Nehemiah 9: Reading, Confession, and Worship

Intro:

So, in what ways did you change to become more like Jesus last week? Here is a letter that was written to me by one our teens

END- Confession

Outline:

Read (Worship): “You” (vs. 1-15)

Confess (Grow): “They” (vs. 16-31)

Commit (Serve): “Our” (vs. 32-38)

Summary: Reading the Word of God for who He is shows me who I am not and compells me to serve my great and awesome God who keeps his promises in steadfast love

Prayer:

Reading (Worhsip): “You” (vs. 1-15)

On the 24th day of this month (vs. 1-5)

The people of Israel were assembled

With fasting

In sackcloth

with earth on their heads- all signs of mourning and grief

And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners- from those that did not have a covenant relationship with Yahweh.

And stood

and confessed their sins

and the iniquities of their hfathers

They stood up in their place

and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God- 1/4 of the day- the reading leads to the confession and worship

another 1/4 of it they made confession and worshipped the LORD their God

On the stairs of the Levites stood

Jeshua

Bani

Kadmiel

Shebanaiah

Bunni

Sherebiah

Bani

Chenani- Some of these men are listed in 8:7 and were used to help the people understand.

They cried with a loud voice to the LORD their God

Then the Levites

Jesua

Kadmiel

Bani

Hashabneiah

Sherebiah

Hodiah

Shebaniah

Pethahiah

Said “Stand up and bless the LORD your God from evelasting to everlasting

Blessed by your glorious name

Which is exalted above all blessing and praise

You are the LORD (vs. 6-8)- This is a prayer on behalf of the people

You are the LORD, you alone

You have (What He has done)-Creation

Made heaven

the heaven of heavens

with all their hosts

The earth an all that is on it

The seas and all that is in them

You preserve all of them

And the host of heaven worships you- bow down to you

You are the LORD- (who He is)

The god who chose Abram

and brought him out of Ur of the haldeans

Gave him the name Abraham

You found his heart faithful before you

Made with him the covenant to give to his offspring

the land of the

Canaanite

the Hittite

the Amorite

the Perizzite

The Jebusite

the Girgashite

You have kept your promise

for you are righteous- this is who he is

And You Saw (vs. 9-15 )

The affliction of our fathers in Egypt

Heart their cry at the Red Sea

and performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh

and all his servants

and all the people of his land

for you knew that they acted arrogantly against our fathers

You made a name for yourself as it is to this day- The God who sees, the God who is righteous, the God who is to be worshipped.

You divided the sea before them

So that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land- God made a way through the chaos

you cast their pursuers into the depths- God stopped their oppressors

as a stone into mighty waters

By a pillar of cloud you led them in the day

By a pillare of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go- God led them in the way they should go

You came down on Mount Sinai- He came to His people

and spoke with them from heaven

and gave them:

right rules

true laws

good statutes

and commandments

and you made known to them your holy Sabbath

and commanded them

commandement

and statutes

and a law by Moses your servant- fed them nurishment for their souls

Bread from heaven for their hunger

Brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst- fed them nurishment for their bodies

You told them to go in to possess the land that you had sworn to give them

Application/Implications:

We see what He had done in creation and who He is. He is to be worshipped, he is righteous, He chooses His people, He keeps His promises. He hears and sees your affliction and acts. He makes a way through the chaos, he stops the oppressors, He leads, he is present, with His people. He nourishes them with what they need spiritually and phyiscially!

How are you going to know who God is, what He has done, and what He wants you to do without reading His Word. Some Christians try to act more Spiritual be saying they can understand these things without read God’s Word, through the experiences they have with Him. That spirituality is a lazy man’s spirituality that is self-centered and self-actualized, and demonic. You say, wow, Pastor Jeremy, arent’ you getting a little too fired up about this? Let me ask you this, how did Satan tempt Jesus? “If you really are the Son of God than do” “If you worship me and follow my demands then i will give you glory...” Who are we to demand that God show Himself to us in ways other than He has for the last 4000 years?

God has already made a name for Himself! Many of us struggle not because we don’t have enough faith, or we do not understand the concept of trust, we struggle because of our objects of faith and what we are putting our trust in. God’s Word describes the character and faithfulness of God. These are the objects of faith and trust.

Transitional phrase: Are you telling me I need to read my Bible More? Well that depends. What is your purpose in reading? Look at where the reading of the Bible leads. It leads to confession! If you are planning on just reading your Bible than I would say no, unless you are planning on reading, confessing, repenting and worshipping God in light of who He is and what He has done.

