Sermon Audio

Therefore… Nehemiah 9

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July 12th, 2015
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Therefore…
The word “Therefore” appears over 1200 times in the Bible. When you see a “therefore” in God’s Word it is always helpful and wise to see what it is “there for”. “Therefore” always points back to something that was just said.
That’s what we see in Nehemiah 9:32 in this beautiful prayer of God’s people to God.
When constitutions and bylaws are written or proposed for change, there is always the word “whereas” at the beginning, often more than one “whereas”, followed by a “therefore”.
It’s just like saying, “Since all this has taken place, since these are the facts of the matter, since we are aware of the details that has brought us to this point, we therefore make this commitment, this proclamation, this proposal, this promise, this vow, this covenant.”
This is what was happening in this prayer. “Here’s what’s happened as a result of our disobedience and rejection of You and Your Laws. It’s not been good. We are aware of it and now confess our sins, repent, and recommit to walking in obedience to You and relationship with You. So in view of all of this, therefore we make a binding agreement, putting it in writing, and affixing our seal to it.”
We are in such a place right now in our Nation. We’ve turned from God’s laws and rejected relationship with Him.
We are vigorously scrubbing away all vestiges of God from our public places and are commanding the Church to sit down, shut up, & go away.
We are denying God’s part in blessing this nation and setting it apart for His good in our world. We are instead taking credit for our success and saying in essence, “We don’t need God, we can make it just fine without Him.”
One of the minor prophets towards the back of the Old Testament is Hosea. He lived during a time of great prosperity among God’s people, but also simultaneously a time of great falling away and compromise of all things holy and righteous and pure, not unlike America is today.
He was told by God to marry a young lady by the name of Gomer. God warned Hosea ahead of time that Gomer would be unfaithful to her covenant vow of marriage, which she was. It was meant to be symbolic of the people’s compromising commitment to Him in their covenant relationship.
The first part of Chapter 2 speaks of the whoredom and unfaithfulness of Gomer. Starting in verse 14 it speaks of God’s plans to redeem her, again symbolic of God’s heart and plan towards His Bride and His people.
Hosea 2:14-23, “Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor (which means “trouble”) a door of hope. There she will respond as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt. “In that day,” declares the Lord, “you will call me ‘my husband’; you will no longer call me ‘my master. ’ I will remove the names of the Baals (other gods) from her lips; no longer will their names be invoked. In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the creatures that move along the ground. Bow and sword and battle I will abolish from the land, so that all may lie down in safety. I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord. “In that day I will respond,” declares the Lord — “I will respond to the skies, and they will respond to the earth; and the earth will respond to the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, and they will respond to Jezreel (which means “God plants”). I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one. ’ I will say to those called ‘Not my people, ’ ‘You are my people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God.’ ”
Many segments of Scripture have dual meanings and fulfillments. And while this speaks to Jesus setting up His ultimate eternal reign of righteousness in the near future, it also speaks to nations and peoples who have throughout human history been in a constant state of needing redemption.
We are in a such a place in our Nation. We are in a Valley of Trouble.
But this valley of trouble we are in in America can also be a door of hope.
No political party, whether it be Democrat, Republican, Independent, Tea Party, or whatever can bring healing and hope and salvation to America.
God alone is our Hope. He alone is our healing and salvation.
God wants to bring salvation to us, to His Church, to our nation, to the world. His covenant of love is unchanging. His justice is perfect. His faithfulness is continual. In all of our whoring and unfaithfulness, in all of our rejection of relationship with Him, He remains steady, constant, faithful, and true. His love never changes.
But as loving as He is, He is also holy and just. And His holy justice demands righteous, restorative judgement. We are in a very precarious place in our nation. The gas peddle has been pushed it seems of late to the floor board and we are speeding towards a very steep cliff and breakneck speed. If we do not repent, His restorative judgment is at the door.
2 Chronicles 7:13-15 says, ““When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.”
This describes our nation and world right now. In so many ways the heavens are being shut up and there’s much devouring of the land.
We as the church of Jesus Christ are called as the front line of our generation to be the first to repent.
“If My people who are called by My Name”. That’s His Church!
“Will humble themselves”. This is a recognition that we are helpless without Him. It’s the opposite of prideful self-sufficiency. It’s an acknowledgment that all things come from and return back to God.
Pride is what Lucifer kicked out of Heaven. But Ps. 51:17 says, “A broken and contrite heart You, God, will not despise.” And James 4:6 says, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
“And seek My face.” This is about relationship. We don’t seek His hand or His things, we seek Him first, and His righteousness, THEN these other things will be added unto us.
“And turn from their wicked ways.” Again, this is the Church’s wicked ways, not the world. We know the world’s wicked ways, but what’s going on the Church, in my life, in your life, that we MUST turn away from. King David cried out in a musical prayer, Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
“THEN, THEN will I hear from Heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land.”
If we will soberly, vigilantly, wholeheartedly, humbly, thoroughly, authentically do our part by coming to God and repenting of our sins individually and corporately, we can see revival in the Church and in our land.
I don’t know what it will take for His Church to get with it. I’m not sure what catalyst will finally bring the Church to its knees in complete humility and repentance.
We saw it for a few weeks after 9/11, but it was superficial. Instead of the world becoming more like the Church has, the Church has become more like the world.
Think about it, have we been the salt and light that we need to be, preserving and rescuing those around us? Or has the world crept in more and more to our churches? Does the bell of holiness and righteousness and purity in your life and the life of the Church ring true, or is it vague, cloudy, and muffled?
What’s it gonna take? How will God finally get the attention of the Church and our Nation and our world?
Therefore. Therefore.
Let me close this Faith Notes out with this following prayer.
“Lord, since we’ve strayed. Since we’ve neglected You. Since we’ve embraced the things of this world. Since we’ve seen the Church loose it’s savory-ness, it’s passion, and it’s glow. Since we’ve become complacent. Since we’ve not placed You first in our lives. Since we’ve become lukewarm. Since because of this we have seen our nation and our world’s morality crumble, it’s respect for You diminish, and it’s carnality explode. We recognize this as the wicked fruit of the flesh we’ve sown. We therefore humbly come to You today in repentance, making a binding covenant, putting it in writing, and affixing our seal to it.”
Won’t you join me in this prayer and commit to turning to Him with your whole heart and see this valley of trouble become a door of hope. May God turn our hearts, the heart of His Church, and the heart of this great Nation back to Him.

