Date:   06/22/08

Text:   Nehemiah 9:1-37

Title:   A Model Prayer

Theme:   Since God has revealed Himself in the Scriptures, we are to respond with proper prayers.

Introduction:

  In my travels, I've had the opportunity and privilege of listening to the prayers of different people at different places under different circumstances. At times the prayers lifted my spirit causing me to say Amen with him/her. Other times I was waiting for the prayer to finish so the service can move on to the next item. Some prayers are like mini sermons or a project report telling God what has been happening on earth. There were also times I was trying to understand what the prayer was about. Certainly, there are numerous times when I wasn't sure what I was praying about. Very often when we listen to our prayers, we can't help but think what do our prayers tell us about the God to whom we pray?

  In today's passage we find a long but beautiful prayer offered by the Levites on behalf of the Israelites. They had returned from the Babylonian captivity and just completed the rebuilding of the Jerusalem city wall. Theoretically at this point, Nehemiah's mission was completed. Nehemiah knew that the rebuilding of the Jerusalem city walls was merely the physical aspect of his project. God's dwelling place is more than walls and gates; it must have God's word as the foundation. So he asked Ezra to read God's laws and had the Levites translate and explaine the word so all could understand. We're not given the specifics of how the translation was carried out, but the purpose was to ensure that everyone understood God's Laws.

  Now, having understood God's words, what was their response? In today's passage we read that they responded to the Laws with prayers. You see, when God first created man, it was his desire that we have a close relationship and fellowship with Him. This includes listening to God and talking to Him, a two way communication. Due to Adam and Eve's disobedience, this communication was broken. As God continued to reach out to men, he spoke to his people and the words were recorded. In Chapter 8 we read about the Israelites listening to God's words. And now, Nehemiah went into great detail to describe the content of the prayer, their talking to God. Its purpose was to restore men's fellowship with God. In this passage, we shall learn the truth that since God has spoken in written words; his children are to respond to him through prayers.

I.   We are to respond to God's word with a contrite heart.

  In chapter 8:8-10, we learn that the people heard and understood God's laws. What was their response? vs.9 tells us that upon hearing the word of God, they broke down and cried. In the light of God's word, they saw their sinfulness and they cried. And we also notice that Nehemiah told them this was not the time to mourn for sins. Being the Feast of Tabernacle, they were to rejoice. Nehemiah had them wait 24 days before they came together and mourn for their sins. What do we learn from this simple narrative?

  Nehemiah did not take advantage and manipulate their emotions. Instead, he stayed the course and had them wait. We probably will say, ‘strike the iron while it's hot' ( ??? ? ). I think it is good for us to remember, anything that is genuine, that is from the Lord, can withstand the test of time. If our emotions or enthusiasm lasts only 5 minutes, this is not from the Lord.

  Now, in 9:1-2, 24 days after the reading of the Laws, the Israelites came together in fasting, in sackcloth and with dust on their hair. This is a sign of mourning for their sins. They came together to confess their sins. Not just their sins, but the sins of their fathers. It was a corporate confession of sins. They confessed their sins with heartfelt sorrow, responding to God's law with contrite hearts.

How about us? In last week's Newsweek is an article called, “Let me worship as I am.” “..And I have faith that I will stand in front of the altar of God and commit my life to the man I love, with smells and bells and without secrecy. It is right to stand before God as I am, and speak my own truth…..” I think we would all agree to this, except the writer is a man. He is very confident of God's acceptance of his life-style.

Why is there apparently such a lack of remorse over sins in today's Christian lives? Certainly there are many reasons, but I can think of one. It has to do with our attitude towards God's word. Frequently in reading the bible, we want to see how the bible can help me be a better person, with a happier and better family. We want to treat the scriptures as a self-help book. A book that will and can bring out all the good that is within me. We are selective and decide what is good for us. We ignore portions that point out our short comings, ugliness and sins. We refuse to subject ourselves to the authorities of the scriptures.

