[clearly you will subsitute in your own church family's history]
10,000 BRICKS: Building the Covenant
Nehemiah 9:1-10:39
#10000bricks
CCC PART 1
The idea of having a Cincinnati Christian Church originated among a group of believers who were sharing the use of the Union Church located across the road from Cincinnati Christian Church. Union Church was built in the year 1875 and was shared on different Sundays by different denominations. Each denomination would use the church once a month and a minister would come by train. Maybe that is where some of you get the idea that church is just once a month? Funny? No? The group of 20 or so that started Cincinnati Christian Church was one of those groups that used the church for services.
The land where we sit now was donated to be used for the purpose of building a church in 1917. There were promises made to saw the lumber for the original church building and after some hardships, it was done. A one room frame building was completed and dedicated as a place of worship in October of 1919. At the dedication, there was a dinner. Donations and pledges to pay for and furnish the church were made at this dinner. The seats and pews were obtained from the Bloomfield Opera House at no cost and were transported to the church by a horse drawn wagon. I still can’t wrap my head around that Bloomfield had an “Opera House.” Thomas Cox was the first minister of the church who served from 1919 to 1927.
There were a lot of firsts for the church. The first funeral was held in 1921. The trustees were bonded in 1924. The first youth group was formed between area churches in 1930.
TRANSITION / BACKGROUND ON NEHEMIAH
Today, we winding down in a series of sermons from the Book of Nehemiah all about some building efforts. We have just a few more weeks in this book that has 13 chapters containing 406 verses. We have seen in Nehemiah 1-8 that the building efforts led by Nehemiah for the walls around Jerusalem were successful. According to the Biblical record, the Babylonian armies smashed Jerusalem to pieces (2 Kings 25) including the temple and all the palaces (2 Kings 25, Jeremiah 52). They devastated the countryside as well (Jeremiah 32). Nehemiah was one who had not yet returned to Jerusalem, but heard the city was in ruins many years after it should have been rebuilt. He fasted and prayed. He received a burden from the Lord to rebuild the walls. He did that fighting off distractions and oppositions outside of Jerusalem and inside Jerusalem. Nehemiah is someone who obeyed God.
We know about Nehemiah from the Bible, but also from sources NOT in the Bible. Josephus, a Jewish historian says this about Nehemiah (XI, 183, 8]: “Then, after performing many others splendid and praiseworthy public services, Nehemiah died at an advanced age. He was a man of kind and just nature and most anxious to serve his countrymen; and he left the walls of Jerusalem as his eternal monument.”
We are in Nehemiah 9-10.
Nehemiah 9–10 recounts a national spiritual revival where the Israelites, having returned from exile and rebuilt Jerusalem's walls, gather for confession, fasting, and repentance. They pray, recounting God’s faithfulness despite their ancestors’ disobedience, and sign a binding covenant to obey God’s laws, specifically regarding temple support and intermarriage with unbelieving people.
As we read Nehemiah 9-10, we will find the people assembling in fasting and sackcloth, separating themselves from foreigners to confess their sins and the sins of previous generations. They are led by a prayer from the Levites. This is not a short prayer, but a long ‘ol prayer of reflection on history which highlights God as the faithful Creator and Redeemer Who provided, guided, and gave land to Israel. The Levites contrast God's mercy and grace with Israel’s historical tendency to rebel against Him which lead to their current state of servitude in their own land.
The section of Nehemiah 9-10 concludes with the strong commitment: "We will not neglect the house of our God” (Nehemiah 10:39).
READ NEHEMIAH 9:1-3 (ESV)
“Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth on their heads. 2 And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. 3 And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshiped the Lord their God.”
Nehemiah 9 opens with showing us the heart of the people by their outward actions. The people who had returned to Jerusalem and who were part of the rebuilding efforts were focusing on purifying their community and returning to covenant obedience to God. They wanted to be God’s people in all senses of the word. They came to God humbly and with much repentance. What did this look like? This looked like the people fasting, wearing sackcloth which is a coarse itchy fabric, and put dirt on their heads. These were all physical signs of deep sorrow and humility before God the people wanted to express.
They gathered and spent a long time together. They spent roughly three hours reading the Book of the Law and another three hours confessing and worshipping. The service was organized by the Levites who were their religious leaders.
CCC PART 2
There was movement at Cincinnati Christian Church in 1931. Literally. It was in 1931 that the original building was moved approximately 10 feet to provide a right of way for State Highway 54. The cost for moving the church was $225, by the way. It was during 1931 that the Ladies Missionary Society, later called Christian Women's Fellowship, was formed. The first aim of CWF was “to help win souls to Christ and his church, to make gifts of comforts to victims of fire, to help furnish kitchens, to help in home missions in providing food for families in the time of deaths, and to contribute to the support of missions.” It is that first part, “to help win souls to Christ” that remains not only the purpose of CWF, but our entire church as well. Today we say: “The purpose of Cincinnati Christian Church is to help people find and follow Jesus.” Same aim. Different words. Same purpose.
