1 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:11,320 So Nehemiah chapter 5 I'll be reading out of the new King 2 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:16,079 James Version. The title of tonight's message 3 00:00:16,079 --> 00:00:21,320 is From Greed to Gospel grace, from Greed to Gospel grace. 4 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:27,880 As you're turning to Nehemiah Chapter 5, apparently it's the 5 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:34,760 case that if a team of of horses is under attack, that their 6 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:42,280 instinct is to circle inward and to face one another and then 7 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:46,000 having their hind legs on the outside kick outward against the 8 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:50,480 enemy that they're attacked. And apparently donkeys do the 9 00:00:50,480 --> 00:00:53,880 opposite. Donkeys, rather than being like 10 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:57,000 the horses, united and disciplined and effective in 11 00:00:57,000 --> 00:01:02,840 that way, donkeys will turn outward, losing awareness of one 12 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:07,720 another, facing the enemy, and end up kicking each other until 13 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:11,480 they are broken. I think that image I'll start 14 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:13,920 with, that captures somewhat what is happening for us in 15 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:18,040 Nehemiah chapter 5, where we left off in chapter 4. 16 00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:21,320 There's external enemies of God's people that are 17 00:01:21,320 --> 00:01:23,920 threatening the work that is taking place as Nehemiah has 18 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:28,560 returned, he's been cut bearer to the king in Persia. 19 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:32,320 He's been given permission to head into Jerusalem to commence 20 00:01:32,320 --> 00:01:34,160 rebuilding the wall in Jerusalem. 21 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:37,480 And there's been some some loud and aggressive and relentless 22 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:39,520 opposition. A fellow called Sambaya 23 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:44,280 Sambella, a fellow called Tobaya and and others surrounding the 24 00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:47,880 people of Israel in this work. But in chapter 5, I think what 25 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:52,360 we we see tonight is the most serious threat to God's work not 26 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:57,080 coming from outside but from within comes from inside the 27 00:01:57,080 --> 00:02:02,360 community of the people of God. Greed, injustice will read 28 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:06,320 exploitation of one another and it begins to fracture the very 29 00:02:06,320 --> 00:02:10,000 people who are meant to be united together by grace and 30 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:12,680 putting their hand together to the work that God had called 31 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:16,120 them to under Nehemiah here. So for us tonight, it raises 32 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:18,520 this question that I wish to pose to you, and if you're the 33 00:02:18,520 --> 00:02:22,120 note taking type, and I think it applies to every generation of 34 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:25,880 God's people and that is this, how can you tell when the gospel 35 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:28,880 is truly at work in a community of people? 36 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:33,520 How can you tell when the gospel is truly at work in a community 37 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:36,200 of people? I would submit to you that it's 38 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:41,840 not by how busy we are, but it's not by how impressive a project 39 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:46,200 might look, not even by how strong the leadership appears. 40 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:50,480 I think what we'll see tonight and and what Scripture again and 41 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:53,080 again confirms is this truth that one of the surest 42 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:56,600 indicators of the gospel at work in a body of believers in a 43 00:02:56,600 --> 00:02:59,080 community of people is is found in this. 44 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:03,760 And we'll see it in our text, how we treat one another, how we 45 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:09,360 respond when sin is confronted. And then thirdly and lastly for 46 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:13,600 us, whether our lives increasingly reflect godly 47 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:18,120 integrity and generosity that God in his grace has bestowed on 48 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:20,920 us. So Nehemiah 5 for us tonight 49 00:03:20,920 --> 00:03:25,120 will not be just a, a mere sort of moral lesson on social 50 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:28,360 justice or on on leadership ethics, though there's that 51 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:31,320 element to it. It's I want us to see a 52 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:34,520 diagnostic passage, something that we can put the, the finger 53 00:03:34,520 --> 00:03:38,160 on the pulse of us individually and and us collectively as a 54 00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:39,880 community and a body of believers. 55 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:43,440 How are we going with with gospel grace at work in our 56 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:47,320 lives, in our midst, in the way that we function in these areas? 57 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:52,560 Nehemiah 5 exposes what happens when God's redeemed people begin 58 00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:56,880 living as though grace has not truly taken hold of their 59 00:03:56,880 --> 00:03:59,200 hearts. There's a crisis at the 60 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:02,240 beginning of the chapter. And what we'll see here in our 61 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:05,440 text is this, that some of the the unrighteous wealthy in the 62 00:04:05,440 --> 00:04:09,680 community are exploiting. We would call it the righteous 63 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:14,760 poor families are being crushed, children are being sold into 64 00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:17,480 slavery. And all of this is in the the 65 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:23,480 people of God happening, people who know God's word, people who 66 00:04:23,480 --> 00:04:26,600 have experienced God's grace at work in their lives and in their 67 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:30,920 community and, and God's deliverance and are actively 68 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:34,080 engaged in God's work in rebuilding the wall and 69 00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:37,480 ultimately heading on towards the the House of God. 70 00:04:37,840 --> 00:04:41,080 And Nehemiah will hear this outcry that we're introduced in 71 00:04:41,080 --> 00:04:43,920 verse one. And what will follow for us is, 72 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:48,280 is a movement from greed at the beginning to grace at work at 73 00:04:48,280 --> 00:04:49,800 the end. It's a wonderful, wonderful 74 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:53,280 story because we'll see that sin is exposed for what it really 75 00:04:53,280 --> 00:04:56,680 is. A righteous confrontation takes 76 00:04:56,680 --> 00:05:01,040 place as Nehemiah righteously becomes angry over what is 77 00:05:01,040 --> 00:05:04,040 taking place. Repentance is expressed by the 78 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:06,840 people when when Nehemiah confronts them, there's no 79 00:05:06,840 --> 00:05:11,240 excuses made by them that they hear and receive Nehemiah's 80 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:15,600 rebuke of them and they respond with repentance and restitution 81 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:18,600 is made. And then at the end, a leader 82 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:23,520 models for us what it looks like to have a life shaped by the 83 00:05:23,520 --> 00:05:26,080 fear of God and his radical generosity. 