Revival is brokenness and complete transformation
Igna de Suárez
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: The speaker begins by remembering a woman named Toñita who passed away a year ago. Toñita was a simple woman who lived a holy life and left a great legacy of faith. She was known for reading her Bible daily and leaving it well-marked. The speaker then turns to the book of Neemiah in chapter 8, where the people of Israel gather together to hear the reading of the law. The people are attentive and moved by the words they hear. The speaker emphasizes the importance of having a passion and vision for one's family and city, just as Neemiah had for Jerusalem.
The speaker encourages the audience to have passion and vision for their city, like Nehemiah did in the Bible. Nehemiah's vision was to restore the walls of Jerusalem and his passion led him to take action. The people of Jerusalem cried out for the book of the law, and Ezra read it to them from dawn to noon. The people were attentive to the book, not the preacher. The speaker emphasizes the need for the word of God to be central and for preachers to disappear, so that the glory belongs only to God. The speaker also expresses concern about the superficiality of messages in churches today and encourages a passion for the word of God.
In this sermon, the speaker shares about the importance of the Word of God and how it can bring transformation to our lives. She uses the example of Ezra, a scribe who delved deep into the Word of God, to illustrate how we should approach the Bible. The speaker also highlights the results of hearing the Word of God, which include brokenness, repentance, and adoration. She encourages listeners to meditate on the Word of God daily and allow it to have a profound impact on their lives.
The speaker emphasizes the importance of having a deep love and addiction to the word of God. She shares personal experiences of reading the Bible and feeling deeply moved, sometimes to tears. The word of God is said to bring joy, gladness, and deep obedience. Through reading the word, the people in the passage were able to confess their sins and ask for forgiveness. The speaker believes that a revival is needed in America and that Latinos are being prepared for a role in this revival. She concludes by stating that the word of God brings prosperity and that meditating on it can make all things prosperous.
The speaker emphasizes the importance of embracing and living by the word of God. He encourages the younger generation to seek the wisdom and revelation of the word, and to become channels of its teachings. The speaker prays for revival and for the sanctification of the people, starting with repentance and consecration. He considers the sermon on the importance of the word as foundational and prophetic. The prayer is concluded with a blessing for the sisters who have shared their teachings and for the people who want to serve God.
The speaker encourages the audience to have passion and vision for their city, like Nehemiah did in the Bible. Nehemiah's vision was to restore the walls of Jerusalem and his passion led him to take action. The people of Jerusalem cried out for the book of the law, and Ezra read it to them from dawn to noon. The people were attentive to the book, not the preacher. The speaker emphasizes the need for the word of God to be central and for preachers to disappear, so that the glory belongs only to God. The speaker also expresses concern about the superficiality of messages in churches today and encourages a passion for the word of God.
In this sermon, the speaker shares about the importance of the Word of God and how it can bring transformation to our lives. She uses the example of Ezra, a scribe who delved deep into the Word of God, to illustrate how we should approach the Bible. The speaker also highlights the results of hearing the Word of God, which include brokenness, repentance, and adoration. She encourages listeners to meditate on the Word of God daily and allow it to have a profound impact on their lives.
The speaker emphasizes the importance of having a deep love and addiction to the word of God. She shares personal experiences of reading the Bible and feeling deeply moved, sometimes to tears. The word of God is said to bring joy, gladness, and deep obedience. Through reading the word, the people in the passage were able to confess their sins and ask for forgiveness. The speaker believes that a revival is needed in America and that Latinos are being prepared for a role in this revival. She concludes by stating that the word of God brings prosperity and that meditating on it can make all things prosperous.
The speaker emphasizes the importance of embracing and living by the word of God. He encourages the younger generation to seek the wisdom and revelation of the word, and to become channels of its teachings. The speaker prays for revival and for the sanctification of the people, starting with repentance and consecration. He considers the sermon on the importance of the word as foundational and prophetic. The prayer is concluded with a blessing for the sisters who have shared their teachings and for the people who want to serve God.
God bless you. Exactly one year ago, on November 4, we celebrated the women's retreat and at the very moment that our retreat ended, God took, gave an invitation to a great and simple woman to live with him for eternity, eternity. that he had covenanted with her 51 years earlier, when she accepted the Lord. There is still sadness in our hearts, but we are at the same time happy that Toñita is alive than ever, even though she is not here, she is more alive than ever by the Lord's side and is enjoying the reward that the Lord had promised her.
Toñita had many names, for one it was Tonia, for one it was Tonia specifically, for others it was my mommy, she was mother-in-law, she was grandmother, aunt, friend, counselor, intercessor. She extended her motherhood far beyond the limits of blood and did not belong only to her family but to many more as I know she belonged to the lives of many of you. And that is why on this day we want to bring it to memory.
The Apostle Paul once said, 'be imitators of me' and he said it because he had lived a life ........ we believe that in Toñita's life we can imitate her her because she has left a great legacy. She was a woman who lived fully for the Lord, she never stood in a pulpit, she never went to a university, perhaps she studied very little academically, but when one spent time with her, looking at her, what she brought was always words and the power of God lived in a holy life, worthy and worthy of imitation. And that is why we mention it today.
One of the memories we have of her is that every day, even in her most fragile times, when her sight was failing her, she still read her word daily with total fidelity. If you could see your Bible, it is a very worn Bible from use, so in that there is a great example for my life and for yours.
So that's why on this day we remember her, we remember her fondly, she meant so much to so many of us and one thing her eldest grandson once told me; a few months before she died when he was visiting, she told him, sitting on the edge of her bed where she often sat receiving visitors, not only from her family but from many others, she said, 'I have nothing but I have everything'. That is a perfect description, a woman who perhaps did not have much materially, but spiritually she was a woman of great, great wealth and God willing that we can live our lives as she did. She was a woman and she is today because she is more alive than ever, as I said at the beginning, a blessed woman and tying her to the words that Igna, because Igna was here last year, perhaps they heard her, she mentioned, she preached a sermon about ' without reservations, without returns, and with nothing to regret', that's how Toñita's life was. It was unreserved, she gave everything to the Lord, everything, everything; without return because he had nothing to regret, and without regret because at the end of his days the presence of the Lord was already so strong in his life that there was nothing to regret, he had given everything, he had emptied everything and at the same time he had filled everything. So I'm going to say a prayer thanking God for her life, we obviously know where she is, that fills us with joy, we don't pray for those who have left, but we pray for those who stay and we pray giving thanks to God for her memory, so if you accompany me:
Lord, I thank you for the life of that woman, Toñita, Lord that you allowed us to get close to her, Father, many here bear witness, Lord even today and they will continue to give it for a long time from her example, from her holy life dedicated to you, from her continuous word of encouragement in her mouth, Lord. Thank you for that woman. Father, I ask that each one of us, both the family close to her, Lord, and those who loved her, each one of us can remember the legacy of this woman and be imitators of that legacy, Lord. Just as Pablo was an imitator of you, Toñita was an imitator of you, Lord, and we want to continue that legacy. Lord, let it be so. We thank you again for the life of that woman, her 91 years well lived and well used for your honor and your glory, Lord. Thank you, Father, in the name of Jesus. Amen. Amen.
And now, I have the privilege of introducing our speaker today, as you know, many of you participated in the retreat yesterday, it was a glorious time with 850 people present, including 115 young ladies who participated in the young women's retreat and on this occasion we have the privilege of listening to Igna de Suárez, as they also listened to her last year.
Igna was born, lived her entire life in Colombia, she is a very simple and passionate woman for the Lord and full of joy for the Lord and the fruit of the spirit. And on this day she is going to share the word with us so that we have ears very attentive to what the Lord wants to tell us through Igna today. Welcome Igna.
I don't think they're going to kick us out of this church. They got very, very deep into our hearts and we, with Susan, are so grateful because repeating in a place... someone said that when you come for the first time, it is an honor, but when you are invited for the second time, wow, that's still a triple honor, so thank you, Roberto, thank you Meche for trusting in what God has given us and letting us be blessed through such a beautiful congregation, such beautiful men and women, I say that because yesterday there were men involved in praise, worship, fabulous praise and worship team you have, really ministered so much to us.
I see that it is a very fruitful team because last year that we came there was a pregnant girl singing and this year at the retreat, there was another pregnant girl. I think you are very active. I was in a very big struggle because I am convinced that when one has the honor of sharing the message of the word of God, they also have a great responsibility and with Susan we got up very early to seek from the Lord, both she and I, what was the that God wanted for you, and the problem I had until a little while ago was that I had 3 messages and I didn't know which one. And from the beginning we have been praying this morning, and nothing, and praying, and praying, and Susan knew my struggle and every so often she would turn to me and say 'okay, friend', I tell her, 'nothing, I don't feel any' .
