2:09 Well, good evening, Maranatha Bible Church. Welcome to our Friday night Bible study. It is a joy as always to worship our God together with you, to open his word, to mind the depths of what he has in store for us. Everybody here has had unique experiences or trials or joys and successes throughout this week. No matter how you came into this room, I can tell you with utmost certainty you are in the right place.
2:50 Because here we worship God. We exalt him through Jesus Christ, our Lord. We love the Bible here in Maranatha. And maybe you've come into this room dry. Your soul is dry.
3:07 It's parched. It's dusty. You need the Lord to work. On Psalm 19, the psalmist says, the law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. Maybe you've come in here craving wisdom and maturity and growth.
3:27 You want to reject the worldly wisdom of the world, but the same Psalmist says, the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. Or how about those who come in here or watching who are downtrodden, facing grief and trials and affliction. Pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The rules of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
4:04 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold. More to be desired are they than the best successes in the world, the greatest jobs, the best family, the largest house. More to be desired are they than anything else. Sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honey, honey. Moreover, by them is your servant warned, and keeping them, there is great reward.
4:30 What's that reward? Commune with him, to rejoice with him, to love the things that he loves, and hate the things that he hates. To truly know God and delight in his word. That's our reward tonight. I hope you've come expecting great things from the Lord.
4:51 I hope you've come expecting wondrous things out of the law of the Lord as we open it together as the body of Christ. So will you pray with me? Father, we thank you so much for blessing us with this time, for a portioning this time by your sovereign plan for all of us to gather in this place to worship you, to open your word together, to behold wondrous things out of it. And Father, we pray for our hearts and our minds tonight, that by the gracious power of your Holy Spirit, you will illuminate us from the inside so that we have eyes to see and ears to hear and hearts truly to respond to you. Have your way in this service, Lord.
5:37 Have your way in our hearts. Soften our hearts to hear from you. Transform our hearts by the renewing of our mind. May none of us leave this place the same way as when we came in. It's for your glory alone and our joy we pray.
5:51 In Jesus name, amen. Amen. Church, will you please stand, lift your voice to the Lord and sing from your soul tonight.
13:02 Jesus Heavenly father, thank you for the joy it is to be in your house tonight. The joy it is to sing your praises and the joy it is to be near you, to draw close to you, lord. We thank you father for this gathering. We ask now as we receive your word that your spirit would continue to move in this place. We ask by the power of the spirit that your word would penetrate our hearts and our minds, that we would be transformed and washed by your word tonight.
20:02 We thank you for your word, Lord. We thank you for graciously revealing truth in this day and age, in our lives, in this season. And we look to you now. We worship you, and we ask that you would continue to be with us in this gathering. In Jesus' name, we pray.
20:29 Before you're seated, why don't you greet somebody? Take a moment to do that. Say hello. Welcome to Maranatha Bible Church. This is our Friday night bible study.
21:01 I'm sure you're aware of that. But just in case you stumbled into this place and you don't know where you are, you are at a place where we love to study God's word not for the sake of knowledge but because we believe that this is the means by which we get to know the God of this word. And so I hope that you can echo the sentiment of the psalmist in Psalm 16 verse three when he said, as for the saints of the land, they are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight. What a thing for David to say about those who love God, who fear God, who worship God. They are the ones in whom is all my delight.
21:35 There is genuine pleasure that we get to experience and taste in the presence of those who love God and have tasted of his own grace. So it is always a delight to be here with you more than once a week. And I think we've been just sticking with three times a week. I don't know if that's going to change, but it's been working for us and, it's a little glimpse of heaven certainly. Well, as we continue in our worship service here, if it's on your heart to give, the ushers will assist us with that as they always do.
22:04 And there are ways that you can give shown on the screens on both sides here of the pulpit. And we're so grateful for your partnership. Thank you for your contributions. It it's something that God uses to make what happens here at MBC possible. And, we always thank God for how he supplies our needs.
22:23 And as we seek first the kingdom, he promises that he'll take care of everything else in our lives. And as that is happening allow me to make a very brief announcement. Just in case you don't know, we do have our upcoming conference on August twenty seventh to the thirtieth. The conference is not taking place here. It's taking place in Michigan, and it's something that we do once a year.
22:44 And we're so excited about this conference. We're so looking forward to seeing how God is gonna use that time together. But what that means for us is because so many of us from NBC make our way there, there's barely anybody here, if not anybody at all, that comes to the the weekend services. So the services for that weekend will not be happening here. Everything will be live streamed in Michigan.
