A Dozen Years & Still Repenting: Progress thru Backslidings on the Road to Zion
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A Dozen Years in & Still Repenting
Progress Through the Set Backs on the Road to Zion!
Picture Time Square, glitz and glitter neon signs advertising everything, highest culture, nicest shops. Everything is on display, success, riches promoted - Down Town New York seems to be USA at its finest!
Now picture the Cross, intense pain, deep words - Father forgive - today in paradise, Mother here is your son. In to Your hands I commit my spirit. Speak of something so differnt than worldly Time Square Success
When I began my ministry here, re-read a book - Western NA church addicted to Times Square view of success numbers, programs, buy cd’s and sermon series. Like a Hollywood ending to Xn life - your best life now - always chasing silverbullet - make the church just so!
And the temptation after reading 52 day rebuilding of physical walls, and yearlong rebuilding of the people of God as a new community of faith, is that we just repent once, get on that spiritual mountaintop - voila - success- And last week we could have sighed - wow dedication - choirs - whole city - covenant renewed - reformed and genuine worship, revival - palpable sense of God - not just in temple, but in homes, marriages, thorough going repentance, confession, renewal; economically, teaching God’s Word, care of the poor!
But Nehemiah didn’t end his account with this romantic view of revival- why not?
What’s the problem with the Times Square view of success? It’s not reality. Abraham falls into deception, Moses loses his cool, David murder and adultery, Solomon such wisdom, peace - so quickly loses all those blessing and all most his faith - IN the NT no different - Acts describes how Demas one day was standing side by side with Luke supporting gospel ministry, but ends the book, and not a year later we read - Demas deserted me because he loves the world! Picture yourself getting into a time machine coming back to this church a year, 10y, 25y from now - surprised anyone missing here; any practices in worship; imagine someone from 30 years ago - a grandparent entering into your house - any surprises in what you do don’t do -
My point is that most of the Christian life isn’t lived in years of unmitigated revival and growth; in fact we are to expect that when God does a work of the Holy Spirit iin us, in a generation - and starts work of reformation of peoples homes and lives - that Satan will be at work behind the scenes either subtely or openly - dooing a work of deformation - trying to make the revival run-out of steam - make it legalism or hypocritical - very rarely, and never without challenge does a work of the Spirit last 2 , 3 generations in church history!
And personally, we’re promised that there will be times of testing when many fall away in apostasy. PS 11 Council; book of Numbers; Change CHART This is the reality of what happened in 12 short years when Nehemiah had returned to Susa to work in the Persian government but then returned. And he includes this last chapter - as the enduring chapter - we commit to revival - but we must know how to continue that revival over the long haul - the flashes in the pan - not enough to sustain long-term renewal in our lives, our homes, in our children grandchildren, in our church, culture - Nehemiah now teaches how. So much of Paul’s message to churches = continue in the faith!
In the midst of spiritual setbacks, we continue long-term renewal, by genuine repentance!
1. Before the time of setbacks begin, you must arm yourself with the knowledge of God’s restoring grace!
This is the message of vv.1-3 that Nehemiah armed God’s people with before the 12 years of spiritual decline.
Nehemiah comments:
for they did not meet the people of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them—yet our God turned the curse into a blessing.
And he derives this from the curse that that Ammonites and Moabites were bring on God’s people before entering the promised land!
The Ammonites and Moabites that caused Israel set backs and stumbling back, and they would again very soon in Nehemiah’s day. They would become why the Israelites fall out of touch with the Lord! And Nehemiah reminds them that even then God can turn the curse into a blessing through those hard dry times!
You remember the Ammonites? Israel done the 40 years, about to enter the promised land - God gives them opportunity to show kindness - let them buy food in their market palces for the essential of life. Make a firm promise not to camp in their fields and keep to the highways! Remember how the Ammonites responded - like Pharisees who didn’t welcome Jesus into their homes, like cleansed lepers that didn’t say thank you - they in Mid E fashion cursed not -blessed them - didn’t give the glass of water - withheld compassion & hospitality. Neighbouring Amorites did the same! Sin of omission. Now what is the connection with days of Nehemiah? Who is the Ammonite: Tobiah - organized a plot and even armies to stop rebuilding, And in these times when Nehemiah has returned - they are warned that unbelievers - those that despise the grace of the LORD - who offers mercy - can’t pretend they’re all right - pretend they’re believers like the rest of us -
But do you remember the Moabites? Remember they hired Balaam to curse Israel - remember how he brought young Moabitess women into the camp - got Israel’s men to break covenant to indulge in partying sexual revelry - stumble sin , and curse upon them! But God was able to turn that curse into blessing -to restore them! Nehemiah arms them with this example of the cruses and treacherous dangers of forgetting who they are - before he leaves! In ch 6 Shemiah one of Tobiah’s friends a Moabite hired to intimidate Nehemiah can get him to stop the work of the Lord! Very real threats that Israel and you and I are to expect to doing life God’s way!
