Leading Repentance

Good morning.

My name is Matthew Capone, and I'm the pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church,

and it's my joy to bring God's word to you today.

A special welcome if you are new or visiting with us.

We are glad you're here, and we're glad you're here not because you are filling a seat this morning,

but because we are following after Jesus together as one community,

and we are convinced as we follow after Jesus that there is no one so good that they don't need God's grace,

and no one so bad that they can't have it.

And so God has something to say to everyone in his word, and everyone needs to hear what God has to say to us.

When I left off a few weeks ago, we had finished the season of Advent,

and as I said over and over, Advent's about two comings.

Jesus' first coming that we look back to, and Jesus' second coming that we look forward to.

And we're going to be starting a series in the book of Nehemiah, and Nehemiah is in the Old Testament.

And the simplest way to think about the Old Testament is that it is everything that happened before Jesus' first coming.

So previously, before Advent, we were in the book of Philippians, and that was a church.

That was a church that was a community in Philippi that existed after Jesus' first coming.

And now we're going to be looking at a community that is before Jesus' first coming.

And this book comes at a time in the history of the nation of Israel when they have previously been in exile.

If you were with us when we studied the book of Isaiah, you know that God had given his people a mission in the Old Testament.

They were meant to be a light to the nations around them.

They were meant to show everyone in the world what it was like to live according to God's ways,

that we could see God's goodness and his justice and his mercy and his love.

But the people of Israel had failed in that job.

And so God sent them into exile in Babylon.

They had to leave their home country, their home city of Jerusalem.

And they went into exile, finally in 586 B.C.

And they were there for a long time until they were freed from Babylonian captivity by the Persian Empire in 539.

And then in 538, they began returning.

And we're fast-forwarding all the way to 446 B.C.

And if all these dates are making you sleepy, the point is this.

Almost 100 years before this story, God had set his people free to return back to their land.

And yet we're going to meet a man who has still not returned to God's land.

We're going to find out that the city that they had left, that had been destroyed, is not fully rebuilt yet.

And so the reason that we are digging into the book of Nehemiah is that as we start a new year together,

and as we start a new chapter in the history of our church,

Nehemiah asks the big question of what does it look like for God's people to stay close to him?

What does it look like for God's people, if they have strayed far away from him, to return to him?

Or if you're someone who has questions or doubts or objections to God and his ways,

what does it look like to become close to God for the first time?

As we are starting out on a new chapter together as a church,

there is nothing that is more important for us than that we stay close to God.

And so Nehemiah is going to serve as an example, as a model for us,

of what it looks like for God's people to turn back to him.

And so that's going to be our simple question this morning.

What does it look like for God's people to return to him?

What does it look like for those who are with him to stay close to him?

And what does it look like for people who don't know God to know him for the first time?

And so we're going to begin here in the first chapter of Nehemiah.

It is in your worship guide near the very end, if you would like to turn there.

And remember that as we come to this, this is God's word.

And God tells us that his word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.

In other words, God has not left us to stumble alone in the dark.

But instead, he's given us his word so that we would know the way to go.

And so that's why we're going to start now with Nehemiah chapter 1.

Nehemiah 1 · chapter mention

Please read with me.

The words of Nehemiah, the son of Hekelia.

Now it happened in the month of Chislev in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the citadel,

that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah.

And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem.

And they said to me,

The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame.

The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.

Verse 4.

As soon as I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days.

And I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

And I said,

Verse 7.

We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses.

Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying,

If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples.

But if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them,

though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven,

from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen,

to make my name dwell there.

Verse 10.

They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand.

O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants,

who delight to fear your name.

And give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.

Now, I was cupbearer to the king.

Please pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word.

Dear Father in heaven, we confess that without you and your word, we would be stumbling in the dark.

Lord, we wouldn't know how to find our way to you.

We wouldn't know how to find our way in this world.

And so we thank you that you have given us a lamp and a light.

We ask that you would do that for us this morning, that you would speak to us,

that you would help us to hear you clearly,

and that you would give us light to see the path that you have for us.