23:05 You can tune in to our YouTube page, and and find those sessions. There'll be a total of six sessions that will be live streamed. And that also means that the Wednesday prayer night of that week will not, will not be happening because many people will be making their way up there to, prepare for the weekend. So if you still wanna come, if you're on the fence for whatever reason, if your schedule just opened up, you are free to still register and attend the conferences though all the the rooms are booked. From what I heard last, there's still a few, of the the dormitories for the women available.
23:39 So if you're a young lady here and you want to, you know, be a part of that, you can always register and find a way to do that. There's a QR code, hopefully, that's there that can help you get to that link quicker. And so just be mindful, the doors will be closed on those days and the Wednesday service, of that same week concerning the prayer meeting. Besides that, if you didn't know also, we have, as I alluded to earlier, three different meetings here that happens. Every Wednesday night, we are here to pray.
24:06 Every week, 7PM downstairs in a designated room for us to seek the Lord. It's always a powerful time. It's always a precious time. And so if you want to take your walk with the Lord to another level, I I believe wholeheartedly that being part of a prayer meeting is is is going to do something to stretch your soul. And so please join us for that every week on Wednesdays.
24:29 As you know, every Fridays we're here, going through the book of Nehemiah in this season at 7PM. And on Sundays, we meet here for the Lord's Day service at 10:30AM. And we're excited for all that God has been doing in those services. Well, let's pray together, shall we, before we enter into this book together. Lord, we just choose to be still and know that you are God.
24:59 Your word promises that you will be exalted in all the nations. You will be exalted in the earth. We thank you that you, the Lord of hosts, is with us and that you, the God of Jacob, are our fortress. We ask, Lord, in this time that as we unfold the scriptures that you would speak to our hearts in a fresh way. Lord, we pray that we would be able to experience what those two disciples experienced on the road to Emmaus, a burning of the bosom.
25:38 And later in that same chapter, we pray that we would inherit what you gave to those disciples that were hiding in that upper room, an opening of the mind to understand the oracles of God. So Lord, we pray that with all our weaknesses, including the weakness of the deliverer of this study, that you would meet all of that with your perfect power. That you would be merciful to us because we long to see Christ and we don't want any other obstacles to hinder our vision of him in this moment. So Lord have your way and guide us now we ask. In Jesus' name we pray.
26:15 Amen. Well I'd like to ask you a question before we come to our text tonight, and it's a sobering question in many ways. Have you ever wondered why leaders in the kingdom of God differ from one another? Not in terms of gifting, but in terms of character, integrity, purity, trustworthiness. Have you ever wondered why some leaders finish the race well while others damage their testimony to such a degree that it even destroys their ministry.
27:03 Well, what we are about to look at in this designated text in Nehemiah chapter five will reveal to us one of the key ingredients that distinguishes consistent Christ like leadership from those who may operate in positions of authority, but make very questionable decisions and hold very questionable attitudes. Nehemiah is going to reveal a truth that is found in what reads like a journal entry in the final portion of chapter five of his book. And I invite you now to turn there with me. Now it helps to remember that in this chapter, we read how Nehemiah confronts the nobles and the officials in Jerusalem for disregarding the law of God concerning his instructions and regulations about loans granted to fellow Jews. And they clearly violated his instructions.
28:06 Nehemiah was made aware of this, and so he meets them eye to eye and rebukes them with righteous indignation, but also with great wisdom. And we rejoice in our last study because we saw how this confrontation resulted in genuine repentance and more than repentance, restitution on the part of those who were the offenders. But before Nehemiah moves on from this account, he does something quite interesting. In a handful of verses here, we're going to see how he explains why he was not numbered among the guilty. In other words, Nehemiah wants to take some space in his account of this incident to share his innocence in this great public scandal.
29:01 And we might look at that at face value and think, okay, this is just Nehemiah trying to protect his reputation at a critical time in Judah's history when his leadership was very much needed, but look deeper and understand the mind of God. Because what we are going to see here in this very personal excerpt of truth are insights of how you and I can walk in uprightness regardless of the context that we find ourselves in. And it boils down to one secret. It comes down to one principle and something that you will see just by reading the verses that we're about to look at now. And so let's do that.
29:44 Let's look at Nehemiah chapter five beginning in verse 14 down to verse 19. Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years, Neither I nor my brothers ate the food allowance of the governor. The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them for for for their daily ration 40 of silver. Even their servants lorded over the people. But I did not do so because of the fear of God.
30:23 I also preserved or persevered rather in the work of this wall, and we acquired no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work. Moreover, there were at my table a 150 men, Jews and officials besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us. Now what was prepared at my expense for each day was one ox and six choice sheep and birds, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. And for all this, I did not demand the food allowance of the governor because the service was too heavy on this people. Remember for my good, oh my God, all that I have done for this people.
