From Emotion to Devotion

Marcel: Good morning, church.

My name is Marcel Hall and, I have the honor and privilege of being able

to preach God's word this morning.

Again, my name is Marcel with my wife Karina, we've been

married, almost 21 years.

Oh, amen.

I wasn't expecting that.

There you go.

A brother appreciates that.

We have three kids of 15, 13, and this week will be eight.

So it is active at our place and, uh, so I'm grateful and I do wanna

thank all those who help us be able to have our worship service.

We have our AV team, our ushers, those who set up the snacks.

Can we go ahead and thank them?

We are so grateful for all that you do and are doing.

We're gonna go ahead and get into the word here today.

Now, many of you have heard me preach.

There are several of you have not heard me preach.

And so I want to let you know this is an interactive time, and so if you want to be

quiet, that's great in about 30 minutes, but I'm gonna need some feedback, some

positive feedback for our time together.

Amen.

Because there you go.

The brother right here in the front said You got this, Marcel.

And that's what I need in order for this to go well, if you want this to

go bad, then put your hands, sit on your hands and say nothing, and it'll

be the worst sermon that you've heard.

Okay?

But if you want the spirit to move, then I believe that you're gonna have

to go ahead and be with me on this one.

All right.

Especially my teenagers.

I saw y'all the other day here, so don't get quiet on me now.

All right.

I will call you out.

All right.

Amen.

Amen.

We're gonna continue our sermon series.

We started a sermon series, at the beginning of February

here called Rise Up and Build.

And so we are walking through the book of Nehemiah.

So I want us to do a little recap here 'cause I know we have some

people that have been here with us and we have some people that, that

necessarily haven't been here with us.

So I want us to all be able to capture the context so we can see

God's message for us here today.

And so we're gonna do a little brief recap here of Israel's story.

And so the people of Israel, the Israelites, God's chosen people,

they had rebelled against God, started to worship other God.

They were unfaithful to God.

And so, uh, as a result, they were exiled and then God restored them and

brought them back into their land.

And then they started to rebuild.

They rebuild the altar, they rebuild the temple, and then they rebuild the wall.

And that's where we are in the story of, in the book of

Nehemiah, they are rebuilding.

The wall, and then they have a time in which can be categorized as a, maybe

a revival or a sacred assembly, and they decide to hear God's word, and

so they listen to God's word again and be able to receive God's message

that's been there the whole time.

But yet they have deviated from actually adhering to it, and then

they're broken by what they hear.

They realize, wow, we have strayed from.

God.

And so now they want to, and they have this time of confession, and that's

what we saw in Nehemiah chapter nine.

The last time we were there.

And so we see there's a spiritual renewal taking place.

There's a spiritual revival taking place, and so we're gonna catch up right after

this time in which they have this, this, this corporate gathering, meaning a

collective gathering in which they're, they're reading God's word and, and then

they're praying and they're confessing, God, we've done all these things, and

then now they're going to make a decision.

And so the title of our lesson here today is from a Motion.

To devotion.

Let's go to God in prayer.

Father, thank you so much for your word.

Thank you for the chance already.

We've been able to hear good news that's taking place through our

sacrifice and offering over in Tijuana.

Thank you for the chance to remember the cross in Jesus and his

resurrection and how that trans.

Forms are very live.

Thanks for opportunity we've had already to worship you through song and through

prayer and God, we pray right now that that your word may minister to our hearts.

Father, whether we are afflicted, as was mentioned earlier, we come

in ready to praise you, God, we know you have a message for us today.

May we receive that and may we not just receive it, but may it transform us.

In the name of Jesus.

Amen.

Amen.

Alright, we're gonna go back to Nehemiah chapter nine and verse

38 and uh, because again, this is right after this time of prayer.

So imagine this church service and we all got up and we started, started confessing

our sin and we're all feeling convicted and broken, and we were feeling emotional.

And this is a good emotion.

It's emotion that God wants to use.

And it says right after this, it says, in view of all this we are making.

A binding agreement, putting it in writing, and our leaders, our Levites and

our priests are fixing their seals to it.

Let's go ahead and let's stop right there again.