We ask all these things not because any of us have earned them from you,

but because Jesus has earned them for us.

And so we ask it in his name.

Amen.

We immediately meet this man named Nehemiah,

and we find out right away that he has not returned with God's people to Jerusalem.

As I mentioned earlier, God's people had been in exile under the Babylonian Empire,

and then they had been freed later by the Persian Empire.

And the city that Nehemiah is in, the city of Susa,

is the place where the Persian king would spend his time in the winter.

And so this is probably November or December,

and Nehemiah receives a visit.

Now, it's unclear whether this man named Hanani is actually his brother

because the word brother in the Old Testament has a very broad range of meaning.

So this could be his biological brother.

It could also just be a family member, a relative.

But he comes and brings this news to Nehemiah that apparently is a surprise.

He asks them how people are doing,

how his people, the Jews, are doing in Jerusalem.

And he finds out that things are not going well.

They tell him in verse 3,

the remnant there in the province who survived the exile.

In other words, the people who had made it all the way back to Jerusalem.

When God had exiled his people, it was part of his testing of them,

and so there were some people who remained faithful to God in his ways,

and some people who fell away.

But this remnant, these people who are in Jerusalem,

these are God's people who have stayed,

the ones that he has preserved.

Because while they have not kept his mission,

they have not obeyed him and been a light to the nations.

God is so adamant and persistent in his mission to the world

that he always retains a people for himself.

And so Nehemiah asks about them and finds out the terrible news.

This remnant is in great trouble and shame.

The wall of Jerusalem is broken down,

and its gates are destroyed by fire.

In other words, the city that God had set to be a light to the nations,

to show everyone in the world what the world would be like

if people lived according to God and his ways.

is not a light to the nations,

but instead it's an embarrassment.

And God's people who've remained faithful to him

are not strong and protected,

but instead they're incredibly vulnerable

to anyone who would come and attack them.

So what does Nehemiah do?

Did you notice his very first response?

When Nehemiah understands how bad it is,

the very first thing he does here in verse 4

is he sits down and weeps and mourns for days.

It says,

Nehemiah is so moved and impacted by the reality of the destruction

that he's heard,

that he has no other choice

but to pray and fast and grieve.

And so what does it look like for God's people to return to him?

How do we stay close to God?

There is no way we can stay close to God

without doing what Nehemiah does here,

and that is understanding and seeing

the ruin and consequences of sin.

We have to understand and see and grieve

the ruin and destruction that sin has caused

not just in the world,

but in our lives as well.

And unless we do that,

we cannot understand the bad news of the gospel

that I spoke about earlier

that leads to the good news.

We will not repent.

We will not return to God.

We will not stay close to God

unless we see the ruin,

unless we understand

how much has been destroyed and lost by sin.

And you know,

everyone in this world agrees that there are ruins.

We can look around.

We don't have to look far to see destruction in our world.

We don't have to look far to see the consequences

of sin,

whether it is the increasing political polarization

that we see as people who believe different things

are having a harder and harder time

talking to each other.

It could be the pollution that we see in our world

as we've taken the good earth

that God has given to us

and failed to steward it as he wanted.

It could be the political turmoil

that we watch every day in the news.

It could be refugees coming in

with nowhere else to live.

It could be the reality of human trafficking.

But everyone in this world agrees

that there's a ruin.

What everyone in the world does not agree about

is what role we have in the ruin.

And so what we have to do

to return to God,

to stay close to him,

is do what Nehemiah does here.

He doesn't just see the ruin around him,

but he also sees the ruin in him.

He doesn't just see the ruin around him,

but he also sees the ruin in him.

We're gonna see this in a second

in verse six when he says,

even mine, my father's house, have sinned.

But let's pause here for a second.

Where is the ruin in our lives?

Where is the destruction?

Because if we cannot see the ruin

and the destruction of sin in our lives,

there is no way

that we will be able to turn back to God,

and there is no way

we'll be able to stay close to him.

It could be the ruin of

treating people harshly for a long time,

and then suddenly in a moment,

in a day,

like Nehemiah here,

seeing the ruin,

realizing the damage that it's done,

and that it's not gonna be

something easy or small

to come back from.

