0:00 Oh Lord, we look to you and many of us have come after a long week to treasure this moment because we recognize that it is a gift anytime we get to gather and to hear your word. We believe Lord that you see us and we believe that you hear us, and Lord we're asking for more. We're asking for revelation of who you are. We're asking for the sense of your nearness. We're asking that you would touch us.
0:29 We thank you for last Friday, how you met us in a unique way. We acknowledge that unashamedly and we praise you for it. We thank you that when you show up in power, there is nothing like it And no man can fabricate it. It can't be manipulated. It can't be manufactured.
0:47 And Lord we ask for the same. We ask for more of your glory. We ask that these truths that we will explore would reach the deepest parts of our hearts and would draw out greater affection, greater obedience, greater worship because you are worthy of it. Lord, assist the delivery of this study, lest it be reduced to men's eloquence or knowledge. We need more than that father.
1:15 We need the power of the Holy Spirit and we pray that he would rest upon everything that is unleashed in these verses tonight. We bless you and we honor you and we thank you and we rejoice in your word this evening as your bride. We pray these things in the name of your son who is our lord and savior Jesus Christ. Amen and amen. Amen.
1:40 Meet me in the book of Nehemiah as we continue to journey through chapter nine of this wonderful book. And we began this chapter last week as we looked at the preparation that went into this wonderful prayer recorded in the scriptures. And it is more than just wonderful. We learned last week that this is the longest recorded prayer from Genesis through Revelation. And we established that just because it is the lengthiest does not necessarily mean it is the most significant or the most effective.
2:18 The fruitfulness of prayer does not rest upon its duration. It's not the length of the prayer, it's the weight of it. It's the sincerity behind it. It's the humility. It's the brokenness.
2:31 It's the faith that makes all the difference. But now, we are actually going to look at the content of the prayer itself. We did not do that last Friday. And because this is the longest prayer in our Bibles, you have to understand that there are many many ways for us to be able to approach it. We can look at every single verse in this text and draw out application and make cross references and be blessed in doing so.
2:59 We can also view this as a study of the history of the people of Israel since this is framed as an overview of Israel's relationship with the Lord going back to the days of Abraham. We can also dissect this prayer because it is a prayer of confession. So we can break it apart, the anatomy of what it means to pray confessionally, to confess our sins before the Lord, and be equally blessed in that pursuit as well. But we will not be able to look at every minutia, every single small detail of this massive passage. Instead, we are going to consider two prevailing themes that dominate this text from beginning to end.
3:50 There is a great amount of detail here for us to look at, and if we were to take our time to explore everything, we'd be here for a very long time. But instead, I want us to look at two main thoughts that are intentionally woven throughout this prayer. The first one is very simple. It is the greatness of God. The greatness of God.
4:16 We see that repeated because of the attributes that are continually acknowledged concerning the Lord. But more than just that emphasis, we also see that there is this amplification of the richness of God's divine attributes. And I want you to see that with me here to start as we hover over this passage and zoom in at different parts to understand the larger theme here that is given to us by the Holy Spirit. Look here in chapter nine verse 19. You're gonna see a repeated phrase here or at least an echo of sorts.
4:53 Nehemiah nine verse 19. You in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go. Underline your great mercies. Now fast forward to verse 25.
5:17 And they captured fortified cities and a rich land and took possessions of houses full of all good things. Cisterns already hewn, vineyards, olive orchards, and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in your great goodness. Underlying that as well. A couple of verses after, verse 27.
5:40 Therefore, you gave them into the hand of their enemies who made them suffer. And in time of their suffering, they cried out to you and you heard them from heaven. And according to your great mercies, You gave them saviors who save them from the hand of their enemies. Verse 35, even in their own kingdom and amid your great goodness, do you see this? That you gave them and in the large and rich land that you set before them, they did not serve you or turn from their wicked works.
6:13 Let's look at one more in verse 32. Here's a summation really. Verse 32 reads, now therefore, our God, the great, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God. There are even more references to God's greatness in this prayer, but we just looked at a few to just really get the point. The greatness of God is at the heart of this passionate plea.
6:37 This is something that the spirit of God wants us to note. But there is another major theme that emerges from the same prayer, and it is also about something that is great. But it's not positive. In fact, it's quite the opposite. It is great, but it's about us and our failures and our sinfulness and our shortcomings in light of God's greatness.
7:09 See this with me now. Look here at verse 18 of chapter nine. Even when they had made for themselves a golden calf and said, this is your God who brought you out of Egypt and had committed great blasphemies. Verse 26. Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets who had warned them in order to turn them back to you and they committed great blasphemies.