84 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:29,280 But it's displayed Nehemiah's life. 85 00:05:29,280 --> 00:05:33,080 So the main idea for this chapter, if you forget 86 00:05:33,080 --> 00:05:35,400 everything else about tonight, I want you to remember this. 87 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:37,280 It's simple, but it's confronting. 88 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:40,600 And that is this. When the gospel is truly at work 89 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:45,360 among God's people, it reshapes how we treat others, how we 90 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:48,720 respond to correction, and how we live before God. 91 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:54,040 It's not abstract theology. It's a mirror for us as we read 92 00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:57,960 these verses. Held up to ourselves, held up to 93 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:02,920 our church, held up to our families, and May God help us as 94 00:06:02,920 --> 00:06:05,240 we study tonight. There's three things that we're 95 00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:08,840 going to explore through these movements in this chapter #1 the 96 00:06:08,840 --> 00:06:12,440 crisis exposed. We'll see that in verses 1 to 5 97 00:06:13,600 --> 00:06:19,280 and #2 the confrontation pursued from verse 6 on through to 13 98 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:22,960 and then from 14 through to the end, the restoration displayed. 99 00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:27,040 And as we do, the question before us here is not like, do I 100 00:06:27,040 --> 00:06:29,280 agree with Nehemiah and how he reacts in this? 101 00:06:29,280 --> 00:06:32,320 But I want us to to ask this question as we study. 102 00:06:32,640 --> 00:06:36,880 What does my life reveal about the work of grace in me? 103 00:06:37,920 --> 00:06:42,440 So let's do that. This is 1 to 5, Nehemiah. 104 00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:47,600 And there was a great outcry of the people and their wives 105 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:51,680 against their Jewish brethren. There were those who said, we 106 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:55,480 our sons and our daughters, and many therefore let us get grain 107 00:06:55,480 --> 00:06:59,080 that we may eat and live. There are also some who said we 108 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:03,840 have mortgaged our lands and vineyards and houses that we 109 00:07:03,840 --> 00:07:05,680 might buy grain because of the famine. 110 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:09,760 There are also those verse four who said we have borrowed money 111 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:13,240 for the King's tax on our lands and vineyards. 112 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:18,040 Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our 113 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:21,800 children as their children, and indeed we are forcing our sons 114 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:24,360 and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have 115 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:28,000 been brought into slavery. It is not in our power to redeem 116 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:31,200 them, for other men have our lands and vineyards. 117 00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:35,040 So there's this crisis exposed in the verses that we've just 118 00:07:35,040 --> 00:07:38,080 read before us. Verse 1 indicates and tells us 119 00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:42,120 there is this great outcry that comes to Nehemiah's attention 120 00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:45,200 from the men and their wives against others in the community 121 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:47,080 of what's happening in their midst. 122 00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:50,680 And this word outcry, it's actually the same word that's 123 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:55,560 used of the Hebrews for when they were in slavery in the book 124 00:07:55,560 --> 00:08:00,000 of Exodus and when they were under the, the slavery of of the 125 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:04,960 kings, the Pharaohs in Egypt. It says that this outcry comes 126 00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:07,800 up before God. That's the same word that's used 127 00:08:07,800 --> 00:08:10,200 here. So you can imagine this, this 128 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:12,120 intent. It's not like a a minor 129 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:16,040 complaint, but this is something that is desperate, something 130 00:08:16,040 --> 00:08:20,360 that is a righteous anguish rising before God and and to 131 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:25,080 Nehemiah's ears, as it's brought to him now understand verse one, 132 00:08:25,960 --> 00:08:29,120 it says that the outcry of the people was there and their wives 133 00:08:30,040 --> 00:08:32,880 mention they pipe up. Now, culturally, the wives did 134 00:08:32,880 --> 00:08:36,480 not speak up here, but in this chapter they do. 135 00:08:37,520 --> 00:08:41,480 This is this is a pretty big deal for them to be to be 136 00:08:41,480 --> 00:08:44,159 speaking and crying out. It's like, Harry, you better get 137 00:08:44,159 --> 00:08:47,040 up off the couch because this is this is intense. 138 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:49,240 What is going on here? And we need some change. 139 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:51,040 This is desperate and this is wrong. 140 00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:54,480 And and so these were godly women who saw something going 141 00:08:54,480 --> 00:08:57,040 wrong and spoke out demanding justice as a consequence. 142 00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:00,480 There's an interesting message in that, and that is that 143 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:03,480 sometimes we can freak out all the time and complain about 144 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:05,160 stuff. And it's a bit of that boy 145 00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:08,160 crying wolf type scenario. But in this case, these women 146 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:10,480 didn't always arc up and complain about stuff. 