Another Wake-Up Call
Nehemiah: Return, Rebuild, Restore • Sermon • Submitted
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· 4 viewsRepentance will lead us to revival. The normal means of repentance is the Word, Worship & Prayer, owning our Wickedness, and returning to God His Way- through Jesus.
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Introduction: Do you know where you were when you first heard the news? Tuesday, September 11, 2001, 21 years ago today. I do. I was 25 years old, in the office, working at my first full-time church.
My pastor came in and told me that a plane had hit one of the twin towers of the World Trade Center. At that moment, it didn’t faze me, or affect me. I didn’t understand what was happening. 17 minutes later, the 2nd plane hit the south tower, and it became apparent that the United States was under attack. About 30 minutes later, flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon. In another 20 minutes, the South Tower of the WTC collapsed, a few minutes later, flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, PA, 24 minutes after that the North Tower collapsed. In less than three hours, everything we knew had changed.
All told- 2,996 people were killed in the 9/11 attacks. 2,763 at the WTC, 403 of them were first responders- firefighters, paramedics, police, and Port Authority. 189 people died at the Pentagon, including 64 on American Airlines Flight 77 that struck the building. On Flight 93, 44 people died when they fought back against the hijackers, & forced the plane to crash in Pennsylvania, saving God only knows how many more lives.
For those of you old enough to remember, it seemed like 9/11 was a spiritual wake-up call.In the weeks & months following 9/11, churches were full, and people reported that they were praying more often. In November 2001, 78% said religion’s influence in American life was increasing, more than double the number from only eight months earlier… the highest level in four decades. - https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/09/02
What happened?Here we are, 21 years later, and other studies have shown that there is little, if any, lasting spiritual change that came out of 9/11. Our own personal experience tells us this- people turned to God, or the church, or religion, for a short time, but eventually things went back to normal.
In Nehemiah 9, we encounter a group of people who had experienced horrific tragedy, and come out of it, only to find that they had gotten used to the way things were. When Nehemiah heard that the people were in great distress and reproach, the walls were broken down and the gates were burned with fire, it had been that way for over 100 years!
The broken-down wall was symbolic of their spiritual life.They were in trouble, and Nehemiah knew it. So, after the wall was built, he appointed leaders and registered the people, and built a pulpit for Ezra the scribe.
Ezra read God’s Word to them for 6 hours, then the Levites went among the people and explained to them what he read. The people wept because they realized how far from God they were! But the Levites encouraged them with the joy of the Lord. They rediscovered the Feast of Tabernacles, to commemorate how God took care of them during the 40-year wilderness wandering. When you leave chapter 8, the people are happy, they’re observing the feast, they’re celebrating with food; but when you get to chapter 9, all that has changed. Why? What made the difference?
Nehemiah 9:1-3, Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads. 2Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. 3And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for one-fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God.
What happened? I think they had a wake-up call. Not a grand, elaborate movement of God. There wasn’t a big crusade in a coliseum, not even a planned revival service. Just a simple, but effective encounter with God through the normal means of repentance. What are those means? What is it that wakes up God’s people? Is it tragedy? Triumph? No, it’s Truth. A great awakening needs a great wake up call. We need 4 wake-up calls today:
1. Wake up to the WORD of God- where repentance starts, 1-3.
When you get into the Word of God & you encounter the God of the Word, and you can’t help but be changed.What you get out of the Word is a high view of God and a low view of Self. This is the motivation behind repentance. You see God for who He really is, and your sin for what it is, a barrier between you and God. And you want to do something about it. They did 4 things:
Fasting:followed feasting; the purpose of fasting is to express self-denial and feelings of sorrow because of sin. How do you feel about your sin?
Sackcloth:often worn as a sign of mourning- goat or camel hair; it was coarse & uncomfortable to wear; sitting in sin ought to leave us uncomfortable
Soil:dust on their heads, dust symbolized an identification with the dead; Rom 6:23, the wages of sin is death… Sin is dirty, and sin leads to death
Separation:these people were in sin, they had broken God’s Law, again & again by intermarrying with pagans which led to idolatry. Repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of direction, a 180* turn. It is a turning away from sin, creating separation there, & a return to closeness with God.
It starts with the Scriptures:Their return to the Lord came as they spent time in His Word. This is where repentance starts. Heb 4:12 “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” When we get into the Word, the Word gets into us, and we’re no longer OK with the status quo. We see our sin for what it is, and we forsake it, to turn to the LORD.
2. Wake to WORSHIP & PRAYER- natural outcry of repentance
Vss. 4-31,Then Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the stairs of the Levites and cried out with a loud voice to the Lord their God. 5And the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said: “Stand up and bless the Lord your God Forever and ever! (Stand up with me, 27 verses)
“Blessed be Your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise! 6You alone are the Lord; You have made heaven, The heaven of heavens, with all their host, The earth and everything on it, the seas and all that is in them, And You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You.