It could be having broken

your parents' trust over and over,

and then suddenly realizing

that your freedoms are more limited

than you ever thought.

It could be the ruin of pure laziness.

You did whatever you wanted to do

for as long as you wanted,

and now you look around

and you realize your house

and your life is falling apart.

Maybe you've even lost your job

as a result.

And so finally, suddenly,

the ruin comes into complete relief.

Maybe it's the ruin

of choosing everything

over your children,

and now you finally realize

and see that they are deciding

to choose everything over you.

Maybe it's the ruin

of refusing to trust God

and other people,

thinking that it will make you safe.

And then you wake up one day

and realize it hasn't made you safe.

It's just made you very alone.

Maybe it's the ruin

of not being able

to get the grades that you want.

And so one day,

you realize that it's a lot easier

than you thought.

All you have to do

is just start cheating a little bit.

And it works well

and your grades are good

until you get to the point

where you've skipped so many things

and forgotten so many things

that you come to a point

where you can't go any further

because there's so much

that you don't know.

Whatever it is,

it's the ruin

that pushes us to God.

It's the ruin

that allows God's people

to stay close to him

and return to him

because as we saw

in our confession of faith

this morning,

it is repentance

that leads unto life.

And so we cannot

stay close to God.

We cannot be his people

following with him

on his mission

unless we understand

the ruin

that is all around us.

But when we see the ruin,

when we understand the ruin,

that is when repentance

is our great hope.

And so that's where

Nehemiah turns next.

First, we see, of course,

that he weeps and mourns here

over his sin,

over the destruction

that he sees.

By the way,

this is a long-term destruction.

This is not something

that's happened in a day

or a week, right?

God's people returned

in 538

and this is 446.

So almost 100 years

since God has set

his people free

through the Persian Empire.

This has been something

that's not been in the making

for days or weeks

but for years.

And so it's not a small problem

but a big problem.

There are some people

in this world

that will say that

the only people

who can solve our problems

is us.

And that's great advice

for certain things in life.

It's great to take responsibility.

It's great to

take the things

that are before you

and be responsible for them

and in charge of them.

But what we see here

in God's word

is that

we are not the only people

who can fix our problems

because our problems

are so much bigger than us.

The reality of sin

is so powerful

and destructive

that only God himself

can come and help us

and save us.

And so when we see

the destruction,

repentance is our great hope.

And that's where we see

Nehemiah go next.

After he's done

weeping and mourning

and fasting and praying,

we then hear his prayer here.

And based on what we know

from this book,

of course it says

he prays day and night.

He did this for days.

We were going to find out

in chapter 2

that it's multiple months later

that he takes any action.

And so what we see here

is Nehemiah's prayer

that has been truncated.

It's been put down

as this is a summary

of what Nehemiah

prayed to God for months.

And his prayer here

is one of repentance.

See in verse 6

he asks God to hear

because he's confessing

the sins of the people

of Israel

which we have sinned

against you.

Even I and my father's house

have sinned.

And so staying close to God

is not just seeing the ruin.

Because if all we see

is the ruin around us

it will lead us to despair.

But instead

seeing the ruin

and then turning

in repentance to God.

Nehemiah here repents

on behalf of the people.

He's a leader.

He's going to become a leader.

And so he repents

for all of their sins

but he also acknowledges

his own role in it.

It's not just a problem

that other people

out there have caused

but Nehemiah and his family

are implicated as well.

They're implicated

in the fact that Israel

has failed to be

a light to the nations.

They were supposed to

remember the poor

and worship God.

And instead

they've forgotten the poor

and chased after other gods.

They were supposed

to build their families

and said they'd have

destroyed them.

And so Nehemiah repents.

He sees the ruin

but instead of saying

this is a problem

only I can fix

he realizes

that this is a problem

only God can fix.

And so as we turn back

to God

and stay close to him

and follow after him

it means that day by day

we have to do

what Martin Luther said

which is we live a life

of faith and repentance.

we look at our sins

we see the destruction

but then we turn back

to God

tell him our sins

and confess to them

knowing that he will

forgive us

that his faithfulness

is for everyone

who turns back to him.

