According to Google, among the most frequently asked bible questions have to do with what it says about drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and getting tattoos. Today I’d like to focus on the first one: Alcohol.
Let’s say I drank a couple fingers of 18 year old Macallan scotch. Have I sinned? Answers from pastors around the world are as plentiful and varied as the shoes in Nick Cannon’s closet. But we can’t settle for fallible people’s opinions. As believers we want to know what God has to say, and so we look to the bible under the Spirit’s guidance for answers. After all, God is the one we want to please.
If you wonder how God feels about you drinking, I strongly suggest you take a moment right now. Pause from reading this post, and pray—ask God for discernment and clarity on this issue once and for all. And then…
Acts 2:38-41 36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. 37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
Baptism In Water Settles The Issue Of Who Jesus Is
In this part of Acts we are seeing Peter preach the Gospel on the Day of Pentecost. This is around fifty days after Jesus was crucified on the Cross, and around 10 days after Jesus rose from the Grave and ascended into Heaven. Jesus told His disciples to “wait for the Promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4), that is, to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit. For 10 days, 120 disciples prayed in the upper room – probably the same room where Jesus gave His Lord’s Table.
The Holy Spirit came on the Church in a mighty way, anointing the disciples with fire. Peter, on fire for the Lord, went out and began preaching the glorious Gospel of salvation. Fifty days before the crowd in Jerusalem cried out for the crucifixion of Jesus. Pilate, the Governor of Jerusalem asked the people:
Matthew 27:17 Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?
The Bible says that the “the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus”. So when Pilate asked that question, the crowd, incited by the religious leaders, said “Release Barabbas, but let Jesus be crucified”. Though Pilate asked more than once, the crowd was adamant. Jesus must die!
So Jesus died. The soldiers “stripped Him, and put on Him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon His head, and a reed in His right hand: and they bowed the knee before Him, and mocked Him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. And after that they had mocked Him, they took the robe off from Him, and put His own raiment on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him” (Matthew 27:28-31). They did not lead Jesus away to sit upon a throne, but to hang upon a tree. The soldiers led Jesus to a mock palace on a hill called Calvary. The Bible says:
Matthew 27:34-37 They gave Him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when He had tasted thereof, He would not drink. 35 And they crucified Him, and parted His garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted My garments among them, and upon My vesture did they cast lots. 36 And sitting down they watched Him there; 37 And set up over His head His accusation written, This Is Jesus The King Of The Jews.
Jesus’ Lordship was a mockery, something the unbelieving world made light of. The unbelievers mocked Jesus as He suffered shame and agony on Calvary. “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself” (Luke 23:37). “If You are God’s Son, come down from that Cross. Save Yourself (Matthew 27:40). Jesus is just another Man to these people. He might have been a Rabbi, a great Teacher. But King? Pshaw! No such thing is true. Jesus is just a misguided Jew, a Heretic, a False Teacher.
But then, crucified on Calvary, Jesus died between two thieves. Laid to rest in a borrowed tomb, a guard was set on that Tomb. And three days later, that Tomb was empty. Jesus Christ rose from the grave.
As Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost, he preached that Jesus Christ is the Risen Savior. He said:
Acts 2:22-24 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a Man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: 23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: 24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that He should be holden of it.
Jesus Christ did die on that Cross, mocked and shamed. But Jesus did not stay dead. He was raised from the grave by God, and was seen of many. Death could not hold Him. Though it was God’s Will that Christ die on that Cross for our sins, it was wicked hands that crucified Him. Those who should have known better killed Jesus out of jealousy. Men killed Jesus on a Cross, but God raised Jesus up to sit on the throne of Heaven. The Man that the Israelis killed was not just a Jewish Teacher, but He was, is, and will always be more than this.
Jesus Is Lord Of My Life
The Jews had been hoodwinked into believing Jesus was no more than a heretic, a false prophet. But Jesus is no false prophet/ Jesus Christ is THE Son of God. Jesus Christ is THE LORD of His people, as well as the SAVIOR of His people. Peter declared plainly:
Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
They mocked Jesus when He declared Lordship while on this earth. But Peter presents to us all that Jesus is “both Lord and Christ”. The word “Christ” is a reference to Jesus’ saving work. Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus is the ONLY Messiah. God caused Jesus to rise from the Grave on the third day, and Jesus went out and taught His followers for 40 days before ascending to Heaven. Peter preached in
Acts 4:10-12 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. 11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which {Jesus} is become the head of the corner. 12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Jesus Christ Is The Cornerstone On Which The Kingdom Of God Is Built
Salvation is freely available to all, but only through faith in Jesus Christ. It is Jesus Who died for our sins. It is Jesus Who, after three days, rose from the Grave. There is “none other Name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved”. Only by faith in Jesus as “both Lord and Christ” can anyone be saved.
Realizing that they had been duped by the priests and scribes, the Bible says that those whom Peter preached to asked:
Acts 2:37 … they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
We have killed God’s Son. We have crucified the One and Only Messiah! We are guilty of the most atrocious murder in all of human history. “What shall we do”? How can we fix this? Peter is very clear:
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Peter outlined the plan of salvation very clearly here. How are we saved? What do we DO to contribute to our salvation?
We REPENT and OBEY JESUS
Dr. J.I. Packer said of what Peter preached:
“It is easy to miss the full force of this. Peter was prescribing not a formal gesture of regret for the crucifixion (of Jesus), but total renunciation of independence as a way of living and total submission to the rule of the Risen Lord”.
Tonight we will baptize some young people “in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”. Why are we doing this? Why are the young people coming forward to be baptized? It is because Jesus said to do so, and they are obeying Jesus. God commands baptism in water for those who have received Christ as Savior. Baptism is an act of obedience.
When John the Baptist was baptizing converts in the Jordan, Jesus came to John and said “baptize Me”. John told Jesus, “I have need to be baptized of You, Jesus, not to baptize You”. Jesus told John,
“Baptize Me – for we must fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15)
Baptism is an act of obedience to the Lord Jesus. Jesus commanded that His followers be “baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). Following baptism, Jesus said “teach them to observe ALL THINGS WHATSOEVER I HAVE COMMANDED YOU” (Matthew 28:20). We are baptized because Jesus is our Lord. We OBSERVE all that Jesus commands us to do. The first thing we are to do is be baptized in water. But baptism is not the entirety of what we are to do. We are to obey Jesus.
Jesus made baptism an issue for every Christian. The Bible says:
Philippians 3:20-21 (ESV) our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
We are citizens of Heaven, and Jesus is our Lord. Jesus said:
Matthew 23:8 (ESV) … you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers
What Jesus says is true, and the Scripture is authoritative.
Ephesians 4:25 … having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
We are all parts of the Body of Christ, the Church. We love and honor one another as we love and obey our Jesus.
Galatians 3:28 (ESV) There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
These young women are making an open profession of their faith in Jesus tonight. By following Jesus in baptism they are declaring that Jesus Christ is their Shepherd and King.
Luke 22:15-22 And {Jesus} said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer: 16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 17 And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: 18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. 19 And He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is My body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you. 21 But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth Me is with me on the table. 22 And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom He is betrayed!
I always enjoy celebration of “the Lord’s Table” (1 Corinthians 10:21), also known as “The Lord’s Supper” (1 Corinthians 11:20) or “Communion” (1 Corinthians 10:16). Some people call this celebration “The Last Supper” or “The Eucharist”, and that’s fine, but I prefer “Communion” or “The Lord’s Supper”.
Jesus could have established His “Supper” at any time, but specifically chose the Jewish time of the “Feast of the Passover”. Why? Because
Our God is a Covenant Keeping God
God has made Himself known to us through His Covenants or contracts that He made with man. The very first Contract God made with mankind is commonly called “The Covenant of Eden” or “The Edenic Covenant”. In that Covenant God told Adam:
Genesis 2:8-9 And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Adam and Eve had limitless sources for food. In the middle of that Garden, God put two trees – the Tree of Life, and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. God told Adam:
Genesis 2:16-17 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
This is a very simple CONTRACT or COVENANT. God said “Eat anything BUT the Tree of Knowledge, and you can eat of all the other trees INCLUDING the Tree of Life. You will have life – a blessed life with God – as long as you DO NOT eat of that one tree.
Adam broke the contract, and was evicted from Eden. “By one Man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin” (Romans 5:12). Sin came into the world and became mankind’s master. Because sin was our Master, death reigned (Romans 5:14). “By one man’s offense death reigned” (Romans 5:17).“By one man’s disobedience many were made sinners” (Romans 5:19). “Sin hath reigned unto death” (Romans 5:21). Sin became the Master of mankind, the king of a dark kingdom.
Adam thought that by disconnecting from God, he could be God. Adam was wrong. Disconnected from God,
Sin becomes our master, and Satan our Messiah!
But God would not leave us here. God loved us, and reached out to connect to us through Abram, a.k.a. Abraham. Here God established the Abrahamic Covenant, saying…
Genesis 12:1-3 (ESV) Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, … in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
God promised to make of Abraham a mighty nation – this would be ISRAEL. This is called the Abrahamic Covenant. God promised that THROUGH ISRAEL, HE WOULD BLESS THE WORLD. It was God’s intention to bring The Messiah, Jesus Christ, to humanity through Israel. Our God is a Covenant Keeping God.
God allowed Israel to grow IN Egypt, and to be eventually be enslaved BY Egypt. Only when Israel cried out to God, seeking to reconnect to Him, did God deliver His people.
God told Israel to take a Lamb without spot or blemish, and “kill the Passover Lamb” (Exodus 12:21). The Blood of that Lamb was to be placed on the doorway of the home of God’s people. God said:
Exodus 12:23 … the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.
Our God is a covenant keeping God. He passed through Egypt that night, and where ever He did not see the Blood of the Lamb, the Lord took life. Where the Lord saw the Blood of the Lamb He PASSED OVER judgment. This is GRACE. The Lamb was slain to save those who believed in God’s Covenant.
God established the Feast of the Passover as a memorial for Israel within it’s law. A Commentary notes:
Exodus 13:9. “This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the law of the LORD is to be on your lips. For the LORD brought you out of Egypt with His mighty hand.” The purpose of the Passover as a memorial is for the people, “This day is a memorial for you.”
You will notice that there is a relationship in the Bible between remembering how God has delivered His people and the obedience of God’s people. If the people forget that they belong to the Lord and how Jehovah has delivered them, then they will show no regard for God’s law. If God’s law is going to be on their lips, then they must remember that they belong to the Lord because He has saved them from the tyranny of slavery. They are holy because they belong to the Lord.”
The Passover Meal Is A Memorial
Exodus 12:14 (ESV) This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.
And again Exodus 13:9 (ESV) … it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth. For with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt.
Israel was enslaved to the world. But with the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb, Israel was freed from slavery. They were no longer bound to Egypt – that is, as long as they killed the Passover Lamb. The Lamb died so that Israel might live.
Our God is a Covenant Keeping God.
God made a Covenant with Adam. Adam broke it. God made a Covenant with Abraham. Abraham kept it. God made a Covenant with Moses and Israel. God gave Israel the Passover Lamb. Jesus will keep this Covenant.
Luke 22:7-13 Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the Passover must be killed. 8 And {Jesus} sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the Passover, that we may eat. 9 And they said unto Him, Where wilt Thou that we prepare? 10 And {Jesus} said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in. 11 And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the Passover with My disciples? 12 And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. 13 And they went, and found as He had said unto them: and they made ready the Passover.
Before there is there is the Lord’s Supper, there must first be God’s Passover. Our God is a Covenant Keeping God. Jesus told Peter and John to go to Jerusalem and find a man “bearing a pitcher of water”. Back in these days there was no running water in a home, and it was a woman’s duty to gather water for the family. You would often see women going down to the river or to a well to draw water. But Jesus said, “you’ll see a man with a pitcher of water – follow him”. They followed this man back to a place where they could do as God demanded, and celebrate the Passover.
Luke 22:14-16 And when the hour was come, {Jesus} sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. 15 And He said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer: 16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
The Passover was fulfilled year after year by believing Jews, a reminder that they were supposed to be God’s people. The Passover Lamb was killed and eaten, a reminder that it was by Grace that God saved Israel from slavery to Egypt. Jesus said,
Luke 22:15 With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer
With Jesus, The Old Covenant Ceases And The New Covenant Begins
Jesus honored the Covenant that God made with Moses. But Jesus is now going to establish another Covenant with Israel, and with us. God is going to change things. Under the Old Covenant, man had to sacrifice a Lamb for forgiveness of sin. Man had to keep a feast for the forgiveness of sin. Jesus Himself Who came to “fulfill all righteousness” must honor the Passover Feast. But Jesus is going to establish a NEW COVENANT. This Covenant is not based on the Blood of an animal, but on Jesus Himself.