7“You are the Lord God, who chose Abram, and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans, and gave him the name Abraham; 8You found his heart faithful before You, And made a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, The Hittites, the Amorites, The Perizzites, the Jebusites, And the Girgashites— To give it to his descendants. You have performed Your words, For You are righteous. 9“You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, And heard their cry by the Red Sea. 10You showed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, Against all his servants, And against all the people of his land. For You knew that they acted proudly against them. So You made a name for Yourself, as it is this day. 11And You divided the sea before them, So that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; And their persecutors You threw into the deep, As a stone into the mighty waters.
12Moreover You led them by day with a cloudy pillar, and by night with a pillar of fire, to give them light on the road Which they should travel. 13“You came down also on Mount Sinai, and spoke with them from heaven, and gave them just ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments. 14You made known to them Your holy Sabbath, and commanded them precepts, statutes and laws, By the hand of Moses Your servant. 15You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger, And brought them water out of the rock for their thirst, And told them to go in to possess the land Which You had sworn to give them.
16“But they and our fathers acted proudly, hardened their necks, and did not heed Your commandments. 17They refused to obey, and they were not mindful of Your wonders That You did among them. But they hardened their necks, and in their rebellion They appointed a leader To return to their bondage. But You are God, Ready to pardon, Gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, Abundant in kindness, and did not forsake them.
18“Even when they made a molded calf for themselves, and said, ‘This is your god That brought you up out of Egypt,’ And worked great provocations, 19Yet in Your manifold mercies You did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of the cloud did not depart from them by day, to lead them on the road; Nor the pillar of fire by night, to show them light, And the way they should go. 20You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, and did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst. 21Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness; They lacked nothing; Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.
22“Moreover You gave them kingdoms and nations, And divided them into districts. So they took possession of the land of Sihon, The land of the king of Heshbon, And the land of Og king of Bashan. 23You also multiplied their children as the stars of heaven, And brought them into the land Which You had told their fathers To go in and possess. 24So the people went in and possessed the land; You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, The Canaanites, and gave them into their hands, with their kings and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they wished. 25And they took strong cities and a rich land, and possessed houses full of all goods, Cisterns already dug, vineyards, olive groves, And fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and grew fat, And delighted themselves in Your great goodness. 26“Nevertheless they were disobedient and rebelled against You, Cast Your law behind their backs and killed Your prophets, who testified against them to turn them to Yourself; And they worked great provocations.
27Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their enemies, who oppressed them; And in the time of their trouble, when they cried to You, You heard from heaven; And according to Your abundant mercies You gave them deliverers who saved them From the hand of their enemies. 28“But after they had rest, they again did evil before You. Therefore You left them in the hand of their enemies, So that they had dominion over them; Yet when they returned and cried out to You, You heard from heaven; And many times You delivered them according to Your mercies, 29And testified against them, That You might bring them back to Your law. Yet they acted proudly, and did not heed Your commandments, but sinned against Your judgments, ‘Which if a man does, he shall live by them.’ And they shrugged their shoulders, stiffened their necks, and would not hear. 30Yet for many years You had patience with them, And testified against them by Your Spirit in Your prophets. Yet they would not listen; Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands. 31Nevertheless in Your great mercy You did not utterly consume them nor forsake them; For You are God, gracious and merciful.
The natural outcry of being in God’s Word is Worship and Prayer. They heard read the redemptive history of God’s actions on their behalf. He is the Creatorof all things, and the Caller of their progenitor Abraham. He made a Covenantwith him, to give him people and a place to put those people. God remembered them in their bondage in Egypt and redeemed them to bring them to the land He had promised Abraham. When they refused to go in, God sustainedthem in the desert for 40 years. The LORD was the Victor during their conquest and in His goodness gave them abundance.
Even though God was extremely good to them, they turned their backs to Him. Over and over again, they fell into a cycle of sin- God would punish them with their enemies, they would cry out to Him, and He would deliver them, things would be good for a while, but eventually they would go back to their sin. Over and over again, they would go back to their sin. Over and over again, God would deliver them. He would send His Spirit to them through His prophets to convict them by God’s Law, to bring them back to God, but they would not listen, and eventually God gave them over to their enemies and they went into exile for 70 years. Yet, God did not destroy them or forsake them because He is gracious and merciful.
Can you relate? Can you relate to a constant struggle with sin? No matter how good God has been to you, there is still this nagging thorn in the flesh. The way Hebrews 12:1 puts it, a sin that so easily ensnares us.