147 00:09:10,480 --> 00:09:13,840 But the fact that they're doing it here indicates no, this is 148 00:09:13,840 --> 00:09:16,240 serious. And because they, they were 149 00:09:16,320 --> 00:09:20,560 demonstrating that capacity. Now, when they do cry out, boy, 150 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:25,320 there's impact in those words. I think there's a message in 151 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:28,160 that for us here. And sometimes we can freak out 152 00:09:28,280 --> 00:09:31,760 over things and but you know, sometimes you've got to freak 153 00:09:31,760 --> 00:09:33,440 out. But it's how how well placed 154 00:09:33,440 --> 00:09:38,480 that freaking out is something critical, something important, 155 00:09:38,480 --> 00:09:40,000 something that's in need of attention. 156 00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:43,560 In verse 2, it's that some had no land and they've got these 157 00:09:43,560 --> 00:09:46,040 large families. And think of the, the, the mass 158 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:50,000 immigration that's come in from those that have come with 159 00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:53,840 Nehemiah and his journey from Persia back to Israel. 160 00:09:54,560 --> 00:09:57,600 And because of this large mass of bodies, now the 161 00:09:57,600 --> 00:10:00,440 infrastructure's not there and this rebuilding of Jerusalem. 162 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:02,840 So they're starving. And on top of that, there's a 163 00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:06,040 famine in the land and the war project. 164 00:10:06,040 --> 00:10:08,400 They've dedicated their hands and their energy and their 165 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:12,200 effort to has left little time probably for them to farm and to 166 00:10:12,560 --> 00:10:15,600 to build up what they need to, to supply and, and meet that 167 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:18,600 demand. Verse 3, As a consequence, some 168 00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:22,560 had mortgaged their fields, their vineyards and their houses 169 00:10:22,960 --> 00:10:25,760 just to buy grain during this crisis. 170 00:10:26,840 --> 00:10:29,000 There's heavy taxation in verse 4. 171 00:10:30,120 --> 00:10:35,680 You know, even though Nehemiah has come and the king of Persia 172 00:10:35,680 --> 00:10:39,640 has provided all of this stuff free, there's nothing really 173 00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:41,960 free when governments are involved, is there? 174 00:10:42,880 --> 00:10:45,600 There will be heavy taxes afterwards as a consequence. 175 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:49,280 And there's heavy taxation now that's upon all throughout the 176 00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:51,640 Persian Empire. And the people in Jerusalem are 177 00:10:51,640 --> 00:10:54,560 not exempt from that. And so they're having to to foot 178 00:10:54,560 --> 00:10:58,320 and pay for that bill and try and put food on the table. 179 00:10:58,320 --> 00:11:01,640 And there's all this heightened intensity of that, the famine, 180 00:11:01,640 --> 00:11:05,120 the taxation, the increased mouths to feed in the community. 181 00:11:05,320 --> 00:11:08,800 And now it's like some are losing potentially everything to 182 00:11:08,800 --> 00:11:12,680 the to the point in verse 5, the deepest wound we are forced that 183 00:11:12,680 --> 00:11:15,440 says to sell our sons and daughters into slavery. 184 00:11:16,240 --> 00:11:18,720 And some of our daughters have already been enslaved. 185 00:11:19,960 --> 00:11:25,680 Can you imagine this, these people, I mean, picture yourself 186 00:11:25,680 --> 00:11:29,640 standing in Jerusalem and, and you're working on on the wall of 187 00:11:29,640 --> 00:11:32,280 Jerusalem and with all of your heart, with all of your mind. 188 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:37,000 And, and you hear your own sister, your own brother cry out 189 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:45,120 that a child has been sold into slavery because a fellow 190 00:11:45,120 --> 00:11:49,000 believer, we use that terminology, has foreclosed on a 191 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:52,040 loan that had impossible interest for them, that they had 192 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:55,360 had no capacity and means to to try and repay. 193 00:11:57,480 --> 00:12:00,480 The text doesn't say here that the rich were evil for being 194 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:06,200 rich, but it does condemn them for exploiting their brethren in 195 00:12:06,200 --> 00:12:07,920 violation of God's clear commands. 196 00:12:07,920 --> 00:12:12,600 You see, hardwired into the community of God were these laws 197 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:15,800 in place under the Mosaic law that that we know from the book 198 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:19,080 of Exodus, from the book of Deuteronomy and and so on that 199 00:12:19,440 --> 00:12:23,480 it was never to be that when loaning to a fellow Israelite 200 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:27,920 that an Israelite was to charge interest and yet they were doing 201 00:12:27,920 --> 00:12:30,680 so. It was never to be that a fellow 202 00:12:30,680 --> 00:12:35,040 Israelite was to take another into slavery and yet they were 203 00:12:35,040 --> 00:12:38,440 doing so. And then there was also a, a 204 00:12:38,720 --> 00:12:41,800 thing called the year of Jubilee that after every 50 years, if 205 00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:46,600 you'd mortgage land and property to ensure that it stayed in the, 206 00:12:47,520 --> 00:12:51,800 in the, I guess the inheritance in the lineage of the lion, then 207 00:12:52,080 --> 00:12:55,120 that land would be returned. That's in Leviticus 25. 208 00:12:55,560 --> 00:12:59,040 And they weren't obeying them. They're aware of God's commands, 209 00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:00,920 but they weren't honouring God's commands. 210 00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:03,960 And their sin was not necessarily ignorance of God's 211 00:13:03,960 --> 00:13:07,400 word, disregard for God's heart in this matter. 212 00:13:08,920 --> 00:13:12,160 Here, the wealthy, it seems, ignored God's heart for the 213 00:13:12,160 --> 00:13:15,040 poor, turning brotherhood into bondage. 214 00:13:16,280 --> 00:13:19,280 And the people as a consequence weren't just financially ruined. 215 00:13:19,280 --> 00:13:24,800 This flowed on in other aspects. There was a spiritual breakdown 216 00:13:25,040 --> 00:13:28,400 in the community, a relational breakdown. 217 00:13:29,120 --> 00:13:32,040 The crisis threatened the entire project that they were 218 00:13:32,040 --> 00:13:35,120 committing their hands to. Because here's here's the deal. 219 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:41,560 You cannot build a wall of unity when your own people are tearing 220 00:13:41,640 --> 00:13:46,560 each other apart. Not only would it impact the 221 00:13:46,560 --> 00:13:51,120 work and the labour, but it points to the worship of God and 222 00:13:51,120 --> 00:13:55,640 poses significant problems. You see, relational conflict in 223 00:13:55,640 --> 00:13:58,680 this way doesn't just impact in one sphere, does it? 224 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:02,440 It flows on into others. Could you imagine these people 225 00:14:02,440 --> 00:14:05,480 in this scenario? And we know it to be true in our 226 00:14:05,480 --> 00:14:12,120 experience coming to gather on the Sabbath to worship God. 227 00:14:13,360 --> 00:14:17,760 And just over there is the family who is in charge is is 228 00:14:17,760 --> 00:14:23,600 charging exorbitant rates and has your daughter working in 229 00:14:23,600 --> 00:14:28,920 their home as a slave. It's difficult to sing about 230 00:14:28,920 --> 00:14:32,960 redemption in such circumstances while practising oppression, 231 00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:37,880 isn't it? It's like today, put it into our 232 00:14:37,880 --> 00:14:40,240 understanding. It's like coming to church and 233 00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:45,280 there's a family that you owe money to driving your car, 234 00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:50,840 wearing your clothes and your daughter is there living nanny 235 00:14:53,040 --> 00:14:56,560 and you're to be in the row next to them or in front of them and 236 00:14:56,560 --> 00:14:59,720 worship God in in the same community together. 