And I, Lord, well, sometimes the Lord gives me a message going up the stairs and I have to go down and say, 'please give me the cassette or the cd because he was born here. We do not improvise, we, with Susan have a motto, we live prepared more than programmed. It's God who programs, but thank you, Meche, because I thought it was praise and adoration, sometimes it's listening to a song or something that God confirms, I was waiting for Pastor Roberto, what else did he say to confirm me and nothing. But once again, our sister Tonia confirms her word.
And while Meche spoke of something so important, of a legacy that she left of a holy life, of a life of commitment, of a life that truly gave herself completely for God, for her family and for her other family , which is the family of God, but at the end she mentioned something that did confirm one of my messages, and she said, something that always touched us a lot in Toñita's life is that every day she read her word and that her Bible, if you read it, it was completely marked. At the age of 91 he did not stop reading his word.
I think that this is the best legacy that someone can leave us because in that legacy is the testimony, in that legacy is a life of commitment, in that legacy is a life of holiness. And I remembered that in the month of May our pastor also left with the Lord, after more than 45 years of service in Colombia and being a man, an Apostle at the national level, with a vision of body, of unity, and his death touched the nation was very touched, of course, we who are part of the church, my husband and I, touched a lot. We have been in our church for 29 years and we lead our church and on the day of the funeral we were very close to our pastor, who is also our friend, our great friend, and I told my pastor something, 'the only thing I want from my pastor is his Bible. You can have the English one because he was Scottish, but give me his Spanish Bible,' and that was my legacy, a Bible that he used.
Why am I telling you this, because my pastor was one of the best teachers of the word and I was formed that way, since I was a child in the Lord. He was never my seminary homiletics teacher, but he was my lifelong homiletics teacher. He was the man to whom you listened to preach a message and you had to prepare yourself that there you could cry, laugh, be confronted, but you could take him from the title to the conclusion and the application. His message always carried order and clarity.
And that was my legacy, the one he left me. Not only his Bible that I asked for, but that I was formed regarding the word. And one of the three messages that was in my heart but I didn't know if yes or no, is a message that I am going to share with you called 'Bring the book', that is the title, and we are going to go to the book of Neemiah , in Chapter 8, please open your Bible, let us prepare our hearts.
Neemiah, Chapter 8 verse 1, says: “....And all the people gathered together as one man in the square that is before the water gate and said to Ezra, the scribe , to bring the book of the Law of Moses, which Jehovah had given to Israel, and Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation, both men and women and all who could understand on the first day of the seventh month, and He read the book in front of the square that is in front of the water gate from dawn until noon in the presence of men and women, and of all who could understand, and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. . And Ezra the scribe was on a wooden pulpit that he had made for it, and next to him was Matatías, Ema, other men that I am not going to read, so Ezra opened the book in the eyes of all the people because it was more taller than the whole town and when he opened it the whole town was attentive.
Then Ezra blessed Jehovah, the great God, and all the people responded, Amen, amen. Raising their hands, they humbled themselves and worshiped Jehovah, bowing to the ground, and the Levites made the people understand the law, and the people were attentive in their place, and they read in the book of the law of God clearly, and put the meaning so that they understood the law. reading. And Neemias, the governor, and Ezra the priest, a scribe, and the Levites who made the people understand, said to all the people, 'a holy day is to the Lord our God, do not grieve or weep,' for all the people he cried hearing the words of the law. Then he told them, 'Go and eat fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to those who have nothing prepared because it is a holy day to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
The Levites then silenced all the people saying, 'Be quiet, because it is a holy day and do not be sad,' and all the people went to eat and drink and to give away portions and to enjoy great joy because they had understood the words that they had been taught....”
If I can only leave this to you, it will be my greatest joy. Let me do a little recounting, put a little bit of context. Neemiah was a tremendous man used by God. Neemias when you see him in Chapter 1 of the Book of Neemias that bears his name, is in the empire, he was the king's cupbearer. That meant that he was a trusted man, he was the one who tasted the wine, he was the one who was very close to the king. He had a position, he was in the palace, he was close to the king, but even though he was in that position, he had a tremendous burden on his heart. And Neemiah's burden was his city, it was Jerusalem, it was his people, because although he ate well, dressed well, earned well, there was a pain in his heart for his brothers.
And I am going to apply, despite the introduction because the pastor mentioned that it is necessary for you to evangelize the city of Boston, each one of you is responsible. But there can be no effective evangelism without passion and vision. And in the life of Neemiah there was a vision for his city and there was a passion for his city. And you may be a recent convert, you must have passion and vision for your family and for your city. And when you see Neemiah in that Chapter 1, the... some friends arrive in the kingdom and he asks them a question, he greets them and asks them a question, how are my brothers in Jerusalem and how is the city of Jerusalem?
Notice that he did not ask anything else but went straight to a purpose that he felt beating in his heart. And they answered, 'the people are in great evil and great affront, they are in reproach and the city, Neemias, is bad, its walls are broken down, its gates are burned.'
And there came a cry in the heart of Neemiah, verse 3 describes that he tore his clothes and began to connect directly with God and began to cry out to God and the vision was confirmed. And he was willing to leave the kingdom, he talked to the king, his face was sad. I had never been sad. The king was surprised, 'what's wrong with you, Neemiah? You have never been sad, and today I see you deeply overwhelmed. 'Oh, king, my people are in trouble, my city is in trouble...'
And I think how many Neemiahs it takes to rise up. You may be Colombian, Guatemalan, Puerto Rican, but God put you in this city. I am not from Bogotá but God put me in Bogotá and I love Bogotá as if it were my city, and I passionately love Colombia and I do not stop praying until my nation is restored and the glory of God comes and the whole world stops hearing evil news from Colombia and the whole world know that it is a nation changed and transformed by a revival that will come upon my nation that is coming, that is coming and that it will not be falls, tremors, tongues, healings, that will be the addition, it will be a transformation . The violence will end, drug trafficking will fall, the guerrillas will end, the wars will end and we will be able to see a nation as God wants to see it.
What a vision and what a passion Neemiah had. Chapter 2 describes that he goes up and inspects himself, a man who has vision or a woman who has vision is always in the place of the problem to know very closely the situation and the beating of God's heart. In the same Chapter 2 Neemias confronts the people, first he tours the city, he sees the fallen walls and the burned gates but then he goes and confronts those who were in reproach and challenges them and the challenge was in verse 17, he he said, from Chapter 2:
“... you see the evil in which we are.....” note that he did not say they are, he said we are, “... Jerusalem is deserted, its gates consumed by fire, come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem and let us not be reproached anymore. And his vision infected others, so I declared to them how the hand of my God had been good upon me, likewise the words that the king had spoken to me, and they united and said, 'let us rise up, let us build' and they strengthened their hands for the work ....”
If you look at Chapter 3, all the family groups built, all the people built, from the young to the old, from the haves to the have-nots and when you reaches Chapter 6 of the book of Neemiah, verses 15 and 16,
“.... the wall was finished, the doors were placed, and it says, the wall was finished on the 25th of the month of Elul in 52 days... -listen carefully- ....in less than two months the wall was restored and when all our enemies heard it, all the nations around us were afraid and felt humiliated and knew that because of our God had done the work...”
Now, the wall was restored, the people were encouraged, despite all opposition. ion that you can see in the same Chapter 2, 4, 5 in 52 days, a man's vision and a man's passion came true. Because nothing is impossible for God and the Bible says here that it was God, by the hand of God, the glory was from God, the glory was not from a man, the glory was from God.
But another second vision came to Neemiah's heart, the walls were restored, but the people who were inside the wall now had protection, now there were doors, security and there were walls. That meant that no one went in and out anymore, there was no way to combine, mix because the walls speak of separation. And the problem that Neemiah saw is that now there was a wall, there were the gates, but there was a people inside the wall that needed a change, that needed a transformation, that needed its internal walls to be rebuilt.
Why? Almost 70 years of captivity had passed. In that time of captivity, beloved, the people did not have services, they did not have cults, some were in Jerusalem, others in Babylon, it was over, there was no praise, there were no singers, there were no Levites. The wall was destroyed and the temple was destroyed. And during all those years there was no word from God, there was no message from God. And when there is no message from God, the hearts of the people are not in optimal conditions. When there is no word from God, listen carefully to this, when there is no message from God we can say that we are looking at a people superficially.
What's happening today? The same thing is happening. We have built walls, we have news of great churches, billions of dollars, pulpits almost made of gold, and with sadness I have to say that there is a lack of the word of God, there is an absence of the word of God. The messages we hear are overheated, they are too superficial. If you turn on the television, I don't know if here, but in Latin America I would say that ten percent becomes good, or well, of course, there are people who eat everything, there are people who eat the hamburger they are given, the tacos they They give them instant, not the ones you prepare at home, the spiritual pizza and that seems good to them, there is no substance. There is a lot of superficiality, a lot of improvisation. You can tell when someone is improvising.
This is worrying because what awaits our next generation, what awaits young people of 12, 13 years, how tremendous that a woman at 91 did not stop reading her Bible and at 91 received God's message because if he underlined his Bible it was because God was speaking to him. What a tremendous testimony if only with that I stay, that his generation challenges.
Thank God for the program you have, I encourage you. I was preaching here last year with Susan, from Guatemala I once received a call from a disciple of ours who told me, 'you know, today I was down, and I went in and connected to the Internet, I searched for León de Judá and there you were and I I heard the message you preached on Sunday. God raised me up, I took it down and preached it to the young people. I arrived in Cali 3 weeks ago, I was preaching in the city of Cali, in Colombia, and the first night of the event the girls who were up here, who had been the pastor's work team, got off and went through the first line, and one of them approaches me and says, 'wonderful', I told her that 'no reservation, no return, nothing to regret', and I tell her, 'where did you hear it?', 'in León of Judah on the Internet'.
León de Judá has been famous in Colombia. They were interviewing me I think 6 months ago on a very good television program, a young Christian, an interviewer, well it's his career, fabulous... and at the end of the program he tells me, 'well, sister Igna, explain to me how that 'no reservation, no return and nothing to regret'. And I tell him, 'and where did you get that from?', he tells me, 'from León de Judá on the Internet.'
Beloved, I have sadness in my heart, that's why I told the women yesterday, don't wait. I preach loudly to women, because I don't want to see superficial women but women like Ulta, deep in the word of God, women who can preach not only to women but to men, women who really rise up with zeal and passion by the word and of course the men, but you know that you tend more to that.
There is concern in my heart, so it is necessary that they bring the book, it is necessary that today the Holy Spirit ignites a passion but so strong for this blessed word.
Recently I was preaching in a place and someone approached me and said, 'I'm going to give you a Bible because the one you have is already hurting you.' I told him, 'no, please, who knows how long it will last me, it's because I have treasures here'.
There is a town here, I am going to talk about two things about this passage that we read, the title is 'Bring the book', why? I am going to talk to you first about the cry of a people, that is point number one, the cry of a people.
In verse 1 it says, '...and all the people assembled as one man in the square that is before the water gate and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law....”
Say, bring the book of the law. .... Now, I'm going to go in parts, he says that the whole town got together. The wall had already been finished, the gates had already begun to be restored to the Levites, Neemiah had a complete vision and the people came together. It catches my attention that he gathered next to the water gate. The gate of the waters had been restored and the gate of the waters speak to us the waters, the waters speak to us of the word of God.
Jesus said, 'You are already clean because of the word that I have spoken to you...' and there they came together and came together as one man, and they made a cry and said 'bring the book.'
Say with me, 'bring...' do like this... 'bring the book', tell the person next to you, 'we need to bring the book'.
And their cry was... once they were together they said, 'bring the book,' this was not done by Neemiah, this was not done by Ezra, this was done by a people who were hungry , a people who were seeing the fulfillment of God's faithfulness and who finally remembered the book of the law and they began to cry 'bring the book'.
There is a portion in the book of Amos, in Chapter 8 in verse 11 that says, “... behold, days are coming, says the Lord GOD, upon the earth, in which I will send a famine to earth, not hunger for bread, nor thirst for water, but hunger and thirst for the word of God.....”
And I love that word, and I declare that these are those days in That the same people of God, I know that you have a good message, I know that you have pastors who feed you well, but they are the needs in the church in general. There are days when there is a need to bring the book.
And they said, 'Bring the book,' all united as one man. That was his cry. Then he tells me that this town was ready, that town asked them to bring the book and he says that the town was attentive, verse 3 says:
“... and he read the book in front of the square who stood before the water gate from dawn to noon in the presence of men and women and of all who could understand, and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. Hey well. The ears were attentive to the book of the law.
Now, here are several things: Ezra had built a very big pulpit so that all that crowd could hear and he says '...and all the people, no one spoke, everyone turned off their cell phones', and there they were. And do you know how they were? They were like this, they were attentive to the book, listen carefully to this, they were attentive to the book, not to the preacher. They were attentive to the book, not the preacher.
The preacher disappeared, the book appeared. That is needed today. Today it is necessary for the book to appear, for the word to appear, for the word of God to appear and for the preachers to disappear because the glory belongs only to him. They were attentive. They were attentive to the book.
There is absence. Sorry that we use our grandchildren a lot, our family, they are my closest examples. Jonathan, my oldest grandson, has a very strong call, he has a very strong prophetic call. From a very young age he developed, God has given him a word of very deep knowledge, I always say, 'be careful, you fall into sin in my house because if my grandson is there he will bring it to light'. It's tremendous. That child is tremendous.
At the age of 6, my brother came to visit our house one day and brought a friend who is from my town, who is a doctor, I had not seen him for many years. I was not there that day, but my daughter, my mother, my husband and my grandson were there. And my brother says, 'Look, Jonathan, this is my friend José,' and he extended his hand to greet the 6-year-old boy, and the boy extended his hand. And he says 'why don't you say hello to me?', and he puts his finger on it and says 'because you don't love God'. I had never seen it. He says, 'why do you say that I don't believe in God?', 'because you don't believe in God'. And the friend turns around and says to my brother, 'and who told this one?' And my brother goes to my daughter and says, 'And what did you say to the boy?' My daughter tells him, "I don't even know your friend." He was a Buddhist, and that shocked my brother.
And Jonathan has grown up with the zeal of God and the zeal of the word. He is the child who already tells you where God has spoken to him, he already has underlined messages that the Lord has told him and a few months ago, they attend a very good church with their parents, but notice that the child since last year, He asked his pastor for permission to no longer go to the children's school, but he told him, 'it's good, but will you allow me to be in the adult service?' He says, 'why, Jonathan?', and he says 'because I want to hear the word of God as it is preached to the greats'. And his pastor allowed him to be.
And a few months ago they had a guest at church and he supposedly started preaching and the boy turns to his mom after 15 minutes and says 'and what time are you going to enter the message?' . And the preacher kept making jokes and the people were laughing for half an hour, they kept laughing and the boy, 'and what time is the message going to start?' And then he said, "Mommy, turn off that cell phone for me." Then he turns around and says, 'Mommy, it's taking time,' and he left the service sadly, got into the car, a poor boy, he wasn't even 12 years old yet, and he sat in the car and said, 'How sad. , there was no word'.
My beloved, that town asked for the word, that town cried out for the word and was attentive to the word. But there is something else, that town asked Ezra to read the word to them, they did not ask anyone, they did not ask any of the..... no, they went to the priest Ezra, and here the verse says 2 that they asked Ezra, the scribe, verse 1 says:
“.... they said to Ezra, the scribe...”
And when you see Ezra later in verse 6 says, "...then Ezra.....", and there's another portion that says "...Ezra the scribe...."
He says that the words were for joy and joy and he says in Ezekiel, in Chapter 3 that God told him, 'Ezekiel, eat the scroll, take the scroll, put the scroll in your mouth.' Sir, the scroll and says he ate it and the words were sweet as honey.
Oh, the words were sweet as honey. And there is no surer way for God to speak to you. Stop walking around looking for prophesy. May God prophesy to send him and... but don't look for him. This is the most sure prophetic word, this is the most firm prophetic word, this is the prophetic word that the Lord is going to speak to your heart and it will produce deep joy and deep happiness.
And the fourth thing it produced was deep obedience. Verse 13 onwards says:
“...The next day the heads of the families of all the people, priests, Levites, Ezra the scribe, gathered together to understand the words of the law ...”