7:40 Let's look at one more here in verse 37. And its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and over our livestock as they please, and we are in great distress. So here's what we have here. You have two aspects of greatness being identified.
8:03 Primarily the greatness of God, and secondly, the greatness of our sin. And there's this movement in this prayer. There's this back and forth between these two thoughts. So in one moment, you recognize that the people are adoring the Lord and worshiping the Lord, and they are identifying some of his characteristics that are so great. And then in the very next breath, there is this acknowledgement of their great sin, their great crimes and offense.
8:32 And then right after that, they return to praise and acknowledgement of the majesty and the beauty of the Lord. That's the temple of this prayer. Now, here's my question. Why is that observation important to make? I mean, we can just acknowledge that and move on and say, okay, that...
8:49 That's what they're praying about. But no, there's a deeper lesson here. There's something that we're supposed to see concerning our own instruction. These people are praying with these two revelations in mind, And that showcases to us that these truths are essential to grasp if you and I want to be drawn closer to the Lord in that place of prayer. The pursuit of God's presence in the place of prayer is strengthened the clear your vision is of God's greatness, and the more willing you are to admit your weakness.
9:30 In other words, this prayer teaches us that when you and I perceive the manifold excellencies of God, and also with that come to terms with our sinful condition, we're more likely to exalt him genuinely, while also maintaining a posture that seeks the Lord for his healing concerning our own brokenness and backslidings. And if that is the case, then why don't we spend time looking at these two things? That is exactly what we're going to do. We're gonna put on those lenses and try to understand on a deeper level. Something about the greatness of God, and something about our own great folly and trust that it will compel us closer to him.
10:19 In fact, I wanna make this observation with you. This was thought provoking. As I lingered over this passage, as I looked and examined and tried to understand what this prayer is all about, I recognized that in its entirety, there's only one direct appeal made. There's only one request that is presented out of everything that we see here, and it's near the end. Look at it with me here in verse 32 of Nehemiah nine.
10:47 Nehemiah nine verse 32. Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardships seem little to you. That is the request. That's the supplication that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day. Isn't that something?
11:14 Out of this entire section, you have one appeal and it's in that verse, Which shows us that this prayer is not primarily made up of repeated request, but of reverent recognition of who God is. Why? Because there is something established, there is something that is created in our own hearts when we have these kind of perceptions developed. When we see God in all that He is and we understand who we are in light of His truth, it encourages us to not just pray, but also pray with the right petitions and the right requests. Lose sight of the greatness of God, lose sight of how He diagnoses us according to His word, and you will lose touch with a prayer life.
12:04 You'll begin to distance yourself from that place of wonder and desperation. Here's the goal. As you and I study this passage and tonight is dedicated at just looking at the greatness of God, by faith, we're going to trust and believe that it will inspire and it will impact our prayer lives as it did for them. And so we're devoting our time to take a closer look at the manifold excellence of God, the specific aspects of his supremacy, not all of them, some of them. And hopefully, it will stir you to look at the things that we did not choose to examine on a closer level.
12:37 And here's what we find. We stopped here at verse five. The prayer breaks open. It launches from verse six onward. We'll read this and see how the spirit of God leads us, but we'll begin here in verse six and pause at the end of it.
12:50 The people have gathered, sackcloth and ashes, broken, contrite, repentant. And now the Levites lead the crowd to pray this wonderful prayer beginning here in verse six. You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven the heaven of heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. And you preserve all of them, and the host of heaven worships you.
13:23 We're considering tonight the greatness of God, but we're looking at at that greatness more specifically. And the first thing that is presented in this prayer concerning God's greatness is His power. His power. That is how this prayer is introduced. And we see here that it is a reflection on the incomparable might of God namely in the act of creation.
13:50 And in this prayer, there are two things that are acknowledged. It's in the single verse. The the authorship of God in creation. You made heaven and earth. You made everything on the earth.
14:00 That is you. You're the source. But not just the authorship, the authority. He didn't just create the world and step away from it. It says here that he also preserves all of them.
14:11 He sustains the world by the power of his word. And so there's something here that's moving the people as they recognize again, oh, you are the author of life and you have authority over all of life, and here's what came to mind. If you study the prayers of the Bible carefully, you'll notice that a lot of them begin with a recognition of God's creative power or at least include something of God being behind creation. Think about the Psalms. Think about even the prophets.
14:48 How they have this reflex almost to bring to mind in that place of prayer, the one who created all things. And the question is, why? Why is that a recurring thought in the prayers of many in the scriptures? Because when you contemplate the matchless might of God, it puts our problems into the proper perspective. When you consider that the the the universe is his canvas, that he's above the cosmos, that his word alone sustains everything down to the molecular level.