237 00:15:00,560 --> 00:15:04,960 This is what's going on here. This is a social crisis. 238 00:15:05,200 --> 00:15:07,440 It's a gospel contradiction in their midst. 239 00:15:08,240 --> 00:15:12,080 The people, ironically, who were redeemed from slavery were now 240 00:15:12,080 --> 00:15:16,080 enslaving others. And the issue is not simple 241 00:15:16,080 --> 00:15:19,160 poverty, though that's that's there, but it's whether grace 242 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:23,080 has actually taken root in their hearts as God's redeemed people 243 00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:27,160 in how they treat others. And the crisis then reveals not 244 00:15:27,160 --> 00:15:31,280 necessarily a lack of resources, but a lack of grace shaping 245 00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:33,160 their relationships one to another. 246 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:36,760 So again, can you feel the pain of the people? 247 00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:41,800 Are you sensing the crisis? You know, again, imagine a a 248 00:15:41,800 --> 00:15:47,400 family working in our church, working hard on a ministry 249 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:52,440 project and they lose their home because a fellow believer 250 00:15:52,440 --> 00:15:58,960 charges crushing interest on a loan or picture worse, parents 251 00:15:58,960 --> 00:16:04,920 selling a child to survive. It's heartbreaking, you know, to 252 00:16:04,920 --> 00:16:09,080 put it in those sort of modern terms for us to understand. 253 00:16:09,080 --> 00:16:13,720 And, and in Nehemiah here, as we've read in these verses, the 254 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:18,240 the gospel message, if we want to put it into that language of 255 00:16:18,240 --> 00:16:21,800 today, is being contradicted by how God's people are treating 256 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:25,440 one another. Here's what I want to say on 257 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:28,840 that. May it never be so in our midst 258 00:16:29,920 --> 00:16:33,440 that we declare and espouse the gospel with our lips, but our 259 00:16:33,440 --> 00:16:35,880 actions one to another contradict that. 260 00:16:37,840 --> 00:16:40,360 So what might we do in light of this tonight? 261 00:16:41,160 --> 00:16:44,920 I think Nehemiah here in these verses forces us to ask him to 262 00:16:44,920 --> 00:16:49,920 consider where might the gospel being contradicted in my 263 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:54,120 behaviour? Do I? 264 00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:57,280 If I'm to do a self diagnosis, do I? 265 00:16:57,800 --> 00:17:02,840 Do I recognise where greed is evident in my life today? 266 00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:08,680 What's my attitude towards finances to me? 267 00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:12,200 Do I love money and use people, or do I love people and use 268 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:17,079 money to bless? How am I generally treating 269 00:17:17,200 --> 00:17:22,480 others in Nehemiah? There's a crisis here. 270 00:17:22,839 --> 00:17:25,480 It's to do with stewardship, it's to do with money, it's to 271 00:17:25,480 --> 00:17:28,640 do with the treatment of others. So now that the crisis, the 272 00:17:28,680 --> 00:17:31,640 outcry has come to Nehemiah's ears, the question is, all 273 00:17:31,640 --> 00:17:33,080 right, Nehemiah, what are you going to do? 274 00:17:33,960 --> 00:17:35,360 How are you going to handle this? 275 00:17:35,960 --> 00:17:39,280 What we're going to do in this next section is read verse by 276 00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:43,720 verse through it as there's this confrontation now that Nehemiah 277 00:17:43,720 --> 00:17:48,360 has with the perpetrators, and there's righteous anger evident 278 00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:53,920 in his response. So verse 6, and I became very 279 00:17:53,920 --> 00:17:58,360 angry. It says Nehemiah, when I heard 280 00:17:58,360 --> 00:18:03,560 their outcry and these words, tells us he gets angry. 281 00:18:04,520 --> 00:18:08,440 He gets very angry. What does this mean in Hebrew? 282 00:18:09,280 --> 00:18:14,560 He's ticked, he's upset. Does Nehemiah just have a short 283 00:18:14,560 --> 00:18:17,680 fuse here or just a bad temper? Is that, is that the kind of 284 00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:20,640 individual that Nehemiah is? I don't, I don't think so. 285 00:18:20,640 --> 00:18:25,440 As we've read through the text, his anger here is very 286 00:18:25,440 --> 00:18:29,760 justified, isn't it? Is that a Christian thing to do, 287 00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:32,320 to get angry? Yes. 288 00:18:33,120 --> 00:18:37,160 You know, there's something called justified anger, and some 289 00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:39,480 other religions condone anger altogether. 290 00:18:39,480 --> 00:18:41,680 Don't encourage it. You know, Buddhism, don't get 291 00:18:41,680 --> 00:18:46,480 angry, grasshopper. But I think many times we as 292 00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:50,760 Christians could benefit from getting in touch with our anger 293 00:18:52,360 --> 00:18:55,440 in many respects. You know, one of the attributes 294 00:18:55,440 --> 00:19:02,520 of God mentioned in the Bible is anger over 800 times mentioned 295 00:19:03,120 --> 00:19:07,360 in connection with God. But here's what Exodus 34 tells 296 00:19:07,360 --> 00:19:12,080 us about God and his anger, that he is slow to anger. 297 00:19:13,680 --> 00:19:16,200 Now God gets angry, but he gets there slowly. 298 00:19:16,800 --> 00:19:19,160 And you know this, that if God gets mad, then you've had to 299 00:19:19,160 --> 00:19:23,960 really work hard on him to get him to that point, right? 300 00:19:24,800 --> 00:19:26,440 Oh, yeah. But people say, but that's the 301 00:19:26,480 --> 00:19:28,280 that's the God of the Old Testament. 302 00:19:28,280 --> 00:19:29,840 But, you know, the New Testament's different. 303 00:19:29,840 --> 00:19:32,040 Well, let me ask this. Does Jesus ever get angry? 304 00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:35,920 Yeah, we do. Interestingly, when we read of 305 00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:40,280 Jesus getting angry, one of the the big times that Jesus gets 306 00:19:40,280 --> 00:19:43,360 angry is over a financial scam that's happening in the temple. 307 00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:48,120 He got angry often at the Pharisees. 308 00:19:48,120 --> 00:19:54,560 He got angry at the disciples. So what should our attitude to 309 00:19:54,640 --> 00:19:58,040 anger be as we read of Nehemiah getting angry here in verse 6 310 00:19:58,040 --> 00:20:01,760 and we see it in the Scriptures. Well, in the New Testament book 311 00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:04,600 of Ephesians, here's what it tells us. 312 00:20:04,600 --> 00:20:07,880 It says in your anger, do not sin. 313 00:20:08,320 --> 00:20:11,440 And there's the connection. Many times we get angry and we 314 00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:14,520 sin. What we'll read of Nehemiah is 315 00:20:14,520 --> 00:20:20,640 that there's there's a little. Little valve that he puts in 316 00:20:20,640 --> 00:20:24,440 place, a little preventer of that anger turning into sin. 317 00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:27,320 And I think we would benefit from applying that in our lives 318 00:20:27,320 --> 00:20:30,400 too. But it begs the question, what 319 00:20:30,400 --> 00:20:33,920 are we to get angry at? And we can get angry at our our 320 00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:37,880 sport teams losing. We can get angry over all sorts 321 00:20:37,880 --> 00:20:40,400 of trivial things. And I'm guilty of that. 322 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:44,080 But we are to, when we read the scripture, we are to get angry 323 00:20:44,080 --> 00:20:48,480 at what God gets angry at. And that is sin, that is 324 00:20:48,480 --> 00:20:51,640 injustice and is unrighteousness. 