Look, they had addiction, it happened the next day and they wanted more, 'Ezra, we want more' and verse 14 says:
“... and they found written in the law that Jehovah had commanded by the hand of Moses that the children of Israel should dwell in tabernacles, in the solemn feast of the seventh month and that they should make known and proclaim through all the cities and through Jerusalem saying, 'Go out into the mountain and bring branches of wild olive, myrtle, palm trees and every leafy tree to make tabernacles as it is written. So the people went out, they brought branches, they made tabernacles, and that word brought a deep obedience..."
What God had determined came out and the people obeyed and the tabernacles feast was held again that since the time of Joshua it had not been practiced again. But there was something else tremendous obedience. Look at what Chapter 9 and verse 1 say:
“...And on the 24th day of the same month, the children of Israel gathered fasting with silicon and earth on themselves, -verse 2 - and the descendants of Israel had separated themselves from all foreigners....”
Obedience brought separation, beloved. It brought separation, when they heard they realized that they had mixed, that God had said do not marry, do not mix, do not unite with foreign women from the land of Canaan or the Babylonians, but they had mixed.
And the word, Ezra did not have to do anything, the Levites did not have to oblige, the word came and departed and separated and they themselves made the decision. There was perfect obedience, but there was something else, it brought a deep confession and identifying forgiveness.
Verse 2 says, after saying that they had already turned away, it says, “...and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers....”
Toñita had many names, for one it was Tonia, for one it was Tonia specifically, for others it was my mommy, she was mother-in-law, she was grandmother, aunt, friend, counselor, intercessor. She extended her motherhood far beyond the limits of blood and did not belong only to her family but to many more as I know she belonged to the lives of many of you. And that is why on this day we want to bring it to memory.
The Apostle Paul once said, 'be imitators of me' and he said it because he had lived a life ........ we believe that in Toñita's life we can imitate her her because she has left a great legacy. She was a woman who lived fully for the Lord, she never stood in a pulpit, she never went to a university, perhaps she studied very little academically, but when one spent time with her, looking at her, what she brought was always words and the power of God lived in a holy life, worthy and worthy of imitation. And that is why we mention it today.
One of the memories we have of her is that every day, even in her most fragile times, when her sight was failing her, she still read her word daily with total fidelity. If you could see your Bible, it is a very worn Bible from use, so in that there is a great example for my life and for yours.
So that's why on this day we remember her, we remember her fondly, she meant so much to so many of us and one thing her eldest grandson once told me; a few months before she died when he was visiting, she told him, sitting on the edge of her bed where she often sat receiving visitors, not only from her family but from many others, she said, 'I have nothing but I have everything'. That is a perfect description, a woman who perhaps did not have much materially, but spiritually she was a woman of great, great wealth and God willing that we can live our lives as she did. She was a woman and she is today because she is more alive than ever, as I said at the beginning, a blessed woman and tying her to the words that Igna, because Igna was here last year, perhaps they heard her, she mentioned, she preached a sermon about ' without reservations, without returns, and with nothing to regret', that's how Toñita's life was. It was unreserved, she gave everything to the Lord, everything, everything; without return because he had nothing to regret, and without regret because at the end of his days the presence of the Lord was already so strong in his life that there was nothing to regret, he had given everything, he had emptied everything and at the same time he had filled everything. So I'm going to say a prayer thanking God for her life, we obviously know where she is, that fills us with joy, we don't pray for those who have left, but we pray for those who stay and we pray giving thanks to God for her memory, so if you accompany me:
Lord, I thank you for the life of that woman, Toñita, Lord that you allowed us to get close to her, Father, many here bear witness, Lord even today and they will continue to give it for a long time from her example, from her holy life dedicated to you, from her continuous word of encouragement in her mouth, Lord. Thank you for that woman. Father, I ask that each one of us, both the family close to her, Lord, and those who loved her, each one of us can remember the legacy of this woman and be imitators of that legacy, Lord. Just as Pablo was an imitator of you, Toñita was an imitator of you, Lord, and we want to continue that legacy. Lord, let it be so. We thank you again for the life of that woman, her 91 years well lived and well used for your honor and your glory, Lord. Thank you, Father, in the name of Jesus. Amen. Amen.
And now, I have the privilege of introducing our speaker today, as you know, many of you participated in the retreat yesterday, it was a glorious time with 850 people present, including 115 young ladies who participated in the young women's retreat and on this occasion we have the privilege of listening to Igna de Suárez, as they also listened to her last year.
Igna was born, lived her entire life in Colombia, she is a very simple and passionate woman for the Lord and full of joy for the Lord and the fruit of the spirit. And on this day she is going to share the word with us so that we have ears very attentive to what the Lord wants to tell us through Igna today. Welcome Igna.
I don't think they're going to kick us out of this church. They got very, very deep into our hearts and we, with Susan, are so grateful because repeating in a place... someone said that when you come for the first time, it is an honor, but when you are invited for the second time, wow, that's still a triple honor, so thank you, Roberto, thank you Meche for trusting in what God has given us and letting us be blessed through such a beautiful congregation, such beautiful men and women, I say that because yesterday there were men involved in praise, worship, fabulous praise and worship team you have, really ministered so much to us.
I see that it is a very fruitful team because last year that we came there was a pregnant girl singing and this year at the retreat, there was another pregnant girl. I think you are very active. I was in a very big struggle because I am convinced that when one has the honor of sharing the message of the word of God, they also have a great responsibility and with Susan we got up very early to seek from the Lord, both she and I, what was the that God wanted for you, and the problem I had until a little while ago was that I had 3 messages and I didn't know which one. And from the beginning we have been praying this morning, and nothing, and praying, and praying, and Susan knew my struggle and every so often she would turn to me and say 'okay, friend', I tell her, 'nothing, I don't feel any' .
And I, Lord, well, sometimes the Lord gives me a message going up the stairs and I have to go down and say, 'please give me the cassette or the cd because he was born here. We do not improvise, we, with Susan have a motto, we live prepared more than programmed. It's God who programs, but thank you, Meche, because I thought it was praise and adoration, sometimes it's listening to a song or something that God confirms, I was waiting for Pastor Roberto, what else did he say to confirm me and nothing. But once again, our sister Tonia confirms her word.
And while Meche spoke of something so important, of a legacy that she left of a holy life, of a life of commitment, of a life that truly gave herself completely for God, for her family and for her other family , which is the family of God, but at the end she mentioned something that did confirm one of my messages, and she said, something that always touched us a lot in Toñita's life is that every day she read her word and that her Bible, if you read it, it was completely marked. At the age of 91 he did not stop reading his word.
I think that this is the best legacy that someone can leave us because in that legacy is the testimony, in that legacy is a life of commitment, in that legacy is a life of holiness. And I remembered that in the month of May our pastor also left with the Lord, after more than 45 years of service in Colombia and being a man, an Apostle at the national level, with a vision of body, of unity, and his death touched the nation was very touched, of course, we who are part of the church, my husband and I, touched a lot. We have been in our church for 29 years and we lead our church and on the day of the funeral we were very close to our pastor, who is also our friend, our great friend, and I told my pastor something, 'the only thing I want from my pastor is his Bible. You can have the English one because he was Scottish, but give me his Spanish Bible,' and that was my legacy, a Bible that he used.
Why am I telling you this, because my pastor was one of the best teachers of the word and I was formed that way, since I was a child in the Lord. He was never my seminary homiletics teacher, but he was my lifelong homiletics teacher. He was the man to whom you listened to preach a message and you had to prepare yourself that there you could cry, laugh, be confronted, but you could take him from the title to the conclusion and the application. His message always carried order and clarity.
And that was my legacy, the one he left me. Not only his Bible that I asked for, but that I was formed regarding the word. And one of the three messages that was in my heart but I didn't know if yes or no, is a message that I am going to share with you called 'Bring the book', that is the title, and we are going to go to the book of Neemiah , in Chapter 8, please open your Bible, let us prepare our hearts.
Neemiah, Chapter 8 verse 1, says: “....And all the people gathered together as one man in the square that is before the water gate and said to Ezra, the scribe , to bring the book of the Law of Moses, which Jehovah had given to Israel, and Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation, both men and women and all who could understand on the first day of the seventh month, and He read the book in front of the square that is in front of the water gate from dawn until noon in the presence of men and women, and of all who could understand, and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. . And Ezra the scribe was on a wooden pulpit that he had made for it, and next to him was Matatías, Ema, other men that I am not going to read, so Ezra opened the book in the eyes of all the people because it was more taller than the whole town and when he opened it the whole town was attentive.
