The People Awaken | Nehemiah 9
Title of today's message: The People Awaken
Big Idea: True awakening requires complete surrender to our Heavenly Father
The idea of us not having control in our lives is something we tend to kick against
The world tells us that freedom is found in our independence and autonomy
The reality is that we are broken fallen sinners and God is trying to show us the way to life
He is telling us that true freedom is found in knowing Him
We’ll see in Nehemiah 9 a people that have ceased trying to hold control but instead want life in submitting to God
Context before Nehemiah 9
Israel has been in exile away from their home land because of their unfaithfulness to God
Nehemiah was raised up by God to return back with the people and rebuild the wall in Jerusalem
Now where we are picking up in chapter 9, the wall is finished and the people are in the city and they have heard the Word of God
This chapter is their response to the Word of God being read and the work God did in them with the wall
Louis talked last week in chapter 8 that this was a time of revival and not merely survival
We see that on display today as the people are going into revival and awakening
V. 1-3 Humble declaration, devotion, and a call to worship
V.1
“On the twenty-fourth day of this month the Israelites assembled; they were fasting, wearing sackcloth, and had put dust on their heads.”
After all this work to build the wall and return to their home land, we see the nation of Israel come before the Lord their God
The first thing I want to note is the posture in which they come before God
They were allowing the Word of God to expose their sin and push them to action
It’s like one of our codes here that “We will read the Bible and let the Bible read us”
They were allowing the Bible to read them and draw them to the Father
They had some physical things they did to reveal the humble posture and response to the Word of God
Fasting, wearing sackcloth, and dust on their heads
These are signs of true humility before God
Assembled with fasting: Fasting showed their lowly, humble state. They considered themselves so poor before God that they took no food. They also wanted to say, “we are so troubled by our sin that food seems unimportant.”
In sackcloth: This was wearing rough fabric, like a burlap bag. Again, this was to show their complete poverty of spirit before God. They also wanted to say, “we are so troubled by our sin that the normal clothing comforts of life are unimportant.”
With dust on their heads: This meant they took little handfuls of dirt and cast them on their heads. This was also to show their lowly state before God, and to say “we are so troubled by our sin that the normal clean comforts of life are unimportant.”
So now you have this nation of people that are hungry, ratty, and dirty with full reliance on the Lord
That flies in the face of what we would pursue in our western modern culture
When we’ve sinned or fallen short of the standard, we want to do all that we can to still appear like we have it all together
We would do well to take a page out of these Israelites in Nehemiah
Humbly approach your Heavenly Father
Don’t worry about appearing like you have it all together but instead be hungry, ratty, and dirty at His feet
There is also something to be said that they “assembled”
They were together in their coming before the Lord and their confession and accountability
We don’t gather as the church (God’s people not a building) just to have social hour each week
We assemble to be the body of Christ not merely the individuals
Lock arms with your brothers and sister in the church
V. 2-3
“Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins and the guilt of their fathers. While they stood in their places, they read from the book of the law of the LORD their God for a fourth of the day and spent another fourth of the day in confession and worship of the LORD their God.”
After these humbling actions, they do 4 distinct things before God
Separated from foreigners, confessed sin, read God’s Word, and worshiped
Separated from foreigners
The people of God were surrounded by other people groups that did not follow God
Through the generations we see in the OT, they had been sinfully influenced by many of those people groups
They takes steps here to separate and then focus on the Lord as God’s people
For us today it might look like us stepping away from situations that cause temptation
This doesn’t mean we don’t interact with the lost but we need times focused within our walk and the body of Christ to then go carry the Gospel out as strong believers
Confessed sin
If you have taken the humble posture like we see described in verse 1 then the realization of confessing sin becomes more apparent
You humbly see where you stand before God and realize that only He can wipe away my sin.
Therefore, I cast down sin at His feet rather than wrestling (unsuccessfully) with it on my own
Reading God’s Word
The people had drifted from following God’s Word and thus had fallen away from Him completely and been exiled
Now they come together and dig into what was written many years ago
If you’re not actively digging into the Word of God then you will drift away from Him
But on the flip side, as we pursue Him through Scripture, our lives are directed and richer through His living Word coming alive in our lives
Worship
The people collectively cried out and sang the praises of God
This is the idea of what we should do not just on Sundays but always
We shouldn’t be afraid or ashamed to cry out in worship to the father
Don’t be afraid while we are singing songs here on a Sunday morning to raise your hands, loudly sing, even dance in isles because our God is worthy of praise
The Israelites knew it and we should know it. We shouldn’t be robots because God didn’t create robots.
