Sermons

A good morning. Thank you to the boys and girls for being willing to come up and to sing to us. We very much appreciate it. Can I ask you all to open your Bibles to Nehemiah chapter 7? Thank you for those of you who have been praying the last couple of weeks. I got to spend time at the DMin program at Master's Seminary with a number of pastors from all over, really all over the world, and it was so encouraging to hear about their ministries. To be able to pray with those men, to try and encourage them in the task that they're engaged in, and it's just such a joy to be reminded that God is at work here in Dallas, but He is at work all over this globe, and we have so much to be thankful for.

Now, I say that, and there may be one thing we're not thankful for. You've made this an impossible task. We got the kids up looking all cute, singing well, everybody's all giddy and happy and endeared. And then we come to Nehemiah chapter 7, and you're going to have to listen to a long reading of a lot of complicated names that aren't familiar in an Ulster Scots accent. We have a lot of trouble this morning.

Can you have your Bibles open? God's Word is good and powerful and wonderful, and it deserves all of our respect and yet there are parts of it that are a little bit more opaque. And that when we first read it, it's hard to know what's going on. And so, I know before we even begin reading the text, never mind preaching the text this morning, that there is a danger that you switch off right away.

So, I want to ask that you try and follow along while Mark Becker comes up to... No, I'm only joking. I want to ask that you try and follow on, and here's what I want you to do. There's a lot of names. The names are the bit we're going to get stuck on. Did he pronounce it right or wrong? He didn't. You just need to know that from the beginning. What I want you to do is to try and notice the other details that are going on and to ask the question, what did this mean to the original hearers? This was important to them.

And all God's word is useful and good for us. So, let's approach the text, listening and asking the question, what did it mean to the original audience, and what can I learn this morning? Nehemiah chapter seven, reading from verse one. You can stay seated this morning while we read, and then we'll stand to pray at the end.

(Scripture reading) "Now when the wall had been built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem, for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many. And I said to them, “Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot. And while they are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their guard posts and some in front of their own homes.” The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few, and no houses had been rebuilt.

Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. And I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up at the first, and I found written in it:

These were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried into exile. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his town. They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah.

The number of the men of the people of Israel: the sons of Parosh, 2,172. The sons of Shephatiah, 372. The sons of Arah, 652. The sons of Pahath-moab, namely the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,818. The sons of Elam, 1,254. The sons of Zattu, 845. The sons of Zaccai, 760. The sons of Binnui, 648. The sons of Bebai, 628. The sons of Azgad, 2,322. The sons of Adonikam, 667. The sons of Bigvai, 2,067. The sons of Adin, 655. The sons of Ater, namely of Hezekiah, 98. The sons of Hashum, 328. The sons of Bezai, 324. The sons of Hariph, 112. The sons of Gibeon, 95. The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188. The men of Anathoth, 128. The men of Beth-azmaveth, 42. The men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743. The men of Ramah and Geba, 621. The men of Michmas, 122. The men of Bethel and Ai, 123. The men of the other Nebo, 52. The sons of the other Elam, 1,254. The sons of Harim, 320. The sons of Jericho, 345. The sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 721. The sons of Senaah, 3,930.

The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, namely the house of Jeshua, 973. The sons of Immer, 1,052. The sons of Pashhur, 1,247. The sons of Harim, 1,017.

The Levites: the sons of Jeshua, namely of Kadmiel of the sons of Hodevah, 74. The singers: the sons of Asaph, 148. The gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, 138.

The temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth, the sons of Keros, the sons of Sia, the sons of Padon, the sons of Lebana, the sons of Hagaba, the sons of Shalmai, the sons of Hanan, the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, the sons of Reaiah, the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, the sons of Gazzam, the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, the sons of Besai, the sons of Meunim...(anybody looking for baby names this morning?)...the sons of Nephushesim, the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur, the sons of Bazlith, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha, the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah, the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha.

The sons of Solomon’s servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth, the sons of Perida, the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel, the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, the sons of Amon.

All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon’s servants were 392.