31:01 If I had to give this study a title, it would be the following: Because of the Fear of God. Because of the Fear of God. That is undoubtedly the heart posture that Nehemiah underscores here that attributed to his success in securing a blameless career, a faultless testimony. Something of a life worth imitating because of the fear of God. And as we look more carefully at the fruit that this conviction produced in this man's life, my sincere prayer is that it would stir all of our hearts to reach out to God himself and ask for that fear to be more real, to be more obvious, to be more dominant, to actually take over all that we do.
31:58 And the way that we will seek to do that is by looking at how Nehemiah is not merely just recounting his testimony concerning his wonderful approach to something that he could have easily been sucked into. There are actual detailed treasures that flowed out of the sphere of God in his life. There are actual rewards that we can identify and mark and see so that we could understand just how wonderful the fear of God is in terms of bleeding into every area of our lives and providing a return of reward that we would not really think about. Now I want to mention before looking at these things separately how Nehemiah is not just speaking about how he feared God in this specific episode. Look back here at verse 14.
32:55 Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years. Twelve years. So evidently, this is Nehemiah giving the review of his heart posture throughout throughout his twelve years of being governor. That's how long he served in this position of authority. And he chooses to out of all the places in his book to insert it here to highlight, listen.
33:27 This is not just something that gave me the ability to overcome the temptations of this moment, but it describes and it defines my entire existence as governor in Jerusalem. Twelve years. Twelve years of a man here who gave himself sacrificially as a leader. Twelve years of a man here of being unimpeachable. Twelve years of a man here who in his private and public devotion to God was sincere and exemplary.
34:02 But now we have more than that. We have something here that actually allows us to sink our teeth and receive nourishment for our souls. So I want to highlight from the verses that we just read four wonderful blessings that the fear of God produces in Nehemiah's example. Four wonderful treasures that we unlock for ourselves when we decide to continually stand in awe of God. And the first one is this, the fear of God places the needs of others above our own.
34:41 The fear of God places the needs of others above our own. Revisit here verse 14 with me, the last part. He speaks about how he was governor for twelve years, but here in the final thought of that verse, he tells us that neither I nor my brothers ate the food allowance of the governor. Now what can this possibly mean? Well, Nehemiah was an official representing the Persian government.
35:08 Although he was governor of Judah, he was delegated and he was sent by Artaxerxes. He was still subject to a foreign power. And with this new job description here as governor, he had certain privileges. He had certain benefits. And one of the benefits was as he served in this way in Jerusalem, he had an allowance for his daily food.
35:36 He would be taken care of. He wouldn't have to spend a penny for lunch, for breakfast, for dinner, for snacks. All of that was covered by Artaxerxes himself. So why wouldn't Nehemiah take advantage of this? Why wouldn't Nehemiah do something that was legal?
35:56 Well, we learn here in verse 18 exactly why. Read it with me again. Now what was prepared at my expense for each day was one ox and six choice sheep and birds, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. Yet for all this, I did not demand the food allowance of the governor because the service was too heavy on this people. Nehemiah learned very early on that his food allowance was funded through the people paying taxes.
36:29 And when this came to his awareness, he refused to take one bite of anything that was provided by the burden that was placed on these people who are already suffering and couldn't meet their basic needs for daily living. This is remarkable. Let me ask you a question. Would it have been sin for Nehemiah to utilize the food allowance that was given to him freely? Is it wrong for Nehemiah to act upon this provision?
37:12 If we're honest, it's not a sin. It's not a sin. You know, I find that many people limit their decision making to that one question. Is it sin or is it not sin? Is it wrong or is it right?
37:29 Is it permissible? Is it not permissible? I wanna tell you something, a person who fears God doesn't just ask that question. A person who fears God doesn't just ask, is this sin? A person who fears God ask, is this the most helpful to my cause as I serve God?
37:51 Is this the most beneficial to my testimony? Is this the most gracious thing that I can do for my fellow man? I dare to even say that it is spiritually immature to simply ask the question, is this sin or not? Nehemiah shows us another way. Is this the most God honoring course of action to take?
38:20 Is this something that will glorify Him the most? A person who reflects on this in his decisions, in his responses, in his interactions with others will sometimes find himself or herself even foregoing their rights when they arrive to the answer to those questions. A person who fears God doesn't just ask, is this right? They ask, is there something better than my rights? Is there something more right than my rights?
