Your Mission Pt. 5
And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the LORD had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.
And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people answered, "Amen, Amen," lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. Nehemiah 8:1-6.
Now that’s worship! Think about what’s happening here. The people of God are re-awakening to what it means to be the people of God. They gather with one heart, one mind and with one purpose which is to actively listen to the word of their Covenant Lord. For it is the word of God that forms, shapes, directs and gives purpose to the people of God. He reads the word of God because it’s just that the word of God. Ezra, Nehemiah nor the people viewed the holy Scriptures as merely the musings of Moses, but the inerrant, infallible, authoritative, sufficient, clear, relevant and life-giving word of the living God.
The first mark of the church listed in Acts 2:42 is their devotion to the apostles teaching. This has always distinguished the people of God. We are distinct not because we boast of a particular earthly ethnic culture, but because of our view of God’s word. Moreover I contend that one of the marks of the church is the clear expository preaching of the word of God. That is exactly what happened during that day when Ezra the priest read the Scriptures as recorded in Nehemiah 8. The people gathered as one man to hear the word of God read and explained (see Neh. 8:8). And it’s because we have such a high regard for God’s word that we are careful to expose and unveil it before God’s people.
Expository preaching is necessary for the church due to the nature of God’s word. We believe that God has spoken clearly, effectively, authoritatively and sufficiently to His people for His glory and our good. Expository preaching means that those called and ordained men of God search the Scriptures to unveil and uncover what God has already said. Our calling isn’t to get a word from God but to declare the word already given. Any church, anywhere among any people must keep the word of God central to its life, worship, ministry and mission. To do that they must train, equip, ordain, encourage and pray for men to declare the word faithfully.
Above all things the church cannot allow cultural mores to overtake our clear calling to preach and teach the word. Paul didn’t do it in Corinth and we can’t do it with black people. The Corinthians despised Paul because he didn’t ‘bring it’ the way their trained orators did. They didn’t want the word of God so much as they wanted to exalt their culture. This will always be a danger for the church. We will always be tempted to exchange the distinctive marks and culture of the church for the comfortable confines of our native culture. And that temptation is dangerous. For the marks of the church which include expository preaching are those things that contribute to the unity of our witness. Preaching the word of God to God’s people and our culture reinforces the reality that we serve, love, worship and obey one God who has one message for humanity.
The expository teaching of the word of God Sunday after Sunday reminds us that we are first and foremost the people of God, His treasured possession, holy nation and royal priesthood. Sound, biblical expository preaching moves us to look beyond ourselves and the narrow scope of our own culture to see the beauty, rightness, goodness and awesomeness of God’s character, nature, will and ways. When the men of God open the word of God and preach to the people of God by faithfully exposing the Scripture we preach Christ and Him crucified. It is this preaching that the God’s people received that day when Ezra the priest opened the word of God and read from it from morning till noon. And it’s that kind of preaching that will revive the church of God to worship our Lord more fervently, walk before Him more diligently and witness of the gospel of Christ more boldly.
For Christ, the Church and the Truth
Pastor Lance