Praise Him with all your might
Application 1: Approach God with Humble Confession and Worship
The opening of Nehemiah 9 is ripe with very practical things we can do as we seek the Lord in our lives today
It is critical that we humbly lay our sinful burdens at the feet of the Father
He’s not crucifying you for what you’ve done (Jesus already did that), but unconfessed sin leaves the door open for Satan
When we let sin linger we drift from God like the Israelites did over and over again through the OT
But we see them confess and lay their sins down at the feet of God
We all need to be reminded and refocused on these things like the Israelites were here in this chapter
The reality is that we all will have times of straying but our God is gracious and gives us the opportunity and tools to pursue Him
If you’re coming in here searching for what I can do to deepen my walk with the Lord then here you have it in this section
Live humbly, confess sin, study God’s Word, Worship (corporately and individually daily), be with God’s people
The tools are sitting in front of you. Now you have to use them
V. 5b-28 Israel’s history shows God’s faithfulness
V. 5b-6
“Stand up. Praise Yahweh your God from everlasting to everlasting.” Praise Your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are Yahweh. You created the heavens, the highest heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them, and the heavenly host worships You.”
In this large middle section of the chapter we see the people recounting and crying out to God as they reflect on their history
We see a people with real heart change as they point to God and all that He’s done
It’s a continuation of the humble posture established back in verse 1
There are multiple times throughout Scripture where the history of Israel and their relationship with God is laid out
Nehemiah 9, Acts 7 (Stephen’s address), and Hebrews 11 are examples of this
It is important for us to reflect on what God has done while also looking towards what He can do for us
We CANNOT forget the past teaching as we enter the mission ahead
The Levites start in verse 6 by worshipping and recognizing God as the Creator
Once you establish that, everything else in life is put in perspective because He reigns supreme without argument or doubt
Because He is Creator, when the generations of people strayed from Him and He punished them, He was just in doing so
God had created, provided, and guided but His people still strayed away from Him
V. 16
“But our ancestors acted arrogantly; they became stiff-necked and did not listen to Your commands.”
God has been established and recognized as Creator and the authority over their lives and now we see the twists and turns in Israel’s past
”Our ancestors acted arrogantly”
God made all that was around them and then led them generation after generation but it wasn’t enough for the people
They wanted to do things their way rather than submitting to the very One who made them and provided for them
For parents sitting in here this morning don’t shy away from letting your past mistakes be teaching moments for your kids
Having honest/real conversations with your kids can lead to more gospel conversations
Let them see God’s redemption at work in your life
Really this doesn’t just go for parents but any of you as you evangelize and talk with people about your faith
If we’ve made the mistakes, we might as well learn from them and then teach others from them
V. 18-21
“Even after they had cast an image of a calf for themselves and said, “This is your God who brought you out of Egypt,” and they had committed terrible blasphemies, You did not abandon them in the wilderness because of Your great compassion. During the day the pillar of cloud never turned away from them, guiding them on their journey. And during the night the pillar of fire illuminated the way they should go. You sent Your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold Your manna from their mouths, and You gave them water for their thirst. You provided for them in the wilderness 40 years and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell.”
Even after the people rebelled, became “stiff-necked”, and created a false idol to worship, God did not turn His back on His people
The text not only says He didn’t abandon them, but He still made all the provisions available to them
Manna (food), Water, “Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell”
We always want to use human logic to ask “why would God do this or allow that”
Human logic says that God should have abandoned these ungrateful and unfaithful people back in Egypt
Praise God that He doesn’t use human logic but in fact His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways are higher than our ways
Illustration: It’s like any of you that are parents here. Raise your hand if your child has ever done something wrong
Raise your other hand if you then had to punish and correct them (take something away, ground them, etc.)
Did you still feed them supper that night? Did they still have clothes to wear to school the next day?
If that is your love for your child (we are broken sinners), then how much greater is God’s love for the Israelites (and us today) His own creation?
Application 2: We Stray but God Remains
God doesn’t want us, His people, to stray away from Him because He loves us and knows the good things He has for us (in this life but especially in eternity with Him)
We must start living with the clear understanding that God is Creator and that we are the created
The world will tell you that submitting to God the Creator is oppressive when in reality it is a weight lifted off
The world will tell you to go find your own god made by your own hands and have fun with it
If you’re a skeptic here this morning I’m here to tell you that living apart from God is where the chains and weight come from
God is telling us that all we could ever need or want is found in Him
He knows that we have this sin nature since Genesis 3 and we are all trying to wrestle with it in different ways but He holds the answers we seek
He knows also that we will stray from Him at times as we walk through life but He never abandons us
Generation after generation of Israelites walked with Him and then rebelled and then came back and then left again but He never left them
Now think about your life and I’m sure you can quickly think of moments or choices you made apart from God
I’m here to tell you that He hasn’t abandoned you but instead is sitting here with food, drink, clothes that won’t wear out, and feet that don’t swell up
Jesus and the woman at the well teaches us this
John 4:13-14 “Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again. But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again — ever! In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up within him for eternal life.””