God foretold the New Covenant that we today have through Jesus. God said:
Jeremiah 31:31-34 (ESV) Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
As Jesus sat with His disciples, He ended the Old Covenant and started the New Covenant. The Old Covenant relied upon animal sacrifices, feasts, and rituals. The New Covenant relies entirely on Jesus. We read:
Luke 22:19 And {Jesus} took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is My body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
What is it that makes us right before God? It is the Blood, not of an animal, but of the Christ.
God told Israel, “Kill the Passover Lamb in remembrance of My love for you”. God now tells the Church, “Jesus Christ is the Passover Lamb. His Blood brings the New Covenant, where God’s Law is written in our hearts. See Jesus and remember how God loves you.”
This is My body which is given for you
Remember that no one made Jesus go to the Cross for our sins. Jesus willingly went. Jesus chose the nails.
1 John 3:16 (NLT) We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.
Remember that no one took Jesus life. Jesus willingly died for us.
John 10:17-18 (ESV) … I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.
The Father did not make the Son die for us. He laid His life down. Jesus Christ is “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, ESV). His Body was broken for us. Jesus said,
John 6:51 (ESV) I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this Bread, he will live forever. And the Bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh
Adam ate, and took away our Paradise, took away the Tree of Life. Jesus Christ came down from Heaven to give up everything so that we can have access to the Tree of Life in glory, and access to God Himself RIGHT NOW.
Luke 22:20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament (COVENANT) in my blood, which is shed for you.
Remember that Jesus Christ gave His Body and His Blood to deliver us from sin and darkness. The Bible says:
Titus 2:14 (ESV) {Jesus} gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
Remember that Jesus did not save us by His horrific suffering that we might continue on in the darkness of this world. He saved us to deliver us from Egypt. He saved us to build the Kingdom of God on this earth. The Apostle said:
Galatians 1:4 (ESV) {Jesus Christ} gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
The Lord’s Table reminds us that we have been freed from the dominion of darkness. A sinning Christian is an anomaly.
Yes, we do slip, we do fail. But we do not revel in sin. Sin is no longer our Master, but God is our Master. The Apostle said:
1 Peter 2:24 {Jesus} himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
The Apostle wrote in another place:
Romans 6:16-18 (ESV) Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.
We who have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are called to “walk in the light”.
1 John 1:5-7 (ESV) … God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
The Lord’s Table is a reminder to us that we are members of His Kingdom. We obediently follow Jesus. We live through Jesus, and love Jesus. Our Lord said “This is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28). His Blood was not shed so that we might wallow in sin, but that we might be freed from sin.
We belong to Jesus.
I do not like to call this Communion, this Lord’s Table “The Last Supper”, for it was not.
After Jesus died on Calvary, He rose from the grave three days later. The Bible testifies that Jesus ate with His disciples following His resurrection. Jesus
Ate with disciples at Emmaus the Sunday evening He rose from the grave (Luke 24:30-32).
Jesus also ate with His disciples in a locked room that Sunday He arose from death (Luke 24:36-43)
The Apostle Peter – preaching at the Roman Centurion Cornelius’ home, said:
Acts 10:40-41 {Jesus} God raised up the third day, and shewed Him openly; 41 Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before God, even to us, who did eat and drink with Him after He rose from the dead.
Remember that the Lord’s Table is a memorial to us all. Death is dead to us who have received Jesus. We live now, and will live into eternity with Jesus. We sometimes fail, but sin is never our Master. Jesus is our Master. We live because He lives. Do you know Him? If Jesus your Lord and Savior? If not, receive Him now. Give your life to Him Who gave His life to you. May God touch your hearts with His Word! Amen and Amen.
Please turn with me in your Bibles to Nehemiah chapter 2. 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, 1&2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah. Nehemiah is the Cup Bearer or the Butler of the King Artaxerxes (a Persian King and conqueror of Judah). God has moved on the heart of Ezra and Zerubbabel to lead Jewish exiles back to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. Some 12 years later some of these exiles return to King Artaxerxes palace and tell Nehemiah that the walls of Jerusalem are destroyed, and the gates burned with fire.
When the walls of the nation are fallen and the gates burned, the criminal element rule the nation. The walls must be rebuilt if righteousness will return!
Nehemiah seeks first God’s permission to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls. Receiving permission from God, Nehemiah asks King Artaxerxes for help – who willingly gives it! Nehemiah travels to Jerusalem, surveys the damage done, then gathers the refugees in exile to present the facts to them. We read:
Nehemiah 2:17-18 Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach. 18 Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.
What Are YOU Doing To Build God’s Kingdom?
Jesus told us “a house divided will not stand” (Mark 3:25). This is so very true. If the work of God will be done, then
God’s people must stand together for the glory of God, and work together for the Kingdom of God.
It has been my experience that people fall into various categories when it comes to doing the work of God:
There are COASTERS. These are people who coast around doing nothing, but they look like they are working.
There are COMPLAINERS and CRITICS who add nothing positive to the work, but drag the spirit of the workers down. Like the “murmurers” of wandering Israel, these people are like a cancer on the Body of Christ.
There are COMMISSIONERS who love to find work for people to do, but are unwilling to do the work themselves.
There are COUCH POTATOES who know what to do and know what they are called to do, but will not do it.
There are COMPROMISERS that believe that the light can make peace with the darkness.
Then there are COOPERATIVE CITIZENS of God’s Kingdom who, attentive to the call of God, move in unison with the Body to do the Lord’s work.
Nehemiah was very clear with the exiles. He said “Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire”. Nehemiah did not sugar coat the problem. The capital city of Judah is as helpless as a 3 year old girl in a snake pit. While the walls are down and the gates are destroyed, the Temple cannot be completed and God cannot be honored. Jerusalem cannot be fixed with good intentions. Though we are called to pray (for the Scripture commands us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17-19)), there must also be willing hands to work.
Nehemiah spoke constructively to the people. We read, “I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me”. God had already worked to bring Nehemiah from the Palace of Shushan to Jerusalem. Nehemiah stepped out on faith. The Scripture tells us:
James 1:5-8 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
Nehemiah stepped out on faith and did his part. He stepped outside his comfort zone – and God blessed him for it. Encouraging the people, the exiles united, saying:
Nehemiah 2:18 Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work
Sometimes the King James (which I love) adds words that are unnecessary. If you have a King James you’ll see the words “this” and “work” are italicized. What the text literally says is:
they strengthened their hands for good
How did they “strengthened their hands for good”? They started with “Let us rise up and build”. First of all, it is “Let us”. Who is “US”? “US” is first of all me and God.
1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV) … whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
If we are walking with God, doing the will of God, then nothing can stop us. “If God be for US, who can be against US?” (Romans 8:31). Let God be in the “US”. Doing as Nehemiah did,
The people sought God’s will in prayer. If the work is OUR work then it will fail. But if God is in the work it cannot possibly fail.
Psalm 127:1 Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
The work might be possible without God – but it will be much harder, and might be IMPOSSIBLE.
God must bless the work. God must want the work. God must be in the work.
God sent Judah into exile because Judah kept cutting Him out of their lives. God prophesied and promised His people, saying:
Ezekiel 36:33-36 Thus saith the Lord God; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded. 34 And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. 35 And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited. 36 Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it.
The people drew strength from God’s Word, and turned away from the wayward word of man. God promises us that …
Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him.
The people held onto the promises of God and focused on the Lord Who led them. The Scripture says:
Hebrews 12:1-3 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
The “Way” of God is not an easy way. It is a narrow way that few in this world want to walk. The world walks in darkness – but God’s people are to walk in LIGHT. Jesus said:
Matthew 7:13-14 Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
The people put away the “sin that so easily binds”. They put away unbelief, and doubt, and fear. They focused on the Lord Who saved them, and committed themselves to working together for His will.
The people committed to the “US” of fellowship. God’s work has always required more than one person. The Scripture says:
1 Corinthians 1:10 (ESV) I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
God will not operate in the midst of a people who have no respect for one another. Jesus told us to “love one another, as I have loved you” (John 13:34). To serve God, all things must be “done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40), for “God is not a God of confusion, but of peace” (ESV, 1 Corinthians 14:33)”. The Scripture says:
2 Corinthians 13:11 (ESV) Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.
The Devil Will Always Stand Against God’s Work
Nehemiah 2:19 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”
In the earlier part of this chapter we saw that:
Nehemiah 2:10 When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
“Sanballat” was a Moabite, and “Tobiah” was an Ammonite. These are cousins to the people of Judah, from the lineage of Lot (not Abraham). Neither Sanballat nor Tobiah wanted Judah released from exile in Persia. But now we see another person, “Geshem the Arab”, has joined the battle against God’s people. The Arabs are the children of Ishmael, the son of Hagar and Abraham. Ishmael was not the promised child that God would give to Abraham – Isaac was. Nonetheless God blessed the Arabs, just as He blessed the Jews. Yet the Arabs retained a hatred for their cousins the Jews.
Word Study: These three unbelievers come together to stand against the work of God. They “jeered at us and despised us”. In the Hebrew we see that they “jeered”, the Hebrewלָעַג lâʻag, (pronounced law-ag’) or “mocked them, held them in derision”. They also “despised”, the Hebrew בָּזָה bâzâh, (pronounced baw-zaw), said they were worthless. Jesus warned us against attacking others, saying:
Matthew 5:22 (ESV) … I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
People are not to be mocked, but loved and encouraged. We are commanded,
Matthew 7:12 (ESV) … whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Jesus was quoting Leviticus 19:18 (you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord) as well as Zechariah 8:16-17 (do not devise evil in your hearts against one another).
When the devil wants to destroy a work of God, he always tries to make us feel worthless, and unloved of God.
What did the devil say to Adam and Eve?
Genesis 3:4-5 … Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
You are worthless. You are no good. God is depriving you. God does not love you. These are tactics the devil uses to stop the work of God. Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem also throw in this:
Nehemiah 2:19 … “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”
To rebel against the King is to court death. The intent of these three men is to plant fear in the hearts of the people so that they would do nothing. Jesus told us:
Matthew 5:10-11 (ESV)… Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
The darkness will always accuse the light of evil. Pastor David Mathiswrote:
Unbelievers “are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery” — so what do they do? “They malign you” (1 Peter 4:4). After all, should we not expect the world, under the power of the devil (1 John 5:19; Ephesians 2:2), to lie about us? The Greek for devil (diabolos) actually means slanderer (1 Timothy 3:11; Titus 2:3). As Jesus said to his revilers in John 8:44, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. . . . When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
The world will do its best to hinder the work of God. “Homophobe”, “Hater”, “Holy Roller”. Please notice that Nehemiah did not attack these men back. We read:
Nehemiah 2:20 Then answered I them {Sanballat, Tobiah & Geshem}, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.
This is exactly what the Bible tells us to do. We are not to wrestle with pigs. If you wrestle with a pig, you’ll just get muddy … and lose in the end. Or as I heard someone say once,
“If you waste time arguing with a fool, they’ll end up beating you with experience”
Nehemiah kept his eyes on the promise of God. We are not to be part of the problem, but part of the solution. The Scripture says:
1 Peter 2:12 (ESV) Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
Titus 3:2 (ESV) … speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.
We are to “entrust ourselves to our God, Who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23). This is what our Lord Jesus did. “When Jesus was reviled, He did not revile in return” (1 Peter 2:23). Nehemiah, like Jesus, focused on the project. “The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build”. Nehemiah told these three enemies:
Nehemiah 2:20 … ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.
Nehemiah is not arguing with these men, but stating the facts for the people to hear. These men are unsaved. They care nothing for the work or the glory of God. Sanballat, Tobiah & Geshem have “no portion” (חֵלֶק chêleq, pronounced khay’lek, a “share”). As the neither the land nor God is theirs, they have no “right” (צְדָקָה tsᵉdâqâh, pronounced tsed-aw-kaw’), no “righteousness” or “moral standing” in the matter. They also have no “memorial”(זִכְרוֹן zikrôwn, pronounced zik-rone’). They are living their lives without God, and when they are gone they will have accomplished nothing for the Lord.
What about you? When you leave this life, will you leave a legacy, other than a tombstone? Oh, I pray you will! If Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, when you leave this life you will leave a legacy in the lives that God has changed through your life. But if not, then you will have no memorial. Let us give our lives to Jesus as both Lord and Savior, and let us work – together – to grow His Kingdom on this earth. May God the Holy Spirit drive this Word deep into your hearts. Amen and Amen!
Turn with me in your Bibles to James Chapter One. It’s in the latter part of the New Testament – Hebrews, James, 1&2 Peter, 1,2&3 John, Jude, Revelation.
