February 20th, 2005

Pastor George H. Heiland

NEHEMIAH'S pRAYER PART ii

^{4 When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5 And I said, “I beseech Thee, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, 6 let Thine ear now be attentive and Thine eyes open to hear the prayer of Thy servant which I am praying before Thee now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Thy servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against Thee; I and my father’s house have sinned. 7“We have acted very corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. 8“Remember the word which You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful I will scatter you among the peoples; 9but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered were in the most remote part of the heavens, I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell.’ 10“They are Your servants and Your people whom You redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand. 11“O Lord, I beseech You, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to revere Your name, and make Your servant successful today and grant him compassion before this man.” Now I was the cupbearer to the king.}

“I beseech Thee, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,

1. He made it Personal: 6b “I and my father’s house have sinned.”

Ezra 9:5,6; 5 But at the evening offering I arose from my humiliation, even with my garment and my robe torn, and I fell on my knees and stretched out my hands to the Lord my God; 6 and I said, “O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to Thee, my God, for our iniquities have risen above our heads, and our guilt has grown even to the heavens. 7 “Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt, and on account of our iniquities we, our kings and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to plunder and to open shame, as it is this day.

2. He Confessed their Disobedience “We have acted very corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses.”

 This is called repentance. Sinner and saint alike has need of repentance.

a. For the sinner it’s to acknowledge one’s sinfulness, turn from it and ask for God’s mercy based on the finished work of Christ.

Acts 17:30,31; 30 “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

b. For the saint, it is confessing one’s sin and receiving His cleansing and restoration to fellowship based on his relationship to Christ as a child of God.

1st John 1:9 – 2:2; 

1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

How gracious God is to provide wholly for our need. He will forgive us; that is faithfulness. He can forgive us because He has every right to forgive us. That is justice linked to grace! And beside that He gives us a Divine Attorney so that no one can bring any charge against us. Besides, He is The Propitiation or ἱλασμός .  W. E. Vine says the word is “used amongst the Greeks with the significance to make the gods propitious, to appease, propitiate, inasmuch as their good will was not conceived as their natural attitude, but something to be earned first. This use of the word is foreign to the Greek Bible, with respect to God, whether in the Sept. or in the N.T. It is never used of any act whereby man brings God into a favourable attitude or gracious disposition. It is God who is propitiated by the vindication of His holy and righteous character, whereby, through the provision He has made in the vicarious and expiatory sacrifice of Christ, He has so dealt with sin that He can shew mercy to the believing sinner in the removal of his guilt and the remission of his sins.” 

What a great God we serve!

1. Nehemiah Remembered God’s Word    vs. 8

^{8 “Remember the word which You commanded Your servant Moses,} 

  ^{2. Nehemiah Remembered God’s Warning}

saying, ‘If you are unfaithful I will scatter you among the peoples;

⁹ but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered were in the most remote part of the heavens, I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell.’

God will someday heal their land! 

2nd Chronicles 7:13-18 

^{13 “If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, 14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.}

4. Nehemiah Remembered God’s People      vs. 10

^{10 “They are Your servants and Your people whom You redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand.}

¹¹ “O Lord, I beseech You, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to revere Your name, and make Your servant successful today and grant him compassion before this man.” 

God has given us a commission. Now may He give us a burden for our community and our country. 

1st Timothy 2:1-6 “ . . . I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony borne at the proper time."

It is our prayer that God will use this message to bring the Truth that set us free and brings a peace that passes all understanding.

We see that these are great assets for the Christian.  Have you found a church home?  Better yet; have you found new life in Christ? Why not come to Him today? God will receive those who will come to Him.  He has provided the means for you to be saved, baptized and be a part of His New Testament Local Church ministry -- He gave His Son to intercede; all you need to do is cast yourself upon His mercy and grace.  

Jesus said in John 6:37-40

38 “For  I have come down from heaven,  not to do My own will, but  the will of Him who  sent Me. 39 “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of  all that He has given Me I  lose nothing, but  raise it up on the last day. 40 “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who  beholds the Son and  believes in Him, may have eternal life; and I Myself will  raise him up on the last day.”

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