325 00:20:52,320 --> 00:20:58,000 And in fact, anger can be a very powerful motivator for change in 326 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:01,600 our lives and in communities. So the question then in that is 327 00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:04,040 how do I direct my anger towards redemption? 328 00:21:05,400 --> 00:21:11,200 Here in this text the women and others raise the issue and and 329 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:14,480 Nehemiah hears it the outcry and Nehemiah gets angry. 330 00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:18,400 Does Nehemiah act straight away? No. 331 00:21:18,400 --> 00:21:22,840 Verse 7 And here is the key. It says after serious thought. 332 00:21:24,400 --> 00:21:29,680 After serious thought I rebuked the nobles and rulers and said 333 00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:32,400 to them, each of you is exacting nursery from his brother. 334 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:35,160 So I called a great assembly against them. 335 00:21:35,160 --> 00:21:40,120 So again, this is the key in our anger and it's in Nehemiah's 336 00:21:40,120 --> 00:21:42,960 response. It says I pondered them in my 337 00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:45,520 mind, literally. Some translations have it in 338 00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:48,680 this way. My heart consulted within me. 339 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:52,840 I like the way that's worded. Serious thought. 340 00:21:53,840 --> 00:21:58,120 The New English Bible says this. I mastered my feelings. 341 00:21:58,760 --> 00:22:00,200 That's a good way to understand it. 342 00:22:01,120 --> 00:22:05,360 In other words, what Nehemiah did not do is respond straight 343 00:22:05,360 --> 00:22:08,680 away and that's what many times we do. 344 00:22:10,280 --> 00:22:14,160 He took a breather. He took time to ask, is this 345 00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:17,200 anger that I'm having that I'm feeling, is this righteous? 346 00:22:17,760 --> 00:22:20,000 Yes, it is. This is what God gets angry 347 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:22,400 about. And so Nehemiah masters he's 348 00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:24,840 emotions. He doesn't fire off an angry 349 00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:28,040 email. He doesn't lash out in the 350 00:22:28,040 --> 00:22:31,200 moment. It takes time to ensure. 351 00:22:31,320 --> 00:22:34,480 It indicates to us in verse 7 that his anger is directed 352 00:22:34,480 --> 00:22:37,320 towards sin, not a personal offence against him. 353 00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:42,800 And so the gospel then does not make us passive towards sin, but 354 00:22:42,800 --> 00:22:48,560 it does make us patient, prayerful and purposeful in how 355 00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:53,640 we confront it. And this is how he acts. 356 00:22:53,640 --> 00:22:55,960 He confronts and notice what he does. 357 00:22:56,280 --> 00:23:01,320 He first privately goes to the nobles and officials and then 358 00:23:01,320 --> 00:23:05,600 publicly calls the assembly. Notice his his actions at work 359 00:23:05,600 --> 00:23:08,120 in this response. I think many of us would do well 360 00:23:08,120 --> 00:23:14,000 to learn from Nehemiah's example here in Handling anger, verse 7. 361 00:23:14,160 --> 00:23:16,360 You're charging interest on your own brethren. 362 00:23:20,280 --> 00:23:23,720 Verse 8, we've done our best to buy back our Jewish brothers who 363 00:23:23,720 --> 00:23:27,240 were sold to the Gentiles and, and now you're selling them back 364 00:23:27,240 --> 00:23:30,560 into slavery. And the irony cuts deep. 365 00:23:31,600 --> 00:23:35,240 But you, you were once slaves and we were once slaves as a 366 00:23:35,240 --> 00:23:38,000 community and, and now there's slavery in our midst. 367 00:23:39,440 --> 00:23:42,880 And verse 9, what you're doing is not right. 368 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:47,520 Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach 369 00:23:47,520 --> 00:23:49,240 of the Gentiles? In other words, what he says, 370 00:23:49,480 --> 00:23:52,840 verse 9 is look at the message that we're sending to 371 00:23:52,840 --> 00:23:57,640 unbelievers. He appeals to God's word in 372 00:23:57,640 --> 00:23:59,680 their midst. You know what the Scriptures 373 00:23:59,680 --> 00:24:02,800 say. He appeals to their witness that 374 00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:06,120 they're giving out. And then the fear of the Lord. 375 00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:14,160 Verse 10 I also with my brethren and my servants, and lending 376 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:18,920 them money and grain. Please let us stop this ursery. 377 00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:24,880 Now Nehemiah here says I and my brothers, my servants, are also 378 00:24:24,880 --> 00:24:27,320 lending the people money and grain. 379 00:24:28,240 --> 00:24:32,640 Some people see this as a confession on Nehemiah's part 380 00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:36,760 that he was guilty of the same. Other commentators see this as 381 00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:39,680 Nehemiah saying we lend but without interest. 382 00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:45,600 So follow my example, but I think either way that that verse 383 00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:49,320 is interpreted. What Nehemiah does model for us 384 00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:52,840 is integrity. In his response we see his 385 00:24:52,840 --> 00:24:57,040 generosity displayed later. And so verse 11, he says, now 386 00:24:57,040 --> 00:25:02,440 restore to them even this day immediately their lands, their 387 00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:08,120 vineyards, their olive Groves, their houses also 100th of the 388 00:25:08,120 --> 00:25:11,600 money and the grain, the new wine and the oil that you have 389 00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:15,080 charged them, and give back that which you've generated by 390 00:25:15,080 --> 00:25:19,560 interest. Verse 12 So they said, we will 391 00:25:19,560 --> 00:25:23,840 restore it and we'll require nothing from them, and we will 392 00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:26,680 do as you say. And then I called the priest and 393 00:25:26,680 --> 00:25:29,440 required an oath from them that they would do according to this 394 00:25:29,440 --> 00:25:32,920 promise. Notice in verse 12 again that 395 00:25:32,920 --> 00:25:36,320 the the nobles confess we're guilty. 396 00:25:36,360 --> 00:25:39,800 Nehemiah will give it back. We'll do as as you've charged 397 00:25:39,800 --> 00:25:42,880 and what you've commanded, what you've instructed will will not 398 00:25:42,880 --> 00:25:45,560 demand anything more from them. And they swear an oath before 399 00:25:45,560 --> 00:25:49,680 the priest. I think this to be one of the 400 00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:52,120 the quiet miracles of the Old Testament. 401 00:25:52,560 --> 00:25:55,480 Let me explain here in their response. 