15:25 Threats and challenges that are presented to you are less intimidating because not only is God that kind of a God, you have access to him, and he is for you. And you see this again throughout the pages of scripture, even in the New Testament. Do you remember one of the prayers of the early church as they began to explode in their growth and gain the attention of the religious leaders? They were threatened, they were beaten, they were promised imprisonment, and these leaders come to their friends and fellow Christians in Acts chapter four, and I want you to hear how they began their prayer in light of the persecution that was looming. Listen to this in Acts chapter four beginning in verse 23.
16:07 Acts four twenty three. When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, Sovereign Lord who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them. That's New Testament. So one of the first things that they do to put things into their right perspective is acknowledge God's power.
16:35 Over what? Creation. The genesis of his ability. No pun intended. Where it all began in terms of our understanding of it.
16:47 Why are they praying this? What does God being creator have to do with them getting arrested and eradicated by their enemies? Well, they're trying to put before them just how awesome and glorious and grand God is. And now everything else is cast in that shadow. It seems to lose their fierceness and their fangs and their intimidation.
17:13 Now here's my question though. You come back to Nehemiah nine and this is a prayer of confession, is it not? If you've ever read it, you know that is a prayer of great, humble, seeking of God's mercy. What is looking to God as creator have to do with that? Why acknowledge God created all things?
17:34 What does that have to do with the heart of this this plea? Well, because they're in trouble themselves as they're praying this. Not for the same reason as the early church in Acts chapter four. Acts chapter four, they were in trouble because of their obedience. They were being persecuted for doing what Christ told them to do.
17:55 In this case, they were in trouble because of their disobedience. Let me show you what I mean back in Nehemiah chapter nine. Look at here at verse thirty six and thirty seven. After making this long survey and review of Israel's past and the sins of the past, they bring it to the present and notice what they said about themselves. In verse 36 of Nehemiah nine, Behold we, not our fathers, not our ancestors, we are slaves this day in the land that you gave to our fathers to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts.
18:27 Behold we are slaves and its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and over our livestock as they please, and we are in great distress. So connect the beginning of this prayer in verse six to this. How do they relate? By the end of this prayer, they acknowledge we're slaves.
18:50 There are foreign kings who rule over us. We are subject to their wishes and their desires. But notice what they said in the middle of this, you set them over us. As powerful and as controlling, as inescapable as their clutch may be, you are the one who created all things. You are the one who's sovereign over all things.
19:13 And so we recognize that in the beginning of our prayer because as we get to our request, we need some deliverance, we need some freedom, and only you, only you can supersede over this. Only you can intervene, only you can set us free. Set us free from what? The bondage that they got themselves into. So I look at a prayer like Acts chapter four, Lord, deliver us from our enemies that are surrounding us.
19:39 And I come to Nehemiah nine, and I realized that they're praying a similar prayer and recognizing God's bigness and his awesome glory and saying, now deliver us from the chains that we have set on our own wrists and ankles. His power. His power to deliver us from the pain caused by others and his power to deliver us from the pain that you inflict upon yourself. He has that kind of power. And if you wanna be moved to come to him and trust him for that power, recognize something like who is behind all the things that you see on a daily basis and you can't even comprehend in terms of nature, in terms of the systems of our universe, in terms of how your own body works.
20:30 In Psalm 33 verse eight, the Psalmist said, let all the earth fear the Lord. Let all the inhabitants of the earth stand in awe of him. Why? He gives you the reason in verse nine. For he spoke and it came to be.
20:48 He commanded and it stood firm. You wanna stand in awe of God? You wanna know how to adore the Lord? Think deeply about how this all even started. From time to time, visit the fact that if God says the word, everything falls apart.
21:15 There's something about his power that generates an excitement to seek the Lord because that power is transferable. It's not just on display in nature. It's there to show us that if he did this, what else can he do? What else can he do? But we move from his power as we're looking at the different realizations of the greatness of God to his generosity.
21:42 His generosity. That's found in verse seven of Nehemiah chapter nine. Read it with me. And at first, you won't see it I don't think, but it'll make sense in a moment. Right after speaking about God who made all things, it zooms in to Abraham's story in Nehemiah nine seven.
21:58 You are the Lord, the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans, and gave him the name Abraham. How does this verse communicate God's generosity? Look at the last few words. Gave him the name Abraham. That remark only becomes meaningful when you realize that the word give or gave throughout this prayer appears at least 14 times.
