Guiding People to Renewal - pt.2

Intro:

Last week we opened Nehemiah chapter 9 and I had asked the question; Why do you read God’s Word?… and based off from the example of these Israelites, who are reading and hearing it for the first time, and from the fact that James tells us in the New Testament that Scripture serves as a mirror for us to look at in order to change, the things in our lives, that do not align with God’s will.

As godly leaders we need to make sure that we are using and portraying God’s word as such and not just as a book of stories, rules, or traditions. Instead, we must present it as the living and active Word of God that convicts, transforms, and leads to true repentance and renewal.

The Israelites’ response in Nehemiah 9 shows us that when God’s Word is properly understood, it moves people, as we looked at last week, to Humility, Separation and Confession.

Which leads us to our passage today… And I want to start by making this statement…

Proper Handling of God’s Word will ALWAYS lead to Prayer

God’s Word and our prayers must be kept in balance. We need to listen to God speak through His Word BEFORE we approach Him in prayer… … I say that because, in order for our prayers to be truly pleasing to Him, they need to be shaped by and aligned with... His Word.

If we are going to be successful at guiding people to renewal, then we must understand and the people we are leading must understand that…

Proper Handling of God’s Word... will ALWAYS lead to Prayer...

After hearing and studying God’s Word for the first time, the Israelites in Nehemiah turned to God in prayer. And here in Nehemiah chapter 9, we have the longest prayer that is recorded in all of Scripture.

Through our study in Daniel and also in previous chapters of Nehemiah, we have looked at several prayers that these men had given… and through those prayers we were able to break them down into a model that we can, and should, use when we approach the Throne of Grace.

If you remember, we used the acronym ACTS… A, C, T, S…

It starts with A… Adoration - Acknowledging who God is…

C is for confession - Confessing our failures

T is for Thanksgiving - Thanking God for His faithfulness and His Forgiveness…

and then finally we make it to S… Supplication - Which is making our requests known to God.

As I read this prayer, I want you to listen for these things… Adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication…

I will admit, this time of reading will be a little longer than normal as we are going to go through the end of the chapter, but keep in mind, the people we are reading about stood for hours on end just to hear God’s Word.

With that… If you are able and out of reverence for God’s Word, please stand as I read…

(Nehemiah 9:4-38)…

Thank you for standing with me…

Meat:

Attributes to focus on during Prayer:

From this prayer it is evident that they started at the very beginning of God’s Word and read through it chronologically. Through their study, it would seem that they became impressed with 3 attributes of God which became the basis of their prayer.

Anytime we approach God in prayer, we would do well to focus on these attributes also…

The first attribute is.…

1. God’s Greatness

I don’t plan to read every single verse to you again, as we go through these points, I will just highlight some spots…

But they start out by acknowledging how great and awesome God is…

In verse 5, the Levites declare, "Stand up and bless the Lord your God forever and ever!"

This is an acknowledgement of the fact that God is…

1.1 Eternally Sovereign

God’s reign is eternal and His power surpasses all human rulers and authorities.

His sovereignty extends over time and history—He was, is, and always will be in control of His creation. The realization of this truth lead the Israelites to submit to His authority and trust in His divine plan.

They exalted God’s Name higher than any other name.

The end of v.5 says “Blessed be Your glorious name, Which is exalted above all blessing and praise!”

They also acknowledge God’s Greatness by recognizing that He is the…

1.2 Creator of Everything

Verse 6 explicitly states, "You alone are the LORD; You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all things on it, the seas and all that is in them."

They are declaring that God has been great since the very beginning. He is the source of all life… From the highest heavens to the depths of the seas, everything exists because of His great power and wisdom.

Colossians 1:16 NKJV

16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

This is talking about Jesus of course. But, God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit are one, together forming the Trinity. When we speak of one, we are acknowledging all three as part of the unified Godhead.

“For by Him (By God) all things were created...”

Not only is He the Creator of Everything… He is also the…

1.3 Sustainer of Everything

The Israelites acknowledged that God created everything and then at the end of v.6 they say… “And You preserve them all, and the host of heaven worships You.”

Some people hold the mistaken belief that God created the universe, set it in motion, and then withdrew from it, leaving creation to function on its own… … That is a blatant contradiction of what Scripture teaches…

We just read Colossians 1:16… that stated “All things were created by Him (by God)”… … and then v.17 says…

Colossians 1:17 NASB95

17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

This means that without God’s sustaining power, creation would cease to exist.