39:02 In fact, that is one of the strongest characteristics in the ministry of the Apostle Paul that made him so effective and so fruitful. He went beyond asking, is this my right? And asked, what is the most righteous thing that I can do in this moment? Paul was a man who believed that a preacher, somebody dedicated to full time ministry should be compensated for their ministry. Anybody who benefits from a minister should be willing to share their material blessings if they're being blessed spiritually.
39:36 And yet at the same time, when it came to the Corinthians, Paul refused to make that claim on them. And he gives an explanation why, but in his explanation, he provides a motto. He provides a banner that really describes who he was as a man who loved the Lord and feared the Lord in obvious ways. Listen to these words from first Corinthians chapter nine verse 12. In first Corinthians nine twelve, Paul writes, if others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more?
40:12 Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. What a man. It's not wrong for us to receive payment from you Corinthians for our spiritual service in your church, but we've determined that it's not the best, That there's something more important than our rights being recognized and respected. Why? Because Paul as a apostle to the Gentiles, as an apostle who is entering into new territory was more open to criticism from his enemies.
40:58 With a new audience like the Corinthians, there were false teachers who were whispering in the ears of these believers causing him to doubt Paul's motives in his preaching, in his church planting, in his discipleship. And and this news got to Paul. And so listen, instead of fighting for his rights, he understood that there is something more wise and more needed in this season, and that is to let go of these rights in order that there would be no hindrance, no room for accusation that might taint my ministry and as a result, the gospel of Jesus Christ being effective in this region. A person who is only concerned with defending their own rights is not someone who fears God. Why?
41:50 Because everyone wants their rights to be recognized and respected, even godless people. It's my right. It's it's my privilege. And Paul says, I'm willing to let go of my rights. Nehemiah says, I'm willing to let go of my rights.
42:13 If this will benefit a greater cause than my comfort, so be it. If this will make greater paths for us to be able to have a greater reach with the gospel, then so be it. And so Paul here waves his right. Nehemiah does the same. And this is why I believe that Christians should delight in the fear of the Lord because it makes us strategic with our sanctification.
42:41 Standing in awe of God and realizing that life is bigger than me, that he is ultimately my supplier, my provider, my protector makes us wise with unbelievers. It makes us very careful of how we operate in ministry and our service to him. It moves us to seek the good of others because we trust that God will take care of us when our primary concern is how we represent him. So here's what you'll discover about your own life when the fear of God grows in you, you'll see others differently. You have actually a greater concern for their rights than your own.
43:27 You'll begin to actually sense a burden for how your life is not your own but is attached to the reputation of Christ and his gospel, which will motivate you in new ways and how you interact with others, believers and unbelievers. What we find here with Nehemiah in these opening verses of this section is that he refused to eat because in eating, he would hurt the people of God. And in hurting the people of God, he would hurt his testimony. And so he refrained from doing such a thing. But another thing is the second thing that the fear of God produces in us is a protection from other influences.
44:08 The fear of God protects us from other influences. Look at verse 15 again with me in Nehemiah five. Nehemiah writes, the former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them for their daily ration 40 shackles of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But I did not do so because of the fear of God.
44:34 What is Nehemiah disclosing here? It's very straightforward. He wants to let the readers know that he did not follow in the pattern of former governors. Now the only governors that we know who preceded Nehemiah recorded in scripture are Sheshbazar and Zerubbabel according to the book of Ezra and the book of Haggai. But it's very unlikely that Nehemiah is referring to them because Nehemiah arrives on the scene nearly one hundred years after those fellows.
45:06 It's more likely that he is actually speaking about those who immediately preceded him as governors though they are nameless. They are not identified. But even though we don't have their identities, we do know how they operated. They did take advantage of the food allowance even though it would be a crushing thing for those who can barely get grain for their families to eat. So why does Nehemiah bring this to our attention?
45:36 Why does he wanna let us know that I did not do what the former governors did? I'm standing out. Am I not? Because it is human nature to look around and observe what others are doing who are in similar positions or roles and imitate them simply because there is a long standing practice or there is a commonly accepted way of doing things. And so it must be right.
46:07 Have you ever discovered that about yourself? And when you're questioning something, you tend to maybe hear a voice that's trying to convince you that it must be right simply because everybody else in a similar position is doing it a certain way, especially when it seems to be going well for them and there's little resistance from others. Nehemiah is able to look in the past, look around him and say, okay, how did other governors deal with the food allowance? And even though he learned that they took advantage of it, he refused to do it himself. Why?
46:50 Because of the fear of God. Nehemiah could have easily told himself that I'm just really continuing the trend of the former governors. This is what governors do, but he didn't. Why? Because of the fear of God.