22:32 At least 14 times depending on your translation. So over and over again, the people praying this are rehearsing the truth that God is a God who loves to give. He loves to give. He enjoys giving. Let me give you some ideas here of what God gives.
22:51 What he gave and what he's able to give today. In the same way that we looked at many verses at the same time here, let's do the same with this truth. Look here. It begins in verse seven. God gives Abraham a new name, but it's not just a new name, it's a new identity.
23:07 And not just a new identity, it's a new destiny. He named them a father or the father of a multitude of nations because he was going to fulfill that very prophetic role. But now look at verse eight of Nehemiah chapter nine. Now read these things carefully. You found his heart faithful before you and made with him the covenant to give.
23:28 To give what? To give to his offspring the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite. So he gave the land to Abraham's descendants. Look at verse 13 of Nehemiah nine. You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them.
23:47 Look at the language here, gave them right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments. Look at verse 15. You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst. And you told them to go into possess the land that you had sworn to give them. Look at verse 20.
24:09 You gave your good spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. Look at verse 22. And you gave them kingdoms and peoples and allotted them every corner. I love that part, every corner. So they took possession of the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and the land of Ah king of Bashan.
24:33 Let's look at one more in verse 27. Therefore, you gave them into the hand of their enemies who made them suffer. And in the time of their suffering, they cried out to you and you heard from them from heaven. And according to your great mercies, you gave them saviors Who saved them from the hand of their enemies. This is a tapestry of God's benevolence.
24:57 And what I love about it is that it begins with one individual, Abram. And then it expands to an entire nation receiving continually from the charity of God. And that teaches us something profound about God's generosity. It is deeply personal and it is also wide and expansive. There is no limit to the scope and the extent of God's generosity.
25:26 You know what that means? You should never ever hesitate to go to him with your needs ever. You should never have to think twice about going to him with your desires, with your wishes, with your wants. And we see further here something else quite amazing about God's generosity. There are three reasons why it doesn't influence us or impact us as much as it should.
25:56 Let me give you the first one. We know generally, we know theology God is a God who gives. He gave his son, he gave his son, will he not also give us all things? But why doesn't that stir us? Why doesn't it make the prayer closet more attractive to us?
26:18 Why doesn't it do a deeper work in us? Firstly, we often lose sight of the fact that he's the source behind everything we enjoy. How much more could they have covered in this prayer about God getting all the credit for everything that they had? He gave them bread to eat. And gave them water to drink.
26:45 When was the last time you reaching for a snack in your cupboard came with the revelation that God is the one who put it there ultimately? How often do we celebrate the goodness of God when we quiet our aching bellies with the meal of our choice out of a variety of options that we have on a daily basis. You wanna know why they're able to pray with such passion because they understand that every bite of bread and every sip of water was permitted by a generous God. And it's not even inanimate objects we're talking about here, even relationships. Do you remember what it says there in verse 27 that, when they were in distress and they cried out to the Lord, he gave them saviors.
27:34 Saviors. That's primarily speaking about the account of the book of Judges. That cycle of sin, oppression, repentance, deliverance. I want you to think about that. Every single deliverer, every single savior in that book with their unique personalities and their giftings and their callings were ultimately raised up by God to help his people.
27:59 He gave them saviors. It was more than just them having a burden to see the people liberated. No, God is the one in many of those stories you even see it clearly. Making that impression or visiting such people, clearly empowering all of them as an extension of his compassion for his people who really didn't deserve it. So let's think about our relationships.
28:21 Any person who has entered into your life, any person that you've crossed paths with that's been a blessing to you. Let's let's say it as it is. That's God's orchestration for such partnerships and friendships and relationships. Is it any different for us? Surely not.
28:41 He gave them. He gave them over and over again touching every aspect of our daily lives. And this is why they're able to worship with such intensity. You know what came to mind actually when reflecting on this truth is when Paul was preaching to the Gentiles there in Acts chapter 17. And as he was describing to them and clarifying to them really, the unknown God to them was knowable, and he introduced the true God to this crowd.
29:11 And he says something wonderful there in Acts chapter 17 verse 25 concerning God, that he gives to all mankind life and breath and what? Everything. What's everything in the Greek? Everything. That's what it is.
29:31 Think Paul was exaggerating, think he was being poetic? No. He's inspired by the Holy Spirit. Everything. He gives to man everything.
29:38 What did God give you? Everything. Name it, he gave it. If it's good, if it's perfect according to James' words. Everything.
29:46 We lose sight of that so often. We think it's a result of our hard work. We think it's the the kindness of other people. No. It's God ultimately.
