1 00:00:00,880 --> 00:00:06,000 Where were you when the world stopped turning on that 2 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:10,360 September day? Many of you know that that is a 3 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:15,040 Alan Jackson song in reference to the Twin Towers terrorist 4 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:18,680 attack on 9/11. And maybe you remember where you 5 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:21,480 were when you first heard the news. 6 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:25,280 I know we were talking this week with some friends and sharing 7 00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:27,800 that we all remembered exactly where we were. 8 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:32,159 I I was in Grade 8, I was at school and I first heard the 9 00:00:32,159 --> 00:00:34,040 news and they ended up sending us home. 10 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:37,120 But it was such a shocking news to the world. 11 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:40,000 Many schools did leave and and many people left work. 12 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:47,400 At 8:46 on September the 11th, 2001, American Airlines Flight 13 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:51,200 11 crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New 14 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:57,240 York. 17 minutes later, United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into 15 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:00,480 the South Tower. Less than an hour and a half 16 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:06,560 later, both towers collapsed. The Twin towers were a symbol of 17 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:09,440 power and strength for the US economy. 18 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:12,960 They were among the tallest buildings in the world and a 19 00:01:12,960 --> 00:01:16,040 central hub for some of the most prominent companies in the 20 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:19,000 world. The towers that once stood as 21 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:23,440 icons on the New York City skyline, a source of pride for 22 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:27,200 New York City and all of America, were destroyed. 23 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:31,640 And where did people turn in the aftermath? 24 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:36,520 Where did people go when they were hurting, when all hoped 25 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:40,240 seemed lost? Some found comfort in church, 26 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:44,600 others found comfort in rallying together and and working 27 00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:47,960 together to provide for the needs of those around them. 28 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:53,040 Some turned to anger, calling for vengeance and retaliation, 29 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:58,440 while others isolated themselves out of fear, turning to alcohol 30 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:04,840 or drugs to numb the pain. All of these were responses and 31 00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:08,000 attempts to deal with or make sense of the pain and suffering 32 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:11,200 that they were going through. Or maybe just to try to make the 33 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:13,040 pain stop, at least for a moment. 34 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:19,640 What about you? Where do you turn when life 35 00:02:19,640 --> 00:02:23,440 feels like it's falling apart or there's no hope? 36 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:27,040 How do you respond to the pain and suffering that you go 37 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:31,880 through in your life? Where do you turn when nothing 38 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:35,240 in your life seems to be going your way, your prayers aren't 39 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:37,680 being answered, and you feel like God is against you? 40 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:42,080 Where do you turn when you hit a roadblock in life? 41 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:45,160 You had a plan for where you were going, but then the car 42 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:51,000 broke down, you got injured, you lost your job. 43 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:55,640 Where do you turn when you receive the news that that a 44 00:02:55,640 --> 00:03:01,280 loved one was in a bad accident, received a devastating diagnosis 45 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:06,400 or passed away? We all go through dark seasons 46 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:10,240 of life where we feel like everything is unravelling. 47 00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:14,520 It feels like everything's coming, crashing to the ground 48 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:16,840 and there is nothing that you can do to stop it. 49 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:23,280 It feels like there's no hope. So what do you do? 50 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:28,000 Where do you go? Where do you turn when life 51 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:32,960 feels like there's no hope? This morning we're beginning a 52 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:35,400 new series in the book of Nehemiah. 53 00:03:35,880 --> 00:03:38,520 And the encouragement that we're going to receive from Nehemiah's 54 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:42,960 example this morning is that when hope seems lost, turn to 55 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:46,720 God. The book of Nehemiah. 56 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:49,040 We're at the beginning of the book of Nehemiah. 57 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:51,840 We're introduced to a hopeless situation. 58 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:55,880 So where does Nehemiah turn in this hopeless situation? 59 00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:59,160 He turns to God. And this morning we're going to 60 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:03,200 learn from his example of turning to God when hope seems 61 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:05,480 lost. But before we do that, let's 62 00:04:05,480 --> 00:04:08,800 pray for the Spirit to open our eyes as we dig into His Word 63 00:04:08,800 --> 00:04:14,520 this morning. Holy Spirit, we pray that You 64 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:17,440 would give us wisdom and insight as we come to Your Word. 65 00:04:18,079 --> 00:04:24,240 Your Word is a blessing, it is a privilege, it is a joy, and we 66 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:28,320 must search it and desire it more than riches, more than 67 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:32,280 gold, more than silver, because it leads us in truth, it leads 68 00:04:32,280 --> 00:04:36,800 us in righteousness. It shows us the only path to 69 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:39,560 true joy and satisfaction and fulfillment. 