History waited for one man Ezra - Nehemiah 8

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I want to hear a shout of Hallelujah.

If you are excited about Nehemiah Chapter 8, how many of

Nehemiah 8 · chapter mention

you have read it? 1-2 Just two people.

Three. OK, maybe somebody give them the

chocolate. We will encourage them anyway

for putting effort to now to understand Chapter 8, we need to

understand the background and that will open our mind or

appreciate what's in Chapter 8. So let's look at the one of the

yeah, that's the one. Let's look at this timeline

here. You know, what has happened here

is basically because they neglected the law of God,

because they disobeyed God, because they indulged in

idolatry, because they lived sinful life, They have been sent

into captivity. They were sent into Babylon and

Astilians came and they took them away.

Then Babylonians came, took them away.

So now what is happening here is that in three different batches,

the people from the captivity returned to Jerusalem, to Judea

three different times. So the first time they came was,

I believe, first wave in 536 BC. The first wave of Jews returned

to Israel and begin to rebuild the Temple.

Now it took from 5:36 to 5:16. That's about 20 years it took to

rebuild the temple. In between, they were stopped.

In between they were opposed. But there were some prophets who

are encouraging them, Hey Guy and Zechariah, and they came

with the message to build the temple.

And ultimately they finished building the temple in 516 BC.

Temple construction is completed, but you don't find

that the nothing is done about the walls of Jerusalem.

Nothing is done about the gates of Jerusalem which have been

burned down, which have been pulled down.

Nothing is being said. So now what is interesting here

is you do not see that there is a connection between Ezra and

Nehemiah. Ezra came first, 14 years before

Nehemiah, and he is in Jerusalem teaching the law faithfully day

in and day out. Whoever wanted to learn, whoever

wanted to listen, Ezra was deeply committed to study the

Law and to teach it. Now when you look into the book

of Ezra, you will see all these. I think in particular, chapter 8

or somewhere he says his mission is to study the Law and to teach

it. How many of us are committed,

like Ezra, to study the law and to teach it?

This is what is a vision in chapter 8.

What you are seeing here is a revival that's coming into

Judea, a revival that's coming into Jerusalem, because they

were committed to study the Word and obey it.

That's very simple, very simple. The whole of the chapter you see

the impact of studying the Word and the revival that comes to

studying the Word. So now Ezra is silently working

through for 14 long years, and then the news reaches Nehemiah

in the capital of Sousa that the walls have been broken out.

Did not name and know about it before?

Probably he knew. Did name Maya know when Ezra

came to Jerusalem? He must have known because he

was serving in the, in the, in the course of Persian courts for

more than 20 years. And in the year of 20th year he,

he actually got permission to go back to Jerusalem.

So for 20 years he is there, and for 14 years before that is the

7th year of art exists. Ezra was given permission to go

back to Jerusalem and he was given gold, silver, money, The

utensils that Nebuchadnezzar took away from, from Jerusalem,

they are being restored. And he carried a lot of gold and

silver, tons of it, and came back to Jerusalem and deposited

there and reconstructed the temple.

Now we cannot, we cannot underestimate the job of Ezra

for those 20 years, the 14 years he was committed to teaching the

world, restore the religious atmosphere, to restore the

temple practices, the sacrifices, reading of the law.

He was doing faithfully that prepared the hearts of the

people. And when Nehemiah heard that the

walls are broken down, burned down, he decided to come and

restore the walls. He was not moved by the temple,

not being in good shape, but he was moved by the walls broken

down. But Ezra heart was for the

temple of God and he came back because he wanted to revive the

temple, because he wanted to revive the law.

Is are the two contrary things. Temple and the walls of

Jerusalem are the two different things.

Its all belong to one people, but God touches people

differently, uses people differently.

I mean are we together? Ezra is moved by what?

The temple Nehemiah is moved by what broken down walls and bond

on walls. So whatever way God touches you,

whatever way God instructs you, whatever way God has wired you

to for His Kingdom, that's what we have to find out and do it.

You have to find out your life purpose and do it.

Find out your life purpose and do it.

That's all very important. So after the 516 BC, you have

got so many years again. How many years?