30:00 And the more you remember that, the more you keep that in the forefront of your mind, the more your prayers become very very intentional and meaningful as you bow your head over that plate with your loved ones. And you think to yourself every burst of flavor that I'm about to enjoy in the fellowship of these lovely people is a gift from God. But another reason why we often fail to praise the Lord for his charity is because we forget that his blessings are often undeserved and they go on even though of our frequent failures. Isn't that what we see here? What do we learn at the beginning of this study that woven throughout these exclamations and proclamations of the goodness of God is the rehearsal of Israel's pride, ingratitude, selfishness, idolatry, and grievance.
31:03 The Lord still met them throughout all of these things. And as Nehemiah's people here in this chapter have been reading God's word for nearly a month and rehearsing their history. They're remembering just how steadfast the love of God is even in the face of the most unthinkable irreverence and blasphemy. Look at this language here of verse eighteen and nineteen, concerning how God's generosity resumes even when we pause on our devotion. Look at verse 18.
31:40 Even when they had made for themselves a golden calf and said, this is your God who brought you out of Egypt and had committed great blasphemies. You and your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. And he goes on to say that he still provided guidance in the day, he still provided guidance at night. He didn't turn off the supernatural GPS system. He didn't stop the bread from appearing in the dew.
32:06 When they thirsted, he provided water. Even when Moses disobeyed, when he was told to speak to that rock and said, smote it, God still provided water. What do we take from this? God's generosity is so strong, so dependable, so glorious that when we raise up golden calves in our lives, he still blesses us. Oh, will he chastise us?
32:28 Surely he does and they admit that. But he makes the sunrise on the just and the unjust. He makes it rain for those who love him and who don't love him. This is our God. He gives us everything even if we don't recognize it.
32:47 But there's a third and final thought concerning God's generosity, not always captivating us as it should. And it is this, we often lose sight of just how tremendously valuable some of his greatest gifts are to us. So we may acknowledge that he is the source of this or that, but do we understand really the the value, the incomparable worth of some of these gifts? One of the things that they celebrate here is how God gave them, we read in verses thirteen and fourteen, the law. And they verbalize it.
33:28 Now I'm thinking, why state the obvious? You know that this law, the law of Moses is ultimately God's law. So why even express it? Why acknowledge it? Why share it?
33:39 Because in the law itself, the people of Israel were told that they were entrusted with the oracles of God unlike any other nation. And it makes me wonder if a passage like Deuteronomy four eight, rung in their hearts when Ezra read it on one of those days and they remembered. Oh, how they remembered. We are such a privileged people. Deuteronomy four eight reads as follows, and what great nation is there that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today?
34:17 Don't just recognize that I gave you this law on Mount Sinai, recognize that I gave it to you as a deep treasure. That I made you stewards of it unlike any other people group at the time. It was the apostle Paul himself who said in Romans chapter three one and two, what advantage has the Jew? What value of circumcision? Many, he says.
34:42 Much in every way, the first being that the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. And so they came to the fresh awakening that what they were hearing being read in that same month of this time of prayer was a unique privilege. So how do we apply truth like that in the new covenant in the time that we're living in today? Well a few things. One thing that comes to mind for me is, and what other generation has access to divine truth like we do today?
35:21 Think about that. Bibles used to be chained inside of churches. Bibles used to be read and taught in a language that the common man did not know even the clergy didn't understand. This is just a few centuries ago. There are still places around the world today that only have parts of the bible that collect dust in our homes.
35:47 What other generation has an opportunity like the one that we have today to shine God's word? You can be in your living room and speak divine truth and bless people and see people saved in their cars, at their workplace, in their commute, in jail. There are some ministers and pastors that I know that every time they preach from the pulpit, that message is being broadcasted into multiple prisons at the same time. And they get emails all the time, they get mail all the time of how people are getting saved. What what day are we living in?
36:19 And so in the same way that this people, the Jewish people here in Nehemiah realized, oh, how God has shown upon us with such unique gifts. Oh, we've taken it for granted. No. We're gonna recognize you and praise you for it. Should we not also look around and see the times that we're in?
36:35 How in his providence he has unfolded things unlike any other time in history, and celebrate him for it. His generosity regarding his truth, regarding facilities like this. The freedoms that we have in this nation. We move on now from his generosity as we look at the greatness of God to his promises. What makes God so great?
37:01 Not just his power, not just his generosity, but his promises. Look at verse eight of Nehemiah nine now. So far, our meditations have come from two verses. I'm sure you can see how this is gonna be a very long study if we continue at this pace. So we're gonna look at a couple more dimensions of God's greatness that should encourage us.
