Sermon Tone Analysis

Nehemiah’s primary task in Judah was to complete the walls of Jerusalem (2:5).

He had astonished his enemies, and his workforce, when he accomplished that goal in the short period of fifty-two days (6:15).

Now we may have expected the Judean governor to pack his bags and return to his comfortable job as the cupbearer of Artaxerxes.

But, just the opposite was true because Nehemiah was as concerned for the spiritual well-being of his fellow-Jews

as he was for their physical welfare.

Therefore, he stayed put in Jerusalem, fully involved in the renewal and reforms of which we read in the closing chapters of his book.

As we move into Nehemiah chapter 9 we remind ourselves that a recurrent theme running through Ezra and Nehemiah is that the holy God desires a holy people to serve him.

This is the reason why it was essential for the Jews in the past, and ourselves nowadays, to be ‘the people of a book’.

It is in that book, God’s Word, that we discover & determine what is pleasing the Lord.

We learn from that the study of the Bible should lead to confession of sin.

The consequence of confession of sin is a fresh awakening of God’s amazing grace.

In chapter 8 we saw the preaching of God’s Word and the right hearing of it.

Here, we need to study chapter 9 together as a church to study Scriptures profound impact upon the people of God.

Let’s pray together before we do.

Of Father God, our ever-faithful, never-failing Lord and Savior, today we come to you with all our burdens and sorrows and look to you to give us that rest and the peace that passes understanding that only you can give.

Pleas instruct us by your Spirit the things concerning You and all of Your glory!

Make much of Yourself this morning.

We ask these things in Jesus name.

The title of this message is “One church under God.”

The first evidence of a true movement of the Holy Spirit is an awakened conscience,

leading to genuine sorrow for sin in God’s people.

Only after that does revival come.

A church that’s under God is a church that confesses their sin and repents of their sin.

1 "On the twenty-fourth day of this month the Israelites assembled; they were fasting, wearing sackcloth, and had put dust on their heads.

2 "Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.

3 "While they stood in their places, they read from the book of the law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day and spent another fourth of the day in confession and worship of the Lord their God. 4 "Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the raised platform built for the Levites and cried out loudly to the Lord their God.”

()

I also notice two important things about this movement of repentance.

First, the confession of the people was once again linked to a reading of God’s Law.

This had happened on the first day of the month (recorded in chap.

8).

It happened again here.

It was after the priests had been reading from the “Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day”

that the people spent the next quarter of the day (three hours) confessing their sin.

What I am pointing out is more than just an observation.

There is a necessary link between the two.

Let me explain what I mean by “sin.”

You are sinning if your life lack anything that is in perfect conformity to the Law of God.

Or if you transgress (cross over) any part of the law of God in thoughts, words, and deeds.

See here in v1 that they were fasting.

Let me show you what God is looking for.

(Turn over to .

The requirement for repentance continues (it started in chapter 55).

Here in chapter 58 we discover a few things about repentance.

Remember church, it’s the Lord who looks upon your heart this morning.

This chapter bears many marks of religion.

But it’s not the marks that please God.

1. God’s not after formal religion.

Negatively stated in v2 about the appearance of religion:

2 "They seek me day after day and delight to know my ways, like a nation that does what is right and does not abandon the justice of their God.

They ask me for righteous judgments; they delight in the nearness of God.”” ()

They are going about the business of religion.

They expect that God should reward them accordingly.

They manage to convince themselves but not God!

They are even belligerent:

3 "“Why have we fasted, but you have not seen?

We have denied ourselves, but you haven’t noticed!” ... ()

2. The essence of formal religion is doing whatever pleases you.

Their observation of fasting (v3) and the Sabbath (v13) was characterized by self-pleasing.

Let me break that down.

You can do all the letter of the law.

You can fast and come to church all day long,

And those these guys kept the letter of the law they were unforgiving.

(second half of v3) ... “Look, you do as you please on the day of your fast, and oppress all your workers.

4 "You fast with contention and strife to strike viciously with your fist.

You cannot fast as you do today, hoping to make your voice heard on high.

5 "Will the fast I choose be like this: A day for a person to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes?

Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the Lord?” ()

Let me show you how God wanted them to be when fasting, which is what you see in .

5 "Will the fast I choose be like this: A day for a person to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes?

Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the Lord?” ()

Don’t leave Isaiah, but Nehemiah describes those folks repenting in the same way with the sackcloth and ashes.

This is a posture of mourning.

These are expressions of sorrow and humiliation, that give glory to God.

They took shame to themselves and stirred up one another to repentance.

Previously restrained from weeping, but now God’s Word directs them to.

So it’s a day to deny ourselves.

But it’s also a day to break the chains of wickedness.

6 "Isn’t this the fast I choose: To break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke?” ()

This is a picture of true religion.

It’s actually a matter of the heart.

You see this in the previous chapter 57:15

15 "For the High and Exalted One, who lives forever, whose name is holy, says this: “I live in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and lowly of spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the oppressed.”

()

That verse really amplifies Isaiah’s discussion on the purpose of fasting.

6 "Isn’t this the fast I choose: To break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke?

7 "Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your house, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to ignore your own flesh and blood?

8 "Then your light will appear like the dawn, and your recovery will come quickly.

Your righteousness will go before you, and the Lord’s glory will be your rear guard.

9 "At that time, when you call, the Lord will answer; when you cry out, he will say, ‘Here I am.’

If you get rid of the yoke among you, the finger-pointing and malicious speaking,” ()

The fast which God’ has chosen’ (58:6), is to be a powerful aid to righteous living.

There is no point in fasting, and expecting to win God’s favor by doing so,

if at the same time we are guilty of

injustice,

oppression,

greed and

insensitivity to the needs of others,

as well as the

absence of love,

finger-pointing (accusation) and

malicious talk (58:7–9)

This issue was still a matter of concern in Jesus’ day.