Finish Well!
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
My dear friend and running buddy, John Hays and I had a goal to run six miles yesterday. We left Allendale Park at 7am, and by God’s grace we made our goal. However, there is more to the story.
John has been more diligent during the week than I have in running. So, He is in much better condition than I am.
By the last three miles, I started to fade. In fact, I needed to walk at one point. I told John to go ahead, but he stayed back and walked with me for a bit and then said, “See that Iight poll up there, we are going to start running again. We will start with a shuffle step and then we will get back up to speed.”
John was a purposed encourager who kept talking to keep my mind off run, he kept letting me know that we didn’t have much farther to go.
And because of his consistent accountability and encouragement, we made our goal of six miles!
John helped me to finish well.
That’s what we do for each other in the Christian life as well. We help one another finish well.
I believe that was the goal of our friend, Nehemiah! He wanted his people, the Jews, to finish well.
Nehemiah isn’t just about building a wall - and if that’s all we get from this letter, we’ve missed the point. Yes, Nehemiah wanted to get the wall rebuild to protect the temple and the people of God. But there is so much more to this story than that!
Nehemiah wanted to build into the lives of His people for the glory of God!
Significance: Building a Wall is Easier than Building People
Main Idea: Building People is God’s Priority
Preview: The simple fact of this chapter proves the point that even though there was a completion date for the wall, there isn’t a completion date for people, at least in this life. It is a constant challenge to help people grow in Christlikeness.
And remember, God is the builder, we are simply the obedient servants who are allowed and privileged to be a part of the process.
And Nehemiah was a fantastic example of a faithful and obedient servant who desired to see God’s people be built up in the Faith!
Transition into First Point: So, how does God do it? How does He build up His people in this particular passage? Four ways. Plus, I want you to notice that each way is undergirded with Nehemiah’s powerful prayers.
1. God Builds His People Through His Word (vs.1-3)
Lead in…God, by the WORD of His mouth created this universe - And by the WORD of His mouth created His people - And by the WORD of His mouth continues to mold His people into His image.
1 On that day they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people. And in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God, 2 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. 3 As soon as the people heard the law, they separated from Israel all those of foreign descent.
What day? The day Nehemiah was back in charge.
What text?
3 “No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation, none of them may enter the assembly of the Lord forever, 4 because they did not meet you with bread and with water on the way, when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you. 5 But the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam; instead the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loved you. 6 You shall not seek their peace or their prosperity all your days forever.
Why the Ammonites and Moabites?
Descendants from Lot through the incestuous situation with his daughters.
Both refused to help Israel and in fact hired Balaam the prophet to call cursed down on Israel. But God was determined to bless Israel....
1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
By the way, even though the Deut 23:3-6 sounds absolute, God is merciful.
13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
For example, we know of a Moabite woman named Ruth who separated herself from the idolatrous ways of her people and purposely followed Yahweh, the God of Naomi!
16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.
And God welcomed her into His fold because she turned from her sin and devoted herself to God! He still does this today...
The Ammonites and Moabites who refused to repent and follow Yahweh would be excluded from God’s fellowship because they were idolators
They have already been confronted about this in Ezra 9-10. Now some thirty years later Nehemiah is addressing this same problem again. A problem the people promised to avoid in Nehemiah 10!
And so the Governor is back in town after a brief hiatus (vs. 6) and needs to set things right once again. And the first place he starts is with reading the Word of God to the people of God.
And the powerful Word had a powerful effect.
3 As soon as the people heard the law, they separated from Israel all those of foreign descent.
In other words, they responded to the Word of God and started making changes!
This is what the word does for the believer. “It is powerful and active!” It brings conviction to the heart of the believer...
“We don’t change God’s message, God’s message changes us!”
I remember the first time I read 1 Peter 3:7
7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
Whoah! I was so convicted!
God builds His people through His Word
What happens to you when you hear God’s Word?
What is your plan when you come to church? Do you expect to hear a Word from God when you come to gather here? I mean do you prepare your heart to hear a Word from the Lord.
