Stay Faithful

JOKE: John and Frank were out fishing one day in a rented boat. They simply couldn’t find any fish at the first and second spots that they fished at, and it was getting late. So they thought that they would try one more spot to fish at, and sure enough they got lots of fish.
They were so happy, that John told Frank to jump over the boat and mark the spot. that way they could remember where they fished next time..
So Frank dived over board and put a big X on the “bottom” of the boat. Afterwards Frank climbed back into the boat and told John what he had done. John said, “That is the dumbest thing I have every heard of, marking the bottom of a “rented boat” with an X. What if we don’t get the same boat, next time?”

STORY: A boy was sitting on a park bench with one hand resting on an open Bible. He was loudly exclaiming his praise to God. “Hallelujah! Hallelujah! God is great!” he yelled without worrying whether anyone heard him or not.

Shortly after, along came a man who had recently completed some studies at a local university. Feeling himself very enlightened in the ways of truth and very eager to show this enlightenment, he asked the boy about the source of his joy.

“Hey” asked the boy in return with a bright laugh, “Don’t you have any idea what God is able to do? I just read that God opened up the waves of the Red Sea and led the whole nation of Israel right through the middle.”

The enlightened man laughed lightly, sat down next to the boy and began to try to open his eyes to the “realities” of the miracles of the Bible. “That can all be very easily explained. Modern scholarship has shown that the Red Sea in that area was only 10-inches deep at that time. It was no problem for the Israelites to wade across.”

The boy was stumped. His eyes wandered from the man back to the Bible laying open in his lap. The man, content that he had enlightened a poor, naïve young person to the finer points of scientific insight, turned to go. Scarcely had he taken two steps when the boy began to rejoice and praise louder than before. The man turned to ask the reason for this resumed jubilation.

“Wow!” exclaimed the boy happily, “God is greater than I thought! Not only did He lead the whole nation of Israel through the Red Sea, He topped it off by drowning the whole Egyptian army in 10 inches of water!”
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In the first 12 chapters of the book of Nehemiah, we find the people of God doing a marvelous job. We see them prepared, participating, and having passionate praise that was penetrating their culture.

Let me try and give you a little background of what was happening. The first 12 chapters of the book record the events that take place over a time period of less than a year. The events recorded in those chapters begin with Nehemiah praying and preparing to return to Jerusalem to lead people in the rebuilding of the walls. Then after a journey that probably took several months, Nehemiah arrives at Jerusalem and, after surveying the conditions, leads the people in that process. In spite of constant opposition from Tobiah and Sanballat, along with some others the construction is completed in only 52 days.

Several days later the people assemble to listen to Ezra read the Scriptures and the people respond by obeying what they hear and they also gather to confess their sins and make a covenant with God to obey His Word. In that covenant found in chapter 10, the people make 4 promises to God:

• They promise to submit to God’s Word
• They promise to take care of God’s house – the Temple
• They promise to observe the Sabbath as God commanded and not buy from neighboring cities during the Sabbath.
• Not marry their daughters to foreigners nor let their sons marry the foreign women.

After 12 years as the leader of the people, having rebuilt the wall and rebuilt the faith of the people, Nehemiah went back to Persia.
We do not know how long he was gone, probably a few years. But while he was away, the people began to slide back to their old ways and back out of their commitments they made in Chapter 10.

Chapter 13 records what Nehemiah discovered when he returns:
(1) the priests had become corrupt, (2) the giving wasn’t happening, (3) the Sabbath was not observed, and (4) the people had intermarried with foreigners.

Let’s read what happen from the account in Chapter 13.

Nehemiah 13:4–9 (NIV): Before this, Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God. He was closely associated with Tobiah, 5 and he had provided him with a large room formerly used to store the grain offerings and incense and temple articles, and also the tithes of grain, new wine and olive oil prescribed for the Levites, musicians and gatekeepers, as well as the contributions for the priests. 6 But while all this was going on, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had returned to the king. Some time later I asked his permission 7 and came back to Jerusalem. Here I learned about the evil thing Eliashib had done in providing Tobiah a room in the courts of the house of God. 8 I was greatly displeased and threw all Tobiah’s household goods out of the room. 9 I gave orders to purify the rooms, and then I put back into them the equipment of the house of God, with the grain offerings and the incense.

Think about that, Eliashib the priest had given Tobiah a room that was purposed for storing the contributions to the priest so that they could take care of the House of God. Tobiah one who opposed the rebuilding of the wall.

Hear this church when you allow the enemy to make a bed in your presence he will continue to steal from you.

If that was t bad enough

Nehemiah 13:10–11 (NIV): I also learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been given to them, and that all the Levites and musicians responsible for the service had gone back to their own fields. 11 So I rebuked the officials and asked them, “Why is the house of God neglected?” Then I called them together and stationed them at their posts.

Because the priests in charge where no longer receiving what by the law they were to receive, they had to go back and tend their fields which made them to busy to tend to the things of God and the temple of God.

But theres more. . .

Nehemiah 13:15 (NIV): In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, together with wine, grapes, figs and all other kinds of loads. And they were bringing all this into Jerusalem on the Sabbath. Therefore I warned them against selling food on that day.

They became more concerned about business then worship.

And still some more. . .

Nehemiah 13:23–24 (NIV): Moreover, in those days I saw men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. 24 Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples, and did not know how to speak the language of Judah.

And church this is where a I want to spend a few minutes this morning.

Look at it again

Verse 24 – Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples, and did not know how to speak the language of Judah.

I believe much of the problem in the Body of Christ is we have forgotten the language of His kingdom.

We have allowed the enemy to infiltrate our temple and since we have allowed Delilah a bed in our presence she has cut of the hair of our power.
Look at it again. . .I need you to get this.

Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples, and did not know how to speak the language of Judah.

It seems to me that for many Christianity has become our second language and the language of our culture has become the first.

Listen Im not talking about speaking the King James listen to me or else turn off those you talk to type language, but rather the be in the world not part of it.

What does that mean anyway pastor? I’m glad you asked, if my words sounds too much like the one that don’t have a relationship with the Father. If all I do is gossip, talk bad about, and have nothing to offer someone that doesn’t know God. Then I’m not shining the light to the world.

My life ought to show people potential.

The 21st century church is not influencing the culture like it should because we are marrying the spirit of this age and not holding unto what thus says the Lord.

The Body of Christ doesn’t understand the language of prayer and praise that is used for pulling down strongholds, casting down imaginations, and bringing every thought captive because we have picked up the cultures solution of self-help,

And hear this church the words you speak will determine your victory or your defeats in this Spiritual Battle.

And church you will never walk in victory while you are talking defeat.

Judah means praise.

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (NIV): 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

The people had become different because they married others that were into idol worship. And they forgot who they were.

And church if the enemy can lure you into believing your not good enough, smart enough, or spiritual enough, he will convince you that your not effective enough to make a difference in the culture and you will loose your witness.

Paul and Silas understood the language of heaven. They find themselves locked up in a prison cell. A dark dungeon because they took a stance on the Word of God. And Scripture tells us at midnight. When probably must of the others were sleeping. They began to sing and praise and the prisoners heard them.

There are so many of us that can praise in a church atmosphere, but outside in the culture around us we change our tunes.

We can worship in sunshine, but not in the dungeon.

Praise isn’t sometime we do because of our circumstances, we praise because of who He is.

Listen church the enemy wants to steal your praise, because then he can steal your victory.

It was through worship when it didn’t look to good for Paul and Silas that they were set free.

It was through worship that the walls of Jericho were stuck down

It was through worship that Jehoshaphat was victorious.

It was though worship that the blind man received his sight. Even with the crowd yelling for him to be quite.

If the words we use in our homes doesn’t model anything better then what the world uses then why would we expect our families to understand the language of the Spirit.

If out words we use in our places of employment don’t model for them something more uplifting then what they are already used to then why would they hunger after the things of God.

We need to be the thermostat not the thermometer.

What’s the difference a thermostat sets the temperature a thermometer tells what the temperature is.

We need to set the temperature of the Spirit so the atmosphere shifts. So that when they walk into your presence they are aware that something is different.

See what happened here in our text is that they had gotten so tangled up in these other cultures that the children couldn’t even speak Hebrew.

And so the stories didn’t mean much, the Word of God didn’t effect them much, and half could no longer speak the native tongue.

They had forgotten how to praise.

Has the walls of your heart been torn down by the enemy? It’s time to rebuild, oh church listen there will be opposition. You will encounter your Tobias’s and Sanballat’s to be sure.

But you are able to rebuild. And when you do know this, you need to keep the enemy out of the temple.

And keep the praises of God in your heart.