70 00:04:40,280 --> 00:04:42,840 And Lord, we pray that as we come to Your holy Word this 71 00:04:42,840 --> 00:04:47,920 morning, that Your Spirit would open our dim eyes, that You 72 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:53,520 would open our hard of hearing ears, that You would soften our 73 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:59,800 hard stone like hearts, that we might receive and believe and 74 00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:02,880 obey Your Word. Help us to know that You are a 75 00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:05,440 God that we can turn to in the midst of difficult 76 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:09,160 circumstances, that we might find true joy and satisfaction 77 00:05:09,160 --> 00:05:12,160 in knowing that You are leading us and guiding us. 78 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:18,440 We ask this in Jesus name, Amen. Before we open up our text this 79 00:05:18,440 --> 00:05:21,920 morning, I want to take a little bit of time to to show us where 80 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:23,720 we are in the timeline of Scripture. 81 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:26,800 We need to understand where we are at this point in Israel's 82 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:30,360 history to properly understand what is going on here. 83 00:05:30,680 --> 00:05:33,000 And so I have a bit of a graphic here that I'll just sort of 84 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:34,840 summarize. I know it might be a little bit 85 00:05:34,840 --> 00:05:38,760 hard to read, but as we come to the book of Nehemiah, we, we 86 00:05:38,760 --> 00:05:43,080 think around 600 BC, Jerusalem was destroyed. 87 00:05:44,120 --> 00:05:47,480 God had warned Israel that if they didn't obey him, he was 88 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:51,240 going to punish them and scatter them to the ends of the earth. 89 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:53,200 And that's exactly what happened. 90 00:05:53,680 --> 00:05:56,960 The Babylonians came, they, they decimated Jerusalem. 91 00:05:56,960 --> 00:06:00,120 They destroyed the temple. They carried off all the gold, 92 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:02,920 all the silver, and they brought it to Babylon. 93 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:06,600 They burned the city's gates, they demolished the walls. 94 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:11,640 They killed thousands and LED thousands others into exile as 95 00:06:11,640 --> 00:06:15,320 slaves, leaving only the poorest of the poor behind. 96 00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:18,600 And the Israelites were in exile for 70 years. 97 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:24,320 Then in about 536 BC, after about 70 years of exile, the 98 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:27,880 first wave of about 50,000 Jews goes back. 99 00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:31,680 The the Persians had come into power and they were a little bit 100 00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:33,520 more gracious than the Babylonians were. 101 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:37,360 They allowed nations to go back and, and to begin to rebuild and 102 00:06:37,360 --> 00:06:41,240 restore and, and have community. They allowed them some freedom 103 00:06:41,240 --> 00:06:45,600 in that sense. And the Jews returned, began 104 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:50,120 rebuilding the temple, and in about 516 BC they completed the 105 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:53,880 rebuilding of the temple. The Temple was now rebuilt, but 106 00:06:53,880 --> 00:06:56,880 the walls around it were not. And so they were still left and 107 00:06:56,880 --> 00:07:02,880 they were still open to attack. Then in 458 BC, Ezra leaves 108 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:06,760 Babylon and he leads a second wave of people back to 109 00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:09,880 Jerusalem. And Ezra's focus at that time 110 00:07:09,880 --> 00:07:13,520 is, is teaching the Torah, teaching them the commands of 111 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:16,880 God, and calling the people back to faithfulness to God in his 112 00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:20,800 word. And in 445 BC is where we pick 113 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:25,160 up this morning, approximately that time as Nehemiah hears a 114 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:28,160 report about what is going on in Jerusalem. 115 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:35,600 Let's read Nehemiah chapter 1, the words of Nehemiah the son of 116 00:07:35,600 --> 00:07:38,560 Hakaliah. Now what happened in the month 117 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:43,360 of Kislev in the 20th year, as I was in Susa, the citadel, that 118 00:07:43,360 --> 00:07:46,800 Han and I, one of my brothers, came with certain men from 119 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:50,880 Judah, and I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped 120 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:54,280 who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. 121 00:07:54,920 --> 00:07:58,680 And they said to me, the remnant there in the province who had 122 00:07:58,680 --> 00:08:02,360 survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. 123 00:08:03,240 --> 00:08:07,880 The wall of Jerusalem is broken down in its gates are destroyed 124 00:08:07,880 --> 00:08:11,320 by fire. As soon as I heard these words, 125 00:08:11,320 --> 00:08:15,760 I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued 126 00:08:15,760 --> 00:08:17,960 fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 127 00:08:18,640 --> 00:08:23,000 And I said, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome 128 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:26,360 God, who keeps covenant in steadfast love with those who 129 00:08:26,360 --> 00:08:28,840 love Him and keep his commandments. 130 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:33,600 Let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the 131 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:36,919 prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and 132 00:08:36,919 --> 00:08:40,919 night for the people of Israel, Your servants confessing the 133 00:08:40,919 --> 00:08:43,960 sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against 134 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:47,120 you. Even I in my Father's house have 135 00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:50,800 sinned against you. We have acted very corruptly 136 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:55,400 against you and have not commit, have not kept the the 137 00:08:55,400 --> 00:08:58,480 commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded 138 00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:01,760 your servant Moses. Remember the word that you 139 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:05,440 commanded your servant Moses, saying, If you are unfaithful, I 140 00:09:05,440 --> 00:09:07,600 will scatter you among the peoples. 141 00:09:07,920 --> 00:09:11,560 But if You return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, 142 00:09:12,160 --> 00:09:15,760 though Your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of the heaven, 143 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:18,920 from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that 144 00:09:18,920 --> 00:09:20,720 I have chosen to make My name dwell. 