However, this is not right. You see, the bible is not a self-help book. It is a book in which God revealed Himself to us. He tells us about his holiness, mercy and love. It also tells us about how men have gone astray from him. He expresses to us what his expectations of us are. Therefore, whenever we read the scriptures, we see our sinfulness and the good news of how God wants to deliver us from our sins and brokenness. Without seeing God's holiness and goodness in the bible, we will not see our sinfulness. Only when we see ourselves truly as reflected in God's word, will we feel sorry about our sins.

II.   A contrite heart will focus on God's attributes.

  In vs.4,5 we read about how some Levites prayed to God on behalf of the people. When we pray, it often tells us what kind of God we are praying to. Sometimes, we treat him as a magic genie, or a sugar daddy, that he will give us whatever we ask for. There are also prayers in which we constantly blame ourselves, nothing we do is right and constantly living under guilt. There is no sign that we have been set free by the Truth. God is like a relentless slave driver. In many of our prayers, we bring God from high above the heavens down to our human level. However, when we take a look at the Levites' prayer, it lifts our souls up to God's level. It brings us to another level of understanding who God is. Let's take a look at what it tell us about God.

1 •  Praise God for who he is. While in China two months ago, I asked the students to pause for a few moments and praise God for who he is. It was not easy for they were used to praising God for what he had done for them. They praised him because of his provision, guidance and protection. This is certainly important, but there is more. In vs.5 we read that we are to praise God for he is worthy of being praised. Because he is the God almighty, therefore, we are to praise and honor Him.

2 •  God is the creator and sustainer. In vs.6 we learn that this God is the creator of heaven and earth. The entire universe is from him. He is totally above and beyond us. Moreover, he is also the one who preserves the creation. This God is not like the watch maker who winds up the watch and then leave it and let it click. He did not create the heavens and the earth, then let it run its course. No, the Judeo-Christian God is not like this. He is still actively preserving and sustaining the world he created.

3 •  God is the ultimate Promise Keeper. Over 15 years ago, the former Denver football coach started the Promise Keepers movement. It rallied men together, urging them to keep their promise to their families and churches. It was a movement that had greatly strengthened families and churches across the nation. Yet it is also important for us to remember that no matter how much we try, it is not easy for us to keep our promises. However, in vs.7, 8 we read how God has chosen Abraham, promised him land and that he will be the father of all nations. God kept his promise. Not just his promise to Abraham, but all the promises he has given to his children. He promised his children of his unfailing and unconditional love; his eternal presence with them and that he would never leave them alone. He promised that he would deliver his children from the power and bondage of sin. He promised them peace in the midst turmoil. He has kept his promises. He is the ultimate Promise Keeper. Next time when we go to the Promise Keeper's gathering, it is good to remember that the focus is not on how many promises we are going to make and keep. May these gatherings point us to the ultimate Promise Keeper and he alone can help us to keep the promise we make to our family and church.

4 •  God is the one with great Mercy. From vs.9 to 25, we are told of his great mercy towards the Israelites, his chosen people. He delivered them from Egypt and took them across the Red Sea with great miracles. He guided them with pillars of fire and the cloud as they travelled in the wilderness. He provided them with spiritual food: the laws which were good for them. He also took care of their bodies by providing them with Manna and water. Even in their rebellion, he kept his promise and brought them into the Promised Land.

This is the Israelites' history, or their story. We see how even in their repeated rebellion, God was patient and merciful towards them. He kept his promises to them. This is Israel 's story. A faithful, promise keeping God in spite of unfaithful people.

How about us? Each one of us has a personal story. As I looked at my own personal story, I remembered the time I was rebellious to God. I was close to losing faith in the visible church and about to give up. Yet God in his mercy and grace, continue to grab hold of me. Through the writings of Francis Schaeffer, he brought me back to him. I also recall many of the conversations I had with believers. Some of them had gone through or are going through very difficult moments in life. They find themselves in situations that they would never have chosen. Yet as they shared their experience with me, recounting God's grace and mercy towards them, we may not see it in those painful moments, but when we come out of it and reflect upon those experiences, we see God's hands had never left us once. This past week I received an email with these words: my crazy schedule kept me very busy. But I thank God that he has never left me, no matter how little I prayed or read the bible. You see, even in the midst of our inadequacies, he is still loving and merciful towards us. I often remind people that our God is a very generous God. He never withholds his grace and faithfulness towards us because we are rebellious or have strayed away from him. He is always there, being merciful and gracious towards his children. He is richly generous in his mercy and love.