The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but they could not prove their fathers’ houses nor their descent, whether they belonged to Israel: the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda, 642. Also, of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai (who had taken a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name). These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but it was not found there, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. The governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food until a priest with Urim and Thummim should arise.

The whole assembly together was 42,360, besides their male and female servants, of whom there were 7,337. And they had 245 singers, male and female. Their horses were 736, their mules 245, their camels 435, and their donkeys 6,720.

Now some of the heads of fathers’ houses gave to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics of gold, 50 basins, 30 priests’ garments and 500 minas of silver. And some of the heads of fathers’ houses gave into the treasury of the work 20,000 darics of gold and 2,200 minas of silver. And what the rest of the people gave was 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minas of silver, and 67 priests’ garments.

So, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel, lived in their towns. And when the seventh month had come, the people of Israel were in their towns." (End)

I'm ready to sit down. Let's all stand and pray that the Lord would help us understand the reading of His Word.

(Prayer) Heavenly Father, we thank You for the assurance we find in Scripture, that all Scripture was written to grant us encouragement, that by the hope that is contained in these words, a hope may be fostered within us we thank You that we can come with confidence knowing that you have indeed promised that these words are useful to us, that they are good for our correction, our rebuke, our being trained in righteousness, our encouragement. Lord, we need Your help. And especially this morning, as we approach what seems so far away and obscure, what seems from a human point of view, a redundant list of names. Lord, we thank You that You are the good God on high. And we thank You for the reality that the Holy Spirit has both inspired this text and is busy in the application of this truth to the hearts of your people and insists in working through the foolishness of what is preached to bring about good amongst us. So, we ask, Lord, that You would give us not simply faith to believe that you can work through this passage, but that You would give us ears to hear and hearts to understand, a spirit that is eager to put these things into practice for the glory of our Savior, Jesus Christ, in whose name we come. Amen. (End)

Have your Bibles open. Lists like this are really hard, okay? We can start by saying that. Lists like this in Scripture are really hard. When I first arrived at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Lisbon, Northern Ireland, excited, naive. The first sermon series I launched into was a series called The Begattitudes, where we studied all the genealogies of Scripture. I know, be thankful for some growth that has taken place since that point. The idea was at the beginning of the ministry there at Emmanuel in a church that hadn't had a pastor for the eight previous years, the hope was that if we can go to those passages that we are most tempted to skip over and to see in all these begats that there is still clear encouragement and correction application that is important for the child of God to recognize.

It may take a little bit more study, but there is usefulness to be found here. Well, if we can do it in those passages, as we begin an expository ministry, we should approach it with the excitement that through all Scripture, God speaks. And I think that is true, and that is important.

But that doesn't mean these lists aren't hard. In fact, the list we come to in Nehemiah 7 is not, strictly speaking, a genealogy. In that, it's not tracing a line of descent, is it? We're not finding out so-and-so gave birth to so-and-so who gave birth to so-and-so.

Really, what we have in Nehemiah 7 is a census. We're being told a snapshot, the numbering of a people at a particular moment. And what's weird about Nehemiah chapter 7 is that actual census isn't even the census of the people standing in front of Nehemiah after the walls have been built.

It's a record of what existed 90 years before. Nehemiah is deliberately pointing back to a prior time, to a prior census that is relevant in the particular moment we find ourselves in the ongoing flow of the book of Nehemiah. This is a census of 90 years before the people that first came back under Zerubbabel. It's a snapshot, it's a photograph of that hero generation to these current people, the heroes who before anybody else ever did, when everything was rubble, they came back.

They came and they ensured that the altar could be rebuilt on the Temple Mount and sacrifices for Jewish worship once more enacted. And now in Nehemiah chapter 7, Nehemiah, before something new is about to take place, after the walls have been built, wants to remind people of that hero generation.

When I've gone through the genealogies in the past, and I think I may have opened up at least one with you, Trinity, whenever we were slowly moving through the book of Genesis, what I found was for the congregation to try and help engage the mind in what we're about to do, when you come across a genealogical roadblock, you've got to beep.

