Session Six: “Leading through Commitment”
Scripture Focus: Nehemiah 10
Opening Dialogue
As you begin this session with your group, consider opening this session with a discussion of things that people in your group have signed up for…and soon wanted out of! The idea here is magazine subscriptions, CD Music Clubs, or gym memberships. Once the group has had an opportunity to share some fun stories that help to break the ice, transition into the session with the introductory remarks below.
Session Transition: Well as we turn our attention to Nehemiah once again, this week we are going to focus on the commitments that are required when we desire to walk by faith in Christ…but these are commitments that we’ll never regret and never want to take back!
Introduction
As we return to our journey through Nehemiah this week, I want us to consider our diagram that has guided our study. As we begin our session together this week, we are now in our 6th week of walking through the book of Nehemiah with the intent of discovering some key steps for experiencing revival and the renewal of our faith. And there on your diagram on the outline…you can see how far up the steps we have made it.
Recognize – Examine – Believe – United Focus – Identify God’s Word – Lead with Commitment
Review of the Story of Nehemiah
Before we get into our session, let’s do a quick review of what we’ve observed over the past 6 weeks and across 10 chapters of Nehemiah.
• We started out with Nehemiah’s brokenness over the situation in Israel as he was moved to pray, fast, and mourn over their plight.
• We read as Nehemiah walked through the destruction and issued the challenge, “Let us rise and build”.
• Before long everyone was working…each with a special task to complete the wall.
• As they faced ridicule, they declared together “God will fight for us”.
• And as the wall was completed, they returned to the Word of God with Ezra reading the law (that’s what our session last Wednesday evening covered).
• And now we arrive at Chapter 10…where the people renew their commitments to the Lord.
Session Goal: And as we study together this week, what I want us to discover in this session is that our renewal in faith REQUIRES that we take the lead in our own relationship with Christ and that responsibility for taking a lead role in our own growth means that we must make commitments. And so everything in this session is about our “commitments”.
I. Leading with a Commitment to His Word
God offers us a guide for the commitments we make in following after Him.
Read Nehemiah 10:28-29
Group Discussion Opportunity: I want you to think of some rules that your parents had for you when you were growing – maybe rules that you chose not to enforce quite as strictly with your own children. Can any of you think of a rule or chore that you had to do that was pretty tough growing up?
Purpose of Discussion: Just as we all had rules growing up, what God’s people had neglected was the fact that living for God involves obeying His rules too! Sure we live by grace…but that doesn’t mean we can neglect His instructions either! And so here the people agree to COMMIT to His Word!
Who are all these people listed in Nehemiah 10?
As the people agree to commit to God’s Word as their sole guide for life and practice…it isn’t a quiet, private commitment. It’s a very public one. In fact, it was a ceremony complete with signatures and a seal. And the names listed here (for the most part) are the heads of tribes/households. Scholars tell us that most of these are names of individuals that came with the first return from exile, while some must have come much later because they are not mentioned until here. But the point is this – when it came to them making a commitment to God – it was a VERY public event!
And just in case those that signed thought they were excluded…Nehemiah said, “Now the rest of the people…” and so in one sweeping gesture…he helps us to see that this was going to be a church wide, community wide commitment.
Focusing on the Text Question: And what does vs. 29 tell us that they entered into?
Answer: Various versions rendered different ways, but essentially, “a curse and an oath”.
Question for Thought: As we read that…we have to ask… “Why did they include a curse?” Sure, we can understand the “oath” part of it, but not the curse!
The truth is…this was a covenant between the people and God. Covenant agreements (between kings and nations) in the ancient world included blessings for keeping the covenant and curses for breaking it. And in the same way, God’s covenant with Israel was presented in the same terms.
The people knew that obedience to God would follow this same pattern and they took for granted that the breaking of the oath would lead to God’s judgment (a curse). That might be some punishment or judgment from God, but they knew that it was a serious issue to disobey God!
Implications: And so the Israelites knew that if their story was going to change…from being an exiled, judged community…the first step toward solving these problems was a commitment by the whole community to submit to the authority of God’s revelation as found in the Scriptures.
Our text says, “they entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law…”
Man-Centered or God-Centered
As we think about that idea of a “curse and an oath”, what makes all the difference in our understanding of that idea is this - is our faith Man-Centered or God-Centered? What do I mean by that? Well, who are we living for and who is the focus of our faith?