145 00:09:20,720 --> 00:09:25,760 There they are Your servants and Your people, whom You have 146 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:29,600 redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand. 147 00:09:30,280 --> 00:09:33,640 Oh Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your 148 00:09:33,640 --> 00:09:37,920 servant, into the prayer of Your servants who delight to fear 149 00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:40,960 Your name. And give success to Your servant 150 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:44,360 today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. 151 00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:47,720 Now I was cup bearer to the king. 152 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:54,840 We begin this passage with a conversation between Nehemiah 153 00:09:54,840 --> 00:09:58,400 and his brother Hannah and I, who had come with certain men. 154 00:09:58,400 --> 00:10:01,560 They had gone to to Judah. They had gone to the city of 155 00:10:01,560 --> 00:10:04,120 Jerusalem to see how things were going. 156 00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:07,480 Who knows, maybe they were planning on staying there and 157 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:09,440 setting up shop. But they come back with this 158 00:10:09,440 --> 00:10:15,040 shocking report after having been back for almost 100 years. 159 00:10:15,640 --> 00:10:18,520 They say the remnant in the province who had survived the 160 00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:20,840 exile is in great trouble and shame. 161 00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:25,440 The wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are destroyed 162 00:10:25,720 --> 00:10:30,080 by fire. Things are as bad as ever. 163 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:35,280 And in light of this dire situation, when all hope seems 164 00:10:35,280 --> 00:10:39,640 lost, where does Nehemiah turn? He turns to God. 165 00:10:40,640 --> 00:10:45,000 Verse 4 says, As soon as I heard these words, I sat down and wept 166 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:48,800 and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying 167 00:10:49,120 --> 00:10:53,840 before the God of heaven. He turns to the Lord, the God of 168 00:10:53,840 --> 00:10:57,120 heaven, and this morning we're going to look at his prayer and 169 00:10:57,120 --> 00:11:00,840 learn how we can turn to God when all hope seems lost. 170 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:06,120 As we look at the elements of his prayer that you can pray in 171 00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:09,080 the hopelessness of whatever situation you may find yourself. 172 00:11:10,160 --> 00:11:13,280 The first reason that we can turn to God is we can turn to 173 00:11:13,280 --> 00:11:18,080 God who keeps his covenant. Nehemiah is confident in turning 174 00:11:18,080 --> 00:11:21,240 to God because he is a God who keeps his covenant. 175 00:11:21,480 --> 00:11:24,720 Look at verses four and five or verse 5. 176 00:11:24,920 --> 00:11:29,360 And I said, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome 177 00:11:29,360 --> 00:11:32,360 God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who 178 00:11:32,360 --> 00:11:35,320 love him and and keep his commandments. 179 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:40,040 God keeps his commandment because he is the God of heaven. 180 00:11:40,080 --> 00:11:45,320 Verse five, he says, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome 181 00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:50,480 God, Nehemiah doesn't turn to a person or to a group or to an 182 00:11:50,480 --> 00:11:53,520 institution that he thinks might be able to help them. 183 00:11:54,400 --> 00:11:58,560 He turns to the God of heaven, the great and awesome God. 184 00:11:59,280 --> 00:12:02,080 He turns to a God who created all things. 185 00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:07,800 He turns to a God who sustains all things, who controls all 186 00:12:07,800 --> 00:12:13,760 things, and God is able to keep his promise because He is the 187 00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:17,000 great and awesome God, the God of heaven. 188 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:21,080 He is all powerful and is above all things. 189 00:12:22,040 --> 00:12:25,760 The second reason that he keeps his covenant is because He is 190 00:12:25,760 --> 00:12:29,440 the God of love who keeps covenant. 191 00:12:29,480 --> 00:12:33,000 Verse 5 says who keeps covenant in steadfast love with those who 192 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:35,680 love Him and keep his commandments. 193 00:12:36,440 --> 00:12:39,840 God had chosen the Israelites to be His people, and He had made a 194 00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:44,120 covenant with them for them to walk in in obedience to Him 195 00:12:44,120 --> 00:12:47,960 because of their love for Him. And so long as they loved God 196 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:51,280 and kept His commandments, God's love would continue for them. 197 00:12:52,960 --> 00:12:55,320 Now we shouldn't see that. Sometimes we look at that and we 198 00:12:55,320 --> 00:12:57,920 say, well, how does God have such high expectations for His 199 00:12:57,920 --> 00:13:00,240 people that they would? As long as you perfectly obey my 200 00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:04,680 law, then I will love you. But we have to understand that 201 00:13:04,680 --> 00:13:06,320 that's not what God's expectation is. 202 00:13:06,320 --> 00:13:09,800 His expectation is not that they would perfectly satisfy His law, 203 00:13:10,520 --> 00:13:13,560 which is why He instituted a sacrificial system. 204 00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:17,680 He knew they were going to sin. He knew they were going to fall 205 00:13:17,680 --> 00:13:20,520 away. And so he said, But when you 206 00:13:20,520 --> 00:13:24,680 sin, here is what you must do. Bring a sacrifice and offer it 207 00:13:24,680 --> 00:13:28,240 to the priest. And so His word wasn't that he 208 00:13:28,240 --> 00:13:31,160 expected them to obey it perfectly, but that they would 209 00:13:31,160 --> 00:13:33,640 follow it even when they sinned. Then they would turn in 210 00:13:33,640 --> 00:13:35,880 obedience and offer the proper sacrifice. 211 00:13:36,680 --> 00:13:39,520 And so God, even in His grace, made a way for them to be 212 00:13:39,520 --> 00:13:42,960 forgiven. And so long as they loved God, 213 00:13:42,960 --> 00:13:46,440 as long as they walked in faith and obedience to his Word, God 214 00:13:46,440 --> 00:13:48,600 would keep his covenant with them. 215 00:13:50,600 --> 00:13:53,680 And so we see here that when Nehemiah heard of all the shame, 216 00:13:53,680 --> 00:13:57,760 all the trouble, all the the dire situation that Israel was 217 00:13:57,760 --> 00:14:01,920 in, when when all hope seemed lost, he turned to a God of 218 00:14:01,920 --> 00:14:06,520 heaven, He turned to the God of love who keeps his covenant. 219 00:14:08,280 --> 00:14:11,680 Now the Israelites were in this situation to begin with because 220 00:14:11,680 --> 00:14:14,240 they had not turned to the Lord for help. 221 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:18,240 Rather than trusting in God, they trusted in their own wisdom 222 00:14:18,400 --> 00:14:21,320 and understanding. God had been faithful. 