Now, I know in America you like to honk, okay, because you're a little bit more aggressive on the roads, especially here in Dallas. But in Europe, we're very polite, so we just beep. Okay, so when you come to one of these awkward lists, one of these roadblocks, I want you to beep. And what I mean by that is I want you to ask certain questions of the text, because by asking questions of the text, no matter what text we get to, that's how you begin to understand the difficult text.

So, we're going to beep this morning in Nehemiah chapter 7, and the first thing I want you to do, the first question we ask is we beep, B, where does the list begin. Okay, so you've got to think, begin. Where does the list begin? And you notice very quickly, this long list really begins in verse 6, and it keeps going afterwards, but it's preceded by verses 1 to 5, funny enough. In verses 1 to 5, we have a description of a job done. In verse 1 we are told that the walls have been built. We were reminded of that at the end of chapter 6.

What an amazing thing. Nehemiah came to see the walls rebuilt around Jerusalem and now the walls have been built. Now, there's a lot more of Nehemiah still to go. We're going to be here to the end of the summer, to the end of August. And so, there's still more to unfold in this incredible story. The walls have already been built. The practical task that Nehemiah has come to do has been done, but it's fragile. That's what these verses remind us.

In verse 2, a new leadership team is appointed to try and bring some order to what's taking place. In verse 3, we're told about these wonderful new doors, new gates around the city that they're going to have limited opening hours. They're going to open late and they're going to close early. That's the principle there in verse 3. We're not going to open very long. In verse 4, we're told that it really was a big city, but a big city with a very limited population. So, it's hard to keep watch of a city when you don't have a lot of people there.

In fact, most of the people are still themselves in rubble. In verse 4, you also read about the fact that the people still need to build their homes. The homes, they got the walls up, but the homes are still in ruins. So, the people are going to be distracted trying to get their own accommodation built.

They're not keeping watch. They're all spread out around this cavernous city. Everything at one level is good, the walls are built, but you see the principle in verses 1 to 5, it's still very fragile. The defenses are up. Nehemiah, however, knows that numerically the people are limited in what they can do and they are still very vulnerable.

But even more so, what tore down the walls in the first place? Nehemiah came to rebuild the walls, but what was it tore down the walls in the first place? Well, it wasn't cracks in the walls. It wasn't weathering that the city at the time the walls were torn down, it was populous. It was full. There was lots of people residing there then. What pulled the walls down? Well, humanly speaking, you could say Nebuchadnezzar's army, but it wasn't Nebuchadnezzar's army. Primarily, what pulled down the walls?

God had said the walls were coming down. God had said a nation would be brought. He would bring a nation to destroy them. He would bring a nation to take them into exile the way Assyria had done years before with northern Israel. God had declared it would happen and God was the cause. God was the one that made it happen and why did He bring it about? Why? Because of the heart of the people or the lack of heart in the people. It was their abandonment of God. And time and time again He warned them and they persisted in their rebellion, their ignoring of the Almighty.

And so, He pulled down the walls. And so, you come to Nehemiah chapter one and verse five and you read, then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. And I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up at first. God gives Nehemiah a burden. God put it on his heart. God gave him a strong compulsion to do something here. But it wasn't to add another layer of mortar to the bricks. It was something that was much more important to secure the city.

Something that we're going to read about in the next chapter. Chapter 7 lays up chapter 8. Chapter 7 is preparing the way for what comes next. And before the renewal of chapter 8, Nehemiah thinks it's important to remind them of a generation 90 years before that first returned to the city. So that's where it begins, this strange list. The second question in our beep that we should ask, where does the list begin?

B. E, the first E, where does the list end? That's a really helpful thing to bear in mind when you come across a genealogy or a census like this. Have a careful look at where the list ends. We have, as we come to the end of the list, a number of details.

We have the total number that originally returned listed in verse 66. And then we have a reminder in verses 70 to 72 of how generously people gave to the temple treasury. In other words, not only are we told about the people that came back, but we're told about that generation 90 years ago, how much they actually sacrificed financially for the sake of the cause of God. Verse 73 reminds us that among this people are importantly those who worked at the temple. There's a lot of people, all Israel is mentioned, but there is an emphasis on the priests, the Levites, the temple workers.