What do we do, or what can we do when we stand before this God?

III.   A contrite heart causes us to face our sins honestly.

  What did the Israelites do when they were brought face to face with this God? In this prayer we see God's greatness. At the same time there is also a very vivid description of the people's sins. Here are the words that occur repeatedly: presumptuous, stiff neck, disobedience, ignores God's wonders, great blasphemers, despise and kill God's messengers. This is certainly not a very pleasant picture. What do we see here? The Israelites, represented by the Levites, saw sin as sin. There is no going around it.

  You see what is happening here? When we face the creator and sustainer, when we see his glory, his mercy and grace, what else can we do but to see our own sinfulness and unworthiness before him?

  This is so foreign among today's Christians. Even as I am preparing this sermon, I feel the heavy heartedness of our lack of the clear sense of sin in our lives. We don't want to use the word ‘sin' for it may make people uncomfortable. So we use words such as ‘unwise decisions', ‘wrong turn in life', ‘mistakes', ‘in our youth ignorance', ‘wrong choices', ‘unfortunate behavior'. We play word games to minimize sins in our lives. An affair is nothing but an ‘infatuation' with a married man. We compare ourselves with others, and conclude that others have done so much worse than us. What we did was really no big deal. No wonder we no longer know what a contrite heart is.

  For this reason, we need to come to the scriptures again and again. God's spoken and written words are to be like a mirror, pointing us to our sinfulness and brokenness.

  The Israelites in Nehemiah's time clearly saw their sinfulness when they read and understood God's spoken and written words. They neither saw nor experienced a complete solution of their sins. But for those of us today, having read the NT, we know more than the people of Nehemiah's days. We know that the law is there to show us our sinfulness and point to us how desperately we need someone to both keep the laws perfectly on our behalf and to take away our sins. We also know that this someone is none other but Jesus Christ. He came into the world about 350 or so years after Nehemiah. He was able to keep the laws completely. He had no sin and did not sin. God took our sins, put it on him, and took his righteousness and put it on us. This is what happened on the cross. This is how he took care of our sins. When we sin, we can always come back to him, tell him how sorry we are and ask for his forgiveness. Moreover, we also ask him to help us not to repeat those sins again. And you know what? 1 John 1:9, “ 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Conclusion:

  In the Garden of Eden, because of men's disobedience, men were separated from God. The intimate and close relationship between God and men, his crown creation, was destroyed. From that point on, throughout the OT history, on the one hand we see the continuous corruption of this God-men relationship. But also the demonstration of God's repeated reaching out to his children, the Israelites. He spoke to them through the prophets and revealed his desires and his commandments to them. And in today's passage we read about how man under Nehemiah's leadership responded to God's words.

  They saw God's goodness in their nation's history. They recognized God's mercy and faithfulness in the midst of their repeated rebellion. Facing this God, their response was to humbly bow before him and confess their sinfulness.

  Two months ago, a student in China came up to me after class and asked to talk to me. During the class, I had asked the students to learn to praise God for who he is. They all learned quickly. This particular student shared with me this: “In my prayers, whenever I think of God's mercy, grace, faithfulness and holiness, tears will come out automatically. They are tears of joy for I am constantly being overwhelmed by God's goodness. At times I will also burst out praising him. And then also in my prayers, when I see God's holiness and goodness, I also see my own sinfulness and utter brokenness. This will also cause my tears to flow, and they are tears of sorrow and remorse over my sins. Is this normal?” What can I say? I affirmed him that this is right and urged him to maintain a sensitive spirit before the Lord.

  Let us spend a few moments in personal prayers. May we ask the Holy Spirit, to show us in His great light, our presumptuousness, stubbornness, disobedience and indifference to his great mercy and grace in our lives. Even as we see our sinfulness, it is good to remember that our God will not despise a broken and contrite heart.