Jesus Himself refutes the notion that God is no longer active in His creation… He says in…

Matthew 6:26 NASB95

26 “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?

The idea that God created the universe and then abandoned it is completely false. Scripture makes it clear that He actively sustains and governs His creation. He is intimately involved in the lives of His people, providing, guiding, and revealing His will.

This is what the Nation of Israel came to realize after hours upon hours, day after day, reading, listening and learning from God’s Word.

God is not some fairy godmother who simply grants our wishes or bends to our desires. Rather, He is the Great, Sovereign Lord of all, working all things according to His perfect will and wisdom.

Our prayers should not be focused on demanding what we want… but on aligning our hearts with His greater purpose… Remember, He is not here to serve us… we are here to serve and glorify Him.

The second attribute that Israel focused on is…

2. God’s Goodness

You can also put God’s Faithfulness here, it would fit as well…

It is worth noting that the longest section of the longest prayer in Scripture, is focused on the Goodness, or the Faithfulness of God.

God’s goodness is evident throughout Israel’s history… And is specifically mentioned here in Nehemiah chapter 9…

God’s Goodness is seen...

2.1 In Keeping His Promises

vv.7&8 Talk about God’s promise to Abram and giving him a new name… … God chose Abraham, calling him out of a pagan nation, and made a covenant to bless his descendants.

Now, as the nation hears this account being read to them and they get to the part where Abraham and Sarah started to doubt God’s promise, like when Sarah laughed at the idea of having a son or when Abraham took matters into his own hands and had a child with Hagar, I bet there were some who thought… “Yep, they messed up and now God’s promise is no longer going to be fulfilled” … … and yet, in His goodness, He kept his promise and remained faithful to His word.

God’s goodness is also seen…

2.2 In His Deliverance

vv. 9-15 talk about Israel’s slavery in Egypt and how God delivered them out of it.

When Israel was enslaved in Egypt, they groaned under oppression, and God heard their cries…

And then, even after witnessing the ten plagues and the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, they quickly turned to complaining and doubting God’s ability to sustain them.

At Mount Sinai, while Moses was receiving the Ten Commandments, the people built and worshiped a golden calf…

God had every reason to destroy them, and He even told Moses, that very thing was going to happen and He would start over and make Moses’ descendants a great nation.

Yet, because of His goodness, He spared them, gave them His law, led them by a pillar of cloud and fire, and provided manna and water while they wandered in the wilderness… He delivered them from slavery and brought them into the land that He promised to Abraham.

God’s goodness is seen in the keeping of His promises, it is seen in His Deliverance, and it is seen…

2.3 In His Blessings

vv. 16-25 Continues the dialog about when they were in the wilderness and time and time again, Israel rebelled. They refused to trust God, they rejected His leadership, and they longed to return to Egypt.

Nehemiah 9:17 says “... in their rebellion They appointed a leader To return to their bondage...”

They would rather be back in slavery than to serve and honor God… again, God could have wiped them out for their lack of faith.

Yet, because of His goodness, He was patient with them, sustained them in the wilderness for 40 years, and eventually led them into the Promised Land.

The end of v.17 says…

Nehemiah 9:17 “… But You are God, Ready to pardon, Gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, Abundant in kindness, And did not forsake them.”

Nehemiah 9:20 “You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, And did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, And gave them water for their thirst.”

Nehemiah 9:21 “Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness; They lacked nothing; Their clothes did not wear out And their feet did not swell.”

v.22 “… You gave them Kingdoms and Nations...”

Nehemiah 9:23 “You also multiplied their children as the stars of heaven, And brought them into the land Which You had told their fathers To go in and possess.”

v.24 “… You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hands...”

and v.25

Nehemiah 9:25 “And they took strong cities and a rich land, And possessed houses full of all goods, Cisterns already dug, vineyards, olive groves, And fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and grew fat, And delighted themselves in… (what?) Your great goodness.”

Blessing after blessing… even in their rebellion, God’s goodness is seen in His blessings.

I want to pause for just a moment and ask… … Has God been good to you over the course of your life?

Many people would readily answer "yes" and recall countless blessings—health, family, provision, protection, and moments of joy.

However, others might answer "no," pointing to pain, suffering, loss, and unanswered prayers as evidence that God has not been good to them.

They may say things like

“If God is good, why did I experience pain, sickness, or loss?”

While suffering is real and painful, Scripture reminds us that trials are part of life in a fallen world. James 1 tells us to “Consider it ALL joy… whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

Even when we don’t understand, God uses suffering to refine us and draw us closer to Him.