37:18 Look at verse eight now. You found his heart faithful before you and made with him the covenant to give his offspring, the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite. Look at this last sentence. And you have kept your promise for you are righteous. So one of the first thoughts that come to mind in this wonderful national heart cry, his power, he made all things, his generosity.
37:51 He gave Abraham a name, he gave us so much as a people, and now they reflect on his promise. You have kept your promise. You wanna know why you should pray often? Very simple. God made promises and he always keeps them.
38:11 And some of those promises are conditional. Some of those promises can only be unlocked through the key of prayer. So can I ask you a question tonight? How acquainted are you with God's promises? Not just there not just there are promises in God.
38:24 I'm talking about the promises that you cling to in different seasons of life. The promises in his word that generate genuine hope and peace and stability and even excitement and and joy. You don't have to answer, but ask yourself, Do I know promises? Do do do I memorize promises? Do I know where to go when I need to remember God's faithfulness in a particular area of my life?
38:51 How important is knowing God's promises? Let me give you one example. This is how the ESV renders this verse in Psalm one nineteen verse 50. This is my comfort in my affliction. Your promise gives me life.
39:06 Your promise gives me life. And this is something for you and I to understand. The more familiar you are with his pledges, and his guarantees, and his vows, the more life you'll have. The more joy you'll have in this life, and security, and sanity in an insane world. So I wonder tonight based on this, they knew the promise that God had made to Abraham.
39:39 I mean, that's a very known promise, but we have this entire book. God's will for us and it demands our excavation. If somebody had your name written in their will, maybe a distant relative who somehow knew you, and here you have a 300 page document that potentially has your name beside some kind of estate or treasure or land or homes, How careful would you to be to study such a document? You probably would hire a lawyer, and you would take time out of every evening and put on glasses even though you don't wear glasses To see all that might be available to you freely. And yet when it comes to God's word, we don't have that same enthusiasm and zeal.
40:37 Partly because we love money more than spiritual things. But this is far more valuable than anything that a human will can give us. Can I give you an example of one promise? I mean, specific promises, things that can help you in different chapters of your life. I often share this with young men who are eager to be married.
41:04 Sometimes so eager they are tempted to make the wrong decision in a lifelong spouse. It's in Ecclesiastes chapter seven. I'm just giving you one example of how the promises of God give life. Look here with me in verse 26 of Ecclesiastes. Let's just turn there briefly.
41:26 Notice what Solomon says about something that is worse than death. What can be worse than death? Well, he's about to tell us. And I find something in Ecclesiastes seven verse 26, more bitter than death. The woman whose heart is snares and nets and whose hands are feathers.
41:47 He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her. What is he speaking about here? Yeah, young men listen closely. You know what's worse than death? Being entangled with somebody who's a trap, whose heart is snares, whose hands are feathers, who externally look beautiful and winsome and trusting, but in reality they're dangerous.
42:26 And they can make your life a living hell. Solomon is speaking from experience here. He made a lot of mistakes in that area. But notice the promise that is attached to this. He who pleases God escapes her.
42:44 But the sinner is taken by her. So here's how I would advise a single man who's eager to get married to look at a verse like this and see a promise and then cling to it. Lord, I know that I have a duty here to actually look out for a spouse, but I don't know people's hearts, you do. So I'm asking you, as I do my part to live a life that is pleasing to you, that's the condition. He who pleases God, what's the promise?
43:17 Escapes her. He won't let you fall into that trap. Young lady, he won't let you fall into that trap. But if you're in sin, here's one of the consequences, you can be taken by such a person. That'll make you pray.
43:36 That'll make you come desperately before God saying, oh, there's a promise. There's so much hope attached to it. I mean, what can be more serious about being yoked to the wrong person for the rest of your life apart from not being yoked to Jesus Christ? So you claim that promise. More importantly, you live the conditions for that promise to become a reality.
43:54 I'll do my part to live a life that is pleasing to you, and according to this verse, Lord, you tell me that I will escape such a person. Do you see? What kind of promises do you know? What promises in God's word actually bring you genuine counsel and comfort? Well, you're not gonna know unless you read, unless you study, unless you believe like the Psalmist in Psalm one nineteen, there's life bursting from these pages that are so relatable.
44:29 And the ultimate promise is back here in Nehemiah nine concerning God's faithfulness. Why were they able to approach the Lord with such courage even though they had such a dark history and even in their current condition? Remember, they had to separate themselves from foreigners. That was earlier in this chapter. I mean, you're in the middle of a revival and you still have people who are unequally yoked.
