Mary called by God

MARY  CALLED BY GOD

 The visit of the angel Gabriel to Mary to announce the birth of Jesus.  We have grown so use to hearing the account that our senses have been dulled to the wonder of the occasion and to the enormity of what Mary was called to by God.  I want to take a few moments and to look again at the call of Mary.  First let me set the context for you.  Luke is a doctor and he weaves deep theological meaning into simple stories.  Here for example he tells how the God the Son came to this world to be born Son of God.  The pagan religions of the days had endless stories of the carnal knowledge of gods and woman producing a semi-divine offspring.  No such story is told by Luke.  As a doctor he would have understood as well as any of his contemporaries the biological steps of conception and birth.  So let us look closely at the passage and see what we learn.

The Surprise of Mary

The Surrender of Mary

The Surprise of Mary.

Here is a little girl, really a young woman of somewhere between 14 and 17.  She is engaged to be married to Joseph a carpenter.  Now betrothals were formal, legal contracts  much more binding than our engagements today.  Only divorce or death could end such a betrothal.  Any one betrothed was not allowed sexual relationship with their espoused until they were married.  No doubt she was busy making her wedding garment.  No doubt she is all exited about the coming wedding.  Into this situation God sends Gabriel with a message which will completely transform and revolutionise the whole situation.  Gabriel come to Mary and tells her that she has found favour before God and that she has been chosen to bring the Son of God into the world.

From the passage we can see that initially she is fearful of the angelic appearance.  That is why the Gabriel tells her not to be afraid.  Interesting every time an angel appears in the Christmas narrative the first thing they say is fear not.  Mary is taken totally by surprise at the news and at the fact that God has chosen her.  Why was she highly favoured?  Why did the angel come to her?  I think it is important at this point that we actually listen to what the text says.  Look at verse 28.  The text says greetings, you who are highly favoured. The Lord is with you. The phrase highly favoured is found only one other place in the NT  Ephesians 1 v6 and there it is translated His glorious grace Mary is the recipient of Gods grace and therefore she can say in verse 47 my spirit rejoices in God my saviour Gabriel assures her that 

The Lord is with you because only the assurance of the presence of the Lord will sustain her through what is to come.

I think we should note that in verse 12 the very appearance of the angel was enough to grip Zechariah with fear but here in verses 29-30 it is the word, the message, of Gabriel which troubles Mary.  Hence the assurance that she has found favour with God.  Gods grace, like His love, banishes fear from the hearts of His children. I want us to note that when the Word of God comes to us it is not always to bring comfort, it may in fact trouble us, discomfort us but the knowledge of His grace and the assurance of His presence are enough to enable us to surrender our wills to His.

The Surrender of Mary.

In verse 31 Gabriel reveals to Mary the message of the Incarnation.  He tells her of the significance, not just for her but for all mankind, of her having found favour before God.  The announcement that the time for the birth of the messiah has come is given first to a teenage girl in a despised village in Galilee (see John 2.5).  In verses 32-33 Gabriel affirms that the child to be born to Mary will be the Messiah by giving Him the messianic titles of the OT.

Look at Mary's response to the news which Gabriel brings, read verse 34.  She does not ask Why? but How?  You know when I read that it stopped me dead in my tracks.  It was like scales fell from my eyes and I was left with the question in my own heart: How often do you ask God why?  When you should be asking How?  Think for a moment. Is that not what you and I do all the time?  God speaks to us from His word and the first question on our lips  Why? Why me?  Why now?  Why that?  Mary did not ask Why but How?  She knows of her moral purity in this area of her life.  She knows that she has been faithful to the Word of God that sexual intercourse is for marriage and outside of that it is sinful and condemned by God. So she asks Gabriel how as a virgin she could possibly be pregnant?  Gabriel explains in verse 35 that the Holy Spirit will overshadow her and she will conceive.  This term overshadow is the one used in the OT to speak of the presence of God in the Tabernacle, in the Temple and on Mount Sinai when the Law is given.  It speaks of the holy and powerful presence of God.  Gabriel also speaks of the baby expected by Elizabeth, Mary's cousin, as a way to show Mary that what is deemed impossible by man is possible with God.  It is a means of assuring Mary of the power of God to bring this about. It is a means of showing how God can bring blessedness out of barrenness.

Now we see the servant heart and attitude of Mary.  Read it for yourself in verse 38.  She humbly and obediently accepts Gods will for her life.  She trusts God to do what is right and to fulfil His promise.  Now we might say so what.  But that would be to completely miss the enormity of her answer here.  On the surface it seems a straight forward answer Yes.  But let us look at the scene a little more closely.

Now here is the real danger for her.  To be pregnant outside of marriage in Judaism is not merely a scandal but is actually to place yourself in a position where you can be stoned to death.  Mary by accepting the will of God for her own life was actually putting her own life at risk.  Now once again we can see the gracious hand of God and the protective hand of God.  Basic biology tells us that if anything happens to Mary then the baby, the Christ, whom she is carrying will also suffer.  So God actually protects her from all danger here. 

Not only is she in danger of being stoned to death but Joseph , when he hears of here pregnancy, is mindful not to shame her but never-the-less not to marry her.  Once again God steps in and insures the marriage.  Can I say to you when you obey the will of God you are never at a loss. 

