Nehemiah 13

This is the last chapter of Nehemiah and the last sermon in this series. The purpose of the series was to answer this question: What does God want me to do with my life?

The first half of the book tells us God has work for us. We saw in those chapters that we will face obstacles when we do God’s work. We learned that prayer and preparation are important in doing God’s work.

In the second half of the book we saw that God wants us to assemble. God wants us to come together.

Nehemiah returned to his job in Persia. Later he came back to Jerusalem. He found that spiritual conditions had declined in his absence:

• The temple was defiled (Nehemiah 13:7-9). … A man, a non-believer even, moved into the temple. He was living there. Nehemiah threw him out and put the temple back i order. The people did not keep their commitment from chapter 10.

• Tithing was neglected (Nehemiah 13:10-13). … The temple was understaffed because the people were not tithing, which probably led to the man being able to live there. They neglected their commitments from earlier.

• The Sabbath was not observed (Nehemiah 13 15-21). … The people did not honor the Sabbath again, just as their ancestors, and against their commitments.

• Marriage was compromised (Nehemiah 13:23-26). … The people ignored God’s commands on marriage and their own commitments as they married foreigners, just as their ancestors.

What does this teach us about faithfulness in our lives?

1. Your spiritual life will tend to decline without continual attention. … The second law of thermodynamics is true materially and spiritually. Without maintenance, it will fall apart.

2. It is more difficult to restart your spiritual life than to continue it. … You can restart, but it’s hard. The law of inertia applies to our spiritual lives too, making it easier to keep momentum than to start or stop or restart.

3. Leaders can set the tone for your spiritual life in a group. … In this book we see that while Nehemiah is there, everything goes well. When he leaves though, it all falls apart until he returns.

4. We need the Gospel to enable us to be faithful (Romans 8:3-4). … Nehemiah 13 might be the last book, chronologically, in the Old Testament. The book of Malachi probably comes before Nehemiah’s first return to Jerusalem or just before his second return. Then, 400 years later, we get the New Testament, the Gospel. Nehemiah shows us our inability to keep the law on our own. We can’t keep the law good enough to earn our own way to Heaven. That’s where the Gospel comes in (Romans 8:1-4).

Like Nehemiah, Jesus has gone away, and He is coming back. He wants to find us faithful (Matthew 24:12-13, 45-46).

Nehemiah 11-12

Let’s review a little: Nehemiah used to be a cupbearer to the king of Persia. Persia was the controlling empire at the time and the capital was lavish. Nehemiah probably had it pretty nice. Then God calls him to help rebuild Jerusalem, a broken down city that requires months of work to rebuild just the walls. Nehemiah may have been tempted to return to the lavish life in Persia, but he found something special in Jerusalem. He found God’s presence and God’s work.

Big Idea: God is building churches made of of seemingly insignificant people who live ordinary lives, but change the world.

Point One: God uses ordinary people who surrender their control (Nehemiah 11:1-2). … At this point, Jerusalem is not safe. The rebuilt walls make it a fresh target. The people who live in the city don’t have as much as land in an agricultural society. Jerusalem offered very little to its inhabitants, but the people who volunteered to live there wanted to be part of what the city meant. This was the Holy City. This was where God’s presence was supposed to live on Earth. They made a sacrifice to live in the city. They sacrificed their control; the control of land and of safety.

Point Two: God uses ordinary people who surrender their eternity (Nehemiah 11:3-24). … The men who were to live in the city were men of courage and of valor and of faithfulness. They were men capable of protecting their family. They were men willing to make sacrifices for God. … We were made for joy. We get joy from worshipping and serving God, as these men did. … There are two lists of names for our final eternal destination. Do you know which list you are on? Are you going to have eternal joy in Heaven or eternal suffering in Hell? Here are a couple questions you can ask yourself:

1. Have you trusted in Jesus Christ to save you from your sin? … Have you been saved?

2. Are you a member of a local church? … Being involved with a local church may not be a requirement for salvation, but it is important for our growth as Christians.

Point Three: God uses ordinary people who surrender their resources (Nehemiah 12:44-47). … The people saw the importance of worship and were willing to invest in it. They gave of their farms and of their income so that the people could worship.

