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Sermons preached at the Hinckley Evangelical Free Church (Hinckley, MN)
Episodes
Monday Aug 21, 2017
Monday Aug 21, 2017
Nehemiah: Rebuilding A Community
The Dedication
Nehemiah 12:1-47
The Priests & Levites (v. 1-26)
- A list of the priests & Levites:
- Under Zerubbabel (v. 1-11) (c. 538 BC)
- Under Joiakim (v. 12-26) (c. 444 BC)
- During the time of Ezra & Nehemiah (v. 26)
- References the Book of Chronicles as a source (v. 23)
- To show the continuity of the family lines for proper worship
The Dedication of the Wall (v. 27-43)
- Shortly after its completion, all of Israel dedicated the wall
- They saw it as God’s work
- And they made no distinction between the “sacred” and the “secular”
- The people marched around the city on top of the wall, which was 9 feet wide
- Half went clockwise, half went counter-clockwise starting at the Valley Gate
- They sang praises as they went
- They met in the Temple
- Where they offered sacrifices and more praise
The Temple Service (v. 44-47)
- The people committed to take care of the priests & Levites
- The people dedicated some to serve as professional singers in the Temple
- And committed to taking care of their needs
So What?
- When the work was done, they praised God
- And they promised to continue to praise and serve Him
- Do we see the work of rebuilding our community as God’s work that we get to share in?
- Making no distinction between ‘sacred’ and ‘secular’
- Do we have a commitment to serve Him as a testimony to those around us?
Meditation Verse: Nehemiah 12:43
Monday Aug 14, 2017
Monday Aug 14, 2017
The Repopulating (v. 1-2)
- Chapter 11 begins where Chapter 7 left off
- City was in need of repopulating
- Leaders were already in the city
- Directed by the people, not Nehemiah
- Need to bring people in from surrounding cities and the countryside
- Plan to bring 1 out of 10 to the city
- 10% a common theme – (Neh. 10:37 tithe)
- Plan was to cast lots
- Common practice in the OT
- No mention in the NT after Pentecost except in Acts 1:26 due to the Holy Spirit
- Jerusalem called the “Holy City”
- One of only 5 times in the OT
- A city “set apart” or “made holy”
- Those chosen by the lots had a choice
- Stay put and refuse to go
- Be apart of God’s bigger plan for the city
- Count the cost*
- Those that went were commended by the rest
The Background (v. 3-9)
- Tribe of Judah
- 468 able men (brave or valiant)
- Descendants of Perez
- Listed in the genealogy of David and Jesus in both Matthew and Luke
- Tribe of Benjamin
- 928 men
- Genealogy include Saul (King) and possibly Saul of Tarsus (Paul)
The Workers (v. 10–24)
- 1192 priests listed
- 822 “carried on the work of the temple”
- 242 “heads of families” – (Lay ministers)
- 128 “brave warriors”
- 284 Levites listed
- “Outside work of the temple”
- Musicians - Asaph
- Gatekeepers, temple servants, singers
The Cities (v. 25-36)
- A listing of cities surrounding Jerusalem
- Allies in times of trouble
- Places they turned to when repopulating the city
Monday Aug 07, 2017
Monday Aug 07, 2017
Nehemiah: Rebuilding A Community
The Covenant
Nehemiah 10:1-39
The Sealers & Swearers (v. 1-29)
- A list of those who sealed the Covenant scrolls is given:
- Nehemiah, the governor (v. 1)
- The priests (v. 2-8)
- The Levites (v. 9-13)
- The leaders of families (v. 14-27)
- Everyone swore an oath to obey God’s commands given to Moses (v. 28-29)
- Including calling down a curse on themselves if they failed to keep the Law
- See the curses in Deut. 27:15–26; 30:19
- Following the form of a suzerain covenant between a king and his vassals
- Including calling down a curse on themselves if they failed to keep the Law
The Specifics (v. 30-39)
- Not intermarry with foreigners (v. 30)
- Not about ethnicity
