There are moments that feel different.

Not louder. Not more emotional. Just… weighty.

In Nehemiah 8, after the wall is finally rebuilt, the people gather—not to celebrate the structure, but to hear something they had been missing: truth that cuts through the noise.

As the words are read, something unexpected happens.

People understand.

They feel it.

They respond.

Not with hype—but with conviction, clarity, and eventually, joy.

This message explores what happens when something stops being routine and starts becoming real. When what we hear actually reaches us. When it challenges us, changes us, and pulls us back to what matters.

It’s not just about reading Scripture.

It’s about what happens when it reads you.

If you’ve ever felt disconnected, spiritually numb, or unsure what’s real anymore, this chapter offers a picture of what renewal can look like—not forced, but awakened.

Because sometimes the most powerful moments aren’t when something new is built… but when something forgotten is rediscovered.

00:00 Skipping Nehemiah Seven

02:29 What Makes Faith Sacred

04:32 Watergate Scripture Reading

05:26 Defining the Sacred

06:51 Sacred Heart and Hearing

09:44 Why Expository Preaching

10:55 Feasts and Trumpets

13:59 Privilege of the Word

16:39 Solidarity and Fatherhood

19:33 Standing in Reverence

21:04 Reverence for Scripture

21:37 Making the Word Clear

22:36 Why We Need Scripture

24:05 Conviction Then Celebration

25:05 What We Hold Sacred

29:51 Holy Day Joy

31:36 Tabernacles and Perspective

35:06 Retreat and Feasting

36:19 Sacred Remembrance Revival

37:25 Final Takeaways and Charge

Click here to donate to the program

Click here for more sermons

OC Church of Christ

Dr. Gregg Marutzky:

2

Well, for those of you that have been

playing, paying very close attention,

3

you're gonna see that we're not doing no.

4

Uh, Nehemiah chapter seven this morning

because, uh, it's, uh, a census, it's a,

5

a genealogy, it's a, uh, record of all

the exiles that returned from Babylon.

6

And, uh, there's just

too many Hebrew names.

7

Amen.

8

No, I want you to read that.

9

It's very interesting stuff and there is

a very important message in lesson there.

10

And if you'd like to, uh, email

me and I'll send you my notes, uh,

11

on that chapter, verse by verse

in Exposition of the passage.

12

But, uh, basically what's really sad

about it is those that did not have their

13

documents, they did not keep a record

of their bloodline, their heritage.

14

They were not able to receive

the blessings of being a

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part of the family of God.

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And so, uh, that's why we always

give you a baptismal certificate.

17

A lot of people don't keep it.

18

It's to be a good thing.

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I have ordination papers,

I have my diplomas.

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There's some things you need to keep

according to Nehemiah chapter seven.

21

So that's the sermon from chapter seven.

22

Let's turn to chapter eight.

23

Amen.

24

You know, uh.

25

Little Johnny was a, a bit of a

rambunctious boy and, uh, uh, the, the,

26

his parents went to church though, and

they asked the preacher to come over

27

for Sunday dinner and he came over for

Sunday dinner and, and, uh, the father

28

asked the preacher if he wanted to see

the, the blessing for the food for lunch.

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And so, uh, he said he did.

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And he prayed for the whole family.

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He especially prayed for Johnny.

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He prayed that Johnny would be.

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Raising a good, strong Christian family.

34

And then after the, the prayer was over,

the Johnny just was broke out in, in

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tears and was sobbing and he was crying.

36

And, and, uh, his, his, his mother

tried to console him, said, Johnny,

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what's the, what's, what's wrong?

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Well, what, what's the matter?

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He says, well, the preacher wants me to

raise, be raised in a Christian family,

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and I wanna stay here in this family.

41

And the joke is yours.

42

You can do with it as you'd like.

43

We're gonna be talking about

the sacred this morning.

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What is sacred to you in your life?

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This confession that I've been

asking you to make at the beginning

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of each, uh, sermon is sacred.

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It's a sacred oath.

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It's a sacred vow.

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It's a sacred statement of faith,

and I hope that you have some

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things that you hold sacred and

holy and divine in your life.