And we have a time stamp as well in verse 73. The seventh month, which we'll see in a moment, is important. So, the list ends. By reminding us of the temple's importance and about this particular time, there is something significant in the timing of when Nehemiah speaks. So, where does the list begin? Where does the list end?

The second E in beep reminds us it's good to take note of any extra information. Now, normally, that's easier in a strict genealogy because so-and-so begat so-and-so, who begat so-and-so, who begat so-and-so, and whenever there's something extra in there, it's easy to take note of it. You have to do a little bit of work to observe any extra information here, but there are some things that are extra.

Lots of families are named. Lots of names were mispronounced, but they were attempted at in front of you this morning. But did you notice that there was an obsession in that list? Lots of names are mentioned, but particular emphasis is placed on the temple personnel.

Verse 39, it's the priests. Verse 43, it's the Levites. Verse 46, it's the temple servants. Verses 61 to 65, it's really an issue about the purity, the legitimate descent of certain people who wanted to be considered priests amongst the nation. In verses 70 to 72, we just said it's about gifts that were given for the sake of the temple. Look at verse 73. Verse 73 of the text.

So, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, that's all to do with the temple. Some of the people, the temple's servants, and all Israel live in their towns. Look, everybody's talked about it, but there's an emphasis in particular on the temple workers among these returnees. So, the temple is in particular focus.

The second extra piece of information we see here is there's a focus on the leading of God. Language is used here in Nehemiah, we don't really see often in other parts of scripture. For example, that language there in Nehemiah chapter five, or sorry, it's chapter seven, verse five, then my God put it into my heart. We don't often talk like that in church, unless you're a charismatic church, because it's not in Scripture often. Now, it is here. It's a declaration that Nehemiah felt led, compelled by God to do something.

And you see a similar description in verse 65 when it came to what do we do with this mixed group that we can't really work out specifically what line they come from. They want to be priests. What we're told is they longed for the use of the urim and thurim. That was a device given by God in the Old Testament for the priesthood to discern the will of God. So, in these difficult type of matters, what do we do? It was a way to seek to understand what God wanted them to do before Scripture was complete. It was a way to understand what God may want them to do. So, there is, in this chapter, a focus on the leading of God. They want to know the will of God.

That's important, and it's gonna seem to be really important because, again, what happens next? So, a lot of focus on the temple, a focus on the leading of God, and then, the third extra detail, which is probably the most important, and it's hard to note if you haven't read Ezra before this, but if you have read the book of Ezra, you might feel like you're having Deja vu. Because in the book of Ezra, chapter two, if you want to flick back to chapter two and just scan your eyes down it, it sounds like we're doing exactly the same thing. A picture is given of the people in 538 BC. Nehemiah has given us a picture of the people in 445 BC, about 93 years apart.

But chapter 2 of Ezra is a genealogical record or a census of that particular period, and it's that exact same period, that exact same census that is the impulse here in Nehemiah chapter 7, verse 6 following. In chapter 2 of Ezra, when you come to the end of it, verse 70, it says, and all Israel in their towns. Well, Nehemiah 7:73 says, and all Israel in their towns.

The wording is repeated. In Ezra chapter 3, verse 1, so immediately after this list, we read about the seventh month. Just as we read here in chapter 7, verse 73, we were given the time date of the seventh month. In the seventh month, Ezra 3, verse 1, there is an assembly. All the men are gathered together in Jerusalem. Just as we will see in Ezra 8, verse 1, on the seventh month, there is an assembly. All the people are gathered, as one man says, to the plaza.

There is a ceremony and an inauguration that takes place in the ruins of the temple in chapter 3 of Ezra, verse 3 and on the 6th. And we're told it took place in the first day of the seventh month, just as the events that we're about to enter into chapter 8, verses 1 and 2, occur in the first day of the seventh month. What's celebrated as part of that renewal in Ezra, Ezra chapter 3 verse 4, is the Feast of Tabernacles. What is celebrated here in Nehemiah chapter, as mentioned, chapter 8, verse 14 following, is the Feast of Tabernacles.

