Have you ever wondered, “What’s the point of problems? Why do I find myself in mess after mess after mess?” God uses troubles…
… to protect us.
Maybe you’re headed in a wrong direction or find yourself in a place you shouldn’t be in. God will arrange some trouble to come to remove us danger.
A few nights ago, the Giants and Angels were playing in SF. With J.T Snow and David Bell on base, Kenny Lofton his a triple to right center. Darren Baker, son of manager Dusty Baker, went out to grab Lofton’s bat as the Giants runners rounded the bases. He was in a dangerous spot right at home plate as these big men are running at full speed. On his way across home plate, Snow, with Bell fast on his trail, scooped up Darren by his jacket and carried him off the field. Removed for protective purposes. God uses troubles to protect us.
… to inspect us.
We’ve talked about this before. Imagine yourself as a pot, a glass container, a vase. Troubles come and push us over. What is on the inside ends up on the outside. What’s supposed to come out is love, joy, and peace. What often comes out is resentment, anger, and worry. God uses troubles to inspect us.
… to correct us.
It’s this last point that we’re concerned with today. It serves us well to go to God and ask Him, “What’s the reason I’m facing this particular problem?” If you are spiritually sensitive, you’ll find that sometimes, God has engineered the problem you are facing to correct you – to discipline you – to get you back in line with where He wants you to be. And that might just be true for you today!
When your distress is discipline
Series: Here’s Hope: Rebuilding a broken world
Text: Nehemiah 9, 10, p.
The people of God now have security. The walls have been rebuilt around their city. They are now well-led and organized. They’ve even had a wonderful spiritual experience – a great worship service – after the walls were rebuilt. God was honored and they were encouraged. Yet things still aren’t quite right…
36 Behold, we are slaves today, and as to the land which You gave to our fathers to eat of its fruit and its bounty, behold, we are slaves in it.
37 Its abundant produce is for the kings whom You have set over us because of our sins; they also rule over our bodies and over our cattle as they please, so we are in great distress.
Nehemiah 9:36-37
Distress = trouble, affliction, adversity
They sensed that the distress they were experiencing was really discipline from the hand of God. From time to time, that will be our experience, too. We’ll have this sense that the tough times we’re going through is because we’re not living the way God really wants us to live. He’s seeking to get our attention through distress. What do you do? How do you handle it?
When your distress is discipline…
1. … show your sorrow. vv. 9:1-3
One of our greatest challenges is to own up to our own sins, and the sins of our family and really come clean before God. Confession of our wrongs is vital in our relationship to God.
Are you going through a stressful time? It’s easy to blame everyone else for it. Have you demonstrated a brokenness, a humility, a repentance? Notice what these people did…
1 Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the sons of Israel assembled with fasting, in sackcloth and with dirt upon them.
2 The descendants of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.
3 While they stood in their place, they read from the book of the law of the LORD their God for a fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the LORD their God.
Nehemiah 9:1-3
Last week, we saw the people of God celebrating – they threw a God-glorifying party. “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” But after only a few days, feasting gave place to fasting; joy became humiliation.
Listen, rejoicing in the Lord and wearing sackcloth must both be a part of our experience. Throwing a party and fasting – denying ourselves – must both happen. There’s a time to laugh and a time to mourn.
Some of us are comfortable with one and not the other. But we must remember, it is the humble and contrite heart that God does not despise. God will never plant the seed of His life upon the soil of a hard, unbroken spirit.
When your distress is discipline, show your sorrow.
2. … eliminate your excuses. vv. 9:32-34
It’s so easy for us to blame shift, isn’t it? It’s always someone else’s fault. Worse, we even tend to blame God for being unjust in what He’s allowed to happen in our lives.
32 Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and lovingkindness, Do not let all the hardship seem insignificant before You, Which has come upon us, our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers and on all Your people, From the days of the kings of Assyria to this day.
33 However, You are just in all that has come upon us; for You have dealt faithfully, but we have acted wickedly.
34 For our kings, our leaders, our priests and our fathers have not kept Your law or paid attention to Your commandments and Your admonitions with which You have admonished them.
Nehemiah 9:32-34
Do you see what’s going on in verse 33? They are accepting full responsibility for the distress they are in. They aren’t blaming anyone else. They are admitting that the discipline they are experiencing is something they deserve.
It will be a tremendously powerful moment in a your life when he can honestly look up into the face of God and say, “Yes, Lord, You are right and I am wrong.” When you stop arguing with God and eliminate your excuses, then God can begin to work in your life and through your life like you never dreamed possible.
Will you say, “Yes, Lord. I got what I deserved in this situation”?
When your distress is discipline, eliminate your excuses.