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Let's say it together.

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Let's say it together,

beginning with Jesus.

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Jesus is the son of God, and the second

part, Jesus is Lord, this isn't just, uh.

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Formality.

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This just isn't a tradition or a habit.

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I want us to get into this truly

is the bedrock and the foundation

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of our faith, of our church.

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This confession that Jesus is who

he said he was, and that's why we're

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trying to rise up and build this

church, and we've got so much great

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material from the book of Nehemiah.

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Uh, today, uh, as I said, what we're

gonna talk about is the power of the

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sacred, but specifically the sacred word.

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And we're not gonna reenact exactly

what they did because they had to

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stand for the reason of the law

from nine in the morning until noon.

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I'm not gonna make you

do that this morning.

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It's just a, a benefit of you having a,

a more mature, legacy aged, uh, preacher.

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I wouldn't want to stand for three hours,

so I'm not gonna make you All right.

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Uh, you don't get these old jokes.

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I, I, I, I, I'm gonna have to work on it.

70

All right.

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But today we're gonna tell Oh, you got it.

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It just wasn't funny.

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All right.

74

Amen.

75

Well, it's good to have the

college students down front.

76

Amen.

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Yeah.

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Amen.

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Let's get right into scripture.

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Beginning of verse one,

Nehemiah chapter eight.

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All the people came together as one

in the square before the Watergate.

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They told Ezra, the teacher of the law to

bring out the book of the law of Moses,

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which the Lord had commanded for Israel.

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Watergate was a perfect

place for this setting.

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It was a backdrop where as he was

reading, they'd be, they'd hear

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because it was a good sound barrier,

but it was also a great symbol.

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Water in the Christian

faith is for cleansing.

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It's for making holy, for making sacred.

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Baptism is our sacred ritual to

become a Christian, to be born again,

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to receive the gift of the Holy

Spirit, to be forgiven of our sins.

91

And so this is a perfect backdrop

for Ezra to begin to read the law.

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What does the sacred mean?

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The sacred is what's not common,

what's divine, what's not

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necessarily normal, in fact.

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Something that's the opposite

of sacred is profane.

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Profanity is a form of mocking the sacred.

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I just made a list of a few of the

things that we're gonna talk about

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just from this passage this morning,

and so we're gonna have to go quickly.

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But here's what this passage tells

us that the sacred, the, the, the

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scriptures are sacred, the assembly.

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This assembly is sacred.

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A certain acts that we do are sacred.

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Unity is sacred, solidarity is sacred.

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Sometimes you have to take what's called

a sacred stand, and we'll talk about that.

105

Sacred worship shit.

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Sacred instruction.

107

This is really interesting

when we get to it.

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Sacred truth, A sacred response to truth.

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A sacred spirit caused by truth.

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Sacred gifts.

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Sacred celebration.

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Sacred leadership.

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Sacred ritual.

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Sacred sacrifice.

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A sacred retreat.

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Amen.

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Sacred remembrance.

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Producing sacred revival.

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I did what most people do today.

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I used AI to research sacred,

and one of the symbols and

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images that I came up with.

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Or AI came up with.

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So blame the computer is, uh,

the sacred heart of Jesus.

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And there's some things that, uh, I really

appreciate about the Catholic Church that

125

cause us to focus on different aspects

that of our faith and of Christianity that

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we wouldn't necessarily, and I like this.

127

This symbol of the sacred heart

because it has three el uh, four

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different, five different elements.

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It has the wound, a spear

going into the heart.

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It has the top of the heart being

different from the rest of the

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heart, so, so shows it's exposed.

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The thorn of crowns going around

the heart, the flames coming out

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of the top, and then the cross.

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As the symbol of Christianity at

the very top of the heart, all these

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things can draw us to Jesus, to his

heart, and to what's sacred about

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Jesus, the cross, especially for me.

137

In Romans 10, in verse 17, it says,

consequently, faith comes by hearing

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and hearing by what is preached,

and that is the word of God.

