TAKING OWNERSHIP OF YOUR SINS
Nehemiah 9:32-38, 10:28 -29
INTRODUCTION
The Israelites at the time of this message from God were
back in the promise
land after 70 years of captivity. God used the kings of the
same nation who
destroyed Jerusalem
and their beloved temple to release them from
captivity.
Some of the Israelites refused to return to Jerusalem
preferring to retain the
life that they enjoyed doing captivity. Those who refused to
return, abandon
their city and the salvation God provided for them.
Most of the Jews who returned, went back to their attitude
of taking God
for granted with ritual service and an unchanged heart. The
returning Jews
were directed by God to rebuild the temple and walls around Jerusalem .
Instead they made their priority rebuilding their homes and
returning to their
pagan lifestyles.
It was the prophet Haggai that God used to remind Israel
that failure to rebuild
the temple was the reason for the failure of their crops and
their dissatisfied life
(Haggai 1:4-11).
It was Nehemiah, a Jew serving under King Artaxerxes of Persia
who
God commission to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem
and to restore the
temple worship. God used the Persian King as His agent to
release
Nehemiah to the job of restoring worship of Him in Israel .
OWNING UP TO YOUR SINS
V:32. "Now
therefore, O our God, the great, mighty and awesome God, who keeps his covenant
of love, do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes — the hardship
that has come upon us, upon our kings and leaders, upon our priests and
prophets, upon our fathers and all your people, from the days of the kings of
Assyria until today.
33 In all that has happened to us, you have been just; you
have acted faithfully, while we did wrong. "
A. The first step of restoring your relationship with God is
to recognize your sins and
take
responsibility for them.
1. All have sinned
and fallen short of the glory of God.
2. Our state of
unhappiness, frustration, disrepair and
life of mishaps belong
to us.
3. As a result of
our unfaithfulness, God allows us to face the hardships of
life which are
consequences of our sins.
4. In case of Israel
and ours to, it is the failure to honor God with our lives
that is the
underlying cause or our distress.
B. God is just in punishing us.
1. He chastises
those He loves.
2. Not only is He
just, but He covers us with His mercy until we can come to
our right
mind.
C. God never changes. His Word to us never changes.
1. It is us that
leaves the path of righteousness and follow our own fleshly desires.
2. The steps of a
good man are ordered by the Lord.
3. We have chosen
to order our steps by the worlds standards.
4. The sooner we
admit that we are wrong, we can repent and return
to God's
guidance.
D. God has made a covenant of salvation with us ratified by
the blood of
Jesus on the
cross.
1. We have to take
hold of that covenant, believe it and operate like
we are
children of the king, destined for heavenly places.
2. We have to resist
the temptation of living as slaves to sin and
take on the
whole armor of God to live a redeemed life.
BREAK WITH THE PAST, SUMMIT YOURSELF TO GOD
V:34-35. " Our kings, our leaders, our priests and our
fathers did not follow your law; they did not pay attention to your commands or
the warnings you gave them.
35 Even while they were in their kingdom, enjoying your
great goodness to them in the spacious and fertile land you gave them, they did
not serve you or turn from their evil ways. "
A. As Christians, the chosen of God, we have to recognize
that our sins and attitudes
today affects
generations to come.
1. We pass on our
habits and behaviors to our children who pass the same on to their
children.
2. Nehemiah
recognized that Israel 's
sins were not entirely their fault.
3. Their behavior
had been learned from their past generations.
4. We take on the
habits of what we see and are taught.
5. It takes a
redeemed heart to change old habits.
B. It is good to review how good God has been and review how
ungrateful
we have been.
1. Sometime we see
the good we have as something owed us or something deserved.
2. We don't
realized that what we have is by the God's grace and His alone.
C. Israel was chosen for the promise land by Gods divine
election.
1. Yet, they did
not see the goodness of God as a reason to serve Him.
2. They did not see
God as their God nor see a reason to follow His commands.
D. It is up to us to break the cycle of sin and follow God.
1. Change has to
start with us for next generation.
2. We are God's
role models for unbelievers.
THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT SERVING GOD
V:36-37 "But see, we are slaves today, slaves in the
land you gave our forefathers so they could eat its fruit and the other good
things it produces.
37 Because of our sins, its abundant harvest goes to the
kings you have placed over us. They rule over our bodies and our cattle as they
please. We are in great distress.
A. We forfeit the blessings of the Lord when we fail to
follow His commands and
honor Him with
our praise.
1. All the goodness
of the earth was created by God for our use and enjoyment.
2. Without a
relationship with God, we cannot have access to all He has in store
for us.
B. We are slaves to the world because of our disobedience.
1. Instead of
enjoying God's creation, we have becomes slave to it.
2. We should be
lenders and not borrowers.
3. Most of us owe
all our income to creditors.
4. The world says
the more credit cards you have the better off you are.
5. God say ask and
it will be given to you, but we can't wait to
get in debt to
have what we want.
6. It is our
disobedient behavior that put us in distress.
PERSONALIZE A COMMITMENT TO SERVE GOD
38 "In view of all this, we are making a binding
agreement, putting it in writing, and our
leaders, our
Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it."
A. We need to come to
a personal understanding of the reason for our problems.
1. We need also to
make commitment to God to change our attitude toward
Him.
2. Unlike new
years resolution, we should intend to keep any commitment
we make to God.
B. According to this
text, it is a good idea to put your commitments to God
in writing.
1. There is
nothing wrong with sharing your commitment with other
like minded
spiritual people.
2. Together, with the
encouragement and support of others, you can continue
your desire
to serve God.
Nehemiah 10:28-29
SEPARATE YOURSELF FROM PEOPLE WHO DON'T LOVE GOD
28 "The rest of the people — priests, Levites,
gatekeepers, singers, temple servants and all who separated themselves from the
neighboring peoples for the sake of the Law of God, together with their wives
and all their sons and daughters who are able to understand —
29 all these now join their brothers the nobles, and bind
themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God given through
Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations
and decrees of the Lord our Lord.
A. To keep your commitment to God you may have to get rid of
some folk.
1. There are
those who will not be comfortable with your new direction.
2. There are those
who will try to convince you that you are ok and no
change is
needed.
B. Establish a relationship with those who follow God's
commands.
1. Hang around people who share your commitment
to change.
2. Your commitment
to change may influence others in your
circle to
change.
THANK GOD FOR HIS
TOLLERANCE OF US
Rev. M. Mitchell
Asst Pastor Of Greater Macedonia
Baptist Church
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