3. … make your commitments. vv. 9:38; 10:28-39
These people are passionate about life change. Alexander Whyte “The victorious Christian life is a series of new beginnings.” Look at how they went about making changes in heir lives…
38 Now because of all this we are making an agreement in writing; and on the sealed document are the names of our leaders, our Levites and our priests.
Nehemiah 9:38
The people remembered the past faithfulness of God. Then, they said to the Lord, “Because of all your past lovingkindness, we want to establish some priorities. And to show we mean business, we are making this agreement in writing.” These people prayed, “Lord, we don’t want this to be simply an empty series of words. We want it to be a promise that is nailed down. We’re developing a new set of priorities. We’ll sign our names to prove that we’ll keep our promises!”
Life change doesn’t really happen without commitment. Have you made some commitments to God lately? Maybe your life hasn’t changed too much because you haven’t made commitments to God. You’re either in or you’re out. There’s no such thing as in between. Commitments make the difference.
Commitments that really make a difference are …
… personal.
The names of Nehemiah and other leaders were written on a written document. I recently read John Adams’ biography. When he and the other founding fathers of our nation signed the Declaration of independence, there was no turning back. They literally laid their lives on the line. Commitments that make a difference are personal…
… public.
28 Now the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the law of God, their wives, their sons and their daughters, all those who had knowledge and understanding,
29 are joining with their kinsmen, their nobles, and are taking on themselves a curse and an oath to walk in God’s law, which was given through Moses, God’s servant, and to keep and to observe all the commandments of GOD our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes;
Nehemiah 10:28-29a
This commitment was made in the presence of many witnesses. I know that when I go public with what I’m going to do – in the family, with my accountability partner, with the staff – that’s when things really will get done. This is how to make peer pressure work for you in a positive way. Commitments that make a difference are public…
… practical.
…and to keep and to observe all the commandments of GOD our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes;
Nehemiah 10:29b
The people didn’t just say “OK” to a series of generalized statements. “I’ll live for God…” No. They were very practical as we shall see.
In the Christian life, so much is lost because we are indefinite. The devil is not worried by our indefinite aspirations.
You will find it very helpful to draw up a covenant with the Lord, identifying certain areas in your life that need attention. Make a definite commitment to Christ about your daily time with Jesus, your lifestyle, your priorities, your relationships, your possessions, your service in the church. Sometimes when we hear a message and decide that we want to be better people for God, but fail to make a specific, definite response to God’s Word. So, nothing really changes.
Let’s take a look at the commitments of these people...
4 commitments to keep: We will obey God…
1) … in our homes. v. 10:30
Evidently, their homes were not God-honoring. That’s one reason why the distress and discipline had come.
Forbidden marriages with people who didn’t know God had been disastrous in Israel’s spiritual and moral life. There were clear biblical warnings about the danger of corrupting their faith through an unequally-yoked marriage. So, they made a specific commitment concerning that…
30 and that we will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons.
The law forbidding mixed marriages was essential to Israel’s missionary call. It wasn’t about prejudice or nationalism. Israel had been entrusted with the most wonderful message in the world and nothing was to be allowed to corrupt it.
They made a commitment to marry God’s people because they knew that the Lord was concerned about the purity of their faith and the holiness of their lives. They said, “We won’t shrug our shoulders, yawn, and say, ‘It doesn’t matter’ when our kids want to mix and mingle with the crowd.” God-followers have distinctive, respectable homes.
In our world, the institution of marriage is seriously under threat. Living together before marriage is on the increase. Divorce statistics in the church are virtually the same as statistics outside the church. Christ-followers are dating, falling in love with, and marrying non-Christ-followers.
It’s time for us to take a stand and be counter-cultural! “We don’t care if anyone else understands or cares. God cares! We will live His way. He will be our guide. Our homes will be different.”
What’s it going to take for you to obey God in your home? What is a specific commitment God would have you make? “I will not date or marry a person who is not following Christ.” “We will read the Bible and pray together as a couple, as a family…” “We’ll stop allowing the world’s filth into our home through the TV…”
We will obey God in our homes.
2) … on His day. v. 10:31a
Evidently, the way they treated God’s day was not God-honoring. That’s one reason why the distress and discipline had come.
31a As for the peoples of the land who bring wares or any grain on the sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the sabbath or a holy day…
“When the Saturday Sabbath begins and we see those who want to do business coming over the hills toward Jerusalem, we will say, ‘Not open. We’ll talk with you tomorrow.’
The sabbath was a weekly reminder to the nation that they were Jews and had a special calling in the world.
For us, the Lord’s day is Sunday. It gives us an opportunity to honor God in public worship – to let the world know and let ourselves know that god is priority for us. It ought to provide opportunity for rest, relaxation, reading, prayer, and service for Christ.