The Church’s Mission Has Not Changed

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July 5th, 2015
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The Church’s Mission Has Not Changed

On one of the saddest and most troubling days of our nation’s existence, on June 26 the Supreme Court of the United States in a 5-4 decision ruled in favor to legalize Same Sex Unions. As of that day, what some people have called “settled law” on the issue was declared, that homosexuals and lesbians have the legal right to marry in the USA.
Banners declared on that day, “Love Wins”, when in fact, on that day, perversion won and holiness lost.
There are many ways we can look at this and respond to it. We can be fearful, angry, or simple resign ourselves to “settled law” and shrug our shoulders with the attitude that’s there’s nothing we can do.
But let’s be reminded today that, in spite of any decision or law or event that may take place in our world, the Church’s mission remains the same. We can and must still make a difference, one soul at a time, one opportunity at a time, planting and watering as God brings the increase.
We must keep our perspective!
When Roe v. Wade passed, approving the murder of unborn babies in 1972, the Churches didn’t roll over and die. Life continued. Churches remained vibrant and effective. The Mission of the Church remained.
Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said this in regards to the Supreme Court ruling, “We are called to be the people of the truth, even when the truth is not popular and even when the truth is denied by the culture around us. Christians have found themselves in this position before, and we will again. God’s truth has not changed. The Holy Scriptures have not changed. The gospel of Jesus Christ has not changed. The church’s mission has not changed. Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever.”
The Church’s mission has NOT changed. But what is our mission? What is it, in spite of any law, ruling, election, event, or catastrophe upon which we must remain focused?
First, our mission to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world. Mark 16:15, “And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature”.
This is known as the Great Commission. It’s proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ, bringing men’s souls into fellowship with God. It’s a continuation of Christ’s earthly ministry that we are privileged to continue on His behalf.
Second, our mission to be a vibrant community of worship and fellowship to manifest the presence and love of Jesus. Jesus said in Matt. 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them”.
A part of the Lord’s purpose of the church, besides bringing people to God, is to gather His people together and facilitate a corporate environment of worship, to express our love toward Him and one another. Jesus described these as the two highest ideals of Christianity. Mark 12:30-31, “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these”.
Third, our mission to mature believers and prepare them to perform works of ministry. Eph. 4:11-12 says, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ…”
The church must continue to be an atmosphere of spiritual edification, where God’s Word is taught, where believers are grounded, discipled and led toward maturity. This not only serves to anchor their faith in Christ, but prepares them for service for the kingdom.
And fourth, the mission to represent God’s Kingdom and influence our society for Him. Matt. 5:13-14 says, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden”.
Jesus used salt and light as metaphors of the influential characteristics of His church in the world. The presence of the church in the world is Christ’s seasoning and preservation, just as salt is in the natural. And His church has been called to let its light shine to the world — to love, to care for, and to meet needs of humanity, while upholding the redemptive truths and righteousness of Jesus Christ.
Our mission, our focus, our purpose for being, is what it always has been: to preach the Gospel to a lost and dying world, be a place of worship and fellowship to encourage the saints, to disciple Believers into maturity and effectiveness for His Kingdom, and to be salt and light to a dark and dying world.
No Supreme Court ruling will ever change that. In fact, it only brings it into greater clarity as we see the world waxing worse in sin, and helps sharpen our perspective of our mission.
Let’s be a church that connects to God, connects to others, and connects to the lost. That’s our mission.
That’s our focus. Period.
That will never change.

