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Rebuilding Our Hearts and Our Church Home

Rebuilding Our Hearts and Our Church Home. Nehemiah Rebuilding God’s Way. First Thoughts A quote from David Wells: God rests too inconsequentially upon the church. His truth is too distant His grace is too ordinary His judgment is too benign His Gospel is too easy

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Rebuilding Our Hearts and Our Church Home

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  1. Rebuilding Our Hearts and Our Church Home

  2. Nehemiah Rebuilding God’s Way • First Thoughts • A quote from David Wells: • God rests too inconsequentially upon the church. • His truth is too distant • His grace is too ordinary • His judgment is too benign • His Gospel is too easy • His Christ is too common

  3. Nehemiah Rebuilding God’s Way • The truth? We marginalize God: • We “domesticate” Him to serve our purposes • The situation in Nehemiah 9: • They are finished with the Feast of Booths and are ready to take two more steps • Chapter 9 is step 1, chapter 10 is step 2 • They discover the nature of true repentance is a balance of grief and gladness

  4. Nehemiah Rebuilding God’s Way • A review of where we are in Nehemiah: • Chapters 1 – 7 focus on reconstruction • Chapters 8 – 13 focus on reinstruction • Chapter 8 – Rediscovery of God’s Word • Chapter 9 – Rediscovery of God’s Grace • Chapter 10 – Recommitmentto follow God’s Word

  5. Nehemiah Rebuilding God’s Way • True Repentance is prompted by the Word and work of God • The world makes too much of man and too little of God, and so continues lost on a path to ruin • God’s Word must do the work of convicting minds and hearts • We will never know the truth without it! • The people of Israel understood how they had failed God from the reading of the law by Ezra (Nehemiah 8)

  6. Nehemiah Rebuilding God’s Way • True Repentance is characterized by genuine sorrow – v 1 • The nation’s first response was fasting, not fun • When they fasted it hurt! • The purpose was to recognize the depth of their sin • Isaiah 6:1-5 reveals the God we sin against • 2 Questions: • How do I show how serious I am about my sins? • What do I call repentance?

  7. Nehemiah Rebuilding God’s Way • True Repentance faces the ugly truth of sin head on – v 2 • They confessed their sins past and present • They identified with sins they did not commit. Why? • They acknowledged these actions were sinful • They recognized their potential to do the same • The nation’s prayer of sinfulness (lostness) – vv 5-37 • Note it’s specific nature • They considered how their sin affected/offended a holy God

  8. Nehemiah Rebuilding God’s Way • True Repentance acknowledges the unworthiness sin produces • This comes through “between the lines” • Repentance recognizes I am undeserving . . . • . . . and yet God is willing to extend grace to me • These truths should rid us of the thoughts . . . • . . . that we “deserve” something from Him • . . . that we are “OK” apart from His grace • The truth: we are lost without Him in our lives!

  9. Nehemiah Rebuilding God’s Way • True Repentance throws itself upon the Amazing grace of God – vv 5-37 • It acknowledges the true character and nature of God • The nation is told to “stand up and praise Him” – v5 • The nation is told He is sovereign – vv 7-8 • The nation is told of His care for them – vv 9-10 • The nation is told of His provision – vv 11-12 • The nation is told of His Word to them – vv 13-15 • The nation is told of His faithfulness in contrast to their sinfulness (lostness) – vv 16-37

  10. Nehemiah Rebuilding God’s Way • Last Thoughts • The repeated truth in Nehemiah 9? • We (Israel) have messed up and You have always graciously forgiven when we repent. Grace can . . . • Meet a woman caught in adultery and . . . • Meet a man who has wasted his life and . . . • Meet a woman at a well with a dark past and . . . • Meet a condemned man and . . . • Meet you and I today and . . .

  11. Nehemiah Rebuilding God’s Way • Last Thoughts • The final word? • True repentance walks a new path by the grace of God through salvation in Jesus Christ • We need Jesus Christ as Savior because we are lost, not because we are bad • We need Him as Spiritual Guide (the Holy Spirit) so we can grow in understanding & obedience of Him and the Word

  12. Rebuilding Our Hearts and Our Church Home

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