Then Ezra blessed Jehovah, the great God, and all the people responded, Amen, amen. Raising their hands, they humbled themselves and worshiped Jehovah, bowing to the ground, and the Levites made the people understand the law, and the people were attentive in their place, and they read in the book of the law of God clearly, and put the meaning so that they understood the law. reading. And Neemias, the governor, and Ezra the priest, a scribe, and the Levites who made the people understand, said to all the people, 'a holy day is to the Lord our God, do not grieve or weep,' for all the people he cried hearing the words of the law. Then he told them, 'Go and eat fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to those who have nothing prepared because it is a holy day to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
The Levites then silenced all the people saying, 'Be quiet, because it is a holy day and do not be sad,' and all the people went to eat and drink and to give away portions and to enjoy great joy because they had understood the words that they had been taught....”
If I can only leave this to you, it will be my greatest joy. Let me do a little recounting, put a little bit of context. Neemiah was a tremendous man used by God. Neemias when you see him in Chapter 1 of the Book of Neemias that bears his name, is in the empire, he was the king's cupbearer. That meant that he was a trusted man, he was the one who tasted the wine, he was the one who was very close to the king. He had a position, he was in the palace, he was close to the king, but even though he was in that position, he had a tremendous burden on his heart. And Neemiah's burden was his city, it was Jerusalem, it was his people, because although he ate well, dressed well, earned well, there was a pain in his heart for his brothers.
And I am going to apply, despite the introduction because the pastor mentioned that it is necessary for you to evangelize the city of Boston, each one of you is responsible. But there can be no effective evangelism without passion and vision. And in the life of Neemiah there was a vision for his city and there was a passion for his city. And you may be a recent convert, you must have passion and vision for your family and for your city. And when you see Neemiah in that Chapter 1, the... some friends arrive in the kingdom and he asks them a question, he greets them and asks them a question, how are my brothers in Jerusalem and how is the city of Jerusalem?
Notice that he did not ask anything else but went straight to a purpose that he felt beating in his heart. And they answered, 'the people are in great evil and great affront, they are in reproach and the city, Neemias, is bad, its walls are broken down, its gates are burned.'
And there came a cry in the heart of Neemiah, verse 3 describes that he tore his clothes and began to connect directly with God and began to cry out to God and the vision was confirmed. And he was willing to leave the kingdom, he talked to the king, his face was sad. I had never been sad. The king was surprised, 'what's wrong with you, Neemiah? You have never been sad, and today I see you deeply overwhelmed. 'Oh, king, my people are in trouble, my city is in trouble...'
And I think how many Neemiahs it takes to rise up. You may be Colombian, Guatemalan, Puerto Rican, but God put you in this city. I am not from Bogotá but God put me in Bogotá and I love Bogotá as if it were my city, and I passionately love Colombia and I do not stop praying until my nation is restored and the glory of God comes and the whole world stops hearing evil news from Colombia and the whole world know that it is a nation changed and transformed by a revival that will come upon my nation that is coming, that is coming and that it will not be falls, tremors, tongues, healings, that will be the addition, it will be a transformation . The violence will end, drug trafficking will fall, the guerrillas will end, the wars will end and we will be able to see a nation as God wants to see it.
What a vision and what a passion Neemiah had. Chapter 2 describes that he goes up and inspects himself, a man who has vision or a woman who has vision is always in the place of the problem to know very closely the situation and the beating of God's heart. In the same Chapter 2 Neemias confronts the people, first he tours the city, he sees the fallen walls and the burned gates but then he goes and confronts those who were in reproach and challenges them and the challenge was in verse 17, he he said, from Chapter 2:
“... you see the evil in which we are.....” note that he did not say they are, he said we are, “... Jerusalem is deserted, its gates consumed by fire, come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem and let us not be reproached anymore. And his vision infected others, so I declared to them how the hand of my God had been good upon me, likewise the words that the king had spoken to me, and they united and said, 'let us rise up, let us build' and they strengthened their hands for the work ....”
If you look at Chapter 3, all the family groups built, all the people built, from the young to the old, from the haves to the have-nots and when you reaches Chapter 6 of the book of Neemiah, verses 15 and 16,
“.... the wall was finished, the doors were placed, and it says, the wall was finished on the 25th of the month of Elul in 52 days... -listen carefully- ....in less than two months the wall was restored and when all our enemies heard it, all the nations around us were afraid and felt humiliated and knew that because of our God had done the work...”
Now, the wall was restored, the people were encouraged, despite all opposition. ion that you can see in the same Chapter 2, 4, 5 in 52 days, a man's vision and a man's passion came true. Because nothing is impossible for God and the Bible says here that it was God, by the hand of God, the glory was from God, the glory was not from a man, the glory was from God.
But another second vision came to Neemiah's heart, the walls were restored, but the people who were inside the wall now had protection, now there were doors, security and there were walls. That meant that no one went in and out anymore, there was no way to combine, mix because the walls speak of separation. And the problem that Neemiah saw is that now there was a wall, there were the gates, but there was a people inside the wall that needed a change, that needed a transformation, that needed its internal walls to be rebuilt.
Why? Almost 70 years of captivity had passed. In that time of captivity, beloved, the people did not have services, they did not have cults, some were in Jerusalem, others in Babylon, it was over, there was no praise, there were no singers, there were no Levites. The wall was destroyed and the temple was destroyed. And during all those years there was no word from God, there was no message from God. And when there is no message from God, the hearts of the people are not in optimal conditions. When there is no word from God, listen carefully to this, when there is no message from God we can say that we are looking at a people superficially.
What's happening today? The same thing is happening. We have built walls, we have news of great churches, billions of dollars, pulpits almost made of gold, and with sadness I have to say that there is a lack of the word of God, there is an absence of the word of God. The messages we hear are overheated, they are too superficial. If you turn on the television, I don't know if here, but in Latin America I would say that ten percent becomes good, or well, of course, there are people who eat everything, there are people who eat the hamburger they are given, the tacos they They give them instant, not the ones you prepare at home, the spiritual pizza and that seems good to them, there is no substance. There is a lot of superficiality, a lot of improvisation. You can tell when someone is improvising.
This is worrying because what awaits our next generation, what awaits young people of 12, 13 years, how tremendous that a woman at 91 did not stop reading her Bible and at 91 received God's message because if he underlined his Bible it was because God was speaking to him. What a tremendous testimony if only with that I stay, that his generation challenges.
Thank God for the program you have, I encourage you. I was preaching here last year with Susan, from Guatemala I once received a call from a disciple of ours who told me, 'you know, today I was down, and I went in and connected to the Internet, I searched for León de Judá and there you were and I I heard the message you preached on Sunday. God raised me up, I took it down and preached it to the young people. I arrived in Cali 3 weeks ago, I was preaching in the city of Cali, in Colombia, and the first night of the event the girls who were up here, who had been the pastor's work team, got off and went through the first line, and one of them approaches me and says, 'wonderful', I told her that 'no reservation, no return, nothing to regret', and I tell her, 'where did you hear it?', 'in León of Judah on the Internet'.
León de Judá has been famous in Colombia. They were interviewing me I think 6 months ago on a very good television program, a young Christian, an interviewer, well it's his career, fabulous... and at the end of the program he tells me, 'well, sister Igna, explain to me how that 'no reservation, no return and nothing to regret'. And I tell him, 'and where did you get that from?', he tells me, 'from León de Judá on the Internet.'
Beloved, I have sadness in my heart, that's why I told the women yesterday, don't wait. I preach loudly to women, because I don't want to see superficial women but women like Ulta, deep in the word of God, women who can preach not only to women but to men, women who really rise up with zeal and passion by the word and of course the men, but you know that you tend more to that.
There is concern in my heart, so it is necessary that they bring the book, it is necessary that today the Holy Spirit ignites a passion but so strong for this blessed word.
Recently I was preaching in a place and someone approached me and said, 'I'm going to give you a Bible because the one you have is already hurting you.' I told him, 'no, please, who knows how long it will last me, it's because I have treasures here'.
There is a town here, I am going to talk about two things about this passage that we read, the title is 'Bring the book', why? I am going to talk to you first about the cry of a people, that is point number one, the cry of a people.
In verse 1 it says, '...and all the people assembled as one man in the square that is before the water gate and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law....”
Say, bring the book of the law. .... Now, I'm going to go in parts, he says that the whole town got together. The wall had already been finished, the gates had already begun to be restored to the Levites, Neemiah had a complete vision and the people came together. It catches my attention that he gathered next to the water gate. The gate of the waters had been restored and the gate of the waters speak to us the waters, the waters speak to us of the word of God.
