constantly being criticized by brethren for your long sermons, maybe you need to examine yourself and your sermons to find out why the length of your sermons is the most notable thing about them. It may be that brethren are being critical of the wrong thing. It may indeed be the content and not the length that needs to be criticized.” (“Some Thoughts On the Length Of Sermons,” Family Talk, Aug. 1985, 3:16:1) 7/9/2016 6

7. Tommy Hagewood: “I firmly believe that preachers should put some fire in their sermons or else put their sermons in the fire. The gospel preacher must preach the Word with conviction and love. Faithful men of God will discharge their duty to God and to man in these matters. “A preacher can be greatly helped or hindered by the audience to which he speaks. Consider, for example, how Peter must have been encouraged to preach the Word of God when Cornelius made the following statement: ‘Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God’ -- Acts 10:33b. “Too often we put a preacher in an ice box and expect him to sweat! It is not fair to expect him to present the truth in a courageous, zealous and interesting manner while we sit back in cold indifference. On the other hand, nothing can motivate a preacher to do his best more than an attentive, appreciative audience that wants to hear the Word of God.” (“If You Want The Preacher To Sweat Then Don’t Put Him In An Ice Box,” Locust Light, June 1, 1983, 15:11) 7/9/2016 7

8. ALL THE PEOPLE GATHERED THEMSELVES TOGETHER AS ONE MAN. THE PEOPLE GATHERED TO HEAR THE LAW OF THE LORD THE PEOPLE MADE THE NECESSARY PREPARATIONS FOR THE PROCLAMATION OF GOD’S WORD. THE PEOPLE PARTICIPATED REVERENTLY IN THE ACTIVITIES When Ezra opened the book they stood (5) When Erza praised the Lord the people responded with appropriate “amens” and lifted up their hands. (6) When the appropriate time came they bowed their heads and worshipped God. (6) 7/9/2016 8

9. ALL THE PEOPLE GATHERED THEMSELVES TOGETHER AS ONE MAN. THE PEOPLE GATHERED TO HEAR THE LAW OF THE LORD THE PEOPLE MADE THE NECESSARY PREPARATIONS FOR THE PROCLAMATION OF GOD’S WORD. THE PEOPLE PARTICIPATED REVERENTLY IN THE ACTIVITIES THE PREACHERS CAUSED THE PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THE LAW OF GOD THE PEOPLE HAD TENDER HEARTS FOR TRUTH THE PEOPLE RESPONDED TO THE PROCLAMATION OF THE WORD WITH OBEDIENCE. 7/9/2016 9

10. They shared their food with the needy (10-12) They observed the feast of the tabernacles (13-17) The feast of tabernacles was to remind Israel of their father’s dwellings when God lead them out of Egypt. The feast had not been observed since the days of Joshua. When the people learned of their error they quickly corrected it. 7/9/2016 10

11. Nehemiah 8:17—The whole company that had returned from exile built booths 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. 7/9/2016 11

12. ALL THE PEOPLE GATHERED THEMSELVES TOGETHER AS ONE MAN. THE PEOPLE GATHERED TO HEAR THE LAW OF THE LORD THE PEOPLE MADE THE NECESSARY PREPARATIONS FOR THE PROCLAMATION OF GOD’S WORD. THE PEOPLE PARTICIPATED REVERENTLY IN THE ACTIVITIES THE PREACHERS CAUSED THE PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THE LAW OF GOD THE PEOPLE HAD TENDER HEARTS FOR TRUTH THE PEOPLE RESPONDED TO THE PROCLAMATION OF THE WORD WITH OBEDIENCE. 7/9/2016 12