139

This will become a sacred assembly if

you open up your heart, your mind, your

140

soul, your spirit to the word of God,

not just to a sermon, not just to words,

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but to listen to the voice of God.

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It.

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There's a time in this service where

the spirit begin, can begin to move,

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and all of a sudden something begins

to happen to you and to your spirit.

145

You begin to connect with the holy.

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This does become sacred ground,

but it's up to each one of us.

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I fight in sermons to

listen, to pay attention.

148

I'm too, too prone to to critique.

149

To critically analyze, to, to look at

the, the method and the, the, all the

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things that I've been taught about

preaching to just open up my heart.

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And you've heard a lot of sermons,

and so you, you know what you

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like, what you don't like.

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I hope what you really

like is the word of God.

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Psalms one 19 in verse 60.

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All your words are true.

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Yeah.

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One translation says is some of thy

word is truth, and all of your righteous

158

ordinances or laws are eternal.

159

James 1 22 warns us.

160

Don't merely listen to the

word and so deceive yourself.

161

Do what it says, verse

two, Nehemiah eight.

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So on the first day of the seventh

month, Ezra, the priest, brought the law

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before the assembly, which was made up

of men and women and all who could what?

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Understand

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everyone can understand spiritual things

if they want to, but not all try to.

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And it's interesting and

it was a very fitting day.

167

This is the new Year's

day for the these people.

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For the Israelites?

169

For the Hebrews, this was, it

was in the middle of the year.

170

Well, really towards the,

the autumn of the year.

171

And why are they reading the law?

172

Why?

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Why do I preach expository sermons?

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We use topical stuff at

midweek and in family groups.

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But on Sunday, I have a conviction.

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It's gonna come straight from the word.

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Because you didn't come to hear me.

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You came to hear God.

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And I don't believe in any other kind

of preaching, and I've even had people

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try to convince me to do otherwise.

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And it's deeply embedded in

me that we all, including

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me, need to hear God's word.

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Amen.

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Theus 2223 through 25 says, the Lord

said to Moses, say to the Israelites,

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on the first day of the seventh month,

you're to have a day of Sabbath rest,

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a sacred assembly commemorated with.

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Trumpet blast.

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Do not do no regular work, but present

a food offering to the Lord Rosh Asana.

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The head of the year is what that

literally means, the beginning

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of the Feast of Trumpets.

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There isn't a whole lot in the

scriptures about the Feast of Trumpets.

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It just says they blew their horn.

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They celebrated, they gave an offer,

and they had a sacred Sabbath.

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To mark the beginning of the year to

fresh start for God's people every year.

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They celebrated this feast.

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They had seven celebrations a year,

three in the, in the, in the fall

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of the year, and this marked the

beginning of it, the trumpet blast.

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I can't play the Trump, but I tried.

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Had an older brother that did.

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He sounded great.

201

I mean, he was like, herb Albert, most

of you don't know who that is except

202

for some of these folks over here.

203

So I tried and I'd puck her up and

I'd get, I'd really, you know, I

204

have a lot of hot air, I think,

and I just couldn't play it.

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And another brother played the clarinet

and my mom tried to get me to play that.

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You know, clarinets are harder than Trump.

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You got those reeds, you gotta suck

on 'em and get 'em just the right

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moisture and just couldn't do it.

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Just couldn't do it.

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So I tried the drums, you know, bam, bam.

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But I couldn't keep time,

so I gave up on that.

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Just focused on sports, you know, hard

head is good for sports, so I did well.

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I did well,

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but I admire those that can play.

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I admire those that play

the bugle one note, but they

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can make it into many notes.

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The Revely, the announcement of

the beginning of the year, and it

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was also for spiritual cleansing.

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This, these feast, Leviticus 23 in

verse 27 says, the 10th day of the

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seventh month is the Day of Atonement.

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Hold the sacred assembly

and deny yourself.

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And present a food

offering to the Lord, huh?

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Sometimes you have to deny

yourself to give the Lord.

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Sometimes we just give the

Lord our leftovers So wrong.

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So very wrong.

226

It's not holding the sacred,

sacred, it's profaning the sacred.