• You see, if I view my faith as “man-centered”…then I believe that a “curse” isn’t fair and shouldn’t be a part of the covenant deal. My “man-centered” approach would say that a God that threatens a “curse” for disobedience is unloving and vindictive.
• But…if I view my faith as “God-centered”…then I believe that a curse is the only appropriate response of a holy God dealing with sinful, disobedient children. For Him to tolerate my rebellion would be a charge against Him more than me!
And so if we are living a “God-centered” faith…then it means that as we enter into a commitment with God…we realize that it’s a serious thing to break our promises/commitments before God!
(For further study on this theme, see R. Kent Hughes “Disciplines of a Godly Man” – Worship).
That’s exactly what we hear voiced by the people…the blessing…but also the curse that comes from halfheartedly following God.
Taking in God’s Word
And so as we consider this idea of the commitment made by the people…a commitment that was God-centered and not man-centered…I want us to think about how our commitment to the Word can grow.
a. We lead through our commitment to hearing God’s Word.
(To the group leader: Feel free to insert your own story that illustrates this point of people hungering for the Word of God).
Tanzania Illustration: In the spring of 2006, I went for the first time to Tanzania, and one of the gifts that I left with my interpreters was the first edition of the Ten Commandments Devotional Book that I had written. They were very appreciative because it was a personal gift. But when I came back the 2nd year, the response of my interpreter was unexpected. He informed that the pastors all around his village had been requesting that I come and teach them that book…because they simply did not understand God’s Word as it presented it.
Point: Well folks, I share that not to brag on my work…just the opposite…it shows how a resource that was published here in the local church (no editor, no long proofreading process)…how even THAT is like a piece of GOLD in a place like Tanzania where there simply is no abundance of training.
And so the starting point in a situation like that is to simply HEAR the Word. That’s what they were crying out for! And it’s what we need also.
• It’s being in Bible studies like this where our minds can be stirred and challenged.
• It’s being in worship where we can hear God’s Word explained and presented.
• But it’s also just riding down the road –you can listen to preaching ALL DAY long through local religious broadcasting or by streaming it online.
And so step one for us in COMMITTING to God’s Word is to make sure we are HEARING the Bible on a regular basis.
Group Discussion Opportunity: Invite your group members to think for a moment of a PRODUCT, a STORE, or RESTAURANT that has a catchy phrase that quickly comes to mind.
Examples: “I’m lovin’ it” – McDonalds. Good Mood Food – Arby’s.
Purpose of Discussion: Just as a product comes to mind because of their catch-phrase of jingle, so God’s Word will start coming to mind as we are willing to HEAR IT and take it in on a regular basis.
b. We lead through our commitment to become students of God’s Word.
In a study that is now nearly 20 years old, Barna research discovered that less than 18% of born-again believers read their Bible every day. And 23% admit to never reading it at all! And what’s interesting in the ministry of Jesus is the fact that He often began His teachings by saying, “Have you not read…?” OR “Have you not heard…?” In other words, even Jesus began with the presupposition that His audience KNEW the Law!
Well, when it comes to our commitment to Christ…it has to involve our willingness to become students of the Bible!
Revelation 1:3 states, “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.”
John Blanchard, in his book “How to Enjoy your Bible” wrote…
Surely we only have to be realistic and honest with ourselves to know how regularly we need to turn to the Bible. How often do we face problems, temptations, and pressure? Every day! Then how often do we need instruction, guidance, and greater encouragement? Every day!
To catch all these needs up into an even greater issue, how often do we need to see God’s face, hear his voice, feel his touch, know His power? The answer to all these questions is the same: every day!
As the American evangelist D.L. Moody put it: ‘A man can no more take in a supply of grace for the future than he can eat enough for the next 6 months, or take sufficient air into his lungs at one time to sustain life for a week. We must draw upon God’s boundless store of grace from day to day as we need it.”
Relation to Nehemiah: So that is why Ezra was invited to stand before the people to read the Law. Nehemiah knew that the people needed to be called back to a commitment to the Law. And now…here in Chapter 10…that investment of time in Nehemiah 8 has paid off because the people are now voicing their response!
Group Discussion Opportunity: Invite your group members to pause for a moment and share with one another what has helped them more than anything else to be regular in the study of God’s Word. Invite group members to share some tips that you might share with the rest of us?
Possible Answers: A version easy to read. A plan of what to read. The time necessary to actually read it!