So Mary by accepting the will of God, this call of God to bear His Son, puts herself in a position where she will be the talk of the town, a social outcast, a scandal to her family, open to ridicule and rejection by Joseph and even death.  Yet look at her answer to this call in verse 38  humble obedient acceptance.  There is no question of her asking Gabriel, and therefore God, What do I get out of this?  What is there in this for me?  No we do not read of that on her lips.  We do not read that she started negotiations for better terms and conditions in this call.  That is why God called her.  He knew that in Mary he had a humble servant.  One willing to obey the call of God come what may.  One who was not preoccupied with the cost of the service but actually concerned about doing the service.

Mary accepted the call and she responded by believing and trusting God for the future.  This was a call to danger, to isolation, to rejection, to ruining of her reputation and possibly her happiness with Joseph.  But God came first and because of that she was greatly blessed by God and became the mother of Jesus.

Application.

We are often reluctant to learn from the life of Mary in case we are accused of Mariolatry.  We have no grounds in Scripture to worship anyone but Christ Jesus.  There is no other mediator, or saviour except Jesus Christ.  However we can and we should learn from the life of Mary.  We can learn some valuable lessons from this episode in her life.

1.       The call in the life of Mary is initiated by God. Her response is a humble obedience to the call of God. It all started with Gods vision for Mary's life.  Often when God calls us to do something we begin to count the cost.  We begin to put up all the excuses of why we could not answer or do that.  The first call of God in all our lives is to come to faith in Jesus.  I often hear all sorts of excuses for people not coming to Christ Jesus.  We should learn from Mary who answered a call that placed her in all sorts of dangers and the result was that God greatly blessed her.

2.       We should learn from her that it is not the people who have power or wealth or great intelligence who are necessarily called by God.  It is those whom God knows whose hearts are His.  Whose desire is to be a faithful servant for Him.  Mary was no one special before this call of God.  She was a simple peasant girl betrothed to a carpenter.  She had no great wealth, no great education, no great status and yet she became the mother of Jesus.  So do not say God could not use me.  I have nothing to offer.  When God calls He also provides what is necessary to fulfil that call.  He also assured Mary, through Gabriel that His presence was with her for the future. 

3.       Mary needed Jesus to die for her sins.  We read three times in the gospels that Mary did not understand why Jesus had come.  When Jesus gets left behind in Jerusalem as a boy Mary fails to understand why He was in the Temple.  She fails to understand when Jesus says I was about my fathers business.  Again at the wedding at Cana she asks for a sign  Jesus gently rebukes her.  He gently points out that signs and wonders are not what His ministry is about.  Mark, in his gospel, records for us an occasion when Mary, along with Jesus brothers, come to take Him home because they think Jesus is mad.  Here again we see that she did not understand His purpose in coming.  Finally she comes in from the cold at the foot of the cross.  We read that she was there along with others as her Son died.  She too, like you and I, needed to come to the cross of Christ for forgiveness.  We know that after that she saw the risen Lord Jesus and we can assume that she then understood His purpose in coming.

Mary is often neglected and forgotten in Protestant churches.  We have gone to the other extreme because some have raised her to a position that is not biblical.  However, she was the mother of Jesus.  She was chosen by God to bring His Son into the world and to raise Him to manhood.  For that she is to be respected as we respect any other biblical person called by God.  We are not to worship her but we can learn from her obedience and trust in God.  We can follow her example in accepting, whatever the personal cost, surrender to Gods will for her life, and ours.  God accomplishes His will through the obedience of Mary.  Amen.

In the Battle

 Romans 13. V11-14

'Waken up!' If you are not a morning person you must really hate those words. If you just love that feeling of rolling over and going back to sleep then to hear those words, accompanied by the duvet being pulled back must really rank up there as the worst way to start the day. Sometimes we hear 'waken up' and it means we need to have our eyes open to something that is going on around us that we are missing. I am sure you have heard the expression 'waken up and smell the coffee!'  that is exactly what Paul is writing to the believers in the church at Rome. These verses (11-14) are in fact a summary of the argument that Paul began in 12.1 concerning the Second Coming of Christ and the way Christian believers should live in the light of that fact. In AD386, in Milan, Italy, this passage led to the conversion of St Augustine - you can read it in his Confessions. Read 13 verses 11-14.

Verse 11- there is urgency in what Paul writes in this verse. Paul is not speaking about some remote time in the future for which they can prepare at leisure. Having spoken of the need to love their neighbours as themselves (1-10) Paul now exhorts them to understand the time in which they live and to waken up from spiritual slumber. They are to remember that they live in a critical period - the era between the first coming and the second coming of Christ Jesus. This expectation hovers over all believers and they are to live in the light of that expectation. Isn't it interesting that he has to tell the Christian believers not to slumber but to be watchful and alert for the coming of Christ. He tells them the time of their 'salvation' is nearer than when they first believed in Christ Jesus. By that he means that the fulfilment of salvation is near. The bible speaks of salvation in past, present and future senses - so I am saved (Eph 2.8), I am being saved (1 Cor 15.2), I will be saved (1 Peter 1.9). Here Paul is speaking of the final consummation of their salvation when Christ returns. They must waken up to that fact. Obviously some of them had started to drift asleep in their walk with God. You know how you start to do the 'nodding dog', eyes get heavy, heaviness comes over you and suddenly you find someone poking you and you hear 'waken up!' That is exactly what Paul is doing here to the believers at Rome. He wants them to live that day, that moment in the expectation of the return of Christ. How would, or should, the fact that Christ could come today change how you live your life today? Seriously, if you knew Christ would come today would you live in a different way? Why don't you then live like that now?