James is not only one of the most misunderstood Books of the Bible, it is also one that is most needed in our day and age. You’ll understand why shortly.
James is the stepbrother of Jesus. After Mary bore Jesus as a virgin, she went on to have other children by her husband Joseph. Mary was not perpetually a virgin as the Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans and some Reformed Churches believe. One of the early Church pastors named Augustinestated in A.D. 411 that Mary was “a Virgin conceiving, a Virgin bearing, a Virgin pregnant, a Virgin bringing forth, a Virgin perpetual”. With all due respect to this early pastor, and to the other churches that believe similarly, this is not in accordance with the Scripture. The Evangelist Mark wrote that – when others saw the miracles Jesus did – His neighbors said:
Mark 6:2-3 (ESV) “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?”
It is evident that Jesus had four brothers and at least two sisters. These were children Mary had by Joseph her husband. There is nothing wrong with this, as “the marriage bed is undefiled” (Hebrews 13:4). The Bible says that Joseph and Mary consummated their marriage after his wife bore Jesus (see Matthew 1:24-25). In John 2:12 we read that Jesus went to Capernaum with “His mother and his brothers and his disciples”. Based on the order in which the neighbors named Mary’s children, James would have been the firstborn after Jesus’ birth.
John 7:5 (ESV) Not even {Jesus’} brothers believed in Him.
Though James grew up around Jesus, he did not believe in the Lord until after Jesus rose from the grave. James, like most Orthodox Jews, believed that keeping the rituals of the Law saved him. It was only after Jesus rose from the grave and ascended to Heaven that James and his brothers began to believe in Jesus. The Scripture says:
Acts 1:14 (ESV) … {Jesus’ disciples} with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
James came to know Jesus as more than a stepbrother, but as the very Son of God, and was with the disciples on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was given. Why did the brothers not believe in Jesus prior to the upper room? It is very possible that – as siblings – they were envious of the respect that Jesus received from Mary and Joseph. It is also true that the god of this world (Satan, the devil) blinds the minds of the unbelievers (2 Corinthians 4:4). In order for a person to be saved the “God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” must shine in our hearts, giving us a knowledge of Christ. No person is ever saved unless “the Father Who sent Jesus DRAWS them” (John 6:44). Salvation is a supernatural work that God does in our lives from start to finish.
The main point of James’ writing is that ….
Though None Are Saved By Their Works, Once Saved, Genuine Faith Works
James 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
The Book of James examines saving faith. As James writes under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit (see 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21), he immediately addresses “the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad”, the exiled Israelis. Pastor John MacArthur states:
“As those godly men were carried along by the Holy Spirit, He superintended their words and used them to produce the Scriptures. As a sailing ship is carried along by the wind to reach its final destination, so the human authors of Scripture were moved by the Spirit of God to communicate exactly what He desired. In that process, the Spirit filled their minds, souls, and hearts with divine truth” (Strange Fire, 2013, p 223).
God has James address the “twelve tribes scattered”, the nation Israel. Why is God addressing Israel? Because the Gospel came “to the Jew first – but also to the Gentiles” (Romans 1:16). God has not forgotten Israel (see Romans 11), but loves His people though they have forgotten Him. God is reaching out to Israel through James. Though “The Epistle of James is the most Jewish writing in the New Testament” (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia), God included this Book in our New Testament for a specific purpose to us ALL, both Jew and Gentile.
Though salvation has always been by faith in God (and not a human work), once a person is saved the output or fruit of their life changes.
Before salvation, we ALL pursued that which is NOT God. We read:
Ephesians 5:7-9 (ESV) do not become partners with {the lost world); 8 for at one time you were darkness, but NOW you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true) …
No Christian is saved by works – good or otherwise. We are saved by Grace alone, by faith alone in Christ alone. The same book of Ephesians notes:
Ephesians 2:8-9 … by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: [9] Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Salvation is the leper coming to Christ to be cleansed. Salvation is the cripple crying out to Christ to walk. Salvation is the blind calling to Christ to be given sight. Salvation is the demon possessed soul being freed by Jesus.
Before James believed in Jesus Christ, he, like the “twelve tribes scattered abroad”, thought that he was right with God because he kept the feasts, the sacrifices, and the laws of God. James believed – along with other faithful Orthodox Jews – that they were Heaven bound because they followed the rituals of Judaism. God doesn’t care about our rituals, but wants us to love Him and walk with Him DAILY. God told Israel:
1 Samuel 15:22 (ESV) … Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.
What God desires of us is that we follow Him as God, obeying Him and listening to His Word. God said:
Hosea 6:6 (ESV) I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
God does not want our stuff nor our abilities. God wants our company. The Psalmist wrote:
Psalm 40:6 (ESV) In sacrifice and offering You {O Lord} have not delighted, but You {O Lord} have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering You have not required.
God does not want empty ritual. God wants US. He wants US to walk with Him, to talk with Him, to be in His Presence moment by moment. God wants to walk with us – as He did with Adam – prior to the fall. When we walk with God in love with Him, we are as God has designed us to be. We begin to walk with God when we give our broken lives to Him. God said:
Isaiah 1:16-18 (ESV) Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before My eyes; cease to do evil, 17 learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause. 18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
When we come to Jesus with empty hands, receiving Him as Lord and Savior, God the Holy Spirit effects a change in us. We become sons of God, children of the Most High. We were corrupt trees, bearing only corrupt fruit. Jesus said, “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit” (Matthew 7:18). When you give yourself to Jesus, believing Him to be YOUR Lord and Savior, God changes you from bad tree to good tree. God changes your root, and plants Himself smack dab in the middle of your life.
Jesus changes you from son of Adam to child of God.
Illustrate: When you are changed by Jesus, your perspective changes. I was pumping gas in my van the other day when a TV advertisement came on the pump (yes, it is weird). On that advertisement a young lady was saying that every morning you should get up, look in the mirror, and give yourself a “high five”. She said that this would change your day, giving yourself that “high five”. Beloved, this is what the devil wants you to do. He wants you to make a god of yourself, a god of your appetites, a god of your desires. This is not what your Heavenly Father wants. The opposite of this is true. The Bible says:
James 4:10 (ESV) Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.
1 Peter 5:6-7 (ESV) Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.
God does not want us to “high five” ourselves in a mirror. This is idolatry. Instead, God wants us to “high five” HIM. To start your day looking to the Lord Who loves you and has saved you.
If You Are Genuinely Saved By Faith In Christ, Trials Will Strengthen Your Faith
The “twelve tribes” are “scattered abroad” because God allowed Israel to be scattered. James writes:
James 1:2-3 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
Word Study: Let’s look at the words “divers temptations” first. The word “divers” is the Greek Adjective ποικίλος poikílos, {pronounced poy-kee’-los}, which means “many types of”. The word is used in Matthew 4:24; Mark 1:34; and Luke 4:40 when speaking of the “many types of diseases” that Our Lord Jesus healed. The word “TEMPTATIONS” is the Greek Noun πειρασμός peirasmós, {pronounced pi-ras-mos’}, which means “experiences or trials that test or prove the quality of something”. God uses trials to test our faith so that we can see if it is genuine or disingenuous. When negative experiences come on the believer in God, they are not there because God is mad at us, nor because God does not care. The opposite is the truth. The Bible is clear that:
Romans 8:28 All things work together for good to those who love God; to them who are called according to His purpose
Every trial that comes our way, comes because God Himself in love allows them. For the believer the trial causes us to examine our faith. Pastor C.H. Spurgeon said:
“Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of”.
God does not ordain trials to destroy us, but to make us more like Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. A surprising truth in Scripture is that trials not only prove and perfect our faith – trials proved and perfected the ministry of Jesus Christ. Now before you shut me out as a heretic, I believe that Jesus Christ was, is, and will always be without sin. The Book of Hebrews says of Jesus:
Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but {Jesus} was in all points tempted {peiraō} like as we are, yet without sin.
Hebrews 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Jesus Christ was tried just as we who believe in Him are tried. He was tried when He was arrested, put on trial, beaten, and nailed to that Cross. Though John the Baptist declared that Jesus was “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29, also see John 1:36),
Jesus did not practically become “the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world” until He was tried and abandoned, forsaken on the Cross of Calvary.
This is why the writer of Hebrews says (2:10) “it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings”. The “Captain of our salvation” was made perfect in that the suffering of the Cross was the reason why He came to this earth. Jesus was not abandoned on Calvary for no reason (see Mark 15:34). Jesus was left under the crucible of Calvary because it is only through Calvary that we can be saved. “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:17).
Every trial, every tribulation, every valley, every suffering for the believer must be viewed through the lens of God’s love. We are called to REJOICE in trials, not to mourn them or be in fear of them. James tells us to “count it all joy” when we go through the fire of testing, for this fire will not burn up a genuine faith, but will prove a genuine faith.
James 1:2-3 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
James is not talking about trials that we bring upon ourselves. There are many trials we bring upon ourselves by walking away from God our Savior, by following our own path. James says “when ye fall into”. A “fall” is not deliberate – I never plan out a fall!
The only ones who plan a “Fall” are Stunt-men and con-men! Amen!
Do you know when I am most likely to fall? When I walk in darkness. When I walk in the light, watching where I step, I do not find myself in free fall. We as believers are to:
1 John 1:7 .. walk in the light, as {God} is in the light …
James is not here talking about trials or suffering that comes upon us because we deliberately depart from God’s Word. It was when Israel refused to cross over into the Promised Land that God decreed they would wander in the wilderness 40 years, until that generation of faithless believers died off.
When we suffer because we did something wrong, something against the clearly revealed Will of God, this is not a “trial” but a “discipline”.
When Moses struck the Rock in the wilderness instead of speaking to it (Numbers 20:12), God told him “Because you did not believe Me nor honor Me before Israel, you will not lead Israel into the Promised Land”.
When King David committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered Uriah her husband, God told him “the sword shall never depart from your house, because you despised Me, and took the wife of Uriah to be your own” (2 Samuel 12:10).
When King Jehoshaphat entered into an alliance with a wicked king to build ships, God told him “Because you allied yourself with an unbeliever, I will destroy your works” (2 Chronicles 20:37).
In our world today people ask, “Why is there HIV? Why is there AIDs? Why are there sexually transmitted diseases? Why are there so many mass shootings? Why are there homeless people? Why are so many addicted to drugs? Why are there so many single parent homes? Why are there this ____ and that ____? Many times our trials are not something that we “fall” into, but something we actively pursue. We may fall into a trial like this, but the truth is, we usually dig the hole. The Apostle warned:
1 Peter 2:20 (ESV) … what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.
When we “fall into” trials not of our own making, these are events that God sends our way to grow us to be more like our Jesus. This is brought out in the next verse:
James 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
Dr. Warren Wiersbe said:
“The Epistle of James was written to help us understand and attain spiritual maturity (James 1:4b)… James used the word ‘perfect’ several times, a word that means ‘mature, complete’ (see James 1:4, 17, 25; 2:22; 3:2). By ‘a perfect man’ (James 3:2) James did not mean a sinless man, but rather one who is mature, balanced, grown-up.”
Charles Swindoll states:
“Throughout the book, James contended that faith produces authentic deeds. In other words, if those who call themselves God’s people truly belong to Him, their lives will produce deeds or fruit. In language and themes that sound similar to Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, James rails against the hypocritical believer who says one thing but does another. For James, faith was no abstract proposition but had effects in the real world.”
We Are Either In Christ’s Kingdom, Or In Satan’s Kingdom
James 1:5-7 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
If we are saved by faith in Christ, we wholly belong to the Kingdom of God. We have been …
Colossians 1:13-14 (ESV) … delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
The Bible uses two words to describe the Christian. We are “delivered” from Satan’s dark domain. This is the Greek verb “ῥύομαι rhýomai, {pronounced rhoo’-om-ahee}”, which means “to be rescued”. When Jesus taught us to pray, He said we were to ask the Father:
“lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER {rhýomai} us from the Evil One” (Matthew 6:13; Luke 11:4)
Christian, we do not belong to Satan’s kingdom any more. We have been rescued from the darkness so that we might walk with our God every moment of every day. We are “DELIVERED {rhýomai} from the coming wrath of God” (1 Thessalonians 1:10). We are “DELIVERED {rhýomai} from unreasonable and wicked people”. We are “DELIVERED {rhýomai} from every evil work” (2 Timothy 4:18). We are “DELIVERED” rhýomai} out of temptations to wickedness (2 Peter 2:9). In short, as a believer in Christ we are called to walk in His Kingdom day by day, moment by moment, knowing that we are prized and loved of God for Christ’s sake.
What a wonderful blessing this is! God is there. Jesus is with us. He has saved us. “We are not our own, but we are bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). You either belong to God, or you DON’T belong to God. You are either God’s child, or you are NOT God’s child. Make up your minds. Decide which side of the fence you are coming down on, and claim it!