Now, I know that's a lot of details and it's hard for you to go back and forward and see all of that lining up, but do you not see what's happening here? There is a deliberate repetition taking place in Scripture. Nehemiah is purposefully showing that there was something 90 years ago that we are trying to recreate. There's a legacy that we're trying to follow. There's a need, a refocusing that must take place today, and he wants to remind the people before he issues the command, he issues the call to come under the word, to remind them we've been here before. To remind them that this is our stream. Renewal. Reformation is what we do.

It's what we're about. Now, we're still in the details, okay? Where does it begin? Where does it end? Is there any extra information? The last question when we beep is position, position. In other words, what's this text, position? We sometimes call that context. That's such a helpful tool. When you come to a difficult passage of Scripture, ask the question, what is it teaching? What is it teaching? And when you do that, you're really saying, what comes before, what comes after? What comes before, what comes after?

And that helps us understand this particular passage because it's in the flow of an argument. It's in the flow of a story. It's not here by mistake. So, what comes before? Well, Matt so carefully explained it for us last week, chapter six. And the high point of chapter six is the walls are complete. The walls are built. And what comes after?

Well, chapter 8, I'm excited about chapter 8. Chapter 8 onwards is all about a word-centered renewal. It's about the people coming back and hearing the law read and preached. It's about the people being brought back under the book, under the influence of the Word of God, to hear it and call to submit to it. And that's what happens chapter 8 onwards. So that's the position. Now again, this is, we haven't even got to our sermon yet. And panic settled amongst the congregation.

What I'm trying to show you first this morning is this is how we study, not just read, study God's Word. Ask questions of the text. I'm sure whenever we first read it, you're wondering, is there anything here? Well, friends, if you notice, there's a lot here. A lot here. So, when we pull all that together, what can we learn about Nehemiah chapter seven? What does this section tell us about? Well, it notes a shift in the book. There is a switch.

Walls have been built, but there's something else to come. There's an ongoing renewal that's important for the defense of the city. It's a reminder that no matter how practical and necessary the walls were, they would simply be torn down again apart from a heart renewal. And that's what the rest of the book is going to deal with. Apart from a true calling towards God.

They finally have got the brick and mortar up. Now it's time to do the hard stuff. Now it's time to deal with those stubborn, wandering hearts. It's a reminder, Nehemiah chapter 7 is a reminder that rebuilding is about more than stones. There's a sense in Nehemiah 7, 90 years ago we were in exactly the same position. Just building more. We've built the walls now, building the houses. Rebuilding, a true spiritual rebuilding project is more about hearts then it is about stone. That's what Nehemiah 7 is communicating.

And so, in light of that, I want to give you three very simple principles to stick in your pocket. And the first one's an obvious one. There is a need for God-centered reformation. There is a need here in the text, and I would argue there is a need today for God-centered reformation.

The book of Nehemiah doesn't stop at chapter six, verse 15, when it says, so the wall was finished. There's much more to the book that comes after that. Because again, it was never simply about brick and mortar. Nehemiah was concerned about the brick and mortar because of what it declared about the reality of God. But his concern was always deeper. Turn back to Nehemiah chapter one. Nehemiah chapter one, look at verse three.

Hanaiah, who appeared at the beginning of this list, he came and in verse three it says, they said to me, the remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire. There was a reality. The gates were burnt and the walls were broken down. But listen to what Nehemiah prays after because it tells us that Nehemiah understood the need to be more than bricks and mortar.

Verse four, “as soon as I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before God of heaven, and I said, ‘oh Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant, that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel, your servants.’”

What does it say? Confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father's house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes and the rules that you have commanded your servant, Moses. What's the issue? When he prays, the issue is made clear.

Nehemiah understood it wasn't simply walls that needed to be rebuilt. It was wandering sinful hearts that needed to be held captive to the things of God. And so, while there's been a lot going on, in Nehemiah chapter 1 to 6. Really, Nehemiah's big rebuilding project is just getting started in chapter 7. This is the true rebuilding work that is necessary. If anything's going to last, this is the work that is necessary. The walls were destroyed before, and the people sent into exile because their hearts wandered from God. Nehemiah knows there is a greater need of spiritual renewal in the context of this city with its big walls.

