Nehemiah 9:38-
10:39
What
is your word worth? You know what I mean Your promises / / your commitment /
Your pledge
A)
Are you someone that friends BANK ON or are
you someone that friends BET ON?
B)
What do I mean by that ? Well when you say that you are going to be at such and
such a place at such and such a time
1) Do they bank on that Are they ready and waiting
because they know that you will be on time or early?
C)
Or are they hedging bets as to how late you will be 10 minutes / 20 minutes /
30 minutes / do I hear a 40 minute from the crowd
D)
When you give your word do they know that it is a done deal He said he would call he is going to call he said that he would come over he will be
there
1)
Do they BANK ON IT
E)
Or in the back of their minds are they making back up plans because well you
have been known to not follow thru on your commitments
Commitments
are a big part of our Christianity
A) Often this description is
associated with someones walk with the Lord
HE IS A COMMITTED CHRISTIAN !
B)
That is the way others perceive that individual He is committed to his
faith/ committed to his beliefs
1) A committed Christian is one
that we might call a Disciple
2)
Someone who follows Jesus Close & at all times .
C)
The opposite would be someone who follows from a far and only when it is convenient
1)
The Lord is looking for Disciples those who are going to be sold out
committed to following close at all times
Here
in Nehemiah Ch.10 the people are making a commitment to be that type of a
follower.
A) We saw in our study last
time that God was moving amongst His people in a time of confession that led to a time of reflection Gods past History w/ them
B) And resulted in a time of REDEDICATION and RECOMMITMENT to the Lord
1)
They re-established their Covenant with the Lord . That is where we left them
in v.38 of Ch.9
C)
What we have here in Ch.10 are the details of that Covenant
1)
V.1-27 tell us the names of those who placed their seal on Document
2)
Those who publicly professed their agreement with.
D)
V.28 -39 give us the details of it ! What we find are 4 promises that they made to the Lord -
1) Those 4 promises reveal 4 Principles for us to learn from !
That is what we want to consider today.
Neh
10:28-31
Now the rest of the people -- the
priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, and all those
who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God,
their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and
understanding --29 these joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered
into a curse and an oath to walk in God's Law, which was given by Moses the
servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our
Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes:30 We would not give our daughters as
wives to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons;
1st
Promise: Promise not the inter marry !
Principle : We will protect our convictions with faithful friends !
A)
When you make a commitment and then surround yourself with people who have made
that same commitment your chances of keeping it are greater
B)
Example: Every year in Jan Gym membership rises People make their new Years
resolutions Get in Shape
1)
Problem by Feb or early March That commitment has gone out the window
C) But if a
person has a Buddy work out Partner or partners hold accountable
1)
Most of the time they are much more faithful in their Commitment
D)
Example: I dont enjoy working out But I do enjoy being in shape Pastor
Phil lets work out together
1)
I had my best Stretch lost weight getting in shape
2)
Then Phil he bailed on me It was all
down hill from there !
What
is true concerning Physical fitness is equally true of Spiritual fitness we
need the encouragement of each other.
A) 2 Tim 2:22-23 Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith,
love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
B) Flee youthful lust and
pursue God but not alone - with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
C) You are going to have a
better chance of staying pure when you surround yourself with Partners who
are Committed to staying Pure
A
couple of yrs ago I met together one morning a week with about 25 guys in our
Church to read thru some books together and talk
A)
Focus how does this relate to us as men in the Church / as Husbands / and as
Fathers
1) It was a great time I was
very inspired by the dialogue
B) It was encouraging to be
around guys who were like minded
1)
Men who wanted to abstain from evil and who wanted to seek the Lord with all of
their hearts
C) Some of those Guys are
now leading home groups 2 of them have become Pastors
1) There is a definite blessing
that goes along with surrounding yourself with people who want to Pursue
righteousness & seek God like you do!
But
listen the opposite is also true If you surround yourself with worldly minded
friends You will discover this also to be true :
1 Cor 15:33 "Bad company
corrupts good morals." NASU
A) That is why the Lord
exhorts us to not Yoke ourselves together with Unbelievers
1) not joined or linked to them
in Marriage / Business Partnership / close friends
B) Reason: They will pull
you down more often than you pulling them up
1) Spurgeon Illustration.
C)
Point is clear if you Link yourself to unbelievers They will pull you down !
D) SO first Promises Not
to inter-marry Principle Protect their convictions with faithful
friendships
2nd
Promise: V
31 if the peoples of the land brought wares or any grain to sell on the Sabbath
day, we would not buy it from them on the Sabbath, or on a holy day; and we
would forego the seventh year's produce and the exacting of every debt.
A) They Promise to not do
Business on the Sabbath
Principle: Compromise is Contagious
B) The Sabbath was a day
that the Lord asked his people to set aside for Worship, renewal &
Reflection
1) Not a day for Business
and work
C) God promised that if they
would keep the Sabbath days and years
1)
He would bless them He would cause them to Prosper.
D)
It is a good Principle Here is the idea
If you want to keep your commitments
1)
it is going to require you to set up boundaries for your Business / for your
walk with the Lord / and for your family!