So after the time of prayer, confession, they're moved to make a binding agreement.

What comes to mind when you hear a binding agreements contract?

You're thinking contract, right?

You're thinking, man, we just got real up in here.

Because what does putting something in writing do?

What does that communicate?

It means this is serious, right?

This isn't just a verbal agreement or acknowledgement.

This isn't a handshake saying, Hey, yeah, we got this.

Okay.

No, this is something that is serious.

This is more serious than going Instagram official with your

relationship because that's serious.

Yes.

No, this is serious.

And again, it makes sense because all of us, sometimes there's situations

where like, Hey, an agreement is cool.

All right, I'll see you at 10.

All right, that's okay.

That's okay.

But then if it deals with some money, we don't wanna just do a handshake, do we?

Uh, can we put this in writing please, because I wanna make

sure I get my money back.

That's what the banks do, right?

The banks say, Hey, oh, you wanna buy a house?

We'll give you a loan, but you need to sign a whole lot of documentation

saying you're gonna pay us back.

And so we understand when you put something in writing,

it communicates commitments.

You know, everybody loves the idea of change until it requires commitments.

Yes, I'm down to change.

Ooh, you want me to commit?

Hmm.

And we start acting like Outkast forever.

Forever, ever, forever, ever.

But this revival moved them from emotion to dedication.

From, we feel convicted to, we're putting our names on this.

They move from emotion to devotion.

And so we re, we continue, and in verse one, in Nehemiah it says, those who sealed

it were, and then they list the names, a whole bunch of names on this seal.

So we're not sure if they just literally put their John Hancock on there, or

they had a seal for their family.

But they put their seals on there too to confirm what they were declaring.

And so there was over 84 names on here and that had priests, the

leaders and heads of families who represented all the other families.

So they're all committing.

To this binding agreement, and so we jump on down For the sake of

time, we're gonna jump, we're gonna, we're gonna skip all the names.

We're gonna go to verse 28, and it says here the rest of the people, priests,

Levites, gatekeepers, musicians, temple servants, and all who separated themselves

from the neighboring peoples for the sake of the law of God, together with

their wives and all their sons and daughters who are able to understand.

All these now join their fellow Israelites, the Nobles, and bind

themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the law of God, given through

Moses the servant of God, and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations,

decrees of the Lord, our Lord.

And so what do we have here?

All the people commits and it says here, all who are able to understand.

So it wasn't just the older folks, it wasn't just the middle aged

folks, it wasn't the young adults.

It reached all the way down to the young people, to the

junior high and high schoolers.

Everybody was able to understand was included in this, and they

decided, yes, we are going to follow the law of the Lord.

Amen.

And they made an oath.

So they said it out loud.

And I know Greg has been having this at, at the beginning of sermons,

say our, I think it's a declaration.

I'm not sure the exact title of it, but we're saying, Jesus is

the son of God and Jesus is what?

Lord.

Jesus is Lord.

So I'm gonna say it again.

Jesus is what Lord?

Oh, y'all didn't say anything over here.

I said, Jesus is what Lord.

Okay.

I told you I call you out.

All right.

So here we go.

He said to everybody who understands us.

So that's what they did.

Amen.

They all declared, we are going to follow the law of God.

And it says they bound themselves with a curse.

Oh yeah, this got real serious.

I don't know about you, but I've never made an agreement with somebody and put

a curse to myself if I didn't fulfill it.

When I got married, I didn't say, oh, I'm Karina.

I love you today in my life, but if I don't, may God curse me.

I never thought about that one time.

You know what I'm saying?

And neither have you.

I know there's nobody in here like, oh, I put curses on myself all the time.

No, you don't.

And so this shows how serious they were taking this.

Yes, they were emotional, which was good, but now it's becoming concrete devotion.

It is becoming dedication.

You know what if we don't fulfill this?

Maybe we receive a curse now.

I dunno what kind of curse.

I'm sure they were thinking like some light curses, like, uh,

maybe I don't get, you know, some fish next week or something.

I'm sure that they were maybe thinking some light curses, but they said

that they would even be cursed.

And what else?

It says they were basically recommitting themselves to God.

They gave an oath to follow God and obey God's word, not partially.