223 00:14:21,320 --> 00:14:22,880 He had brought them out of Egypt. 224 00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:25,520 He had delivered them from the hands of their enemies and and 225 00:14:25,520 --> 00:14:27,720 brought them in to the Promised land. 226 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:31,080 He promised them that he would bless them and give them success 227 00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:33,000 if they loved him and obeyed his word. 228 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:38,640 But they didn't. God warned that if they refused 229 00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:42,800 to obey Him, He would bring in another nation to punish them, 230 00:14:43,360 --> 00:14:46,360 to take them out of the land in order to discipline them. 231 00:14:47,720 --> 00:14:51,440 In God's warning to Israel, He said in Deuteronomy chapter 29 232 00:14:51,440 --> 00:14:56,400 verses 24 through 28, all the nations will say, as they come 233 00:14:56,400 --> 00:14:58,640 and and see this is God warning them. 234 00:14:58,640 --> 00:15:02,280 After these nations come in and destroy you as a nation and take 235 00:15:02,280 --> 00:15:04,720 you out and bring you into exile, all the nations will say, 236 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:07,640 Why has the Lord done thus to the land? 237 00:15:08,200 --> 00:15:11,040 What caused the heat of this great anger? 238 00:15:11,640 --> 00:15:14,680 Then people will say it is because they abandoned the 239 00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:18,280 covenant of the Lord, the God of their fathers, which He made 240 00:15:18,280 --> 00:15:21,320 with them, when He brought them out of the land of Egypt, and 241 00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:26,120 went and served other gods and worshipped them, gods whom they 242 00:15:26,120 --> 00:15:28,720 had not known and whom they had not allotted to them. 243 00:15:29,640 --> 00:15:32,880 Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land, 244 00:15:33,040 --> 00:15:35,880 bringing upon it all the curses written in this book. 245 00:15:36,520 --> 00:15:41,200 And the Lord uprooted them from the land in anger and fury and 246 00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:46,280 great wrath, and cast them into another land as they are this 247 00:15:46,280 --> 00:15:49,960 day. The Israelites were disciplined 248 00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:52,480 by God because they did not keep his covenant. 249 00:15:53,080 --> 00:15:55,320 Instead, they trusted in their own wisdom. 250 00:15:57,160 --> 00:16:00,960 Brothers and sisters, where do we turn in difficult 251 00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:06,520 circumstances when hope seems lost, Who do we put our faith 252 00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:07,360 in? Our trust in? 253 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:11,880 Our tendency is is to try to fix it ourselves. 254 00:16:11,880 --> 00:16:15,720 I, I got this, I can fix it. And the reason that we don't ask 255 00:16:15,720 --> 00:16:18,440 for help is because of pride in our own heart and in our own 256 00:16:18,440 --> 00:16:20,680 lives. We think that we can do it on 257 00:16:20,680 --> 00:16:26,720 our own, but what we need to do is trust in the Lord with all 258 00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:30,960 your heart and do not lean on your own understanding in all 259 00:16:30,960 --> 00:16:34,320 your ways. Acknowledge Him and He will make 260 00:16:34,320 --> 00:16:37,080 straight your paths. And this is exactly what 261 00:16:37,080 --> 00:16:40,120 Nehemiah does when he comes to this hopeless situation. 262 00:16:40,120 --> 00:16:47,680 He puts his trust in God. TJ Betts and his commentary on 263 00:16:47,680 --> 00:16:51,360 the book of Nehemiah says sometimes in dire situations 264 00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:54,600 people will say, I guess all we can do is pray. 265 00:16:56,040 --> 00:17:00,360 It is as if prayer were a last resort, but it is no last resort 266 00:17:00,360 --> 00:17:03,960 for Nehemiah. For him, it is his first option. 267 00:17:04,720 --> 00:17:08,280 When prayer becomes the first option for a person, it is an 268 00:17:08,280 --> 00:17:12,560 indication that he or she is truly walking with and depending 269 00:17:12,560 --> 00:17:18,119 on God in all things. I don't know what difficult 270 00:17:18,119 --> 00:17:20,160 situations you're facing in your life. 271 00:17:21,040 --> 00:17:23,599 Maybe you're facing a big stressful decision. 272 00:17:24,359 --> 00:17:26,760 Maybe you've experienced pain or loss. 273 00:17:28,079 --> 00:17:32,680 Maybe you feel like a shoreline pounded over and over again by 274 00:17:32,680 --> 00:17:34,680 the waves. You barely can get up enough to 275 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:37,320 get your breath, and then another wave comes and knocks 276 00:17:37,320 --> 00:17:41,400 you down. Whatever you're going through, 277 00:17:41,960 --> 00:17:48,280 where do you turn first? Where you turn reveals what you 278 00:17:48,280 --> 00:17:53,840 trust. We can and we should trust God 279 00:17:54,680 --> 00:17:56,920 because He is worthy of our trust. 280 00:17:57,680 --> 00:18:02,440 The God of heaven, the great and awesome God loves those who love 281 00:18:02,440 --> 00:18:05,240 Him and will be faithful to His covenant. 282 00:18:05,880 --> 00:18:08,600 When hope seems lost, turn to God. 283 00:18:10,200 --> 00:18:12,840 The next thing that we learned from Nehemiah's prayer is that 284 00:18:12,840 --> 00:18:15,280 you should turn to God in humble confession. 285 00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:20,680 Nehemiah turns to a God who is loving and faithful, but he is 286 00:18:20,680 --> 00:18:24,560 great and powerful and is to be feared, and so he knows that he 287 00:18:24,560 --> 00:18:27,320 must come with an attitude of humble confession. 288 00:18:27,920 --> 00:18:32,320 Verses 6 and seven says Let your ear be attentive and your eyes 289 00:18:32,320 --> 00:18:35,520 open to hear the prayer of your servant, that I now pray before 290 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:38,760 you day and night for the people of Israel, Your servants 291 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:42,880 confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have 292 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:46,000 sinned against you. Even I in my father's house have 293 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:48,680 sinned. We have acted very corruptly 294 00:18:48,680 --> 00:18:51,480 against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes 295 00:18:51,480 --> 00:18:54,120 and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. 296 00:18:55,600 --> 00:18:58,920 And we noticed 2 examples of confession in Nehemiah's prayer. 