Now
we are not required to keep THE SABBATH But the concept of keeping a Sabbath
is still one that is wise!
A) A day set aside to seek
the Lord a day set aside to relax and reflect with my family.
B) Times that are set aside
where we make a decision nothing is going to impede this.
1) Nothing is going to pull
me away from this !
C) Why is it important to
set up such boundaries ?
1)
I think it is easy to get overwhelmed by work you see there is always
something to do
I
am sure that I am not alone is saying this but my work is never finished
A)There is always something
pressing / something to do { I am never going to get ahead. It just doesnt
happen.
B)
There was a time that I didnt understand that
1) for that reason I was always trying to catch
up spend long hrs at the office work late into the night
2)Trying
to catch up make phone calls never worked
C)
I would leave that night thinking Great I finally got caught up / maybe even
a little bit ahead
1)
But by the end of the next day I would be behind again.
D) I finally resolved Hey I am always going
to be behind I am always going to have something to do
1)
Do what I can in the time allotted And trust the Lord with the rest
ANDY STANLEY
PRINCIPLE { We all compromise in
areas of our time
A)
Problem is too often the area where we compromise the most is in the area of
our family time or our time with the Lord
B) Daniel wanted to stay
true to his convictions Not eat the Kings food
1)
Went against the dietary regulations for the people of Israel
C)
The Babylonian headmaster who was over him said no way
1)
Daniels response put it to a test - _____ days
..
D) I think we need to do the
same thing as it relates to our time !
1)
Commitment to the Lord our walk our involvement in the body of Christ
coming to Church and Bible study
E)
Our time with our families
1)
Too often we say Lord cover me in your grace here because I am required to
be committed here / Flip that
Set
aside the Sabbath Set Boundaries God will bless
3rd
Promise They promise to give support to the work of God V.32-34
32 Also we made
ordinances for ourselves, to exact from ourselves yearly one-third of a shekel
for the service of the house of our God:33 for the showbread, for the regular
grain offering, for the regular burnt offering of the Sabbaths, the New Moons,
and the set feasts; for the holy things, for the sin offerings to make
atonement for Israel, and all the work of the house of our God.34 We cast lots
among the priests, the Levites, and the people, for bringing the wood offering
into the house of our God, according to our fathers' houses, at the appointed times
year by year, to burn on the altar of the LORD our God as it is written in the
Law.
Principle
#3 The things that you believe in you will invest in.
A)
This is true anything that you truly believe in you will invest in.
B)
They believed in the ministry of the temple and for that reason they were
committing themselves to give to support the Ministry.
1)
And to take care of the up keep of the Building itself !
C)
Now the word of God encourages us who are Christians to make similar
commitments - to invest in spiritual things
1)
Because Something happens to us when we do !
Matt 6:19-21
"Do not
lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where
thieves break in and steal;20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and
steal.21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Note
The bible doesnt say where your heart is your treasure will also be !
A) No it says that where your
treasure is your heart is going to follow
B) Your heart is going to be
in that thing that you have made your treasure
C) We can track your
treasure to know where your heart is at
1) In other words one can watch
how you spend your money and see where your heart is at.
C) Maybe that is
why when we read our Lords sermons &
parables, you REALIZE THAT HE had a
great deal to say about material wealth.
1) INFACT Jesus had more to say about
Money than almost any other subject
D)Did you know that one 6th
of Matt./ Mark & Lukes GOSPELS
& 12 of the 38 parables have to do w/ MONEY MATTERS
1)WITH
MONEY & the STEWARDING OF MONEY
It was something that Jesus taught on a lot !!! Why?
Perhaps this is a REASON
Back in 1990 the RAN CORP. did a study where they discovered that the average
American male
A)Spends
50% of his FOCUSED thinking time /
thinking about money
B) How to get more / how to spend what he has
/ how he is going to pay the bills / should he switch jobs in order to make
more
1)
50%
of his focused thinking time spent thinking about money
C)
Jesus knowing that would be the case Spent a great deal of time instructing
us in this area / IMPORTANT
1)
Why
Jesus said Where your treasure is your heart will be Also
Consider
that word Treasure: Write next to it Wealth & Deposit
A) Where do you deposit your
wealth ?
B) The Grk word for heart is
Cardia English word: Cardio as in Cardio Vascular
1) In Greek culture they looked
at the heart as more than just that part of your body that pumps the Blood
C)
It was referred to as the center of the emotions the thought life
1) things that you are
affectionate about.
D)
That is what the Bible is referring to when it mentions the heart!