He knows that now we have walls; the tendency is going to be we're going to sit more comfortably. Now we have gates, we're gonna feel okay and safe. We'll start to lean on those as our source of comfort when really everything was vulnerable because our hearts were away from God. For friends, I don't know if there's a society as comfortable as Dallas, Texas. I know there's individuals in the room that are struggling in real ways, but as a society, we have everything. Safe water.

Our supermarkets throw out more unused food than most countries have. We have lovely houses. Good jobs. As much as we want to scoff at it, we have a great education system compared to most of the world. Friends, we have a wonderful church. We are about to embark on a new facility project, but our current facility is wonderful. We have a coffee shop at arm's length, willing to serve. We have so many people in the church that do a well-structured nursery. Lots of different ministries.

It's a comfortable church, and that's not a bad thing, but it comes with a danger, and that's what Nehemiah is getting at. When we are in a strong position, it's easy to put your feet up and rest, and to miss the real issue. Why do we come to church? Well, it's not to be comfortable. It's actually the opposite. It's to have that wicked heart exposed. It's to be reminded of the real renewal, the real rebuilding project that is necessary.

90 years before the people came back with the right ambition and Nehemiah is asking the question here at Nehemiah 7 before Ezra ever gets up to preach. He's asking the question, have we really got any better when it comes to this? Have we made any progress when it comes to our hearts being inclined to the things of God? We've got walls. But Nehemiah is saying, friends, we still need reformation. The second point I want to highlight is (sounds very much like the first,) but the generational need for God-centered reformation. The generational need for God-centered reformation. In the context of Ezra Nehemiah, again, it's a Deja vu chapter. We've been here before. It's like the old granddad telling the story all over again. But it's not, because not one word in Scripture is wasted.

Rather than being reminded of a golden generation 90 years before, Nehemiah is reminding us, in that generation, they had a reformation to bring back the altar, to come back to the place of sacrifice, to see sacrifice once more being central in Jewish practice. And now, 90 years later, he's saying, we still need reformation, not sacrifice.

That was happening. But now we've got to come under the book, under the Word. That generation got something right. We need sacrifice, absolutely. But now, he's saying, and we need the Word. There's another next step in this reformation. And that's the way it is. Every generation, we have more renewal to do, more progress to make.

Thanks be to God for Luther and that generation that brought back a true soteriology, an understanding of how salvation works. Thanks be to God for the Puritans that brought back to the church an emphasis on a true piety, a pursuit of holiness. Thanks be to God for the Whitefields and Wesleys, the first great awakening, and all the progress that was made in a true humility before God, a need to call out to Him in repentance and faith. Thanks be to God for William Carey and the mission’s movement that began in his time to take the gospel to all tribe, kindreds, and tongue. Thanks be to God in more recent times for the emphasis of an R.C. Sproul on the holiness of God in a generation that was, so man centered. Thanks be to God for the emphasis of expository preaching, a return to extolling the text that MacArthur brought. The thanks be to God for Mark Dever, who in Southern Baptist world brought back an emphasis on what the Bible says about the marks of a healthy church. Every generation and place, there's more renewal that's needed. They say that because I think part of the emphasis here in Nehemiah chapter 7 is that you need to be responsive. This generation needs to be ready.

We're not simply trying to echo what has come before us. We're certainly not trying to lose it. We're trying to hold on to it. And we're also saying, what more do we need to do to honor the Lord properly, to follow Him wholly, to make Him our all? We hold on to the past, tight fisted. We're not letting go of that reformation. And at the same time, we come to the book saying, and what more, Lord, do you want from us?

Because friends, you are not the finished article yet. The church is not the finished article yet. There is more reformation that's needed. Every generation has a need. Ezra 2 is repeated again and Ezra 7 because this next generation still needed the next stage of reformation to take place. Today we still need more reformation. The last thing then I want you to see is a demarcation of God-centered reformation. the demarcation of God-centered reformation. Probably the most standout part of these verses is what's described in verses 61 to 65.