James 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
To whom do you belong? If you belong to Jesus, you belong to God. If you belong to God, then even the “bad” things that come your way are in reality good, for God watches over you.
James 1:9-12 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: 10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. 11 For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways. 12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
James says that “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation{πειρασμός peirasmos}”. If your faith is genuine, then your faith will endure the testing that God sends your way. God sends that testing because He loves you. God allows that testing, that you might be drawn to the Cross of Christ and be saved. Once saved by faith in Him, God allows the trials of life to come your way to grow you in your faith, to lead you into a moment by moment walk with God. This is what God in Christ desires for your life.
Will you come to Him? Will you take the brokenness of your life and bring it to Jesus? Oh, that you would. Oh, that you would be saved into the Kingdom of God, to be a child of God by faith in Him. In Jesus there is power for living. In God’s kingdom there is power over every evil and darkness that this world might bring. The life that God our Father wants for you is only found in Jesus. Our Lord Jesus told the Pharisees:
John 5:40 … (ESV) you refuse to come to Me that you may have life.
Jesus warns us all:
John 10:10 (ESV) The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
If you have Jesus, you have life! (1 John 5:12). Do you have Jesus? Or are you, like the “twelve tribes scattered abroad”, just a possessor of ritual? Oh, how Jesus wants a relationship with you! I beg you, come to Him this very day! Amen and Amen!
1 Corinthians 15:55-57 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
“Prolific actor James Caan passed away late Wednesday at the age of 82, according to a statement from family members yesterday”. I first saw James Caan in a movie called El Dorado – its one of my favorite movies. Caan did quite a few movies over the years. I’ll not quote them all, because it’s quite a list. But I wanted to note the end of the article, which said: “A cause of death was not specified”. The man was 82 years old.
As a dear friend of mine said the other day, “It’s age related”.
We don’t live forever in our current state of being – though scientists are trying hard to overcome death. In another article from Breakpoint Daily,
“Harvard Medical molecular biologist David Sinclair is combining innovation in the lab with innovation in language. In a recent CNN article, one of Sinclair’s financial backers described the goal of his research as changing the definition of the word “aging.” He wants to “make aging a disease.” Sinclair claims to have successfully interrupted the aging process in mice by turning adult cells back into stem cells. … His ultimate aim, of course, is to develop anti-aging therapies for humans.”
Humans do not like to think about death. Yet we shall all eventually die – become inanimate – in this current home we call our bodies. Death is a part of life. Wise King Solomon wrote, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die ” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2). The Apostle Paul wrote, “ it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). We have learned how to extend human life by the use of drugs and medical science. But we cannot eliminate death.
Death is not what God originally intended for us, but it is a part of the Fall of Adam. God told Adam (Genesis 3:19) “in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return”. Physical death – the cessation of life in this body – was NOT the punishment that Adam and his heirs received for disobeying God and eating the forbidden. Do you remember the command that God gave Adam:
Genesis 2:16-17 … the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
God told Adam “IN THE DAY”, the very day that he disobeyed and ate of the forbidden fruit “THOU SHALT SURELY DIE”. God was not talking about PHYSICAL death. How do we know this?
First, because God cannot make mistakes. Hear the Scripture!
Psalm 18:30 tells us “God—His way is perfect”.
Proverbs 30:5 states “Every word of God proves true”.
Numbers 23:19 declares, “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind”.
Our God does not make mistakes. “Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure” (Psalm 147:5).
God did not tell Adam “you will eventually die”, but “in the day” that he disobeyed he would die.
If you will look at the Scripture, you will see that after Adam’s sin he went on to live a very long time. Adam lived to be 930 years old. God was not referring to PHYSICAL death as a punishment of Adam’s sin. When God ushered Adam and his family out of Eden, He did so because of the Tree of Life.
God did not design us to live forever in these bodies. As long as Adam loved God, he and his own had access to the Tree of Life. You remember, there were TWO TREES in the midst of the Garden: The Tree of Life, and the Forbidden Tree, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam and Eve had access to the Tree of Life as long as they walked with God. Yet when Adam sinned, he and his family were cast out of Eden to keep them from the Tree of Life.
Genesis 3:22-23 … the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: 23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden
Physical death itself is not a punishment from God. Our current bodies were meant to wear out – they were not meant to be permanent. As long as Adam and his family had access to the Tree of Life, they had life. Once Adam sinned, he and his family were restricted from the Tree of Life. Here’s the point:
Preach!: If you want access to LIFE, you must have access to GOD. There is no LIFE without GOD. ADAM DIED SPIRITUALLY the day he sinned against God, and because he was SPIRITUALLY dead, he eventually suffered PHYSICAL death.
The Tree of Life is only in Paradise, in the place where God is. (Revelation 2:7; 22:2, 14). The Tree of Life is only available only to those who love the Lord. God gives life to those who love Him.
What I am saying may sound new to you, but it is Biblical truth. The Forerunner Commentarystates:
“The death that entered the world through Adam’s sin was not physical death. Adam was a flesh-and-blood human being, so his body was naturally subject to entropy {to gradual decline}. The fact that he was created as flesh meant that, at some point, his heart would stop, and the breath of life would leave. Even if he had lived a sinless life, he still would have died when his body ceased to function. Adam was never immortal; he needed to eat of the Tree of Life to live forever (Genesis 3:22). When Adam sinned, he immediately entered a state of spiritual—not physical—death, which contributed to the foundation of Satan’s deception that life continues after sin.”
So, what is this thing we call “Death”? It is not PHYSICAL death, but SPIRITUAL death. Death is the life lived apart from God.
Death is a life lived separate from God.
When the Bible says … Romans 5:12 (NKJV) Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—
It’s not talking about PHYSICAL death, but SPIRITUAL death. It’s talking about living a physical life apart from God Who makes life.
1 Corinthians 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
It is sin that brings separation from God. “The sting of death is sin”. It is sin that separates us from God. Sin always separates – stings – it is venomous, the bite of a viper. Sin has given us “Pride Month”, a way of life unendorsed by God, a way of life outside of God’s design. Sin has given us mass shootings. Sin has given us racism, and hatred. Sin creeps into local Churches and turns them into Peyton Places. Sin endorses evil, and twists truth.
the strength of sin is the law
Preach!: God says “Don’t do it”, and sin grows and drags us toward death. Sin is the scourge that is destroying America today. Sin is the mother demanding the right to abort her baby. Sin is the self righteous gathered in crowds, mocking the lost instead of inviting them to meet the Savior. Sin is the man who will not be a father to his child and a husband to his wife. Sin is the gossip who spreads evil as a knife spreads jam on toast. Sin is the grudge carrier. Sin is to love self more than God. Sin is to ignore the Word of God, the Scripture, in favor of the word of man. “The strength of sin is the law”. God is righteous, holy, and just. God has a standard, and anything against God’s standard causes God to reject our presence. When Adam sinned, though God clothed both Adam and Eve, they were ushered out of the Garden of Eden.
Calvary Shows Us What God Thinks Of Sin
1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
We only have victory over sin and death through “our Lord Jesus Christ”. What did Jesus do to cover our sins? The Bible says:
1 Corinthians 15:3 …. Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
“Christ died for our sins”. The word “Christ” means “The Chosen One”. We as sinners could not pay for our sins. We are born SPIRITUALLY dead. We enter this life enslaved to sin. A sinner cannot pay for sinners.
But God can.
God sent His Son Jesus into this world to be the Christ, the Chosen One to make payment for our sins. The Bible declares:
Romans 3:25 {It is Jesus Christ Who} God {the Father} set forth to be a propitiation {a covering} through faith in His Blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins …
God the Son willingly became Man, Perfect Man, to make payment for our sins. Jesus spoke of His death saying,
Matthew 26:28 … This is My Blood of the New {Covenant}, which is shed for the remission of sins …
Sin is no trifle, no small thing. Sin is a creature with death as its sting. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). The strength of sin is the Law. “Sin worked death in me by that which is good {the Law}” (Romans 7:13). Sin caused God the Father to “deliver” His Son unto judgment for us:
Romans 4:24 {Jesus} was delivered for our offenses, and raised again for our justification.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For {God the Father} has made {Jesus} to be sin for us, Who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.
Jesus died a horrible death on the Cross for our sins. Every evil that we did or would do was put on His soul, so much so that He cried out in anguish. “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46; Psalm 22:1). Our sins caused His death. And yet, Jesus willingly went to the Cross for our sins. The Scripture says:
Galatians 1:4 {Jesus Christ} gave Himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
Jesus did not die for us that we might continue in sin, but died for us to BRING US TO GOD. We are moved from a state of SPIRITUAL DEATH to a state of SPIRITUAL LIFE when we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We are no longer in the embrace of the Curse.
Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Jesus Christ died for your sins and mine. When we receive Him as He is, our sins are forgiven. Jesus Christ offered ONE SACRIFICE for sins FOREVER (Hebrews 10:12). Why did He do this?
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
Jesus did not just die on Calvary to get us into Heaven. Jesus died on Calvary so that He might get Heaven into us! He gave His life to BRING US TO GOD.
Jesus changes the life that He saves. Jesus “loves us, and WASHES us from OUR SINS IN HIS OWN BLOOD, making us KINGS and PRIESTS unto God and His Father” (Revelation 1:5-6). We are moved from darkness to light when we receive Jesus as Savior. We are changed for sinner apart from God to Child of God bound to God when we receive Jesus as Savior. The Grace of God changes us, and works in us.
When You See Jesus, He Changes You FOREVER
1 Corinthians 15:8-10 And last of all {Jesus} was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
Before the Apostle Paul met Jesus, he was known as “Saul”, a persecutor of the Church. But meeting Jesus on the Damascus Road, Saul became Paul, and the Persecutor became an Apostle. The Apostle said “by the grace of God I am what I am”. Where God’s Grace is, there is changed life. Where salvation is, there Jesus IS LORD.
Where Grace is, the Holy Spirit is. The Bible says that, once we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, God the Holy Spirit comes to us. The Scripture says,
Romans 8:9 … if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
How can you know that you are saved? Just as Paul said,
I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me
Where Grace is, there will be evidence. Where the Spirit of God is, there will be evidence. The Bible says that the “fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance …” (Galatians 5:22-23). You are not a Christian because YOU say so. You are a Christian because the SPIRIT OF GOD IS IN YOU, and the output of your life is the “fruit of the Spirit”.
You are to love, not hate. You are to willingly obey the Savior Who is your Lord. Jesus said, “I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will but the will of Him Who sent Me.” (John 6:38). Jesus said, “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” (John 12:46). Jesus said, “I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice” (John 18:37).
If you are SAVED, dear professing Christian, then the OUTPUT of your LIFE will be LOVE. You will do what Jesus said because you LOVE Jesus. Jesus said,
John 14:15 If you love Me, KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS.
John 15:10 If you KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS, you shall abide in My love …
The Christian follows the Lord in love. You cannot be right with God if you are not loving even your greatest enemy. What did Jesus command? Hear His Words:
Matthew 5:23-24 (ESV) … if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
You cannot carry a grudge, and uphold the Cross of Christ. You must love. You MUST love. You WILL love, because the Spirit will move you to it. Again we read:
Matthew 5:43-45 (ESV) … You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
There is not a person in this Church or under the sound of my voice that is not broken. We come to Church because we are broken. But we gather together as a Church welcoming the broken. We forgive offenses quickly, because God Who indwells us demands that we do so. We cannot sin and walk with God. Jesus said:
Matthew 6:14-15 (ESV) For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
The Cross Defeats Death, That Is, Separation From God
1 Corinthians 15:20-26 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. 24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
Those who have given themselves to God by faith in Christ need not fear death. Jesus Christ is the death of Death.
If you are in Spiritual Death you should fear Physical Death. If you live WITHOUT Christ on this earth, you will go to a place where death – separation from God – forever is. Those who refuse to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior “will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, AWAY FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD and from the glory of His might” (2 Thessalonians 1:9). This is what hell is. Hell is where God forever is NOT. Oh, dear friend, do not put off coming to the Lord Jesus. For the Christ follower “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). To die physically for those IN JESUS is to have a THIRD BIRTH, not a death. Our first birth was when we entered this world through our mother. Our second birth was when we were “born again” of the Spirit. But dear Christian, physical death to us is not a separation, but a glad reunion day. Absent from this body, I will be present with the Lord. “Oh death, where is thy sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory?”. Jesus has defeated Spiritual Death. Jesus has defeated Physical Death. Will you not come to Him without delay this very day? May God the Holy Spirit bring you to to Christ the very moment. Amen and Amen!
