The Demands of Real Change: Nehemiah #12
This is an exposition of Nehemiah 9:38-10:39. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday evening, February 21, 2016.
Intro:
“What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought since Jesus came into my heart.” That is the issue isn’t it? Change. Transformation. When a man, woman, boy or girl comes to Christ there is a change. They are not the same, old things have passed away and all things become new. That’s what happens when God moves in. I said last week that when God comes in revival there will be change. Not a minor adjustment or a simple rearrangement but a radical, fundamental change. This is why, when we talk of revival, it is not enough to talk about sorrow over sin or even confession of sin. It is not enough that there is weeping and regret there must be a change of direction. A renewed commitment. A determination to live differently. That is the focus of our text this evening found in the 10th chapter of Nehemiah.
Text: Nehemiah 9:38-10:39
Recap:
The walls are up and the gates are in.
Security and justice have been restored.
Now it is time to rebuild the nation.
That rebuilding begins with the calling of a sacred assembly.
The people gathered and the Law of God was read.
The people came under great conviction.
They mourned and wept over their sin.
They acknowledged that they had neglected and set aside the commands of God.
Nehemiah and Ezra told them to stop weeping and start rejoicing.
This was a time for celebrating the grace of God by observing the Feast of Booths.
After feasting came fasting.
There was a time of extended confession of individual and corporate sin.
In Nehemiah 9 we found 3 signs of genuine revival:
- Great sorrow over sin followed by the fruit of repentance.
- A profound sense of the greatness of God.
- Resting wholly in the grace and mercy of God.
All of this is tied directly to the word of God.
Now, from Nehemiah 10 we add a fourth essential component:
Thesis: Sorrow over sin and expressions of remorse mean very little apart from a genuine commitment to real change.
Repentance is always from something to something.
Actually from something (sin) to someone Christ.
It, of necessity, means a change of direction.
Repentance is not a feeling or an emotion it is an action.
From our text I want to point out three (3) demands of real change.
- Real change demands a clear public stance. (9:38-10:27)
- Real change demands a distinct separation from the world. (10:28-29)
- Real change demands consistent application of biblical principles. (10:30-39)
– Faithfulness to the Scripture
– Faithfulness to the family
– Faithfulness to the work of God
Conclusion:
Real change demands a public stance in which you determine to be different and distinct from the world around you by ordering your life according the Word of God.