The Open
Scroll
[An Advanced Study]
In the book of Nehemiah chapter 7 is that fantastic record that I
indicated to you a while ago. It was
burning in my heart to share with you a little of on this occasion. But it’s the Word that’s important. Men come and go. The Word of God liveth
and abideth forever.
If the whole lot of us died tonight, it’s still not going to invalidate
or make the Word of God inconsequential.
It’s still God’s Word and this Word of God has stood the years of the
test of the time of all critics. The critics are gone. The nincompoops are all dead but the Word of
God still lives tonight. And ladies and
gentlemen, it’s gonna’ live as long as men and women
live in the Word and let the Word live in them.
Men have always gone into captivity when they’ve gone away from the
Word. And one of the great reasons our
nation is headed into captivity is because they’ve been off the Word. They’ve been off the Word. All you’ve got is a little money. Take it away from you tomorrow and what you
have left? Suicide. Unless you got the Word, baby.
It’s the Word that makes the difference between success and
failure. The children of
It says in verse 70 of Nehemiah chapter 7:
And some of the chief fathers, they gave unto the work. The work of the outreach of God’s Word, the
building of the temple, the teaching of the Word and The
Tirshatha. See
that? That word means the ruler, the
governor, that’s what that word means.
And now was Ezra. He gave to the
treasury 1000 drams of gold. That’s
$5280. That was before the inflation of
today when it was worth $525 or something.
50 basins full, 530 priests garments.
And some of the chief of the fathers gave unto the
work. The Tirshatha
[Ezra]
gave to the treasure one thousand drams of gold, fifty basins, five hundred and
thirty priests’ garments. -- Nehemiah 7: 70
And some of the chief of the fathers gave to the treasury of the work
twenty thousand drams of gold (that’s $105,600), and 2,200 pounds of
silver. That’s $140,000. Hey, they had a pretty good abundant sharing
one day, didn’t they?
And some of the chief of the fathers gave to the treasure of
the work twenty thousand drams of gold, and two thousand and two hundred pound
of silver. -- Nehemiah 7: 71
And that which the rest of the people gave was 20,000 drams of gold,
that’s $105,000, and 2000 pounds of silver, another $128,000. You add it up.
And that which the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand drams
of gold, and two thousand pound of silver, and threescore and seven priests’
garments. -- Nehemiah 7: 72
These were men and women who had come out of captivity. Well, where did they get the money? Well, the Babylonians paid it. They were glad to get rid of them. Send them back and they brought them
along. And when a man opened the Word of
God to them and they saw God’s Word in all of its greatness, then they shared
abundantly. That’s where it all came
from.
So the priests, and the Levites, and the porters, and the
singers, and some of the people, and the Nethinims, and all Israel, dwelt in their cities; and when
the seventh month came, the children of Israel were in their cities. – Nehemiah 7: 73
And all the people gathered themselves together as one
man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to
You see, the book of the law is the scroll of the law. The scroll, and that scroll was lost when
they went into captivity. It was lost in
the temple when the temple was destroyed.
It got under all the debris. It’s
like those chimes that we dug out of the theater in Van Wert. By the way, they gave them to me back on my 35th anniversary, all
reconditioned. They’ve got them in the
Well, that law was lost so they finally, when they got to rebuilding
the Temple, one day they were they were shoveling all that stuff out of the
temple, you know, the plaster and all that.
And low and behold, there was a scroll.
And they found a scroll. And what
a day that was when they discovered that Word of God again in written
form.
And Ezra the priest brought the law before the
congregation. Both of men and women, and
all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh
month. -- Nehemiah 8: 2
Now this seventh month is that month which you and I know biblically
was the Feast of Trumpets from Leviticus 23.
And he read therein before the street that was before the
water gate from the morning until
And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; they’d built up, took some wood and he laid some planks and he stood on that. And beside him stood this fellow and that fellow and that fellow and that fellow and that fellow and that fellow. They were on his right hand. Then on his left hand, he had somebody and then another body, and then a third body and a fourth a fifth, a sixth, and a seventh. He surrounded himself with all these men who all stood with him.
And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which
they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah,
and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. – Nehemiah 8: 4
And Ezra opened the book, he opened the scroll, he unrolled the scroll
in the sight of all the people; for he was standing above the people just like
I am here with you tonight.