Verse 12 - Paul uses the contrast between day and night, darkness and light to depict the difference Christ and His return makes, and should make, in the life of the believer. Note also that he does not exclude himself from this admonition - 'Let us' Paul does not place himself above them or above his own teaching. He too needs to step out of darkness into the marvellous light of Christ and to live accordingly.

Night/darkness - depicts evil and sin. The night is nearly ended in that the return of Christ is nearer than when they first believed in Him. There is also a sense in which their present life is still lived in the realm of darkness but they are to remove the clothes of darkness - that is the works of sin and the deeds belonging to their old lives. The lifestyle/behaviour which they indulged in before coming to Christ are to be taken off and left in the darkness because they no longer live in darkness but they have crossed over into the light of Christ Jesus. Light depicts those who have passed through the experience of salvation in Christ. Therefore the clothing (the deeds of sin) are no longer their clothing for their lives - they have done away with such things by coming to Christ Jesus. Hence the admonition earlier in this chapter to love Christ and to love their neighbours. Their lives are to be lives filled with love for Christ and for others - the very opposite of the self-centredness of the old life they lived when they belonged to the darkness. They put off the 'works of darkness' by putting on 'the armour of light.' Note will you they do not put on the works of light but the armour of light. This is important for them, and us, to grasp. It is a battle which they have entered by coming to faith in Christ and in order to fight that battle they need the right equipment. In Ephesians 6.10-20 Paul lists the armour of light - and in other letters he mentions armour. Christ takes us from darkness to light, from sin to salvation but we must not fall asleep in this present time - we must put on the armour provided and engage in the battle. How do they, and we, do this?

Verse 13 - Paul here lists three couplets which are meant to cover the whole of life. In an age when we hear very little of what we cannot (or should not) do Paul's words here are a very timely reminder of how Christians are to live. Paul states quite clearly and categorically that by being a follower of Christ there is a way of life which is necessary if we are not to slumber and fall into sin. Intemperance, sexual sins and licentiousness (or unrestrained desires) are not the marks of a Christian believer who has put on the armour of light. Christians belong to Christ and not to the realm of darkness. Hence they, and we, are to live lives that clearly marks us out as followers of Christ. Paul is very clear, Scripture is very clear, - read these words again and take them on board. The first two couplets deal with behaviour - personal morality which if not brought captive to the word of God will lead us into sin and hurt others in the process. The third couplet deals with the attitude of mind and spirit. We may tick the right boxes in the first two areas but what about this third area - our attitude of mind and spirit. It is easy to be morally upright in our actions but what about our words and thoughts. Paul says that believers are to live decent lives - literally 'walk becomingly' before God. The lifestyle of those who walk in the light is one that is in stark contrast to those who walk in darkness.

 A way of life which marks out the believer as different from those who still walk in darkness. Now let me ask you - can you tell the difference in your life? Without you saying a word would people know you are a follower of Christ Jesus? From your attitude and words would people mark you as a follower of Christ? Paul expects there to be convincing and compelling evidence of your confession as a follower of Christ. God expects there to be a clear distinction and difference between your life and the ways of darkness if you claim to be His. You see the six vices listed here by Paul paint the picture of someone who is self-centred and self-pleasing above all else. The gratification of self is the mark of their life and lifestyle. In stark contrast the believer is to live as though the day of the return of Christ has dawned, bringing with it the personal presence of Christ Jesus. Friends, especially you young people, heed this warning from the apostle Paul. Let me say also - to put on the armour of light and to walk in the light will lead you into a battle - a battle with your own sinful desires, with the sinful desires and actions of your friends, family etc and ultimately the world - so don't expect to be popular when you walk in the light clothed in the armour of light.

This is a daily spiritual battle of consciously and habitually turning away from the paths of darkness and following Christ. To do this we need to spend time with God. We need to spend time in His word, in prayer, in fellowship with other believers so that our knowledge of and intimacy with God deepens. This is a daily process and progression. We need to encourage one another to put on the armour of light and to once again enter the battle.

