A Covenant With The God Of Heaven (Part 2)

Comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk

At this very moment we are in the midst of a national conversation that was sparked by the horrible assassination of Charlie Kirk. I want to take a few moments and share with you a few thoughts on that subject.

Charlie’s was a life well lived. And it wasn’t just because he was a successful entrepreneur. It wasn’t just because he was influential among our nation’s highest political leaders. And it wasn’t just because he lived a life full of mission and purpose. His was a life well lived because in his final years he had a testimony of loving Jesus Christ and was determined to serve Christ till his final breath.

That is the true measure of a successful life. Jesus Christ is the answer to a living a successful life.

But this tragedy reminds us of several Biblical realities:

Evil is real - there is no moral relativism. There are only moral absolutes. God has established what is right and what is wrong. We don’t get to decide what is right or wrong based on how we feel. Taking innocent life is murder - and we know it because God says so. He has even hardwired us with a conscience so that we instinctively know this to be true. I call on every Christian here to hate evil and call it out for what it is.

There is a clash of worldviews in our country. There is a war of ideas - a battle for freedom - that is raging across our land. The Judeo-Christian worldview is the foundation that undergirds our freedom. Christian, do not cower, do not hide your judeo-Christian worldview. Be courageous and graciously stand for truth!

Justice will come to all. I believe that our judicial system will bring justice for this crime. But please remember this: justice will come to us all when we stand before Jesus, the Son of God.

Hebrews 9:27 KJV 1900

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Are you ready? Are you ready to be judged by a Holy God? Charlie Kirk, by his own testimony, was ready. You must realize that you are a sinner before a holy God. You must realize that sin means you cannot have access to God and you cannot earn access to God. You’re not good enough. You must realize that Jesus Christ is the only access to God and you must trust Jesus alone to save your soul.

If you are at the end of yourself. If you are ready to trust Christ alone to save your soul, there will be an invitation time at the end of this service where you will be invited to come and make that decision for Christ.

Erika Kirk video - everyone should watch it. She said that Charlie’s vision was the restoration of the American family.

Next Sunday, we will be hosting a Marriage and Family Conference. Everyone should plan to be here. Every message will be focused on what God says about having a lasting, Christ-honoring marriage relationship and about raising a Christian family.

Prayer and then congregational song.

Review

Turn to Nehemiah 10

Nehemiah chapter ten revealed to us the people of the covenant. The Jewish people who returned to Jerusalem recommitted themselves to a covenant with their God - the God of Heaven. Civil and religious leaders lead the way and signed their names to the document. Families and even children bound themselves by an oath to keep the covenant also. We saw that in order for the covenant to have longevity, everyone of all ages had to commit themselves unto the Lord. That same principle remains true today for our local church. Our church will not have longevity unless everyone - leaders, families, young adults, and children commit themselves unto the Lord. Christianity in America will die on the altar of secularism or Mohammedism unless we commit ourselves unto our God.

Introduction

Read Nehemiah 10:28-33.

Have you ever made a commitment before knowing the details of what the commitment would involve? I’m sure we’ve all done that at some point in our lives.

I’ve done that more times than I care to remember, but one instance that stands out in my mind is one I’ve told you about before. It was when I was a sophomore in college and I was asked to plan the annual valentines banquet.

I was told that it would be a good way to get experience in event planning and they were right, but if I had known up front what I was getting into and how little I would enjoy the experience, I can assure you, I would have offered a much more determined resistance.

When I agreed to lead the event, I didn’t know it would require meeting stressful deadlines.

I didn’t know it would mean late night homework because I had spent the afternoon working on the event.

I didn’t know it would mean countless hours of communication with the different college staff and students involved.

At the time, I didn’t know the work that goes into delegating responsibilities to others and making sure they actually do what they said they would do and then picking up the slack when they don’t get it done!

I just didn’t have the life experience to know what I was getting into when I committed to lead that event. Thankfully, the 2013 “Winter Wonderland” Valentines Banquet was a success, but I breathed a huge sigh of relief when it was all over.

Unlike my Valentines Banquet experience, these people knew what they were getting into when they committed themselves to this covenant.

How did they know? Here’s how: the specific points of the covenant were openly shared.

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The points of the covenant - Nehemiah 10:29-39

Nehemiah and the Jews entered into a covenant that they would obey the Mosaic Law again! Verses 30-39 elaborate on the details of that covenant and how it would be implemented.

Isn’t it interesting that this was a basic form and example of self-government?

We may think of self-government as being a relatively new concept, perhaps because America is kind of like the new kid on the block among the older nations of our world. But the idea of self-government is nothing new. In fact, we find it practiced right here in Nehemiah chapter ten.

They were under the authority of the Persian king who reigned from Shushan, but Nehemiah governed them under the umbrella of the Mosaic Law and there were specific points of the covenant that they bound themselves to. There were specific laws that they committed to obey.

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To obey the commandments of the Lord - verse 29

Now I’m not going to dwell on this for very long, but I want you to consider this point in the context of their day.

The Jews had Persian rulers.

The Jews, no doubt, had to follow Persian laws.

But despite being under those laws already, these Jews voluntarily renewed their commitment to abide by the Mosaic Law - something that almost certainly was more strict than any of the Persian laws that they were under.

No one forced them to do this, but they chose to put a priority on the commandments of the Lord.

Application: What kind of priority do you put on the commandments of the Lord?

“Pastor Tim, that sounds good but I don’t really know.”