Jesus said, 'You are already clean because of the word that I have spoken to you...' and there they came together and came together as one man, and they made a cry and said 'bring the book.'
Say with me, 'bring...' do like this... 'bring the book', tell the person next to you, 'we need to bring the book'.
And their cry was... once they were together they said, 'bring the book,' this was not done by Neemiah, this was not done by Ezra, this was done by a people who were hungry , a people who were seeing the fulfillment of God's faithfulness and who finally remembered the book of the law and they began to cry 'bring the book'.
There is a portion in the book of Amos, in Chapter 8 in verse 11 that says, “... behold, days are coming, says the Lord GOD, upon the earth, in which I will send a famine to earth, not hunger for bread, nor thirst for water, but hunger and thirst for the word of God.....”
And I love that word, and I declare that these are those days in That the same people of God, I know that you have a good message, I know that you have pastors who feed you well, but they are the needs in the church in general. There are days when there is a need to bring the book.
And they said, 'Bring the book,' all united as one man. That was his cry. Then he tells me that this town was ready, that town asked them to bring the book and he says that the town was attentive, verse 3 says:
“... and he read the book in front of the square who stood before the water gate from dawn to noon in the presence of men and women and of all who could understand, and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. Hey well. The ears were attentive to the book of the law.
Now, here are several things: Ezra had built a very big pulpit so that all that crowd could hear and he says '...and all the people, no one spoke, everyone turned off their cell phones', and there they were. And do you know how they were? They were like this, they were attentive to the book, listen carefully to this, they were attentive to the book, not to the preacher. They were attentive to the book, not the preacher.
The preacher disappeared, the book appeared. That is needed today. Today it is necessary for the book to appear, for the word to appear, for the word of God to appear and for the preachers to disappear because the glory belongs only to him. They were attentive. They were attentive to the book.
There is absence. Sorry that we use our grandchildren a lot, our family, they are my closest examples. Jonathan, my oldest grandson, has a very strong call, he has a very strong prophetic call. From a very young age he developed, God has given him a word of very deep knowledge, I always say, 'be careful, you fall into sin in my house because if my grandson is there he will bring it to light'. It's tremendous. That child is tremendous.
At the age of 6, my brother came to visit our house one day and brought a friend who is from my town, who is a doctor, I had not seen him for many years. I was not there that day, but my daughter, my mother, my husband and my grandson were there. And my brother says, 'Look, Jonathan, this is my friend José,' and he extended his hand to greet the 6-year-old boy, and the boy extended his hand. And he says 'why don't you say hello to me?', and he puts his finger on it and says 'because you don't love God'. I had never seen it. He says, 'why do you say that I don't believe in God?', 'because you don't believe in God'. And the friend turns around and says to my brother, 'and who told this one?' And my brother goes to my daughter and says, 'And what did you say to the boy?' My daughter tells him, "I don't even know your friend." He was a Buddhist, and that shocked my brother.
And Jonathan has grown up with the zeal of God and the zeal of the word. He is the child who already tells you where God has spoken to him, he already has underlined messages that the Lord has told him and a few months ago, they attend a very good church with their parents, but notice that the child since last year, He asked his pastor for permission to no longer go to the children's school, but he told him, 'it's good, but will you allow me to be in the adult service?' He says, 'why, Jonathan?', and he says 'because I want to hear the word of God as it is preached to the greats'. And his pastor allowed him to be.
And a few months ago they had a guest at church and he supposedly started preaching and the boy turns to his mom after 15 minutes and says 'and what time are you going to enter the message?' . And the preacher kept making jokes and the people were laughing for half an hour, they kept laughing and the boy, 'and what time is the message going to start?' And then he said, "Mommy, turn off that cell phone for me." Then he turns around and says, 'Mommy, it's taking time,' and he left the service sadly, got into the car, a poor boy, he wasn't even 12 years old yet, and he sat in the car and said, 'How sad. , there was no word'.
My beloved, that town asked for the word, that town cried out for the word and was attentive to the word. But there is something else, that town asked Ezra to read the word to them, they did not ask anyone, they did not ask any of the..... no, they went to the priest Ezra, and here the verse says 2 that they asked Ezra, the scribe, verse 1 says:
“.... they said to Ezra, the scribe...”
And when you see Ezra later in verse 6 says, "...then Ezra.....", and there's another portion that says "...Ezra the scribe...."
Now let me tell you something, they knew who Ezra was, they didn't go to someone else but Ezra because Ezra was a scribe. Who was a scribe? A scribe was a priest, but not just any kind of priest, he was a priest who delved into the word of God. I was going to Mexico last year and a Lord touched me by my side, and I was reading my word and I got to a point where I was reading it and I started to cry. God begins to break me, but it was that he could not. And I was crying and looking for the Kleenex, even the man handed me a handkerchief, and I continued reading and crying. He couldn't, he was a presence. Until the man told me, what's wrong, ma'am, are you very sad? And I told him, 'no, you don't understand, I'll explain later...'
If you want to see the description of a scribe, you find it in the book of Ezra a little bit, you go back where in Chapter 7, I'm going to show you who was a scribe, in verse 10 it says :
“... because Ezra had prepared his heart to inquire into the law of the LORD and to do it and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel....”
That verse says 4 very important things. Number one, it says that Ezra was a priest but that he dug deep, he prepared his heart to inquire. What does that mean? Ezra did not come to this book in any way. Ezra prayed to God. Now, I'm not talking about it being religious, but when Ezra came to the scroll, he said 'God, I want your Holy Spirit to prepare my heart so that your word can fall on good ground, I can understand it. Give me wisdom and give me revelation.
Do we ask for that? and he says, “....prepared his heart....” What else did he say? Preparing the heart was not only praying, it was seeing how his heart was, it was what was wrong, perhaps it was many times where his wife said, forgive me the way I answered you yesterday because I am going to enter the book and I want to that God speaks to me directly and nothing gets in the way, not a sin, not a bad attitude.
He says, “....he prepared his heart to inquire...”, but the second thing he says is “....to fulfill it...” He read it, he understood it, he savored it, but then applied it. Say, 'applied it'.
You may have finished the congress and the retreat yesterday to please both of you, and you may have tasted it ok, and I know many women were touched and it was wonderful, but you have to apply it. It cannot be eaten on a DVD, it cannot be on a CD, it cannot be in your notes, you have to apply it, you have to live it, you have to do it, it has to transform you and there are correct behaviors.
And he said, that he understood it to fulfill it, to live it. And then at the end, he says “…to teach it…” That's the process. I go to the word, I prepare my heart, I receive the message, what I am preaching to you, what I preached to you yesterday is because it has already been lived, because I can preach what I do not live but I should not preach it. Because a message with lived experience has power, it transforms.
And this was a scribe, one who prepared his heart, who valued the word of God, one who kept it and one who could teach it. And the people chose Ezra, and Ezra chose his work team, they were the Levites, who have many names. Don't give your kids those names.
And they say that that team was next to Ezra, and Ezra read and read it with such emphasis, he didn't preach it, he just read the book. I am preaching, but he was reading the book. And he says in that Chapter 8 that when he was reading the people were attentive and verse 8 says: "... and they read the book of the law of God, Ezra read it, and his team read it, they read it clearly and put the sense so that they understood the reading..."
In verse 5 it is beautiful because it says, "... Ezra, then, opened the book before the eyes of all the people because it was higher than the whole town, and when he opened it, the whole town was attentive...”
That man gave it meaning, gave it life, gave it passion, gave it such concern, it was that the people could assimilate it, could understand it, could comprehend it. Now, when you preach it, you use illustrations, you use examples, you are trying to convey that, let there be light from that message, from that word, so that it is never forgotten and penetrated. But he was just reading it and just reading the word of God what a transformation he did, what a transformation. And they mixed within all the people so that the people could understand.
I want to take you, as a second point, to see the results of what happened. And there are several results. Once the people heard the word of God, the first result is that it brought, that reading brought deep grief and repentance because it says here, in verse 9:
“... And Neemiah, the governor , and Ezra the priest, scribe, and the Levites who made the people understand, said to all the people: holy day is the Lord, our God, do not grieve or cry because all the people – say it with me, 'all the people cried hearing the words of the law.
