Nehemiah 5:6–12 (ESV)

I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. I took counsel with myself, and I brought charges against the nobles and the officials. I said to them, “You are exacting interest, each from his brother.” And I held a great assembly against them and said to them, “We, as far as we are able, have bought back our Jewish brothers who have been sold to the nations, but you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us!” They were silent and could not find a word to say. So I said, “The thing that you are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies? Moreover, I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us abandon this exacting of interest. Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the percentage of money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them.” Then they said, “We will restore these and require nothing from them. We will do as you say.” And I called the priests and made them swear to do as they had promised.

Death to Default

Introduction:

What is a default?

a preselected option adopted by a program or other mechanism when no alternative is specified by the user, programmer or a person.

Said differently, with no intentionality or specificity for change, it is what we run back to.

Default behaviors also exist and this is what I am really talking about when I am saying death to default. There are certain behaviors that we default to that without intention, will never go away.

Default behaviors:

Keeping your inbox open

Immediately responding to text messages

Constantly monitoring social media

Multitasking

I have a default behavior… it’s sarcasm. My wife helped me to see it, but me and my brothers we can be extremely sarcastic. It’s a default setting that I’ve turned to whenever I receive new information that might challenge me or be different than what I expected.

Here in the text, there are some default behaviors with the Jewish exiles that Nehemiah had to address head on.

How did we get here?

When we catch up with the exiles in chapter five of Nehemiah there has been a great shift in the city. In chapter four of Nehemiah the exiles are building and fighting. They have a weapon in one hand and a tool in the other. They are united in the cause of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.

The wall galvanized this group of people. They had each other’s backs. They defended one another. The good of the group was greater than the good of the individual.

When we get to chapter five, things have deteriorated quickly.

There was a shortage of food in Jerusalem and so they started to lend money to each other so that they could buy food. When they loaned the money they began to charge excessive interest. When people couldn’t pay, they mortgaged their lands, their vineyards, and their houses. In several cases it got to the point that they sold their children into slavery in order to pay their debts.

How in the world did we get from fighting together to making slaves out of each other’s children?

How did we go from being united to being divided?

Here is the label I am going to apply to it - their defaulted to their systems when faced with something out of their control.

The Default

When the exiles were hit with this kind of pressure, rather than continue to fight together and contend for one another, they went into an old, Babylonian, default mode.

The majority of the exiles who returned to Jerusalem were not born in Jerusalem; they were born into Babylon.

Said differently, they were born into captivity. They were shaped by Babylonian systems.

Babylon, their captor, not only represents God’s judgment, but it also represents a secular system. It represents the world, and the world’s way of doing things. Jerusalem represented God’s way of doing things. We could call it Kingdom Culture. It represents God’s way of dealing with his people, and how his people should treat one another. When God’s people were completely hell bent on doing it their way, and not God’s way, he turned them over to Babylon.

In Babylon they were the minority. In Babylon they were oppressed. In Babylon there was strife. In Babylon there was contention.

Returning to Jerusalem was not just supposed to be a physical move, but also and more importantly, a spiritual move.

Although the exiles made the physical move, they were still contending for the spiritual move. Jerusalem, was to be the one place here on earth that represented heaven. It represented justice, mercy, grace and truth.

TRANSITION

And, now, church I believe we are ready to apply the word of God to our lives.

Default Systems

Nehemiah tells the Jews that they have redeemed their brothers, but becuase they defaulted to their old systems, they were putting their brethren right back into slavery again.

When you don’t leave from your default systems you will find yourself captive again.

God will bring you out of a life of sin, but if you do not change your default system, you’ll find yourself bound once again.

What is your default systems?

It’s your bad habits

It’s your negative circle

It’s your coping mechanism

It’s using short term fixes that lead to long term problems

[GET PRACTICAL FOR STUDENTS]

When there was a food problem, they went back to default. And when they went back to default, they went back to slavery.

This is why our mission is to help people Find Freedom. We want you to know God, but you have to find freedom. The exiles were out of Babylon but they weren’t free from Babylon.

They Were Redeemed. Periodt.

Nehemiah reminds them that they were redeemed.

Redemption is a word that the Bible uses to describe our relationship with sin and Jesus.

To redeem is to purchase or to buy back. To redeem is to pay the price for something in order to buy it back.

We learn from the scriptures that the wages, or payment for sins is death. If we are to be free from our sins someone has to die.

Here is the good news - someone has already paid that debt. Jesus gave his life to pay for the debt of our sins. Becuase Jesus paid the debt, we are no longer bound by sin, nor do we owe sin anything. We have been redeemed.

Someone tell their neighbor, “I’ve got good news for you. Your debt has been cancelled!”

You all are taking this way to lightly...

