True Faithfulness

Thank you very much, and thank you for the warm welcome we've received on the island.

We look forward to getting to know you a little bit, and we ask that the Lord will bless the

time together.

I bring greetings from our own fellowship, Kilmally and Arden American Free Church, and

ahead of the visit, we've very much been praying for you, and we trust God to be gracious to

us this weekend.

And we're going to look later on in Nehemiah chapter 9, but I want to begin our time just

Nehemiah 9 · chapter mention

with one verse where the people are told,

Bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting.

Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.

Well, we want to bless and praise the Lord together this evening, and we'll do that with

our first item of praise as we sing together the metrical version of Psalm 111, and we shall

sing the first six verses of Psalm 111.

Praise to the Lord, I will extol Him.

Praise to the Lord.

I will extol Him.

Praise to the Lord.

Praise to the Lord.

and on the ancient times.

The whole works of the Lord our God

are great above all measure.

Slaughter they are of every one

at a festive pleasure.

His words most honor our God

is most glorious and pure,

and is undainted by justness

forever doth endure.

His works most wonderful he hath

made to be not upon.

The Lord is gracious,

and he is full of compassion.

He giveth me done to all those

that truly do him dear,

and evermore his covenant

he in his mind will bear.

He did the power of his words

unto his people show.

When he the raven's heritage

upon them death he's true.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Well, let's continue now

in praying together

to the Lord our God.

Let us pray.

Our gracious God

and our loving Heavenly Father,

we do gather this evening

as a congregation,

as a company of your people

saved by grace.

Lord, we gather to bless,

to praise,

to extol your name.

Father, we praise you for your works

in creation,

that you have set in their place

the sun and the moon and the stars.

we thank you that it was you

that formed the heights

of the mountains

and who founded the depths

of the sea,

that it was you that breathed life

into all living creatures,

and it is you who sustains

our lives.

And so we praise you

and we worship you

for the works about which

we have sung,

works which are right

and true.

we thank you, Lord,

that you are kind,

that you are great,

and that you are full of grace.

We thank you for the work of grace,

for the work of redemption

in our world,

in our lives.

That time and again

you have saved your people

from all their distress.

When they cried,

you have heard from heaven

and you have answered

answered to deliver.

Lord, how true that is

also of our own lives.

How much we want to thank you

for the times you have taken us

from the mud and mire

and set our feet upon the rock.

Time and again, Lord,

you forgave your people

all of their sins.

For you are a gracious

and merciful God,

slow to anger

and abounding

and steadfast love.

You are the one

who never forgets

and who never forsakes

your own people.

And how we thank you, Lord,

for our redemption in Christ.

That the one through whom

and for whom

all things were made

should step into this broken world.

That he might make one day

all things new.

Thank you that the Prince of Glory

was willing to bear our shame.

That the one in whom

there was life

was willing to die our death.

And that your only begotten Son

should be cut off

from his heavenly Father

in order that we might be welcomed home

and become children of the living God.

So this evening, this weekend,

Father, would you fix our eyes upon Jesus?

Would you turn our eyes upon Jesus

to look full in his glorious face

that the things on earth might seem strangely dim

in the light of his glory

and his grace?

Help us to set our hearts

on things that are above

to remember that our lives are hidden with Christ

who is the hope of glory.

So this evening we pray

as we turn to your word

as we lift up our voices in praise

would you refresh our hearts

and would you remind us once more

of your very great promises

and of the plans and the purposes

you have for our lives

that we might walk in wisdom

that we might walk in uprightness

for your pleasure

and for your praise.

And this we pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Well, we're going to sing once more

before we read

and our second item of praise

is Psalm 85

from Sing Psalms

Psalm 85

and we'll sing together verses 1 to 9

In times past, Lord, you showed favour

to your own beloved land

the prosperity of Jacob you restored

by your strong hand.