297 00:18:59,120 --> 00:19:03,000 The first example is confess others sins. 298 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:08,480 He says that he's confessing the sins of the people of Israel, 299 00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:10,200 which we have sinned against you. 300 00:19:11,120 --> 00:19:13,840 Nehemiah recognized that that God didn't make a covenant with 301 00:19:13,840 --> 00:19:16,560 one man. He made a covenant with the 302 00:19:16,560 --> 00:19:21,000 nation Israel. When they disobeyed, God 303 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:24,840 punished them as a nation. When they were obedient, God 304 00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:28,360 bless them as a nation. And for this reason, Nehemiah 305 00:19:28,360 --> 00:19:32,760 turns in humble confession to God, confessing the sins not 306 00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:36,440 just of himself but of Israel, because he recognized that they 307 00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:40,000 were all guilty. Though the sin might have 308 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:44,280 started with just a few people, when it was left unchecked, it 309 00:19:44,560 --> 00:19:47,760 then began to permeate through the whole batch, and sin began 310 00:19:47,760 --> 00:19:50,520 to spread through the whole group of people, thus making 311 00:19:50,520 --> 00:19:54,440 them all guilty. Nehemiah confesses other 312 00:19:54,440 --> 00:19:58,000 people's sins, but the second example of Nehemiah's confession 313 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:04,160 is confess your sins. He says in verse 6, even I in my 314 00:20:04,160 --> 00:20:09,000 father's house have sinned. He moves to personal confession. 315 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:12,520 Yes, they are guilty as a nation, but each individual is 316 00:20:12,520 --> 00:20:16,080 accountable and guilty before God and he recognizes that he 317 00:20:16,080 --> 00:20:20,280 was guilty even his family. Each and every generation has a 318 00:20:20,280 --> 00:20:24,600 responsibility to faithfully follow the Lord and Nehemiah 319 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:28,880 recognizes that they have played a part in their in the sin and 320 00:20:28,880 --> 00:20:32,640 and rejection of God's word. And he goes on to talk about 321 00:20:32,640 --> 00:20:34,600 that sin. Verse seven. 322 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:39,080 He says we have acted very corruptly against you and we've 323 00:20:39,080 --> 00:20:42,520 not kept the commandments, we've not kept the statutes, we've not 324 00:20:42,520 --> 00:20:46,080 kept the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. 325 00:20:47,240 --> 00:20:50,360 He's Speaking of the Torah, all these commands that God had 326 00:20:50,360 --> 00:20:52,800 given for them to follow. He says we've abandoned them, 327 00:20:52,800 --> 00:20:56,200 we've not kept them and he doesn't sugarcoat it. 328 00:20:56,600 --> 00:21:00,000 He says we have acted very corruptly. 329 00:21:03,120 --> 00:21:07,640 He understands the seriousness of disobedience to God which has 330 00:21:07,640 --> 00:21:10,520 resulted in their desperate and shameful situation. 331 00:21:12,200 --> 00:21:14,200 Now it would seem like hope is lost. 332 00:21:15,360 --> 00:21:20,440 But Nehemiah turns to God in humble confession, knowing that 333 00:21:20,440 --> 00:21:22,720 he will be faithful to his covenant. 334 00:21:24,360 --> 00:21:27,720 Now, we have been conditioned by our world to think that we can 335 00:21:27,720 --> 00:21:30,960 demand our rights, that we have a right. 336 00:21:30,960 --> 00:21:33,240 You know, we have this saying that the customer is always 337 00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:36,400 right. And so when you go to to 338 00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:39,200 McDonald's and you order a cheeseburger and they forget the 339 00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:41,800 cheese, well, guess what? You can walk in the door and you 340 00:21:41,800 --> 00:21:45,440 can demand that they give you a new cheeseburger with the cheese 341 00:21:45,440 --> 00:21:47,240 on there. If you go to Tim Horton's and 342 00:21:47,240 --> 00:21:50,440 you get a coffee and that coffee doesn't taste the way that you 343 00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:53,440 know that it ought to taste, you can waltz back in the door and 344 00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:56,880 you can demand that they give you a new fresh coffee that does 345 00:21:56,880 --> 00:22:00,040 taste right. If we don't like what our 346 00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:02,720 government is doing, we're told that that we can go and we 347 00:22:02,720 --> 00:22:05,280 should go to our government officials and we should demand 348 00:22:05,280 --> 00:22:12,320 that that our voice be heard. This week I read of a story from 349 00:22:12,320 --> 00:22:15,640 a manager who worked at an art supply store and and she was 350 00:22:15,640 --> 00:22:19,240 working one day and and a customer came in and and slammed 351 00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:25,360 3 bags on the on the till and said I want to return all of 352 00:22:25,360 --> 00:22:31,080 this stuff and rebuy it. The manager responded OK can I 353 00:22:31,080 --> 00:22:35,520 ask why I bought all this stuff on Friday at another location 354 00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:38,800 that was 1500 miles away from here and and their tax rate is 355 00:22:38,800 --> 00:22:42,200 higher and so I want to return all of this stuff and buy it 356 00:22:42,200 --> 00:22:45,640 here to pay lower taxes. Now hurry up I've been driving 357 00:22:45,640 --> 00:22:50,440 all day and I'm tired. This was going to be a big pain 358 00:22:50,440 --> 00:22:53,120 because she had tons of of little things that she had 359 00:22:53,120 --> 00:22:58,760 purchased and all of this work to save about $2.50. 360 00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:02,320 But as ridiculous as it was, the manager began processing the 361 00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:05,640 return and and sort of intentionally only scanning one 362 00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:07,680 item at a time to make it take even longer. 363 00:23:07,680 --> 00:23:10,960 All the while this woman is becoming more irritated and more 364 00:23:10,960 --> 00:23:13,920 agitated and more frustrated and complaining. 365 00:23:14,760 --> 00:23:18,000 Finally, she had scanned all the items for the return and she 366 00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:21,120 said it's about time. You'd be done already if you 367 00:23:21,120 --> 00:23:24,720 weren't so stupid. Now I want to buy it all again. 368 00:23:26,080 --> 00:23:29,440 The manager couldn't believe it, but she began slowly and 369 00:23:29,440 --> 00:23:32,000 patiently ringing up back all the items again. 370 00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:35,400 And after ringing all of the items back up again, she noticed 371 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:40,200 something. The total was much higher than 372 00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:43,640 it was previously. And then she realized what 373 00:23:43,640 --> 00:23:46,280 happened. And she said to the lady, Sorry 374 00:23:46,280 --> 00:23:50,400 ma'am, but it looks like you used our exclusive coupon on 375 00:23:50,400 --> 00:23:53,240 Friday. Unfortunately, that coupon is no 376 00:23:53,240 --> 00:23:56,800 longer valid. The lady was furious and she 377 00:23:56,800 --> 00:23:59,360 began screaming and making a scene in the store, but there 378 00:23:59,360 --> 00:24:02,600 was nothing she could do, so she eventually just paid for the 379 00:24:02,600 --> 00:24:08,240 items and stormed out. Now when you hear a story like 380 00:24:08,240 --> 00:24:13,960 that, maybe you're like me and you feel like, yeah, you deserve 381 00:24:13,960 --> 00:24:16,520 that. You deserve that because of your 382 00:24:16,560 --> 00:24:19,920 arrogant attitude, right? How can I tell you something? 