Verse 14 in stark contrast to those who walk in darkness the believers are to clothe themselves with Christ and not to seek to gratify the sinful desires of the flesh. How do they clothe yourself with Christ? It is a deliberate and conscious acceptance of the Lordship of Christ in and over their lives. All their motives and desires, all their actions and words are to be brought under His control and guidance, under His Lordship. This they do by faith in Christ. This they do by obeying His word, following His commands and growing in love of Him and one another. Having laid aside the garment of the sinful nature and having put on Christ by faith, they are to live accordingly. Having learned the gospel in principle they are now to put it into practice daily in their lives. Paul has spent much of the letter to the Romans explaining how they are justified in Christ and in these last chapters he spends his time explaining how that justification leads to sanctification. Justification is the work of the finished work of Christ on the cross applied to their lives by the Holy Spirit. Sanctification is the daily ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in their lives, with which they co-operate, in making the believer more like Christ each day. That Christlikeness will be seen in love in action in their lives. That is what Christ taught His disciples in parables and in actions - love for those whom society despised, rejected and abandoned. The Good Samaritan, the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery, Zaccheus, the lepers, the 'little ones' and even Judas. And we could go on with that list. Sanctification is a steady ongoing progression in their lives as daily they put on the armour of light and seek to walk in the light of Christ doing battle 'against sin, the world, and the devil and so remain Christ's faithful soldier and follower till life's end' as we say in our baptismal liturgy. By clothing themselves with Christ they make no room for sin in their lives. They habitually identify and associate with Christ Jesus. It is a strong and vivid metaphor that Paul uses by saying 'clothe yourself with Christ.' It is more than just putting on His character - it is being clothed with His grace and then living as Christ daily. People should see Christ in you daily. There is no room for complacency in the Christian life. Godliness and holiness do not automatically follow - they require the putting off of the old and the putting on of Christ each day. We remain sinners (7.14) even after we have become a saint and there is a constant battle in our lives against the sinful nature and we must play our part in that battle. A good soldier does not sleep whilst the enemy is around. A good soldier obeys the rules, follows orders, has effective armour, has a definite goal and exerts himself in the fulfilment of that goal. Yet soldiers do not fight alone - they are part of an army - each playing his/her part so that the whole are victorious. Should this not be true of the soldiers of Christ?

Conclusion

Here is a stark warning to us all. We are too inclined to slumber and to fall into grave danger. We need to waken up and to put on the armour of light because we are in a spiritual battle everyday. We are to make no room in our lives for sin but to be on our guard against it and to fight against it with the weapons God has provided for us. Today we are to put off the clothes of darkness and to put on the armour of light by clothing ourselves in Christ Jesus. This we do by consciously coming to Him and surrendering our lives to Him and asking the Holy Spirit to apply the finished work of the cross, the atonement, to our sinful lives. Then we are to clothe ourselves in the armour to enter the fray and to fight for godliness and holiness in our lives. People should be able to point us out as Christians because we walk in the light and live accordingly. 

watch-keeper

Nehemiah 6.15‐7.4 Job Accomplished!

When you complete a task or a project are you the sort of person who then gives yourself a treat?   Do you reward yourself upon completion?   Task accomplished, pat on back etc.   Nehemiah has completed the project of rebuilding the walls – verse 15.  What a wonderful achievement and in 7.1 we learn that he proceeded to hang the gates/doors in their place – the task was complete.  The walls of Jerusalem had been rebuilt and the gates hung – the city was once again fortified and secure for its inhabitants.   Amazing, the walls that had lain neglected for almost two centuries were rebuilt in less than two months. Why?   Because the people were galvanised together, they had a strong and courageous leader and they were following the will of God.

Lesson learned – do not underestimate what the people of God can achieve when they have good leadership, stay focused and follow the will of God. Amazing walls can be built in short periods of time.

The result of this is seen in verse 16 – their enemies literally ‘lost their self‐confidence.’  The rapid completion of the building of the walls against such odds and in the face of such opposition could only have been completed with the help of God.  Nehemiah gives the  glory  to  God  and  to  God  alone  for  the  completion  of  the rebuilding of the walls and the hanging of the gates of Jerusalem.Read Daniel 4.30.  What a contrast?  Nehemiah gave all the glory to God but Nebuchadnezzar took all the glory for himself.  If you read on in Daniel 4 you see the judgement of God fall on Nebuchadnezzar for his arrogance and pride.

Why is it that as people climb the ladder of success they will pray and seek God’s help but as soon as they seem to reach the pinnacle they take all the glory for themselves?   Why do Christian leaders also, sadly all too often, fall into this sin?  There is still a battle in our hearts with the old Adam wanting the glory.   Throughout all this work Nehemiah has acknowledged God as the source of his strength, as the One who is directing the project, guarding the workers and who has brought them to this point of completion. God is acknowledged at every stage of the building work.  From the first report to the last hinge – God is given the praise and the glory.

Lesson learned – God must be given His rightful place, (i.e. First), in every stage of building the kingdom.  Why?  Because the kingdom is His, we are His (He bought us with the blood of Christ) and without Him we would complete nothing.  The completion of the work is a testimony to God’s provision, protection and providence.  It has to be acknowledged in public and not just in private.  . What is the priority of your heart?

Verses 17‐19 – the opposition continued even after the walls had been rebuilt and the gates had been put in place.  Nehemiah is very clear – the nobility are still opposed to his work.   He had faced much opposition in rebuilding the walls and now, even when the task is complete, the opposition still attacks.  Tobiah keeps up his opposition.  Tobiah was a fellow Jew and therefore his opposition and attacks must have hurt Nehemiah deeply because he was supposed to be equally concerned with the glory of God.    Do you not find that also?  Do you not find that when someone who is a Christian attacks your service or your work for God that it cuts deeply?   How often do you find yourself thinking:   I thought they were a follower of Christ and they have just assassinated my service for God?  It is very painful when the opposition is from within the church fellowship?  The most painful opposition is the fifth column opposition and every church fellowship has them.  Nehemiah tells us that Tobiah has people within the nobility who feed him fresh information about the workings of Jerusalem so that he can keep up guerrilla warfare consisting of constant intimidation.     Tobiah does this by two means – his commercial interests and his family connections.   Tobiah used the marriage ceremony as a means of undermining the work of God in Jerusalem.  How more sinister can you  get  than  using  a  God‐ordained  gift  to  attack  the  work  of building the kingdom of God.