227

In fact, to give God your leftovers,

according to Malachi, Psalm one 19,

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verse 60 says, all your words are true.

229

Amen.

230

So we're gonna look at here in

Miah, the Feast of the Trumpets,

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the Day of Atonement, and

then the Feast of Tabernacles.

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That's gonna be fun.

233

So let's go to verse three, A sacred act.

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Let's get good at making sacred acts.

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It says he read it aloud from daybreak.

236

Oh, I'm sorry.

237

It was before nine o'clock in the morning.

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He read it aloud from daybreak

till noon, and as he faced the

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square before the Watergate and the

presence of the men and women and

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others who could understand, huh?

241

Men, women, and others.

242

Those were the non-citizens.

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And all the people listened

attentively to the book of the law.

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Why?

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'cause it was a privilege.

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Very few people.

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Had the scrolls, very few people

could read the scrolls and

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we're gonna see in a minute.

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They even had an opportunity to understand

the scrolls in the sacred reading.

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So it was such a privilege.

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They took it so much as of an honor

to be able to hear the word of God.

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And this convicts me, folks.

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I've been reading the word

of God for over 45 years now.

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Every morning.

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And sometimes I don't.

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I don't look at it as a privilege.

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Sometimes I look at it

as work as a preacher.

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Sometimes I look at it even as vation.

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'cause with with much knowledge

comes much frustration sometimes.

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And sometimes if I can't understand

it, then I get frustrated and I

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really let need to let the spirit

just speak to me and speak to my

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spirit and realize what a privilege.

263

I mean, upstairs in my office, I

have five Bibles right behind me.

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I got, I got this Bible, I got

another one on the front of the

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desk, and then behind me, I have

all these different translations.

266

Well, Greg, you can just

pull 'em up on your iPad.

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I don't like that.

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I like to touch it.

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Gotta have one.

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Yeah.

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I like to touch it.

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I like to mark it.

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I know where it's at in this book.

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I know on what side of the page

and whether it's at the top or

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the bottom, the right or the left.

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That's how I like to read my Bible.

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That's why I don't like to get rid of 'em.

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Oh, it's privilege to read the word.

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It's a privilege.

280

I went to.

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And I, I try to take an opportunity

to learn new things always.

282

And so, uh, I believe in the,

the unity of the brothers.

283

In, in Nehemiah eight verse four, it

says, Ezra, the teacher of the law

284

stood on a high wooden platform built

for the occasion, and by him on the

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right side stood Matti, uh, Mattis.

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Thea, Shima, Anaya, Uriah, HIL and

Massa, and his left was Padilla,

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uh, Michelle Mackay Hashan.

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And here's a big one, hash bad.

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Nanan.

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Zacharia, Ms.

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Shula.

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That's why we didn't do

chapter seven right there.

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13.

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Attendance stood as readers.

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With Ezra.

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Wow.

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Solidarity.

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Why do people stand up at a wedding?

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Why are there women in men

attendance be as witnesses,

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as supporters, as encouragers?

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Ezra had all 13 of these guys

standing with him in solidarity

302

to set an example to the people of

honoring and loving the word of God.

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I went with several of our

brothers to Pepperdine Thursday.

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To be in solidarity to proclaim

the importance of fatherhood.

305

And you'll see the few of the

brothers you recognize there.

306

Uh, you know, there, there

there's, uh, Neil Will Neal, our

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pro golfer that used to be here.

308

All right.

309

Who's that right in the middle?

310

Ramon.

311

Ramon.

312

He's in here somewhere.

313

All right.

314

I told him there was just

gonna be a picture of him.

315

I didn't tell him the whole truth.

316

But he's right in the middle.

317

And then there's an elder

from, uh, Simi Valley.

318

Dennis Vander Hook.

319

There's a missionary

through, uh, uh, bueno Aires.

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Bart Moyers.

321

There's uh, Kyle's Daddy, Steve

Berry, and then another, uh,

322

fellow from here in Orange County.

323

Why do I show you these?

324

'cause we need to exalt fatherhood.

325

We need to be united on

several important things.

326

And one of them is fatherhood.

