Nehemiah 7-8 Building
a Culture Within a Culture
Well
we left off in our survey of Nehemiah in
So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in
fifty-two days.
This is such a guy way of saying
this straight forward and to the point. We finished 52 days
This was a woman writing: It would be like the wall
was finally finished it was a sunny day pp were excited she would have
described how it looked sturdy and rugged
Like
Describing a baby: Woman so & so had a baby it was 9lbs 2oz big fingers lots of
hair name is grace means loved of God Latin it means
Guy: So & so had their
baby? Yep!
boy or girl yep! size pretty big Pretty? It was a baby
Nehemiah
is a mans man here: We finished
A)And
now as we come to chapter 7 he is on to
the next thing no kicking back
no time for celebration
B)There is still more to do! Things to set on place
So
he is getting busy!
Chapter
7 serves as a pivot pt in the Book of Nehemiah.
A)Chapters 1-6 describe the
restoration of the wall of
B)Chapters 8-13 tell about
the restoration of the people of
C)Chapter
7 begins with three verses describing the precautions that Nehemiah took to
guard the newly walled city from attack.
1)
This wraps up the first half of the book.
D)Chapter
7 reveals how Nehemiah went about
repopulating
the city so that it would become a vital center for national and spiritual
life.
Ch.7
reveals 3 things that matter to God! RDV.1
#1 Worship matters to God.
After the wall was built he
appoints Gatekeepers Levites and singers
They
are 1st because the main
reason for protecting the city from invaders was not just so that everyone
could live securely.
It
was primarily so that the worship of God in the temple could take place.
#2 Godly
Character matters to God! RD V.2-3
Nehemiah picks these two men
and of the latter we are told 2 things about his Character
1st
He was faithful: Faithful speaks of being reliable
truthful he was the kind of man one could depend on
2nd He
walked in the fear of God.
A)Note the exact phrase he
feared God more than many.
B)Tells us The fear of God
is a matter of degree
1)Some fear God a little
others fear God more
C)Fear of God speaks of
honor and respect and Reverence of God.
1)That motivates us to live
Godly lives
Now
their Job was to guard the city!
A)The Bible frequently
reminds us to be on alert be on guard be watching !
B)Watchful of the enemy / Watch
out for temptation
Watchful of the times and
the seasons
B)This is a practice that I
think is not taken very seriously by a lot of Christians
1)They dont watch they just
live
C)Not watchful of what they
allow to come into their homes via TV or internet / MySpace
1)Not watchful enough of who
their kids are hanging with talking to on Cell phone etc
D)We
need to guard our lives the same way these men were called to Guard the city!
3rd
It matters to God when we understand and engage in His plans and purposes.
A)V.4-73
is a list of names of those who came back to help build the temple and the city
B)God
list them all- twice also in Ezra
C)These pp were pioneers
1)Willing to be in the early
stages of the restoration of the city and the Pp of God!
D)Sent out many Pioneers
One couple a favorite
Marc O & Lucia
2) Came here and was Part of
the transition
3)
E)List Leaders/ workers/ and
givers RD
V.66-73
Now
as we come to Ch.8 a shift happens Nehemiah has done his part he is a
builder / leader
A)Architect of this plan
that was radically successful the wall was built in 52 days
B)But here is Ch.8 he steps
aside and Ezra who is more the Pastor guy steps center stage
1)I love this Nehemiah knows his boundaries not trying to be
something he is not called to be
C)How easy it would have
been for him to say this is my story
. My idea
I am preaching
1)Doesnt do that steps
aside lets Ezra do his thing
What
follows is a great out pouring of
Revival is going to break
out here and these 3 verses give us the ingredients for it.
#1 The people
were united in a single purpose. Gathered as one man.
Psalm 133:1
Behold, how
good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to
dwell together in unity!
God is blessed by and takes
notice of when His pp are united together in unity!
Great potential for Him to show
up and do amazing things
So they were gathered as one
man:
#2
There was a maturity there: Those who could understand
no distractions
V.1 Tells us they said to
Ezra bring us the Book
Preach it brother we want
to hear we want to learn - There is a
hunger there.