402 00:25:55,480 --> 00:25:58,640 Notice there's no excuses of a Nehemiah. 403 00:25:58,640 --> 00:26:01,960 But you know, we're all the other nations and all the other 404 00:26:01,960 --> 00:26:04,000 people in the Persian Empire. There's none of that. 405 00:26:05,280 --> 00:26:07,960 There's no delays. Yeah, you're right, Nehemiah and 406 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:10,000 we'll do it. And Nehemiah doesn't have to 407 00:26:10,200 --> 00:26:12,920 have to check up on them a month later, two months later. 408 00:26:12,920 --> 00:26:16,360 We don't read that immediately. They respond, no counter 409 00:26:16,360 --> 00:26:19,160 arguments. Well, right, you I'm, I'm 410 00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:22,120 sending my lawyer around and we'll we'll nut this out in 411 00:26:22,120 --> 00:26:23,160 court. There's none of that. 412 00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:27,240 And I think now what we're seeing is that when Grace is at 413 00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:33,800 work as as it seems in this in this case now here repentance is 414 00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:39,720 not negotiated. Nehemiah, yes, we're wrong will 415 00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:43,680 do what you say. And they embrace the challenge 416 00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:47,560 that's been issued by Nehemiah and the repentance now on their 417 00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:51,040 part. And so verse 13, Nehemiah does 418 00:26:51,040 --> 00:26:52,520 this. I shook out the fold of my 419 00:26:52,520 --> 00:26:55,440 garment and said, so May God shake out each man from his 420 00:26:55,440 --> 00:26:59,120 house, from his property who does not perform this promise. 421 00:26:59,920 --> 00:27:02,560 Even thus, may he be shaken out and empty. 422 00:27:03,840 --> 00:27:10,040 This is a prophetic act here of Nehemiah and the people respond 423 00:27:10,400 --> 00:27:13,840 Amen. So let it be, let it be done is 424 00:27:13,840 --> 00:27:16,320 the language and they praise the Lord. 425 00:27:16,760 --> 00:27:19,440 Oh, we worship you God. Thank you for this opportunity 426 00:27:19,600 --> 00:27:22,520 to repent. That's an amazing point. 427 00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:26,720 And then the people did according to this promise. 428 00:27:27,840 --> 00:27:32,800 Do you feel that the power here in these verses of the gospel at 429 00:27:32,800 --> 00:27:36,480 work in repentance taking place in a community of God's people. 430 00:27:37,680 --> 00:27:41,600 What started out in verse 1 is a great outcry in their midst ends 431 00:27:41,600 --> 00:27:46,320 in a great Amen and praise and worship unto God. 432 00:27:46,320 --> 00:27:49,960 What a turn around. You know, the the people at the 433 00:27:49,960 --> 00:27:54,360 beginning of of this chapter so far who were expressing in 434 00:27:54,360 --> 00:28:00,400 anguish this cry are now able to express worship under God over 435 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:05,040 what's happened in their midst. Righteous anger took place, yes, 436 00:28:05,560 --> 00:28:09,360 but when channelled through prayerful reflection and 437 00:28:09,400 --> 00:28:13,160 biblical confrontation that Nehemiah displays, it leads to 438 00:28:13,160 --> 00:28:16,440 confession. It leads to repentance and to 439 00:28:16,440 --> 00:28:19,640 restoration. And isn't this the gospel 440 00:28:19,640 --> 00:28:24,000 pattern? Sin is exposed, heart is 441 00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:27,000 convicted, and grace is received. 442 00:28:28,520 --> 00:28:30,040 Here's what I want you to understand. 443 00:28:30,080 --> 00:28:35,480 Repentance in our lives is one of the clearest evidences that 444 00:28:35,480 --> 00:28:38,440 the gospel is at work in our hearts. 445 00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:43,320 And here's the the turning point of this chapter because again, 446 00:28:43,320 --> 00:28:46,240 I'll say it, the clearest evidence of the gospel at work 447 00:28:46,240 --> 00:28:51,600 is not what we say we believe, but how we respond often when 448 00:28:51,600 --> 00:28:56,160 our sin is exposed and everything that follows 449 00:28:56,160 --> 00:28:59,880 thereafter will reveal if grace has truly taken root in our 450 00:28:59,880 --> 00:29:02,960 hearts. And you know what happens when, 451 00:29:03,280 --> 00:29:06,840 when the gospel and when God's grace is at work in our lives, 452 00:29:07,720 --> 00:29:11,800 people stop defending themselves, stop throwing out 453 00:29:11,800 --> 00:29:14,320 excuses. And here's what they do. 454 00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:21,760 They start obeying God. So practically, let's consider 455 00:29:21,760 --> 00:29:25,600 this example. How to deal with sin. 456 00:29:26,200 --> 00:29:29,160 For we're all sinners. We're all fallen short. 457 00:29:30,760 --> 00:29:35,200 The Holy Spirit convicts us. What are we to do with this 458 00:29:35,200 --> 00:29:38,280 conviction? Deny it? 459 00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:42,640 That wasn't me. Blame someone else. 460 00:29:42,840 --> 00:29:47,600 No, no, no. The woman you gave me, do we 461 00:29:47,600 --> 00:29:50,240 excuse ourselves? Oh, it's just my genetics. 462 00:29:50,240 --> 00:29:52,800 You know, I'm, I'm Italian and we Italians, you know what our 463 00:29:52,800 --> 00:29:55,080 tempers are like. And oh, it's just the Irish and 464 00:29:55,080 --> 00:29:57,680 me and no, I just call a spade a spade. 465 00:29:57,680 --> 00:30:01,920 And you know, do we, do we throw out those sorts of things or do 466 00:30:01,920 --> 00:30:05,200 we confess? That's to be our response. 467 00:30:06,480 --> 00:30:11,360 To confess means to agree with God. 1 John chapter one, verse 9 468 00:30:11,400 --> 00:30:15,840 indicates that clearly. Now God, you said it's wrong. 469 00:30:17,480 --> 00:30:20,560 I agree with you, it's wrong. Forgive me, wash me and cleanse 470 00:30:20,560 --> 00:30:21,640 me. You know what God has promised 471 00:30:21,640 --> 00:30:24,240 in that verse that he will cleanse and forgive of all 472 00:30:24,560 --> 00:30:28,560 unrighteousness. Now is that it? 473 00:30:28,560 --> 00:30:34,240 Is that all done, finished? No, some of us think so. 474 00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:38,400 That's that's the case. But to repent is to go and sin 475 00:30:38,400 --> 00:30:42,160 no more to stop doing it, you know, and these people here 476 00:30:42,160 --> 00:30:43,720 could have gone, Yeah, you're right, Nehemiah. 477 00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:47,360 And then we'll give back. And then a week later, same 478 00:30:47,360 --> 00:30:50,440 thing pop up. No, they they stopped doing it 479 00:30:50,440 --> 00:30:53,680 all together. And grace, it does not remove 480 00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:56,920 accountability. It empowers obedience. 481 00:30:58,040 --> 00:31:00,560 And what they displayed was restitution. 482 00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:05,040 And that's where I think many times we in our application of 483 00:31:05,040 --> 00:31:08,760 repentance fall short in in modern understanding of 484 00:31:08,760 --> 00:31:11,200 repentance. We don't go into that 485 00:31:11,200 --> 00:31:14,680 restitution mode. You know, you borrow a mate's 486 00:31:14,680 --> 00:31:16,840 car and crash it. You know, I'm free in Christ. 487 00:31:17,400 --> 00:31:20,360 He's forgiven me my sins. Good luck to you. 488 00:31:21,560 --> 00:31:24,880 No, we, we're to work to pay for that damage, right? 489 00:31:25,120 --> 00:31:29,320 To make some recompense. Or here's here's a pretty 490 00:31:29,320 --> 00:31:34,240 relevant example. You lie about someone and you 491 00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:38,480 confess and you repent. You know I was wrong. 