327

And I'm really grateful I went

to that because, uh, you, you

328

never quit being a parent.

329

You know, my kids are grown, but I

love my kids, I love my grandkids,

330

and I believe in fatherhood.

331

Amen.

332

Yeah.

333

And at first I thought it was

just for fathers and sons, and

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so I thought, well, I'll go.

335

'cause we got a lot of fathers

and sons in the church.

336

I only have daughters, but it

wasn't, it was for fathers of

337

dads, uh, of, of daughters as well.

338

And so, uh, it was very

beneficial, sacred solidarity.

339

And then after you have this

solidarity, you've gotta make a stand.

340

Verse five, A sacred stand.

341

There we go.

342

Ezra opened the book and all the

people could see him because he

343

was standing above them, and as

it was open, they all stood up.

344

They had built a podium for him.

345

Standing is a gesture of respect,

reverence, and righteousness.

346

We've become so casual, especially in

the the 21st century Christian Church.

347

And I, I think it's good for people

to feel comfortable and, you know,

348

wear different things and, and

not just dress up and everything.

349

But I also think there's a time to

get sacred and to get respectful

350

and to get reverent and to really

351

be righteous.

352

You know, it, it bothers me if the only

time we'll dress up is to go to a wedding

353

Every once in a while.

354

I hope we dress.

355

I hope you dress up on Easter.

356

Oh, yeah.

357

We don't have to dress up every

Sunday, but let's choose a few.

358

All right.

359

Just to show God he's most important.

360

All right.

361

Amen.

362

And some of you would've anyway, and it's

awesome to see what you wear on Easter.

363

That's, I'm just looking forward to it.

364

Amen.

365

But they took a stand because they wanted

to show respect because they believed

366

it was reverent reading and live.

367

Verse six, Ezra prayed, praised the

Lord the great God, and all the people

368

lifted their hands and responded, amen.

369

Amen.

370

And then they bowed and worshiped the

Lord with their faces to the ground.

371

That's reverence.

372

That's a posture of humility.

373

Amen.

374

And then what happened?

375

The people didn't all understand.

376

And so Nehemiah eight, seven, the

Levites je, she baah jamon, aka.

377

And the rest of them.

378

Instructed the people in the law

while the people were standing there.

379

So this is an open air Bible class.

380

This is an open air

conference and workshop.

381

They workshop the people, they

explain things as they went along.

382

They were doing first principles

right there in the midst of the

383

reading, and then verse eight.

384

Why?

385

Because it was sacred truth.

386

They read from the book of the law

of God, making it clear and giving

387

the meaning so that the people

understood what was being read.

388

It's so important sometimes,

wives, you need to whisper to your

389

husbands or write 'em a note, help

'em to understand what it means.

390

No, talk to 'em later at home.

391

That's what the Bible says.

392

Explain it to 'em.

393

Romans 10, 14, and 15.

394

How then can they call on the

one they have not believed in?

395

And how can they believe in

the one they have not heard?

396

And how can they hear without

someone preaching to them?

397

And how can anyone preach

unless they're sent?

398

And as it is written, how beautiful

are the feet of those who bring what?

399

Good news.

400

And then Psalms one 19 verse

seven, the law of the Lord is

401

perfect, refreshing the soul.

402

Yeah.

403

The statutes of the Lord are

trustworthy, making wise, the simple,

404

why do we need to read our Bible?

405

Why do we need to hear God's word over

and over and over again to make us wise?

406

Because we're too simple.

407

We're full of folly, otherwise,

yeah, full of foolishness because

408

God's word is trustworthy.

409

And also James four verse six.

410

And he gives us more grace.

411

That's why scripture says God

opposes the proud, but gives

412

grace or favor to the humble.

413

Why do we, I need to read the word.

414

I won't put it on you.

415

I'll put it on me so I don't get

proud, because the word cuts and

416

convicts keep, keeps my heart

soft like a good Hallmark movie.

417

Oh yeah.

418

If you have a hard heart, you

need to get on the channel.

419

Come on now.

420

Nehemiah eight, nine.

