Contract with God
Griffith Baptist Church – 12/07/08
P.M. Service
Text: Nehemiah 10
Key verse: Nehemiah 9:38 – And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it.
Premise: We as Christians do not realize that we have a covenant with God that we break on a daily basis. We need to get back to commitment to Him.
The Introduction
I heard about a Union Meeting where the Union Representative was explaining the new Work Contract. He said, "I have great news, friends. Management has agreed to lighten our work schedule!” The crowd shouted, "Hooray!" "And we will have a 150% pay rise." "Hooray!" "We will finish work at 4 PM, not 5 PM." And again the crowd yelled, "Hooray!” "We will start work at 10 AM, not 9 AM." "Hooray!" "From now on, we will work only on Wednesdays." There was dead silence --- then a voice from the back asked… "EVERY Wednesday?"
A covenant is a contract, an agreement with God.
This is the one Israel made in 9:38.
Discuss text
Body
1. Covenant to Holiness – 10:28
A. Holiness in believing Christians was attained through the cross and is to be preserved in clean and moral living. (Heb. 7:27; Titus 2:14))
i. Our bodies - 1 Corinthians 3:17 – If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
ii. Our hearts – 1 Peter 3:15 - But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
iii. Our minds – Romans 12:2 - And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, . . .
B. Separated from the world
i. It’s influence – riches, fame, career, status, entertainment, materialism, etc.
ii. It’s philosophy – please yourself, pursue success, God can wait, etc.
iii. It’s compromise – you can have the world and the church, do both
a. With God, this compromise is impossible
b. Whatever happened to the uncompromising stand that Fanny Crosby took:
Take the world, but give me Jesus, All its joys are but a name; But His love abideth ever, Through eternal years the same.
Take the world, but give me Jesus, Sweetest comfort of my soul; With my Savior watching o’er me, I can sing though billows roll.
Take the world, but give me Jesus, Let me view His constant smile; Then throughout my pilgrim journey Light will cheer me all the while.
Take the world, but give me Jesus. In His cross my trust shall be, Till, with clearer, brighter vision, Face to face my Lord I see.
REFRAIN: Oh, the height and depth of mercy! Oh, the length and breadth of love! Oh, the fullness of redemption, Pledge of endless life above!
C. Separated to God
i. For service
ii. For worship
2. Covenant to God’s Word – 10:29
A. Walk – manner of life
i. This is what shapes our outlook on everything
ii. Our day to day living and thinking should be influenced by the Word of God
B. Observe – to guard or give heed
i. Not just a cursory reading but being careful to pay attention to every detail
ii. Now take the detail and live it as it says.
C. Do - to do, fashion, accomplish, make
i. to act, act with effect (Jn. 15:14)
ii. We do not shape the Word; the Word shapes us.
iii. We are remolded into an image more like Christ through the practice of God’s Word
iv. If God included a label on the Bible, it might say something like this: INSTRUCTIONS: For success, follow directions carefully, and do not add or subtract, go out of order, or try to substitute ingredients. The divine manufacturer cannot guarantee results should one not follow directions as prescribed - Deuteronomy 5:32 - Ye shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.
3. Covenant to Marriage and Family – 10:28-30
A. Vowing to follow God together (28)
i. A DEFINITION Marriage is when you agree to spend the rest of your life sleeping in a room that’s too warm, beside someone who’s sleeping in a room that’s too cold.
ii. Too many Christian homes are divided because parents can’t get their act together in following God.
iii. The family ought to worship together – children required
iv. Church and God’s service ought to be a priority
v. What do we teach children nowadays:
a. Sunday’s are an alternate day, a day off
b. Because we work so hard during the week, Sunday is the only day to do anything with the family
c. Consequently, it’s okay to miss every so often.
d. That lack of priority will find it’s way into the brain of each child till church becomes a byword.
B. God’s Word, the centerpiece of the home (29)
i. Do you teach God’s Word in your home, or do you wait for the preacher to do your job?
ii. Some people are so proud when they have a big family Bible on the coffee table.
iii. The problem is, if it isn’t opened, than it’s just a paperweight and a decoration
iv. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 - 4Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
C. Keeping family within the confines of faith (30)
i. Here, they would not allow mixed marriages.
ii. This has not changed – 2 Corinthians 6:14 - Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers:
iii. Marriage is and always will be sacred
4. Covenant to Church – 10:31-34, 39
A. Old John was a man of God and loved his village chapel. One day he was stopped by an acquaintance, who, by the way, was an ardent angler. "I say, John," said the angler, "I have often wondered what attraction there is up at the village chapel. You go week after week to the same old chapel, see the same folks, sing the same old hymns." "Wait a minute," interrupted John. "You fish very often at the same spot, and in the same water, don’t you?" "Yes, that’s true," agreed the other. John smiled, and then exclaimed: "Well, you don’t, for the water you fished in yesterday has gone out to sea; and every time I go up to the chapel the Lord has something fresh for me." --Sunday School Times
B. They were concerned about the altar, the feasts, the worship and God’s house.
i. They all agreed in verse 39 – “we will not forsake the house of our God.”
ii. They realized the importance of worship together
C. God’s people need to see church as indispensable to their lives – Hebrews 10:25 - Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
i. It is the prescribed vessel and family of God
ii. It is where the work of ministry gets done
D. God’s people need to come to church excited about God – John 2:17 - . . . The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up. . . .
i. There is nothing worse than apathetic Christians.
ii. What is your mood when coming to church?
iii. Psalms 122:1 - I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.
a. Some people change that to - I was sad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD. Or,
b. I was mad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.
c. The longer I am saved (40 years) and having been in church all my life, I am convinced of this by experience and observation: You can tell about a person’s walk with God by their frequency in attending their church when the doors are open and they are able to be there. It takes priority!
E. God’s people need to care for their church and be involved in it’s work (Eph. 4:12-16)
i. Evangelism (personal to worldwide)
ii. Service
iii. Care of those in need
iv. Unity
v. Upkeep of the grounds and building
vi. Support (money and prayer)
5. Covenant to Tithe – 10:35-39
A. Bumper sticker "Tithe if you love Jesus, any idiot can honk!"
B. To give the first of what we have to God
i. To many times our tithe comes last, when it should be first
ii. When we give of our first we tell God that He is first
C. To give the best of what we have to God
i. The Israelites did not just give the first but they gave their best
ii. How many times do we give God the leftovers?
iii. How many times do we give missionaries castoffs instead of something new and good?
D. To give for the support of the work of God
i. When we give we give to God, not to a program or person
ii. God recognizes and rewards the sacrifices we make financially for Him
E. To give is more than just tithe, it is our offerings
i. Malachi 3:8 - Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
ii. Tithes are our tenth
iii. Our offerings are over and above our tenth
iv. God blesses a giver
Conclusion:
What have covenanted with God?
Are you holding back on holiness, obeying His Word, your family, your church, or your tithes and offerings?