458 BC is how long? How long?

424858 years. For 58 years there is a silence.

Nothing is much. Nothing much is happening.

And then you see, sorry, in 458 BC, Ezra leaves Babylon to lead

more people to just. That's the second time people

come and the third time people come is Nehemiah 444 BC.

It says 445 here but basically he must getting ready.

Depends on the people who are writing the commentary and the

calendar they follow. There's always a year of one

year difference so don't worry. Its 444 BC.

That's what I know for sure. So 14 years afterwards Nehemiah

comes and rebuilds the walls in two months time.

Just two months now, after all these things have happened

because, because when you look at Chapter 7, the last was

there, it says when the 7th month came and the Israelis are

settled in their towns, all the people assembled as one man in

the square before the Watergate. Where is the Watergate?

Can we look at the next diagram please?

One more Watergate is somewhere here on the right side, you see

a little gap in the green. It is in Watergate.

So that is Temple is up up there and Watergate is somewhere on

the eastern side of Jerusalem. So you see the Watergate, that

is where the people came at the square.

And So what must have happened is Ezra must be standing towards

the wall, you know, where there is a square.

Thank you. So that is the Watergate here.

So you have a square here. You can see a little bit of

square here. It must be.

Ezra must be standing here facing westward, not eastward

facing westward. Why this direction is very

important? The temple of God was the

entrance of temple on the east but the Gods glory or the holy

of holies on the West. So when you enter the temple you

are facing the West. All the religions, Hinduism,

Islam they all face was east and whereas the biblical Judaism and

Christianity they face W the presence of God is in the West.

So you need to face the West anytime every time you want to.

I mean if you want to follow the Old Testament now we are free

from east and West. We are all anywhere, any

direction you face you can pray to God.

But he was conscious that the presence of God is towards the

West and he faced towards the West and the walls that built

were used to magnify his voice. Probably there must be people

about 40 to 50,000 gathered on this occasion and this occasion

is called festival of trumpets. Basically first festival of

trumpets is they blow the Rams horn and celebrate the celebrate

and rejoice in God because God had set them free from Egypt and

brought them into the land of freedom.

So what they are trying to do here is the celebrating the

temple, the celebrating gods deliverance by blowing the

trumpets and remembering it. And also in the book of

Deuteronomy chapter 31 you will see that once in seven years

Deuteronomy 31 · chapter mention

they are supposed to gather together and read the book of

the law. What is the book of the law?

The first five books, Genesis to Deuteronomy, they have to read

it once in seven years. So now it that must be a 7th

year when they are gathering with the blowing of the

trumpets. Now what is happening here?

You see what is your you have to observe this very carefully.

They told Ezra the scribe to bring out the book.

Who told the people who told Can I hear it people?

How did it happen? 14 long years.

Ezra is telling them, read the law, obey the law, read the law,

obey the law, study the law. He's going on, you know, bashing

them with that kind of a teaching.

And now on this day, the people said we are ready now bring the

book. You know, sometimes some of you

are still not very proactive when it comes to the Bible study

we are doing like Ezra, bang, bang, bang.

You have to come to Bible study, study the word, obey the word.

That's what we are doing. But a day will come when you

will say I want to do Bible study.

You will run after the Bible studies.

Why in in that scripture you will find freedom, life, a

release of the Holy Spirit into your spirit as you study the

law. There is power in the law.

There is power in the law, power in the Bible.

Every word has power in in it. Anyone verse you believe it with

all your heart. Your life is going to be

changing. Its not going to be the same.

Pick up one verse and believe it, act on it.

Your life will not be the same. That is the power that you see

in the in the law. So now they said bring the law,

bring the book. They said they told Israel, the

scribe to bring out the book, the law of Moses with the Lord,

Lord had commanded for Israel. So now the revival has come not

from top down is from down is coming to the top.

It is not the pastor pushing you had to come to Bible study.

You have to come to Bible study. They are saying no, we want to

come to Bible study. When I read it, I said this is

what I am doing, longing God. This is what I am longing for.

I want this to happen in Omega. Everybody should be there for

the Bible study. If you want to visit God, if you

want God to visit your life, it has to come through the Bible.