I.e Mannasah
I wonder if you have armed yourself with similar examples of the dangers of the Christian life. Reflected on Peter’s life, Satan wants to sift him, fell into temptation and denied, how the greatest church of John’s day Ephesus by the end of John’s life - had fallen to losing first love - and where in danger of being snuffed out! Ever take a sober look and say that could be me? In your own lifetime do you know any who one moment seemed to be on fire for the Lord - but now in backsliding, even more tragic apostasy! Hear these stories and be reminded of the obedience to God, and the grace that can keep us even if he should stumble and fall!
We are to recognize says Eph 6 that the day of evil will come for us to, and we must be ready to stand in it; and even if we fall and stumble to get back up - and tell Satan even worse than you know - but I turn again to Jesus!
But look now in v.4-11 how the backsliding occurs in our lives individually and as a community of faith!
2. When we recognize a time of backsliding, you must quickly name its causes!
This is what we see Nehemiah doing upon returning from Susa. Now its obvious they had gradually - by shades, slippery slope - so many little decisions where do you begin. And it’s obvious that 12 years later where they ended up was a point of huge backsliding: “neglected the house of the Lord” very word, forsaken, they had sealed a covenant not to do.
So I confronted the officials and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” And I gathered them together and set them in their stations.
They had promised each one of them to provide so Levites, singers, gate keepers, authentic worship, Wrod of God taught like it had in days fo revival, They had promised that faith life be in their marriages and homes -
Tobiah’s room - symbol of replacing worship of living God with pleasing people; like Romans putting statue of their idol in place of invisible true God! -
prepared for Tobiah a large chamber where they had previously put the grain offering, the frankincense, the vessels, and the tithes of grain, wine, and oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests.
now pagan women as wives later see father not even teaching them Jewish language let alone way of the LORD. It didn’t matter to them, they had married up for business connections among the nations - and let relationship with the Lord completely go by the way side as a household! But Nehemiah - does list all the decisions, nor the depressing state they ended up in! No, he like a master diagnostician quickly and decisively discerns the problem from which the spiritual backsliding gave birth to all the other sins!
- ie. X on machine , knowing where to place it – Isaiah; IE PRIDE OF FINISHING, But take the shoe put it on
Scorn for God’s word in the leadership of His people. We have a priest put in charge of those storerooms after Nehemiah left; kind of like Nehemiah bit overboard, need a little more tolerance! And what does this Eliashib do? Closely assoicated, - by marriage and probably for financial benefit - lets Tobiah be allied with him and his family! Like in Ruth - associate! And look at v.5 actually clears out the room - where the offering, the temple articles tithes are all kept - Before that worship, priests, Levities singers, all that they used in worship - well supplied! And he in friendly gesture says - Ammonite can come on in - don’t need all this stuff for the teaching of God’s word, care of the poor, the authentic singing in worship! Get rid of all this, and who does he bring right into the heart of the temple to live?
But the enemy of the faith and the work of revival Tobiah the Ammonite! Ie Jordan Peterson on secular realm spade a spade; ID people, policies, institutions harmful; NEED that in Christian Circles. World divdied good guys/bad guys for kids; realize all of us fallen, gospel to all, ie Servetus! But courage to call bad bad, evil evil….Not write people off \but confront ideas!
It was this disdain for God’s word by the leadership specific word that Nehemiah left pointing to that was the source of it all. May think intolerant, no foreigner - but see that its not so much about ethnic identity - but spiritually whom and what did they ally themselves with! A Moabite obviously brought into the assembly of God’s people even ancestor of King David and the Messiah; but with true conversion, claiming the LORD and His people! That was not Tobiah!
But look at all the sin that issued from that first sin.
I also found out that the portions of the Levites had not been given to them, so that the Levites and the singers, who did the work, had fled each to his field.
The Levites no longer provided for - either because no room or value put on offering Word of God, Eliashib’s example tot he community saying - getting ahead, comfortable lifestyle - blending in with the worldly success much more important than covenant obedience, worship, rebuilding society as kingdom of God!