There was a group that came back under Zerubbabel, very faithful, earnest people that were part of the movement, who were committed, who left homes, jobs, livelihoods to come and to be part of this renewal project. Now, they sacrificed. They paid the cost.

They were identified with the people, but the genealogical records were confusing. They could not be traced clearly to a clear lineage. So, they were part of the movement, but because they couldn't be clearly traced, they were still allowed to be part of the movement, but they weren't allowed to officially act. They weren't able to be priests. They weren't able to be singers. They weren't able to engage in the provisions that were made for them in that regard. They basically were told; we'll have to wait and see. When we get the priesthood up and running and we can have the urim and thurim, we can use the means that God has given, then we'll see.

But we're not willing to put you first. It's God first. It's His way first. There is a right caution that is important. In Nehemiah 7, in part, that echo and reminder of that odd moment back 90 years ago in their history of demarcation, of holding back until proof came, until a clear way forward was presented. It reminds us that when God's people take God seriously, they take His worship seriously. So much so we insist on being cautious to do what He wants us to do. It's not about what feels right. It's not about what looks engaging. It's about being sure that this is what pleases God. That's what's going on in Nehemiah 7. They loved these people. They were part of the movement.

But let's first make sure we please God. Let's take the time to get this right. Reminds us worship isn't a subjective thing. It's not enough to say, well, I wanted to worship God with my heart this way. Nehemiah 7 says, okay, I'm sure you do, but we've got to do it God's way. We've got to be sure that it's God's way ultimately that we're pursuing. This has to be worship. When we come together to praise Him, it's a God-centered act.

It's not man centered. It's not about you expressing yourself to God. It's about you worshiping God His way. That's the mindset of true reformation. True worship is not mean-spirited. It loves unity and worship. We sing together, we pray together, we sit under the Word together, and yet at the same time, it does take Scripture's call to holiness seriously and seeks to worship God His way. And as we, next week, launch, into the study of the reformation that was brought in the day of Nehemiah.

I think as we tie it together, it's important to remember reformation is not just a vague general principle. It always begins with the individual heart. It's not just our generation that needs reformation. It's not just our country that needs reformation. It's not just the world that needs reformation, friend, it starts in your heart. That's, again, the principle of Nehemiah. You need reformation. You need a personal reformation today. It's easy to come, I'm good, the walls are built, I'm here in church on Sunday, what more do I need? Well, Nehemiah 7 answers, you need a heart that is centered on God in every way, Nehemiah 7 reminds us today, you still need reformation. Let's pray and ask that God would grant us insight. And let's ask as well that He would prepare us to come and eat and drink in remembrance of Him.

Let's pray.

(Prayer) Heavenly Father, we are so thankful that You continue to wake us up to our need for ongoing renewal, ongoing reformation. And we ask, Lord, that You would provide that. You would help us to see the areas of our life that we have got so comfortable with, that we have become blind to, and you would wake us up. We thank You, Lord, for the wonderful stewardship of this new facility that we are planning and preparing to enter in due course. But Lord, help us not to lose sight of the need, first and foremost, to have hearts that are inclined to the things of God. Let us not miss in the blessing that you're providing for our church the need to first and foremost make sure you are the object of our worship. And holiness, the standard that You call us to be, is that which we want to be committed to.

Lord, we pray and ask that You would work amongst us, but we also come at this point in our service, giving thanks to You that even where we do fall short, that in the finished work of Jesus Christ, there is full forgiveness. That for those who are trusting in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice, that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord, we pray that You would allow us to grow. We pray for ongoing reformation in our hearts, and yet we also come with thankfulness that even though we are not what we ought to be, that Jesus is sufficient for our salvation. So, Lord, as we come now to eat and drink in remembrance of Him at the close of our service, we pray that even that act that You have commanded us to follow would bring comfort to troubled hearts and renew our zeal to pursue Him fully. For it's in Jesus' name we ask it, amen. (End)