You  know  nothing  much  has  changed  in  the  world  today  and nothing much has changed within the church either.  The enemies of God’s kingdom still use such relationships to intimidate the people of God as they build the kingdom of God.

Lesson learned – just because the project is complete does not mean  the  opposition  will  stop.     Satan  will  use  all  sorts  of connections to intimidate leaders in the church and those being faithful.  When money is the source of a relationship, as it was with these nobles and Tobiah, the opposition to the kingdom of God being  built  is  soon  forgotten.    Remember  that  when  you  take money from people – and I am not just talking about cash there. Those who are opposed to the building of the walls of Jerusalem will use that connection, that relationship, to continue an underground campaign against God’s work.

7.1 – with the wall complete Nehemiah’s turns now to the physical safety of the people of Jerusalem and he appoints gatekeepers. The gatekeepers would serve as guards or watchmen and in 13.22 they were also entrusted with moral responsibilities for overseeing the observance of the Sabbath in Jerusalem.   These men would guard not just the physical well being of the city but also make sure that on holy days the worship of God was a priority and prevent trade taking place within Jerusalem.   Let me ask you something: Who have you set as gatekeepers over your life, your family etc? None of us would ever consider allowing our children to go into a swimming lesson if the instructor was not qualified and yet we are quite happy to allow computer games, internet, tv, films, and music all to enter our homes and lives without posting a watchman.  You don’t believe me – how many of you parents allow your children to play computer games, or watch films above their age classification? Have you taken time recently to look at their friend’s photos on facebook.   Just last week my college tutor told me how horrified he was at the photos his niece, his daughter’s cousin, had posted on her facebook site.  Who is being gatekeeper to the hearts, minds, eyes, ears and soul of your children?

Singers – the spiritual need of Jerusalem was worship.  Nehemiah appointed singers to lead people in the praise of God, the One who had brought this task to completion.  These singers reminded the people of Jerusalem that there was more to life than work and money.  Their greatest priority was to ensure that God was at the centre of their life, their family and their community.   Nehemiah was aware and alert to the creeping secularisation of Jerusalem. Are you aware of the creeping, in fact rampant, secularisation of society today?  Seriously – look around you – a Christian couple are struck off the fostering register in England because they state that as Christians they could not tell a child that homosexuality was a good lifestyle choice.  We could go on with that list.  Who will take a stand and remind us, remind our children and remind our community that man has a soul, an eternal soul.

Let me say something to you, something which I think we all need to take on board and to take seriously.  Instead of criticising those who lead in our organisations, those who lead us in praise and worship, those who teach the faith in your church – we should remember  why  Nehemiah  appointed  singers  –  to  remind  the people of God of their souls, of their need to worship God and that money/work was not all there was to life.

Levites – what do you feed your mind with?  Take a moment and think about what you have put into your mind in the past week. What have you allowed to enter into the mind of your children in this past week?   What is feeding your intellect?   Nehemiah appointed Levites to teach the people of God the word of God. Parents – what or whom, is teaching your children?  What/whom is feeding their intellect?

If the heart is to be inspired to worship then the mind must be informed.   Faith is not empty, it is not pie in the sky dreaming. Faith must be built on the knowledge of God as revealed in the Word of God.   Are you as concerned with your knowledge of the Word of God as you are about your knowledge of current affairs, of the soaps on television or of value of your house?   Are you as concerned that your children know the Word of God as they are that they pass their GCSE’s or A’ Levels or whatever.  My friend said to me recently:  I would be happy for all three of my children to leave school without a qualification if I knew they loved Jesus and would one day be in heaven.   What do you desire for your children above all else in this world?  What do you desire for yourself above all else in this world?

Who have you appointed as a Levite in your life?   The Sun newspaper!   The latest blockbuster film!   The latest best selling book!   Where does the Bible come in all of this?   Seriously – you want to know the worst attended meeting of this fellowship – Wednesday night Bible study and please don’t give me I can’t make it.    I  am  always  amazed  how  we  can  make  night  classes,  salsa classes or whatever but sitting at the feet of God’s Word is not a priority. Who have you appointed as a Levite in your life?

7.2 – value reliable partners in this work.   The longer I walk with Christ  the  more  convinced  I become  that  those  you appoint in leadership decide the spiritual well being of a congregation.  I want the leaders of the organisations to hear what I am going to say next because this is for you.  I know at times you feel undervalued in your church.   I know there are times that you feel no one would even notice if you were not there or if you did not do the work you presently do.  I know the long hours you put in and the commitment that you give in serving Christ here each week.