The whole town began to cry when they heard that word. As would be the crying of hundreds of people. Jeremiah Chapter 23, verse 29 says:
“... Is not my word like fire, saith the Lord, or like a hammer that breaks a stone?...... Is not my word like fire, like hammer?
Look, you do not need to manipulate, Hebrews 4:12 says that ".....the word of God is alive and effective, it says that it is sharper than any two-edged sword, which penetrates until breaking the soul, the spirit, the joint, the marrow.... He is speaking of the deep,.... and discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart and there is nothing hidden that is not revealed before this powerful word of God....”
Many years ago when I taught Sunday school in my church, after the first service we had Sunday school, between one service and another, and I had the privilege of teaching in that school. Sunday. I never forget, we had a series of books that were wonderful, I still have them, I keep them because I studied at the Bible seminary, but I think those books were such a great treasure for me. The teaching was systematized and my pastor gave on a Sunday and I gave another Sunday but following the sequence. And one Sunday I had to teach about David's sin in the sequence that we were taking, about the adultery with Bathsheba, the consequences, all that, it was half an hour of class. I would last until one in the morning preparing my class. It was the greatest privilege to teach in Sunday school and there I would get everything ready, I would prepare everything, I told Meche, 'I am very domestic', and to the women yesterday, and I am a good cook and I like to add seasoning to food . Love cannot pass through food, nor Maggi broth. And that's how it is, preparing the messages, I look for everything that the Holy Spirit tells me to throw at him, to throw the spiritual albaca on him, I throw it on him. The only thing that I don't add to the messages is Maggi cube because that is already chemical, but everything spiritual and natural is.
And that God had given me a treasure in that teaching, and I see that a woman in the third row began to cry, and cry, and cry and until she fell from the chair in the third row and fell down. she bent down, I didn't see her anymore because she lasted from the middle of the teaching until the end, she was crying, and crying.... I finished the teaching, I prayed for the people and when I came down this woman came and threw herself at me and told me , 'I have to talk to you'.
And then we went into a little room and it was so beautiful and he said, 'I need to confess my sin.' And she said, '8 years ago I took away a woman's husband and from that union is my 5-year-old daughter, who is here in the church. I have been coming to church for 2 years, nobody knows. I love that man, we get along very well, but today I understood that this man does not belong to me. And today I want you to help me because the word was clear to me, what we called a coupling because it was not understood with the woman, now I clearly understood her that it is called adultery and today I have made a decision,' she said, 'and I need you to help me, because today I have to return the man that I stole. How do I do it?'
So on Monday I was in counseling all day with her. His repentance was genuine. "My daughter needs him, he is her father, I love him but he is not my husband and what God spoke to me is so clear, it was as if you were preaching everything to me." And in a month she returned her husband, he did not want to leave and she told him, "I don't know if you want to return to your wife's side, but to my side, I can't, you don't belong to me, I did a lot of damage." And she went and talked to the wife, asked for forgiveness.
I loved him, listen, I loved him. It took two years to forget it, but the word penetrated. Last Sunday I was preaching in my church and now she serves deeply in my church, she took that daughter forward, God blessed her, she prospered, she is more beautiful than ever and whenever she can hug me she tells me, 'I never forget the day that God confronted me with my sin,' and said 'that day I was set free.'
Beloved, the word has to produce brokenness and repentance in us because through the law is the knowledge of sin.
It also brought a deep adoration, look at verse 6, it says: “... then Ezra blessed Jehovah, the great God and all the people responded amen, and amen and lifting up their hands humbled themselves and worshiped, -say, they adored- Jehovah bowing to the ground...”
They adored God. The word was so clear that it produced an adoration. Now, beloved, that has to be produced by the word in us, not on Sundays, listen, not on the days that you have, not on Saturdays, it is part of what God is going to speak to us. Sunday is a day when as a congregation we all receive the word that our pastors have prepared, but listen carefully, every day the word has to speak to you and you don't have to say, 'tin marín de dos pengüe... oh cucara maca, puppet It was talk to me here... Wherever I put my finger, talk to me'.
No, there has to be a meditation, there has to be a search for God, not only in prayer but through the word of God, every day you have to meditate on this blessed word and that word has It has to bring brokenness, it has to bring repentance, it has to bring worship.
Beloved, if this word does not make us bristle, if this word does not make us cry, not the one preached, it is obvious, it is different, but I am saying that when you come to this book, if this word does not it is thus marked, pointed out, underlined, annotated, this word has to have an effect on us, this word has to stand out again. Today we hardly carry a Bible.
Wonderful technology, it's good that they put them on for us, but we don't wear them anymore because it's going to appear on the curtain. And I have said, I liked that they put only the quote that is mentioned, but that the people look for it, that the sound of the pages of the Bible be heard, that the shshshshssh be heard... because today you do not know, you start to find Malachi where Revelation is and John where Hosea is, and we need the people to handle the word of God, we need the people to have the word of God. And this should produce worship.
I don't know if it's happened to you, but sometimes I'm there reading and I start to cry. You know the flights, for us, the flights, traveling hours and hours on a plane, I like it. You know, it's my delight. When I have to travel 5 hours, 6 hours, 8 hours, 10 hours on a plane, I love it. Because? Because the only thing I do is, under my coffee table, I take out my Bible and I take out a notebook, a notebook and I just say, 'Lord, we have 8 hours, 5 hours, now my life speaks...'
I love it. You know, my best ones are born on airplanes because I don't have a concordance, I don't have comments, I don't have books, I don't have history but I have the Holy Spirit and I'm closer to heaven and his revelation comes powerfully over my life. And that is where it is born, this word has to burn in our hearts. This word, we must have bibliomania.
Tell the person next to you, 'You must become addicted to the word of God.' This book brought deep adoration but guess what? it also brought deep joy and gladness.
In verse 10 at the end he says "... do not be saddened because the joy of the Lord is your strength..." and verse 11 says, "...the Levites then silenced the all the people saying, 'be quiet because it's a holy day, don't be sad and all the people went to eat and drink and give away portions and enjoy great joy....”
Say, great joy, say, because they had understood the words they had been taught.
Oh, I never forget when I was first taught the word of God. They want to know? The person who started teaching me the word of God was an evangelical pastor who didn't have until fifth grade. I was the pastor of my town, but we were full of social and religious prejudices. I was not going to go to an evangelical church, but I was going to have a pastor at home and one afternoon he began to come and teach us the word. And I told him two afternoons, I told him, three afternoons, and that man who had not even attended a Bible seminar, but had the wisdom of God, that man sat down and taught us the word and taught it to us in a simple and The passion for this word was such that I embraced this word, my husband had not converted, but I did not leave this word, I put it in my bag, I carried it in my hand, wherever I went I carried my... I slept with the Bible and my husband was already jealous. And what are you doing with that book there all night? I don't know, but just the fact of having him close.
I want you to know that I have never forgotten my word. Twice in 32 years, twice I stayed at home, I never leave it, because I don't know what time I meet someone to share it. That word brought a deep joy, a deep joy and when you come to this word and read the promises of God, and God speaks to you, and the rhema of God comes into your life and in the greatest difficulty and in the greatest need, this word, when you meditate on it, it jumps to your heart and sometimes you start to laugh, because God is telling you that in the middle of your desert there is hope, that whatever happens, he will come, that he will do, he will change, he will play.
Do you know what Jeremiah says in Chapter 15, in verse 16? It says: ".... your words were found, and I ate them and your word was for joy and gladness of my heart because your name was called upon me, O Lord of hosts..."
He says that the words were for joy and joy and he says in Ezekiel, in Chapter 3 that God told him, 'Ezekiel, eat the scroll, take the scroll, put the scroll in your mouth.' Sir, the scroll and says he ate it and the words were sweet as honey.
Oh, the words were sweet as honey. And there is no surer way for God to speak to you. Stop walking around looking for prophesy. May God prophesy to send him and... but don't look for him. This is the most sure prophetic word, this is the most firm prophetic word, this is the prophetic word that the Lord is going to speak to your heart and it will produce deep joy and deep happiness.
And the fourth thing it produced was deep obedience. Verse 13 onwards says:
“...The next day the heads of the families of all the people, priests, Levites, Ezra the scribe, gathered together to understand the words of the law ...”
Look, they had addiction, it happened the next day and they wanted more, 'Ezra, we want more' and verse 14 says:
“... and they found written in the law that Jehovah had commanded by the hand of Moses that the children of Israel should dwell in tabernacles, in the solemn feast of the seventh month and that they should make known and proclaim through all the cities and through Jerusalem saying, 'Go out into the mountain and bring branches of wild olive, myrtle, palm trees and every leafy tree to make tabernacles as it is written. So the people went out, they brought branches, they made tabernacles, and that word brought a deep obedience..."