[Story]

In 2008 I was commuting 80+ miles round trip a day for work. Becuase I was driving an SUV i was paying about $500 a month on gas just in my car alone. I was making a car payment on gas. So I decided to get a gas efficient car. I went to the dealer and I bought myself a Ford Fiesta. It is a little thing that’s barely large enough to fit my family. At the time, I was paying $26 to fill it up and it would last me the whole week. Thank you Jesus.

In 18 months, I paid off my car and have been driving that paid off car ever since.

Now several times my wife has more than hinted that I need a new car, but I am no rush to buy one because the borrower is the slave to the lender. I got my paid off car, and it feels good to drive a paid off car. It’s been paid off for 9 years now, and I am happy!

Now that you understand in practical terms what it means to have a debt cancelled, imagine being in year 2 of a 5 year lease and the bank calls you and says that your debt has been cancelled.

What would your reaction be?

How would your life change?

What type of freedom would you feel to have that loan forgiven?

What if it was your mortgage? What if it was your student loan?

Now, if you get excited thinking about those temporary and external things, I want you to fix your frame when I tell you that becuase of Jesus, all of your sins have been forgiven. Becuase of Jesus, you don’t owe the debt on your sin. Becuase of Jesus, you don’t have to pay the price of death.

Jesus paid the debt and he gave you the title. Jesus paid the debt and he gave you the deed. Jesus paid the debt and tells you, “now go and live free!”

Only Receive

Now… if you are wondering what do I have to do to get that sort of debt cancellation, let me tell you that there is nothing that you can do. All you have to do is receive.

The redemptive work of Christ can only be received.

Faith comes by hearing the word of God. When you become aware of what Jesus did for you, the only thing that you need to do is receive what Jesus has already done for you!

Tell your neighbor it’s done. Tell your neighbor there’s nothing you can do to earn it!

[Hypothetical Story]

Now some of you struggle with this becuase you think that there is a catch, or you grew up in a religious system that told you that there was more that you had to do.

Legalism teaches you that your debt has been forgiven, but in order to receive forgiveness you need to act a certain way.

Imagine being told that the debt on your house has been forgiven. The only way to get the title is stop listening to anything that isn’t labeled as Christian. Stop going to the movies. Stop wearing pants if you are a women. Stop wearing make up if you are woman. Stop playing in sports.

All of a sudden the good news doesn’t sound so good, does it?

Sadly, this is why many people have given up on the church. The church turned the good news into bad news.

Let me tell you this Lighthouse. We only preach the good news here. We only preach the gospel here. We aren’t adding anything to it. We aren’t taking anything away from it.

You can’t earn forgiveness, you can only receive forgiveness!

“He who the son sets free is free indeed!” Let’s stop making free people slaves.

Jesus didn’t come to earth to restore a religion, he came to earth to restore a relationship that was severed by religion.

Let me say it differently…

If your salvation was dependent on your works, then Jesus does not have the power to save. Either he is omnipotent and in charge, or you are in charge and what you do matters more than what he did.

We need to break this religious mindset that says that the cross was not enough.

Default systems reinstate debts that have already been paid.

Default systems take us back to a mindset that we have been freed from.

Renew Your Mind

In our text, we read that Nehemiah had to correct their thinking. He reminded them that they too were once slaves.

In the New Testament we read very similar language used by Paul

Romans 6:17 ESV

But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,

Let me read you another verse that ties that one together.

Romans 12:2 ESV

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Paul tells us that we once were slaves, past tense. Now we get to live in obedience and in righteousness. How? We have to renew our minds.

OK Pastor Josh, but what does that mean?

I think practically, we need to replace our default system with a new system.

Our default system was one of works. Our new system is one of grace.

Our default system was me trying to earn salvation. My new system is me receiving what Christ has already done.

Our default system was me trying to stay saved. My new system is to completely rest in his word and in his promises.

As our mind is renewed, it is being restored.

From Redeemed to Restored

Nehemiah confronted the people about their default system and then left them with this command. Restore to them their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, their wine and their oil.

Restoration flows from a place of continual renewal.

It is not a one-time emotional experience alone. It is a continual flow of spirit and truth.

John 4 - Jesus tells the woman at the well that we must worship him in sprit and it truth.

Renewal looks like moments of worship where we encounter God in a way that it engages all of our senses. It is an experience that leaves no doubt that we have been with God. But it is also when we read our Bible and sit in contemplation and allow his truth to renew our minds and our thoughts.

[Example]

I get the imagery of water washed running trails.

There are trails that are designated for walking and running. They are made of packed dirt. When it is rainy season water will flow down these trails and begin to form grooves in the trails. Sometimes the grooves are so thick it separates the trail and creates new pathways.

In the same way, spirit and truth renewal is like water washing our minds and our hearts creating new pathways.

The old pathway in Babylon taught us one thing, but the word and his presence teaches me a different way. It’s teaching me a better way.

The old pathway in Babylon was a default system that led us back into slavery, but this new pathway leads us back to still quiet moments with Jesus.