47:16 When the soul of a man is genuinely captivated by the majesty of God and the dread of his discipline, he does not make his decisions based on what is customary. He is not influenced primarily by how everybody else is doing it. He's ultimately apprehended and anchored by what God has said and what God would demand of him and how the Holy Spirit would convict his conscience as it is informed by the Word of God. And Nehemiah here is a wonderful example of how that is possible. Not only is this man counteracting the Persian culture that he grew up in, he's actually swimming against the tide of his own culture as a Jew.
48:15 So his familiarity in the environment and in the principles and the traditions of where he was in Babylonia didn't matter, and even his own blood and the history that's attached to that didn't matter, what mattered the most for this man? What does God want? What is God demanding of me? I can't help but wonder what it would look like for church planters to think like that instead of looking at every single other church and seeing what they're doing and what seems to be the most successful. I wonder what it would look like for Christian CEOs to think like that.
48:50 I wonder what it would look like for teachers, for employees, for marriages, for parents to not constantly wonder how are others functioning in this way. How how are others walking in this specific role that I find myself in? But to be more concerned about what God has said about it, what God would ask of you from it. Now that is not to say that we can't be inspired or guided by others. That would be foolish.
49:24 But what it does mean is that should we come across anybody who impresses us, we would ask this question, what is causing them to do it that way? What's moving them to adopt that philosophy or to put that into practice? This is this is the mind. This is the thinking. This is the the impulses of a man or a woman who fears God.
49:53 When a person simply adopts a mindset because everybody else holds it, that's evidence that they don't fear the Lord. It's a strong indication that they're not living in a conscience awareness of God's presence. Nehemiah shows us that when the soul stands in awe of God, desires his approval above all else, believes his wisdom above all else, trust in his reward above all else, in many ways they'll be countercultural if they need to be. Does anybody know the scripture reference where that wonderful statement, As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord come from? That's the book, but what's the specific chapter and verse?
50:48 Anybody know? Chapter? Good. Verse 15. Very good.
51:00 As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. It's one of the probably top statements memorized by Christians even today. What is Joshua saying there? We're about to enter the land of Canaan, and we're making this decision now. Even if all of you want to serve the gods of Egypt, you can do that.
51:26 We will be the one household that will serve God until the end. What a declaration. What courage, what boldness. But here's my question, what brought Joshua to make such a stance for God even if you have to stand alone? Does anybody know what comes immediately before Joshua twenty four fifteen?
51:50 Verse 14, he tells the same people now therefore, fear the Lord. Was he asking him to do something that he didn't have himself, that he wasn't pursuing himself? Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your father served beyond the river and in Egypt and serve the Lord. And then he goes on to say, it's me and my house, we're gonna serve the Lord.
52:14 But what preceded that? What came before that? Fearing God. You can't stand before an entire nation and say, it doesn't matter what you do. We'll stand out even if you surround us unless you fear God.
52:26 See what the fear of God does to you is helps you realize my God is bigger than an entire nation, an entire army. I tremble before him before I tremble before anything like that. So Nehemiah shows us in a very personal way, in a very relatable way, that when you and I fear God, it shields us from other influences pulling us in other directions. The former governors did this, but because I fear God, I did it this way. Thirdly, the fear of God compels us to remain faithful to God's call.
53:16 Look at this interesting verse in verse 16 again. I also persevered in the work on this wall and we acquired no land and all my servants were gathered there for the work. Nehemiah tells us something that we already know about him. He was involved in building the wall directly, but this is more than just him simply confirming his involvement in this historic building project. Notice that he lets us know that neither him or his close associates acquired any land during this time.
53:54 What does that have to do with anything? How is that helpful? How does this make his case? Well, think about it. How tempting would have been for a man like Nehemiah who was a governor with so much authority, so much abundance, even affluence to not nibble at trying to acquire greater wealth or try to receive greater property to secure his future, especially in a time when people were desperate enough to sell their land and even give up their own bodies to be slaves in order to pay off their debts.
54:38 And so there is much relevance to the statement when we consider the wider context. The nobles and the officials were taking everybody's property. Nehemiah says, I didn't take a blade of grass. We acquired no land. And more than that, what Nehemiah is saying is, look, when God led me to come to Jerusalem, I had one main objective, to rebuild the city walls and its gates.
55:07 And by saying what he says here in verse 16, he is also admitting, I never allowed myself to be distracted from that calling or deviate from the work that God had entrusted to me. I came to lead the people to resurrect the city walls. I did not come to make business transactions. I did not come to enhance my real estate portfolio. I came with one goal, to glorify God in rebuilding the walls, and that didn't change until it was complete.