Some of us get to the place where we quit fighting it and we just give in to it. But God is so good, if you’re one of His, He won’t leave us alone in our sin. He is well within His rights to wash His hands of us, but He doesn’t because He is Righteous, Holy, Good, and Gracious. He will let bad things come into our lives, suffering and pain, not because He hates us, but because He loves us. God uses those things (e.g., exile, or 9/11) to convict us and to change us. God convicts you, not to condemn you, but to bring you back to Him.
That’s what repentance is- turning away from our sins and turning back to God. There doesn’t have to be anything fantastic about it, it’s just the normal everyday wake-up call of the Christian. Jesus said- “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me (Luke 9:23).” God’s Word & His worship shows us our wickedness.
3. We Wake up to our WICKEDNESS,Vss. 32-37
32“Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and awesome God, Who keeps covenant and mercy: Do not let all the trouble seem small before You That has come upon us, Our kings and our princes, Our priests and our prophets, Our fathers and on all Your people, From the days of the kings of Assyria until this day. 33However You are just in all that has befallen us; For You have dealt faithfully, but we have done wickedly. 34Neither our kings nor our princes, our priests nor our fathers, have kept Your law, nor heeded Your commandments and Your testimonies, with which You testified against them. 35For they have not served You in their kingdom, or in the many good things that You gave them, or in the large and rich land which You set before them; Nor did they turn from their wicked works.
36“Here we are, servants today! And the land that You gave to our fathers, to eat its fruit and its bounty, here we are, servants in it! 37And it yields much increase to the kings You have set over us, Because of our sins; Also they have dominion over our bodies and our cattle At their pleasure; And we are in great distress.” With these verses, they moved from the past to the present, from their forefathers to the families that were in front of them.
· It shows us that we come from a long line of sinners, Rom 3:23“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
· It shows us that we need to agree with God that whatever distress we are in is less than what we deserve.
· It shows us that the leaders we have over us are the ones we do deserve. It’s not because of their sins but our sins that they are in control.
The chapter ends with the way that a call to repentance is supposed to: RESPONSE. 38“And because of all this, we make a sure covenant and write it; Our leaders, our Levites, and our priests seal it.” (The power in the text)
4. We need to Wake up to GOD’S WAY, vs. 38.
It’s always been God’s Way to make covenants with His people. He has always upheld His end of the agreement, they never upheld theirs. God made a promise to Abraham to make him into a great nation, & then covenanted with him about 2 of those things- people, land. Later, God made a covenant with Israel through Moses to keep His Law, and if they did, He would bless their socks off, but they didn’t keep the Law. Later the LORD covenanted with David about their Leaders, his family dynasty- that if they would obey the LORD David would always have a descendant on his throne. They didn’t follow the LORD. Israel broken every covenant God made with them.
I’d like to be able to tell you that when they made this covenant- to repent of sin and return to God, that there was a great revival in Jerusalem and Judah, but I can’t.I don’t want to spoil the ending of Nehemiah for you, but I must because it’s what points us to Jesus. Nehemiah sets everything in order and returns to his job as a cupbearer. Later, he returns to Jerusalem and finds they didn’t keep up the covenant, they went back to their old ways.
In the Hebrew Bible, Nehemiah is the last book. Chronologically, there are no other books that come after it, only silence. For 400 years, God was silent with Israel. There was no revelation, there was no Word from the Lord. The cycle of sin and conquest by their enemies continued from Persia to Greece, to Rome, and then God decided to speak. And His “Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” John 1:14. God’s Way is His Son, and the New Covenant with God is in His blood.
Jesus is God’s Way of getting back to God. Martin Luther’s first thesis (95 Theses) reads “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said “Repent,” he intended that the entire life of believers should be repentance.”
Sinclair Ferguson explains that the Christian life requires daily repentance and submission to the authority of Jesus Christ. He says, “You ever heard somebody say, well I repented twenty years ago, thirty years ago, ten years ago, it’s done and dusted. No, it’s not done and dusted for Jesus. It is the whole of the Christian life. This transformation, this newness, this difference that is the Christian life, takes place only when we find ourselves bowing down to the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Jesus is God’s way for us to get back to God. If we don’t come back to God through Jesus, we’re just spinning our wheels, and the cycle continues. Bad things may happen, good things may come, but stuff just stays the same. I don’t want to stay the same, it’s time for a change.
God has a long history of reviving people, He has done it before, and He will do it again. We thought it might happen after the exile. It didn’t. We thought it might happen after 9/11. It didn’t. I think it could happen now, after overturning Roe v. Wade, but will it? That’s up to us, that’s up to the church- are we going to turn back to God? We need to repent. This is what the Word, worship & prayer, God’s faithfulness & our wickedness is driving us to- Jesus! The Christian life is a life of repentance. Let’s pray.