Last Sunday we started in the Book of Nehemiah. To review, Nehemiah and Ezra were considered one book by Israel and by Judaism. Ezra tells the story of the first return of Israel from exile to Jerusalem. Ezra and Zerubbabel led a team to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple, and to introduce Israel to the Law of God once more. After Ezra’s team had been in Jerusalem 12 years or so, some of the exiles returned to the winter palace of the Persian King Artaxerxes, and met the Cupbearer (the Butler) of the King named Nehemiah. These exiles told Nehemiah that the walls of Jerusalem were down, and its gates burned with fire.
So Nehemiah prayed.
If you want to be used of God, you cannot be in bondage. The reason God gave us who are Gentiles the Old Testament is to show us that God can only use a liberated people. When Israel was in bondage to Egypt, God raised up Moses to go to Pharaoh, demanding:
Exodus 5:1 (ESV) “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’”
God’s people are not to be bound to anyone or anything but the Lord Who loves them. God rescues us from the bondage of sin and death, the bondage of fear:
Romans 8:15 (ESV) For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
We are bound to God. “When we were children (of Adam), we were in bondage under the elements of the world” (Galatians 4:3). As Christ’s children we are no longer to be bound by the lost world. We are not to be bound by sin. The Bible asks –
Romans 6:1-2 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
God frees His people from the negatives of this world so that we can serve Him. We are:
1 Corinthians 6:20 … bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
“God is the strength of my heart, and my Portion forever” (Psalm 73:26). “O Lord: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living”(Psalm 142:5).
Nehemiah Cannot Free Himself – But God Can
So Nehemiah prayed – asking God to make a way. Then Nehemiah did his job. We read:
Nehemiah 2:1-2 And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been before time sad in his presence. 2 Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid,
Let’s look at “it came to pass in the month Nisan”. When we were in Nehemiah chapter one, we read:
Nehemiah 1:1 … And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,
The month “Chisleu” (Hebrew Chislev) is equivalent to our November to December of our calendar. The messengers came to Nehemiah in the wintertime. But in chapter two we see we are in the month “Nisan”, which is equivalent to April in our calendar. We learn from this that Nehemiah not only prayed to God when he first met the messengers, but that he prayed for approximately five months before bringing up anything to the King. We are told in:
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please {God}: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
God wants a daily intimate relationship with those whom He has saved. He wants us to “diligently seek him”. Nehemiah sought out God in prayer daily, sharing his heart and his hurt, and waited on God. The Scripture says:
Psalm 37:9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.
Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
In America, we are conditioned to want things right away. This hurts the American Christian.
We want microwave foods, streaming service, and immediate gratification. But God wants us to wait upon Him, to seek His face, to glorify Him in all that we do. For five months Nehemiah served the King and waited on God. We read, “I had not been before time sad in {the King’s} presence”. Nehemiah played the hypocrite, masking his anguish while he waited on God. But today his mask slips. The King sees his sorrow, and says to Nehemiah:
Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart
Word Study: Why is your heart filled with sorrow? Nehemiah says, “I was very sore afraid”, rāḇâ yārē’ literally “extremely afraid”. Nehemiah felt the cold grip of fear on his heart. If the King was unhappy with his cupbearer, he could easily get rid of him and get another. Nehemiah replies:
Nehemiah 2:3 And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever
Nehemiah wants to let the King know that his sorrow is not with his job. He is blessed to be working for the King. Nehemiah continues:
Nehemiah 2:3 … why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulcher, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?
Let’s consider these words, and realize how brave it is of Nehemiah to say these words to the King. The reason the city of Jerusalem is in such bad shape is because the Persian Army (and this is a Persian King) destroyed it. But Nehemiah will not be controlled with fear. God says:
Isaiah 41:10 (ESV) “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”,
When I was growing up my mama used to say, “Starve a cold, feed a fever”. You’ve probably heard this yourself. Here’s one we need to use as Christians.
“Starve fear, feed your faith”
Fear has its proper place when it protects us from bad things. I think its fine to fear spiders, snakes, great heights, and excessive speed on the highway. I think we should “Fear the Lord” in the sense of respecting Him as our Lord (see Proverbs 1:7; Psalm 111:10). But fear should never dictate your faith. Nehemiah tells the King what is bothering him. And the King replies:
Nehemiah 2:4 … Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request?
The King asks Nehemiah, “What do you want? What can I do for you?” Rather than reply immediately, we read:
Nehemiah 2:4 … So I prayed to the God of heaven.
Nehemiah talked to the “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14) before he talked to the King of Persia. Nehemiah has been in prayer to God for five months. Now he wants to speak as God would have him speak. The Bible says:
James 1:5-6 (ESV) If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting …
God guides Nehemiah in his request. Nehemiah says:
Nehemiah 2:5 And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favor in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers’ sepulcher, that I may build it.
What is interesting about Nehemiah’s request is that he asks to go to Judah, not Jerusalem. Now Jerusalem is in Judah, but Jerusalem is the Capital City of Judah. Had Nehemiah requested to rebuild Jerusalem, the King might consider this to be a treasonous act. Instead, the King asks:
Nehemiah 2:6 And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
We don’t know how long Nehemiah asked to be away, but whatever his response was, the King was satisfied with it. The Soniclight Commentary notes:
“Nehemiah returned to Artaxerxes 12 years after the king had appointed him governor of Judah (5:14; 13:6). But he may have also gone back sooner than that (v. 6).”
Nehemiah 2:7-8 Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah; {8} And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
When an empire conquered other nations it always set governors to oversee the conquered people. Nehemiah asks the King for letters for the governors beyond the river. Without those letters the rescue mission that Nehemiah was going to lead might be interpreted to be a guerrilla force or slaves escaping from Persia. Nehemiah didn’t want to die before he reached his objective. Furthermore we see that Nehemiah asks for a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the King’s forest. The King owned the trees and, without trees (lumber), the gates of the city could not be rebuilt. We read:
Nehemiah 2:9 Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.
Nehemiah was given an armed escort by the King. This was because God was in the planning. If we do not honor God in our plans, God will not bless us. But if we wait upon the Lord, God will bless us richly.
Illustrate: I remember being on mission in Belize when our team was going to go into a village known for drug abuse and Voodoo practices. As our bus traveled toward the village we saw a hitchhiker, and picked him up. He asked where we were going. When we told him, he smiled, and said he was a policeman in that village. When we arrived, this man stayed with us as an “armed escort”. When we serve God, God will pave the way.
The Scripture declares:
Isaiah 30:18 And therefore will the LORD wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that he may have mercy
God waits for us to wait on Him. God wants to bless us, but we must look to Him. Did not Jesus say, “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”. (Matthew 6:33). We are to wait on our God. He saves us to walk with Him. The Prophet said:
Isaiah 40:28-29 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. {29} He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
When we are in a helpless and hopeless situation, we are in the best place we can be if we are “children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (John 1:12; Romans 8:16; Philippians 2:15).
When You Work For God, You Will Always Get Resistance
Nehemiah 2:10-11 When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel. 11 So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.
It amazes me that Christians don’t grasp this concept. If Jesus had His enemies – and He did – we will have our enemies while we are working for the Lord. We are told in
Ephesians 6:12 … we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
The devil and this fallen world has its minions who forever stand against the work of God. The two who who stood against Nehemiah and against the work of God were Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite. Sanballat was called a Horonite, that is, he was from the Moabite town of Horonaim. Tobiah is an Ammonite. The Ammonites and Moabites are cousins to the Israelis, but are also great enemies of Israel. When Lot fled from Sodom with his daughters, and went to a cave, his daughters enticed their father into committing incest. Their children became the fathers of the Ammonites and the Moabites.
Sanballat was the governor of Samaria, the Capital City of Northern Israel, and was completely against Jerusalem’s restoration.
This unholy trinity came together to plot and plan against Nehemiah. All three were totally against the rebuilding of Jerusalem, for it was in their best interests that Israel remain broken and in captivity. Notice that Nehemiah was only in Jerusalem “three days” until these enemies attacked. Notice what Nehemiah does:
Nehemiah 2:12 And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon.
Nehemiah knew the enemy was watching. So he patiently waited three days. After the third day, Nehemiah “arose in the night”, taking just a few trusted men with him. Nehemiah told no one but GOD as to what he was planning to do, and took no supplies with him when he went out.
Nehemiah didn’t want the devil’s men to know what he was doing! Nehemiah was doing exactly what Jesus said do. Our Lord told us in Matthew 10:16, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves”. A “serpent” doesn’t tell you where it is – it hides in the background until the time is right. Nehemiah hid in the background until the time was right.
Illustrate: Columnist John Kass, writing about the July 4, 2022 shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, wrote:
“I thought I could hear the devil laughing.
Are there any serious doubts that as a culture we’ve turned our faces from God?
We infantilize our young people. We demand the right to kill the innocent unborn. We raise our young in a culture of death. There are elementary school teachers who are regularly depicted on social media as being excited about exploring sexual themes and gender identity with young children.
Ours is a culture that fills kids with pharmaceutical drugs to manage their mood swings, a culture that offers them video games to live out their most violent, murderous fantasies. We push our political anxieties and pathologies down the throats of our children, telling young men for example, that masculinity is “toxic.” And if they happen to be white and male, they’re led to believe they’re they cause of almost everything that is wrong in the world.”
The devil and his crew will always show up when God’s people are at work. Anytime righteousness and the Kingdom of God shines, the darkness does all it can to smother it. Nehemiah used the darkness against the darkness. He did no one wrong, but surveyed the situation. He prayerfully rode his mule along the perimeter of the wall, surveying the damage. I can almost hear Nehemiah praying as he rides alone – a few good men with him – and keeping his counsel between himself and God.
We Must Have Unity To Do God’s Work
Nehemiah 2:13-16 And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire. 14 Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king’s pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass. 15 Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall, and turned back, and entered by the gate of the valley, and so returned. 16 And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work.
Nehemiah had been given a job to do by God. He “went out by night”, seeking God’s direction. For you see, the work was not Nehemiah’s to do. It was for God to do. God must do the work. Nehemiah will be available. He will be the hands and feet of Christ, but it will require a unified effort by the refugees if Jerusalem is to be restored. Nehemiah did not tell what he had planned “to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work”. He waited until he had clear direction from God. Then and only then Nehemiah gathered the Jews (the people), the priests (the Levites), the Nobles (the princes of the tribes), the rulers (the bureaucracy), and the workers. We read:
Nehemiah 2:17-18 Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach. 18 Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.
Nehemiah outlined the problem to all of the people, letting them know how God had miraculously secured his release as the King’s cupbearer. The people agreed TOGETHER, saying “Let us rise up and build”. God can use a unified people to do His will. But “a house divided will not stand” (Mark 3:25). Let us pray for the unity of our Church, and for the unity of Christ’s Church in America. For Christ’s glory. Amen and Amen.
Turn with me in your Bibles to Nehemiah Chapter One.
Let me help you find it. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, 1&2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah. It is the 16th book in your Bible, right after the Book of Ezra.
Nehemiah and Ezra are two books that go together. In the Jewish Canon of Scripture (the Scrolls), Ezra & Nehemiah are one book. When Israel entered the Promised Land the Lord told them:
Deuteronomy 28:15-20 (ESV) But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all His commandments and His statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. 16 Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field. 17 Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 18 Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. 19 Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. 20 “The Lord will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken Me.
If Israel – God’s people – had stayed close to God, then they could rest in His provision. But if God’s people depart from God, they brought upon themselves FOUR CURSES:
The CURSE of a impoverished and crime filled cities and rural areas
The CURSE of hunger and deprivation
The CURSE of decreased prosperity and growth
The CURSE of personal loss
To forsake God is to enjoy “curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish”. Kind of sounds like America today, doesn’t it? Israel wandered away from the Word of God, and God kept calling them – but Israel refused to hear. So God withdrew His protecting hand, and allowed first Babylon, then Assyria to overthrow Judah and the Holy City Jerusalem. And yet, God only allowed this for 70 years before redeeming His people.
Ezra and Nehemiah Are REDEMPTIVE BOOKS
As the 70 years of punishment winds down, God moves on the hearts of the Gentile Kings to allow the Jewish believers to return to Jerusalem, and to rebuild the Temple so they could worship there. The Psalmist said of God:
Psalm 103:8-10 (ESV) The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
Though God upholds His standards of righteousness, He does not punish His children with the intent of destroying them – but with the intent of REDEEMING them. An overview of these redemptive two books is:
Ezra 1-6: God moves on the heart of the Persian King Cyrus II (a.k.a. Cyrus The Great) to allow a man named Zerubbabel and the High Priest Joshua to lead over 42,000 Jewish exiles back to Jerusalem. Zerubbabel’s mission is to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem.