What’s it going to take for you to make the Lord’s day the Lord’s day? What is a specific commitment God would have you make? “We’ll quit making the worship of God optional…” “We’ll stop allowing our kid’s recreation to be priority…”
We will obey God on His day.
3) … through our work. v. 10:31b
Evidently, the way they went about their work was not God-honoring. That’s one reason why the distress and discipline had come.
31b … and we will forego the crops the seventh year and the exaction of every debt.
The soil needs time to recover after six years’ hard work. When the fields were left fallow for a year, a certain amount of produce would automatically re-seed, and the fields could yield a modest natural harvest. God said that in the 7th year the produce belonged not to the farmer but to poor people in the community.
The seventh-year rule was a graphic teaching aid: obeying God means trusting him. God promised that he would send ‘such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years’.
They also said, “When our brother owes us a debt, we will look on it as God would have us look on it. There will be a release from the debt. Our business dealings will be on the up-and-up.”
There are times in all our lives when obedience to God means that we will make business decisions that won’t make sense in the eyes of the world.
What’s it going to take for you to make your business God’s business? What is a specific commitment God would have you make? “We will stop selling things that are profitable but that we know are dishonoring to God…” “We will stop unethical practices like lying to customers or treating employees unfairly…”
We will obey God through our work…
4) … with our treasure. v. 10:32-39
Evidently, the way they gave to support God work and God’s worship were not God-honoring. That’s one reason why the distress and discipline had come.
Nine times in Nehemiah 10:32-39 the “house of the Lord” or the “house of God” is mentioned.
32 We also placed ourselves under obligation to contribute yearly one third of a shekel for the service of the house of our God…
G. Campbell Morgan said: “The house of God today is no longer material but spiritual. But the material is still a very real symbol of the spiritual. When God’s people are careless about the building, the place of its worship and its work, it is a sign and evidence that spiritual life is at a low ebb.
God doesn’t live in the houses in which we assemble to worship Him (Isaiah 60:1-2; Acts 7:48-50), but the way we care for those buildings indicates what we think of God.
34 Likewise we cast lots for the supply of wood… to burn on the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the law;
Not everybody in Israel could be a priest or Levite, or donate lambs or oxen for sacrifices, but everybody could bring some wood and help keep the fire burning.
36 and bring to the house of our God the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, and the firstborn of our herds and our flocks as it is written in the law, for the priests who are ministering in the house of our God.
37 We will also bring the first of our dough, our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the new wine and the oil to the priests at the chambers of the house of our God, and the tithe of our ground to the Levites, for the Levites are they who receive the tithes in all the rural towns.
38 The priest, the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive tithes, and the Levites shall bring up the tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers of the storehouse.
The Jews were to bring a tenth of their produce to the Lord each year for the support of the Levites (Lev. 27:30-34). The Levites then gave a “tithe of the tithe” to the priests (Num. 18:25-32). There was not one set of rules for the people and another for the pastors and teachers. The Levites would benefit from the generous and regular giving of God’s people, and they in turn were to help to maintain the priesthood.
39 … Thus we will not neglect the house of our God.
Nehemiah 10:32-39
Sir Winston Churchill said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
Everyone was required to give in one form or another. Everybody would benefit from the ministry of the temple and everyone must support it.
What’s it going to take for you to obey God with your treasure? What is a specific commitment God would have you make? “We will start giving to God first, then spend the rest.” We will make a commitment to tithe…” “We will stop tipping God.”
We will obey God with our treasure…
Could it be that distress and discipline has come your way because you have not been where you need to be in your home, on His day, through your work, and with your treasure?
Here’s where God wants us to be today… showing our sorrow, eliminating our excuses, and making our commitments. This is what to do when we are sensing that our distress is our discipline.
* * *
This has been a tough talk to give and a tough one to listen to. But remember our friend Jean Valjean? Remember the clip from the film, Les Miserables? Jean Valjean was in distress. But he encountered grace. Yes, he stole silver from man of God. Yes, he was caught and brought back to face judgment. But he found grace. And that grace produced a sorrow and the promise of a changed life.
and don’t forget. don’t ever forget. . . you’ve promised to become a new man. . .
jean valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to evil . . . with this silver, i’ve bought your soul
i’ve ransomed you from fear and hatred . . . and now i give you back to God . . .
God offers grace today. It’s at the cross. Look there! And don’t forget. Don’t ever forget. You’ve promised to become a new man. You no longer belong to evil. With this extravagant sacrifice, Jesus has bought your soul. He’s ransomed you from fear and hatred. And now you are God’s.
