Sermon Questions -May 3, 2026

Series: From Rubble to Revival

Speaker: Kevin DeRaaf

Title: Please! Please! Please! Read Us The Bible!

Passage: Nehemiah 8:1-1

 

1.  Reflect on the place of the Bible in your life.  If you grew up in a Christian family, did you have a special Bible in your home?  If you became a Christian later in life, at what moment did the Bible become special to you?

2.  In our electronic age, what are the benefits and/or disadvantages of reading and meditating on a physical Bible versus a digital Bible on our computer or phone?

3.  Read Nehemiah 8:1-12 (you can skip over the difficult names).  In verse 9, the people weep when they hear Genesis and Exodus being read to them.  What do you think is stirring their emotions?  What might cause you to become distraught in listening to or reading the Bible?

4.  In verse 10, Nehemiah encourages the people by declaring that “the joy of the Lord is your strength.”  How does making Scripture the centre of our lives become our strength?  How is this true for us as a Christian community?

5.  The rebuilding of Jerusalem and the spiritual revival of the people has created a bastion of order and hope in a land that is very much disordered and still in upheaval.  Let’s think about what this means for us:  With Jesus and His Word and Spirit forming and restoring us as a community, how does this speak to our mission in a broken and hurting world?   2 Corinthians 5:17-21 may give you some ideas here.

6.  How might the Spirit be prompting you to take a step further in engaging with God’s Word on a daily basis?  What commitment could you make for the coming week?  Share with each other.