Ezra 7-10: God moves on the heart of the Persian King Artaxerxes to send Ezra the Priest to Jerusalem to teach the Law of God to the people. Finding that Israel had violated God’s Law by intermarrying with unbelievers, Ezra dissolves these sinful marriages. Even today, God does not want His children by faith marrying unbelievers:
2 Corinthians 6:14-16 (ESV) Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God
Now we come to Nehemiah chapter 1. Ezra covers events that occurred 13 or 14 years before this moment. We read:
Nehemiah 1:1-2 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, 2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
The story begins in “the month Chisleu”, which would be equivalent to our late November to early December. The man “Nehemiah” is the “Cupbearer” for the Persian King Artaxerxes, the same King who sent Ezra to Jerusalem to teach the people the Law of God. The “Cupbearer” is a respected, high ranking official who was in charge of what the King ate and drank. The Cupbearer tasted the King’s food and drink to insure that it was not poisoned. This man put his life on the line daily to protect his master. It was a Cupbearer that told Pharaoh about Joseph when he was imprisoned (Genesis 41). Based on the Cupbearer’s endorsement, Joseph was given an audience with Pharaoh – and eventually became right hand man to the King.
Nehemiah was serving the King in “Shushan the palace” – the winter palace of the Kings – when several Jews from Judah came visiting. Nehemiah knew that the Persian Kings Cyrus and Artaxerxes had allowed remnants of Israel to return to Jerusalem some 14 years before. Nehemiah “asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem”. After 14 years Nehemiah expected a good report – or at least, some progress in the restoration of Jerusalem. The delegation replied:
Nehemiah 1:3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.
Rather than hear good news, Nehemiah was told that the remnant were רַע חֶרְפָּה , raʿḥerpâ – under great distress, scorn, disgrace.
Nehemiah’s countrymen were in a terrible shape. Further, “the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down”. Ancient cities were surrounded by high protective walls that kept the criminal element and the hoards from overwhelming the city. There were huge gates that were opened at daybreak to allow travelers and merchants access to the city. Jerusalem’s walls are broken down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire. Jerusalem is at the mercy of any invading force that comes its way.
Nehemiah 1:4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,
What Can One Person Do?
In the face of such utter destruction and suffering, what can one person do? What can I do?
One determined person can destroy the world if surrendered to Satan. Who can forget the names Hitler or Stalin? Who remembers the terrible massacre the Jim Jones brought to his followers. And one name that brought a universal curse on us all, Adam left a legacy: “By one man sin entered the world, and death by sin” (Romans 5:12).
What can one person do?
– Noah obeyed God, and saved humanity from utter destruction.
– Abraham – a Gentile believer in God – followed the Lord and brought about the nation Israel, and all nations being blessed by his obedience.
– One man Moses stood up to the Pharaoh, and led Israel out of Egypt.
– Another man Joshua led Israel in taking the Promised Land from the unbelieving Canaanites.
– A man after God’s own heart, David, killed the giant Goliath, and impressed the Lord so much that God promised him an unending Throne.
– Elijah stood up to evil Ahaz and Jezebel, and brought a revival in Israel.
– A woman named Esther stood up against the Persian King Xerxes I, and saved Israel from certain annihilation.
– And God used a young virgin named Mary to be the vessel that would bring God into the world, our Lord Jesus Christ.
What can one person do? One person submitted to God can change the world for the better. Pastor Jon Bloomwrote:
“Every life God creates is good and has a purpose, and therefore possesses a certain sacredness (Genesis 1:31). As stewards of the earth, we humans should approach all life with appropriate reverence (Genesis 1:26), especially other human lives (Exodus 20:13; Matthew 19:19; Matthew 5:44). This is one reason why abortion and euthanasia are such evils. Every life aborted at its beginning, middle, or end also alters the course of history. … Live Prayerfully and Carefully with the Kingdom in View”.
Whenever Nehemiah heard the bad news that Zerubbabel and Ezra’s mission was not as far along as it could have been, we read:
Nehemiah 1:4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days…
Israel was in a horrible place. Jerusalem was at the mercy of every thief and vandalizing hoard that passed by. Ezra and Zerubbabel had been working diligently in Jerusalem for 14 years, but it was still in a horrible place. If Jerusalem – the Capital City of Judah – cannot be restored, then Judah cannot be restored.
Nehemiah Did Three Things Right
“I sat down”: Nehemiah sat down. When we hear about horrible things happening – especially to those we love – our first thought is “I’ve got to do something – anything!”
Illustrate: When David the Shepherd went to battle Goliath, King Saul tried to give him his armor. David refused it. “David said to Saul, “I can’t walk in these things, for I’m not used to them”(1 Samuel 17:39, NET). David instead trusted the Lord, and faced Goliath with a sling and five smooth stones. He kept his eyes on God. A few years later David is running from the enemy when he comes to the Tabernacle at Nob. David told the priests that he wanted Goliath’s sword for protection. “There is none like it – give it to me” (1 Samuel 21:8-10). David couldn’t defend himself with Goliath’s sword. And David couldn’t kill a giant with a sling and a stone. But God can.
Nehemiah resisted the urge to “do something” in his own power. He sat down.
“I sat down and wept, and mournedcertain days”. The word “WEPT” is the Hebrewבָּכָה bâkâh, {pronounced baw-kaw’}, which means to wail, to grieve loudly. When Abraham’s wife Sarah died (Genesis 23:2), Abraham bâkâh for her. When Joseph was reunited with his brothers after years in Egypt, he embraced them and bâkâh (Genesis 45:14-15). Nehemiah also “MOURNED”, the Hebrew אָבַל ʼâbal, {pronounced aw-bal’}, which means to suffer as one who has lost a close relative.
I suspect that Nehemiah did as Job did when he lost his family (Job 1:20), “Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshiped {the Lord}”. Nehemiah cried, and mourned, but limited his mourning to “CERTAIN DAYS”. It is good to grieve, to suffer with those who suffer. Pastor Adrian Rogers once said:
“What is wrong with us today is that society has forgotten how to blush, and the Church has forgotten how to weep!”
Nehemiah can do nothing in his own power to fix what has happened to Jerusalem. He grieves. “When one member suffers, all the members suffer with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26). But Nehemiah doesn’t just stop with grieving and groaning. Nehemiah …
Nehemiah 1:4 … fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,
“I … fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven”. God honors sincere fasting and prayer. Though few American Christians fast today, Jesus made it clear that as believers we should have periodic times when we go without food while seeking God’s will for our lives. Jesus said:
Matthew 6:16-17 (ESV) when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
God calls on His people to pray, to fast and pray, that He can bless us, and give us power to go through the impossible valleys that the world drags us through. God told His wandering Israel:
Joel 2:12-13 (ESV) “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and He relents over disaster.
Nehemiah did not blame God for Jerusalem’s suffering. Too often when trials come our way, we want to blame God, or insinuate that God was somehow unfaithful. Too often I hear people say, “Where was God in all this”. After Terrorists attacked America on September 11, 2001, the daughter of Billy Graham, Anne Graham Lotz was interviewed by Jane Clayson. Clayson said,
“I’ve heard people say, those who are religious, those who are not, if God is good, how could God less this happen? To that, you say?”
Anne replied:
“I say God is also angry when he sees something like this. I would say also for several years now Americans in a sense have shaken their fist at God and said, God, we want you out of our schools, our government, our business, we want you out of our marketplace. And God, who is a gentleman, has just quietly backed out of our national and political life, our public life. Removing his hand of blessing and protection. We need to turn to God first of all and say, God, we’re sorry we have treated you this way and we invite you now to come into our national life. We put our trust in you.”
This is what Nehemiah did. He did not attack God. He did not ask, “Why God?” Nehemiah repented. We read:
Nehemiah 1:6-7 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house have sinned. 7 We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.
Nehemiah blamed not just the Jews, but himself as well. He said, “We have dealt very corruptly against thee”. The word translated “corruptly” is the Hebrewחָבַל châbal, {pronounced khaw-bal’}, which means “to bind as with a rope, to pervert, to twist so as to entrap”. The sense of Nehemiah’s prayer is that God wants to do good to His people, but our sins and our faithlessness has bound God’s hands. When our Lord Jesus Christ – raised in Nazareth – went back home, the Bible says:
Matthew 13:58 (ESV) {Jesus} did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. (see also Mark 6:5).
The Prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 59:2 (ESV) “your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear”. Israel is in a bad state because God’s people stopped acting like God’s people, and began to act like the world.
Nehemiah Both REPENTS And RECALLS The Promises Of God
When we repent of our sins, confessing them to God, we have His promise that, “{God is} is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Nehemiah repents. But Nehemiah also leans into the promises of God. Nehemiah says to God, “REMEMBER”. He reminds God of His promise:
Nehemiah 1:8-9 Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: 9 But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.
Nehemiah quotes the Word of God back to God! When Nehemiah quotes the Word of God to God, he is not reminding a feeble minded God of what He previously said. Reminding God of what He said helped Nehemiah to remember the faithfulness of God. It also helps Nehemiah to fight off the fear that he is probably feeling, as well as the frustration. Reminding God is like a child reminds a parent of a promise. God wants us to remind Him of His promises, as a way of remembering Who He is.
Nehemiah 1:10-11 Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. 11 O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king’s cup bearer.
Nehemiah repented. Nehemiah remembered the promises o God. Now Nehemiah prays specifically, and asks God to “prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man”. As the right hand man of King Artaxerxes, as the cup bearer, Nehemiah is going to stand before the King and ask for help for Jerusalem. He wants God to intervene on His behalf.
Nehemiah humbles himself before God. He prays, “O Lord, I beseech thee”. He is not commanding God, but asking God. He prays, “let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant”. The Bible commands us to:
James 4:10 (ESV) Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
Always remembering that “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble”. When we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, our Lord will – at the proper time – bless or exalt us (1 Peter 5:5-6). What I find very interesting about this prayer is that it is not only heartfelt – but it is not particularly long. I read this prayer slowly, as if I were myself praying it to God. The entire prayer can be said – very slowly – in under 2 minutes. The next time we meet we will see if this brief prayer was effective or not!
Oh, that God would move on us all to grieve over our Jerusalem, and pray that God move in the hearts of the leadership of our nation. May God touch our hearts with His Word, and draw us to commit ourselves to His glory. Amen and Amen!
John 8:17-24 It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. 18 I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me. 19 Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also. 20 These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come. 21 Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come. 22 Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come. 23 And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
No One Ever Spoke As Jesus Did
When a jeweler wants to show off the beauty of his diamonds, he does not put the diamonds on a white, clean surface. No, the jeweler puts the diamonds against a black surface, usually black velvet. The black focuses the eye on the light reflecting through the facets of the diamond. Displayed against the darkness, the beauty of the diamond comes out.
As our Lord Jesus ministered on this earth, the times that His beauty was most seen was when He was seen against a black surface. Many times we see Jesus being approached by those who were under the blackness of sickness and disease. Other times Jesus was seen against the darkness of sinful man. But Jesus shone brightest when He was seen against the darkness of self righteousness and power hungry men. Jesus shined brightly when the Pharisees, Priests and Scribes tried to smear His goodness with evil. In our text today Jesus is addressing the Pharisees and Priests who are attempting to end His ministry. What does the Bible say of these self righteous men? We read in:
John 7:1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him.
The Bible says that “Jesus came unto His own people (the Jews), but His own people would not receive Him” (John 1:11). Jesus stopped walking “in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him”. Not every Jew. Just the Pharisees and Priests, the religious crowd. Jesus came and pointed out their hypocrisy. Had He just been a Rabbi Who did this, the Pharisees and Priests would not have cared as much. But as Jesus healed people, miraculously giving the blind their sight, the deaf their hearing, the lame their mobility, and the dead their life, His popularity grew. Crowds began to seek out Jesus, and as ..
Jesus pointed out the hypocrisy of religious ritual without a relationship with God. This challenged the power of the Pharisees and Priests, infuriating them.
John 7:31-32 … many of the people believed on him, and said, When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done? The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him; and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him.
Jesus told those who came to capture Him:
John 7:33-34 … Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me. 34 Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come.
Jesus said “I’m going back to the One Who sent Me here – and you’re not going to be able to go there”. This puzzled those who came to capture Jesus. “Where can YOU go that WE can’t go? Are You going to a Gentile dominated area? This makes no sense!” (John 7:35-36). The Bible says:
John 7:44 And some of them would have taken Him; but no man laid hands on Him.
The officers of the Temple could not take Jesus. They went back to the Temple, and we read:
John 7:45-48 Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him? 46 The officers answered, Never man spake like this Man. 47 Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived? 48 Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on Him?