Transition to Joke: Well as we consider what has worked for each of us in studying God’s Word, let’s consider some real signs that you HAVE NOT been in God’s Word. Here are the Top 10 Clues…
--10 The Preacher announces the sermon is the book of Hezekiah...and you check the table of contents.
--9 You think Abraham, Isaac and Jacob may have had a few hit songs during the 60's.
--8 You open to the Gospel of Luke and a WWII Savings Bond falls out.
--7 Your favorite Old Testament patriarch is Hercules.
--6 A small family of woodchucks has taken up residence in Psalms.
--5 You become frustrated because Charlton Heston isn't listed in either the concordance or the table of contents.
--4 You think the book of Numbers must be about how to track attendance in Sunday School and worship.
--3 You think the minor prophets must refer to Christians who worked in the quarries.
--2 You keep falling for it every time when pastor tells you to turn to First Hesitations.
And the No. 1 sign you may not be reading your Bible enough:
--1 The kids keep asking too many questions about your unusual bedtime story: "Jonah the Shepherd Boy and His Ark of Many Colors."
Transition: Well, those certainly WOULD reveal our lack of commitment in studying God’s Word…but most of the time the clues aren’t that out in the open. Instead, it only shows as we face hardships and we don’t know where to turn OR what promises to claim! So leading with a commitment to His Word is first. Secondly…
II. Leading with a Commitment to our Witness
God honors our desire to live a life that reflects our commitment to His Word.
Read Nehemiah 10:30-31
Teaching the Context: The community is voicing their tangible responses to how the Law would shape their daily lives – their witness! And so as we consider these two verses, I want us to consider how we must lead with a commitment to our witness. You see, how we live our lives truly does matter!
And often it’s in our words that this truth shows up more than anywhere else…
Old Goat Joke: A young couple invited their pastor for Sunday dinner. While they were in the kitchen preparing the meal, the minister asked their son what they were having. "Goat," the little boy replied.
"Goat?" replied the startled pastor, "Are you sure about that?"
"Yep," said the youngster. "I heard Dad say to Mom, 'Might as well have the old goat for dinner today as any other day.'"
Our witness (especially when it comes to our words) makes a difference! And as we consider this idea of “leading through our commitments”…our commitment to being a witness for Christ is huge!
And so as God’s people set out to “lead through commitment”…what we see here in vs. 30 is really their desire to GET BACK to the BASICS!
Vs. 30 says, “…we would not give our daughters as wives to the peoples of the land”
As we consider this in the context of the Old Testament, in Exodus 34, they had already been commanded to not intermarry with the Canaanites because of the threat of apostasy (turning away from God). And so as we come to the book of Nehemiah…we could say that all that the people were doing at this point (having returned to the Promised Land) was to RECOMMIT and GET BACK TO THE BASICS!
The Basics of Witnessing
To the Leader: Often group members feel as though gospel presentations are just too complex to learn and to use as tools in their tool belt of faith. But there certainly are very simple ways of presenting the Gospel. Below is a very condensed example from the Evantell Evangelism Ministry with Larry Moyer. This presentation is called the “The Bad News/Good News Gospel Presentation”. You can see more about this at www.act111.org.
Bad News 1: We are all sinners Throwing a Rock For all have sinned…
Bad News 2: The penalty is death Earning a wage For the wages of sin is death…
Good News 1: Christ died for you Terminal Illness But God proves his love…
Good News 2: You can be saved Trusting Chair For it is by grace you are saved…
This presentation can be accessed online at “act111.org”. You can watch the training totally free of charge.
Andrew’s Example: But even more basic than that is how in the Bible…the disciple Andrew went about evangelism.
John 1:40-42a, “One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus.”
What was Andrew’s method? It was simply this – find people and bring them to Jesus!
Relation to Nehemiah: In the same way, sometimes need to just get back to the basics. That’s what we find the people doing here in Nehemiah. As Nehemiah led them to follow God alone…they chose to take the leadership role of taking responsibility for their WITNESS (a witness of their lives AND their lips).
How People Come to Christ
Listen to these survey results regarding the importance of our witness (how we live our lives). In a study by the American Institute for Church Growth, listen to how people cited their reasons for coming to church…
• 1 to 2% say they came because of needs in their life.
• 2 to 3% say they came simply as what they called a “walk-in”
• 5 to 6% came because of the preacher at that particular church.
• 2 to 3% came because they like a program that the church offered.