If reliability was important to Nehemiah then so was Reverence for God and the things of God.  Hanani and Hananiah put God first in their lives and so Nehemiah appointed them to leadership.  In fact it was Hanani who had come to tell Nehemiah of the state of the walls of Jerusalem in chapter 1.   Nehemiah heaps high praise on Hananiah when he says that he feared God more than most men. Would  that  not  be  a  wonderful  thing  to  be  said  of  you?  If you would be a leader in the kingdom of God then fear God more than men.

7.3 Be on your guard.   Nehemiah gave instructions about the security of the gates.  Nehemiah knew that just because the walls were built and the gates in place did not mean the enemy would not attack.   They needed reliable men to guard the gates and if necessary to shut the gates in the face of the enemies attacks. Have you posted a guard on the gates of your heart and mind?

These verses  are filled with challenges from God concerning how we live when we have built the walls and hung the gates on God’s kingdom  in our lives and in  the lives of others.


These verses give us timely advice about being on our guard as we continue living in the kingdom of God and how we need the gatekeepers, singers and Levites in our lives.   It also informs us about  being  reliable  and  reverential  leaders  –  so  that  we  can partner with one another in the work of the Gospel.  lastly it warns us to keep our guard up because our enemy has not given up the fight  just  because  we  have  entered  into the  kingdom  of  God  – through salvation.

Amen.

Prayer

Nehemiah 1 verses 1‐11

Rebuilding with Prayer




During last year there was a programme to tell the history of the world in 100 objects.  You may have heard it on the radio.  People often make lists of the world’s most influential people, or histories most influential people.  If you get your face on the cover of Time magazine you are considered to be an important person.   The Sunday Times publishes a rich list each year, telling you who has lost money and who has gotten even richer.   So who influences history?  In the world in which we live it is pretty easy to feel, and believe, that ordinary people make absolutely no difference to history but as we look at the book of Nehemiah we shall see  that  the  very  opposite  is  in  fact  true.    Read Nehemiah chapter 1.Ezra and Nehemiah were originally one book in many of the early Hebrew texts and they need to be read together to get the full round picture.   Historically they are set during the fourth century BC when the people of Israel are in Babylonian exile.  Artexerxes  is king of Persia and he allows, or rather sends, Nehemiah back to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls and gates of the city.   Nehemiah encounters fierce opposition to this task from other people and finds his own people in complete disunity and disarray.  Despite all of this he rebuilds the walls of Jerusalem.  When the people once again begin to fall into sin Ezra and Nehemiah read the Law of God to them and call them to repentance.
Verses 1‐3 serve as an introduction to the book and also put before us the necessary facts of the story.  We are told that Hanani, along with other men from Judah, came from Jerusalem and that Nehemiah asked them about Jerusalem and about the people of God there.

Their reply is given in verse 3 – read.  The reply sets the scene for the rest of the book.  Nehemiah is informed that Jerusalem lies in ruins  and  the  people  are  despairing  as  a  result.    The  walls  are broken down and the gates have been burned.  There is no means of protection and it is not a city that you would be proud to belong to.  Further to that the people themselves are in no better state.  In fact they tell Nehemiah that the people are in great trouble and shame.   Is that not a dreadful description of the people of God? What is to be done?

There are two possible reactions – ‘nothing to do with me...’ or
‘let’s get a recovery project/programme into place...’   Nehemiah does neither of these – turn to the following verse 4.

Verse 4 – this is the key verse of this passage, and in fact of the whole books.   Look at what Nehemiah does when he hears the disturbing news of the state of Jerusalem and the people of God there.  He sits down – he takes a seat.  Quite literally he stopped what he was doing and shut out all the distractions of his life in the palace.  He shut out all the riches and glamour of the royal court – he took a ‘sabbath.’   In the Hebrew ‘sabbath’ is ‘shabbath’ which meant ‘to stop’ and that is what he did.  Here is the first lesson we learn from Nehemiah – to stop what we are doing to concentrate on what God would have us do.  When we read on in verse 4 we read that he fasted and prayed – but he could do neither if he was still busying himself with the things of everyday life.   So the first thing he did was to stop all other activity in order to concentrate on being before God.   We all need to take that on board at the beginning of 2012.   Let me ask you what are all the distractions going on around you when you come to read your bible and to pray.   The radio on in the background, checking emails, or is the television still on?   That should never be – we are to stop – to shabbath – so that God gets our full attention.  I know what some of  you  are  thinking  right  at  this  moment  –  do  you  know  how difficult it is for me to get even five minutes spare time?  I want to be as gentle as I can with you about this but I do want to be honest with about it – if it is a priority you will find the time.  If you are serious about your relationship with God you will find the time. Some of you seriously need to examine your time management before God.  You cannot find time to be alone with God but you can spend hours on face book, hours playing Farmville and all those other pointless games on websites but you cannot stop and be before God in prayer?    You can read the newspapers, the latest novel,  surf the  internet,  bid on ebay, never miss  an episode of eastenders and you can make time for coffee in the local coffee house but you cannot make time to be alone before God.   Nehemiah immediately sat down, stopped, before God when news came of the disrepair of Jerusalem and the despair of the people of God.