It will come through the Bible. This is not a single revival in

history where the Bible has been neglected and you had a revival.

No, you cannot have. So we are looking for a revival

to come and that will come to studying the Word and obeying

the Word. No other way.

There is no other way. So on the first day of the 7th

month, Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly.

He brought the book, he brought out the book.

You know when we say book there is like a scroll.

Its a scroll. Could he have read from Genesis

to Deuteronomy in one week before the public?

Is it possible? May not be possible.

So Ezra must have taken the important parts or he must have

limited himself to reading the book of Deuteronomy.

What is Deuteronomy? Deutero is second law just like

you have Exodus, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers.

It is called Deuteronomy because it is a second law.

The everything that God has spoken and given as a law in the

first four books is reiterated and compressed and it is it is a

second. Second time has been given by

Moses to the people of Israel. That's why its called

Deuteronomy second law. So now who are the people who

are here? Who are the people who are

coming up there, which was made-up from men and women and

all who were able to understand, who came together at the square,

men, women and all who could understand.

That means somebody is 8 or 10 year old, they can understand

the law. They were there.

You do not have the categories here.

Or let's have women's meeting, let's have a Mens meeting, let's

have Sunday school. No, its one event.

Ezra is standing up on a platform specially built for

this purpose. Its a platform.

It is just raised up area so that all the people standing can

see as far as the last person in the crowd.

If he has to look at Ezra, he cannot be standing on the same

level. So they built a platform for

him. He stood on the platform and he

opened the scroll and he read it out and he had 13 people

standing with him. There were six on his left, 7 on

his right. Why?

If you look at the names which Jenny has skipped while reading,

you look at the names there mentioned there, and when you

read Chapter 9, you will see some of those names again as Lee

Whites, and Ezra himself was a Lee White.

When you look at his genealogy, it goes back to Aaron, one of

his sons, the second son. Through him it goes down and

down and down. Ezra is the descendant of Aaron

and he was a Lee White. He was committed to study the

law and to teach it. You know what?

History was waiting for one man. Say with me, history was waiting

for one man. Who is that one man?

Ezra. Because what Ezra did through

his commitment to study the law and to obey the law and to teach

the law was just beyond any description the impact of Ezra's

life. During the time of Jesus, you

had a group of people called Pharisees.

They claimed distant lineage from Israel.

They were committed to study the law.

That's the reason why they went in their zeal and made-up more

laws until they became miserable themselves and made other people

miserable. Jesus had to come back and reach

him and redo the whole thing and sum it up as two laws and a lot

of things he had to do and oppose the Pharisees.

But what began as a good thing has become a bad thing over

centuries. So you have all the things.

When you look at a revival its good, but after a few years it

becomes bad. I don't want to name anyone

particular one, but all the revivals they are all good.

But over centuries it gets diluted.

It becomes a religion. So we need to do what we need to

do in every era, every age of the thing.

We need to be consciously studying the law, obeying the

law, preach the law, teach the law.

This is simple. This is the motto of Ezra.

It should be a motto of every Christian.

It should be a life goal to commit yourself to study the

law, obey the law, teach the law.

I must be very young when I heard the message on Ezra but

that made an impact on my mind and I said I will do it.

I will do it and I am not ashamed for the decision I made

because he has given me a mind to understand the Bible and I

have put lot of effort into it. Hours and hours of study I have

done. I have read many books on how to

study Bible. You need to learn it.

Its not just doesn't drop from heaven.

You have to put effort to study the law, the word and we that's

the that's what we are trying to do on the Wednesday nights is we

are trying to give you questions that will help you to build that

mindset to study the word. So everything we do here is done

with that is what is called a vision.

We have the vision for Omega where every member will know

what the Bible says and every member will have a desire to

obey the law and every member will be wanting to teach the law

to somebody who wants to listen. There was a time Seema and I

conducted a Bible study for a couple, a husband and a wife for

15 months. They didn't bring anybody else,

whether it is two people or 200 people or 2000 people.

My commitment to study the teach is not going to change.

I will do if it is only one person, the same amount of

passion I will put into that preparation for one person.