The church is to be like a ship in the sea. It can only mean disaster when the sea gets into the ship! We are to be in the world, associate with people, work with them, neighbour them, even befriend them, overflow with goodness; That’s to be in the world - to sail on the sea! But what happens when the sea gets into the ship - disaster! Happens on a sailboat - little pump, happened on tall ships -whaling ships - bilge bumps!
Impossible to live in this world and not have sinful desires seep in - happens if the church really living on the edge of ministry in real peoples lives! From time to time pump out those things! Other times have to batton down the hatches - or the vessel will be swamped! Packer says: When God’s people stop being on watch agsinst teh world, they are aleady in its grip, and continuing weakening is all that can be expected as long as this negligence lasts. Meantime the worldly mindedness this brings will lead to broken vows and broken lives, as history makes clear!
And look at the spin off of that sin, neglecting the ministry of the Word, people for twelve years hardly hearing the Word explained and applied. SO what happens Levites say I may be called to this - but I can’t support my family. And so they return to the fields. The wholehearted singing - daily, weekly worship - mark the feasts - generation growing up not worshipping, other who did sliding away! Eliashib had taken over leadership of a people dedicated to the Lord, but by his example he led them to give up spiritual priorities to pursue worldly ones, and therefore led them to become spiritual indifferent, lazy! He became so familiar with holy things, contempt. His life said: I chose personal gain over obedience to the Lord and soon others followed suit! One pastorate change a congregation, a pastor with no growth, … Pray Brantford CRC 3 great pastorates in a row!
Do you get the spiritual lesson: sin is never an isolated phenomena: it spawns other sins in ourselves and in others! Neglecting to do good, to give - failing to show kindness, outburst of evil word - often repeated in other conversations, cause others to sin; We need to trace our backsliding to root causes! Quickly name them so that we can then like Nehemiah quickly and strongly repent!
But what should we do when we fall away, when we stumble in sin, drift from the Lord and His ways in our life? What is the action required once we’ve identified how we’ve backslid from the Lord!
3. Once the Lord reveals the cause of backsliding, speedily remove the bad!
Congregation that is true repentance: it wasn’t moment you first believed, nor the time covenanted back to the Lord in your profession of faith. Or like these Israelites had that time of renewal at retreat! Genuine repentance is this ongoing - sorrow for all sin, and this ongoing continual turning to the LORD to find the new and good way!
Look how decisive Nehemiah’s actions are almost like lived out parable of repentance. Eliashib’s taking the enemy and rotting influence of Tobiah in the heart of the Temple - defiling the holy place was a public action; and it required public and immediate, indeed drastic repentance.
Often when God points out a pattern of sin in our lives, we delay say tomorrow or next time I deal with that, under lot of stress, to busy, too lazy right now, Or we have a time of reflection - prolong it rationalize. But delay is dangerous. Lack of firm resolution may be morally and spiritually deadly to you! When the Lord lays something like this on your heart, Spirit often does, not a time for thinking but acting!
PM Harper admited, Justin Truedue with Mr Butts, Donald Trump … took to long to do with corrupt aides. Look what Nehemiah does
And I was very angry, and I threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the chamber. Then I gave orders, and they cleansed the chambers, and I brought back there the vessels of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense.
Then I gave orders, and they cleansed the chambers, and I brought back there the vessels of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense.
With great emotion he goes in physically throws all the household goods of Tobiah on the door step. Have you ever done this in your life - been stealing at work , may need to get another job; tempted in TV or computer watching need to get rid of doing those activities alone; have friends doing drugs, or just living for money - indulgence you - may need to develop new friendships;
case of adultery - to cut off all contact and ties with that other person; Are you led into lying, gossip, complaining - need to trace back what triggers and put that off!
There are times when instead of being godly influence, we need to remove ungodly influences in our lives! Lord Jesus Christ said this will be costly obedience may need to return to again and again: if your eyes causes you to sin, if hand - better to… than …
When we have a deep care for God’s glory and the growth upbuilding of his people, our revulsion of sin and evil grows! Yes, we like our Saviour will love sinners like ourselves, before and after they come to Jesus. But like Jesus in the temple - we are jealous for the wellbeing of God’s people including ourselves, and will do what it takes to speedily remove the bad from our lives! Jesus says every branch that bears fruit, I prune so that it will be even more fruitful. He says every child I love, I discipline!