He then fasted and prayed.  He didn’t do this for five minutes but for a number of days.  It was not a one off arrow prayer, prayed in the moment to salve his conscience.  Nehemiah was serious before God  in  prayer  for  Jerusalem  and  the  people  of  God.    Prayer mattered because prayer influences history, changes events, moves people and helps fulfil the will of God.   Throughout the book of Nehemiah we read of him praying:

1.4 he prays for a long time

2.4 he prays in an emergency

4.4 he prays when he is misunderstood instead of getting bitter

4.9 he prays when he is in danger

5.19 he prays when he is tested

6.9 he prays even when he is exhausted

7.3 he keeps on praying



Nehemiah is saturated in prayer.  He makes no decisions, takes no steps forward and does not begin a task without praying.  His life was a life of prayer.  When word comes of Jerusalem he prays – not just because it is the right thing to do but also because it is the only thing to do – there is no greater thing that you can do for someone or some situation than to bring it to God in prayer.  Do you believe that?  Do you really believe that?    If you do then prayer will be a priority in your life. So let us look at what Nehemiah prayed.



Verse 5   Nehemiah begins his prayer with adoration of God.   He begins with praise, declaring the greatness of Almighty God.   He describes   God   as   a   great   and   awesome   God.      It   is   this understanding of God that is the bedrock of his prayer – why else would you pray if you did not believe that God was in control? Nehemiah then states that God is faithful and loving.   It is God himself who has called the people into a covenant relationship with him.  Nehemiah uses the ‘name’ that God revealed to Moses when Moses asked to see God’s glory in Exodus 33.   ‘Steadfast love’ – covenant love – this is the glory of God.  God is His name – that is why it is not to be taken lightly, vainly or used as a swear word. Here Nehemiah reveals the glory of God and that this God of majesty, of power and might is the one who has called, and covenanted, His people into an intimate personal relationship with Himself – so that they can pray to Him.   Without a relationship there can be no communication and without communication there can be no relationship.  If you claim to follow Christ, to belong to God and are not praying then there is no relationship with God or a breakdown  in  your  relationship  with  God.     It  is  the  same  in marriage – the breakdown of the relationship is usually because of the breakdown in communication – no communication = no relationship – that is why scripture constantly uses marriage as an illustration of the relationship of God and His people.

Adoration also slows Nehemiah down – it is all part and parcel of the ‘shabbath.’  Nehemiah’s heart has been moved by the plight of Jerusalem and the people of God but his focus needs to be on God. Jerusalem is very obviously the issue on his heart that he wants to bring before God but prayer is not about a ‘heavenly shopping list’– it is about a relationship with God.  Adoration at the beginning of prayer  slows  him  down,  reminds  him  of  before  whom  he  now stands and to whom he is bringing his requests.  It reinforces the covenant relationship and his understanding that God is gracious, faithful, loving and awesome.  Remember to praise and adore God when you begin to pray – it focuses your heart and mind on God and not on self.
Verses 6‐7 – Confession.  The next part of Nehemiah’s prayer is a lesson in confession of sin.   Being in the presence of God he can only confess his sin because he is aware of his sinfulness before God’s holiness.  I hope and pray that the same is true of us.  When we come into the presence of God we become aware of our sinfulness in His presence.  I think it is important that we teach that to our children and to our teenagers.   In a world where there is little respect for anyone or anything we need to reinforce by our own actions, by our own prayers and by our teaching that God is holy, He is awesome and majestic and that we are sinners in His presence.  There are occasions  that I am horrified at the lack of reverence before God.  God is not you bosom buddy.  Nor is He your mate and should not be treated with such flippancy as often passes for worship.  He is your creator.  He sustains your life each day.  He decided the moment of your birth and He has already decided the moment of your death.  He sent His Son to die for your sin and He is holy, awesome, majestic and all powerful.  The least you can do is to show respect and reverence in His presence.

Nehemiah confesses that he, and the people of God, have not kept the word of God and in so doing they have sinned against God. They are at fault, not God.   They have broken the covenant, not God.  They have been unfaithful, not God.  Nehemiah is honest in his confession before God and he confesses because he knows that God is gracious and will forgive those who truly repent and turn from their sin.  It is the holiness of God that convicts him of his sin and it is the grace of God that brings him to confession.  There is wrath and mercy here.   There is both judgement and grace in confession of sin.   There is acknowledgement of who God is and who Nehemiah is before God.   Oh, that we would follow such an example of prayer.  At the beginning of 2012 is it not right that we should we confess like Nehemiah that we are sinners, that we have broken the covenant with God and that we have been unfaithful.

I think it is fair to say that confession of sin is one of the neglected areas  of  prayer  in  the  life  of  many.    I  am  not  talking  about confessing your sins to another person.  What passes for confession of sin in prayer?  Often we pray and ask God to forgive us our sin – one sentence – it has not involved self‐examination before God, it has caused us no pain, remorse or regret and there is certainly been  no  shame  or  embarrassment  about  it.     I  wonder,  truly wonder, how much genuine repentance and confession of sin actually happens in the life of many – the result is actually pretty easy to see.   The evidence of this lack of true repentance and confession  is seen in the number of those who claim to follow Christ who live lives of sin, who walk away from God and who are casual about the moral law of God.

