Sermon Tone Analysis

*Intro*

Milestones.

I used to think of this as those things on the side of the road that tell you how far you have traveled or in some places, how far you have left to go.

I think they are now called mile markers.

I then heard another use of this term when we first had Abbie.

It is used to refer to “tasks most children learn, or physical developments, that commonly appear in certain age ranges.”[1]

So you look for milestones and mark when children smile, roll over, crawl and walk, etc.

I think in both ways, the idea is conveyed of that of a journey and to stop and identify times along that journey.

I am not good at this, because when one thing is done for me, I get ready for the next thing.

I have a hard time being festive and celebratory.

I am thankful for a wife that does not have a hard time with this and has helped me over the years to be better.

Whether you are festive or not, we often see God’s people pausing and identifying milestones in Scripture.

There are so many examples, but I like 1 Samuel 7:12, where we find Samuel, to praise God for His faithfulness to His people, raised a monument and called it Ebenezer, meaning “thus far has the Lord helped us.”

The founder of the China Inland Mission, J. Hudson Taylor, had a plaque displayed in each of his residences that read “Ebenezer—Jehovah Jireh,” Together, these Hebrew words say, “The Lord has helped us to this point, and He will see to it from now on.”

Maybe this is why Abraham and others built altars everywhere they went!

We celebrate a lot of things like birthdays, anniversaries, new home, new baby, wedding, etc.

And with each year that passes, it is another milestone.

But I can tell you that God marked a huge milestone for us the moment we said to yes to Jesus Christ.

That is the greatest milestone in anyone’s life.

And when you came to the cross, it wasn’t the end.

It was the beginning of a journey.

But how are we going to take this journey?

Will it be one task after another?

Will it be just getting by and moving to one stage after another and crawling across the finish line?

Yes, we can celebrate earthly milestones, but I want to have some milestones for the Lord.

I don’t really care how big or how small they are, but I want some….everyday!

I consider every time I can influence people to think about God, it is somewhat of a milestone.

Victory over sin is a milestone.

Perseverance is a huge milestone in God’s book.

I want to have some developmental milestones like growing another inch like Jesus in my character.

Learning quickly to forgive and ask for forgiveness.

Another day of being in God’s book is a milestone.

But these milestones should all have certain characteristics.

This is what I want to look at today.

We are going to look a significant milestone in the life of Nehemiah and the Jews.

It is the dedication of the wall.

If you remember I was kind of surprised that when the wall was finally finished in Neh.

6:15-16, Nehemiah simply said, “So the wall was finished…” He was very matter-of-fact.

I thought this was a good place to have a party.

Let’s cut the ribbon, invite everyone and celebrate!

However, now that we have gotten further into this study, I totally understand why was not as enthusiastic as I had hoped.

There was a lot of work to do because though the wall was built, the people were not.

Their hearts were broken and in pieces.

They did not know what it meant to worship the one true and living God.

Besides, the people were scattered.

No one was living in the city that this wall was supposed to protect.

So let’s start with this first lesson: 

*I.

Mark milestones by first dedicating yourself to God (Neh.

12:27-30).

*

We see in Neh.

12:27 that it was finally time to dedicate the wall back to God.

We do not know how much time exactly had passed from the completion of the wall to the dedication.

But here we see worship leaders are brought in from everywhere, pretty much in every direction according to Neh. 12:28-29.

They had to pause at what they were doing to commit some time to celebrate what God had done for them.

Not only did they pause, but in Neh.

12:30, we see that they also prepared.

We are not exactly sure what was entailed with the purification process, especially with how they purified the wall (ritualistic cleansing?).

It no doubt included fasting, abstaining from marital intercourse, making sacrifices, and perhaps bathing and using clean garments.[2]

This is refreshing to see! Usually in their history, they are confessing and repenting AFTER they have sinned terribly.

Here we see them pausing and preparing their hearts BEFORE the dedication.

In essence they were saying, “Lord, I dedicate myself you to you before I dedicate this wall to you.”

The wall can only be dedicated once the people were dedicated.

This is always the correct order.

Dedicated walls and gates are no good if the people are not dedicated.

I have seen so many parents wanting to dedicate their children, but they are not dedicated themselves.

I have seen people wanting to dedicate their homes, but forgetting that it means nothing if they themselves are not.

But here, now that the people were dedicated, he can finally dedicate the work to the Lord for His glory and blessing.

What we learn here is: dedicate yourself to the Lord before you dedicate anything else.

The word “dedicate” is latin for “to offer” or to “give.”

You are asking the Lord to give for His control and use.

Look at 2 Cor.

8:5.

Paul commends the Corinthians for giving themselves first to the Lord and then to others.

Don’t mess that order up.

Always dedicate yourself first to the Lord.

Whatever your “milestone” is, remember that God is always after us and our hearts and not just our performance.

This is why Paul in Romans for the first 11 chapters talks about all that we are in Christ and all that Christ has done for us leading him to his conclusion in Rom.

12:1: Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice.

Let’s look at Isaiah 1:11-18.

Here we see it was religiosity that kept people from the Lord.

Pastor Jon Courson adds, “If we’re compromising, if we’re trying to be righteous through our own efforts or energy, if we’re failing to realize our need to come before God in brokenness, God won’t answer our prayers—not because He’s mad at us or because He doesn’t like us anymore, but because He’s saying, ‘There’s something wrong in your relationship with Me.

If I continue to answer your prayers, you will persist in those things and they’ll destroy you.

So you’re not going to sense My presence.

You’re not going to have answers to your prayers in order that you might seek /Me.’/”[3]

Secondly,

*II.

Mark milestones with reflective worship (Neh.

12:31-37)** *

So Nehemiah speaks to us again in the first person (first time since Neh 7:5).

One of the things I have learned from the Jews in Nehemiah is that not only are they good workers and watchers, but they were also good worshippers.

Can you picture this scene?

He brings the leaders on top of the wall!

So far we have seen them building the wall with great fear and trepidation.

Remember when Tobiah said, “Even a fox can go up on this wall and it will fall” (Neh.

4:3)?

I do not know where Tobiah is at this point.

I would have loved to see his reaction.

You see, it says in the Psalms, weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning (Ps.

30:5) and they who sow in tears, shall reap in joy (Ps.

126:5).

Yes there are Good Fridays, but hold on, Resurrection Sunday is coming!

Nehemiah’s wall must have been about nine feet wide, due to excavations.[4]

Although it is not specified, the starting point must have been the Valley Gate (Neh.

2:13).

The first group, Ezra’s procession, went to the south (“to the right”) and followed the wall in a counterclockwise direction.