Nehemiah 9:38; 10:29-39

Lots of people are indecisive. They struggle to make decisions about life, and sometimes it’s just time to fish or cut bait. Decisions must be made. That’s where the Israelites are now in our study of Nehemiah. They have to decide  who they are. They chose to renew their covenant with God. … Today we take the Lord’s Supper as a renewal of our covenant as well.

Nehemiah 9:38; 10:27-28 … The Israelites did this publicly and unashamedly. They signed a binding agreement. This is not something to take lightly.

Basic Commitments (Nehemiah 10:29) … Their basic commitment was to follow the Word of the Lord. Here are basic commitments you can make today:

• I want to become a follower of Jesus and be baptized.

• I want to join First Baptist Church (or whichever church you attend).

• I renew my commitment to Jesus as Lord of my Life.

Separation/Holiness (Nehemiah 10:30) … The Israelites decided to separate themselves from the outside world in ways God commanded them long ago. Here are ways we can separate ourselves from our world today:

• If I marry, I will choose a person who shares my faith.

• I will not view anything that pleases God.

Rhythms of Worship (Nehemiah 10:31) … The Israelites decided to follow the patterns God specified in the Old Testament. Here are some patterns we can follow so we honor God consistently:

• I will gather with my church family for worship each week unless providentially hindered.

• I will join and attend a Connection Group (Sunday School class).

• I will participate in the Christian Development Program on Wednesday nights.

• I will seek to pray and read my Bible daily. I will do this with my fam`ily.

Stewardship (Nehemiah 10:32-39) … The Israelites once again decide to follow God’s law, even with their time and hard earned resources. Here are ways we can do this too:

• I will give a tenth of my income to God through the church.

• I will give to special offerings:

• Missions

• Finish the Race

• Other:

• I will give my time as a volunteer in a ministry in my church.

Maybe there is some other commitment you need to make. Whatever commitments you need to make, put it in writing and sign it. Make a binding agreement with God like the Israelites did.

Nehemiah 9

The Israelites gathered together, fasting, wearing sackcloth, and putting dust on their heads. They spent about three hours confessing their sins to God (Nehemiah 9:1-3). … The first gathering (on the 1st day of the month) was full of joy. Now they meet again on the 24th day of the month and mourn as they confess their sins.

Nehemiah 9:5-37 is a prayer of confession for their sins and the sins of their ancestors. … This is also a great review of the Old Testament. It is a confession of sin as they review their history. They praise God for what He has done even as they and their ancestors sinned.

Confession of sin involves these actions:

1. Evaluate your life … Look back on your life

2. Acknowledge your sin … It is important that admit you have sinned

3. Grieve … Be sorry for your sin

4. Ask for forgiveness … Ask God to cleanse your sins

5. Turn from sin … Repent, turn away from your old ways

Why do we believers need to confess our sins? If we are saved, aren’t we already forgiven? (John 13:8-10; 1 John 1:6, 9; 3:6). … Even though we have had our bath or shower to make us clean, we still have dirty feet, dirty hands. Your sin as a believer does not end your relationship with God, but it does hurt your fellowship with Him.

Are there sins you need to confess?

10 Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17; Deuteronomy 5:4-21)

• Have you made anything more important than God?

• Have you made anything into an idol?

• Does anything coming from your mouth dishonor God?

• Are you forgetting to take a day off work to honor God?

• Are you disrespectful towards parents?

• Have you taken a life? an unborn life? Do you harbor hate towards anyone?

• Have you stayed faithful to your spouse? Have you lusted after another?

• Are you robbing your employer, the government, or God?

• Do you lie to your parents, your spouse, or your anyone else?

• Do you covet after things other people have?

Thoughts (Colossians 3:5-11)

• How is your thought life? Is there malice, lewdness, or envy? Does it cause slander to come from your mouth?

• Are you prideful or self-righteous?

Spiritual Clothing (Colossians 3:12-17)

• Have you forgotten to put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, or patience?

• Is there anyone you haven’t forgiven?

• Have you put on love? Do you show love to those around you?

Nehemiah 8

We have reached a turning point in the book of Nehemiah. The wall has been built and we are only halfway through the book. Let’s look at how the halves of this book fit together.

These next three chapters have the building blocks of how we experience spiritual renewal. It’s important to come together and worship. There are different opportunities to do this at most churches. Our church has Sunday morning service/worship as well as Connection Groups (Sunday School) and Wednesday night discipleship classes.