As we come to our focal text for the day, the “chief priests and Pharisees” approach Jesus directly. They cannot get the Temple Police to arrest Jesus, so they are going to take matters into their own hands. In John 7:33-34 we read that Jesus said “I return to the One Who sent Me, and you cannot go where I am going”. Jesus says this same thing a second time, not to the Temple Officers, but to the Chief Priests and Pharisees:
John 8:21 …. I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come.
Jesus Christ Is Not Of This World
Once more, the Pharisees and Priests cannot understand what Jesus is saying. Will He kill Himself? What place can Jesus go where they cannot go as well. Jesus is very specific:
John 8:23-24 …. Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
Jesus Christ is NOT of this world! These are His Words. I hear so many people say, “Jesus was a good Man. Jesus was a Great Prophet. Jesus was an extraordinary Human.” Yet Jesus does not say this of Himself. Jesus is other-worldly. The Pharisees, the Chief Priests, every human who has ever been is “from beneath”. We are from this earth. Humanity’s heritage can be traced back to Adam, a crooked farmer, and Noah, a drunken sailor. We are all born of this earth, born of father and mother coming together in love. We are all broken, sinful. Those who are of this world are all sinners. The Bible says:
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God
Where our forefather Adam sinned, he caused not only his fall, but the fall of all his children. We are the children of Adam. The Bible says:
Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
One of the devil’s favorite lies is to say that one is better than another in humanity. All have sinned. All fall short.
Lord, save us from religious people! The Pharisees and Chief Priests believed that, since their OUTWARD actions were religious and right, that they were ACCEPTABLE to God, justified in His eyes. But their actions – no matter how religious – came from beneath. It was earthly, fouled, broken. It was, as the Prophet said, filthy rags.
Isaiah 64:6 … we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
None are innocent. All are from beneath. The Psalmist David said:
Psalm 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Sin is the universal problem among us all. We are from beneath. We are not from Heaven, but from dust, from corruption. How can we escape this corruption? By Law? By more human laws? No, for sin clings to each of us, as algae clings to the poles of a boat dock. We need Someone from outside of humanity to save us. We need Him Who is from above, Jesus Christ our Lord.
John 8:23-24 … Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
Pharisees, you cannot go where Jesus goes. Priests, you cannot go where Jesus goes. Jesus is from above. He is from Heaven. He is God’s Messiah, come to save those who believe in Him. Earlier in the day Jesus was asked:
John 6:28 … What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
We are from beneath. Everything we do is from beneath, it is beneath God. So how can we “work the works of God”? Jesus said:
John 6:29 … This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom {God} hath sent.
You must believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Representative, God’s Messiah come to save the soul of man. You must believe that “Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by Jesus” (John 14:6). You must “confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, and you shall be saved”. (Romans 10:9-10). You must believe that Jesus is NOT just a good teacher nor a fine rabbi, but that Jesus Christ is the Great I AM of Scripture. This is what Jesus says. We read:
John 8:24 … ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
If you are following me in a King James Bible, you will see that the word “he” is italicized, denoting that it was added by the translators. Jesus did not say that you had to believe that “I AM HE”, but that you have to believe Jesus is “I am”. Every Jew knows the name of God “I am”. When Israel was enslaved in Egypt, God sent Moses to be His spokesman before Pharaoh and before Israel. God told Moses that His Name was:
Exodus 3:14 (ESV) … “I AM Who I AM.” And {God} said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I Am has sent me to you.’”
The magnificent, eternal name of God is that He is “I AM” or Yahweh. God is eternally there. The God Who is above us all has no beginning and no end. He is eternally in the present tense. Jesus is NOT from below, like us. He is no sinner saved by Grace. Jesus Christ IS God, GOD THE SON. He is the Great I AM, the One Who spoke to Moses, the Intercessor between God and Man. Jesus said “if ye believe not that I am, ye shall die in your sins”. And Beloved, if you die in your sins, then you will never enter the place where Jesus is right now. You cannot go to Heaven unless you know God through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Great I AM.
Jesus Is The Light Of God From Above
When our planet was first formed, God said …
Genesis 1:3 (ESV) “Let there be light”, and there was light.
Light was given before God made either sun or stars. Light was given before the earth began to rotate. Our God is “the Father of lights, with Whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17 ESV). The Source of all light is God. The Giver of all light is God. Humans need light. They need the “light of life” (Job 33:30). We all need the Lord, for “in Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4).
Just as we need physical light to see so we can live, we need spiritual light so that we can see and live the life our God designed for us. Darkness cannot defeat darkness.
Earlier in the day Jesus was in the Temple teaching when the “scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in the act of adultery” (John 8:3). The Pharisees thought that they could usurp Jesus’ fame by catching Him violating the Law of God. The Law of God demanded that both male and female caught in the act of adultery be put to death (Leviticus 20:10-12). So they bring this woman in, and cast her down at Jesus’ feet. Listen Beloved: there is no more love in the Pharisee and the Sadducee, than there is in the Taliban! The person who is religious but not in a relationship with God through Christ is in darkness. Darkness cannot defeat darkness. Again I say,
Darkness cannot defeat Darkness. There must be Light!
The Pharisees tell Jesus:
John 8:4-5 … Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
What will Jesus say? The Law of Moses demands death, not just for this woman, but for the man that is missing from this accusation. Jesus is from above. It is Jesus Who dictated the Law of God through Moses. Adultery is a horrendous sin, but so is false witness. Where is the man if this woman was “taken in adultery, in the very act”. The Law demands “accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you” (Deuteronomy 25:15 NIV). Crookedness destroys a nation, and mangles a community. This woman was taken in adultery. What will Jesus do?
Jesus is from above. When He directed the Law to Moses, He decreed
Deuteronomy 17:5-7 (ESV) … you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has done this evil thing, and you shall stone that man or woman to death with stones. 6 On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death … 7 The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death…
There had to be two witnesses that this woman committed adultery. There are two or more. But the Law of God also said, “The hand of the witnesses shall be first against” the sinner. Jesus simply said,
John 8:7 … He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
Let the Witnesses cast the first stone. This is what God’s Law said, a Law that is good. If these men are the Witnesses, and they pick up a stone to cast it, Jesus need but ask “but where is the MAN THAT WAS WITH THIS WOMAN?” God despises unfair measures. God demands equal justice and, where applicable, joyful mercy. The accusers of this woman slowly depart, until just the woman is left. Jesus asked her:
John 8:10-11 … Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11 She said, No man, Lord. …
Jesus does not condone this woman’s sin, but this woman addresses Jesus as “Lord”. He is Lord. Jesus Christ is from above. He is the Author of the Law of Moses. But Jesus is also the Author of salvation. We receive the “good news of peace between us and God through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)” (Acts 10:36 ESV). Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God, the Lamb sent by God to make payment for our sins. “Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of kings, and those with Him are called and chosen and faithful” (Revelation 17:14 ESV). The Jesus Who is from above said:
John 8:10-11 … Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
No one has the power to forgive sins but God. Jesus is from above. Jesus has the power to forgive sins. When Jesus healed a paralyzed man when He told him:
Mark 2:5 “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
The Pharisees and Priests accused Jesus of blasphemy. “Who can forgive sins, but God?” (Mark 2:7). No man on this earth has the power to forgive sin, for sin is an offense against God. Caught in the act of adultery, King David repented, saying “against You, dear God, and only You have I sinned” (Psalm 51:4). If Jesus were from below, from this earth, He would have no power to forgive sin. But Jesus is LORD. He is the Son of God. He is from above, not from beneath. Jesus does not justify the sin, but as Almighty God forgives the sin. Jesus said:
John 8:12 … I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Jesus wrote the Law that man continually fails. But Jesus has the power to forgive sins, for He is from above. Jesus never violated the Law, but Jesus is God the Son, God’s only means to forgiveness of sin.
2 Corinthians 4:6 (ESV) For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
The ancient Jew sacrificed animals to seek forgiveness of sin, but animal sacrifices never truly covered sin. “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrew 9:22). The shedding of animal blood from beneath merely pointed out to us all how much God despises sin. John Piper wrote:
“God regards sin as so evil and so destructive that in order to set things right there must be a death … {Jesus Christ} became ‘a curse for us’ (Galatians 3:13). He bore our condemnation in His flesh (Romans 8:3). This is the center and the glory of the Gospel. So Paul says in Romans 5:9, “We have now been justified by His blood”, or in Ephesians 1:7, ‘In Him we have redemption through His Blood’, or in Ephesians 2:13, ‘You who once were far off have been brought near by the Blood of Christ’.”
Jesus did not ignore this woman’s sin, but forgave it because she received Him as Lord of All. Jesus is from above, not from beneath. Jesus, as Almighty God the Son, does not justify her actions, but bids her “go and SIN NO MORE”. Jesus forgives the believer’s sin, but tells them to start walking with Him, not with the world. Jesus Christ is the Light from above. “He that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life”.
Jesus Is The Bread Of Heaven
When Israel left Egypt and headed toward the Promised Land, God wanted them to rely on Him for their sustenance, to rely on Him for their lives. So God caused manna to fall from Heaven (see Exodus 16). The manna was “bread from Heaven” (Exodus 16:4). The people were to go out every day and gather just enough manna for that day’s sustenance – and twice as much on the day prior to the Sabbath. That bread of Heaven gave every Israeli the strength to daily follow the Lord, until they went into the Promised Land. The manna was from above, and symbolized life. Jesus told us:
John 6:32-37 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. 35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. 36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. 37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
What is the significance of the Manna? It had to be gathered daily. When saved by faith in Christ the Manna of Heaven, we are called to approach Jesus daily.
Jesus Christ is God’s Manna from Heaven. When Jesus fed 5000 with two small fish and five biscuits, the crowd decided that they “would take Him by force, and make Jesus King” (John 6:15). Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, but He did not come to force Himself as King over anyone. “Jesus is the Bread of Life: he that comes to Jesus shall never hunger; and he that believes on Jesus shall never thirst” (John 6:35). When you receive Jesus as He is, as The One Who is from above, then God gives you everlasting life. Jesus said:
John 6:40 … this is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise Him up at the last day.
Bread sustains life. Jesus sustains life. Bread is for all. Jesus is for all. Bread is necessary. Jesus is necessary. Bread is prepared. Jesus is prepared from the foundation of the world. (Luke 11:50; John 17:24; Ephesians 1:4; Hebrews 4:3; Hebrews 9:26)
John 6:47-50 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. 48 I am that bread of life. 49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
Jesus emphasized that He is the Manna from Heaven because Manna as bread from above brought life to the Israelis. Jesus gives life only to those who “eat” Him, that is, have a daily relationship with Him and His Word. As you read the Bible, you digest God’s Word. As you digest God’s Word, you become more and more Christ centered. Jesus said:
John 6:53-58 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
Of all the teachings Jesus gave, this was and is the teaching that is the most controversial, most likely to cause someone to walk away. When we eat, we eat daily. Those who are saved have a daily relationship with Jesus. When we eat, what we eat becomes part of who we are. As we daily come to Jesus and learn of Him, we become more like Jesus daily. As someone once said, “You are what you eat”. As we eat daily, we focus on what we are eating. The Christian daily focuses on Jesus. Finally, eating is an intimate affair. We who are saved are intimate with Jesus.
When Jesus taught these Words, those who had been following Him were offended by His Words. Jesus told them:
John 6:63 It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit, and they are life.
Many walked away from Jesus that very day. What will you do? Will you come to Jesus and believe Him as He is. Will you believe that He is from above, that He is the Light of God and the Manna from Heaven, the Giver of eternal life? Will you give your life to Him, daily walking with Him? This is the Way of Salvation. Will you come to Him Who is from above? May God touch your hearts to do so this very day. Amen and Amen!
Rarely do we as Christians today go into the Old Testament. Oh, we refer to Psalm 23 during funerals, and some read the Proverbs and Psalms for devotionals. But few go into the less known books. Tonight we’re going to go into 2 Chronicles Chapter 28, and examine the lives of three Judean Kings.
King Ahaz Was An Evil Ruler
The first is King Ahaz, a terribly wicked man. The name “Ahaz” means “He Who Grasps”, and that is a great name for this wicked man.
Ahaz grasped for darkness and evil, and embraced it with all his heart.
2 Chronicles 28:2-4 … {Ahaz} made also molten images for Baalim. 3 Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. 4 He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.
Because Ahaz did evil and led Israel to do evil, “the LORD his God delivered Ahaz into the hand of the King of Syria” (2 Chronicles 28:5). “Ahaz was also delivered into the hand of the King of Israel (Northern Israel)”, who killed many citizens. Southern Israel or Judah lost 120,000 “valiant men” in one day on the battlefield – a horrendous loss. The Bible says:
2 Chronicles 28:19 … the Lord brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of {Southern} Israel; for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the Lord.