That's Psalm 85

Psalms 85:1–9

verses 1 to 9

in time

in time

in time

in time

past, Lord, you showed

favour

to your own beloved land

the prosperity of Jacob

you restored by your strong hand

you restored by your strong hand

you forgive your people's trespass

you were pleased their sins to hide

you withdrew all your disfledger

from your wrath you turned us high

God our Saviour

now restore us

from us turn away your rage

will your anger burn against us

will it last from age to age

will you not again be

will you not again revive us

that we may rejoice in you

show us, Lord, your covenant verse

show us, Lord, your covenant mercy

your salvation grant and you

I will hear what God the Lord says

to his saints he offers peace

but his people must not wander

and return to foolishness

surely for all those who fear him

his salvation is at hand

so that once again his glory

may be seen within our land

well I

I wanted to look together with you tonight

at the ninth chapter of Nehemiah

which if you have the same church bible

I have before me

it should be found on page 483

that's Nehemiah chapter 9

Nehemiah 9 · chapter mention

page 482 and 83

it's a lengthy chapter

we're not going to read the whole chapter

but I hope to reference it in the course

of our study together

but tonight we're just going to read

a few verses from the close of the chapter

that's 32 down to the end

verse 38

this great prayer of confession

before God

and Nehemiah chapter 9

Nehemiah 9:32

verse 32

we come to the conclusion of that prayer

let us hear together the word of God

now therefore our God the great

the mighty and the awesome God

who keeps covenant and steadfast love

let not all the hardship seem little to you

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

yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us

for you have dealt faithfully

and we have acted wickedly

our kings our princes our priests and our fathers

have not kept your law

or paid attention to your commandments

and your warnings that you gave them

even in their own kingdom

enjoying your great goodness 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

behold we are slaves this day

in the land that you gave to our fathers

to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts

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

because of all this we make a firm covenant in writing

on the sealed documents of the names of our princes

our Levites and our priests

and we thank God for his word

in this book of Nehemiah

before we turn to the word together

for a time of study

we will sing once more

this time from Psalm 36

the metrical version of Psalm 36

singing together verses 5 to 10

a psalm about the mercy and loving kindness of God towards his people

thy mercy Lord is in the heavens

thy truth doth reach the clouds

Psalm 36 5 to 10

thy mercy Lord is in the heavens

thy truth doth reach the clouds

thy mercy Lord is in the heavens

thy truth doth reach the clouds

thy truth doth reach the clouds

thy truth doth reach the clouds

thy对

thy thy justice di That's what

thy justice di E Ais-Blued

Lord, thy preserves man and peace, how precious is thy grace.

Therefore in shadow of thy wings, men's sunset shall quay.

They with the badness of thy heart shall be well satisfied.

O rivers of thy pleasures, I will think to them provide.

Because of life the fountain pure remains alone with thee.

And in the purest light of mine, we clearly light shall see.

Thy lovingkindness unto them continue that be known.

And still on men, how bright in heart thy righteousness be so.

Well, I invite you to keep your Bible open to Nehemiah chapter 9.

Nehemiah 9 · chapter mention

And although we read from verse 32, I want to survey the whole chapter with you as we think together.

And it's a wonderful prayer.

It's a prayer of confession.

And it's good as we approach this weekend that we come before God and acknowledge and confess our sins to Him,

trusting in His great mercies, trusting in His steadfast love and faithfulness.

I wonder if you've heard of any occasions in which the leaders of the nation sought to turn a people back to God.

It was a little bit before God.

It was a little bit before my time, but I believe that during the days of World War II,

there was a national day of prayer in advance of the great rescue at Dunkirk.

The king himself called the nation to pray.

And all over the land, church bells rang out, queues formed as people were eager to pray for the safe deliverance of the British Army.

When the time came, the seas were calm, the skies were cloudy, and a great many were delivered.

The leaders of a nation leading their people to God.

And that's something like the scene in Nehemiah chapter 9.

Nehemiah 9 · chapter mention

Nehemiah was a leader.

We often think of him as something like a civil engineer, rebuilding gates and walls.

But he sought also to rebuild the community, the people of the tribes who had returned.

He sought to bring the people back to God.

And so in Nehemiah chapter 9, he, Nehemiah the governor, turns his people's attention to the living God,

Nehemiah 9 · chapter mention

rebuilding not only the city, but rebuilding the community.

We have in Kilmali and Ardnamurk been studying together the book of Nehemiah over these past months.

And it's the kind of book that's often preached if, for example, you're attending a leadership seminar.

You know, the sort of thing, you know, leadership lessons from Nehemiah.

And somebody rightly commented, it is perhaps the oldest book, the oldest manual on leadership in the whole of human history.

Much to teach us about spiritual leadership, much to teach us about servant leadership, particularly the fifth chapter.

But it's not just a book about leadership.

And it's a book that's often preached on, isn't it, just before a building project.