Do you know how blessed you are? I didn’t grow up hearing the word of God preached. I heard homilies - but not preaching. And I remember after getting saved, wanting to come to church and have the pastor preach! I wanted him to tell me what the bible had to say and where I needed to change.
What is your attitude when it comes to Gods Word?
Obligation or Transformation?
What’s your plan?
Review - Building People is God’s Priority
God Builds His People Through His Word
Transition -
2. God Builds His People Through Holy Worship (vs.4-14)
Lead in…We get a little more detail about how bad things got while Nehemiah was away. Take a look at verses 4-7...
4 Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, and who was related to Tobiah, 5 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. 6 While this was taking place, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king. And after some time I asked leave of the king 7 and came to Jerusalem, and I then discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, preparing for him a chamber in the courts of the house of God.
Who is Eliashib the Priest? He was the High Priest of the day.
Remember Tobiah? Tobiah the Ammonite!
Eliashib and Tobiah were related (interfaith marriage)
While the cat’s away, the mice will play. In Nehemiah’s absence, Eliashib gave his brother-in-law some nice new digs - in God’s Holy Temple!
We know from past studies that Tobiah has been a thorn in the side of Nehemiah and and enemy of God.
So how did he come about living in the Temple of God? Family ties. The High priest allowed sin in the camp because of family ties! Tobiah was an outspoken enemy of God and Eliashib cleaned out a temple room for him to live in! Wow! A room that was dedicated to the service of the Lord!
“These are the rooms they had committed themselves to stock in that firm covenant in writing (Neh 9:38; 10:37-39). Down in 13:7 Nehemiah tells us that this was ‘a room in the courts of God’s house.’ What this means is that a room that is part of the temple complex has been evacuated of the things necessary for sustaining the worship of God in the temple, and in place of those things and idolatrous enemy has taken up residence.” - James Hamilton Jr. Christ-Centered Exposition
Letting this sinful man dwell in the holy temple of God?
But don’t we do the same thing when we allow sin to live inside of us, God’s Holy temple?
What happened? Nehemiah does some house cleaning...
8 And I was very angry, and I threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the chamber.
Can you imagine? Nehemiah was no wuss!
He sounds a lot like Jesus when He cleansed the temple - no wuss either, by the way!
So he cleaned it out and replaced it with what it was meant to hold - items for holy worship.
9 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.
Nehemiah practiced the principle of replacement - Got rid of the sin and replaced it with things that were pleasing to God! This is a good habit for us to follow as well.
21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Nehemiah also discovered the root of the problem through this cleansing process.
10 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. 11 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. 12 Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain, wine, and oil into the storehouses. 13 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.
The people had stopped tithing as they had promised to do. Nehemiah took the lead again and got things back in order. By the way, he used people to do the work of the ministry...
And then, do you know what he did? He prayed!
14 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.
So impressed with Nehemiah’s priority of prayer!
Nehemiah, after being gone for awhile and now returned noticed quickly how things had degenerated. Why?
The Leadership allowed sin in the camp.
The People failed in their promise to worship God in holiness.
And it took the boldness of Nehemiah to stand up to this foolishness and right the ship.
All it takes is one person committed to holy worship to change a church!
“The world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to him. By God’s help, I aim to be that man.” - D.L. Moody
My friends, you are a walking Temple of holiness!
What are you allowing to live in God’s temple?
What is coming into your ears?
What is coming into your eyes?
What is coming into your mind?
All of these will change your heart and soon your holy worship will turn to cold worship and then, eventually be replaced by a worship of self altogether!
The Jews were passive about this and look what happened. You cannot be passive about sin in your life or sin in the church
Review - Building People is God’s Priority
God Builds His People Through His Word
God Builds His People Through Holy Worship
3. God Builds His People Through Refocused Rest (vs.15-22)
Lead in…Just in case you think Nehemiah is finished, think again! There is yet another area they promised to be faithful in, and they were not...
15 In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them on the day when they sold food. 16 Tyrians also, who lived in the city, brought in fish and all kinds of goods and sold them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah, in Jerusalem itself!
The very thing they, in chapter 10 promised Nehemiah and the Lord they would not do, they did. They broke the Sabbath.