But fully, we're not going to pick and choose what parts we want to

follow because that's what's got us into this nonsense and trouble.

No, we're going to go ahead and follow fully, fully, even if it means it might

require a sacrifice and denial of myself.

Okay.

That's what they were committing to.

They weren't committing to something easy.

They were committing fully to the Lord God Almighty.

Some of you thinking, man, that's too much, is it?

Really

think about this when you love it, and I love it when somebody commits the same

level of energy, passion, and, and, and sacrifice to us that we gave to them.

Don't you?

Yeah.

Yeah.

And in fact, we would actually have a problem when we give fully to

someone and they give less back to us.

What's up with that?

Right.

Think about this.

God has given fully to them, so the only natural response

is to give fully back to God.

You and I today receive so many blessings through Christ, so what should our natural

response be to give ourselves fully?

To Christ and so it's not unreasonable.

No.

It's actually very logical and reasonable.

God has given so much, so therefore, we are going to give back to God.

Amen.

Amen.

Let's continue reading.

Churchill, you're still with me here?

Yes.

Alright, here we go.

Alright.

So he, so here's what happens.

So now after this they decide, let's get real practical.

We decided we're gonna devote ourselves fully, but let's address some specific

areas that we need to right now.

Maybe these are areas that ain't been completely lacking, or they

saw, Hey, for our time we need to address some specific issues.

So he says, we promise not to give our daughters and marriage

to the peoples around us, or take their daughters for our sons.

You see God to command his people not to intermarry with the other nations, not for

racial reasons, but on spiritual grounds.

He says, I want you to be united with someone who's on the same level with

you spiritually, because if that doesn't happen, we're gonna have a problem.

And then it can affect your faith.

But guess what?

Also affect the generations after you.

And so this was God's logic and I believe and we see a new New Testament,

that same principle applies to us.

Today is disciples of Jesus.

Let's keep, let's continue.

Verse 31.

When the neighboring peoples bring merchandise of grain to sell on the

Sabbath, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or any other holy day.

Every seventh year, we will forego working the land and we'll cancel all debts.

What are they agreeing to?

What are they down to?

Really to follow the Sabbath.

That was a Saturday, a de designated day to be holy.

It was supposed to be a day of rest and worship.

And so they said, we're gonna follow that.

We're gonna adhere to that.

And also God has said, Hey, every seventh year is gonna be a sabbatical year.

It's a year that you're gonna have trust and rest in canceling the debts.

And they say, we're going to actually follow that going forward.

Going on in verse 32.

It says, we assume, and it's gonna, we're gonna skip through

'cause it's, it's a lot there.

We're gonna read through a couple passages here from 32 to 38, but basically

they commit to giving their tithes and their offerings for the worship of God.

It says, we assume the responsibility of carrying out the command to give

a third of a shekel each year for the service of the house of our God.

For all the duties of the house of our God, we, the priests, the Levites,

and the people have cast lots to determine when each of our families

is to bring to the house of our God at set times each year a contribution of

wood to burn on the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the law.

We also assume responsibility for bringing to the house of the Lord each

year, the first fruits of our crops and of every fruit tree, and they

close out this whole time by with this.

In verse 38, it says, we will not neglect the house of our God.

They decide we're gonna give their first, and we're gonna give our best to

God so he can be worshiped and that the temple of God can function properly.

Yeah, because that was a big part of their devotion to God, and not only

in their daily lives, but also when we gather together, we wanna see God's glory.

So the temple has been designed and God has given some instruction, and in

order for that to really happen, if we can receive the spiritual benefit, we

need to make sure it's working properly.

So we need to give so that this can happen.

So they decide to give.

They had their weekly offerings, if you will.

They had their special mission offerings, if you will.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And it's interest.

It says, we will not neglect the house of our God.

It seems to imply that they had neglected the house of their God

that they were deciding, whoa, we have neglected God in this way, and

we're not gonna do that any longer.

We're gonna make sure we tend to the house of God the way it should be, and

so we're gonna give ourselves fully.

And so their, you know, devotion to God is partially determined by how

people spend their time and money.

'cause we support and invest in what's important to us, don't we?