God’s Provision

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Who is God…to me?

That’s the question we’ve been asking the last several weeks. Today, let’s look at God our Provider.

Nehemiah 9:15-25 speaks of God providing for His people’s physical, spiritual, and emotional needs. Now, for every authentic provision God has for us satan always has a counterfeit.

In the physical realm satan offers extremes as deserving, junk dressed up as quality, perversions cloaked as freedoms, and distractions conveyed as worthy causes.

But all these activities provide in the end are an emptiness greater than we had before.

Isaiah 55 says, “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?”

Only Jesus satisfies completely all of our physical needs.

In the spiritual realm the world offers many counterfeit things, but only the Holy Spirit is the authentic spirit of Christ. In Him we can be assured of trustworthy and true guidance for all of life’s decisions.

In the emotional realm the world offers parties and celebrations on a continual basis. The world is one big party!

But the Church has a real reason to celebrate! It’s time for us to revel, delight, rejoice, thrive, PARTY for the cause of Christ! Partying by its very nature is not done quietly in a corner, but loudly for the world to see!

God’s greatest provision for us goes beyond our life here on earth, though. He has provided for us eternal life in Heaven with Him!

God is our Jehovah Jireh, our Provider. In Christ we will truly find all we need to satisfy every area of our lives here on earth and for all of eternity!

You Can Count On God’s Word

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This past week we looked at the part of the prayer in Nehemiah 9:13 that talks about how God gave His people His commands, laws, and regulations that were “good and just and right”.

There were three things God showed us from that verse and 2 Timothy 3:16 that helped us see why His Word is something upon which we can depend. I’d like to share with you the third one in this Faith Notes. If you’d like to hear the entire podcast, click on the link below and go to the “media” tab. You can also download our App on your smart phone by going to your App Store and searching “connect at faith” and stay on top of all the events and activities of Faith Assembly.

The third reason we can depend upon God’s Word is the EFFECT.

2 Timothy 3:16 says,, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”

What does all of this teaching and rebuking and correcting and training produce?

Righteousness.

What is righteousness? Defined, it means the state of moral perfection that God requires in order for us to see Him.

So, based on that definition, how many are in our own strength and ability righteous?

Just as I thought. None of us.

Well, if that’s the case we are all in a big heap of trouble. None of us will ever get to see God! But wait! There’s a solution!

The Bible says Jesus took our unrighteousness and became sin for us that we might become His righteousness. How can that be? Because Jesus was, and is, perfect, sinless, “morally pure”. He is righteous.

2 Corinthians 5:21, “God made Him who had no sin (was morally pure/righteous) to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”

In other words, our righteousness is not our own, but CHRIST in us is our hope of glory. CHRIST in us is our righteousness.

Coming back to our verse in 2 Timothy, the result of God’s Word teaching us, rebuking us, correcting us, and training us, is that we might be more like Christ.

