Sermon Tone Analysis

No Compromise

Restore, Rebuild, Rededicate (Nehemiah 11, 12,13)

We are ending our series, on the book of Nehemiah

This series is about Restoration, Rebuilding and rededicating

The message for this morning is

No compromise.

The story of restoring, rebuilding and rededicating of Jerusalem begins in the book of Ezra also written by Nehemiah.

God raised Cyrus

Cyrus the Great, Persian King, He was the monarch who ended the Babylonian captivity.

He reigned from 559-530 BC He was also known as Cyrus II.

150 years before Cyrus was born Isaiah the prophet, prophecy about him by name.

Later Jeremiah also prophesied about Cyrus,

In the first year of his reign God led Cyrus to decree that the Temple in Jerusalem should be rebuilt

They began the work, and took their time rebuilding Jerusalem,

Several years later; Nehemiah receives news that the walls of Jerusalem were broken and the gates were burned the people were under distress.

Nehemiah went before the Lord, he took responsibility, repented for his sins and of his forefathers, received God’s forgiveness, and favor then Nehemiah received the blessings and the materials he needed from King Artaxerxes, he went back to Jerusalem to encourage the people to finish the work they had begun.

They began the good work, in unity everyone, high priest, priest, merchants, they were all working in some part of the wall and gates, the women were also included, some began repairing their own homes.

The message for this morning is

No compromise.

Now we are in chapter 11, 12,13

In the book of Nehemiah, the two consistent themes remained to the end, the favor of God, and the harassment of the enemy.

God’s favor, they rebuild the wall, they got the job done, the people were moving in unity, the enemy began to fear them.

Harassment

Their enemy continue to harass them in every way they could, they did not stop.

Let’s Pray

On

Chapter 11 — The rulers cast lots to see who is to dwell in Jerusalem and who is to live elsewhere in the land.

Chapter 12

vv.

1-42 — Roster of priests and Levites who had returned with Zerubbabel.

vv.

43-47 — Restoration of sacrifices and temple worship.

(Notice the joy of the people.)

Neh 12:43 Also on that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced because God had given them great joy; the women and children also rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard from far away.

Chapter 13 — Nehemiah, who had returned to Persia, comes again to Jerusalem and institutes reforms.

vv.

1-5 — The reading of the law leads to separation

1 We need to know who our friends are?

Neh 13:1 On that day they read aloud from the book of Moses so that the people could hear [its words], and in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite could ever enter the assembly of God,

Neh 13:2 because they did not meet the Israelites with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them.

Yet our God turned the curse into a blessing.

[Num_22:3-11; Deu_23:5-6]

Neh 13:3 When the Jews heard the law, they separated from Israel all who were of foreign descent.

The Lord had clearly told the people to love the strangers the foreigners, the problem here is, allowing people and their ungodly values to influence your life and values.

Deu 10:19 Therefore, show your love for the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

There is nothing to do with being a nationalist

a person who strongly identifies with their own nation and vigorously supports its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.

Or a loyalist

a person who remains loyal to the established ruler or government, especially in the face of a revolt.

Our Heavenly Father and Jesus are always about loving people.

Mat 25:34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

Mat 25:35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;

Mat 25:36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'

Mat 25:37 "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?

Mat 25:38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?

Mat 25:39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'

Mat 25:40 And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

We always need to have in mind who we are associating with, not to reject them and put them down, but we need to be the influence, if you are the follower and someone is leading you away from God is time for you to reevaluate your friendship.

vv.

6-9 — Nehemiah puts Tobiah out of the room he had been given in the temple.

2 Who are we welcoming in our temple?

Neh 13:4 Now prior to this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, and was related to Tobiah [our adversary],

Neh 13:5 had prepared for Tobiah a large room (chamber) where previously they had put the grain offerings, the frankincense, the utensils, and the tithes of grain, new wine, and [olive] oil which were given by commandment for the Levites, the singers, and gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests.

Tobiah was one of the rats who brought so much trouble, and made so difficult for them to complete the wall the work of the Lord.

Eliashib was the priest appointed over the chambers of the house of God and he was related to Tobiah.

Just like Nehemiah dealt with Tobiah, we need to be aggressive with the enemy of our soul, giving him no room.

Through him out.

I remember a few years after I had given my heart to the Lord, there were things that I could not shake off I had no victory over, addictions, condemnation, always being reminded of some mistake or something I didn’t preform well, the end message was always the same “how can you be so stupid?

”

By the grace of God, working with counseling schools, it became very clear to me that I had open the door to my enemy, the enemy of my soul and gave him a room in my temple.

The Apostle Paul tell us

1Co 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

1Co 6:20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

The enemy never asks permission to seat at your table or move into a room in your temple,

When we give him a room and permission to be there, we move from temptation, to give the enemy authority over us, we become slaves.

The only way to break that authority is to throw him out, with his things, did you give him a couch a chair, a bed?

Throw it out.

Ask the Lord what you need to throw out, what belongs to the enemy that is in your temple.

Some were objects that I chose to throw out

I got ready of pictures, books, music cds, jewelry, anything the enemy had claim on it.

Do you have anything that the enemy is using to connect you with your sinful past, things that are not pleasing to the Lord ?

some we resist because costed us money?

I had friends who refused to get ready of things because cost them a good amount of money.

May be time for you to get ready of it.

I have seen people getting ready of expensive Jewelry or paintings, clothing collections because they want to be free of the power of the enemy in their lives.

I can’t tell you what you need to throw away, but if you ask the Lord He will tell you.

I personally don’t want to have anything from the enemy in my temple, heart, or my house,

3 Keep giving your tithes and offerings

One of the consequences of giving a room to the enemy was that the Levites were not being paid.

The rooms for offerings was given to the enemy, now those who were serving the Lord had to go back to their fields.

Are you contributing to those who are ministering to you? Are they being paid from your offerings?

Or is that room taken away?

vv.

10-14 — The Levites had not been paid.

Nehemiah forces the rulers to see that the Levites receive their portion.

Is important that we are faithful with our tithes and offerings are part of our worship is our expression of gratitude for all the Lord provide for us.

Mal 3:10 Bring all the tithes (the tenth) into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you [so great] a blessing until there is no more room to receive it.

[Mal_2:2]

Mal 3:11 Then I will rebuke the devourer (insects, plague) for your sake and he will not destroy the fruits of the ground, nor will your vine in the field drop its grapes [before harvest]," says the LORD of hosts.

4 Observe the Sabbath.

They had neglect the Sabbath