They
understood the importance of the preaching and teaching of Gods word
A)In any revival in Church
history has always been marked by a getting back to the basics of the word
B)Getting back to a hunger
for the word of God!
#3
There was an expectation there they were attentive
A)Note the meeting lasted 6hrs hot Middle eastern Desert sun pressed together - -no
PA and they are standing for 6 hrs
B)This is amazing ! love
this - Not many today would go to a
Church service like this one.
C)They didnt care hungry
for God!
RD V.4-8
So
the word was going forth in a powerful way:
A)Guys are giving
understanding - pp are responding in
heart felt humble worship
B)This is glorious stuff
There
is a shift that takes place here something we really need to see RD V..9
9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor,
Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all
the people,"This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn nor
weep." For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.
A) The RESULT of the
preaching of the Law is SORROW. They Wept at hearing it ! Why?
1)
It convicts us as GUILTY of sin.
2)It
reveals where we are wrong!
B)The Law can NEVER save us.
It can only condemn us.
C)
1) Speeding
sign reveals going to fast !!!
D) Key is to correct it
before you get caught
1)
That was the purpose of the law Tutor a school master teach us and
instruct us
2)
How to live how to walk attitudes & actions
Problem
was we couldnt keep it So the law also revealed our need of a Savior
A) So the word was doing
its intended work here they wept because the law revealed their sin
B)
But what happens next is Beautiful ! Rd v.10-12
The
JUSTICE of the Law brings SORROW, but the JOY of the Lord brings STRENGTH.
A) Ezra and Nehemiah tell
the pp not to weep
B)I want to suggest to you
that had the pp not been weeping
1)Had
they taken the reading of the law lightly
C)Had they been caviler and laughing
joking not taking it seriously
1)These
leaders would have exhorted them to repent and to weep
D)But
because that was their reaction: They were showing signs of true godly sorrow
leading to repentance
These
leaders discerned something in the heart of God wanting them to know they were
forgiven
A)Though
the weeping was necessary, it is not the final message God has for us.
B)There
is forgiveness there is an answer to our sin
1)"The joy of the LORD is your strength."
C)The
word that brings joy is that of forgiveness. God can forgive! He does, and He
will restore.
1)That
is what Jesus meant when He said, "Blessed are
those who mourn, for they will be comforted" (Matt5:4).
D)I don't think you will
ever be comforted until you learn to mourn.
1)When
you see the hurt, pain, and despair that sin can produce and you grieve over
it, then you are ready for the comfort of forgiveness.
What does "the joy of the
LORD" mean?
The
Joy of the Lord is your Strength { Consider this Phrase
A) Notice this : It doesnt
say the Joy in the Lord although there is Joy in the Lord
1) It says the Joy of the
Lord
B) God is rejoicing over you !!!
C)
The Lord looks at you with joy.
1)
Your strength revolves around the Fact that God is rejoicing over You!
The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One,
will save;
He will rejoice
over you with gladness,
He will quiet you
with His love,
He will rejoice
over you with singing.
D)
We KNOW that the Lord is MIGHTY.
1)
But did you know that He rejoices over YOU with joy.... That He joys over YOU
with singing?
E)
I do NOT understand why, but He looks at everyone of us that have received
Jesus as Savior and He rejoices over us.
That
is THE SOURCE OF STRENGTH- Gods Joy Over You
A)
I am strong when I realize that the Lord LOVES me, when I realize that He has
WASHED me in the blood of His Son and that He LOVES me.
B) HOW Can The Lord Find Joy
In Me And You?
"Again,
the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and
hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
C)
In another parable Jesus defines the field as the world. God looked at the world
and saw a treasure in it that He wanted.
D)
That treasure is you and me. And He gave everything to buy the world in order
to have you as His own.
1)
He gave Jesus.
E)
That is why we read of Jesus in:
SO
The Lord rejoices over US in the light of what the cross has accomplished.
A)
The Cross Created a Bride !!!!
B)The search of God throughout the OT was for
a Bride a wife
C)He finds her in bondage
so he redeems her / washes her / cleanses her restores her
1)AND THEN REJOICES OVER
HER!