383 00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:23,280 Did you know that the Lord feels that way too? 384 00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:29,760 First Peter 5 verse 5 says clothe yourselves, all of you, 385 00:24:29,760 --> 00:24:31,360 with humility toward one another. 386 00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:38,320 For God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. 387 00:24:38,840 --> 00:24:44,800 The Lord opposes the proud. And when Nehemiah comes to the 388 00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:48,440 Lord, he doesn't come in pride or arrogance, demanding 389 00:24:48,440 --> 00:24:50,880 something. We're the Israelites, Lord, 390 00:24:50,880 --> 00:24:53,720 You've chosen us as your people. You have to listen to us. 391 00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:55,640 He doesn't come with that attitude. 392 00:24:55,640 --> 00:24:59,400 He comes with an attitude of humility and confession. 393 00:25:00,080 --> 00:25:03,160 He knew that they deserved what they were getting. 394 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:08,200 Brothers and sisters, this must be our humble attitude as well. 395 00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:13,160 When we come to the Lord not coming thinking that we deserve 396 00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:15,080 anything or that we can demand anything. 397 00:25:15,080 --> 00:25:19,000 The only thing that we deserve is death and judgement and 398 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:23,120 punishment because we have sinned against a holy God. 399 00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:26,840 And because of this, we must come to him in humble 400 00:25:27,040 --> 00:25:30,480 confession, not just confessing our sins. 401 00:25:31,080 --> 00:25:32,640 I think it's easy for us to do that. 402 00:25:32,640 --> 00:25:35,080 I think most times, I think when we can finally humble ourselves, 403 00:25:35,080 --> 00:25:37,920 it's easy to confess our sins. How much harder is it to confess 404 00:25:38,040 --> 00:25:41,800 other people's sins? Because we like to hold on to 405 00:25:41,800 --> 00:25:47,280 those and hold the grudge and hold bitterness, but we need to 406 00:25:47,280 --> 00:25:50,440 come to the Lord confessing their sins as well. 407 00:25:51,440 --> 00:25:56,040 Because God has not just saved and redeemed you, He is saved 408 00:25:56,040 --> 00:26:00,280 and redeemed a people. It's about community, not just 409 00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:04,320 you as an individual. And when we come to the Lord and 410 00:26:04,320 --> 00:26:07,520 humility, that is that attitude that the Lord loves and 411 00:26:07,520 --> 00:26:11,680 willingly gives His grace. First John says if we say we 412 00:26:11,680 --> 00:26:14,720 have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not 413 00:26:14,720 --> 00:26:17,600 in us. If we confess our sins, He is 414 00:26:17,600 --> 00:26:21,680 faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from 415 00:26:21,680 --> 00:26:26,400 all unrighteousness. When hope seems lost, when your 416 00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:30,520 situation seems worse and completely hopeless, it's easy 417 00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:33,160 to become self-centered. And when we do, we become the 418 00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:37,680 victim. And then we feel like we deserve 419 00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:39,520 justice. We feel like we can demand 420 00:26:39,520 --> 00:26:41,320 justice because I'm the victim here. 421 00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:46,400 But we must turn to the Lord with a humble attitude, 422 00:26:46,720 --> 00:26:49,640 confessing other sins as well as our sins. 423 00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:52,480 And when we do, God will be faithful. 424 00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:57,440 The next thing that we're going to learn from Nehemiah's prayer 425 00:26:57,760 --> 00:27:00,600 is that we should turn to God who is committed. 426 00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:05,320 Nehemiah confidently turns to the God of heaven because he 427 00:27:05,320 --> 00:27:08,800 knows that God is committed to his people. 428 00:27:09,520 --> 00:27:12,400 Look at verses 8 through 10. Nehemiah prays. 429 00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:16,200 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses 430 00:27:16,200 --> 00:27:19,640 saying, If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the 431 00:27:19,640 --> 00:27:23,040 peoples. But if you return to Me and keep 432 00:27:23,040 --> 00:27:26,800 My commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the 433 00:27:26,800 --> 00:27:30,640 uttermost parts of heaven, from there will I gather them and 434 00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:34,560 bring them to the place that I have chosen to make my name 435 00:27:34,560 --> 00:27:37,600 dwell. There they are your servants and 436 00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:41,040 your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and 437 00:27:41,040 --> 00:27:44,520 by your strong hand. The first thing that we see is 438 00:27:44,520 --> 00:27:47,560 that God is committed to discipline. 439 00:27:48,960 --> 00:27:51,440 He says remember the word that you commanded your servant 440 00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:54,280 Moses, saying, if you are unfaithful, I will scatter you 441 00:27:54,280 --> 00:27:58,960 among the peoples. Nehemiah recalls God's warning 442 00:27:58,960 --> 00:28:02,440 to his people. God had made a promise to 443 00:28:02,440 --> 00:28:05,200 discipline them if they did not follow his ways. 444 00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:08,520 This is exactly the situation that the Israelites find 445 00:28:08,520 --> 00:28:10,920 themselves in. They're experiencing the 446 00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:15,560 discipline of the Lord, but God didn't leave them on their own. 447 00:28:15,560 --> 00:28:18,480 He didn't give them and bring them into the land and leave 448 00:28:18,480 --> 00:28:21,360 them on their own. He had given them His word to 449 00:28:21,360 --> 00:28:23,160 follow. He had given them His 450 00:28:23,160 --> 00:28:25,480 instructions. He said, here is my word. 451 00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:28,520 And not only that, but He himself was with them in the 452 00:28:28,520 --> 00:28:31,920 midst of them. His presence was with them. 453 00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:36,840 But the Israelites still disobeyed, and therefore God 454 00:28:36,840 --> 00:28:39,680 disciplined them. And God's discipline is a good 455 00:28:39,680 --> 00:28:43,720 thing because it's it's intention is to lead us to 456 00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:47,480 repentance. And so when his people repent, 457 00:28:47,480 --> 00:28:51,560 God is committed to restoration. Look at verse 9. 458 00:28:52,560 --> 00:28:55,240 Nehemiah's Prairie says, Speaking of the Lord. 459 00:28:55,240 --> 00:29:00,720 But if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them 460 00:29:01,360 --> 00:29:04,600 though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from 461 00:29:04,600 --> 00:29:07,320 there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I 462 00:29:07,320 --> 00:29:09,920 have chosen to make my name. Dwell there. 