1)
Where your heart is at what you are thinking about and affectionate about
will be determined by where you are depositing your treasures
The Great Evangelist DL MOODY I can know more about a man by looking at his Checkbook than
his Prayer book
A) Lets look at how much was given to support the work of God
B) How many missionaries were supported
C) What we do w/ our TIME & OUR resources really speaks of what is important to us where our Priorities lie
Application
to Marriage:
A)
If I make my relationship with my wife my treasure then I am going to be
depositing into that relationship
B)
I am going to be depositing time / energy / resources into it
C)
Leave mother and father Cleave to your wife
D)
Most of us do that Kids
E)
Make time to get away
Promise
#4 Give your First Fruits V.35-39
35 And we made
ordinances to bring the first fruits of our ground and the first fruits of all
fruit of all trees, year by year, to the house of the LORD;36 to bring the
firstborn of our sons and our cattle, as it is written in the Law, and the
firstborn of our herds and our flocks, to the house of our God, to the priests
who minister in the house of our God;37 to bring the first fruits of our dough,
our offerings, the fruit from all kinds of trees, the new wine and oil, to the
priests, to the storerooms of the house of our God; and to bring the tithes of
our land to the Levites, for the Levites should receive the tithes in all our
farming communities.38 And the priest, the descendant of Aaron, shall be with
the Levites when the Levites receive tithes; and the Levites shall bring up a
tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the rooms of the storehouse.
39 For the
children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the
grain, of the new wine and the oil, to the storerooms where the articles of the
sanctuary are, where the priests who minister and the gatekeepers and the
singers are; and we will not neglect the house of our God.
Principle #4 The things that you are serious about you will
Sacrifice for
A)
Their Sacrifice was called in the OT their First fruits
B)
What does that mean well a farmer would plant a seed the seed goes into the
soil
1)
the farmer spends yrs cultivating watering pulling weeds
C)
That seed starts to grow and after another couple of yrs it turns into a tree
after another year or so it finally brings forth fruit
D) Heres what they would do they would take that first patch of
fruit from that tree
1)
the first harvest of their field and give it to the Lord
E)
What ? After all that time & hard work waiting to reap the benefits of
their hard work instead of enjoying the fruit they gave it to the Lord
F)
That is what the Lord asked for This is the reason why
In giving God the first fruits they were saying two things
#1 Lord we realize that what
we have is from you. Your blessing on my life / family
James 1:17-18 Every good gift and every
perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom
there is no variation or shadow of turning.
A)
So first of all they were communicating to the Lord this fact this blessing is from you.
B) #2 They were saying: Lord I am going
to trust you to provide for us in the future.
1)
Giving you the first fruits / first crop trusting that you are going to
provide a 2nd and a 3rd and a 4th
C)
TEMPTATION: I will give God the leftovers
What does that look like for us today?
A)
Give the first fruits of our week Here today: Sunday is the beginning of a
new week
B)
Spend this day firs part of it Hour and a ½ at Church seeking the Lord with
my Church family
C) Sometimes there is the temptation to
work today so much to do I hit the office- put in some hrs at home
1)
Not doing that trusting God is going to meet me in this He is going
to meet my needs and help me get done what I need to
Temptation: Yard work / House Projects
skip church get a jump on this stuff
A) No I am going to give to the Lord my first fruits
this is a day for fellowship and communion
B) Now I am not saying that it is wrong to do yard
work on Sunday
1) But Here is what I would say If you are here
today in body only in your mind all you can think about is your to do list.
C) You are not giving the Lord the first fruits of
your week !
We are called to give the first fruits of
our income
Prov 3:9 Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the first
fruits of all your increase;
A)
See all I have is the Lords I am just the steward of that which He has given to me & the Lord asks that I give
back to Him the First fruits
B)
The First fruits = means tithe / or a tenth in scripture- of our income It is used in that way
throughout the O.T.
C)
In 1 Cor 16 Paul declared 1 Cor 16:1-2
Now concerning
the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of
Galatia, so you must do also:2 On the first day of the week let each one of you
lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper.
D) Notice on the first day of the week they were to come ready
with an offering to bring into the Store house
1) Give as you have
prospered -
Convenient
that you are talking about this today / day when you pass out this thing for
the Building
A) We made the decision to
do this weeks ago to pass this out today.
B) at the time I had no idea
that we were going to be here in Neh.10 this week
C) In fact I wrestled with this all week should we do this I
know there are some who think this way Sensitive issue.
D) Note: Reason we are doing this{ Hab 2:2 Write the Vision
1) I hope you see this as we
are building Your house a house of the Lord for the Family at CCV to dwell
in.
E) We want you to
have a clear vision of it & we want you to want support it
1) Greater sense of
ownership if you participate part of the Sacrifice
But
here is the thing: God says that in our giving He wants us to be Cheerful
givers
A)Cant give with a Cheerful
heart dont give at all
B) If your giving is out of
obligation if your giving is begrudgingly dont do it
1) God cant bless it { need
a heart Change first.
B)
Giving is not Gods way of raising Money it is His way of raising Kids {
Givers
1) I believe that God is
going to provide for this building I believe that He is in it! I believe
both phases at once
C) Here is the thing: You
can experience the blessing of being a part of that or you can sit back
Critique / or watch /
1) YOU are the one who is
missing out
Gods
indictment against Israel Robbing God where ? How?
A) In your tithes and
offerings You are Robbing me Sign that you are not trusting me not
dependent upon me
B) TEST ME Give and watch
and see if I dont pour out the windows of heaven to bless you abundantly
radically
C) Now that is not why we
give but it is a benefit of our giving !
D) The people of Israel Committed to give their first fruits because they were serious about not NEGLECTING THE HOUSE OF THE LORD