Now let’s look at the first key to revival: The Word of God. Here are three correct responses to the Word of God.

1. Hear the Word of God eagerly (Nehemiah 8:1-6). … The people listened attentively from daybreak to noon. They were standing there, listening, for hours. … Ezra and other priests read from the scrolls for about 50,000 people for hours. The people stood in reverence for the Word of God for hours. They were eager to hear God’s Word.  

2. Receive the Word of God joyfully (Nehemiah 8:7-12; Philippians 4:4; 1 Peter 1:3-6). … The Levites were out among the crowd instructing the people about what they were hearing. The people realized their sins and started weeping. It is indeed sad when we realize our sins, but ultimately, we should take joy in the Word of God. Joy in our Lord is a strength for us. We need to know the Word and rejoice in it. … If you can internalize and take joy in the Word, in who you are in Christ, a son or daughter of the King, it can protect you from discouragement and depression.

3. Obey the Word of God promptly (Nehemiah 8:13-18; Deuteronomy 31:10-12). … The day after the public reading, the heads of families came together and seeked to follow God’s Word and laws. They discovered that during this feast, they were to live in temporary housing. So the word was spread and the people built their tabernacles/tents and obeyed the Word of God.

Nehemiah 6

For the third chapter in a row, we see opposition to the wall being rebuilt. Let us reiterate that Nehemiah was following God’s will and still faced opposition. Just because we face opposition does not mean we are out of God’s will. Following God’s will could even get you killed.

1. The devil will attempt to sidetrack you from what God wants to do (Nehemiah 6:1-2). … One of the strategies the devil uses is to get us off track. At this point in the project, the wall itself is done, but the gates still need to be finished. This was Sanballat’s last chance to stop the project, so he invited Nehemiah to a meeting with the intent of harming him.
   

   - Stay Focused on your mission by learning to say no (Nehemiah 6:3-4).  … You have to say no to some things so you can say yes to God. Nehemiah declined the invitation so he could continue the work.
   - Pray for strength (Nehemiah 6:8-9). … Nehemiah prays in light of this intimidation for strength. His prayer is short and to the point. At our church we call these roman candle payers. You can pray anywhere at any time.
   - Know the Truth (Nehemiah 6:11-13). … Nehemiah was able to thwart this strategy because he knew God’s law. He knew the Truth. (This is a great place for “Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns.)

2. The devil will spread fake news to intimidate you (Nehemiah 6:5-7). … Sanballat spread rumors by sending an unsealed letter. He knew people would read an unsealed letter and spread the rumors. … The devil still uses this strategy today. For example, this article titled “The Bible Got It Wrong: Ancient Canaanites survived …” Yes, the Israelites were told to wipe out the Canaanites, but the Bible reports that they failed to do so repeatedly. The headline should read “The Bible Proved Right”
   

3. The devil will send people to offer bad advice to entice you to sin (Nehemiah 6:10). … Sanballat sent a false prophet to give Nehemiah bad advice and tried to cause him to sin by going into the temple even though he wasn’t a priest.
   

The responses of Nehemiah might be summed up in the word shrewdness (Matthew 10:16). … Nehemiah acted shrewdly, just as Jesus tells us to do later in the New Testament.

When the Antichrist comes, these are three strategies he will use, and here are three passages that show this:

• Rev 1613-14 … The frogs represent words as the Antichrist, Devil, and a false prophet speak lies.

• 2 Thess 2:9-12 … The Antichrist’s message is a lie.

• Daniel 11:32 … He will use flattery to corrupt those who do not know the Truth.

Clearly one of the most important weapons we have against the Devil is the Truth we find in God’s Word.

Conclusion:

The work and will of God will succeed (Nehemiah 6:15-16). … The wall was completed in 52 days. They started in August and finished in October. Despite the opposition they faced, it only took 52 days to rebuild the entire wall around Jerusalem. Their enemies were afraid because they realized it was completed with the help of the God of Israel.

Nehemiah 5

Nehemiah faces another major problem that takes his attention away from building the wall. He has to deal with an economic crisis. … Nehemiah was following God’s Will and still faced problems. A lack of problems does not mean you in God’s Will and having problems does not mean you are out of God’s Will.

There were three reasons for the economic problem.  