Here’s how you can find out: if you don’t know how God wants you to live, it’s probably because His commandments are not much of a priority for you. God has said everything about life that He intended to say in His Word.

If you aren’t growing in knowing what God says about your thoughts, about your behavior, about your words, and about how to live life, then it just might indicate that His commandments are not a priority to you.

It might indicate that you just don’t care.

Make sure you put a priority on the commandments of the Lord like these people did.

The second point of the covenant was…

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To marry only Jews - verse 30

Read Nehemiah 10:30

They vowed that they would marry only Jews. Not pagans. Not Gentiles. Not anyone who didn’t care about the commandments of the Lord.

Now we could talk all about why that mattered. For one thing its what God commanded back in the Mosaic Law, but another reason was because it was to ensure that they remained a holy people separated from the paganism of the Gentiles.

Holiness mattered to them so much it was a guiding principle in who they would marry!

Application: Does the God of Heaven still care about who you marry today?

Sure He does. He cared then. He still cares now. Young adults, God takes a keen interest in guiding you step by step in His perfect will to the person that He wants you to marry.

But if God is not your first and primary delight, then don’t expect Him to lead you in His will.

Psalm 37:4 KJV 1900

Delight thyself also in the Lord; And he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

We will never find satisfaction until we are satisfied with God. - Martin Wickens, Heart and Scroll, pg 42

I’m sure we’ll be hearing more of this in our upcoming conference, but if you’re looking to get married, you better find someone who is saved and who is spiritual. And you find them God’s way.

They made a covenant that established their priorities. In other words, they would obey the commandments of the Lord. They made a covenant concerning their relationships; they would marry only Jews. Now the third point of the covenant was…

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To honor the Sabbath - verse 31

In the last year or so, I’ve begun to read articles about a work schedule that is somewhat on the rise in Silicon Valley. Rather than the classic 8-5 schedule that you may be familiar with, there’s another one that’s called the 9-9-6 schedule. It was popularized in some companies within the Chinese tech industry and it stands for 9 am to 9 pm, 6 days per week. US technology firms have loosely adapted the schedule. Silicon Valley hasn’t adopted the schedule, but from what I have read, it has adopted the expectation to work long hours and have a minimal personal life. Such a culture does not prioritize rest, much less a day of rest that is dedicated to the Lord.

Read Nehemiah 10:31

You might be surprised just how seriously God took this one. In fact, breaking the sabbath was one of the main reasons why God allowed the Jews to go into captivity in the first place.

These Jews were so serious about having a day of rest that was set aside for worship of God that they decided that they wouldn’t conduct any business transactions - any trade - on the Sabbath day.

Application: They were determined to follow God’s design. Do you take a day of rest every week? Be careful about so filling your rest days with busyness that you end up neglecting the Lord even on the days that you are off from work. We may not be under the Mosaic Law anymore, but back in Genesis chapter two, long before the Mosaic Law, we find that God rested after the work of Creation was complete. It’s a pattern that we’re still supposed to follow today. For the Christian, a day of rest from work and busyness is an expression of dependence upon the Lord.

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To give to the Lord - verses 32-38

Read Nehemiah 10:32-38

These verses include some details about various ordinances that these Jews bound themselves to.

They committed that every Jewish man would give a third part of a shekel for the service of the temple

They committed to regularly bring wood in support of all the different offerings that were offered on altar.

They committed to bring the first fruits of their harvest for the Levites and priests.

They committed to present their firstborn children and livestock to the Lord. It was a way of acknowledging that they were a gift from the Lord.

Here’s the point: their commitment to the Lord was more than mere words. It was proven in their actions. Their commitment to the Lord included their finances, their families, their lands, and their crops. They were “all in” for God!

Application: What is your level of commitment to your God, Christian? How far does it go? What does it include? What is still off-limits? The time for lazy, apathetic Christianity is over! The days of convenient Christianity are over! The season of easy Christianity is over! Pick a side! Pick God’s side! And then be committed no matter what comes! No matter what resistance or hate that Biblical Christianity in America may face. Be committed! No part of your life must be excluded from your commitment to God.

There was a final point to this covenant. It’s found in verse 39.

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To not forsake their Lord - verse 39

I find that we human beings tend to frequently visit that which we enjoy or that which we love. I don’t pay social visits to the doctor or to the dentist because I don’t really care to go to either place. But if an errand takes us in the direction of some store or restaurant that we really like, we somehow end up stopping in at that place. We manage to find time in our schedule. Our vehicles have a way of navigating to that beloved location. Our pockets somehow come up with some loose change - or an extra credit card. We frequent that which we love.

These Jews said that they would not forsake the house of their God. They were going to frequent that place. They would prioritize that place because it was where they would gather to meet with their God. They made a commitment that they would not forsake their Lord.

Conclusion

Application: Christian, what is your commitment to your Lord? Gone are the days - I hope - of being a Christian in name only. It’s time to put it into shoe leather. It’s time to put our commitment into action. It’s time to prove it by our unshakable faith in our God. It’s time to be distinct from our unsaved neighbors and family. It’s time to tell them of Jesus that saves! It’s time to obey the commandments of the Lord and be a holy people. It’s time to be committed to Bible principles in our relationships. It’s time to dedicate ourselves to rest and to seeking the Lord. It’s time to give ourselves wholly unto the Lord. It’s time to make A Covenant With The God Of Heaven.

Invitation

Baptism