So that is how I have lived. And I think all of us must have

the same kind of a mind, a commitment to study the law, not

just study, obey the law. Without obedience you cannot

teach it. We will become a Pharisee.

We don't do it. Cool, let's go on.

Go on. So there we see how he read it

aloud from Daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the

Watergate in the presence of the men, women and others who could

understand. And all the people listened

attentively to the book of the Law.

They listened attentively. They were not standing and

sleeping. They listened attentively.

And when he stood on the platform, opened the book, they

started. They stood up.

Did not say, oh, let's just lie down a little bit, there's some

grass here. No, no, they stood up.

Why? Why did they have to stand up?

Because they respect the book. They respected the law and that

Torah that he was holding in his hand when he was unveiling it,

He was just rolling it out. People just stood on their feet

because they are not hearing the words of a man, but they're

hearing the words of God. They are not there gathered

there to listen to a man. They're listening to the voice

of God, the words of God. And they had to respect the

words of God. They stood up.

How about standing for one hour and listening to the message?

Just joking. Don't worry about it, I won't

make you do it, OK? Ezra the scribe stood on a high

wooden platform built for the occasion.

Beside him on his right stood Matitaya Shema, Anaya Oraya

Hilkiya Masaiya and on his left were Pedaya Mishael Malkija

Hashem Hashba da na is Zechariah and Meshullah.

Now you not only bring the book, next thing you have to do is

Ezra opened the book. Everybody say Ezra opened the

book. How many of you have got a Bible

somewhere on the shelf somewhere but not opened?

No, you haven't not opened. Please open it.

The Lord, the Lord will speak to you and encounter you through

his written printed page. So a lot of people when whenever

we hear testimonies, they'll say I had a Bible that was

collecting dust, but one day I opened it.

That's the day God will visit you.

Open the book, open the book. Tell you whenever.

Give them a high 5. Say open the book.

All the people could see him because he was standing above

them. And as he opened it, the people

all stood up. Ezra, praise the Lord, the great

God. And all the people lifted their

hands and responded. Amen, Amen.

And they bowed down and worshipped the Lord with their

faces to the ground. Now, how many different things

are happening here? The man is standing on the

platform and he opened the scroll and people saw it, stood

up on their feet, and then what did they do?

They not only have done just standing up.

When then Ezra, praise the Lord of the great God.

We often don't do that, but before we should.

Of course, we have a time of singing and worship, but we

should be able to praise God all the time.

And particularly before you read the Word, you praise Him.

And when you praise him, what happens is the revelation comes

when you read the book. That's the way so many people

say, oh, I don't get any revelation.

I read the book. Nothing happens.

You have to prepare your heart. Praising God prepares your heart

and the Holy Spirit was dwelling in you will move in your mind

and make you understand as you praise him, as you worship him.

That's how you prepare yourself. And Ezra has done it every day

of his life. And now as he was doing every

day of his life before the public, 4050 thousand people

watching him, it just comes naturally to him to praise God

and to worship God. Amen.

So what happened? They all shouted saying, I mean,

I mean the Hebrew, I mean, and they were saying, I mean, I mean

they're agreeing with that, with what Ezra was saying.

He's praising God. Can they hear 5050 thousand

people gathering in one place? Can they hear when Israel is

saying something? How did Ezra manage to teach

4050 thousand people without a microphone, without a sound box?

Its a puzzle. Its a big puzzle.

But we will unravel the puzzle little by little.

We will see how what the world has to say about it.

And they bow down and worship the Lord with their faces to the

ground. Now they were sitting down, they

see the book, they stand up and they shout Amen, Amen.

And now they are kneeling down and falling on the ground,

worshipping God with their faces to the ground.

How many times we are overpowered by the presence of

God? How many times we are so

thankful to God that we are able to fall down before Him?

I know a man, his name is AW Tozer.

He would go to the beach. On the beach he would be lying

prostate and four hours, 6 hours, 7 hours of time just

flies by because he was deeply in adoration of God, worshipping

God, loving God, praising God. We should find time to do that.

I have tried to do it on the bed.