421

Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the

priest, and the teacher of the law and

422

the Levites who were instructing the

people, said to them all, what this day

423

is holy or sacred to the Lord your God.

424

Do not mourn or weep for all the

people who have been weeping.

425

As they listened to the words of

God, they had spiritual conviction.

426

I mean, as they were reading it just

made 'em happy and also convicted.

427

'em.

428

They got both emotions.

429

They're just all emotional.

430

That's okay.

431

But then the, the leaders came along and

said, you know, I know it's convicting.

432

I know it's beautiful that we're hearing

it for the first time in a long time,

433

but thou is the time to celebrate.

434

There's a time for everything.

435

Now is not the time.

436

To weep and to wail.

437

It's the time to feast

and celebrate sacred.

438

Here are a few things.

439

I hold sacred.

440

I hold my word sacred.

441

I want you to be able to

trust everything I say.

442

I try to be exact in my language.

443

I'm try to be careful.

444

I haven't always been that way.

445

When I was young, man, I let it rip.

446

I said whatever I thought I said it.

447

What I thought was.

448

Meaningful needed to say.

449

I got 'em told, but I

didn't get anybody sold.

450

I was young.

451

It's simple.

452

And now hopefully I'm more

wise and respectful and exact,

453

but I believe in my vows.

454

I believe in what this ring means.

455

I've been faithful to the things I said

that day, and I will be until I die.

456

Amen.

457

And if you can't hold

something sacred, shame on you.

458

Christians, especially,

we should be able to hold.

459

Marriage is sacred, sacred communion.

460

When I take a communion, I stop.

461

I focus, I say the body

and the blood of Jesus.

462

I think Jesus, I try to have a

mini conversion every Sunday.

463

I don't know about you, but I need it.

464

Yeah.

465

If you don't need it, wow.

466

Go into the ministry.

467

All right.

468

We need people like you in the ministry.

469

Sacred communion, baptism.

470

I sort of get, I struggle.

471

I'll just be honest with you.

472

When people do cat calls, theory,

baptisms, I'm like, isn't anything sacred?

473

Yeah.

474

Hush for a minute, and then cheer,

especially when they're making their

475

confession of faith, especially when

the preacher is raising his hand to

476

God and saying, I baptize you in the

name of the Father and the Son and

477

the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness

of your sins and the gift of the Holy

478

Spirit to be added to God's kingdom.

479

Amen.

480

Amen.

481

That's sacred.

482

Our legalism comes through all

the way down into the water.

483

Don't let even a toe come

above, above, above the water.

484

God's bigger than that folks.

485

God's bigger than that sacred baptism.

486

The cross is sacred to me.

487

Prayer is sacred to me.

488

Always bothers me.

489

I'm getting all of it out today.

490

When somebody ends the prayer

without saying in Jesus name, I'm

491

like, oh, there's only one mediator

between God and man, Jesus Christ.

492

So I say it for 'em in Jesus name.

493

Every prayer on tv, they leave it out.

494

They don't want to offend any

religion, so they leave it out.

495

Every civic prayer leaves it out.

496

I don't ever leave it out.

497

I prayed on the steps of the Capitol in

Colorado, my home state, I, I prayed it

498

over the radio to millions of people.

499

In Jesus' name, I pray 'cause

there's power in the name.

500

Prayer is sacred folks,

marriage is sacred.

501

The scriptures are the sacred word of God.

502

And then I believe in sacred moments.

503

Every once in a while someone

comes forward to repent.

504

Someone comes forward to, to just turn

their life completely over to God.

505

That's a sacred moment.

506

When you get an aha about yourself

or about God or about the grace of

507

God or the love of God, sometimes you

can have a sacred moment driving in

508

your Honda RI line down the five long

as you're listening to Caleb, right.

509

Man, there's just some times it grabs

my heart and I turn it up all the way.

510

I don't blow my speakers, so I

turn it down just a little bit,

511

but that's true.

512

Mercy came running to you.

513

Oh,

514

sacred moment.

515

I believe in sacred anointing

When I put that oil on you.