463 00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:15,240 God knew that His people would sin, resulting in discipline, 464 00:29:15,440 --> 00:29:19,000 but He is committed to restoring them when they do what? 465 00:29:19,320 --> 00:29:22,360 Return to him? Keep His commandments? 466 00:29:22,600 --> 00:29:26,160 Obey them. God is so committed to His 467 00:29:26,160 --> 00:29:29,920 people that when they turn back to Him, it doesn't matter how 468 00:29:29,920 --> 00:29:31,520 far they've they've been scattered. 469 00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:34,840 The Lord had sent them out and into different lands, into a 470 00:29:34,840 --> 00:29:37,200 people that they did not know and to nations that they did not 471 00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:38,840 know. But God's promise is that no 472 00:29:38,840 --> 00:29:42,560 matter how far I've scattered you, even to the ends of heaven, 473 00:29:42,960 --> 00:29:48,720 I will bring you back to a land that I have chosen to make my 474 00:29:48,720 --> 00:29:53,440 name dwell there. What a promise that Nehemiah 475 00:29:53,440 --> 00:29:57,640 could hang on to. And the reason that God is so 476 00:29:57,640 --> 00:30:00,080 committed to his people is because Nehemiah says in verse 477 00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:05,320 10, they are your servants, your people whom you have redeemed by 478 00:30:05,320 --> 00:30:08,200 your great power and by your strong hand. 479 00:30:09,200 --> 00:30:12,680 God is committed to his people because He has redeemed them. 480 00:30:13,120 --> 00:30:19,840 He has saved them and so when they disobey, he is committed to 481 00:30:19,840 --> 00:30:23,160 them both to discipline, leading them to repentance. 482 00:30:23,160 --> 00:30:26,280 And when they repent and turn back to God, he is committed to 483 00:30:26,280 --> 00:30:32,520 restoring them. Now everyone I think probably 484 00:30:32,520 --> 00:30:36,440 loves Lego. I remember as a kid having the 485 00:30:36,440 --> 00:30:39,360 generic sets of Lego, you know, like the maybe, maybe you'd 486 00:30:39,360 --> 00:30:42,560 remember the big red box and you dump it out and they say use 487 00:30:42,560 --> 00:30:45,080 your creativity and just build whatever you want. 488 00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:49,800 Well, there's a reason I didn't get a job in any sort of design 489 00:30:49,800 --> 00:30:52,400 or anything like that, because I'm not all too creative, you 490 00:30:52,400 --> 00:30:55,880 know, My, my creativity was summed up in a rectangular house 491 00:30:56,720 --> 00:30:59,280 and the most generic car you've ever seen in your life. 492 00:30:59,720 --> 00:31:02,920 I much prefer the sets that come in and they have the plans, 493 00:31:02,920 --> 00:31:04,360 right? They tell you what to do and you 494 00:31:04,360 --> 00:31:07,120 just follow the instructions and you build the thing, right? 495 00:31:08,200 --> 00:31:10,880 Well, maybe you don't know this, but there's actually an adult 496 00:31:10,880 --> 00:31:15,400 section on the Lego website. Adults can go and purchase adult 497 00:31:15,400 --> 00:31:17,400 Lego sets. So I was looking on there a 498 00:31:17,400 --> 00:31:20,000 little bit and you can get a Titanic Lego set. 499 00:31:20,280 --> 00:31:24,720 It has 9090 pieces, and if you're willing to part ways with 500 00:31:24,720 --> 00:31:29,240 $850, that'll be yours. You can get the Colosseum of 501 00:31:29,240 --> 00:31:33,840 Rome. In Rome it's 9036 pieces, and 502 00:31:33,840 --> 00:31:36,760 the one I think that maybe impressed me the most was an 503 00:31:36,760 --> 00:31:40,400 Eiffel Tower Lego set. This thing is just about 5 feet 504 00:31:40,400 --> 00:31:45,960 tall, has 10,000 and one pieces, and it was a little bit cheaper 505 00:31:45,960 --> 00:31:47,840 than the Titanic, so it's $800.00. 506 00:31:47,840 --> 00:31:49,360 So you save a little bit of money too. 507 00:31:50,080 --> 00:31:54,600 But Can you imagine getting a Lego set that has 9 or 10,000 508 00:31:54,600 --> 00:32:00,120 pieces with no instructions? You would be lost. 509 00:32:00,120 --> 00:32:01,920 I mean, you, you would barely know where to start. 510 00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:04,120 And, and even if I know, we all know this trick, right? 511 00:32:04,120 --> 00:32:06,440 You look at the box and you try to replicate it the best you can 512 00:32:06,440 --> 00:32:08,600 by looking at the box. Even if you did that, I mean, 513 00:32:08,600 --> 00:32:12,120 you would never get all of the intricate details and all of the 514 00:32:12,120 --> 00:32:15,560 intricate parts, right? There's just way too much. 515 00:32:15,560 --> 00:32:18,360 There's way too many details. And so you realize that the 516 00:32:18,360 --> 00:32:21,720 instructions are a good thing because the instructions help 517 00:32:21,720 --> 00:32:24,320 you build it exactly the way it's supposed to be built. 518 00:32:24,600 --> 00:32:28,120 You would never go, oh, these instructions are such a burden. 519 00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:30,600 Oh, it tells me exactly what to do. 520 00:32:30,600 --> 00:32:33,880 This is the worst. You wouldn't do that. 521 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:38,240 Brothers and sisters, sometimes when we look at God's word, 522 00:32:38,240 --> 00:32:40,800 that's what we think. We look at these rules. 523 00:32:40,880 --> 00:32:43,760 We look at these regular regulations and we say, like, 524 00:32:44,120 --> 00:32:46,680 what a burden. And that's what we think of the 525 00:32:46,680 --> 00:32:49,520 Israelites, man, they must have been so burdened by all these 526 00:32:49,520 --> 00:32:51,640 rules. These are how on earth would 527 00:32:51,640 --> 00:32:54,280 they keep track of being able to follow all these different 528 00:32:54,280 --> 00:32:56,840 rules? But that's not how they viewed 529 00:32:56,840 --> 00:32:59,320 it. They loved God's word. 530 00:32:59,680 --> 00:33:02,520 Look at Psalm 119, verses 9 through 16. 531 00:33:03,480 --> 00:33:06,000 How can a young man keep his way pure? 532 00:33:06,360 --> 00:33:09,040 By guarding it according to Your Word. 533 00:33:09,720 --> 00:33:13,720 With my whole heart I seek you. Let me not wander from your 534 00:33:13,720 --> 00:33:16,880 commandments. I have stored up Your word in my 535 00:33:16,880 --> 00:33:19,200 heart, that I might not sin against You. 536 00:33:20,120 --> 00:33:23,800 Blessed are you, O Lord, teach me your statutes. 537 00:33:24,280 --> 00:33:27,440 With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. 538 00:33:27,840 --> 00:33:32,600 In the way of your testimonies. I delight as much as in all 539 00:33:32,600 --> 00:33:35,960 riches. I will meditate on your precepts 540 00:33:35,960 --> 00:33:40,760 and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes. 541 00:33:41,120 --> 00:33:45,400 I will not forget your word. That doesn't sound like a people 542 00:33:45,520 --> 00:33:50,560 that are overburdened by God in His rules and His laws. 543 00:33:50,920 --> 00:33:54,200 The people, they understood what this meant. 544 00:33:54,840 --> 00:33:57,240 All the nations around them worship these gods that they 545 00:33:57,240 --> 00:34:00,600 didn't know, that they didn't understand, and they didn't know 546 00:34:00,600 --> 00:34:03,160 how to appease these gods. And so they would do things like 547 00:34:03,280 --> 00:34:06,240 sacrificing my child. I'll take the biggest sacrifice 548 00:34:06,240 --> 00:34:09,360 that I can make and hope that this thunderstorm will stop 549 00:34:09,360 --> 00:34:11,480 because the gods are clearly angry with us. 550 00:34:12,320 --> 00:34:14,639 They didn't know how to appease these gods. 551 00:34:15,280 --> 00:34:16,560 But the Israelites were different. 