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Listening Together t o the Voice of God

Listening Together t o the Voice of God. Just Me, Myself & I. Has there ever been a time in your life where you felt totally isolated and all alone? Maybe you were traveling alone and lost your way. Maybe you moved to a new community where you knew no one else .

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Listening Together t o the Voice of God

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  1. Listening Together to the Voice of God

  2. Just Me, Myself & I • Has there ever been a time in your life where you felt totally isolated and all alone? • Maybe you were traveling alone and lost your way. • Maybe you moved to a new community where you knew no one else. • Maybe you experienced the loss of a parent, child, or close friend. • All of us have experienced feelings of loneliness at one time or another. • You and I were not made to be alone, we were made for life together.

  3. Listening Togetherto the Voice of God We were made for life together and biblical fellowship with other Christians is essential. Today we will examine a Word-based understanding of biblical community. We shall see that God designed His Word to be the bedrock of our fellowship and the impetus for our evangelism. • Proclaiming God’s Word(Neh. 8:1-2) • Revering God’s Word (Neh. 3:-6) • Responding to God’s Word (Neh. 3:7-12)

  4. Proclaiming God’s Word Nehemiah 8:1-2 1All the people gathered together at the square in front of the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses that the LORD had given Israel. 2On the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding. • According to statistics, the average attention span of most adults is 20 minutes. • Yet in this passage, the Israelites listened attentively to the reading of Scripture for six hours, from morning until noon. • How can our church demonstrate the Bible’s importance in our fellowship and worship?

  5. Revering God’s Word 3While he was facing the square in front of the Water Gate, he read out of it from daybreak until noon before the men, the women, and those who could understand. All the people listened attentively to the book of the law. 4Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform made for this purpose. Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah stood beside him on his right; to his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5Ezra opened the book in full view of all the people, since he was elevated above everyone. As he opened Nehemiah 8:3-6

  6. Revering God’s Word it, all the people stood up. 6Ezra praised the LORD, the great God, and with their hands uplifted all the people said, “Amen, Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. The returning exiles stood to attention when the Bible was read and after that they put their faces to the ground and bowed down in humble worship. • How is our posture toward God evident in the way we live? • In what ways can we demonstrate our reverence for God’s Word? Nehemiah 8:3-6

  7. Responding to God’s Word Nehemiah 8:7-12 7Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah, who were Levites, explained the law to the people as they stood in their places. 8They read out of the book of the law of God, translating and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was read. 9Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all of them, “This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law. 10Then he said to them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and

  8. Responding to God’s Word Nehemiah 8:7-12 send portions to those who have nothing prepared, since today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, because the joy of the LORD is your stronghold.” 11And the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, since today is holy. Do not grieve.” 12Then all the people began to eat and drink, send portions, and have a great celebration, because they had understood the words that were explained to them. • Why is it important to prepare your heart before hearing the Word proclaimed? • How does initial preparation help us better hear and apply God’s Word to our lives?

  9. Listening Togetherto the Voice of God • We were made for life together and as we have seen today, Scripture is the basis of true community. • When true biblical communities gather, God’s Word is always proclaimed, revered and applied. • God’s Word is always pointing us to Christ and Christ is always pointing us to others. Therefore, if our communities are genuinely Scripture-based then they must be others focused. • Our role as Christians, is to expand the community!

  10. Listening Together to the Voice of God

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