You’re coming in here hungry and thirsty but nothing will satisfy except Jesus
Stop thinking you’re too lost for God to love you or that you’ve figured it all out apart from God
God’s arms are open to us all and He has not abandoned us
V. 32-38 Repentance and freedom in the Lord
V. 32-35
“So now, our God — the great, mighty, and awe-inspiring God who keeps His gracious covenant — do not view lightly all the hardships that have afflicted us, our kings and leaders, our priests and prophets, our ancestors and all Your people, from the days of the Assyrian kings until today. You are righteous concerning all that has come on us, because You have acted faithfully, while we have acted wickedly. Our kings, leaders, priests, and ancestors did not obey Your law or listen to Your commands and warnings You gave them. When they were in their kingdom, with Your abundant goodness that You gave them, and in the spacious and fertile land You set before them, they would not serve You or turn from their wicked ways.”
The many generations of Israel not following God has resulted in them being surrounded, exiled, and treated poorly by those around them
They are are recognizing before God that their recent captivity is a result of their sin and not because God is some mean being who hates them
This is an important realization because we like to lash out at God when correction or punishment comes because we as humans have a tendency to think ourselves as self-righteous
The people here are owning their punishment and showing gratitude even for God caring enough to correct them
God loves us, His creation, enough to correct us when we fall
He loves us so much that He sent Jesus to die on a cross for us, His creation
V. 36-38
“Here we are today, slaves in the land You gave our ancestors so that they could enjoy its fruit and its goodness. Here we are — slaves in it! Its abundant harvest goes to the kings You have set over us, because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and our livestock as they please. We are in great distress. In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement in writing on a sealed document containing the names of our leaders, Levites, and priests.”
The realization they have had in building the wall and returning to the Lord is that there is freedom in serving the Lord rather than serving their own interests
They make a “binding agreement” before the Lord
They had gone through many generations that had tried to bind themselves to all manner of things other than the Lord
They’ve looked to false gods, sacrifices, kings, etc.
Now in their humble state of returning to the Lord, they want to correctly bind themselves to God the Creator, Master, Savior, Father
Rebuilding the wall was important but rebuilding their relationship with the Lord is everything
God used His provision in rebuilding the wall to remind them of His goodness and grace
As good things happen around us, be reminded of the Lord and look to Him as the Giver of good things
Through the generation they had become arrogant and self seeking thinking that the good things of life were by their own hand
Now they are refocusing on the fact that God is the giver of all good things
James 1:17-18 “Every generous act and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights; with Him there is no variation or shadow cast by turning. By His own choice, He gave us a new birth by the message of truth so that we would be the firstfruits of His creatures.”
Psalms 31:19 “How great is Your goodness that You have stored up for those who fear You and accomplished in the sight of everyone for those who take refuge in You.”
Application 3: Freedom is in Jesus
The Israelites had seen real bondage as a result of their sin and now came to find freedom in walking with the Lord
The world and the enemy try and sell us on freedom found in sin, but we know that sin=bondage
Satan and his demons are constantly poking at us to distract us from true freedom
He wants us to bind ourselves to false things of the world that are chains in reality
He wants us to be bound to career, wealth, status, and image
Instead we must bind ourselves to Jesus and cling to Him
Stop being halfway in and halfway out of your relationship with Jesus
Be completely, totally, undoubtedly bound to Jesus
Live in a way that looks different than the world around you
Don’t just be okay with attending a church service, owning a Bible, and posting “the verse of the day” online
Let’s be God’s free authoritative people!
Let’s live in the New Covenant with God and walk in the freedom Jesus gave you
Then let’s be a people living in the power of the Holy Spirit that is living inside you
Satan’s chains can’t compare to the might of our God
The people in the time of Nehemiah came to that realization, you should too
Final Takeaways
Big Idea: True awakening requires complete surrender to our Heavenly Father
If you are coming in here this morning and you haven’t stepped into relationship with Jesus or you aren’t sure about Jesus, I’m here to tell you that you are asleep and in bondage in this life
Satan wants you to come and sit in the seats this morning and let the Word of God bounce off you and then you return to a life of bondage
He wants you to remain in that bondage and never see freedom in Jesus
We all worship something and Satan is showing you hollow lies to worship
God is showing you truth and life this morning
He yelling out you that He hasn’t abandoned you so come running to Him
The fact that you’re here listening to this message is sign that God has not abandoned you and is still pursuing you
He will will never abandon or forsake you
Don’t be satisfied with being close enough to Christ to touch but never actually reaching out
Reach out and take hold of Him this morning
If you’re believer in here this morning and you keep trying to make everything but God the center of your life, you need to stop
Jesus freed you from those chains and is trying to show you what living a life free of bondage and being awake and alive looks like
Stop trying to put the chains of the world back on! Stop trying to go back to sleep!
God has given you all that you need to be hands and feet of the Gospel
Surrender to the Father and be radical, passionate, mighty people of God
Be that in your homes with your spouse and kids
Be that in the workplace and social places
Be this in our city and beyond
Church let’s submit to God and live as His awakened people