Embracing God’s Word as true and infallible, and allowing it to work in us, challenges the flesh, calls out the rebellion, and confronts the “go for it!” attitude in our heart.

God’s Word demands a response. It doesn’t beat around the bush. It isn’t watered down. It’s not vague. It’s clear, it precise (cuts like a knife to the none and marrow), and it calls us to a higher place than where any of us are today, no matter how far along and advanced you may think you are in your journey.

God’s Word constantly says to us in no uncertain terms, “Choose you this day who you will serve.”

The easy 3×5 card beckons. But listen to what a Jesus warned about that. Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

The people in Nehemiah’s day reflected with gratitude on God’s giving His Word to them. We must do the same by allowing His Word to transform our lives into the image of Christ.

Who is God to me? He is my Father God who has given me His Word, and His Word can be trusted because of It’s AUTHOR, because of It’s CONTENT, and because of It’s EFFECT.

But only if we allow It to.

The Pillar

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Who is God?

That’s what we’ve been asking the last couple of weeks. And the answer isn’t, “He created everything”, or “He’s omnipotent” or any other such general, overarching descriptive, as true as those statements may be.

What we want to know is, “Who is God…to me?” What is it of this wonderful and awesome Creator & Being that I can grab hold of and make personal to my life, my situations, my destiny? Who is God…to me?

As we look at Nehemiah, we come to verse 12 of Chapter 9 and read the part of the prayer where the people reflected on God’s showing up in a grand, yet very personal way. It says, “By day You led them with a pillar of cloud, and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the way they were to take.”

There are 4 very personal things we can take from this and apply to our lives in answering “Who is God…to me?”

I’d like to share with you just the first one in this Faith Notes, and that is “He is the God who guides us”.

Psalm 37:23-24 says, “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him. Though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand.”

Listen to this excerpt from a book called, “Silent Giants” –
“Two days after arriving, I departed St. John’s. A low overcast covered the city. As I climbed through the clouds, the ground and sky dissolved into a white glow. All sense of motion, of up and down, were lost. My senses told me I am suspended in an immense milk bottle.

My world shrinks to the single square foot of the control panel as I fly by instruments. The artificial horizon confirms my wings are level. The airspeed indicator is steady at 100 miles per hour. The altimeter shows I have reached 1,000 feet and am climbing. Good.

I pay particularly close attention to the artificial horizon in the middle of the panel. Inside, a tiny gyroscope spins four hundred revolutions a second. Just as a child’s toy gyroscope returns to its original position when nudged, the gyroscope inside this instrument never moves regardless of what the plane around it does. Attached to the gyroscope is the instrument’s face, a symbolic representation of the invisible horizon outside the windows.

As I start a climbing turn to the left, the instrument horizon falls away and drops to the right, just as the real horizon is doing somewhere outside. This tiny instrument has given me a three-inch window into the world outside the clouds.

As I level the wings, my body says the gyroscope is wrong. That it has somehow malfunctioned. I am not level, I am diving to the right. The physical sensation is almost overwhelming. But I believe the instrument, which says all is well. This is vertigo and almost every pilot experiences it at some time.

No pilot can fly by the “seat of the pants” in clouds. Here, your normal senses of feel and balance are useless—and deadly—if believed. You must fly the instruments, not what you feel.”

Our emotional and mental vertigo will tell us that we need to make a correction, adjust course, surely the gyroscope of God’s Word, which never changes and is never impacted by outside circumstances, is off somehow.

But even when things don’t make sense, even when it doesn’t feel right, even when all around us seems like a giant white milk bottle and we’re right in the middle of it, we must rely on the instrument of God’s Word, on the gauge of the Holy Spirit telling us to hold steady, that all is well. Instead of flying by the seat of our pants and taking matters into our own hands which leads to a deadly outcome, we put our faith in God who will lead us along the path of life He has for us, without fail, and with pinpoint accuracy.

We must “fly the instruments”.

If you’d like to hear the rest of this message entitled “The Pillar”, click on the link below and go to the media tab. There you’ll find This and all the messages from Faith by which to be strengthened.

Have a blessed week in Christ and remember to “fly the instruments”. His Word will never fail to guide you with pinpoint accuracy all the days of your life.