- ) Rahab & Ruth
- About being pulled away to false gods (Ex. 34:11–16; Deut. 7:1–4; 20:10–18)
- Not about ethnicity
- Keep the Sabbath (v. 31)
- Weekly, by foregoing commerce on that day
- Every 7 years, by giving the land rest (Ex. 23:10–11) and forgiving debts (Ex. 21:2–6; Deut. 15:1–2)
- Taking care of the Temple (v. 32-34)
- By giving money (v. 32-33)
- 1/3 shekel = $176 today
- $45 million/year (Neh. 7:66)
- This was for regular operations
- Not including other tithes and offerings
- By providing wood for the offerings (v. 34)
- 1/3 shekel = $176 today
- Taking care of the Priests & Levites (v. 35-36)
- Firstfruits= best of everything
- Levites & priests didn’t have land
- It was the rest of Israel’s job to take care of them
- 10% of everything went to the Levites
- The priests & the Temple were taken care of by the tithe of the Levites (Num. 18:25–32)
- By giving money (v. 32-33)
The Law’s Role for Us
- As followers of Jesus, we are under a different covenant than the Israelites were (Luke 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25; 2 Cor. 3:6; Heb 7:22; 8:6, 8-10, 13; 9:15; 10:16; 12:24; 13:20)
- Thus, the Law does not directly apply to us
- However, it is still God’s word for us
- Because it shows us God’s character and concerns
- Christians are called to not marry non-Christians (1 Cor. 6:14)
- So that we are not pulled away from our devotion to Christ
- Christians are called to enter into the Sabbath rest provided by Jesus (Heb. 4:9-11)
- Which, in practice, means taking time to rest from our work
- Christians are called to take care of the Temple of God
- The Church as a people (1 Co 3:16-17; 6:19; 2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 2:21; 1 Pet. 2:5)
- Including those in full-time ministry (1 Cor. 9:9ff; 1 Tim. 5:17-18)
- Including giving to fund the ministries of the Church (2 Cor. 9:7)
So What?
- The people committed themselves to obey God fully
- Are we committed to do the same?
- Or do we pick and choose how we are obedient?
Meditation Verse: Nehemiah 10:29
Monday Jul 31, 2017
Monday Jul 31, 2017
Nehemiah: Rebuilding A Community
The Penitence
Nehemiah 9:1-38
The Penitence (v. 1- 5)
- Another gathering after the Feast of the Tabernacles.
- This takes place 2 days after the feast
- Transition from time of rejoicing to repentance
- As in chapter 8, this is led by the people
- Fasting
- Wearing sackcloth *
- Dust on their heads
- Separated themselves from foreigners
- Covenant between God and Israel
- Group confession and acknowledged sins of their forefathers.
- Stood and read from the Book of the Law
- 3 hours of reading
- 3 hours of confession and worshiping
The Retelling (v. 6-31)
- The prayer begins with recognizing who God Is
- He is the everlasting
- He is the author of creation
- They recount the story of the Israelites
- God chose Abram/Abraham
- God made a covenant and kept his word
- Heard the cry of the people in Egypt
- Exodus: Theme of the Old Testament
- God gives the people the law (v. 13)
- They recognize them as just and right
- Not negative but “how to” for Godly living
- God meets their physical need
- But, they turn their backs on God
- Arrogant and stiff necked
- Appoint their own leader
- Made idols to worship instead of God
- God never left them: Compassion
The Response (v. 32-38)
- They understood why they were where they were
- It was their sin that got them in captivity
- It was their rejection of God
- He always took them back according to his covenant with them
- They took an oath
So What?
- Do we recognize that it is our choices and behavior that separates us from God?
- He never leaves us
- Does the past give us reason to give him praise or and excuse to blame him for the tough spots?
- In a hurting community desperate for hope, what should this mean to the church?