So Nehemiah confesses

not just other people's sins

but his as well.

You may remember

the story

now almost a decade ago

in 2009

the former

South Carolina governor

Mark Sanford

had an unfortunate end

to his career

in June of 2009

he went missing

and no one knew

where he was.

The now famous story

that his office

told people

is that he was hiking

on the Appalachian Trail

turned out he was very far

from the Appalachian Trail

he was actually in Argentina

and he was in Argentina

with a mistress

a woman he was not married to

and the media

finally caught up with him

and so when he came back

he had a press conference

filled with tears

and he said this

I have spent the last

five days of my life

crying in Argentina

I am committed

to trying to get

my heart right

what I did was wrong

period

end of story

and then he spent

the next several years

apologizing to

the people that he had hurt

the groups that he had hurt

the political associations

that he had let down

and he had a real ruin

Mark Sanford

lost his marriage

he was supposed to be

a presidential hopeful

which immediately died

that day

he continued to have struggles

he ended up divorcing

he didn't continue

on a perfect path

and whether you agree

with his politics or not

I think what we can all

agree about is this

what Mark did is rare

for both Republicans

and Democrats

which is that he had

real repentance

he didn't cover over

his sins

and find someone else

to blame for it

Nehemiah doesn't find

someone who's going to

take the blame for him

here

he doesn't just say

the people of Israel

it's their fault

but he says

me and my family

and so Mark Sanford's

repentance was imperfect

it didn't happen

until it was caught

but it did happen

and so he models here

what Nehemiah also

models for us

that when we see

the ruin and destruction

of sin

we don't minimize it

we don't cover it up

we don't try harder

just to make up

for what's lost

but we come

and we repent

to other people

we say

what I did was wrong

I'm sorry

please forgive me

and this is a problem

bigger than I can solve

it's something

that I need God himself

to come and fix

remember when we talked

about the apostle Peter

in Matthew chapter 26

Matthew 26 · chapter mention

I reminded you

that our tears

are a sign

of spiritual life

when we're weeping

over our sin

it's a reminder

that God is still

at work in our lives

because it's possible

to see the ruin

and not repent

there are many people

who see the ruin

in their lives

and instead

they try to hide

or minimize it

maybe they try

to work harder

maybe they just

feel shame

or maybe we just

refuse to see

the ruin

but here

Nehemiah shows us

a different way

he shows us

God's way

for his people

he doesn't just

see the ruin

but he repents

he turns back

to God

as I have

spent

several decades

now in the church

I have met

many people

who want to be

great spiritually

I've met many people

who want to be

big men

or big women

spiritually

and that's not

a wrong desire

it's not wrong

to want to be

great spiritually

the problem

is that God's

definition of greatness

and our definition

of greatness

are not the same

if you're a child

if you're a youth

being great

spiritually

does not mean

that you get all

the answers right

in Sunday school

if you are a parent

being great

spiritually

does not mean

that no one

ever sees

your children

misbehave

if you

are a Christian

trying to follow

after Jesus

being great

spiritually

does not mean

you have a better

quiet time

than other people

or a more

comprehensive knowledge

of the Bible

but spiritual

greatness

is found

in one thing

if you want

to be a big

man

spiritually

if you want

to be a big

woman

spiritually

there is only

one path

and that path

is the path

of repentance

in our New Testament

reading this morning

we read from Paul

one of the greatest

men spiritually

and as he

nears

the end of his life

what he tells people

is that he has

discovered

that he

is the greatest

of sinners

the secret

of Paul's

greatness

spiritually

is that he

understands

his sin

and he's

repenting

of it

Nehemiah

we're going

to see

is a great

man

spiritually

and he's

a great

man

because he

sees his

sin

here

and repents

of it

when I

was

in college

I went

to a

mentor

at one

point

and I

asked him

a question

I said

you know

I hear

people

talk

all the

time

about

leading

their

families

and how

important

it is

for men

to lead

their

families

and you

know

I don't

really know

what that

means

you know

you're older