4. Once the Lord reveals the cause of backsliding, speedily remove the bad and restore the good!
But this is only the first half of true repentance isn’t it; in some ways at least for a time its the easier half. It’s all some people do, and its why the end up falling again and again with no progress and then just give up! Its like Jesus said, cast out one demon, clean up the house and seven more come! No, something needs to be put in the place of that sin, or wickedness will eventually fill that vacuum!
So what’s the essential 2nd half of true repentance? putting on the new man. What we’re talking about is discipline. Think of formal church discipline, but reason see so little of that is because we think discipline is reserved for a few bad cases. But discipline the basic idea is training, taking a child and growing them to become mature adults. Learning through education. Correcting only comes when errors pop up; but the basic direction is positive and ongoing - something every Christian be receiving from Jesus and each other!
So Nehemiah clears out the defiling objects from the temple of Israel’s life, and the purifies those rooms, dedicates them, fills them with the equipment for serving God. In the place of merely living for materialism without God, he gets the people energized to give to the work of the Lord, regular, dedicated, first fruits kind of way! He like any good coach who corrects bad habit, goes on to show this is the way its done. Some Xns are only good at detecting evil; hound dogs sniff it out, smugly- need to be Xns even more conerned about creatively figuring out the good God’s calling us to do; the new habits, new ventures!
While it’s true that without expelling, evicting evil like Tobiah, good cannot prosper in our lives.
But without the cultivation of the new good ways, the evil will just return!
So Nehemiah finds trustworthy leaders in v.13 Pedaiah and Hanan.
And I appointed as treasurers over the storehouses Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites, and as their assistant Hanan the son of Zaccur, son of Mattaniah, for they were considered reliable, and their duty was to distribute to their brothers.
I wonder if you have set up the Pedaiah’s and Hanan in the rooms of your life, in your daily routines. The friendship that keep you in the way of the Lord, the space and place to keep devotions, the gatekeepers of your practises with TV internet use, accountability with your money and free time! Have any mature Christian modelling the good you can be doing in your life right now! That’s what Nehemiah sets up!
Dear Congrgation: You are the temple of the HOly Spirit that has been cleansed by Jesus. You are the re-built tabernacle of David, through which God’s presence and light and love is to be dispersed into every corner of your life! The Lord’s Presence is not just your own body, buy this spiritual community
We need this discipline - mutual correction, encouragement, teaching among us. Tell me what happens to Israel without Nehemiah? What happens to this world without a Jesus cleaning up the temples of our lives? Think for a minute what happens to a family that neglects the discipline of children? Both spoiled kids, but jeopardize their future by making them immature, willful adults! Won’t it also be the case if we don’t get involved in each others lives in the work of discipleship? We’ll have wilful, immature Xns, and we’ll jeopardize the next generation of God’s people here! Mark these words: the well being of tomorrow’s church is linked with the discipline, the discipleship in the church and in our homes today!
And that brings us to the hope for today and tomorrow. Look at how our text ends:
Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for his service.
One of four Remember prayers in the middle of trying to work a deep ongoing repentance among God’s people! Ask ourselves do we pray for repentance, encourage. Do we dare pray - God look I am repenting, I am turning to Jesus. And now like you did in the days when the curse of Balaam was about to destroy us - now God this generation, these people - this reform now - Bless!
One of four Remember prayers in the middle of trying to work a deep ongoing repentance among God’s people! Ask ourselves do we pray for repentance, encourage. Do we dare pray - God look I am repenting, I am turning to Jesus. And now like you did in the days when the curse of Balaam was about to destroy us - now God this generation, these people - this reform now - Bless!
In the midst of spiritual setbacks, we continue long-term renewal, by genuine repentance!
Meet people beat themselves up, believe Satan’s accusing -sins of youth, children walk away never accepted by Holy God, Many reasons why - if God lays burden did something wrong,confess, ask forgiveness - can say to Satan yes and so much more, but more important than how bad or good you weere - is this ability to fall and get back up - get back into the race!
Congregation, we are on the road to Zion, its a new way that leads to life. The few that find it never die. Past mountain peaks graced white with snow. The way does grow brighter as you go. There is a river runs beside the road, it’s waters living as they flow. Thirsty pilgrims fall they can drink from this river.
But sometimes a shadow dark and cold lays like a mist across the road - can’t see foot steps, stumble. But be encouraged where there’s a shadow there’s a light! It’s these points must remember that Xn life - not lived on mountain tops alone, but for our good and our growth - long hard obedience in the right direction!
Sometimes it’s good to look back down, we’ve come so far we’ve gained such ground. But joy is not in where we’re been, Joy is Who’s waiting in the end!