Here again we see Nehemiah stepping up to the plate and confronting the issue head on...
He called them out (vs. 17) -
17 Then I confronted the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day?
He reminded them of the chastening hand of the Lord (vs. 18) -
18 Did not your fathers act in this way, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Now you are bringing more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”
What did he do then? He wasn’t all talk, he again took action.
He kicked them out (vs. 19) -
19 As soon as it began to grow dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and gave orders that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath. And I stationed some of my servants at the gates, that no load might be brought in on the Sabbath day.
He kept them out (vs. 20-21) -
20 Then the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice. 21 But I warned them and said to them, “Why do you lodge outside the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you.” From that time on they did not come on the Sabbath.
He Got the Levites to Work (vs. 22a) -
22 Then I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates, to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember this also in my favor, O my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your steadfast love.
Once again, Nehemiah prayed (vs. 22b) -
22 Then I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates, to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember this also in my favor, O my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your steadfast love.
Why was the Sabbath so important to Nehemiah and to God? Because God loves His people and He wants them to place their focus, intentionally on the best thing they can - God Himself.
The Sabbath is God’s plan to Get His people’s attention for one day...
Why? It was for their benefit and for His glory.
This is why Jesus said what He said in...
27 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
“Sabbath isn’t about resting perfectly, its about resting in the One who is perfect.” - Shelly Miller
While it is true that the rule of the Sabbath was fulfilled by Christ, the principle of the Sabbath
How will you purpose to take the spirit of this principle and apply it to your life?
Be at church - make it a priority!
Be in the Word - make it a habit!
Be in purposed prayer - make it your language!
Review - Building People is God’s Priority
God Builds His People Through His Word
God Builds His People Through Holy Worship
God Builds His People Through Refocused Rest
4. God Builds His People Through Proper Purity (vs.23-29)
Lead in…As if Nehemiah were not intense enough, this final issue topped them all. Take a look at the next situation. It’s one that Ezra dealt with and now Nehemiah is dealing with it again...
23 In those days also I saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. 24 And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and they could not speak the language of Judah, but only the language of each people. 25 And I confronted them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair. And I made them take an oath in the name of God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.
Nehemiah reminds them of the trap Solomon fell into!
Haven’t they learned anything?
26 Did not Solomon king of Israel sin on account of such women? Among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless, foreign women made even him to sin. 27 Shall we then listen to you and do all this great evil and act treacherously against our God by marrying foreign women?”
Nehemiah chased away the evil!
28 And one of the sons of Jehoiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite. Therefore I chased him from me.
Isn’t that an amazing picture? There is something for us to learn from Nehemiah. He boldly confronted sin. He didn’t mess around!
The lesson for us? Do the same - Don’t play around with evil.
1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
What does Nehemiah do yet again?
Nehemiah prayed again -
29 Remember them, O my God, because they have desecrated the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.
He prayed what is called an imprecatory prayer - An invocation of disaster! Nehemiah loved the holiness of God so much, anyone that stood in its way needed the destructive hand of God!
Is God being a racist here? Not at all. He desired for His chosen people to be pure FROM SIN! They were to be an example of righteousness to the unrighteous world around them. To influence the sinner, not be influenced by them.
By marrying the unbelieving they were doing what they promised not to do in chapter 10, and they were setting themselves up for pagan worship - just like Solomon.
“A single generation’s compromise could undo the work [of God] for centuries.” - Derek Kidner
Illustrations - Cake make with wholesome and fresh ingredients except for 1 rotten egg.
Application –
a. Sin to avoid?
What’s your plan?
Transition -
Conclusion (Last 5 Minutes)
30 Thus I cleansed them from everything foreign, and I established the duties of the priests and Levites, each in his work; 31 and I provided for the wood offering at appointed times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.
How did Nehemiah Finish Well? By building people
How can you finish well? By being built up in...
His Word
Holy Worship
Refocused Rest
Proper Purity!
But this is just half of it. You must, like Nehemiah, build these into the lives of others.
Nehemiah isn’t about building a wall - It’s about building people. If you want your life spent on anything of value, build Christ into the lives of others.