and wiser

what does

that mean

what does

it mean

to lead

your family

this man

was a

pastor

and he

said

you know

I'll tell

you what

it doesn't

mean

it doesn't

mean

that I

pull my

wife aside

and I

point her

to passages

in the

Bible

and say

honey

you need

to know

this

and learn

this

because she

listens

to me

as it

is

but Matthew

I'll tell

you a story

about what

it means

for me

to lead

my family

spiritually

recently

I was

driving

my

elementary

daughter

to school

and as

I was

driving

she was

fussing

and I

just got

more and

more frustrated

with her

and as

I dropped

her off

at school

I finally

lost it

and I

just started

yelling

at her

I was

so done

and so

frustrated

he said

it impacted

her very

deeply

shortly

after that

she began

having

night

terrors

and difficulty

sleeping

he said

the way

that I

lead my

family

spiritually

is I

repent

to them

I tell

my daughter

how wrong

it was

for me

to do

that

that I'm

sorry

that her

father

needs

Jesus

and so

I lead

them by

repenting

because I

show them

my need

for Jesus

to help

them

understand

their

need

as well

leadership

is

repentance

and repentance

is leadership

and if we

want to be

great

spiritually

then we

must

repent

if you

spend any

time in

the mountains

here in

Colorado

you know

that as

the tree

line

goes up

suddenly the

trees start

to disappear

the higher

and higher

you get

on the

mountain

right

the closer

you get

to the

ridge

the less

there is

that's

growing

now that's

for several

reasons

one is the

wind is so

high it's

hard for

anything to

grow

but the

other reason

is that

there's not

much oxygen

up there

and so as

you head up

the mountain

plants start

to disappear

they start

to drop

off

because they

simply can't

breathe

there's no

ability or

opportunity for

them to

grow

repentance

is the

spiritual

oxygen

of our

lives

we cannot

expect

anything

great or

good to

happen in

our church

in our

families

and in our

lives without

repentance

and so if

we want to

be great

if we want

to see new

and exciting

spiritual fruit

pop up in

our lives

in our

families and

in our

church

we want as

much oxygen

as we can

get

if we want

to see a

beautiful forest

then we have

to provide the

oxygen of

repentance

to the people

around us

it's easy

to

tell people

that no

one is so

good that

they don't

need God's

grace

but it's

also easy

to live like

we don't

believe it

if we say

that we need

God's grace

but refuse to

repent of the

ruin that we're

telling people

that by our

lives that we

don't

there's nothing

that we need

from God

and so we

stay close to

God we

return to

him by

seeing the

ruin

we return

to him

by repenting

but finally

we have to

see the

great hope

that God

has for

everyone who

turns back

to him

if all we

could see

is the

destruction

if all

Nehemiah

knew is that

the walls

were broken

down and

shame and

trouble

then it

would lead

simply to

him being

overwhelmed

or it

could lead

to his

self-righteousness

here

we skipped

over verse

five

do you notice

what Nehemiah

said there

repenting

wasn't actually

the first

thing he

did

he addresses

God and

says oh

Lord God

of heaven

the great

and awesome

God

who keeps

covenant and

steadfastness

love with

those who

love him

and keep

his

commandments

this

steadfast

love is

the same

phrase that

we saw in

the book

of Ruth

and it's

the same

phrase that

we saw in

December in

the Psalms

it is God's

never stopping

never giving

up

unbreaking

always and

forever love

God's people

have failed

him

they've created

a ruin

they've had

almost a hundred

years to rebuild

the city and

yet they haven't

but we see

in verse 9

what this

steadfast love

looks like

starting in

verse 8

remember the

word that you

commanded your

servant Moses

saying if you

are unfaithful I

will scatter you

among the

peoples but

if you return

to me and

keep my

commandments and

do them

though your

outcasts are in

the uttermost

parts of heaven

from there I

will gather

them and bring

them to the

place that I

have chosen

to make my

name dwell there

in other words

Nehemiah is

able to

repent he's

able to

confess his

sin because

he knows how

great and

awesome God's

love is and

he knows that

God offers his

grace and his

forgiveness for

anyone who

returns and

turns back to

him and so as

he looks out

over a hundred

plus years of

ruin Nehemiah is

not without

hope as he

looks at