44:53 What's going on? How do they even have the ability in themselves to actually seek the Lord in this way? Look at verse 32 of Nehemiah chapter nine. Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty and the awesome God, here it is, who keeps covenant. So not just his promises, those are wonderful, but his faithfulness to his promises.
45:22 That's far more important. Anybody can make promises. They can make wonderful promises. Do they keep them? What do they say here as they wrap this prayer up?
45:32 Lord, everything that we've said, everything that we've confessed, everything that we've asked, we can be sure that you're willing to hear and even answer because you keep covenant and steadfast love, His promises. Here's the final aspect of our study tonight though there are many things I would love to touch on. There's something about His guidance. There's something about testimonies of how he's answered prayers of the past, but I wanna land here as we look at one more aspect of God's wonder and that is his mercy. His mercy.
46:10 There's this large section we're about to read and that's because I think there's beauty in just reading the scriptures. And I want us to read this large section, but there's one verse that really exclaims the truth of God's mercy. So lean in, pay attention to verse nine. We've read up to verse eight. Let's read from verse nine through verse 17 together.
46:35 And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea and performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants and all the the people of his land. For you knew that they acted arrogantly against our fathers And you made a name for yourself as it is to this day and you divided the sea before them so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land and you cast their pursuers into the depths as a stone into mighty waters. By a pillar of cloud, you led them in the day, by a pillar of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go. You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments. And you made known to them your holy Sabbath and commanded them commandments and statutes and the law by Moses your servant.
47:22 You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst. And you told them to go and to possess the land that you had sworn to give them. But they and our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey your commandments. Here it is, verse 17. They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt.
47:48 But you but you are a God ready to forgive. Ready to forgive. Gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and did not forsake them. That has to go on a plaque somewhere. You are a God ready to forgive.
48:14 Not reluctant to forgive. Not just a God who forgives, ready to forgive. Do you know what that word ready means? Prepared. You're a God prepared to forgive.
48:31 He's eager to forgive. He desires to forgive. He takes great delight in extending pardon. And this is the comfort that they are drawing from this truth in this moment as they are coming to terms with their very disappointing devotion to the Lord. You are ready to forgive.
48:55 I love this prayer because out of all the things that are said of God's greatness, the one that is given the most attention is God's mercy. So we saw his goodness, we saw these different things that are mentioned, but the one that appears the most, you look at it here in verse 19, twenty seven and thirty one. 19, twenty seven and thirty one, you'll see this repeated phrase, great mercy, great mercy, great mercy. They can't get over it. In fact, we read up to verse 17.
49:29 Look here at verse 18, how it ends and how 19 begins. Even when they had made for themselves a golden calf and said, this is your God who brought you out of Egypt and have committed great blasphemies. Look at verse 19 now. You and your great mercies. The great blasphemies of God's people were met by the great mercies of God and his mercy is greater than even our greatest sins.
49:55 There is not any sin that could be committed so great that God's abundant pardon cannot meet. And they're melting over this truth. They believe this truth as they themselves are steeped in sin. One of the reasons why people are not drawn to seek God in private passionate prayers is because they don't really believe that he is ready to forgive. Especially if it's a repeated failure.
50:33 But that's not what we're supposed to believe. What makes his mercy so great is that he is arms wide open, eyes filled with love, always ready to accept us and wash us and launch us back into his will for us. And I know what some people might be thinking, brother if you teach that too much, people will conclude that they can just go on sinning because they can always ask for forgiveness whenever they desire. And if such a person interprets such a truth in that way, I can guarantee you that they don't have a clue about who God is. In fact, they don't understand the beauty of this mercy.
51:24 That's how you treat God's mercy? I doubt if you ever even experienced it. What's the context of them joyfully confessing this? They're broken. They're weeping.
51:42 They're shattered. They're ashamed. They're they're taking delight in this mercy, but it's not emboldening them to go on in sin. By the end of this prayer, they're requesting deliverance. And that's what God's mercy truly does to a person.
52:03 When you experience it, it will make you want to change. It doesn't make you wanna stay in your sin. That's perversion. That's not the gospel. But even with those who wholeheartedly believe in the gospel, they struggle that they struggle to actually comprehend this.
52:22 I've said it before, they they they think that God has some kind of penalty box for his children. So that when you sin and you seek forgiveness, he goes, alright. You did it a lot. It's this year was pretty rough, so we're gonna put you in there and just... Let's wait a week and we'll determine how I feel about you.
52:40 Is that is that what you see in the scriptures? When you read first and second Kings, when you read the prophets, any wicked person, whoever truly repents. Before the prophet can even leave the premises, God speaks to the prophet and says, do you see it? I was waiting for that. That's all I was looking for.