It doesn't work. The Levites, Joshua, Bani,

Sherry, Sherry, Bhaiya, Jameen, Akoob, Shabetai, Huraya, Masaya,

Kelita, Azaraya, Josephbad, Hanan and Pelaya instructed the

people in the law. What did they do?

Instructed the people in the law, what?

What does it mean? It means little more.

When we go forward, we will see here.

While the people who are standing there, they read from

the book of the law of God, making it clear and giving the

meaning so that the people could understand what was being read.

Ha ha ha, what is really happening here?

The book is written by Moses in Hebrew, but now, nearly 1000

years later, that Hebrew is not what they are speaking anymore.

That is not the language they are speaking anymore.

It has to be interpreted, it has to be explained.

And some of them may not be knowing Hebrew at all.

I'll give you an example. Now look at this one, the one

before, please. That's English.

Can you read it? Is it English?

Yeah. You all know that word.

You can make out what that means.

Jesus says, come unto me, all you are.

Heavy burdens carry heavy burdens.

My burden is light. My yoke is easy.

My burden is light. That's what he's saying in those

words, that all of us can figure it out somehow, isn't it?

But is it the same that anybody who doesn't know what Bible says

and reads it, can you figure out what the meaning is?

No, even though it's English now, it is from.

It is from John Wickley's translation of the first Bible

translation into English. That's part of it.

What am I trying to say here? Has English gone through

changes? Yes, and then after weekly done

weekly, if you come in 1611, you got King James version of 1611.

King James gives an order and they translate the Bible and

that's people think that's inspired by the Holy Spirit

completely, 100%. You cannot have any other

version. You have to read the Bible only

in King James. But this is the first

translation. What I, what am I trying to say

is language undergoes change. That's the reason why we need

modern translations. Why do you need a modern

translation? Because of the same reason.

At the same time, we want a translation, not a adding and

removing things. There are some translations

today existing which add things and remove things.

You know, whatever they want to do, they do it.

Please don't go by that. It has to be a dynamic

translation. What is dynamic?

It has to convey the meaning properly as the original readers

have understood it and that is called dynamic equivalence and

it must be easy to read. If you if you want to have a

accurate translation, go for NASB New American Standard

Bible. It is an accurate translation.

It does not flow easily. Even though English is your

first language, it doesn't flow easily, so you need a little

better than maybe ESV or NIV. And then you need to be careful

that the Bibles translators have a bias.

They have some doctrines they they subscribe to and they try

to bring that doctrine through the translation.

Now tell me, do you have to study it?

Now do you have to study the Bible?

You have to get to the root of it and find out what the Holy

Spirit has written in Hebrew and Greek.

That is how you must be committed.

So most some of the organizations they have got a

statement of belief. They say we believe the Bible is

inspired by God in the original language as given in Hebrew and

Greek and Aramaic. So what happens in English

translation? Its not Gods word, it is gods

word. God can speak through any

language. Any translation is not bound by

any language. So translations are good enough

but we don't make one translation the final one

because language keeps changing. Am I here?

We are all here together. So pick up more than one

translation you want to understand better.

So that's the way I do it. I read it whenever something

important I come across. I read it in 10/12/16

translations and I say oh this phrase is same in five, this

phrase is the same in another 8. So I go like that.

Suss it out exactly what it is they are trying to communicate.

So what they did was now you have Ezra standing on the

platform and you've got 13 people standing with him on the

platform. That is to say that is to

authorize that is to make the reading of the law a very

authentic experience or its something that is there are

approving and is it is giving credence to what Ezra is doing

by this 13 people standing there and when the people see Ezra

standing up, they stand up and they shout Amen.

They fall on their faces. I tell you there has to be a

dynamic interaction with the word of God.

It's not something you read or I I had my quiet time.

I read my Bible for today 5 minutes done.

You think God, God can he can speak because he is gracious and

merciful, but you have to dig out your dig out and that is how

you must be committed to study the word.

And then Nema said, and then what happened, Nema, the

governor, Ezra the prescribe the Levites who was instructing the

people said to the mall, this day is sacred to the Lord your

God. It is sacred, it is holy.

The day becomes holy because you are studying the law.

You are reading the law, it becomes holy.