During the 1936-1946 timeframe, several audacious expenditures were authorized for electricity for the church, cleaning the church for a revival, and money per Sunday to build a fire during Sunday school. It was also decided in 1936 to take an offering every Sunday at services. In 1937, a strip of land adjacent to the church was donated and was used as a parking lot and for building expansion… it was built upon in the 1950s. In 1939, a formal communion table and trays were purchased. In September of 1941, a new roof was put on the church building.
In 1946 a basement was built under the church, a coal furnace was installed, and an addition was built on the front. The basement with new chairs was dedicated in 1947.
I am focusing on the church building, but keep in mind, that ministry was also going on… Alvin Sarver, too ill to be taken anywhere for baptism, was baptized in a watering tank which was brought to his home. This took place on May 21st and he died June 27th.
In 1950, a stage was added to the sanctuary as well as a nursery was finished in the basement.
READ NEHEMIAH 9:5-15
“Then the Levites […] said, “Stand up and bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. 6 “You are the Lord, You alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and You preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships You. 7 You are the Lord, the God Who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham. 8 You found his heart faithful before You, and made with him the covenant to give to his offspring the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite. And You have kept Your promise, for You are righteous. 9 “And You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea, 10 and performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land, for You knew that they acted arrogantly against our fathers. And You made a Name for Yourself, as it is to this day. 11 And you divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land, and You cast their pursuers into the depths, as a stone into mighty waters. 12 By a pillar of cloud You led them in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go. 13 You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments, 14 and You made known to them Your holy Sabbath and commanded them commandments and statutes and a law by Moses your servant. 15 You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and You told them to go in to possess the land that You had sworn to give them.
There is a prayer recorded for us after the time of reading and prayer. It also is a bit of a lesson about the history of God with his people. The Levites recount how faithful God had been to His people. YHWH God is praised for being forgiving, gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in love. That is Who He is. The Levites pray and praise this to God.
The prayer lesson covers God as the creator of the heavens, stars, earth, and seas (verse 6)
The prayer lesson covers Abraham and the promise of Canaan (verses 7-8)
The prayer lesson covers the miraculous events of Exodus (verses 9-11)
The prayer lesson covers how God guided them with a pillar of cloud/fire (verse 12)
The prayer lesson covers the "true laws" on Mount Sinai that were given (verses 13-14)
The Levites were praising God by recounting all that God had done through the history of the people who were gathered. Huh. That is a good idea. It is a good idea to recount how God has been faithful in the past in building projects when you are facing a building project.
CCC PART 3
In 1954, permanent youth groups were formed as well as a vacation Bible school was held for the first time. The first VBS was 2 weeks long and over 200 kids heard the Gospel. Two weeks of VBS sounds like torture to me, but over 200 kids hearing the Gospel is kingdom work for sure. In 1955, 3 rooms were added to the building and stone was added to the front of the church. In 1957, Charles Zoder was installed as the first full-time minister. In 1958, a house was purchased to be used as a parsonage, and the debt was paid off in 1962 with the help of proceeds from a farming project sponsored by the deacons and other projects sponsored by the ladies and the youth. Basically, the men of the church rented farmland, worked it, and donated all the proceeds of the harvest to pay for the project. In 1963, new pews and new hardwood floors were installed. The first organ was obtained during 1964 and in 1965 the fellowship hall was built.
Again, lest you think ministry did not happen because I am talking all about the church building and not the people, in the hay season of 1961, the men of the church gathered to gather, cut, and store the hay for a man who had broken his leg. His son had also broken his leg the same summer and so the church stepped up to serve them both. As far as I could tell, the men saw the need and met the need by serving them.
READ NEHEMIAH 9:20-25 (ESV)
“You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold Your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. 21 Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell. 22 “And You gave them kingdoms and peoples and allotted to them every corner. So they took possession of the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and the land of Og king of Bashan. 23 You multiplied their children as the stars of heaven, and You brought them into the land that you had told their fathers to enter and possess. 24 So the descendants went in and possessed the land, and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would. 25 And they captured fortified cities and a rich land, and took possession of houses full of all good things, cisterns already hewn, vineyards, olive orchards and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in Your great goodness.”
I think the verse that caught my eye the most in Nehemiah 9-10 is verse 20. Verse 20 points out that God provided His “good Spirit to instruct them.” It is not that the Holy Spirit is absent from the Old Testament, but He acted different than He does today after the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus.
As the Levites are praying and teaching the people, I find it important that they were pointing out the leading of the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, the people of God belong to God and followed the leading of the Spirit. In the New Testament, the people of God belong to God through Christ Jesus and followed the leading of the Spirit. Now, the people of God belong to God through Christ Jesus and followed the leading of the Spirit.
READ John 16:13 (ESV)
“When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come.”