Ahaz would not repent and return to the Lord. Rather than admit his sin, Ahaz tried to build an alliance with Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria. Ahaz robbed the Temple of God (verse 21), and instead of turning to the Lord our God he adopted the gods of his enemies.
2 Chronicles 28:23-24 For {Ahaz} sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel. 24 And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the Lord, and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem.
Ahaz robbed the Temple, taking away all furnishings, altars, and equipment used to worship God. Then Ahaz locked the doors of the Temple so no one could enter in and worship the Lord, and offered Israel false altars made for false gods to worship. Throughout Jerusalem – previously known as the City of God’s Temple – Ahaz established altars to false gods. Not satisfied with this, we are told:
2 Chronicles 28:25 And in every several city of Judah {Ahaz} made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger the Lord God of his fathers.
Israel was in a terrible place. A civil war between Northern and Southern Israel caused the nation to divide, and caused the Temple to be forsaken by those in the North. False gods were worshiped throughout Israel, and there were plenty of places to worship the darkness, but no places for the light. But our God is in control. “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people both now and forevermore” (Psalm 125:2). Ahaz had one redeeming quality.
Ahaz had a son named Hezekiah.
Hezekiah Was A Righteous Man
Hezekiah’s name meant “Jehovah Is My Strength”. King Hezekiah was the most spiritual king since King David. 2 Kings 18:5 tells us “Hezekiah trusted in the Lord God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him”. When Hezekiah ascended the throne, the first thing he did was to re-open the Temple and recall the priests:
2 Chronicles 29:3-8 {Hezekiah} in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them. 4 And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the east street, 5 And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place. 6 For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord, and turned their backs. 7 Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel. 8 Wherefore the wrath of the Lord was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes.
Hezekiah did not try to make a treat with any human king to bring peace to his land. Instead of this, Hezekiah sought a treaty with God our Father. He restored the priests and the Levites (the priest’s helpers) to their posts, and restored the Temple to how it should have been. Hezekiah ruled in a right manner. He told the Levites, “sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place”. In other words, He demanded that the priests and Levites do their own jobs. They were to cleanse God’s Temple, though Hezekiah would support them in their work. Hezekiah told them:
2 Chronicles 29:10-11 Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us. 11 My sons, be not now negligent: for the Lord hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should minister unto him, and burn incense.
Hezekiah as King did his job, and demanded that the priests and Levites do theirs. The priests and Levites did as Hezekiah ordered. The Bible says “they sanctified the house of the Lord in eight days” (2 Chronicles 29:17). As the Temple was cleansed, Hezekiah decided that he would be the first to offer sacrifice unto God. We read:
2 Chronicles 29:20-21 Then Hezekiah the king rose early, and gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the house of the Lord. 21 And they brought seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven he goats, for a sin offering for the kingdom, and for the sanctuary, and for Judah.
Hezekiah did not worship God behind closed doors, but gave an example for all in his worship. Jesus said:
Luke 9:26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.
When Hezekiah went to the Temple, he carried “the rulers of the city” with him. As Hezekiah offered sacrifices, he lifted up “the kingdom, and for the sanctuary, and for Judah”.
The Kingdom of God: Though Israel was divided by civil war into North and South, Hezekiah remembered his brothers and sisters that he was estranged from. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9). Other kings emphasized Judah above a united Israel. Hezekiah realized that – until there is unity among God’s people and in God’s Kingdom – there will be only limited power against the darkness.
The Sanctuary: The Apostle said, “The time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God..”.When God’s people meet to worship God, they are to “worship the Father in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23). This is what is pleasing to God. Hezekiah’s worship is not just for show – but because he loves “the Lord his God with all his heart” (Deuteronomy 13:3; Joshua 22:5).
And for Judah: Hezekiah offered sacrifice and prayer for his own direct community.
Hezekiah led Judah in a revival. We read:
2 Chronicles 29:27-29 And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord began also with the trumpets, and with the instruments ordained by David king of Israel. 28 And all the congregation worshiped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded: and all this continued until the burnt offering was finished. 29 And when they had made an end of offering, the king and all that were present with him bowed themselves, and worshiped.
Hezekiah started the sacrifices, but the people followed. We read in
2 Chronicles 29:32 And the number of the burnt offerings, which the congregation brought, was threescore and ten bullocks, an hundred rams, and two hundred lambs: all these were for a burnt offering to the Lord.
The King started the ball rolling, but as he honored God, God moved the hearts of the people. They had a revival in Judah! We are told in:
2 Chronicles 29:36 And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people: for the thing was done suddenly.
“That God had prepared the people — Had changed their hearts by His Almighty Spirit. For it was plain His hand was in it, both because so many of those who, in the last reign, had doted on the idolatrous altars, were now so much in love with God’s altar; and because the thing was done suddenly; was brought about in so little time, and with little or no opposition. Those that go about the work of God in faith, and with resolution, will often find there is not that difficulty in it which they had apprehended. Only let magistrates and ministers do their parts toward the reforming of a land, and then let them trust God to do His, and ascribe to Him the glory of what is done.”
Hezekiah did his part, and God did His part. When we trust in God and do that which is pleasing to Him, we will find that He Himself will be in the work, aiding and blessing us. I cannot do much – but I can do my part. The Scripture says:
Philippians 1:27 (ESV) Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, … standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel…
God is always in our midst when we gather together to honor Him in one accord. “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matthew 18:20). As God was so visibly in the Temple, Hezekiah decided to act as a mediator between Northern Israel and Southern Israel. We read:
2 Chronicles 30:1-2 Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover unto the Lord God of Israel. 2 For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the congregation in Jerusalem, to keep the Passover in the second month.
The Feast of the Passover was a time when Israel remembered how God brought them out of Egyptian slavery, and made them a mighty nation unto God. The Passover was a time before Israel had civil war. So King Hezekiah “sent to all Israel and Judah” – that’s Northern and Southern Israel – “that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover”. Hezekiah sent out a rider with a message, calling all of Israel to come together and worship the Passover as a unified people. Hezekiah begged the people to repent:
2 Chronicles 30:7-9 And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, which trespassed against the Lord God of their fathers, who therefore gave them up to desolation, as ye see. 8 Now be ye not stiff necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the Lord, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the Lord your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you. 9 For if ye turn again unto the Lord, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him.
Hezekiah begged every Israeli to “yield yourselves unto the Lord, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the Lord your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you”. Did Northern Israel repent? No. We are told in
2 Chronicles 30:10 “they laughed them to scorn, and mocked {the messengers}”
Northern Israel rejected the posts, and sealed their doom. But Judah – or Southern Israel –
2 Chronicles 30:14 … arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for incense took they away, and cast them into the brook Kidron.
The false gods and altars to these gods were burned, and their ashes scattered in “the brook Kidron”. The Matthew Henry Commentary notes:
“The godly kings of Judah had burnt and destroyed the idols they found at the brook {Kidron}; Asa, 2 Chronicles 15:16; Hezekiah, 2 Chronicles 30:14; Josiah, 2 Kings 23:4,6. Into that brook the abominable things were cast. Christ, being now made sin for us, that he might abolish it and take it away, began his passion by the same brook.”
Kidron is the place where idols are burned and scattered. As the people pursued God in love, the Bible tells us that:
2 Chronicles 30:27 … their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy dwelling place, even unto heaven.
While we cherish sin and hide it in our hearts, God will not hear our prayers. But when we repent, and do the things that are pleasing to Him, He will hear and bless us.
2 Chronicles 31:20-21 … thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the Lord his God. 21 And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.
Hezekiah and Judah prospered because he did as Jesus said:
Matthew 6:33-34 (ESV) … seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
When you put God first, you will always last!
Will God Forgive The Most Wicked Sinner?
Hezekiah made some errors in his time as King of Judah. At times he was lifted up with pride (2 Chronicles 32:24-26). But Hezekiah loved the Lord, and led the people of Judah into loving the Lord. Hezekiah had a son named Manasseh. Manasseh would be the longest reigning Judean King, and also the most wicked. We read:
2 Chronicles 33:1-4 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem: 2 But did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. 3 For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served them. 4 Also he built altars in the house of the Lord, whereof the Lord had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever.
Manasseh brought back Canaanite worship, and taught the people to “worship all the host of heaven, and serve them”. The followers of Yahweh believed that God Himself created the stars, the moon, and the sun, but the Canaanites believed that these bodies were actually “gods and goddesses”. Under Manasseh, Judah was taught to worship Molech (Leviticus 18:21; 20:2-4; Deuteronomy 18:10; Jeremiah 7:31; 32:35), to practice witchcraft (Deuteronomy 18:10), and to worship idols. Just as Ahaz defiled the Temple, Manasseh defiled the Temple. He built altars to false gods and goddesses inside the Temple, and closed up God’s altars.
2 Chronicles 33:6 {Manasseh} caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom
Manasseh sacrificed his own sons to the false gods, burning their bodies as an offering to Molech. This infuriated God. Our Lord loves children, and demanded that children be allowed to come to Him (Matthew 19:14). God cursed Judah for this horrible practice, saying through the Prophet:
Jeremiah 19:3-5 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing such disaster upon this place that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. 4 Because the people have forsaken me and have profaned this place by making offerings in it to other gods whom neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah have known; and because they have filled this place with the blood of innocents, 5 and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or decree, nor did it come into my mind..
It is horrible to sacrifice a child – but much more horrible to sacrifice your OWN child. Manasseh did this profane thing more than once. In fact, the Bible says:
2 Chronicles 33:9-10 .. Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the heathen, whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel. 10 And the Lord spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken.
God called out to Manasseh and Judah, and sent prophets to speak to them, but they would not hear. So God brought trials into Manasseh’s Kingdom. We read:
2 Chronicles 33:11 … the Lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.
Our God controls the nations. He controls the world. When His people will not listen to Him, God can and does bring in trials and tribulations to break our pride and willfulness. The Psalmist wrote:
Psalm 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your Word.
The Army of Assyria attacked Judah, and took Manasseh captive. The Bible says the Manasseh was “among the thorns, and bound with fetters”. As a young boy, mama used to have us go out to the blackberry patch and pick fruit for a cobbler (mama could make the best cobbler!). I, my brother and sister would go out and pick (as well as eat) as many ripe blackberries we could. I remember one time I reached out over the patch, trying to get to a good cluster of berries, when I lost my balance and fell into the blackberries. Those tiny thorns pierced my bare legs and arms, my face, everything that was uncovered. It was horrible.
God had Manasseh drug through the blackberry patch. Prideful Manasseh was bound like a slave, and marched through the streets of Babylon, shown off as one might show off a prize cow. Why did God do this?
Because God loves everyone, even the most wicked. And God calls whosoever will to come to Him in faith. Pastor Jeremy Linneman of Trinity Community Church (Columbia, Missouri) writes:
“Suffering … is absolutely painful. It feels like death; we can hardly bear it. And yet if faced with faith and endured in the presence of God, suffering shapes us, refines us, prepares us, purifies us, beautifies us. Suffering matures people. In the gospel, suffering takes evil and pain and turns it back on itself; through suffering we overcome evil and pain. Out of darkness comes light, and out of death comes new life.”
The painful humiliation that Manasseh went through got his attention, where the prophets could not. The Bible says:
2 Chronicles 33:12-13 when {Manasseh} was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, 13 And prayed unto {God}: and {God} was entreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought {Manasseh} again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God.
Manasseh’s life changed. The shock and pain of being captured caused Manasseh to humble himself before God, and to repent of his sinful ways. How genuine was the change? It was truthful, a real change of heart. There are some who, when tried, they will turn to God with crocodile tears. But once the pain passes, they go back to their old ways.
Not Manasseh. This evil man repented. We read:
2 Chronicles 33:14-16 Now after this {Manasseh} built a wall without the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entering in at the fish gate, and compassed about Ophel, and raised it up a very great height, and put captains of war in all the fenced cities of Judah. 15 And he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the Lord, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the Lord, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city. 16 And he repaired the altar of the Lord, and sacrificed thereon peace offerings and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel.
Manasseh did a complete 180 degree turn around in his life. He began to follow the Lord, and commanded Judah to follow the Lord. I have had people tell me, “I don’t know if God would ever forgive me”. If God forgave Manasseh, He will forgive anyone … as long as we repent and turn to Him for mercy. Our God is a loving and merciful Lord. As the devotional “Today In The Word”notes:
“Manasseh’s life teaches us that forgiveness is not limited by the amount of sin in our past, but by our eagerness to repent and change our future. How far does God need to go to get your attention? Only humility and repentance stand between you and God’s forgiveness.”
May God continue to reach lives through the wonder of His Word. Amen and Amen!
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