And I tell you the Sunday is holy because we are studying the

law. That day is holy.

Do not mourn or weep, for all the people had been weeping as

they listened to the words of the law.

Why they were weeping? They were weeping because they

are convicted of sin. I have been reading a biography

of Rhys Howells whatever his name from UK and when he went to

Africa the revival came and the revival is part of the revival

is he would preach the word and the people would be wailing and

crying and confessing their sins for hours on together, nobodys

forcing them because the power of the Holy Ghost fell upon

them. They were confessing their sins

and they were weeping and repenting and after three or

four hours of it they get up completely set free.

Nobody is helping them, but we do something called deliverance,

you know, to some people, whoever wants it.

And we, we do the same thing. But we are making them repent.

We are making them say it. We are.

And after the repentance, after we disconnect the Spirit that's

following them, they are set free and they go out free.

So I told a lot last night when I was reading it.

I said we are doing it a lot, but we are in a very small

scale. We are one-on-one, one-on-one,

one person at a time. But I want you to visit Omega.

I want it to happen for everybody in the church by the

power of the Holy Spirit, by His mighty presence.

I want it to happen so deliverance is a process, not

unscriptural. It is what will happen on an

individual basis. But when the revival comes, the

Holy Spirit will do on Mass to everybody.

So he had to tell them name. I had to tell them go and enjoy

choice food and sweet drinks and send some to those who have

nothing prepared this day sacred to our Lord.

Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

Everybody say joy of the Lord is your strength.

If there is one word that should really you should not forget,

remember today from the sermon is this word.

The joy of the Lord is your strength.

As you joy, as you take joy in God, who he is, as you rejoice

in him. That's what Paul says, rejoice

always. I say rejoice, you rejoice in

God, that becomes a source of strength.

You when you rejoice in God that becomes a source of strength.

I was looking at something and somebody was saying about its

like pregnancy. When you are pregnant, you are

carrying a burden and comes a time when you are going to have

the pain to deliver the baby, but that's the process.

And that pain is not the end, but that transforms into joy

because you have brought a human child into the world.

So when you're going through trouble, when you're going

through problem, you're pregnant, when you're going

through tears, when you're crying out God, why?

Why? Why?

But when the relief comes from Gods hand, from his presence,

this that will be transformed into joy.

I it's difficult for me to explain it, but all of us go

through troubles. I'm 100% sure all of us have

this experience of becoming pregnant with problem.

And then when you see God deliver you, you rejoice, you

rejoice. So this I was reading about the

recent man again. He when he was had to go

somewhere. God says to him, you are

preaching to believe in me in all circumstances.

Now you have to believe for yourself.

Go and sign in the queue to buy the ticket in the railway

station. But he had no money in his hand,

no money in his hand. He goes and stands up in the

queue and the queue is becoming shorter and shorter as he's

coming to the counter where he has to pay the money.

There are two people left and nothing, No miracle has

happened. And then the guy who is at the

counter who has to pay the money to buy the ticket, he says

suddenly I had to open my shop, I had to go home and it comes

out of the queue and puts 40 or 50 shillings into his hand and

goes away. And he meets the man who suppose

whom she supposed to meet when he travels there.

And he said I had actually 50 lbs to post it for you, but I

did not do it. He said thank God you did not

post it because I would not have experienced the power of God

waiting in the queue without the money to pay for the ticket.

That is what it is. Walking by faith is very

challenging, its rewarding, it does something when you hear God

answer your prayer, it changes you from inside, it gives you a

New Hope, it gives you a new strength.

That's what will happen. So now what happens is the

levers calmed all the people saying be still for this is a

sacred day. Do not grieve that 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.

They have understood the message of the law.

That is more important than anything else.

You, when you understand what the Bible is saying, your life

is going to be different. It's something you're not the

same person. After you understand that

something changes in your spirit, something changes in

your soul. And they were sending food to

each other. Now this, this may not be

understood by New Zealanders. I don't know the Western world

understand it, but its very common in India.

