The Continuing Battle Against Sinful Practices Or… The Downward Spiral Of Co Series

The Continuing Battle Against Sinful Practices

Or… The Downward Spiral of Compromise

Nehemiah 13:1-31

Rodeo Road Baptist Church

November 17, 2014

Disclaimer: Each sermon in this series on Nehemiah was written with both commentary help and referencing from time to time information from sermons and illustration found on Sermon Central. In most cases I tried to be faithful in giving credit to the author but I acknowledge that I was not consistent in that endeavor. So any similarity to other older posted sermons on this web site are due in part to the quality of their work and the timelessness of the truth they shared originally. There was no intentional intent to use without credit any material in these sermons that were first delivered by other pastors.

Introduction

Lessons from Nehemiah on Restoring Broken Places

The first part of the Book of Nehemiah was focused on rebuilding of the wall.

1. A Man with a Broken Heart (1:1-11)

2. Knowing When You Need Help (2:1-20)

3. Working Together to Fix Broken Places (3:1-32)

4. Surprise! Not Everyone Is On You Side (4:1-23)

5. Restoring the Integrity of Leadership (5:1-19)

6. Perseverance: A Key to Finishing Strong (6:1-19)

The second part of the Book of Nehemiah dealt with rebuilding of the faith of Israel.

7. Restoration of Worship (8:1-18)

8. Repentance and Restoring a Covenant of Faithfulness (9:1-38)

9. Why is a Written Covenant so Important (10:1-38)

10. Living Outside My Comfort Zone (11:1-36)

11. The Continuing Battle Against Sinful Practices (13:1-31)

Melvin Newland states, “Now, Nehemiah has returned to Susa, to serve King Artaxerxes. We are not sure how long the time period is that he is in Persia, but it does seem to be a considerable amount of time. As we come to our text today, our final study of Nehemiah, we see that Nehemiah is returning to Jerusalem. And what he discovers is that, “While the cat’s away, the mice will play!”

The promises the people have made under Nehemiah’s supervision are compromised.”

Nehemiah 13:6 While this was taking place, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king. And after some time I asked leave of the king

I. How much influence does your unchurched friends have on your values and behavior?

Nehemiah 13:4-9 Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, and who was related to Tobiah, prepared for Tobiah a large chamber where they had previously put the grain offering, the frankincense, the vessels, and the tithes of grain, wine, and oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests. While this was taking place, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king. And after some time I asked leave of the king and came to Jerusalem, and I then discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, preparing for him a chamber in the courts of the house of God. And I was very angry, and I threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the chamber. Then I gave orders, and they cleansed the chambers, and I brought back there the vessels of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense.

Do you remember Tobiah?

• 2:10 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel.

• 2:19 they jeered at us and despised us and said, "What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?"

• 4:3 "Yes, what they are building—if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!"

• 6:19 And Tobiah sent letters to make me afraid.

and I then discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, preparing for him a chamber in the courts of the house of God

Deuteronomy 23:3, 4 "No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the LORD. Even to the tenth generation, none of them may enter the assembly of the LORD forever, because they did not meet you with bread and with water on the way, when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you.

What does Nehemiah do? He says in vs. 8, "I was greatly displeased and threw all Tobiah’s household goods out of the room." Not only that, but vs. 9 states, "I gave orders to purify the rooms..." The word "purify" really means, "fumigate." He didn’t even want the smell of Tobiah around.