516

In the name of the Father

and the Son, the Holy Spirit.

517

I'm invoking the trinity That is

sacred and there's other things.

518

Let's keep going.

519

Sacred spirit.

520

You need to have a sacred spirit.

521

I need to have a sacred spirit.

522

Nehemiah said, go and enjoy choice

food and sweet drinks and send some

523

to those with nothing prepared.

524

Because this day is holy to our Lord.

525

Do not grieve for the joy

of the Lord is our strength.

526

So after this service, he

wanted them to celebrate.

527

And we know about the spiritual

conviction in John chapter 17, that Holy

528

Spirit was sent to convict the world

of sin or righteousness and judgment.

529

But there's a time for everything.

530

In one Peter, one in verse five it

says, but just as you who were called

531

to be holy, just as you were called

to be holy, so be holy in all that

532

you do for it is written, be holy

because I God, Yahweh, am ho is holy.

533

I am holy.

534

Verse 11, the Levites calm down.

535

All the people saying be

still for this is a holy day.

536

Do not grieve.

537

It was corporate repentance was going on

and they said, turn that morning into joy.

538

Let there be corporate

celebration, verse 12.

539

Then all the people went away to eat

and to drink, to send portions of

540

food and to celebrate with great joy

because they now what understood the

541

words that had been made known to them.

542

Wow.

543

When you understand truth,

guys, it makes you feel good.

544

When you speak truth, when you

confess truth, it makes you feel good.

545

It just makes you want to

praise God and celebrate.

546

That was the Day of Atonement.

547

And then verse 14, a sacred ritual

they found written in the law,

548

which the Lord had commanded through

Moses, that the Israelites were to

549

live in temporary shelters during

the festival of the seventh month.

550

Now they had their houses and they were

trying to move back into Jerusalem and

551

move back into these houses, and they

had built their new houses into the wall.

552

And so then why do we have to park

ourselves outside in tents so that

553

we'll realize everything comes from

God and this world is temporary.

554

Every year.

555

They made all the people.

556

Live in least a three walled tent.

557

You could have 1 1 1 end open because

you know you're in the desert.

558

It's pretty hot.

559

But it, they'd have these temporary

shelters, the Festival of the Tabernacles,

560

to remind them of the wilderness WA

wandering, but also most importantly, to

561

remind them that this world is temporary.

562

Don't make God take everything

away from you to remind you.

563

He took everything away from

him and sent him to Egypt.

564

He took everything away, away from him in

the promised land and sent 'em to Babylon.

565

There's times God has to take

things away from us, for us to get

566

perspective and appreciate what we have.

567

Don't learn the hard way.

568

Learn the easy way.

569

Amen.

570

Celebrate every once in a while fast.

571

Every once in a while, take

something away from yourself.

572

That's what fasting is.

573

You take something away from

your yourself so you can be

574

more spiritual and reflective.

575

Make a spiritual.

576

Sacrifice Nehemiah eight 15 and that they

should proclaim the word and spread it

577

throughout their towns and in Jerusalem.

578

Go out into the hill country and

bring back branches from olive and

579

wild olive trees, and from myrtles

and palms and shade trees to make

580

temporary shelters as it is written.

581

Why?

582

So they could give a special contribution.

583

Two Chronicles eight 13.

584

According to the daily requirements

for offerings commanded by Moses for

585

the Sabbaths, the New moons, and the

three annual festivals, the Festival of

586

Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks,

and this one, the Festival of Tabernacles.

587

So then what do they do?

588

They had a sacred retreat right

before the outside of the temple.

589

Right within the walls, but

still not in their homes.

590

So the people went out and brought

back branches and built themselves

591

temporary shelters on their own roofs.

592

Okay, there it is.

593

For some of them in their courtyards

and in the courtyard courts of the

594

House of God, and in the Square by

the Watergate and the one by the

595

gate of Ephraim, they disrupted

their routine to just focus on God.

596

A spiritual retreat, Leviticus

597

15th day of the seventh month of

the Lord, the Feast of Tabernacles

598

begins and it lasts for seven days.