492 00:31:38,480 --> 00:31:40,960 I'm sorry I lied. You know, now the next step is 493 00:31:40,960 --> 00:31:44,160 to make restitution. You go and see everyone that you 494 00:31:44,160 --> 00:31:47,120 told that lie to and you say I'm a liar. 495 00:31:49,360 --> 00:31:53,040 What I said is not true. Forgive me. 496 00:31:53,040 --> 00:31:56,800 I've I've asked for forgiveness from who I said these lies 497 00:31:56,800 --> 00:31:58,400 about. And we don't, we don't often go 498 00:31:58,440 --> 00:32:01,360 that next step, do we? That's what these people 499 00:32:01,360 --> 00:32:04,160 displayed of the gospel at work in their lives. 500 00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:09,880 So Nehemiah 5 here shows us how the gospel actually works in 501 00:32:09,880 --> 00:32:15,080 real life. They were challenged, they 502 00:32:15,080 --> 00:32:17,040 confess, they agree. Nehemiah, you're right. 503 00:32:17,040 --> 00:32:18,880 God, we're sorry. Forgive us. 504 00:32:19,200 --> 00:32:23,200 They repented, Amen. And then they said about 505 00:32:23,200 --> 00:32:27,480 restitution in the community, for it was the right and godly 506 00:32:27,480 --> 00:32:31,080 thing to do. And then thirdly and lastly, 507 00:32:31,280 --> 00:32:34,200 what we'll read off from verse 14 through to the end of the 508 00:32:34,200 --> 00:32:38,040 chapter is this radical generosity that Nehemiah 509 00:32:38,040 --> 00:32:41,960 displays as he sets the example as a leader in their midst of 510 00:32:41,960 --> 00:32:45,160 what grace flowing out of someone truly looks like. 511 00:32:45,840 --> 00:32:50,320 And again, we'll read as we go along, it shows his restoration 512 00:32:50,320 --> 00:32:53,640 at work in the community. And Nehemiah shifts to his own 513 00:32:53,640 --> 00:32:58,960 example as governor for some 12 years that he displayed this and 514 00:32:59,240 --> 00:33:01,840 and once again, I want us to see that the clearest evidence of 515 00:33:01,840 --> 00:33:06,560 the gospel at work is is not what Nehemiah claims to believe, 516 00:33:06,560 --> 00:33:10,280 but how he lives before God and others as we're about to read 517 00:33:11,520 --> 00:33:14,720 verse 14. Moreover, from the time that I 518 00:33:14,720 --> 00:33:17,320 was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, 519 00:33:18,280 --> 00:33:22,840 from the 20th year until the 32nd year of King Artaxerxes, 12 520 00:33:22,840 --> 00:33:27,120 years, neither I nor my brothers ate the governor's provisions. 521 00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:33,880 I never demanded the allotted food that I was entitled to as a 522 00:33:33,880 --> 00:33:36,720 governor. All the governors before him 523 00:33:36,720 --> 00:33:38,600 had. All the governors in the 524 00:33:38,600 --> 00:33:41,240 surrounding areas did, but not Nehemiah. 525 00:33:41,240 --> 00:33:43,520 For those 12 years. It was different. 526 00:33:44,880 --> 00:33:47,720 Verse 15. But the former governors who 527 00:33:47,720 --> 00:33:50,200 were before me laid burdens on the people. 528 00:33:50,720 --> 00:33:53,760 You know, he, he, he here, he knows, you know, this is an 529 00:33:53,760 --> 00:33:55,560 entitlement. This is a right of mine. 530 00:33:55,560 --> 00:33:58,840 But man, they've been taken advantage of in the past, and 531 00:33:58,840 --> 00:34:00,760 I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to place that 532 00:34:00,760 --> 00:34:02,760 burden on them here at this time. 533 00:34:04,160 --> 00:34:06,720 And the others, verse 15, took from them bread and wine, 534 00:34:06,720 --> 00:34:10,120 besides 40 shekhers of silver, yes, even their servants bore 535 00:34:10,120 --> 00:34:12,400 rule over the people. But I did not do so. 536 00:34:12,760 --> 00:34:14,639 Why? Because of the fear of God. 537 00:34:16,880 --> 00:34:20,600 Nehemiah refused because of the fear of God. 538 00:34:23,280 --> 00:34:26,239 Nehemiah's generosity here doesn't earn God's favour. 539 00:34:26,360 --> 00:34:30,080 That's not what it's about. What Nehemiah's generosity here 540 00:34:30,080 --> 00:34:34,600 is evidence of is this, that it flows from a life lived before 541 00:34:34,600 --> 00:34:39,520 God's face. Nehemiah knew who God was, the 542 00:34:39,520 --> 00:34:43,800 character, the attributes of God, and having experienced and 543 00:34:43,800 --> 00:34:48,159 understood who God is, he's thinking, how can I do this to 544 00:34:48,159 --> 00:34:51,040 the people of God? I'm going to be a blessing to 545 00:34:51,040 --> 00:34:55,400 them, and I'll not take what is an entitlement of mine in this 546 00:34:55,400 --> 00:34:58,880 time. And so verse 16, indeed, I also 547 00:34:58,880 --> 00:35:03,040 continued the work on this wall and we did not buy any land. 548 00:35:04,040 --> 00:35:06,720 What many of the governors at the time were doing was, you 549 00:35:06,720 --> 00:35:11,040 know, they've got the the inside knowledge of when heavy taxation 550 00:35:11,040 --> 00:35:13,080 is coming and of what's happening in the land. 551 00:35:13,080 --> 00:35:16,000 And they would buy out property on the cheap knowing that it 552 00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:18,880 would rise and they'd become very wealthy as a consequence. 553 00:35:18,880 --> 00:35:22,880 That wasn't what Nehemiah did. Nehemiah, he has now. 554 00:35:22,880 --> 00:35:26,160 I refuse to buy any of the prime real estate and the property and 555 00:35:26,320 --> 00:35:28,840 all of the things that was typical behaviour of the 556 00:35:28,840 --> 00:35:30,400 governors. That's not what I'm about. 557 00:35:31,440 --> 00:35:35,800 I did not do so, and all my servants were gathered there for 558 00:35:35,800 --> 00:35:37,600 the work. No, we were committed to the 559 00:35:37,600 --> 00:35:39,640 task of what we were called there to do. 560 00:35:39,640 --> 00:35:43,880 He worked alongside the people. He didn't stand off aloof, and 561 00:35:43,880 --> 00:35:45,680 you guys need to be busy about the work. 562 00:35:45,680 --> 00:35:48,960 He, he rolled the thieves up and got down and dirty in the work 563 00:35:48,960 --> 00:35:50,600 that the others were contributing to. 564 00:35:51,800 --> 00:35:57,080 Look at verse 17 and 18, And at my table were 150 Jews and 565 00:35:57,080 --> 00:36:00,720 rulers, besides those who came to us from the nations around 566 00:36:00,720 --> 00:36:05,200 us. So he's fed upwards of 150 567 00:36:05,200 --> 00:36:10,120 people at his table daily. And you talk about meal 568 00:36:10,120 --> 00:36:15,200 preparation. Now there's eighteen. 569 00:36:15,200 --> 00:36:19,640 That which was prepared daily was 1 ox, six choice sheep. 570 00:36:20,040 --> 00:36:24,560 Also fowl were prepared for me once every 10 days, in abundance 571 00:36:24,560 --> 00:36:29,520 of all kinds of wine. Yet in spite of this demand, you 572 00:36:29,520 --> 00:36:33,560 know, the Partridge in a pear tree and all of that, In spite 573 00:36:33,560 --> 00:36:36,880 of this, I did not demand the governor's provisions because 574 00:36:36,880 --> 00:36:38,520 the bondage was heavy on this people. 575 00:36:39,160 --> 00:36:41,440 Do you think Nehemiah is eating into his savings? 576 00:36:41,440 --> 00:36:44,040 A bit? Probably. 577 00:36:45,840 --> 00:36:48,920 Now it's interesting, in contrast, where the nobles of 578 00:36:48,920 --> 00:36:53,120 the community measured how much they could take from others. 579 00:36:54,080 --> 00:36:57,880 What did Nehemiah measure? He took note of how much he 580 00:36:57,880 --> 00:37:02,480 could give and that would be a radical way to think about our 581 00:37:02,640 --> 00:37:03,760 our budget. So I don't know if you're the 582 00:37:03,760 --> 00:37:06,760 budgeting type. You know, often I'll look at our 583 00:37:06,760 --> 00:37:10,640 budget and what, you know, as a household we're we're spending 584 00:37:10,640 --> 00:37:15,400 in the month and so on. And it seems that Nehemiah in 585 00:37:15,400 --> 00:37:18,640 his budgeting is going, I can afford to give this much this 586 00:37:18,640 --> 00:37:25,040 month. And then verse 19, Remember Me 587 00:37:25,040 --> 00:37:30,120 my God for good according to all that I've done for this people. 