Meditation Verse: Nehemiah 9:33
Monday Jul 24, 2017
Monday Jul 24, 2017
Nehemiah: Rebuilding A Community
The Celebration
Nehemiah 8:1-18
A Return to the Word (v. 1-8)
- After the work on the walls had been completed
- The community turns to God in worship
- The call to worship God comes from the ‘people’
- This worship centered on refocusing on God’s truth revealed in His word
- The book that Ezra read was probably Deuteronomy
- The reading was 6 hours long (v. 3)
- The whole community was involved
- Men & women
- Young & old
- The learned & unlearned
- Lay leaders (v. 4) & Levites (v. 7)
- The latter explaining what the text meant to the crowd as it was read (v. 8)
- The people responded by (v. 6):
- Lifting their hands in worship = showing a sense of need
- Saying, “Amen! Amen!” = affirming their submission to the authority of Scripture
- Bowing down to the ground = a sense of humility and submission before God
A Day to Celebrate (v. 9-12)
- As the people heard God’s word read, they wept and mourned
- Realizing that they had failed to keep it
- But Nehemiah, Ezra, and the leaders call them to rejoice instead
- Because God had shown His goodness to them despite their sin
- This also involved fellowship offerings and sharing in a communal meal (v. 10-11)
- With the wealthy sharing with the poor
A Time to Remember (v. 13-18)
- On the 2nd day of celebration, the heads of each family gathered to study God’s word
- This led them to realize that the Feast of Booths was approaching (15th day of the 7th month)
- Though it had not been celebrated properly* since the time of Joshua (v. 17)
- The Feast of Booths (see Lev. 23:33–43, Deut. 16)
- A harvest festival celebrating God’s provision
- This aspect was celebrated throughout the reign of faithful kings (2 Chron. 8:13; 31:3; 35:18)
- A time to reflect on God’s guidance of His people through the 40 years in the wilderness
- Living in tents like their ancestors had
- This had been neglected, but now had new meaning as the Israelites returned from the Exile
- A harvest festival celebrating God’s provision
So What?
- As God focused His people on His work
- They celebrated
- They refocused on His word
- They remembered His goodness
- Are we doing the same?
Meditation Verse: Nehemiah 8:8
Monday Jul 17, 2017
Monday Jul 17, 2017
Nehemiah: Rebuilding A Community
The People
Nehemiah 6: 15 – 7:73
The People (v. 15 – 19)
- The walls were finished
- 25th of Elul – End of Sept. / Beg. of Oct., 445 BC
- 52 days after beginning the building process
- 1 simple verse to acknowledge this
- News traveled quickly to surrounding nations
- They were afraid and lacked confidence
- Not because of the determination of Nehemiah
- They could see that this was accomplished by God through the people
- 17 shows that all was not well with all of the Jews
Many of the nobles had economic and political agreements with Tobiah
Tobiah stayed in contact with them through the whole building process
The nobles tried to influence Nehemiah and Tobiah tried to intimidate him to no avail
Life after building (v. 7: 1 – 5)
- Walls were done but needed the gates
- Gates were made of wood and were very heavy
- This secured the city from the outside world
- Gatekeepers, musicians and Levites appointed
- First thing Nehemiah did was to delegate responsibility to others
- First he gave authority to Hanani, his brother
- Then to Hananiah, the commander of the citadel
- “He was a man of integrity who feared God more than most do”
- Wisdom in who he gave authority to:
- Trustworthy
- Integrity
- Feared God
- Gives clear direction about what should be done
- Gates open a limited time
- Appoint guards for the walls
- By their houses
- City is safe but underpopulated
- God puts in Nehemiah’s heart the registration of the people
- Genealogical record found (Ezra 2: 1 – 70)
- The record varies slightly with that in Ezra Chapter 2
- This helped to prove claims to citizenship as well as priestly claims
- Tobiah had no proof and was told that
- He recounts their giving for the rebuilding: (v. 70 – 72)
- Three groups giving mentioned:
- First is the governor
- Second are the Heads of families
- Third are the people
- 41,000 drachmas of gold or roughly 1,133 lbs
- 4,200 minas of silver or roughly 6,300 lbs
- 597 garments for the priests
So What?
- What is our view of success? Do we view things in the short term or have a long range view?
- Is our desire to expand God’s Kingdom here on earth? If so, what are we willing to do about that?
- What are the things in our life that come before doing the work of God? Family, comfort,
stuff?
Meditation Verse:
Philippians 2:4, ESV
"Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."
Monday Jul 03, 2017
Monday Jul 03, 2017
Nehemiah: Rebuilding A Community
The Poor
Nehemiah 5:1-19
The Poor (v. 1-6)
- Last week the problems were from the outside
- This week, the problem is closer to home
- Fellow Jews taking advantage of their own brothers and sisters
- Inequality and Injustice
- There was a great “outcry” from men and women (v. 1)
- Because both were involved in this building process
- The word “outcry” is the same word used in Ex. 3:9
- It affected 3 different groups of people:
- Workers with no land ownership (v. 2)
- Large families needing to buy food
- Prices increased during times of famine
- Families were working on the wall and were not able to earn money through normal employment
- Landowners forced to borrow for grain (v. 3)
- The land was not producing enough because of a famine
- Interest rate was adding to their financial problems
- Those unable to pay the taxes due (v. 4)
- King Artaxerxes was still getting his during this time
- Forced to sell sons & daughters into slavery
- Workers with no land ownership (v. 2)
Dealing with the Issue (v. 7-13)
- Nehemiah takes time before speaking (v. 7)
- Knows he needs to let his anger subside
- Deals with the issue biblically
- Usury: charging excess interest
- Called a “large” meeting
- All parties together to get this resolved
- Work stopped on the wall
- Jews in slavery were bought back only to have their brothers enslave them again
- Nehemiah leaves them without words
- And he explains why it is wrong (v. 9) (Deut. 10:12)
- Nehemiah calls them to stop the usury and return what was gained off the backs of the poor
- To their credit, they acknowledge their wrong and agree to correct them
- Nehemiah calls the priests to bind the agreement
- “Shook out the folds of my robe”= God will take away from those that disobey
- They all praised the Lord!
Setting the Example (v. 14-19)
- Nehemiah had been made the governor of Judah
- He was able to take his share for the title but never did
- He and his men focused on the work at hand and did not further tax the people
- Instead, they opened up their house and resources to serve others
- Ends with a statement about his right actions
- Not that God needed reminding
So What?
- External forces could not stop the progress, but internal strife brought things to a stand still
- A story of Inequality and Injustice
- Do we view ourselves as equals with those in our community or above those in need?
- Does the injustice others face cause us concern or are we comfortable because it is their problem?
- Unity allows God’s plans to move forward
Meditation Verse: Phil. 2:4
Monday Jun 26, 2017
Monday Jun 26, 2017
Nehemiah: Rebuilding A Community
The Problem
Nehemiah 4:1-23
The Naysayers Return (v. 1-6)
- Sanballat: Leading political official of Samaria residing at Beth-horon in Ephraim
- His anger at the rebuilding of the wall was because he saw it as a threat to his influence in the area
- Anger is often the world’s response to God’s work because it threatens the powerful and the status quo
- He even questions the builders’ commitment to God (v. 2b)
- His anger at the rebuilding of the wall was because he saw it as a threat to his influence in the area
- Tobiah: An Ammonite official whose family claimed to Jewish roots to Jerusalem
- He tries to undermine the quality of their work (v. 3)
- Even though archaeological excavations found Nehemiah’s wall to be about 9 feet thick
- Nehemiah’s response:
- Prayer (v. 4-5): Trusting God to deal with these accusers
- Determination (v. 6): The work continued
The Plot (v. 7-14)
- The naysayers’ anger turns to plots of violence to stop the work (v. 7-8)
- Again, Nehemiah and the people turn to God in prayer (v. 9)
- And they set guards where the wall was the weakest/shortest
- The work in these areas was overwhelming for those who lived closest (v. 11)
- So they asked for help! (v. 12)
- Their neighbors stepped up to help defend the gaps (v. 13)
- Being encouraged by Nehemiah to trust God (v. 14)
The Plan (v. 15-23)
- They continued working despite the opposition
- Keeping defenses close at hand throughout the work
- If an attack came, they had a plan to rally to where they were needed (v. 20)
- Nehemiah encouraged those from outside the city to stay in the city while the work took place (v. 22)
- Which meant people opened their homes to one another
- They stayed ready for battle at all times (v. 23)
So What?