You can always tell somebody's values by what their calendar and their

pocketbook or their bank statements.

You can tell what I value.

I can tell what you value by what you spend your time on

and how you spend your money.

And so we see here they're deciding, you know what?

We're gonna devote our time and our money to our creator,

our merciful God in heaven.

You know, our offerings today are for the worship of God and for

his church to function properly.

May we never neglect the house of God, which is the church.

You and me, may we never neglect it, but may we give our first

and our very best to God.

Amen.

Amen.

May that be our rock solid conviction.

And we see here their commitment, well, it touched every area of their

lives, their relationships, their lifestyle, and their values, how

they lived and their priorities.

And I stepped back and I noticed something that their commitment

touched all these areas.

And, and we see this change that God is producing in them,

in which they desire as well.

They desire a change.

They desire a revival, and we see that real change doesn't

happen when you feel something.

It happens with dedication.

You see real change takes divine dedication.

God has been dedicated to his people.

That's clear.

He brought them back.

He's been merciful.

He's blessed them.

Even when they were in sin, his mercy brought them back.

So we see the divine dedication this way, but now we see God's people

respond with dedication back, with the dedication that is divine.

That does mirror and reflect God's faithfulness to them.

They in return, have their faithfulness toward God.

You know, God's people are dedicated people dedicated fully to God,

dedicated fully to God's honor and dedicated fully to God's will.

Here's what's incredible.

The people decided on this binding agreement on their own.

It wasn't commanded in the scripture, Hey, you need to go ahead and

have this binding agreement.

When you sin, go ahead and have this binding agreement.

They got together at their worship service and they said, wow, you know what?

This, we are moved.

We gotta do something.

In fact, let's do this.

Let's get serious.

Let's get an agreement together and let's go worship and

follow God the way we should.

I believe the Holy Spirit prompted them, but it was on their own.

They felt compelled to rededicate themselves to God in a way that

would be everlasting and true.

Not just with words, but at with a tangible vow.

Not just personal dedication, but as a whole group basically.

We all did this and we all need to get ourselves out of this together.

You know, we too must be fully dedicated to God.

You know, we tend to drift.

And we can forget that God deserves our best, or sometimes we can be deceived

in thinking we are giving our best.

Have you not been there before?

I know I have drifted in my dedication to God.

I know I just had a time recently, just as I was studying the South a

couple weeks ago, I realized, you know, there's areas in my life in which I

don't know if I've been fully dedicated to giving and surrendering to God.

And that you would've asked me for three or weeks ago, I'd say, oh, yeah.

But then as as God ministered to me, I realized there are these areas that

don't have a divine dedication the way they should or the way they used to.

But again, real change takes dedication.

The problem is we want the quick and the great results for free, right?

We want it at no cost, but it doesn't work that way.

I remember, uh, there was this time, uh, uh, EJ Vasquez, a lot

of you guys know EJ Vasquez.

And, uh, and so EJ was talking about changing.

We were in LA together at this time.

And, uh, EJ was, he was making a decision about his, his, uh, his, uh,

his, um, eating habits and lifestyle.

And so e j's, like, yeah, you know what?

I only gonna have like one or two cheat meals a week, or something like that.

And I had never heard of a cheat meal idea.

I was like, what in the world is that?

And so I was like, man, you know what?

I'm inspired a brother trying to get a six pack back, you know what I'm saying?

And I'm like, man, I'm, I'm gonna do, I'm gonna do three cheat meals a week.

I was like, you know, if I have seven meal, I mean three times seven, that's

21 meals, I'm doing pretty good.

You know what I mean?

Those three cheat meals, I was like, well, maybe I'll make that five.

And then I looked up, man, after a couple weeks, there

were all meals were cheap meals.

You know what I'm saying?

Because why?

I never fully dedicated myself.

I had good intentions.

I had a heart.

I was moved emotionally, but I didn't dedicate myself spiritually.

That's some of us.

We have the prayers, we have maybe emotion, we have a desire.

We might even have some really good intentions.

However, we haven't fully committed to Jesus and his word.

You can have all the feelings in the world.

You can have all the emotional prayers.