Some people ask - “Why do bad things happen to good people while the wicked seem to prosper?”

This question is as old as time. Psalm 73 describes how Asaph struggled with the prosperity of the wicked but ultimately realized that “God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26).

Jesus Himself said in John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

We have to have faith that Justice will ultimately be served when God makes all things right.

“If God is good, why did He take someone I love?”

Death is one of the hardest parts of life, but it was never part of God’s original design. Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Sin is what brought death into the world, but through Jesus, we have the hope of eternal life. Revelation 21:4 promises that one day, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.”

Every trial, every heartache, and every form of suffering we experience is a direct result of sin. The world is broken because of humanity’s rebellion against God, and until we reach our heavenly home, we will continue to feel the effects of that brokenness… … However, God, in His goodness, provided a way through Jesus Christ to redeem us.

It’s easy to recognize God’s goodness when life is going well—when prayers are answered, needs are met, and blessings are overflowing. In those moments, we might naturally give thanks and praise Him.

But how often do we intentionally acknowledge His goodness, even in the ordinary, difficult, or painful moments of life?

Again, this is the longest prayer recorded in Scripture and most of it is dedicated to praising God for His goodness… … may we be godly leaders who recognize and proclaim His goodness on a daily basis and in every season of life.

The third attribute that Israel focused on was…

3. God’s Grace

In vv. 26-28 we see the cycle that Israel had been caught in basically the entire time they had become a nation.

They at first would be blessed by God and then in v.26 it says…

Nehemiah 9:26 “Nevertheless they were disobedient And rebelled against You...”

So they went from blessing to rebellion… from rebellion to oppression…

Nehemiah 9:27 “Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their enemies, Who oppressed them...”

From oppression to repentance… v.27 goes on to say...

“And in the time of their trouble, When they cried to You, You heard from heaven...”

From repentance, they recieved forgiveness and deliverance… The last part of v.27 says…

“And according to Your abundant mercies You gave them deliverers who saved them From the hand of their enemies.”

From deliverance they step back into blessing… and then v.28 says…

Nehemiah 9:28 “But after they had rest (After the recieved Blessings from God), They again did evil before You. Therefore You left them in the hand of their enemies, So that they had dominion over them; Yet when they returned and cried out to You, You heard from heaven; And many times You delivered them according to Your mercies,”

v.30…

Nehemiah 9:30 “...for many years You had patience with them…”

and v.31…

Nehemiah 9:31 “Nevertheless in Your great mercy You did not utterly consume them nor forsake them; For You are God, gracious and merciful.”

“Grace, Grace… God’s Grace… Grace that is GREATER than ALL MY SIN!”

In vv. 32-35 Israel recognizes that despite all the hardships they have faced, God has remained very gracious and has never once wronged them.

Which Leads to…

A final challenge:

For them and for us… and that is to…

4. Allow God’s Word to Renew You!

By the end of this powerful prayer, the Israelites arrive at a profound realization… All the trouble they have suffered is due to their own sin and rebellion. However, they now understand where they had fallen off the rails…

Nehemiah 9:36–38 “Here we are, servants today! And the land that You gave to our fathers, To eat its fruit and its bounty, Here we are, servants in it!

37 And it yields much increase to the kings You have set over us, Because of our sins; Also they have dominion over our bodies and our cattle At their pleasure; And we are in great distress.

38 “And because of all this, We make a sure covenant and write it; Our leaders, our Levites, and our priests seal it.””

Now, as they reflect on the centuries of their history, they acknowledge their position before God, declaring, “We are slaves today... because of our sins”

And With humbled hearts, they turn to God and say, “We are making a Sure covenant (a binding agreement)”, committing themselves to renew their covenant with Him, live under His authority, and begin again in faithful obedience.

Closing:

Just as the Israelites recognized their need for renewal and committed themselves to God's covenant, we too must examine our hearts and realign our lives under His authority. True renewal begins with acknowledging where we have strayed, humbling ourselves before God, and committing to faithful obedience.

As godly leaders, we have a responsibility to guide others toward renewal, just as Nehemiah, Ezra and the Levites did.

This means not only teaching God’s Word but handling it properly—allowing it to convict, transform, and lead us into prayer.

When Scripture is taught and received correctly, it will always stir a response of repentance, worship, and a renewed commitment to God.

May we be leaders who point people back to Him, ensuring that His Word remains central in every aspect of our lives.

Prayer: