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The Covenant of Change: From Hearing to Acting in Nehemiah 10
June 5, 2025 · 13 min
Exploring Nehemiah 10, where people recommit to God's law, highlighting the transformation of hearts and actions following God’s Word.
Series Stand on the Word - Video On Demand June 5, 2025 · 13 min · Stand on the Word - Video On Demand
Exploring Nehemiah 10, where people recommit to God's law, highlighting the transformation of hearts and actions following God’s Word. ...more Show the full description Show less Exploring Nehemiah 10, where people recommit to God's law, highlighting the transformation of hearts and actions following God’s Word.
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Renewal Through Obedience 0:10 Good morning. Welcome to Stand on the Word. Well, the sun is rising over our nation's capital as we open the word of the Lord this morning, and we're gonna be looking at Nehemiah chapter 10. Now don't let the first0:22 27 verses scare you away from this chapter because it's all names. Alright? But let's go to verse 29. They'd they joined with their brothers, their nobles, and entered into a curse and0:34 an oath to walk in God's law that was given by Moses, the servant of God, to observe and to do all the commandments of the lord our lord and his rules and his statutes. So in Nehemiah chapter0:45 8, which we've read, those who had returned to Jerusalem rediscovered the word of God as Ezra read it to them. Now for some, that was probably the first time they had heard the law0:57 of God read. Remember, they didn't have scrolls on their shelf that they could pull off or laying on the coffee table that they could read. It was only when it was publicly read by the priest. Now in chapter1:09 9, as a result of hearing this, they repented of their sins, and they wrote a covenant to follow god's word. And this was, evident that they had been listening1:21 to the word. And here in chapter 10, there's further evidence that, they're acting now upon this covenant. So the word of god changed their hearts and their behavior.1:33 Now the process in this chapter is important. I recall Jesus in Matthew, chapter 12 verse 43. When the when an unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking1:45 rest, but finds none. Then it says, I'll return to my house from which I came. And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it 7 other spirits more evil than itself,1:57 and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also, will it be with this evil generation? In other words, when evil is removed, it's repented of, it must be2:09 replaced with that which is good or the evil return will return, and the latter will be worse than the former. You know, when we respond to god's word by repenting of our2:20 sins, that's good. That's good. But there's more. We must act in the affirmative to change our ways, and that's what we see here in chapter 10 of Nehemiah.2:32 Verse 1, on the on the seals are the names of the Nehemiah, the governor, the son of Hekaliah, and Zedekiah. Now there's a bunch more. Okay? So I'm gonna skip over that.2:44 Feel free to read it. I encourage you to do so. Jump to verse 28. The rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all who had2:56 separated themselves from the peoples of land. Remember, they they had intermarried. They've separated themselves. They yielded to the word of God. And it says that they have separated themselves of the people of land to3:06 the law of God, their wives, their sons, their daughters, all who have knowledge and understanding. So let me just emphasize this. There there's a line of separation between being a part of the people of the land3:18 and abiding in the ways of god. We can't be in the world, spiritually speaking, and in the kingdom of god. There is a line of separation.3:31 We are physically in this world, but as Jesus said, we are not of the world, meaning we are not to follow or live by the standards of this world. We're different. We're to be unique3:43 in following the lord. Verse 29, joined with their brothers, their nobles entered into a curse and an oath to walk in god's law that was given by Moses, a servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the3:54 Lord our God and his rules and his statutes. We will not give our daughters to the people of this land or take their daughters for our sons. And if the peoples of the land bring in goods or any grain on the Sabbath day4:06 to sell, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day, and we will forego the crops of the seventh year and the extraction of every debt. We also take on ourselves4:18 the obligation to give yearly a third part of a shekel for the service of the house of our god. Alright. Follow with me. Responding to the word of god, they repented of their sins, the4:30 sins of their fathers. But the next step we read here is not to create something new as if the old way of their fathers was outdated. It's just they weren't doing it. They committed4:42 to walk in God's law, not some new interpretation of God's law, but as Moses had given it, they returned to the old way. Alright? Jeremiah 184:54 15, but my people have forgotten me. They make offerings to false gods. They may they made them stumble in their ways in the ancient roads and to walk5:06 into side roads, not the whole the highway. There is no new way to god. We're not gonna read this. We're not gonna discover some new way to god. Now I I understand we're not5:18 living under the Old testament law of Moses. We're living under the new testament economy of grace. Okay? But here is the way. Jesus laid it out pretty simply. He put it on the bottom shelf5:30 for us. John 14 6, Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No 1 comes to the father except through me. We're not gonna discover5:42 you're not gonna discover a new way. And if you hear preaching that departs from the word of God saying some new discovery, get away from there as fast as you can. We need to5:54 return to the ancient paths, the proven way, Jesus, as we wanna walk in fellowship with the father. Now there are 3 aspects of this renewal in Nehemiah that I think have6:06 spiritual application to us today. Number 1 is sanctification, meaning set apart and into being unequally yoked in marriage with the pagan nations, which have, as we have discussed, led to idolatry6:18 that led them into 70 years of captivity. Paul, and I've quoted this before, but it bears repeating. Paul writing to the Corinthians in second Corinthians chapter 6 says, do not be unequally6:30 yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has6:42 a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said, I will dwell in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and6:53 they shall be my people. Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a father to you, and you shall be my7:05 sons and daughters, says the lord almighty. Now this is not, just marriages. Okay? Speaking of marriages, but it's talking about relationships that we would enter into that7:17 would alter our walk before the lord. I mean, it could be business. It could, obviously, marriage, but it's you know, my grandmother used to say, birds of a feather flock together.7:30 And we we don't wanna be in the wrong flock. Alright? Secondly so we we have this sanctification. The the second is the Sabbath. Again, we're not under the law, but observing the Sabbath was an7:42 outward sign of trusting God. Now this was, frankly, this was an economic issue. Alright? Not working on the Sabbath, but trusting the Lord to provide. This included the7:54 sabbatical year when the land should rest. Alright? Instead of working and this was an agrarian society. Right? Instead of working 7 days a week to get ahead, they declared8:06 they would trust God to provide for them. As a little again, it's a little hard for us to comprehend the fullness of this commitment because we live in a time of such plenty. You know, there were no Walmarts8:18 with stock shelves in those days. There were no government spending programs where government spent money they didn't have like they do today. You had what you were able to raise or grow, which determined8:30 what you would eat. Alright? So, I mean, you you it was I mean, it was it was hard work. And and you had famines. You had all these uncertainties.8:42 I mean, you didn't they didn't they couldn't even predict the weather the way we do, although they are pretty they understood. The scripture even speaks of the issues of weather. But and I can't get into that.8:54 The the the reality is they trusted god by dedicating time to worship him. And and think about this, the application for us. You know? I don't wanna be legalistic.9:06 Alright? And and and, again, we're not under the Old Testament economy. But how we approach a day dedicated to the Lord where we rest from our normal activities remains9:17 important. And, also, you know, it it it's important that even on a daily basis, like, we take the time for this journey through the Bible. You take time, during your day to set aside to9:29 the Lord. I mean, you're prioritizing. You're saying, lord, I trust you. I I know that I'm not gonna get you know, by working 7 days a week or by, just getting up early to work, skipping my9:41 time, my quiet time. I I realized that when I invest that time in you, Lord, I'm trusting you to provide all that I have need of. And that's what the Sabbath was. It was saying, you know what?9:53 God set a model for us. He rested on the seventh day that's recorded in scripture for us at creation. And as we see, we follow his model, but it's also a10:05 declaration again that we trust him to provide what we have need of. We're not we're not gonna get ahead by working. We're gonna get ahead by obeying God and trusting him and and his blessings that flow from10:17 that. Alright. Third, so we have sanctification, we have service, and then we or we have Sabbath, and then we have service. Now they committed themselves to serving the lord with their time and their resources.10:29 You know, again, nothing new here. Jesus talks about this in Matthew chapter 6 verse 21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. When it comes to following God,10:41 the old way of obedience to God's word is not only the best way, it is the only way if we really want to walk in the abundant life that Jesus has provided.10:54 Again, Jesus said this in in Matthew chapter 6 as well. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. And all these things that the world pursues will have. And and and and11:06 that's not a, a statement that, you know, we're just gonna name it and claim it. It means that as our heart is in alignment with God, we have satisfaction because he gives us the11:18 things that we need. Because our wants change. When we want him more than the things of this world, he is ready to satisfy us. Father, thank you for your word this morning.11:30 And once again, what a what an amazing book of Nehemiah. I thank you for a cap the the the the that his leadership in in the in the the transformation of the people was11:41 captured on the pages of scripture that we might see it. But, Lord, make it alive. May the holy spirit take these words, and may they be more than just maybe we may we go beyond just an intellectual11:54 consumption of this truth. And may, as it did for the children of Israel as they returned to Jerusalem, as they heard the word, Lord, may it cause12:06 a change in our lives and our behavior and that, lord, that we would live for you, lord, that we would, be sanctified for your purposes, and, lord, that we would serve you with all that12:18 we have. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Alright. Thanks for joining me this morning. And for those who have, shared the 21 day family bible challenge, thank you. We've12:29 got, literally thousands that have signed up. So I encourage you. We're we're just days away from the 21 day family bible challenge that starts on June the eleventh. So12:41 I encourage you and invite others to join us. Just 21 days reading through the book of Matthew. Lots of resources available for those that want to do it. Simply, tell them to text Matthew12:53 to 6 7 7 4 2. That's Matthew to 6 7 7 4 2, And, they'll be getting information on how they can join that challenge. Until next time, keep standing on the word.13:06 Today's study comes from the Stand on the Word Bible Reading Plan available for free at frc dot org slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you13:18 can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 Renewal Through Obedience
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