55:46 So up to this point, we've seen Nehemiah be resilient when he was surrounded by persecution and threats, he was focused. He did not he did not move from his post for a moment. And now we come to this chapter and realize that there's another danger to be allured by what? Prospering. Prospering.
56:08 Making more at the expense of others. And he was able to overcome this as well. And what was the secret? Why? How?
56:19 He tells us earlier because of the fear of God. What about earlier when he was receiving rumors and threats from those who hated him and God's people? Well, look at it with me again in Nehemiah four. Notice what he tells the people to do in order to stand firm against the dangers that were presented to them. Nehemiah four, look at verse 14.
56:44 And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord who is great and awesome and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your homes. Notice, do not be afraid of them. What's the antidote to that? Remember how great and awesome God is.
57:02 That's the fear of God. To have this perception and recognition that God himself is mightier and more majestic than anybody else. So he tries to deliver them from this fear by placing their fear on the right object and that's God himself. And this, listen, this perspective of God's greatness was maintained by Nehemiah in chapter five when he was being seduced by a different deadly enemy, and that was to take advantage of the economic crisis that was unfolding around him. Yeah.
57:47 How does this how does this apply to us? Well, each of us here have been called to something, haven't we? Each of us, I hope in here, are seeking to do God's will, even though it may look unique. And the fear of God will help you stay that course and resist the temptation to walk away from faithfully fulfilling that duty. What frustrations are you able to identify that are powerful enough to convince you to abandon your marriage?
58:29 The fear of God will not let you walk away so easily. What disappointments can you find in ministry? And there are a lot of them That would make you turn your back on your vow to serve God with all your heart, all your mind, and all your soul, and all your strength. I'll tell you there's a reverential awe of God will make it so much more difficult for you to leave it behind. What excuses could you find to justify lukewarmness?
59:06 I can tell you this with absolute confidence. The fear of God will help you remain fervent and focused. Nehemiah says here, I persevered in the work on this wall and I didn't lose sight of what God asked of me. Why? Remember what he said right before, because of the fear of God.
59:29 I made a commitment to God, not just to a woman, not just to a board of elders, not just to an employer. I made a vow to Almighty God. I live in light of that sense of accountability. And that made him immovable. If you and I lose our sight of how great and awesome he is, we will be very flimsy in whatever we seek to do for God.
1:00:15 Satan will have a very very hard time trying to push over a man or a woman who is filled with this fear. Finally, the fear of God seeks God's reward above all. Let's read verse 17. Moreover, Nehemiah says, there at my table a 150 men, Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us. Now what was prepared at my expense for each day was one ox and six choice sheep and birds, and every ten days, all kinds of wine in abundance.
1:00:58 Yet for all this, I did not demand the food allowance of the governor because the service was too heavy on this people. Remember for my good, oh my God, all that I have done for this people. Now this seems to be repetitive, but it's not. What Nehemiah said in verse 14 about not eating of the food allowance of the governor is different than what he explains in verse 17 and verse 18. What's happening in verse 17 and verse 18?
1:01:23 Nehemiah also wants to let us know that as governor, he had a lot of diplomatic responsibilities. And one of the things that he had to do was host people. One, his own team. And two, representatives from different regions, other politicians, dignitaries who would come by and sit with him. And in that culture and like many cultures today, a lot of meetings are held over food and meals and feasts.
1:01:57 Nehemiah had no other choice. And so Nehemiah tells us what was on the regular menu in his conference room when he would hold these meetings. And it's quite expensive, isn't it? Now let's be honest. How many people in Nehemiah's position who already made the sacrifice of not personally taking advantage of the food allowance would say that's that's a lot to give up.
1:02:32 But to ask more of me in feeding the mouths of these other men by virtue of being a governor, it's a little too much. And we would respect that. We would say, that's understandable. But Nehemiah understood that that just with like his personal food allowance, how this was financed was through the same means. The people of God being taxed.
1:03:00 And when he learned that, he said, no way. You're expecting me to lay out all the splendid meat and drink and add that burden on the backs of those who can't even afford a sack of grain for their families to eat? So what does he choose to do? He says in the verse 18, from my own expense hold on. What does that mean?
1:03:32 I went into my life savings in order to help pay for the regular guests and visitors who'd come to my office to do business. It's just shocking. So how were the other nobles and officials thinking? Look at the contrast. They were looking at the people of Judah and asked themselves, how can we profit from their suffering?
1:04:09 And here's Nehemiah who says, how can I alleviate their suffering? That's true leadership. Leadership doesn't look at the people of God and wonder how can they help me. Leadership is recognizing God has put me in this position to help them and to use my gifts and my abilities in order to serve them. Nehemiah saw an opportunity here, which speaks to the wealth that the man had.
1:04:44 He made some good money being the cupbearer to the king of Persia, didn't he? What's going on here? He understands. He understands that there's there's a bigger goal. There's there's something more important than his retirement savings.
1:05:02 The walls being built, God being glorified and the people being blessed. So if this is what is required of me, I freely do it And there's no other explanation for this kind of mindset other than the man feared God. And in fearing God, he believed he will reward me. That's why he prays what he prays in verse 19. Remember for my good, oh my God, all that I have done for this people.
1:05:34 So what does the fear of God create in your faith and mine? A realization and more than a realization, a sincere firm rest that all that I do for the Lord will be registered by him, repaid by him, and rewarded by
1:06:01 You know, unfortunately, there are some people who are primarily motivated to serve people, to get something from people. And that can be appreciation or it could be honor. But the fear of God has zero concern for such things. The fear of God ultimately causes a person to say, will this make God smile? I want that more than anything else.
1:06:37 I want his trophy. I want his embrace. I want his word of approval. And how the fear of God relates to that is, well, if you fear him, it means you believe he's so real, so good, so personal that he will not be unjust as to overlook your sacrifice. That's what the fear of God believes.
1:07:02 You know, let's clarify something here. Most people have reduced the doctrine of the fear of God as a restraint, as a force to keep one from committing evil. It's more than that. It's far more than that. The fear of God is is so profound that it is a stimulus.
1:07:24 It is a motivator to do great good because it understands God doesn't just see the bad that I might be doing. God sees all the good that I am doing. God doesn't just see the evil that I might be practicing in secret. He sees the good that I might be practicing in private. It goes both ways.
1:07:50 There is a better way to live sacrificially than receiving people's love and respect. And it is to do it from a place of trusting and resting in God's blessing. There was nothing in Nehemiah that thought to himself, Oh, they'll pay me back. There's nothing in Nehemiah that says, They will create a memorial for me as the greatest governor in Judah's history. Do you see any hint of that in Nehemiah's memoirs?
1:08:24 No. What you will see over and over are prayers like what we find in verse 19. Remember me. He says that over and over again in this book. Remember me, O God.
1:08:32 Remember me, O God. This man is living in light of God's knowledge and awareness and faithfulness. That's what the fear of God produces. I want to take you to a place where I believe the Lord Jesus Christ exemplifies something very similar. So turn with me to John 13 for a moment.
1:08:59 This is the place where the Lord does something incomprehensible when he stoops down to wash the feet of his own disciples. But John does something very very unique. He gives us a glimpse into the thinking of Christ before he did such a thing. Look at verse three of John 13. Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper.
1:09:42 He laid aside his outer garments and taking a towel tied it around his waist. So this passage is often reference to remind us of God's eternal nature and his universal sovereign power before he does something like washing the feet of sinners, which it certainly does. It's supposed to wow you. It's supposed to stun you. You're telling me it's this Jesus who's about to take the lowest form of a servant in that kind of a setting?
1:10:22 But there's more here than that. As glorious as that is, recognize also that it highlights how the Lord in his humanity was able to humble himself in such a way. And it can be summarized in the following, he knew his identity in God and he knew his destiny with God. What does it say here? Knowing that he had come from God, that's his identity, and was going back to God, that's his destiny.
1:11:02 He rose from supper. The Lord's willingness to perform this is unthinkable, but it's possible. How was he able to perform this act of service? There is not a clue. There is not an inference here that would suggest that he did so because he wanted them to think about him in a certain way or that he was doing this so that they can do something for him.
1:11:35 Yes, he was setting an example. Yes, he was teaching them something about what true leadership looks like. But based on John's word in verse three, Jesus Christ in the flesh was compelled by a knowing that he came from God and that he was going to be with God. It was the clarity and the confidence of his relationship with God that enabled him to serve others in this way. You look to people to serve people, you won't last very long.
1:12:13 You look to God and you understand who you are in him and what he promises those who belong to him, like Christ does here, your life will be radical. The clearer that understanding is to you, the more astounding our service to others will be. And Nehemiah's example shows us that he lived in a similar light. He acted from the place of where God saw him and what God was capable of doing for him. Remember me, oh God, for this good that I'm doing, for what I'm doing for your people.
1:13:03 And that knowledge was characterized by reverential fear of God. God is I actually believe God is real. He's not just a theory, he's not just a subject to be studied, he's real. Really, really real. And you might have heard the quote, power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
1:13:28 And though that might be true for many, it was not true for servants like Nehemiah. You couldn't find it in the Lord Jesus Christ who outshines even men of God like Nehemiah. Do you know why they were able to hold positions of authority and power and not have their moral judgment skewed and not be puffed up and not lorded over people and not manipulate situations so that they can be benefited because of the fear of God? You're saying, wait, Jesus Christ feared God? He did.
1:14:11 If you don't believe me, turn with me to Isaiah chapter 11. Look at what the prophet says about the Messiah and the spirit that he possessed. Verse one, There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
1:14:59 I love that. Then after telling us the sevenfold ministry of the Holy Spirit, the one thing that is underscored concerning Christ's delight is the fear of the Lord. So next time you read the gospel accounts of John, Luke, Matthew, Mark, I encourage you to view it through the lens of Jesus Christ fearing God every step he took, every miracle he performed, every good deed that he did, every teaching that he offered. He did everything because he feared God. And that tells you that fearing God cannot mean to be in a cowering state, a slavish kind of dread.
1:15:50 It can't be. You're telling me Jesus Christ had that kind of dread of the father that reeled him away from intimate love toward God? How can it be? But But if you understand the fear of God as an awe of God and all of his attributes and all of his characteristics and all of his ability, then it makes sense. Nehemiah had it, and he was untouchable when it came to his character and it came to his reputation.
1:16:21 Jesus Christ obviously had it. And everybody who endures until the end must possess a level of it. How can you be afraid of the fear of God when you hear all the rewards that it offers? Why would you despise it? Why would you even want to debate it?
1:16:44 Have people debate it. If you have the right understanding what the Bible teaches about it, you too will delight in the fear of the Lord. And I want to pray with you for God to unite our hearts in that fear. Lord, we look to You now with gratitude that you have enlightened our eyes to a forgotten truth. And Lord, in your perfect providence, you have given us this bible study at this point of this ministry in each of our own lives.
1:17:48 And Lord, we ask that what we've studied in these last few moments would now be pursued in prayer and experienced in our own testimonies. Only you can arouse such a fear. Only you can make yourself real to us. And so, Lord, we pray that you would grant us that grace to stand in awe of you, not just in this moment, but wherever we are. We ask Lord, believing that we will reap the benefits of this truth being instilled, downloaded in our souls.
1:18:35 Help us be like Christ even in how he feared God. And so Lord, we trust, we trust that you can give us this because you desire us to have it. And for those who do walk in the fear of the Lord, pray that as the book of Proverbs says, we would fear the Lord all the day. May not be true of us in our former years, may not be true of us only in these hours. We pray that it would sustain us until the end so that we can finish well because of the fear of God.
1:19:19 In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Let's stand. Let's worship the Lord together. The fear of the Lord is available, but the fear of the Lord is not automatic.
1:32:28 Here's what Proverbs two says to us. My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding. Yes. If you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. It is a pursuit.
1:32:58 It is something that we we search for. It is something that we ask for. And like any other grace in the Christian life, it is something that is nurtured and grows that we must be patient with. So maybe you're hearing this today and you're thinking, oh, it's clear the fear of God is you can't ignore it. It's undeniable, but I don't know if I have it.
1:33:20 I believe in God. I'm not sure if I can say that I fear Him. Well, how desperate are you to know it? It's only for those who want it more than treasure because the treasures of fear in God are greater than any material treasure, far greater, far greater. Lord, we pray that you would bring a revival of the fear of God to your church.
1:33:48 And Lord, we understand this fear draws us to you. Help us recover what it means to stand in awe of you. We pray that you would eliminate every lie or hesitation or abuse of this teaching from our past that might hinder us from delighting in it like our Lord Jesus Christ did. Bring the fear of God back to our marriages, to our children's hearts, to every organization that is represented here. Oh, Lord, to our ministries, to our dealings with those who are not saved.
1:34:32 May it be said of all of us, at the end of our lives, yes, they trusted in Christ, amen, more importantly. Yes, they believed on him, but also, he feared God. She feared God. He believed God was so real. She believed God was so real.
1:35:01 Help us get there, Lord, and help us stay there. In Jesus' name, amen and amen. Amen. Amen. Yeah.
1:35:14 Have a wonderful, wonderful evening. Have a wonderful Saturday. And Lord willing, we'll be gathered again in this very same place to fear God in his word in the book of Revelation. I hope to see you there. Stay a while in fellowship.