We are ourselves about to renovate our small church building on the Ardnamurk Peninsula,

but that wasn't why we wanted to preach it.

It's not just a book about building projects.

In fact, building is really only half the story.

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah originally circulated as one book, Ezra-Nehemiah.

And we often concentrate on the physical rebuilding.

In Ezra, that is the temple.

In Nehemiah, the gates and the walls of Jerusalem.

But each book is itself in two halves.

The first half, there is a building project.

The second half, a rebuilding of the people's lives and their faith and their community around the Word of God.

And so Nehemiah seeks not only to rebuild the city, which he does under God, but to rebuild the people.

To restore not only the gates and the walls of Jerusalem, but to restore their relationship with the living God,

built on the foundation of the Word of God.

And in chapter 8, that Word is opened for the first time in a long time.

And as the people hear the Word, they weep,

because they realize what they'd lost, how their forefathers had behaved.

But they're told in that chapter not to weep,

because it was a time to celebrate, and a time to celebrate the Feast of Booths.

And so in chapter 8, there is feasting, there is a festival.

But then in chapter 9, the time comes to weep,

to confess their sins before God, to repent of their sins,

to turn back in faith to the living God.

And so in chapter 9, that's what we find happening.

On the 24th day, the people assemble with fasting, sackcloth, and with earth on their heads.

They separate themselves from the people of the land,

and they hear the Word of God for a quarter of a day.

Verse 3,

And then for another quarter, they make confession and worship the Lord their God.

It's a remarkable passage.

Where we live, we have a nice view of Ben Nevis,

from some of the windows of the house.

And if you're familiar with the Nevis Range, you'll know there's a gondola,

which is the easiest and the quickest way to get up to enjoy the view.

And if you take the gondola in Anakmur, you get a tremendous view of the surrounding mountains.

Nevis Range, the Memors, all the way across to the west.

And in Nehemiah chapter 9, we get a tremendous view of the Old Testament.

Nehemiah 9 · chapter mention

We're given a summary of Old Testament history.

We're given a survey of Old Testament events from the creation of the universe in Genesis

to the return from exile at the time of Nehemiah.

And it's not just a register of names and important dates and significant places.

It is a record of God's faithful dealings with His unfaithful people.

It's a long passage.

But there is a repeated pattern that helps us understand what's at work.

Repeatedly, we are told of God's initiative in calling people to Himself, in making a covenant with them.

You did this, the gracious initiative of God.

And then there is then described how the people turned away,

how they were ungrateful, how they were disobedient.

But we did this.

And then they are taught how the Lord showed His mercy and grace,

how He persevered with them,

and how He pardoned their sins times without number.

And so I want to briefly survey this passage,

observing three things in the first eight verses.

God makes a covenant.

In the verses 9 to 31,

the people break the covenant and break His commandments.

And then in the verses we read, 32 to 38,

they seek to remake the covenant.

And the opening verses take us right back to the beginning,

right back to the beginning of all things,

the creation of heaven and earth.

Verse 6,

You made heaven, the heaven of heavens,

the earth and all that is in it.

We live in a beautiful and a wonderful world.

You live on Lewis.

I don't need to tell you that.

The more we learn about the world,

the more we marvel at the wisdom and the power

of the God who made it.

The Lord, we're told, made all men and women.

And He chose one man, this man, Abram.

And He made a covenant with Him.

He who made all things made a covenant with this young man,

this old man, I should say.

And He promised Abram

that He would be the father of many peoples.

He promised to many descendants,

though He was at the time childless.

He promised His own land,

the land of the Canaanites.

He promised that He would bless him

and that through His seed,

through His offspring,

all the world would be blessed.

And immediately, we're told,

in these chapters,

verse 8,

You have kept your promise,

for you are righteous.

The one who made all things made a promise.

And undergirding this whole chapter

is that the Lord kept His promise,

for He is righteous.

Abram, his heart was found faithful to God,

but God proved Himself faithful to His people

and to His ancestors

throughout their long and their troubled history.

God is faithful.

God keeps promises

at the very start of this confession.

Have we ever failed to keep our word?

Have we ever broken a promise?

Not kept an appointment,

an arrangement without telling anyone?

Not fulfilled a contractual obligation?

Not kept a vow,

maybe a baptismal vow,

but bringing up the children in the faith?

Are we unwilling,

or more likely unable,

to keep the promises we make?