What God had determined came out and the people obeyed and the tabernacles feast was held again that since the time of Joshua it had not been practiced again. But there was something else tremendous obedience. Look at what Chapter 9 and verse 1 say:
“...And on the 24th day of the same month, the children of Israel gathered fasting with silicon and earth on themselves, -verse 2 - and the descendants of Israel had separated themselves from all foreigners....”
Obedience brought separation, beloved. It brought separation, when they heard they realized that they had mixed, that God had said do not marry, do not mix, do not unite with foreign women from the land of Canaan or the Babylonians, but they had mixed.
And the word, Ezra did not have to do anything, the Levites did not have to oblige, the word came and departed and separated and they themselves made the decision. There was perfect obedience, but there was something else, it brought a deep confession and identifying forgiveness.
Verse 2 says, after saying that they had already turned away, it says, “...and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers....”
Beloved, sin separates us from God but the word separates us from sin. And this was what had happened. And now they were there and he says, "... all the people had already separated and they began to confess, first their own sins..."
They confessed, there, publicly, they were not ashamed, they began to confess their sins. If you notice in this passage the priests and the Levites never said, 'you have to do this or that,' it was the very word that was cutting. And it says, they confessed their sins but they also made an identifying pardon, they asked forgiveness for the iniquities of their parents.
You see, you talk about sins and you talk about iniquities. Iniquities is what we have been bringing from generation to generation. They wanted to be clean, they wanted to be free. They knew that this was a defining moment and they asked forgiveness for the iniquities of their fathers.
Now they understood that God's judgment had been just, perhaps for years, 70 years of captivity they had said 'why did God have to take us out of Jerusalem, why did he have to allow the city to be destroyed? ?'. They never understood it, but now, that the law was being read, they understood it. They understood that God is just, they understood that God was too patient, they understood that they had strayed from God's ways, they understood that their past generations turned their backs on God, that they worshiped the Baals, that they still raised in the same house of God, many idols, understood everything and understood divine justice. And so they wept for their own sin and they wept for the sin of their ancestors.
And the conclusion of all this, beloved, is this, it says: “....and they stood in their place and read the book of the law of Jehovah, their God, the fourth part of the day and the fourth part confessed their sins and worshiped the Lord their God...”
It does not say the God of Israel, but their God. And if you continue reading, it was a very precious prayer that Ezra prayed and after this came a revival, a revival came.
Now, we want a revival. When we sang the beautiful song that God is going to send rain, he is talking about a revival, that he is going to come with a visitation, he is talking about a revival.
America needs a revival. America needs an evangelization. America needs a transformation. God has reserved Latinos for the last part of the end times. God is going to use the Latino people, with Islam, with Buddhism, with Hinduism. Our traits were designed for this time.
You look like a Moroccan, you look like an Arab. Yes, our features. And God has prepared us and other nations, but the Latino people if you look at Latin America, it is no longer a mission field. When I hear that others are going to open churches in Colombia, in Central America, I say, 'why are they going to build a church if we have so many churches?' Colombia is no longer a mission field. Colombia is a base for missions, Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, there is a very well established national leadership in each nation and God is bringing the first rains for Latin America, but the word of God is needed, every revival in the Bible is marked first as a rise from the word of God. A personal revival in my life has to be with a revival of the word of God.
Now, let me explain in closing, what a revival is. A revival is that we confuse.... I want a revival, I want spectacular falls under the anointing of the spirit...... I want miraculous healings, the dead resurrected, prophetic word emerging every day, and I want to tell you this: that is the addition of a revival. But a revival is characterized by repentance. A revival is the complete transformation of a church, of a city or of a nation where the rate of violence, of death ends, of homosexuality ends because God has come, not to visit, but to stay. Because the visit comes and goes. Azuza came and went but they didn't keep it.
But it is transformation, it is change. And this town began its revival. Someone said revival is to live again. It is something that was dry, dead and is given life again, and that is what the Holy Spirit does. Revival is a time of change, of humiliation, of transformation.
Charles Finney said, revival is a time of heartbreak, bowing to the dust in humiliation and abandonment of sin. That is revival.
And that revival is produced by this word, because let me tell you to finish, this word is going to produce many things in your life. This word heals you, this word restores you, this word revives you, this word edifies you, this word grounds you, this word gives you power, this word brings liberation. Hallelujah! This word lifts us up every day from oppression and depression. This word, he says, which is medicine, this word is water that cleanses and washes. This word is fire that consumes to the bone, this word is honey that makes your heart happy, this word is power. This word, and let me tell you what you want to hear, this word brings prosperity.
Not the prosperity you hear about today, not the false prosperity, say it and you have it tomorrow, kick it and you get it tomorrow. Not manipulated prosperity. When you enter the dimension of this word, this word will prosper all your ways, which was what the Lord told Joshua. Never, Joshua, let the word of the law depart from your heart. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, meditate on it every day because then you will make your path prosperous and all the things you undertake will turn out well for you.
“Blessed is the man who did not walk in evil counsel nor sit in the chair of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law he meditates day and night and all that will prosper."
And I want to tell you, I consider myself a prosperous woman. I don't have millions in the bank, I don't have the latest model cars, but if you want to know live and direct who is someone prosperous, it's me, it's Susan. We live happily with what God has given us. Do not conform because we believe and we have a God who takes us from glory to glory and from victory to victory, so when you live happily with this he takes you to another level and to another level.
And what I want to tell you is an integral prosperity, which begins in the spirit, which begins through this blessed and wonderful word because that is the key, seek first the Kingdom of God and his justice and everything else will be added to you. May God put fire for this word in our hearts this morning. May God revive us, may God produce hunger and thirst.
Stand up where you are, please, this word is the one that inspires new songs. This word is the one that gives new prophetic songs. This word alone prophesies, alone let me tell you this while you stand:
Young generation, stand where you are, I want to say to the young generation, they need to embrace this word. She will keep you from falling, from detours and from anything else and to us that we can transmit them not only by speaking it, but by living it. Raise your book, your word, take it in your right hand and say it there, Lord, I confess this afternoon that your word is power. I confess with all my heart that your word is life, that your word lifts up, builds, restores, restores, works miracles, works healings, that your word opens the way, your word opens the heavens, your word breaks my heart, your word touches my family and touch my nation. And today, Holy Spirit, I ask you that this word of love be fulfilled in my heart, today I embrace it with my two arms and place it in the center of my life, and I ask you, Lord, that you bring revival to me own life, produces hunger, Lord, and thirst for your word in my heart.
Give me the wisdom and give me the revelation and give me the anointing now. Give me your anointing, that every yoke in my mind, lacking in understanding, rot, that your anointing open my eyes to contemplate the wonders of your law and that scales fall from my eyes and your revelation be given to me, Lord, deeply as it was given the disciples of Emmaus.
Fill me with your word. Make me a channel of your word to love it, to live it, to teach it so that it produces correct conduct. Revive my life, Lord and revive my church in the blessed fire of your word. I thank you, Lord, in the name of Jesus. Amen. God bless you.
Brothers, you have just heard a founding sermon and it deserves to be heard more than once and in reality it is, I mean, foundational, fundamental because any revival that we want to receive or to which we want to aspire has to start with that foundation. The Lord has been speaking to me a lot about repentance and the consecration and sanctification of the people and that begins through this sermon. And I encourage you to find that sermon and listen to it again and I consider it a prophetic word that will reverberate for a long time on the walls of this sanctuary and in the hearts of our people.
So we are going to receive that in the name of Jesus and we are going to be a people of the word, brothers, because a people of the word is an invincible people, a people full of power, irresistible. Let us be a people of the word.
Our young people hope that every day they can come to love more and more and to know the word. Thank you, Father, we receive it, Lord, we humble ourselves before your word, O God, and we consider it, we consider this word, Lord, a prophetic word that you have sent for a time like this, Lord, and we receive it in our hearts. We will treasure her, Lord, and we will live for her with your help and with your blessing.
Bless our sisters who have given us so much on this day, Lord, Susan, to Igna and renew their strength, and bless this people, Father, who wants to serve you and help us to align ourselves more each day to that precious word, Lord, that you have entrusted to us in the name of Jesus. Amen and amen. Glory to the Lord. Amen and amen.