1. Heavy taxation by Persian empire

2. Famine

3. Rebuilding effort has taken people away from the harvest

The Problem (Nehemiah 5:1-5). … The people were exploiting each other. The ones who had food charged outrageous prices and those who had to buy food were being forced into debt, even into selling their sons and daughters. They also had to pay high taxes to the Persian empire.

Nehemiah’s Action (Nehemiah 5:6-11). … Nehemiah is “very angry”. Here, the same Hebrew word is used as where we saw when Sanballat was “very angry”. Sanballat had unrighteous, self-centered anger. Nehemiah has a righteous anger focused on helping others. Nehemiah spoke with the officials and nobles, accusing them. They were charging interest to their own people. He challenged them to stop charging interest and to give back what they had taken.

The People’s Response (Nehemiah 5:12-13). … The people agreed with Nehemiah and returned the money, the fields, and the slaves.

Nehemiah’s Economic Policy (Nehemiah 5:14-16). … Nehemiah was appointed governor and laxed the demands previous governors had instated. He did not demand food or money. Instead he shared what he had with his people.

What is God saying to you through this passage? How are you being led to oppose injustice and help the poor? … If God cares, so should we. God cares about the needy, the hungry, the homeless, the poor. We should also care about them and reach out to help them. … In our area, much of this population is poor due to poor choices or laziness, but that does not excuse us from having compassion on people who are poor. … There is an abundance of opportunities to help locally, nationally, and globally. Our church has ministries that server all three. … Why should we do this instead of spending the time and money on ourselves though? Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 8:9 that it is because of the grace of God. By the grace of God, Jesus became poor, and through His poverty, made us rich.

Nehemiah 4

When you follow Jesus or join in God’s work, there will be opposition.

1. Expect opposition from the world. … The “world” here is everyone not part of God’s people. That could include people in your family. … Sanballat opposes the wall because it affects his power. But this was also
   

   This opposition comes in two forms:

1. Ridicule (Nehemiah 4:1-3). … Even today Christians are mocked. Some in the world encourage others to ridicule Christians (see Richard Dawkins). How should we respond to this ridicule? Do we respond with more ridicule and angry? No, we should respond with respect and with love. We should turn to God instead of taking vengeance on our own. Look at how Nehemiah responds. He prays for God to take care of it (Nehemiah 4:4-5). Nehemiah prays for justice. In the New Testament Jesus tells us to pray for mercy and forgiveness. That is not incompatible with Nehemiah’s prayer though.

2. Attacks (Nehemiah 4:7-8). … When the ridicule failed and the wall continued to go up, the enemies prepared to attack. How did Nehemiah and friends respond? They prayed to God and posted a guard (Nehemiah 4:9). This is the perfect marriage of prayer and practicality. They pray and also prepare themselves. There is no conflict between prayer and practical action.

2. Expect opposition from within the community of God’s people (Nehemiah 4:10-12). … The people working to rebuild the wall started complaining about the rubble. The rubble there was from when the Babylonians tore down the original wall. This rubble made it more difficult to put up the new wall because it had to be moved so they could work. Rebuilding is harder than building because of the rubble from past troubles. The rubble must be cleared, or even used, to rebuild. … Sometimes the enemy sows false disciples amongst true believers and uses them to discourage believers. Other times believers simply disagree or are mistaken in their action. … Nehemiah and the people stop building when it looks like attack is imminent. Let’s see what happened next.

Nehemiah told the people to fight (Nehemiah 4:14), and he said God would fight for them (Nehemiah 4:20). … There was no attack at that point. From then on half of the people worked on rebuilding the wall and the other half stood guard with spear and shield. … We are to fight and also that God will fight for us. We see here again the the pairing of practical action and faith. We do our best to fight our battles, but we also pray for strength to do so and we know God is right there with us, fighting by our side.

Nehemiah 3:1-32

Nehemiah chapter 3 is all about work -- how individuals pitched in and did work together.

The people are rebuilding the gates of the wall. The gates were the critical entry and exit points to the city, and the places most likely to see an enemy to attack. Therefore, the work strategically started at each gate and worked out from there.

… The first ones to jump in and help were the priests. That would be pastors today. This is a great example of servant leadership. They weren’t the only ones helping though, others also helped rebuild the wall. … Even people from Tekoa, a place outside the city, helped rebuild. They were not going to get the same protection from the wall as those who live there, but they knew their temple was there and wanted to help. But not everyone from Tekoa helped; their nobles stayed behind. Matthew 20:25-26 shows us how leaders should act though; it tells us to be servant leaders.