It's part of life in the sinful

and this fallen world

that people say things

and make promises,

but they cannot fulfill them.

And yet there is one

who kept His promise,

who keeps His promise,

for He is righteous.

In the great hymn Amazing Grace,

John Newton has these words,

The Lord has promised good to me.

His word my hope secures.

He will my shield and portion be

as long as life endures.

He has promised,

and He will keep His promise,

because He is righteous.

So, the confession begins

with a reminder

of the faithfulness of God,

the favor He showed to Abraham

in making this covenant.

And in the chapter,

the verses that follow,

we move from Genesis

into Exodus,

the next book of the Pentateuch.

And we learn once more

of the Lord's deliverance

of His people

from Egypt.

He fulfilled His promise

in multiplying them greatly.

And though He had yet

to give them the land

of their inheritance,

they multiplied

and they lived in Egypt.

And the Egyptians

became afraid

of the immigrants.

They began to oppress them.

They were terrified

that they'd take over.

And then we have Pharaoh,

who does not let

his people go.

And we're told

in Nehemiah

from verse 9

that God saw

their affliction

as they worked

as slaves.

He heard their cry

at the Red Sea

and He performed

these signs

and wonders

against Pharaoh,

for they acted

arrogantly

against

our fathers.

But Moses

went to Pharaoh

and he explained

that the God

of heaven

had commanded him

to let His people go.

Pharaoh said,

Exodus 5 verse 2,

Exodus 5:2

Who is the Lord?

I do not know the Lord.

He failed to rightly

honor the God

of heaven.

And so the Lord

showed His signs

and wonders

and He brought

His people

safely out,

made a name

for Himself,

divided the sea

before them.

And there in the wilderness

He fed them

daily with manna

from heaven.

He led them

day and night

with a cloud

of fire.

And He led them

supremely,

verse 13,

by speaking to them

from heaven

and giving them

right rules

and true laws,

making known to them

the Holy Sabbath,

giving them

the law

of Moses.

The Lord

liberated them.

The Lord

fed them.

He led them.

He gave to them

His law.

He did them

so much good.

And then in verse 16

we read that word,

but they and our forefathers

acted presumptuously

and stiffened their neck

and did not obey

your command.

How did they respond

to the saving initiative?

How did they respond

to God hearing their cries

and helping?

How did they respond

to His care

and His daily guidance?

They stiffened their neck.

They refused to obey

His commandments.

They forgot

the miracles,

not mindful of the wonders

you'd performed

among them.

They sought to return

to their slavery

in Egypt.

They committed

great blasphemy

and they worshipped

an idol,

verse 18.

They were not mindful

of all that the Lord

had done for them.

Ingratitude,

insolent.

They could not have been

more ungrateful

to the Lord.

Instead of worshipping Him,

they cast for themselves

this golden calf

and they said,

this is your God

who brought you up

out of Egypt

and they committed

great blasphemies.

I wonder how you

or I would respond

in the face

of such ingratitude.

Would we say,

after all I've done

for you

and this is how

you thank me,

how does the Lord

respond

to their

ingratitude?

You

are a gracious,

a God ready to forgive,

gracious and merciful,

slow to anger

and abounding

in steadfast love.

You did not forsake them,

verse 17.

In your great mercies,

you continued

to give them

the pillar of cloud,

the pillar of fire.

Verse 20,

you gave your good spirit,

you gave the manna.

For 40 years,

you sustained them

in the wilderness.

They lacked

nothing.

The people

rejected

the Lord.

The people

sought to

go back

to slavery

in Egypt,

yet the Lord

persevered with them.

He didn't give up

on them.

He didn't give them

over.

He persevered

with them.

Disciplined,

yes,

but not abandoned.

Still

fed with the manna,

still led

with the

pillar of cloud

and fire,

still sustained

by his spirit

for 40 years

in the wilderness.

And the answer

and the reason

why,

verse 19,

is that word

will meet again,

these words,

your great mercies.

He made a promise

to Abraham

that he would

bless his descendants

and he kept

his promise

because he

is righteous,

he is faithful

even when

his people

are unfaithful.

The opening

psalm,

reading a little

further down

to verse 9,

Psalm 111,

this time in the

Sing's Praise

version,

has this

stanza.

He sent

redemption

for his people.

His covenant

remains the same,

ordained by him

throughout all ages,

holy

and awesome,

is his name.