Gods
rejoicing Over Me Gives Me Strength
A)The
fact that God looks at you and me with such love, and because He takes such joy
in us, makes us strong
A)
Obligation and appreciation are certainly
strong motives for serving the Lord, but celebration is even stronger.
B)
When we obey the Lord and serve Him because we rejoice in Him, then our service
will be a delight and not drudgery.
The old Bible
commentator Matthew Henry wrote, Holy joy will be
oil to the wheels of our obedience.
C)
To the believer without joy, the will of God is punishment; but to the believer
happy in the Lord, the will of God is nourishment (John 4:34).
But
there are 2 other things that we must see about this!
A)1st The joy of the Lord is not at odds with holiness.
Three
times (8:9, 10, 11) the leaders repeat to the people that they are not to weep,
but rather to be joyful, because this day is holy to our Lord.
B)Holiness and joy are not
at odds with each other, as we so often think.
1)Rather,
they are intimately linked.
C)God makes us Holy that brings us Joy
1)When we walk in the
Holiness of God it is joyful because we are being what he redeemed us to be
D)Remember The second fruit
of the Holy Spirit is joy.
The word Joy is used 158
times in the Bible!
Rejoice: 199 / Praise 340
times / Blessed 303
Get the picture God wants
his pp to be a blessed rejoicing Joy filled pp in the Lord
The
joy of the Lord is not the joy of circumstances or
temperament.
A)This is obvious from the
fact that it is distinctly called the joy of the Lord. He gives tied to Him
B)People
in the world who do not know God can be joyful
1)when
they win the lottery or get a promotion or go on a fun trip!
C)But
the joy of the Lord is something that only those who know the Lord can enjoy in
spite of circumstances.
It is how Paul sang in
Prison in
Temperament
seems to be something that each of us is born with. Some of us have upbeat
dispositions, while others play the music of life in a minor key.
Yet
how we respond to life's trials also affects our overall disposition.
For example, Fanny Crosby lost her sight when she was only 6 weeks old. She
lived into her nineties, composing thousands of beloved hymns. On her 92nd
birthday she cheerfully said, "If in all the world you can find a happier
person than I am, do bring him to me. I should like to shake his hand."
What
enabled Fanny Crosby to experience such joy in the face of what many would term
a "tragedy"? At an early age she chose to "rejoice in the Lord
always" (Philippians 4:4).
In fact, Fanny carried out a
resolution she made when she was only 8 years old: "How many blessings I
enjoy that other people don't. To weep and sigh because I'm blind, I cannot and
I won't."
Rather
than complain about the thorns on roses, be thankful for roses among the
thorns.
How many miss the beauty of
the rose because all they see are the thorns
Joy is Contagious
It is a bad fireplace where
all the heat goes up the chimney: true religion spreads joy over all around.
Yet the fire warms first the chimney in which it burns, and grace comforts the
heart in which it dwells. Nobody will be warmed by a cold hearth.
FB Meyer
Joyful Christians set the
sinner's mouth a watering for the dainties of true religion. When the prodigal
returned, he was shod, and clothed, and adorned, but we do not read that the
servants were to put meat into his mouth. Yet they were to feed him, and they
did so by themselves feasting: "Let us eat and be merry." This would
be the surest way to induce the poor hungry son to make a meal. If saints were
happier, sinners would be far more ready to believe.
As
they read the word further they discovered that at this particular time they
were to Celebrate the feast of Tabernacles
A) The feast of Tabernacles
commerated the 40 yrs that the Children of
B) It was a feast where they
remembered that they were pilgrims here
1)
Even though their city was now safe even though their homes were being
rebuilt
C) They were to take seven
days to camp out in booths tents reminder of that time
So
It was a time for looking back
A)
But the feast was also a time for looking around at the harvest blessings
from the hand of God.
B)
The Lord had given them a good land, and they were never to forget the Giver as
they enjoyed the gifts
C)
The Feast of Tabernacles was also an occasion for looking ahead to the
glorious kingdom God promised His people
D)
It was a week-long festival of joyful praise and thanksgiving, focusing on the
goodness of the Lord.
Good for us to remember
Pilgrims