If I have lied – do I ask God to forgive me because I am a liar?  If I have broken my marriage vows do I ask God to forgive me for adultery?   If I have cheated on expenses do I confess that I am a thief?  If I have gossiped and destroyed someone’s reputation do I confess that I am a murderer?  If I have claimed to follow Christ but lived as the world lives do I confess that I am a hypocrite?   True confession  leads  us  to  naming  sin  for  what  it  is,  to  confront  it openly and confess it specifically before God.  Nehemiah did, and he also said that the people of God in general were guilty of sin.
The result of such confession is that my guilt is assuaged, my conscience is seared by the Holy Spirit and purified by God and the burden of sin (which we used to confess to God was intolerable and that we were unable to bear it) is lifted from my shoulders and life. Don’t you want that?  I know that I do.



Verses 8‐9 make harrowing reading for the people of God, in the day of Nehemiah and today.  Look at the consequences of sin and blessing of confession.  Sin scatters people because its sole purpose is the breakdown and death of relationships.  The sole purpose of sin is to break your relationship with God and to lead to your death– both physical and spiritual.   If only we would understand that about sin.  If only we had eyes that would see the consequences of our sinful actions before we took the next step.   Adam and Eve could not see the death of their relationship with God and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden and the gracious provision of God – and so they ate the forbidden fruit and brought death into their relationship with God, with each other and with the earth. Nehemiah knows this and confesses that the people of God cannot claim to be ignorant of this because God had told them of such consequences  through  His word –  you  cannot  be  ignorant  of  it either.   The death of their relationship with God, the removal of God’s protection and the scattering of the people (all of which has happened and is pictured in the broken walls and burned gates of Jerusalem) are because the people have been unfaithful to the covenant relationship with God.  Friends, there are no blessings to be found in unfaithfulness but there is always death and scattering.


Yet there is hope, yet there is grace and yet there is blessing.  If the people return to God, repent of their sin and are faithful to the covenant that God has established with them – Nehemiah says no matter how far apart they are, no matter how far they have been scattered God will gather them together to the place where He has chosen to dwell and to make His name known.   At the time of Nehemiah that place was Jerusalem – God choose the place and He choose that His name would dwell there – in the Temple.  What a wonderful picture – which finds its ultimate fulfilment in the book of Revelation – when God’s people, a gathering which no man can number, gather for the banquet of the Lamb.   God is not about scattering people – throughout His Word He gathers His people together – around His word, around His throne of grace, a place where He dwells with and amongst His people.  Nehemiah knows that this is God’s will – to gather His people and to dwell amongst them.   God has not changed.   God’s desire is still to gather His people and to dwell amongst them.

Verse 10 – Redemption of God’s people by the hand of God. Jerusalem may lie in ruins and the people of God may be despairing but God is the God of redemption.   By His hand the people are redeemed and in that redemption they are declared the people of God.   As you read this you  may feel that your life is in ruins and the walls of your life are broken down and the gates are burned.  You may feel despairing because of your past and the past of others which has brought you to this place.   NOW God whispers into your life that He is the God of redemption – the one who redeems, who has paid for all the consequences of your sin and the sins of others.  He has taken all the punishment for your unfaithfulness and the unfaithfulness of others and this morning by His mighty power and His strong arm He will redeem you.   He wants you to know that redemption NOW.  He wants you to know the redeeming love of the saviour, not just to know it in your head but to feel it in the depth of your soul – to know you are redeemed this NOW.



Verse 11 – now Nehemiah is in a place to ask of God.  Look at this verse closely.  He does not immediately launch into a list of requests concerning Jerusalem.   Having taken a ‘shabbath’, having adored God, confessed his sin and praised God for His faithfulness and redemption he asks that God would turn His ear to his request – not because of who Nehemiah is but because Nehemiah fears the name of the Lord.  Look at what he asks of God– give me success before this man – the king.

I want you to note that Nehemiah does not tell God or ask God about Jerusalem and what needs to be done there – no he asks simply that God gives him success in the next step – before king Artexerxes.   There is no racing to the end of this project, there is only prayer for the next step of the journey.  Too often we pray for the end of the journey without having asked God for success for taking the first footsteps of that journey.  Remember that in prayer. Pray for the next step



 I asked who influences history?   You do by your prayers.  your prayers have a greater influence, impact and consequences  for  your  life,  for  the  life  of  your  family,  for  YOUR church and for YOUR community  Do you believe that?  As the people of God I want to encourage you to keep on praying and to take prayer seriously. As your Brother in Christ I want to say to you that over the past few years there  were  times  when  only  prayer,  only  prayer,  carried  me through many situations.  There were times when knowing that other people  were praying for me quite literally gave me the strength, the courage and the determination to keep following Christ in very dark and difficult situations.  Thank you for those prayers because they sustained my life, they changed my life and they have changed the lives of others. So keep praying.

Make the time – take a shabbath each day.   Quite literally stop whatever you are doing and come before God – use the pattern of Nehemiah 1‐11 for your prayer pattern.   Don’t go through the motions.      Turn   off   the   computer,   switch   off   facebook,   the television, whatever and go before God in prayer.   You want to influence  your  children,  you  want  to  enrich  your  marriage,  you want the blessings of God in your life – it won’t happen unless you are before Him in prayer.  Start somewhere – but you need to start. You need to keep going, be persistent because satan will through everything at you, including the kitchen sink, to stop you praying.

  Thank you for those prayers in the past and I thank you for those prayers in the future.

Amen.