He is faithful

even when they

are unfaithful.

And we see that

same pattern

play out

in the next

verses,

moving this time

from Exodus

into the historical

books,

the conquest,

Joshua,

all the way

through to the end

of 2 Kings.

Verse 22,

he gives them

kingdoms.

Verse 22,

they possess the land

he had pledged

to give to them.

And it's a lovely land,

rich,

fertile land,

houses and cities

they didn't build,

flowing with milk

and honey.

The people

delight themselves

in God's

great goodness.

And how do they

respond?

Well, it's

depressingly

predictable,

isn't it?

Verse 26,

nevertheless,

they were

disobedient

and rebelled

against you

and cast your law

behind their back.

Not with

gratitude

and rejoicing

at the Lord's

great goodness,

not with worship

and obedience

to his word.

On the contrary,

they cast

his law

behind their

back,

going so far

as to kill

the prophets

that came

and spoke

to them

and warned

them.

The Lord

doesn't give up

on them.

Verse 23,

he'd multiplied

them as the

stars of heaven,

as he'd promised

to do.

And though they

give themselves

over once more

to idolatry

and blasphemy,

he doesn't

give them up.

He does

give them over

to the hands

of their enemies,

but he doesn't

give them up

fully and

finally.

And verse 27,

when they cry

out to him

in their distress,

once more he

hears their

affliction

and he responds.

And there's

that little

phrase

again

in verse 27,

according to

your great

mercies.

He made a

promise

to their

forefather.

He kept

that promise

because he

is faithful.

And the people

just go downhill.

Things get worse

and worse.

We're told

that they

acted

presumptuously.

It's the same

language,

verse 29,

that was used

of Pharaoh.

So this

unbelieving

Pharaoh,

who didn't

know the

Lord,

acted

arrogantly

towards him.

And sometime

later,

the Lord's

own people

act

presumptuously,

as if they

didn't know

the Lord.

They keep

on sinning.

They turned

a stubborn

shoulder.

They stiffened

again their

neck.

They closed

their ears

to the pleas

of the prophets.

And this

wasn't an

occasional wobble.

This wasn't

a one-off.

We're told

it was a

pattern of

behavior that

continued for

many years,

decades,

centuries.

They tried

his patience

time and

again.

And yet he

never made

an end of

them,

verse 31.

And he

never forsook

them,

for he is a

gracious and

merciful God.

He kept

his promise,

because he

is righteous.

He is the

God of

great mercy,

slow to

anger and

abounding in

steadfast love.

Perhaps

you've known

the experience

in your life

where you've

sought to

support a

wayward child

or a

testing spouse

or in the

workplace,

a difficult

employee,

a manager,

member of

the department.

Perhaps in

your family,

there's a

member of the

family who

year after

year causes

nothing but

heartache.

They don't

listen to

advice.

They go

their own

way.

They make

mistakes,

foolish decisions,

bringing nothing

but shame and

dishonor upon

the family.

And yet you

bear with

them.

You persevere

with them

because you

love them

and they're

part of your

family.

Or maybe a

spouse,

maybe

neglecting you

emotionally,

maybe never

having anything

positive to

say,

never anything

encouragement,

and yet you

bear with

them because

you love

them.

And you

made a

promise,

you made a

vow to

them to

love them

till death

do you

part.

Sometimes

in life,

we're called

to be

long-suffering

with those

we love,

to bear

with them.

And the

Lord here

is depicted

as long-suffering

with His

people.

We marvel

at His

patience

century after

century as

He comes

after them

and they

turn away

from Him

for many

years.

And yet He

doesn't make

an end to

them.

He doesn't

forsake

them.

He doesn't

forget the

promise that

He made

to their

ancestor

Abraham,

the covenants

that He

made with

their forefathers.

You or I

might be

tempted,

if treated

that way,

to say,

fine,

that's it.

Have it

your way.

Washing

my hands

of you,

that's

enough.

I quit.

We'll go

our separate

ways.

Not the

Lord.

He made

a promise.

He made

a covenant.

He is the

God of

great mercies.

He is

righteous,

and He

will keep

that promise.

And so

it's against

that background

that we come

to the verse.

We looked

at verse

32,

and in

these verses

the leaders

of the people

seek to

renew the

covenant

with God.