552 00:34:16,960 --> 00:34:21,480 God says here, here is how you live before me in righteousness 553 00:34:21,480 --> 00:34:24,280 and in holiness. Here is how you walk in truth 554 00:34:24,280 --> 00:34:29,320 and in goodness. And they rejoiced that God 555 00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:32,239 didn't leave them guessing, but led and instructed and guided 556 00:34:32,239 --> 00:34:35,840 them by His word. He is a God of covenant and 557 00:34:35,840 --> 00:34:39,760 tells them exactly what he expects of them and is committed 558 00:34:39,760 --> 00:34:43,199 to that covenant. And therefore the people rejoice 559 00:34:43,400 --> 00:34:46,840 because they have a covenant with the living and true God. 560 00:34:49,239 --> 00:34:52,320 But as we think about the transition to the New Testament, 561 00:34:53,199 --> 00:34:56,440 we thank, we're thankful that the Lord ushered in a new 562 00:34:56,440 --> 00:35:01,040 covenant, a new and better covenant through Jesus. 563 00:35:01,520 --> 00:35:05,680 Jesus is the better prophet who came and spoke the Father's word 564 00:35:05,680 --> 00:35:08,960 to us. Jesus is the better high priest 565 00:35:09,040 --> 00:35:13,480 who offered himself as a sacrifice once for all, for all 566 00:35:13,480 --> 00:35:17,440 mankind. Jesus is the better King who 567 00:35:17,440 --> 00:35:21,840 committed, who is committed to love those who love and obey his 568 00:35:21,840 --> 00:35:24,720 word. Speaking of this better covenant 569 00:35:24,720 --> 00:35:28,840 through Jesus, the writer of Hebrews says consequently, he is 570 00:35:28,840 --> 00:35:34,240 able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God 571 00:35:34,240 --> 00:35:37,880 through him, since he always lives to make intercession for 572 00:35:37,880 --> 00:35:42,120 them. Maybe you fear God. 573 00:35:43,080 --> 00:35:47,000 Maybe you're scared to go to God because you feel like you'll 574 00:35:47,000 --> 00:35:51,840 receive judgement. And you should fear God because 575 00:35:51,920 --> 00:35:56,920 all have sinned, and our sin makes us guilty before a holy 576 00:35:56,920 --> 00:36:01,560 and righteous God. But that fear should lead you to 577 00:36:01,560 --> 00:36:05,840 turning to God in faith in Christ. 578 00:36:06,040 --> 00:36:09,480 No matter how you have sinned, when you turn to God through 579 00:36:09,480 --> 00:36:13,840 faith in Christ, repent of your sins and keep and obey His word, 580 00:36:14,120 --> 00:36:18,800 He will save you. Nehemiah understood this. 581 00:36:19,080 --> 00:36:22,480 He understood that the fear of the Lord was a good thing that 582 00:36:22,480 --> 00:36:25,080 turned him to God. Look at what he says in verse 583 00:36:25,080 --> 00:36:28,080 11. O Lord, let your ear be 584 00:36:28,080 --> 00:36:31,360 attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of 585 00:36:31,360 --> 00:36:36,040 your servants, who delight to fear Your name. 586 00:36:38,040 --> 00:36:43,400 How can Nehemiah say that he delights to fear God, to fear 587 00:36:43,400 --> 00:36:46,040 His name? We don't usually delight in the 588 00:36:46,040 --> 00:36:50,880 things that we fear, do we? But to fear God is to rightly 589 00:36:50,880 --> 00:36:54,560 understand that He is Lord, that He is judge of all the earth. 590 00:36:54,960 --> 00:36:58,280 And when we fear Him, we desire to please and obey Him. 591 00:36:59,960 --> 00:37:03,760 And it's when we fear Him that we turn to him and we draw near 592 00:37:03,760 --> 00:37:06,880 to Him. And when we understand God's 593 00:37:06,880 --> 00:37:09,760 Word, we realize that that the commands that He gives us, the 594 00:37:09,760 --> 00:37:14,240 way that He calls us to live, it's not burdensome, it's a joy. 595 00:37:14,560 --> 00:37:19,600 His Word gives us life. His Word is light to our path. 596 00:37:20,120 --> 00:37:23,880 His Word leads us and guides us in the only true way. 597 00:37:24,600 --> 00:37:27,080 We think in our flesh that all of these things in the world 598 00:37:27,080 --> 00:37:29,400 will give us joy and satisfaction and contentment. 599 00:37:29,640 --> 00:37:33,400 But God's Word stands in stark contrast, saying, no, those 600 00:37:33,400 --> 00:37:37,680 things will not fulfill you. Here is the path to joy, to 601 00:37:37,680 --> 00:37:45,960 life, to truth, to peace. Therefore, God invites us to 602 00:37:45,960 --> 00:37:49,360 draw near. He says in James 4 verse 8, Draw 603 00:37:49,360 --> 00:37:52,720 near to God and He will draw near to you. 604 00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:58,520 First Peter 5 verses 6 and seven says humble yourselves therefore 605 00:37:58,720 --> 00:38:01,960 under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time he may 606 00:38:01,960 --> 00:38:07,200 exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him because he 607 00:38:07,200 --> 00:38:11,800 cares for you. Nehemiah understood that the God 608 00:38:11,800 --> 00:38:16,400 of heaven cared for him. He cared for his people and 609 00:38:16,400 --> 00:38:20,600 therefore he says at the end of verse chapter one, verse 11, 610 00:38:21,440 --> 00:38:25,520 give success to your servant today and grant him mercy. 611 00:38:25,520 --> 00:38:30,360 In the sight of this man, Nehemiah understood that when 612 00:38:30,360 --> 00:38:33,080 all hopes seemed lost, he could turn to God and humble 613 00:38:33,080 --> 00:38:35,920 confession, knowing that God would be faithful to his 614 00:38:35,920 --> 00:38:38,280 covenant and committed to his people. 615 00:38:39,680 --> 00:38:43,040 No matter what situation you're going through, no matter how 616 00:38:43,040 --> 00:38:46,760 hopeless things seem, always know that you can turn to God, 617 00:38:47,920 --> 00:38:50,720 humble yourselves before Him, and He will exalt you at the 618 00:38:50,720 --> 00:38:54,000 right time. Cast all your anxieties on Him 619 00:38:54,680 --> 00:38:57,280 because He cares for you. Let's pray. 620 00:39:00,480 --> 00:39:04,600 Father, we thank you for this prayer of Nehemiah that has been 621 00:39:04,600 --> 00:39:06,800 recorded from us and Your wisdom. 622 00:39:08,240 --> 00:39:11,480 You have kept it recorded for us. 623 00:39:11,480 --> 00:39:15,320 Lord, we have this wonderful model prayer for us that we can 624 00:39:15,320 --> 00:39:19,360 learn that in hopeless situations in this life when we 625 00:39:19,360 --> 00:39:23,440 feel like there is no path forward, You are there to hear 626 00:39:23,440 --> 00:39:27,440 our prayers. You are there to help us, to 627 00:39:27,440 --> 00:39:33,400 guide us or in our own flesh. We won't come to You because we 628 00:39:33,400 --> 00:39:35,760 are stubborn and hard headed, but we pray that You would give 629 00:39:35,760 --> 00:39:38,400 us a sensitivity by the power of Your Spirit. 630 00:39:39,280 --> 00:39:42,280 Then in those situations that our first resort would be to 631 00:39:42,280 --> 00:39:46,480 turn to You in prayer, trusting that you are in control, that 632 00:39:46,480 --> 00:39:49,320 you are powerful, and that you love and care for us. 633 00:39:49,640 --> 00:39:54,360 Help us to come with an attitude of humility, calling to 634 00:39:54,360 --> 00:39:57,680 remembrance your covenant and your promises to us, knowing 635 00:39:57,680 --> 00:40:00,600 that you will be faithful. Or we thank you for all these 636 00:40:00,600 --> 00:40:04,000 wonderful promises for us in Jesus Christ, and we pray that 637 00:40:04,000 --> 00:40:05,200 you would strengthen us through them. 638 00:40:05,360 --> 00:40:07,120 In His name we pray. Amen.