599

We had a spiritual retreat,

the staff on uh, Sunday night,

600

Monday and Tuesday of this week.

601

And I, I kick myself.

602

I, I'm not a Polaroid guy.

603

I don't, I don't get pictures.

604

I don't, I need to take

more pictures, you know.

605

I'm not a selfie guy.

606

I don't take pictures, but I

did take pictures of something

607

on the retreat, the food.

608

Oh my goodness.

609

This was enough for the whole staff.

610

This, we, we had leftovers from this that,

that we took, and I ate till I was full.

611

I, I ate the briskets and the ribs and

the beans, little bit of the cold slaw.

612

Oh, I love that cornbread there.

613

And they also brought

out some Texas toast.

614

Oh.

615

And I won't tell you which staff

member ate the big, uh, bone thing.

616

I don't even know what it's called.

617

Dinosaur bone.

618

Dinosaur bone.

619

All right.

620

But oh, it just fell off.

621

Fell off the bone.

622

It was so, uh, there's a time

to feast My house church is

623

having a, a feast this afternoon.

624

We're going to one of the members' houses,

so I don't, I better finish this sermon.

625

So, 'cause now you're hungry.

626

Verse 17.

627

Sacred Remembrance.

628

The whole company that had returned from

exile built the temporary shelters and

629

lived in them from the days of Joshua's

son of none until the day that the

630

Israelites had not celebrated it like

this, and their joy was very great.

631

Sometimes you just just gotta start where

you're at, and they had to start over

632

verse 18, day after day, from the first

day to the last, as we read the book of

633

the law, they celebrated the festivals

for seven days and on the eighth day in

634

accordance with the regulation, there

was a sacred revival, sacred assembly.

635

According to Psalms one

19, praise be to you Lord.

636

Teach me your decrees with your lips.

637

I recount the laws that

come from your mouth.

638

I rejoice in following your statue

as one rejoices in great riches.

639

Meditate on your precepts.

640

Consider your ways.

641

I delight your decrees.

642

I will not neglect your word.

643

And the church said.

644

Amen.

645

Amen to the sacred word of God.

646

What are the things we learned

from this passage this morning?

647

The scriptures are sacred to

be revered and treated as holy.

648

The word of God is sacred in the

foundations for us to take our stand.

649

The sacred scriptures are need

to be explained and applied

650

practically to our lives.

651

The sacred scriptures produce what?

652

Sacred worship and sacred assembly.

653

And the Sacred Assembly creates cleansing

and repentance and peace and rejoicing.

654

The sacred reading of scripture

does require obedience and always

655

sacrifice, if you notice that.

656

And then what can we take with us

from this sermon for this week, for

657

this month, for this sheer, the word

of God is the source of your faith.

658

Amen And righteousness.

659

Love it.

660

Meditate on it.

661

Cherish it, read it.

662

If you're stale in your Bible

study, get a different translation.

663

Do something.

664

All right.

665

The word of God brings light

and illumination in our journey.

666

There's so many people that still live

in the shadows and live in the darkness.

667

Even this Christians, if you can read the

word, you're gonna get more full of light.

668

Just keep reading it.

669

You'll change from one degree to another.

670

Oh, I need so much help.

671

Oh, I need this, I need that.

672

No, you just need to read the word of God.

673

The Word of God is respected and revered.

674

It's sacred and holy.

675

It cleanses us of our sins.

676

It helps us to celebrate with feasting.

677

It produces corporate repentance

and worship, and it produces a

678

moment of mourning before the

joy and then produces continual.

679

Celebration of people of God that's in

the word of God will be a happy people.

680

Yeah.

681

Right.

682

The word of God.

683

That's where it starts guys.

684

It's what it's all about.

685

It's taken us eight chapters

686

to get away from just building the

physical, to building the spiritual.

687

Here we are.

688

Here we are.

689

I know we had to wait for it.

690

One brother wanted it, the first sermon.

691

Well, you're gonna get it for

a while now in these sermons.

692

Amen.

693

Nehemiah's.

694

Good stuff.

695

God bless you, church.

696

And the church said amen.

697

Amen.