Confess (Grow): “They” (vs. 16-31)

But they and our fathers (vs. 9-18)

Acted presumptuously- in pride, this is where the progression of sin starts.

and stiffened their neck

and did not obey your commandments

They refused to obey

were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them

But stiffenend their neck

and appointed a leader to return to their salvery in Egypt

But you are a God ready to forgive- wonderful phrase

gracious

merciful

slow to anser

and abounding in steadfast love

And did not forsake them

Even when they had made for themselfes a golden calf

and said “This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt”

and committed great blasphemies- attributing salvation or deliverance to anyone or anything other than God! Declaring that the works and words of God can from a difference source than God

In Your Great Mercies (vs. 19-21)

did not fosake them in the wilderness

The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day

Nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by wich they should do

You gave your good Spirit to instruct them

Did not withhold your manna from their moth

Gave them water for their thirst

40 years you sustained them in the wilderness

and they lacked nothing

Their clothes did not wear out

Their feet did not swell

You Gave them (vs. 22-25)

Kingdoms and peoples and allotted to them every corner

So they took possession of the land of

Sihon king of Heshbon

Land of Og king of Bashan

Multiplied their children as the stars of heaven

You brought them into the land that you had told their fathers to enter and possess

so the descendants went in and possessed the land

You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land

the Canaanites

and gave them into their hand

with their kings

and the peoples of the land

that they might do with them as they would

They captured fortified cities

and a rich land

took possession

of houses full of all good things

cisterns already hewn

vineyards

olive orchards

fruit trees in abundance

so they ate and were filled and became fat and delighten themselves in your great goodness- we would think this would bring about the humblest heart of worship.

Nevertheless (vs. 26-31)

They were disobedient

and rebelled against you

and cast your law behind their back

and killed your prophets

who had warned them in order to turn them back to you

They committed great blasphemies

Therefore

you gave them into the land of their enemies

who made them suffer

In their time of their suffering they cried out to you

and you heard them from heaven

and according to your great mercies you gave them saviors who saved them from the hand of their enemies

But after they had rest they did evil again before you

and you abandoned them to the hand of their enemioes

so that they had dominion over them

Yet when they turned and cried to you

you heard from heaven

and many times you delievered them according to your mercies

and you warned them in order to turn them back to your law

Yet they acted presumptuously

and did not obey your commandments

but sinned against your rules

which if a person does them, he shall live by them

and they turned a stubborn shoulder

and stiffened their neck

and would not obey

Many years you bore with them

and warned them by your Spirit

through your prophets

Yet they would not give ear

Therefore you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands

Nevertheless

in your great mercies

you did not make an end of them

or forsake them

for you are a gracious and merciful God

There is a pattern in the text here that is incomplete

The people are disobedient

God hands them over to their enemies

They cry out

God delivers them

This could be what they are doing now or

looking forward to complete repentance by the Israelite people to follow God’s law. There is coming one that will keep God’s law perfectly!

Application/Implications:

What is your “even when” that you think, well God could never forgive me, He will forsake me for that...

God will never forsake you in the wilderness even though you will be tempted to forsake Him

In what ways have you acted presumptuously or with pride this week? Stiffened your neck, refused to obey God’s word, were not mindful of the wonders that God has done, appointed other saviours in your life than Jesus that just return you to slavery? Repent and be comforted, But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. Even when...” That is the same God we serve today.

Blasphemies: How do we blaspheme the name of Jesus today? According to this text, blasphemy and acting presumptuously go hand in hand. I attribue the words and Works of God to another source when I act in pride. I seek another saviour of my own making when I act in pride. When I listen to another source of authority: When I look to another saviour: When I harden my heart, stiffen my neck, and cast your law behind my back...

Transitional phrase: Reading the Word of God shows us how we act presumptuously and blaspheme the person and work of God. These two would incomplete without a commitment or Covenant to change

Covenant (Serve): “Our” (vs. 32-38)

Now, therefore, Our God (v. 32)

the great

the mighty

the awesome God

Who keeps covenant and steadfast love

let not all the hardship seem little to you

that has come upon us

upon our kings

our princes

our priests

our prophets

our fathers

all your people

since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day

Yet you have been righteous (vs. 33-35)

In all that has come upon us

for you have dealt faithfully

and we have acted wickedly

our kings

our princes

our preists

our fathers

have not kept your law

or paid attention to your commandments

and your warnings that you gave them

Even in their own kingdom

and amid your great goodness that you gave them

in the large and rich land that you set before them

They did not serve you

or turn from their wicked works

Behold, we are slaves this day (vs. 36-37)

In the land that you gave to our fathers to enjoy its

fruit

and its good gifts

Behold, we are slaves

And its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us

because of our sins

They rule over our bodies

and over our livestock

as they please

We are in great distress

Because of all this (v. 38)

We make a firm covenant in writing

on the sealed document are the names of our

princes

Levites

Priests

Application/Implications:

Transitional phrase:

Summary

Discussion questions

Worship- Renew the Mind (Scripture)

1. What passage of Scripture did we look at? Summarize it in your own words.

2. What did the people do for 1/4 of the day?

3. How is God described in His person and work in verses 6-15?

4. How does verses 16-17 define the process of sin and rebellion? How is God described right after that?

Grow- Engage the Heart (Conversation)

1. What caught your attention the most out of the 3 sections (Read, Confess, Commit)?

2. “Blasphemy” is mentioned 2 times in this chapter. How does Nehemiah define it (vs. 18, 26)? In what ways are we tempted to “blaspheme” God today?

3. In what ways are you in great distress or feel enslaved? In what ways can we be greatly distressed and enslaved even when “amid your great goodness that you gave them in the large and rich land that you set before them”? What keeps you from serving in our abundant society? What riches keep us from turning from our wicked works?

Serve- Enlist the Body (Action)

What will reading God’s Word this week in order to worship who He is and what He has done look/sound like this week?

What will confession and repentance look/sound like this week?

In light of reading and confessing, how will your committment to Jesus change this week?