They've

rehearsed

the whole

story

from creation

to exile,

and they

now confess

their sins,

the sins

of the

people,

the sins

of their

forefathers,

sins,

and they

remind one

another of

God's

covenant,

but also of

His steadfast

love and

of His mercy

and grace.

they cast

their minds

back to the

time of

the exile,

verse 32,

when the

northern kingdom

was taken

to Syria

and then the

southern kingdom

off into the

Babylonian

captivity,

the result

of the Lord

disciplining

His wayward

people for

their breaking

of the

covenant.

And they

acknowledge

that in all

of this,

verse 33,

He has

been

righteous,

He has

been

faithful,

and they

have acted

wickedly.

And it's

not a few

rotten eggs,

it's not a few

bad apples

among the

people.

Verse 34,

the kings,

the priests,

the fathers

have not

kept your

law.

It's all

of them

from the

top to

the bottom,

from the

greatest to

the least,

the whole

nation has

turned their

back on

God.

And so

now the

whole

leadership

of the

nation seeks

to turn

back to

God,

and to

turn the

people

back to

God.

Those who

knew the

law,

those who

should have

known the

Lord,

who should

have taught

the law,

ignored it,

they broke

it.

Though He

had fulfilled

every one of

His promises,

giving them

descendants,

giving them

the land,

blessing them

with good

fruit and

good gifts,

they failed

to honor

the giver.

And they

turned away

and threw

His law

behind their

back.

And the

irony is,

they ended

up in the

same state

they were

in before.

Verse 36

tells us that

we are slaves

this day

in the land

you gave to

our fathers.

We are

slaves.

slaves.

They inherited

towns and

cities they

hadn't built,

olives and

vineyards they

hadn't planted.

It was a

wonderful land

rich in

produce.

And now

their tenants

giving the

taxes and the

tributes to

the kings,

even their

own bodies,

are the

possession of

the kings

far away in

Persia.

home.

And you see

the irony,

when the

Lord heard

their cries,

they were

slaves in

Egypt.

And He

brought them

out with

these miraculous

signs,

these wonders,

brought them

out of Egypt,

brought them

to Himself

at Sinai.

And while

they enjoyed

their good

gifts,

they forgot

about the

giver.

And they

went their

own way.

And they

ended up

back in

slavery,

not in

Egypt,

but in

Israel,

in their

own place.

It's one

of the

ironies,

isn't it,

in the

modern world

that people

think becoming

a Christian

means some

kind of

loss of

personal

freedoms.

In some

way, if we

become a

Christian, we

have to

give up

the freedoms

that we

might have

to enjoy.

And of

course,

becoming a

Christian is

dying to

self.

It is a

path of

saying no

to self

and saying

yes to

Christ.

But it

is in

Christ that

we find

freedom.

It is

outside of

Christ,

Scripture

tells us,

that we

are enslaved.

It is in

Christ that

we find

fullness of

life.

John

John 10:10

chapter 10

verse 10.

The people

were slaves.

God heard

them.

He heard

their cries.

He delivered

them out of

slavery.

He brought

them to a

place of

abundance and

blessing and

goodness.

And they

turned away.

And so they

found themselves

slaves once

more.

And realizing

their sorry

state, they

confessed their

sins to

God, the

sins of

their fathers,

the sins of

their leaders.

They cry

out to

Him for

His love

and His

mercy and

His grace.

And they

promise to

change their

ways to

demonstrate

their

repentance.

Verse 38,

they make

this firm

covenant and

the obligations

of the

covenant are

there for

us just

over the

page.

They resolve

not to turn

away but to

turn back to

the living

God, not

to cast

His law

behind their

backs but to

open it before

their eyes and

to hide it in

their hearts and

to walk in the

ways He has

commanded them

to do.

And they

appeal once

more to His

great mercy.

They appeal to

the promise He

made to their

forefather,

Abraham.

They appeal to

His steadfast

love and His

faithfulness.

And in a

sense they're

saying to

Him, Lord,

as You

treated our

forefathers when

they sinned,

when You

welcomed them

back, when

You showed

them Your

mercy and

grace, when

You pardoned

them all of

their sins and

trespass, would

You do it

again?

Would You do

it in our

day?

Would You do

it in our

lives?

Would You

do it in

our lives?

Will You

not again

revive us,

says Psalm 85?

That we may

rejoice in You.

Show us, Lord,

Your covenant

mercy, Your

salvation grant

anew.