something that

has been

caused by

decades of

sin and

destruction

Nehemiah knows

that God is

still faithful

and so the

same is true

of us as

well whether

we are looking

back on five

decades of

mistakes or

seven decades

if we are

still alive and

breathing here

today in this

room God has

hope for us

his steadfast

love is still

for us and

the offer of

verse nine is

still for us

if we return

to him he

will gather

us and bring

us back

so then we

hear in verse

10 they are

your servants

and your people

whom you have

redeemed by

your great

power and

your strong

hand

while Nehemiah

starts with

crying we're

going to see

that he

doesn't end

there because

he knows how

powerful God's

grace is and

so as we return

to God and

stay close to

God if we

only see the

ruin and our

repentance it

will crush us

but God's

redemption is

real his hope

is real and

his offer of

grace is real

for anyone and

everyone who

turns back to

him and the

reason his

grace is real

is because

later there's

going to come

another son of

Israel his name

is going to be

Jesus we

celebrated his

first coming in

advent and he

is going to come

and take the

penalty for the

sins of Nehemiah

of his people

and of everyone

else who turns

back to him

Jesus is going

to tell a story

in Matthew

Matthew 18 · chapter mention

chapter 18 about

his people that

he refers to as

sheep and he

says this what

do you think if a

man has a hundred

sheep and one of

them has gone

astray does he

not leave the

ninety-nine on the

mountains and go in

search of the one

that went astray

and if he finds

it truly I say to

you he rejoices

over it more than

over the ninety-nine

that never went

astray God will

leave the ninety-nine

sheep to pursue

the one so that he

will return to him

and so the same

grace that is here

for Nehemiah is

for us and we get

a hint of it here

at the end the very

last verse Nehemiah

has looked at the

destruction he has

seen what has

happened from

unfaithfulness for

centuries what seems

insurmountable and

impossible he repents

and he cries out to

God in this moment

for God's help and

what do we find out

as the chapter closes

God's steadfast love

is real because as

Nehemiah repents and

turns back to God

God has placed him in

the very right place

he is cut bearer to

the king in other

words Nehemiah by no

accident but because

of God's faithfulness

and his steadfast love

is one of the most

powerful people in the

Persian Empire and so

God is already at

work bringing back

the one he's already

at work with his

steadfast love and so

we're going to see as

Nehemiah continues that

God is going to stay

true to everything that

we hear here he's

going to meet those who

repent and help them

return he's going to be

faithful to his

promises and even

though they have

created a ruin it is

going to be God who

is going to lead them

out

famous story is told

about the English

writer G.K.

Chesterton at one

point in his life he

saw an advertisement in

the newspaper asking

for people to write in

letters responding to

one question the

question was this what

is wrong with the

world G.K.

Chesterton wrote back a

very short response

says this dear sir

regarding your article

what's wrong with the

world I am yours truly

G.K.

Chesterton it's when we

understand that the ruin

is not just around us but

in us and we turn back to

God in repentance and say

the problem with the

world is me that God

meets us with his love

and his grace no matter

how much we've messed up

no matter how many

decades or centuries of

ruin there is because it

is his joy and his delight

to leave the 99 to find

the one and so because

that's God's heart and his

desire we can pray to him

and cry out to him and so

let's do that now

dear father in heaven we

thank you so much that you

have called us to yourself

you've made us your people

we confess that the

problems around us are not

just around us but in us

and so we ask that you

would help us you'd send

your spirit to give us soft

and tender hearts that we'd

see the destruction of sin

we ask that you would

cause us to return to you

in repentance but most of

all that you would show us

that there is hope there is

hope in you and your grace

because Jesus was willing to

take the full punishment for

our sins and so we put our

trust and our hope in him

knowing that you hear our

prayers not because we have

done anything but because

Jesus has and so we ask it

in his name amen

please stand for our closing

song

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