53:00 Go and give them a comforting word. Go and assure them that their judgment will be not as severe. If that comforts you in your sin, go pray about it. The way that you're supposed to react to that that kind of a truth to say, Lord, if it's possible for me to never sin against you because of your great loving kindness, please do that in me. But I know that as long as I'm in this flesh, I can always disappoint you.
53:29 So Lord, I'm gonna cling to that truth that you're one who is ready to forgive. I want you to see something here in closing in verse five. How they really really began this prayer. It was a charge to the people to stand up and bless the Lord, but notice the end of it. The second part says, blessed be your glorious name which is exalted above all blessing and praise.
53:58 As I've been reflecting on the greatness of God as we've been doing that together tonight, I'm drawn back to the introduction of this whole thing because that begins to make more sense now the more you stare at God's greatness. Why? Do you understand what they're saying here when they say, blessed be your glorious name which is exalted above all blessing and praise? Here's what they're saying. There's no word that we can articulate.
54:25 There's no song that's beautiful enough. There's no life that can live... Be lived with so so much holiness and purity that would be sufficient to measure up to your greatness. There's nothing that we can offer you in terms of adoration and blessing, and acknowledgement and admiration that can truly satisfy the blessing that you are. You're above every blessing.
54:52 You're above every praise. Language falls short. Devotion falls short. Sacrifice falls short. Anything and everything that we can offer will fall short.
55:01 That's why we're gonna be able to do it for all eternity because he's above it all. And so what even begins to happen, the more you take in the greatness of God, you'll be able to pray, but you'll also find yourself at a loss for words. That's how you know that you're going deeper and deeper where it almost takes your breath away. And that's where the Lord wants to bring us. And that's why at the end of it, all the Lord's gonna give us a body and a mind that's able to give him blessing and praise for all eternity.
55:40 Are you struggling to seek the Lord? Let me ask you this. How acquainted are you with his greatness? How much are you searching into it concerning his power, his generosity, his promises, his mercy? You know, David had such a revelation of God's mercy that when he was given a choice between being handed over to his enemies or to the Lord for counting his soldiers as an act of pride and there's more to that.
56:14 I believe he did it illegally because there was a way of doing it according to the law and I believe David disobeyed the the prescription. When the prophet Gad said, which one do you want? He goes, let me fall into the hands of God for he is far more merciful than man is. Imagine that? David knew God enough that he would much rather be disciplined by a holy, perfect, brilliant God than man who is far more inferior in terms of what they can do.
56:47 Why? He's ready to forgive. He is so kind even in his discipline. These things are meant to woo you to himself. And I pray that this study would assist you in that.
57:05 Let's give him thanks, shall we? Oh, let's give him thanks and let's praise him for his greatness. Father, you are above all blessing and praise. Help us really understand just how profound and matchless your power is oh God. You created all things.
57:37 You knit us in our mother's womb. You've sustained us. Every breath is borrowed from you. We think of Lord even your generosity. The scriptures are so emphatically clear that you are the giver of everything.
57:53 Everything that we have that is good and is perfect has been extended by your hand. In your promises, how foolish are we to be unfamiliar with the vastness of your pledges to us and what's available to the God fearer and to the humble and to the seeker. Lord, may we not live our lives in such a way where we look back especially in our season years and think, how did I miss that in the word of God? How did I miss that promise? I could have used that twenty years ago.
58:30 I could have used that for my marriage. I Could have used that for my children. I could have used that for my my sickness. And finally, Lord, your mercy. Oh, your mercy.
58:43 In the same way that this group that Nehemiah nine, oh Lord, could not stop recounting your mercy. May we never ever ever lose sight of you, the God who is ready to forgive. And Lord, for those who need forgiveness in this place, may we truly believe that you're ready to pardon us and we repent and we ask for your forgiveness. And we pray oh Lord, that your mercy would change us. Lord, we're not looking for a life where we can get as close as possible to that line called sin.
59:18 We wanna get as far away as possible from it. And Lord, we wanna do it because we love you and we want your heart to rejoice, Lord. Even though you're ready to forgive, we want to please you. We pray that you would help us do that. We honor you in this place, Lord, and just like this group did, we now with these truths are ready to stand and praise your great name.
59:40 Receive it Lord from pure hearts and enlightened minds. In Jesus' name we pray, amen and amen. Can we do that? Isn't that an appropriate response? Lord we come and we bless your name.
59:51 Even though you're above all blessing and all praise, we do our best to worship you. Just give him these final moments in this Bible study undistracted love and attention to his great name.
