Nehemiah 9:19-37

Nehemiah 9:19-37

Some quick notes on the sermon, which I translated, but unfortunately abit too tensed to write down more notes! :P

Pastor Tang mentioned that the theme next year thought up by the Zion Church committe is "Together, strive for Unity in Love".

The means to a revived life is through God's Word. Through God's Word, we know him more. This God who loves us. His love is ultimately manifested in sending His son who He loves to die for our sins on the cross. One might be willing to die for the good or righteous, but dying for sinners? Paul himself said that he was the sinner of sinners. THe question to us is, how much do we know our God?

Do we want to be one of the masses below Mt Sinai asking Moses to go up?
Do we want to be one of the seventy elders who went to the middle of the Mount?
Do we want to be Joshua who went even closer to the peak?
Or to be Moses, face to face with God.

In the new testament,
Do we want to be one of the masses enjoying Jesus 5 loaves and 2 fishes?
Do we want to be one of the seventy sent out in pairs by Jesus?
Do we want to be one of his 12 disciples following him?
Do we want to be one of the three inner disciples closer to him?
Or the one disciple who is closest to the heart of Jesus, the one whom Jesus loved.

From this passage, we can know more about God. Seeking to meet him face to face, to be close to his heart.

v27 "But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies."

God is merciful. What we ought to receive but did not.
Time and again, the Israelites rebelled against God. Hence God's punishment was upon them. But they cried out and God was merciful with them.
The world with their constant rebellion of God's law, ought to receive God's judgement and punishment but God has withhold his immediate judgement. That they might not perish but be saved. God's mercy is manifested here.

v31 "But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God."

v25 "they reveled in your great goodness. '

God is gracious. What we ought not to receive, but we did. We are sinners who ought to receive punishments in hell, but by God's grace can enjoy eternity with him.

v30 "For many years you were patient with them."

God is patient. God is patient with the Israelites, though repeatedly sinning against him, He still spares them time and again in the hope that they will turn to him. God is patient, waiting for people to be saved before He executes his order of the end times.

As a conclusion, in Nehemiah 9, we learn 10 attributes of God. We have to know our God who loves us so much through His revealed Word. Our God is a God who hears, who acts, reveals his heart to his people, who is sovereign, mighty, gracious, merciful and patient.