In the Middle East on a festival days you will make lots of

goodies in the home. You make them in your kitchen

and you give large portions. You put them on a fancy big

plate and cover it with a fancy cloth and take it down to your

friends home or your neighbors and give the plate that you're

sharing in the festival festivities of sharing the joy

of the festival. By taking it.

We only come. I mean, we, you bake the cake,

but unless somebody comes here, how you don't give the cake.

OK, That's our culture here now, but the Eastern culture is you

share. So now one of the parts of the

sharing is you share with those who cannot afford it, even in

even even the Muslims also when they're having Bakri, then

Ramjan and all those things, they make a lot of food and they

send it to each other, send it to each other.

Particularly some people make it a point to go to the poor and

give them the food because they cannot afford it.

It's a day you're rejoicing in the provision and you must

rejoice with those who cannot afford it.

And they did it. They did it.

And I think something we had to do differently for the Western

world will be to identify yourself with the needy and go

out of your way and share the good things you have with them.

Challenging, very challenging. He is going to push you out of

your comfort zone. What is this man teaching for

4050? As I lived my life, I never

shared anything with anybody. That's not what we are called to

do. Our Calling is to share the good

things you have with the people. OK, on the second day of the

month, I had to finish it soon. OK, I'll try to do it on the

second day. Now what we have to understand

here is again, the background is important.

The first day of the month is a trumpets.

You blow the trumpets, read the law and you celebrate second

day. These people came to Ezra and

they said, what did they say to him?

Heads of all the families, along with the priests and the

leavers, gathered around Ezra the scribe to give attention to

the words of the law. They said, OK, we had lots of

reading yesterday, please read us some more.

And they found written in the law, which the Lord had

commanded through Moses, that the Israelis were to live in

booths. They had to make temporary

shelters and live in it. Did they do this before?

When you see in this chapter, it says never.

Was it observed like this from the time of Joshua, hundreds of

years, they have never celebrated this festival of

booths or tabernacles is called Tabernacles Festival of the

Tabernacles. So they go out into the

wilderness and cut branches and leaves and come home and mix

temporary shelters. They saw a flat roof, so they

build one on the roof, on the top of the roof and they live in

it day and night. Why do they do it?

To remember that their ancestors were slaves in Egypt, that God

had brought a lot of slavery. Now when you celebrate it,

you're telling your children, children don't think you're

you're free. Today has come without a prize.

Somebody else paid the price. There were slaves.

Your ancestors were slaves and God did a miracle and set them

free and brought them into the land of freedom.

And you are enjoying the freedom today.

So you have to worship God. I thank you because of what God

has done. And they do it for seven days.

So now first day of the 7th month is a festival of trumpets.

Yeah, it's also called blow up. You know, it's just blowing.

You have to blow the air into it.

So it's a festival of the blowing up.

And then on the 10th day is a day of tournament.

And from the 15th day to the 22nd day, it's called the

Tabernacles. So when the second day, they

come and ask Israel, please tell us they had two weeks to prepare

for it and to send this news to all over Judea and to tell

everybody who's living there to come to Jerusalem to celebrate

it. So the people come flocking on

this time or time of seven days, that's 15th day of the month to

the 22nd of the month. They cut the branches.

They came and dwelt in the sea inside the city of Jerusalem and

around the city of Jerusalem, because the city was very small,

Jerusalem very, very small. And they were building this

temporary shelters and living in it, rejoicing in God.

You don't rejoice in God, you are celebrating nothing.

You have to rejoice in God. When you rejoice in God, power

and blessings are released into your life.

So wherever they could find open squares, roof of the house,

anywhere, they would make temporary shelters, live in it.

So the people went out and brought back branches, built

themselves booths on their own roofs in their courtyards, in

the course of the House of God and the square where the

Watergate and the one by the gate of Ephraim, the whole

company that had returned from exile built booths and lived in

them. From the days of Joshua son of

noon until the day, the Israel had not celebrated it like this.

And their joy was very great. Actually they celebrated it in

516 when the temple was completed.

They did celebrate the festival of Tabernacle seven days, but

not in this magnitude, not in the spirit in which they

celebrated now. That is why the record says, and

from the time of Joshua until now, it was never done this way.

And what was the Panchalian? And their joy was very great.