That is their

prayer.

They're asking

God to forgive

them as He

forgave their

forefathers.

And so the

chapter,

lengthy chapter,

very helpful

review of the

history of

Israel, a

survey, a

summary of

Old Testament

history.

But a rich

revelation of

the character

of God.

Slow to

anger,

gracious and

merciful,

faithful to

His promises,

abounding in

steadfast love.

He is the

one who takes

the initiative,

who makes and

who keeps His

promise.

He is the

one who delivers

people from

their distress

when they cry

to Him.

He is the

one that gives

to His redeemed

people good

gifts and

who is with

them day and

night.

He is the

one who forgives

the unfaithful,

for He is

faithful.

And they say to

Him, Lord, would

you do it again?

Would you give us

another chance?

Do it again,

Lord.

Lord.

We mustn't lose

sight of the

goodness of God.

He blessed the

people abundantly.

I stayed with a

friend last night

in Ullapool,

and just late at

night we were

chatting, and

then again this

morning, and he

just out of the

blue said,

do you know if we

thanked the

Lord for all His

gift stuffs, we'd

never have time to

talk about anything

else.

just awareness of

the goodness of

God, the God who

gives so much that

we delight in His

great goodness.

But we mustn't

lose sight of the

grace of God.

It was God's grace

that called Abraham,

God's grace that

took the initiative,

God's grace that

made the promise

to Him.

And as we're

sitting here tonight,

we mustn't lose

sight of the grace

of God and the

initiative of God

in our lives.

How did you come

to be in this

place?

How did you come

to be in Christ?

Was it through a

praying relative,

maybe a granny,

or a grandfather

that prayed for you

by name every day?

Was it through a

godly influence in

the home, a

mother or father

that taught you,

prayed with you,

sang with you,

brought you Lord's

day by Lord's

day to church?

Was there a

teacher in the

school?

Was there a

Sunday school

teacher?

Was there a

Christian friend

who came into

your life and

showed great

faithfulness to

you?

Was it through

the ministry of a

minister, perhaps a

visiting missionary?

Or was it simply a

prompting of the

Spirit to go into a

building at the time

of a service and to

see what was going

to happen there?

The Lord in His

grace takes the

initiative, sending

people into our

lives to share with

us the gospel, to

share with us the

encouragement to keep

living as a

Christian.

Because of that

grace, He

welcomed His people

back time and

again.

And that's true of

us.

Before He went to

Calvary's cross, the

Lord made a new

covenant in His

blood, the covenant

the Old Testament

prophets had looked

forward to.

And He made a

promise that all who

trusted in Him would

receive forgiveness

and freedom and

fullness of life.

life.

And yet we can

often lose sight of

that.

As the people in

Nehemiah's day might

not have been

mindful of the

great works the

Lord had done.

We can forget to be

mindful of the

great work done at

Calvary.

It might be a

simple thing, just

busy with life,

busy with job,

busy with career,

busy with raising

up children or

grandchildren, vital

role, vital

responsibilities, but

we can crowd out

the things of God.

We can let the

devotional time

slide.

We can let the

family devotion

slip.

We can find

ourselves not

regularly in the

Lord's house.

We might just

prioritize other

things over our

Christian walk.

We might enjoy all

the good things God

gives, but we might

enjoy them perhaps in

the wrong priorities,

hobbies, good in

themselves, but which

seem to expand to

fill all the

available time, which

draw our best

affections, which

concentrate our best

attentions.

things.

Or it may be we want to

play down our

Christian life, keep

it quiet, keep it

private, don't want any

friction at home or in

the workplace or among

friends.

Or it may be you're here

tonight.

Maybe you're surprised to

be here tonight because

you've openly and very

deliberately turned away

from your Christian faith,

faith.

Like the people in

verse 26, you've cast

God's law behind your

back.

You were raised in the

church, been prayed for

and taught, but you

shy away from the

claims of Christ.

The call to deny

self, the call to take

up your cross, the call

to be a stranger in this

world.

And you think that more

peace and happiness and

freedom will be found

outside of Christ and in

Him and among His

people.

The Lord warns us that

He may discipline those

He loves.

He warns us that if we

turn from the freedom

we have in Christ, we

might, like the

Israelites, find

ourselves back in

slavery.

But He gives a word of

encouragement that He

keeps His promise, that

He is faithful, that

His mercies are great.