588 00:37:31,720 --> 00:37:34,160 Again, Nehemiah, he could have profited from his position. 589 00:37:34,160 --> 00:37:36,000 It was his right, it was his entitlement. 590 00:37:37,120 --> 00:37:41,040 Instead we read of him pouring himself out and in this way 591 00:37:41,040 --> 00:37:44,440 modelling the generosity that God provides. 592 00:37:45,800 --> 00:37:48,400 The nobles, they they hoarded and they exploited. 593 00:37:48,640 --> 00:37:51,320 Nehemiah wasn't about that. He gave and he served. 594 00:37:52,400 --> 00:37:57,240 And don't you think this is what happened as a consequence, that 595 00:37:57,240 --> 00:38:03,160 this generosity restored trust, healed division, and kept the 596 00:38:03,160 --> 00:38:05,840 wall moving forward in the work at hand? 597 00:38:09,120 --> 00:38:12,160 In our world of self interest where everybody's out to get 598 00:38:12,160 --> 00:38:16,600 their own, don't you think that such gospel living will be very 599 00:38:16,600 --> 00:38:21,600 powerful in lives? So what to do with this? 600 00:38:21,800 --> 00:38:25,040 When the gospel takes root, generosity becomes normal. 601 00:38:26,760 --> 00:38:30,480 Maybe this week, live it out. Certainly you can. 602 00:38:30,600 --> 00:38:33,640 You can tithe faithfully. You can give to someone in need. 603 00:38:33,640 --> 00:38:36,240 You can serve someone without expecting payback. 604 00:38:36,960 --> 00:38:39,960 Maybe as families, you can discuss what what stewardship 605 00:38:39,960 --> 00:38:41,800 looks like. You know, teaching your children 606 00:38:41,800 --> 00:38:45,000 of what that means that God has given us and we use what he has 607 00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:47,360 blessed us with to be a blessing on out to others. 608 00:38:47,920 --> 00:38:50,960 If you're in a leadership capacity or position, Am I 609 00:38:50,960 --> 00:38:52,880 burdening people or am I blessing them? 610 00:38:53,040 --> 00:38:56,200 All of these are questions that we can ask to be very practical 611 00:38:56,440 --> 00:39:00,200 about what we see with Nehemiah here because here's what happens 612 00:39:00,200 --> 00:39:03,880 when we model what Nehemiah's generosity displays. 613 00:39:04,320 --> 00:39:08,120 You and I, we reflect the ultimate giver, God, our 614 00:39:08,120 --> 00:39:12,480 heavenly Father. And so exemplary lives then in 615 00:39:12,480 --> 00:39:16,600 Nehemiah that we look at here are not heroic exceptions. 616 00:39:17,280 --> 00:39:20,240 They are the fruit of hearts shaped by grace. 617 00:39:22,120 --> 00:39:26,880 All right, so let's finish this. Nehemiah chapter 5 takes us on a 618 00:39:26,880 --> 00:39:28,840 journey. It begins with this great 619 00:39:28,840 --> 00:39:33,400 outcry, the anguished cries of God's people oppressed, crushed 620 00:39:33,920 --> 00:39:38,520 by the sins of their brothers, and it moves through this 621 00:39:38,520 --> 00:39:41,640 righteous confrontation. Is Nehemiah angry? 622 00:39:42,040 --> 00:39:45,280 He, he speaks truth clearly to them and courageously and 623 00:39:45,280 --> 00:39:48,200 without compromise. And it ends with this great 624 00:39:48,200 --> 00:39:53,400 Amen, repentance, restitution, praise, and then and then grace 625 00:39:53,400 --> 00:39:57,680 being displayed as we read of Nehemiah and what he does and in 626 00:39:57,680 --> 00:40:00,960 this chapter is this sobering truth and reality. 627 00:40:01,480 --> 00:40:04,280 There is again a direct connection between the 628 00:40:04,280 --> 00:40:07,880 credibility of our witness and the way that we treat one 629 00:40:07,880 --> 00:40:12,760 another, the way that we respond in repentance, and the way that 630 00:40:12,760 --> 00:40:16,040 generosity and the way that grace flows out of our lives. 631 00:40:17,000 --> 00:40:19,920 You know you and I, we cannot build the work of God while 632 00:40:19,920 --> 00:40:22,640 living in ways that contradict the grace of God. 633 00:40:24,720 --> 00:40:29,480 You and I, we cannot proclaim the freedom in Christ that we 634 00:40:29,480 --> 00:40:33,920 have whilst enslaving one another through greed or power 635 00:40:33,920 --> 00:40:38,200 or self interest. We must be the church before we 636 00:40:38,200 --> 00:40:42,760 can build the church. And ultimately, again, Nehemiah 637 00:40:42,760 --> 00:40:47,880 chapter 5 points us beyond Nehemiah himself to Jesus 638 00:40:47,880 --> 00:40:51,440 Christ. Nehemiah, yes, used his power to 639 00:40:51,440 --> 00:40:55,080 serve. Jesus laid aside, or power to 640 00:40:55,080 --> 00:40:59,880 save. Nehemiah refused profit at the 641 00:40:59,880 --> 00:41:03,200 expense of others. Jesus, the Bible tells us, 642 00:41:03,200 --> 00:41:07,000 became poor so that through his poverty we might become rich. 643 00:41:08,240 --> 00:41:13,320 Nehemiah absorbed personal cost for the good of the people, and 644 00:41:13,320 --> 00:41:17,640 Jesus bore the full cost for our sin on the cross to set us free. 645 00:41:18,720 --> 00:41:22,360 And so may it be true that the gospel is at work in our lives, 646 00:41:22,800 --> 00:41:25,400 that we're not merely forgiven people, but that we're 647 00:41:25,400 --> 00:41:30,240 transformed people reflecting Jesus Christ not only in what we 648 00:41:30,240 --> 00:41:33,760 say, but in what we do Amen. Let's pray. 649 00:41:33,800 --> 00:41:41,640 Lord God, we thank you for this chapter tonight and help us as 650 00:41:41,960 --> 00:41:48,800 we reflect on these verses to consider ways where we might be 651 00:41:48,800 --> 00:41:53,400 taking advantage of others, whether financially, whether 652 00:41:53,480 --> 00:41:58,640 emotionally, whether relationally, to consider how 653 00:41:58,640 --> 00:42:02,720 our sin might be costing them to seek forgiveness. 654 00:42:02,720 --> 00:42:08,200 If that's the case, repentance to work at restitution. 655 00:42:09,680 --> 00:42:13,160 May we be people that reflect your heart. 656 00:42:14,160 --> 00:42:21,320 Lord God, may we know your word. May your word flow in and out 657 00:42:22,600 --> 00:42:24,680 through us to be a blessing unto others. 658 00:42:28,000 --> 00:42:30,960 Help us to not just read a chapter like this and and see 659 00:42:30,960 --> 00:42:37,040 ourselves in the victims, but in Nehemiah in Nehemiah 5 Here what 660 00:42:37,040 --> 00:42:41,800 we see is a an indication that sometimes we can be the 661 00:42:41,800 --> 00:42:48,240 perpetrators and God. Maybe in this we we need to 662 00:42:48,240 --> 00:42:51,960 understand that you expose sin not to necessarily shame us, but 663 00:42:51,960 --> 00:42:55,320 to heal us. So heal us. 664 00:42:55,520 --> 00:43:03,080 Forgive us if that's the case. Convict to bring correction, to 665 00:43:03,080 --> 00:43:05,680 bring grace to flow through our lives. 666 00:43:07,840 --> 00:43:12,080 Help us to make things right where we can, to receive again 667 00:43:12,080 --> 00:43:15,520 the grace that not only forgives sin, but breaks its power in our 668 00:43:15,520 --> 00:43:20,320 lives. And the gospel truly take root 669 00:43:20,320 --> 00:43:22,840 in our hearts. And here in our midst is your 670 00:43:22,840 --> 00:43:27,040 people, that what you have called us to build and to be 671 00:43:27,040 --> 00:43:31,080 about may truly happen in our midst for Your glory and for our 672 00:43:31,080 --> 00:43:34,560 good. Restore hearts. 673 00:43:34,720 --> 00:43:38,400 Heal relationships. May your name, Lord God, be 674 00:43:38,400 --> 00:43:42,520 honoured in our midst and out to the people that we interact 675 00:43:42,520 --> 00:43:49,480 with. May it be like the people in 676 00:43:49,480 --> 00:43:54,160 Nehemiah's day where it says that the people did as they had 677 00:43:54,160 --> 00:43:57,400 promised. If our hearts have been stirred 678 00:43:57,400 --> 00:43:59,640 tonight, may we be obedient to your word. 679 00:44:00,760 --> 00:44:03,920 These things we pray and ask in Jesus name, Amen. 680 00:44:04,440 --> 00:44:04,640 Amen.