And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people;
(for he was above all the people;) and when he opened
it, all the people stood up:
-- Nehemiah 8: 5
And all the people answered Amen, Amen lifting up their hands and they
bowed their heads and they worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground
which means they were so tremendously blessed, they just fell on the ground -
put their faces on the ground which indicates supreme humility. You’ve come to the end of it as far as you’re
concerned.
And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with
lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD,
with their faces
to the ground. -- Nehemiah 8:
6
And then also these following people, and the Levites, cause the people
to understand what? law. And the people stood in their place, they
were so taken over, taken in by the greatness of that Word, they just stood
there, when it was all over with, they just stood.
Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shebbethai,
Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Peliah, and Levites, caused the people to understand the
law: and the people stood in
their place. -- Nehemiah 8: 7
Listen to verse 8.
So they read in the scroll, in the book, in the law of God distinctly. They didn’t mumble along like you hear
sometimes. Mumble, mumble, mumble. They read in
the scroll what? distinctly. So that men could hear and understand if they
wanted to. And they gave the sense of
it. Just like I’m
doing to you, just open the Word.
Give the sense of it. And they
caused them to understand the reading.
And you will never understand the reading or hear God’s Word until
somebody does it distinctly and somebody puts it together that it makes sense.
So they read in the book and the law of God distinctly,
and he gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. -- Nehemiah 8: 8
And Nehemiah, verse 9, which
is the Tirshatha
of the governor, he was the new one and answer of the old one, and is of the
priests, the scribes and the Levites that taught the people said unto all the
people, here it is, This day is holy unto the Lord your God. Holy unto the Lord your
God, why, because the Word has been found, the Word had been opened. The Word had been given a sense, the Word was
understood. That’s what made it
holy. Not because they fell on the
ground and licked the dust. No. Therefore he said this on this holy day. Mourn not, nor weep. I want you to notice this because there are 7
things happen when you really get the sense of the Word of God and things begin
to move in your life. No.1. For all the people
wept when they heard the Words of the Lord.
And Nehemiah, which
is the Tirshatha,
and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the
Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto
the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep.
For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. -- Nehemiah 8: 9
Then, verse 10, he said unto them, Go your way. That’s No. 2. First of all you hear the Lord and quit stewin’ about the past. They were mourning about how they had disobeyed God. They were weeping how they were disobedient and Ezra and Nehemiah said it doesn’t do you one iota of good to be weep and mourn about it now. It’s over with. It’s over with. Therefore, Go. That’s the green light of the Word. Go.
No. 3. Eat the fat. Quit living off of the husk of the unbelievers. Start moving in where you claim your legal sonship rights and you eat the fat. If they want husks, let him eat husks. That’s right. No place in God’s Word did a believer have to eat that kind of junk. The Word of God says that God blesses His people abundantly. God’s people are not poverty-stricken. God’s people are not defeated. God’s people are not negative. If anyone wants to be negative, let the unbeliever be, but not the believer of God. So he said eat the fat. That means the heavy stuff. Ha!
No. 4. Drink the sweet. I think that must have included some good wine or something. No. 5. is very important. And send portions unto them for whom nothing was prepared. In other words, you as in abundance take care of those that didn’t get so abundantly blessed and didn’t get around at the right time. We are going to start our own bank where believers help other believers which will be the first time since the book of Acts.
That believers didn’t have to go to an ungodly bank and borrow from people that don’t know God or His Word and much less care about it. Boy, what a day that’s going to be if our believing …………… You just watch how God is going to bless that. God’s never failed to bless His people. Shoot. If anyone of you here wanna keep your money in that unbelieving bank go right ahead. Good. Okay with me. I don’t give a hoot where you put it. Did it in the ground. Sit on it, I don’t care. But for some of us we know the Word we help one another. You bet your life. When a young man wants to start in business and he is right on with God’s Word, the church ought to help him. A young woman, that wants to start, the church ought to help. You don’t go, you’re just not a believer and then you go to an ungodly bank and say look I need some money. You know what you get from them. You’ve got to sign your life away before they’ll ever give you anything. Why don’t you turn to God and believe God’s Word? Then things will move. I hope our believing, I trust that it will be big enough that we can launch that thing. Boy. Send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared. For this day is holy unto our Lord. No. 6. Neither be ye sorry, don’t be sorry. And finally No. 7. For the joy of the Lord is your what? strength. There it is. The joy of the Lord. What brought the joy of the Lord? People, the Word of God brought the joy of the Lord. The unrolling of the scroll, making the sense clear, telling it like it was and reading it, giving them an understanding. That’s the joy. That’s the joy. Boy oh boy. Ha. Isn’t that something?
Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength. -- Nehemiah 8: 10
And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them. -- Nehemiah 8: 12
And on the second day, do you know what they did? They gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the Lord.
And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law. -- Nehemiah 8: 13
And
they found written in the law which the LORD had commanded by Moses, that the
children of
So they got together and they proclaimed they ought to get to do this so they got palm branches and made booths. [Read verse 15] and in verse 16:
So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths,
every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of
the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the
gate of Ephraim. --Nehemiah 8: 16
And
all the congregation of them that were come again out of captivity. They were come out of what? The only way you ever get out of it people is
to come back to God’s Word. That’s the
only way any man or woman will ever come out of any captivity. You’ve got to come back to God’s Word. Claudette was here tonight, we’d sing “You’ve
Got To Come Back”.
Well, if she isn’t here, it’s still the truth. You’ve got to come back to God’s Word. Since the days of Jeshua
the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of
And all the congregation of them that were come again out
of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths; for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of
Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day [which is 7 days], he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast 7 days; and on the eight day [which was a Sabbath] was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner [that was described in the Word of God]. – Nehemiah 8: 18
Ladies and gentlemen, right at our 35th anniversary tonight because some of us dared to believe God’s Word. We are here at the 35th anniversary tonight because of the integrity and the accuracy and the greatness of the Word. And by God’s mercy and grace if there is a 36th, it will have to be because of the accuracy of the Word.
Outside of the
accuracy of God’s Word, there’s nothing in this world. There is nothing. There is nothing. You can belong to every church, every
denomination, every social service pub, every Kiwanis, every secret service
organization. You haven’t got anything
until you come back to God and His Word.
And ladies and gentlemen, that’s right.
And for the most part, the
Boy, you’re dead bunch. I’m going to trade you in. Look, I don’t care what they do but I care what you do. I’m concerned about tonight because none of you are ever going to walk out of this tent tonight and say, you didn’t hear the Word. Now you may not agree with it, that’s your responsibility. But I want to tell something, you heard it because I just read what’s written and ladies and gentlemen, if I could read what’s written and make it so plain that you can understand it, then if you do not want to believe it, that your privilege. On the other hand, if you want to believe it, it’s your privilege too. If I were you, I’d go to God’s Word because if there's any one thing our country needs and our day needs and our time, people, it’s the Word. They don’t need ecology they need the Word, they’ll clean them up. Look, it’s the Word that solve their government problems, solve their social problems, solve all their problems. It’s the Word. Ladies and gentlemen, God has not changed, it’s still His Word. And it’s His Word that liveth and abideth forever. Men come and go but that Word of God endureth forever.
And when she’s all over with, we’re going to be judged by the Word. Boy, I think in that film when, when what’s his name, says people come to me and say why take the class on Power for Abundant Living? And he says they are men and women who got it together, they think? And so I say to them, what, you know, historically, 60, 70 years, he said, and then a hole in the ground. So I say to them, what about Jesus Christ? God raised him from the dead and you get eternal life. What’s the difference between eternal life and 70 years and a hole in the ground? You got it be stupider than stupid not to accept the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in His Word. Because I want to tell you if you just want a hole in the ground, that’s all you’re going to get without God and His Word. But boy when you come to that Word and that wonderful son of His Jesus Christ, man that’s life. Not only life now but life throughout all eternity. And ladies and gentlemen you’ve got to be stupider than stupid not to get born again. That’s right. And then when your born again, you’ve got to be stupider than stupid not to come to the Word and let the Word be your instructor, your teacher. And only men and women who read it so that you get the understanding of the Word. Ladies and gentlemen, I did not go to the latest periodical tonight to interpret the Word for you. I didn’t go to the greatest political leaders to read what he said about it. I didn’t go to the commentary. All I did is take a little Bible and read you the Word and I made it sensible to you. Ladies and gentlemen, that is our Ministry. That’s why we’re here for the 35th anniversary. And by God’s mercy and grace, if the Lord tarries, we’ll be here 35 years from now. I may not be here but the Word will still be here if men and women stand on that Word.
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