- As we seek to do God’s work in our community, we will face opposition
- Because it means a change to the status quo
- We must trust God to fight for us
- As we continue with diligence and prayer
- The Church must model love and support
Meditation Verse: Neh. 4:
Saturday Jun 24, 2017
Saturday Jun 24, 2017
Nehemiah: Rebuilding A Community
The Participants
Nehemiah 3:1-32
The Participants (v. 1-5)
- The chapter is thought by many to be a list of unpronounceable names and gates
- The text shows us much more than that
- It reveals a process: All were involved
- It reveals a plan : 10 gates and 40 groups
- It reveals a purpose : Build where you live
- Building begins with Eliashib the high priest and the other priests
- Begin with the Sheep Gate
- Close to the Temple
- An example for the rest of the builders
- Only section that was consecrated
- Thus consecrating the whole project
- The narrative continues a path around the city
- Jericho (v. 2)
- Not local: 20 miles from Jerusalem
- References the Tekoites (v. 5)
- Royals called out for not being involved
- Possibly out of fear of Geshem the Arab
- Royals called out for not being involved
More Get Involved (v. 6–14)
- We start to see the actual occupations of some of the builders (v. 8)
- People worked in front of their own homes (v. 10)
- Increased sense of responsibility
- Not far away from home during construction
- Knew the area better than anyone else
- Father and daughters worked on the wall (v. 12)
- Did their portion and then did more (v. 13)
- Their gate was the Dung Gate (v. 14)
- Also known as the Refuse Gate
- Led out to where the refuse was taken
- No portion was beneath them
Work Continues (v. 15–32)
- Beth-Zur (v. 16)
- Town 4 miles N of city
- We begin to see groups working on more than one (v. 19)
- Tekoites do another section of the wall (v. 27)
- Tekoah was a town approx. 12 miles south
The Big Picture
- Nehemiah used everyone to accomplish this work
- Goldsmiths, perfume makers, merchants
- Men and women
- Priests to people from outside the city walls
- Walls would have been totally overwhelming
- Gates controlled access to city but the walls connected the gates
- Modern analogy for the gates
- Gates reflect the needs of our community
- Walls reflect the commonality of the needs
So What?
- As we seek God’s vision for rebuilding our community:
- Do we see our role in the work?
- Do we see our needs and those of our neighbors?
Meditation Verse: Phil. 2:4
Monday Jun 12, 2017
Monday Jun 12, 2017
Nehemiah: Rebuilding A Community
The Plan
Nehemiah 1:11bc-2:20
An Audience with the King (1:11c-2:8)
- Nehemiah served as Artaxerxes’ cupbearer (1:11c)
- A food taster to the king who ensured that the royal meals were of high quality, and not poisoned
- In some instances, they would act as counselors to the king as well
- He already had the ear of the king
- Shows God’s providence in the situation
- Nehemiah waited and prayed from Kislev (1:1; Nov/Dec) until Nisan (2:1; March/April)
- 4 to 5 months of prayer waiting for the right opportunity
- When the time was right, Nehemiah let his guard down before the king
- Letting the king see that something was bothering him
- And surprisingly, the king notices and cares!
- Nehemiah shares what is on his heart
- And the king’s response is to ask him how he could help
- But, before Nehemiah asks for help, he prays, again! (2:4b; see 1:5-11)
- Then he asks for permission to rebuild Jerusalem
- Along with letters to guarantee his safety on the journey back
- And material support to finish the project
- This was risky, since Artaxerxes had actually halted the rebuilding of Jerusalem previously (Ezra 4:17-22)
- Out of fear of rebellion
- But the king & queen* gives him everything he asks for
- Asking only when Nehemiah would return
- Which shows that the king valued him greatly
- Nehemiah sees all of these events as God’s hand upon the work
- Asking only when Nehemiah would return
Surveying the Problem (2:9-20)
- When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, he met with the leaders of the region
- He received opposition from Sanballat and Tobiah
- He then went out at night to survey the damage to the city walls in secret
- He had not sought out the Jewish people’s help yet
- He wanted to see the extent of the work that needed to be done first
- After his survey, he gathers the people and explains what God has laid on his heart to do
- And he includes himself in their troubles (v. 17)
- While explaining how God has already begun the work through Nehemiah’s relationship with the king
- The people were so inspired that the took up the call right away (v. 18)
- As the people rallied to Nehemiah’s side, the naysayers started in (v. 19)
- Accusing them of rebellion against the king
- But, Nehemiah places his hope firmly in God (v. 20)
So What?
- Nehemiah sought God throughout the process
- And he used his secular connections to help with God’s work
- As well as calling God’s people to step up
- As we seek to rebuild our community, we must do the same:
- Constantly seek God
- Use our connections, both within and outside the Church
Meditation Verse: Nehemiah 2:20a