That is, that is what it is. Their joy was very great.

That is how it should be to celebrate day after day.

Now I'm going to finish it in next two minutes.

Day after day, from the first day to the last is I read from

the book of the law of God. They celebrated the feast for

seven days and on the eighth day, in accordance with the

regulation, there was an assembly every day morning, 6 O

clock, children, men, women come to the square at the Watergate

and Ezra is standing on the platform reading from the book

of the Law from 6:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

Six hours standing and listening, weeping and crying,

repenting. And for seven days they did it.

And on the 8th day, they rested and celebrated the whole thing.

On the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation, there was

an assembly. That means they all gathered

together to worship God. Praise God.

What a what a kind of revival is coming here.

Was there. Do you think it's a revival?

How did it begin? One man, Ezra, was committed to

study the law, obey it and teach it.

Let's say those 3 words. Study, obey, teach again.

Study, obey, teach. Do you want to commit yourself

today that to do that? When you do it, you may not know

immediately the impact of it. After six months, you cannot say

I have not become an azra yet. After three years you cannot

say, oh I am reading Bible every day.

I am praying and trying to obey God.

I have not become a Ezra yet. Ezra did all his life before he

saw that great glorious day. You have to do it.

And when Gods time of visitation comes, he knows who to touch, He

knows who to use, He knows who to speak to.

Every time the Holy Spirit spoke to me, not because I was reading

on that day, the particular portion, because I have read it

before and preserved in my heart, He was able to explain

that to me. So many encounters I had half a

dozen or more. He literally hearing the Holy

Spirit explain the scripture even one dozen times.

But that's because I have studied the law.

I have studied the law and He speaks from that.

He takes it and speaks. I must have read studied the

life of Samson from the book of Judges maybe 2025 years ago.

But in 2010, when the whole is, he spoke to me.

He spoke to me from the life of Samson, from the life of Samson.

Because I knew the story, he was able to speak to me.

So don't think when you read the Bible you're wasting your time.

No, you are investing into the future encounter with God.

Hallelujah. Let's pray.

Father God, we thank you again for your word.

We pray we minister to your children now.

Rahashe sarani mandarasu sabarasta sundarano hora sakte

sherini mandarana Sabasta Kurani.

Horabo Ranama Senika saste sastoro bosaba Ranamana

sandarasta Kurani. The Lord says a man may think

his ways hidden from God. God says no, no, no.

I know your ways. I know you're sitting down, I

know you're getting up. Rasta Sorini Maharani ho sharako

sip the sanima Sona varanam anasto Sandharani mahaste

shaktasakuroni. But God says I will make my

glory known to him whose heart is after me.

Now I challenge you, children of God, I challenge you to commit

yourself to study the world, to obey the world, and to teach the

world if that's what you want to do rest of your life.

From today, just stand where you are.

I'm going to ask God to give you grace, even though some days you

are misreading the world, meditating on it, or doing

something. I will pray now that the Holy

Spirit will not leave you until He accomplishes everything that

He has in His mind in your life. Would you like to commit

yourself to study it, obey it and teach it?

Sabarana masharaste sakta karani mandarasta sabarano horaba

shakti sastaroni Resanama rishandrano Borasta koroni

Horika sakte sanda karani mahastaro Sabdarasta koroni.

My father, I thank you for the children who are standing up on

their feet because it is your word they are honoring.

It is, oh God, they are honoring you as a stand up and they are

wanting to study award and to obey it and to teach it.

And now I ask the Holy Spirit to come with power upon them, great

power and glory. Touch your children now.

Touch their heart, touch their mind, touch their heart, touch

their mind, touch their heart, touch their mind.

Change them because they want to invest into your eternal plan

for their life. And Holy Spirit, please be with

them all the days of their life and bring to fulfillment

everything that's written in the book in heaven for them to the

glory of your name. Release your angels to be with

them, protect them, bless them. Help them to keep this tradition

or the discipline of studying a word, obeying a word and

teaching a word, the glory of your name.

Bless them abundantly in Jesus might name I ask and everybody

says Amen, Amen. Please be seated.

Thanks for joining us at Omega. If you need prayer for healing

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