• 1 to 2% came because of a visitation effort.
• 4 to 5% were reached because of the Sunday School ministry.
• .5% came because of an evangelistic crusade on TV/Radio.
• 75 to 90% came through the influence of friends or relatives.
Our Influence: I tell my wife from time to time that if you ever want to determine how important you are to people, drive 45 on the interstate – you’ll become the center of everyone’s world!
Point: Well…on a positive side…I think we all too often devalue our influence in others’ lives. And so as we have conversations with folks outside of this church (and more importantly outside of faith)…I think we need to be willing to take bold steps in inviting them…encouraging them to attend…and to share about our faith. If they are friends with you…they’re probably interested in what you have to say!
Nehemiah and the people GOT BACK TO THE BASICS…of living their lives as a testimony that would be honoring to God!
III. Leading with a Commitment to our Willingness
God multiplies the blessing of our willingness to give our resources for His kingdom.
Read Nehemiah 10:32-39
Noticing the Keywords: As we consider the setting of these verses, Nehemiah offers us several keywords that help us to understand the context of these verses…
- the service of the house of the Lord. – the offering. - the firstfruits.
What they were doing was giving of their possessions in order to benefit the house of the Lord. Now what’s interesting here in Nehemiah is that this is one of the first references to financial giving in the Old Testament. While there are lots of references to giving of animals and even sacrificing treasures…this is clearly an invitation to give of their monies to the temple.
Giving of our Firstfruits
But this chapter is not just about our financial gifts, even though those gifts make the many ministries of our churches possible. Instead, I want us to INSTEAD consider the idea of “firstfruits” because that is mentioned several times in these verses.
Verse 35 says, “And we made ordinances to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, to the house of the Lord.”
Eating at Mom’s House
Every Sunday for lunch, we go to my mother’s house where she cooks up a big spread of food. And EVERY Sunday…the meal ends with some dessert. It’s not always homemade…but most of the time is! And as she unveils the dessert of the week…she always cuts it and starts handing it around the table! While she would be justified in starting with herself first (after all, she made it)…she won’t eat it until we all get a piece! Well in the same way…so the people commit to give FIRST to God…and then to trust God for what would follow.
Original Context of Firstfruits
The significance of the firstfruits is that this was the part of the harvest that had ripened first. So it MAY HAVE BEEN all that they had at the moment. It was the first produce of the season. And while they may have been tempted to dive into that first yield of the crop…they used this picture of giving this away to symbolize their UTTER DEPENDENCE upon the Lord!
And so the question we have to ask is, “Are we giving God what’s first…or what’s left over?”
Putting it into Series Context
This series has been all about “renewing faith” and the understanding that renewing our faith HAS TO involve a process of growing and maturing in our faith until we reach that point of experiencing God’s presence on a daily basis. And so we’ve talked about recognizing our failures, examining our brokenness, believing God’s faithfulness, uniting our focus, identifying with God’s Word…and if we are going to “lead through commitment”…it HAS TO involve us saying that we long to give God our FIRST…not what’s left!
Costa Rica Trash: When we lived in Costa Rica, one of the first things that we really had a hard time with was the men and women that would walk along and go through our trash on trash days. You see, the beggars would go from one house to the next, opening the bags and checking for anything useful…but also anything edible. And there were times when some of our missionary friends watched as the men sat down on the curb to eat something that had been discarded in the trash. Their buffet was limited to was leftover!
Point: Well folks, I don’t think it’s any more appetizing to us to think of going through the leftovers in trash than it is for us to look to God and offer Him a buffet of our leftovers…
Our leftover energy. Our leftover time. Our leftover commitments.
And so that’s why I believe God recorded this idea of “first fruits” again and again throughout the Bible. He wanted us to understand what He asks of us! When it comes down to it…we give of our talents, our abilities, our time…and even our finances because we claim the words of Nehemiah 10:39…
“…we will not neglect the house of our God…”
We won’t neglect his house here as a church building…but more importantly…his house within each of us!
Summary: This week we’re standing on the pinnacle of this study. This is the highest point that we’ll reach in this journey – the point of commitment – where we resolve to live out our faith based upon what we have encountered in His Word.
It may be that you have list after list of commitments that you have made…and maybe you are living those out on a daily basis. Well if that is the case, then next week we’ll talk about our final chapter/final session…the importance of DEFENDING those RESOLUTIONS!