READ Romans 8:14 (ESV)
“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”
READ Galatians 4:6 (ESV)
“And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
I know we see the Holy Spirit at work among the people of Nehemiah 9-10 because of their heart of repentance, their humility, their worship, the leading away from disobedience to obedience, and the increasing desire for God. All of this is present among the people.
CCC PART 4
In September 1968, a significant building program was initiated where it was planned to build a new sanctuary and to make other additions. A building fund was established. A building fund offering plan for the third Sunday of each month was instituted. Groundbreaking took place during June 1972 and the building was completed by December of 1972. Brick was added to the existing fellowship hall in addition to construction of the new building which housed the sanctuary, classrooms in the basement, an office, and a nursery. In early 1977, the building program was paid for and later in the year the decision was made to build a new parsonage, but to delay construction until significant part of the cost was raised. In 1979, new pews were purchased for the sanctuary. Construction of the parsonage began in July 1981 and was completed in November of 1981.
From a letter dated February 5th 1977 to Fred Couch: “Please convey to all the fine folks at Cincinnati our congratulations and completing payment of the indebtedness on their fine still new building so rapidly. The Christians here at Solsberry rejoiced with you in this happy time and praise the Lord for His making it possible for this grand accomplishment to be realized. I pray this achievement will be an incentive for the church there and for the congregations throughout our area to step out on faith in other endeavors aimed at spreading the good news of Jesus and strengthening the members of his body, the church. Again our warmest congratulations on this wonderful accomplishment and party praise the Lord. Yours and His, James Root minister at Solsberry Christian Church.
READ NEHEMIAH 9:32-33
Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, Who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to You that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all Your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day. 33 Yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for You have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly.
CCC PART 5
In the early 2000s, the folks at Cincinnati Christian Church saw the need for what would be called “the Big Room.” The Big Room gym area was needed because of the growing youth ministry. In addition, the congregation saw the need for a bigger space at Christmas and Easter because putting chairs in the aisles of the sanctuary only gets you so many seats. The three year project was finished in 2009. The building was constructed in stages. The men who worked on the project tell me that the plans, wiring, plumbing, and the entire upstairs area we use for Junior Church was done by church labor. Each stage was completed and after each stage, the money for the next phase was in place. The plans to add the kitchen later was funded and so the kitchen was finished as well. You are sitting in that same room this morning as this is where we have Family Sunday on the first Sunday of each month.
Ministry continues as we reach out to our local community. We do Good News Club in the local school, Fellow Believing Thunderbirds, the Rummage Sale, sponsor local sports, host community events, and over and above all we help people find and follow Jesus.
READ NEHEMIAH 10:8-39
“The rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all who have separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, their daughters, all who have knowledge and understanding, 29 join with their brothers, their nobles, and enter into a curse and an oath to walk in God's Law that was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord and his rules and his statutes. 30 We will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons. 31 And if the peoples of the land bring in goods or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day. And we will forgo the crops of the seventh year and the exaction of every debt. 32 “We also take on ourselves the obligation to give yearly a third part of a shekel for the service of the house of our God: 33 for the showbread, the regular grain offering, the regular burnt offering, the Sabbaths, the new moons, the appointed feasts, the holy things, and the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God. 34 We, the priests, the Levites, and the people, have likewise cast lots for the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God, according to our fathers' houses, at times appointed, year by year, to burn on the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the Law. 35 We obligate ourselves to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of the Lord; 36 also to bring to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God, the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, as it is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks; 37 and to bring the first of our dough, and our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the wine and the oil, to the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and to bring to the Levites the tithes from our ground, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all our towns where we labor. 38 And the priest, the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive the tithes. And the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers of the storehouse. 39 For the people of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring the contribution of grain, wine, and oil to the chambers, where the vessels of the sanctuary are, as well as the priests who minister, and the gatekeepers and the singers. We will not neglect the house of our God.”
For the people who gathered with Nehemiah, they felt the need to be accountable and sign an agreement among themselves. They focused on separating themselves from idolatry by committing themselves to not marry outside their faith. They focused on observance of the Sabbath which was a huge mark that someone followed God. They promised to cease from doing business on the Sabbath day to honor God and rest. They also focused on supporting the temple with tithes and offerings. That was what they needed to do to focus themselves well on God after the rebuilding project was complete.
SUMMARY / CONCLUSION
This morning I have done what the Levites did for the people who were gathered. They recounted the faithfulness of God to the people. I have tried to do the same. YHWH God has been faithful to Cincinnati Christian Church through the over 100 years of ministry, changes, building, adjustments, and new endeavors. Throughout the history of this church, the people have seen a need, prayed, and met that need. Period. Throughout the history of this church, we have followed the path God has laid out for us.
The building of a new sanctuary, the project that is looming over us now, is just one more step on the journey. After Easter, we will be rolling out the whole plan. I want you to know, these few weeks before Easter, that right now our congregation is not praying about doing something that has not been done before! It has been planned before and by the grace and provision of God it was done to His glory!
It will be again!
PRAYER
INVITATION