They are new every

morning.

The Apostle John in his

first letter says, if we

claim we have no sin, we

deceive ourselves and the

truth is not in us.

But if we confess our

sins, as the men and

women of Nehemiah's day

confessed their sins, He is

faithful and just to

forgive us our sins and to

cleanse us from all

unrighteousness.

God's great mercies

sending forth Christ, the

Son of Abraham, to make

the new covenant in His

blood and so for the

blessings of the gospel to

flow to the whole world.

God doesn't mean we can be

presumptuous.

A philosopher once wrote,

God will forgive me, that's

His job.

It's what God does, what He

did.

But we mustn't be

presumptuous.

But we can be confident that

if we come before Him as the

people of Nehemiah's day came

before Him and acknowledge

and confess our sins and

own our sins and say, Lord,

we have strayed, we have

wandered, we have gone our

own way.

But as you forgave our

forefathers, would you

forgive us?

Would you remember again your

covenant?

Would you show once more your

great mercies and forgive us

and cleanse us from all

unrighteousness?

I will hear what God the

Lord says to His saints.

He offers peace, but His

people must not wander and

return to foolishness.

Surely for all those who fear

Him, His salvation is at

hand so that once again His

glory may be seen within our

land.

He offers peace tonight to the

troubled conscience.

He offers us a way out of

returning to foolishness.

And He offers once more His

grace to any whose hearts have

gone astray to welcome us back

as the Father welcomed back the

prodigal so that His glory may be

seen once more within our land

and within our lives.

Well, may God give us the grace

to respond in faith and to look

into our hearts and then to look

to Him this weekend.

I just want to pray once more

before we sing our final item of

praise.

praise.

And we'll just pray together now.

Gracious God, we do bless your

name, the name that is exalted above

all blessing and praise.

Bless you as our Creator, the Maker of

the heavens and earth.

I bless you as the one who made all

things and the one who made covenant

with your people.

Father, we thank you that in a world

of lies and fake news, your word is

true.

In a world of broken promises and

broken dreams, your promises are

sure for you are righteous.

We thank you that you're kind to us

hearing our prayers, providing for

our every needs, giving to us more

than we could ever ask or imagine.

And we thank you, Lord, for your

mercy and your grace that you are

patient, long-suffering.

Lord, even when we stiffen our necks,

even when we turn a stubborn shoulder

towards you, even when we cast your

words behind our back or stop our

ears to hear what you have to say to

us, that you bear with us.

You do not make an end to us.

You do not forsake us.

For you are gracious, merciful, slow to

anger and abounding in steadfast and

covenant love.

Lord, tonight and this weekend we ask

that you would teach us the height, the

depth, the breadth, the length of that

love.

And as we look at our lives, as we

inspect the state of our hearts, that in

your goodness and mercy you would forgive

us from our ingratitude, from our

insolence, even from our indifference,

from our apathy to the things that are

eternal.

Would you not again revive us that we may

rejoice in you?

Lord, show us your covenant mercy, your

salvation grant anew.

So, Lord, this night, this weekend, this is

our prayer, that you will be glorified,

that we might respond to your grace, come

to you to be refreshed, come back to you

after perhaps a time away.

I'll come to you, Lord, even for the first

time, and to taste and see that you, our

Lord, are good.

And so we thank you for your amazing grace

given to us in Christ, in whose name we

pray.

Amen.

Well, to end our time together, I wanted to

sing the metrical version of Psalm 126,

Psalm that speaks of the return from exile

and from joy emerging from sorrow.

Psalm 126, the metrical version,

when Zion's bondage God turned back,

as men that dreamed were we, then filled

with laughter was our mouth, our tongue

with melody.

We sing to close to God's praise.

Psalm 126, the metrical version,

when Zion's bondage God turned back, as in a tree

in her way.

When filled with laughter was our mouth, our tongue

with melody.

They mount the need and said, the Lord, with things more than

the throne.

The Lord has done, the Lord has done, the Lord has done, the King's bondage God,

when joy to us is done.

As streams of water in the south are haunted sharply gall,

whose soul endures the leaping time of joy and joy they shall.

That man who hailing precious seed, enrolling for the corn,

the earth is bringing at his sheep, rejoicing shall return.

So may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

and the love of God our Heavenly Father,

and the fellowship of his Holy Spirit be with us now, this evening, and forevermore.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.