The most important gift you have is your availability to serve the Lord.

… The people rebuilding the wall worked on sections near their own homes and far away from their homes. This is an example of how we must do God’s work both locally and far away. … In Nehemiah 3:11 we see Malkijah working on the wall, serving God. He is also mentioned in Ezra 10 when Ezra confronts him for marrying a non-Jew. Now he is rebuilding the wall. Don’t let past mistakes keep you from serving God. … Nehemiah 3:12 shows a family working to help rebuild the wall. It is good to serve God with your family. … The end of Nehemiah 3:30 shows us a man with a single room apartment (the Hebrew word for “living quarters” means the equivalent of “one room apartment”) work on the wall. Everyone can serve.

Two observations:

• The church has to work together to accomplish God’s mission. … This wall was continuous and so is the Great Commission. We have an ongoing job to reach the lost. Every day, babies are born and they grow up and need to know about Christ.

• The family plays a crucial role in God’s mission. … Serving God with your family gives a pattern for your family to follow.

[This next part is specific to my home church, but feel free to read it.]

So how does Serve Coffee County work?

We have organized five service opportunities in our community:

1. College Street Elementary

2. Life Choices Pregnancy Center

3. North Coffee Elementary

4. Westwood Elementary

5. Student Ministry Space Renovation

At each of these locations, there are project coordinators who are leading the work being done.

We have all of the details in place -- we just need people to help us serve

That’s where you can help!

To be a part of Serve Coffee County, you can sign-up through a website: http://servecoffeecounty.com

All you have to do to sign-up is:

1. Fill out the registration information

2. Select the location(s_ and time(s) you would like to serve

3. Each location has different dates and times for work days

4. Select t-shirt size

5. Hit submit

After you complete registration-- You will receive a confirmation email and you will be added to the rosters of each location you registered for.

Your project coordinator will contact you before the scheduled workdays to remind and prepare you for anything you need to bring.

Jeremiah 2

God wants us to join in His work. The word “work“ appears 17 times in the first 7 chapters. In John 4:34 Jesus says He is to finish the work of the One who sent Him.

How do I pursue God’s mission for my life?

1. Be willing to wait (Nehemiah 2:1). … The month of Nisan (not Nissan) corresponds to April. It took Nehemiah four months before he could ask the king for permission to go rebuild the walls. Galatians 4:4 says when the time was right, God sent His Son. … God works on His own timing, not ours. …

2. Face your fears (Nehemiah 2:2-3). … Nehemiah appears sad in front of the king. The king asked why Nehemiah was sad. Nehemiah was sad because Jerusalem was in ruins. He was also extremely fearful because the king had ultimate power and if someone made the king sad, he could have that person killed. Nehemiah was afraid he would make the king sad because he himself was sad, and also because he was to ask the king to reverse a decree he made about twenty years ago.

3. Pray for guidance (Nehemiah 2:4-5). … Nehemiah prayed between the time the king asked the question and Nehemiah answered. My pastor calls this type of prayer “roman candle prayers” because they are quick prayers sent up to God.

4. Trust God to provide for your needs (Nehemiah 2:6-9). … God provided resources and protection for Nehemiah through the king’s influence.

5. Count the cost (Nehemiah 2:11-16). … Nehemiah examined the walls and gates. He could not make it all the way around the city though because some of the rubble blocked his way. He wanted to know how much it would cost to rebuild the wall. … Luke 14:25-30 tells us there is a cost to following Christ. Following Christ is not a casual endeavor; it requires full effort.

6. Network (Nehemiah 2:17-18). … Nehemiah finally tells others his vision and gets them to help. He examined the cost on his own, but he does the work with others.

7. Expect opposition (Nehemiah 2:19). … They faced opposition from the powers all around them. The opposers tried to twist Nehemiah’s motives and ridiculed and mocked him  and those helping him … Archaeologists have recovered other documents that confirms the names of the governors and kings mentioned in this verse.

8. Be confident the purposes of God will succeed (Nehemiah 2:20). … Nehemiah has great confidence in the purposes God called him to do. He knew everything on this world is ultimately temporary. There are three things that will last forever: God, the Word of God, and the Son of God. Build your life on those three things.