You can have all the great worship songs and cry.

During a a, a, a worship set.

We can have all the good intentions, but without a commitment, then it's

just empty words with no change.

You see change, growth.

A revival collectively.

It doesn't end with emotion.

No.

Those things initiate dedication.

Here's the thing, brother and sisters, good intentions start things.

Dedication, finishes them.

Amen.

Good intentions, start things.

Dedication.

Finishes them.

If we wanna grow, if we wanna change, if we wanna improve,

what is going to be needed?

What it takes is to be fully dedicated to the process and to be faithful.

Until the ends, we gotta have it.

We can't leave that part out.

Think about this.

If you wanna change your life, what's it gonna take?

Dedication.

Yes.

If we want our church to change and grow and have a revival, what's it gonna take?

Dedication.

Dedication.

I wanna lift up Kenny Barber.

Kenny, you know, many of, uh, Kenny's, uh, uh, uh, elder in the church.

Somebody pointed to my man.

Kenny, where are you at, Kenny?

Uh, there he is, my man, Kenny.

Uh, so, oh, there you are.

Standing up.

Come on brother.

There you go.

I looked everywhere, but there I was like, there you go.

You know, Kenny's a great example of being committed when

coupled with good intentions.

Kenny will share, man, you know, I'm feeling prompted by the spirit.

I feel like God is telling me this.

And so he'll decide, you know, I have I, I think I should move.

I think I should act off of this.

And he wouldn't just stop there because then he starts to put and initiate

a plan to get there, and he does it.

And so if I follow up with him, he'll have some good news or

some sharing about the things.

Those good intentions now put into good practices.

And so I look at it and go, man, that's the way.

You see change?

Yes, there's good intention.

Yes, there's good emotion, but it has to develop into what?

Sincere, committed devotion.

You know, God blesses and honors that commitment.

He committed to us and blessed us first, and he loves a reciprocal response.

You know, everything we do is because of the grace of God.

Amen.

It's not like we're doing something first.

We're doing something in response to God's grace.

And so what's the call of the hour?

I believe the call of the hour for you and for me is to dedicate or

rededicate to the lordship of Jesus.

Not just dedicate in theory to Jesus, but to the lordship of Jesus.

You know, Jesus asked the crowd one time.

He said, Hey, why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?

Like you guys are feeling me, and I appreciate that you're calling me, Lord.

However, you're not actually doing what I say and why he say this?

Because calling him Lord is easy living like he's Lord.

That's difference.

And so Jesus makes it clear to another group in Luke chapter nine.

He says, whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their

cross and, uh, daily and follow me.

Jesus again is calling.

This is what Lordship is like, is that I am Lord, I lead, I direct, I center.

I orient your life, not just parts of your life, but your entire life.

I can't be a Savior and not be Lord.

I'm Savior and Lord, and so Jesus helps to de see.

We have to be fully dedicated to the lordship.

Of Jesus.

And that's actually the safest place you and I can be is

under the Lordship of Jesus.

The scariest and most scariest place we can be is outside of the will of God.

And so when we surrender fully with the safest place you and I can be,

and so again, this is a dedication that touches every area of our lives.

And I believe God is calling us not just individually, but collectively to be

fully devoted to following Jesus Christ.

That means we won't accept a culture of compromise because Jesus will be Lord.

That means we'll be holy in our conduct, holy in our relationships,

and not permit worldliness.

That means we're gonna be full of grace and not judgmental.

That means we're going to pursue God's honor and glory, first and

foremost, over worldly treasures or any personal gratification.

It means the church, the people, you and me.

We will be sacred in our eyes and not an afterthought or

something that's disposable.

That means we're gonna first commit ourselves.

To the Lordship of Jesus and then help each other be fully devoted to

the Lordship of Jesus, and then we go out and help those who are far from

God to be able to devote themselves fully to the Lordship of Jesus.

I believe this is the response and the call of the hour to God's

Word and His grace through Jesus.

Can we get real practical right now?

All right.

Y'all know me.

I like some action steps.

So here's some action steps here for the week here.

Try this out.

I did this already this past week.

First, reflect, reflect on God's dedication to you.

Spend some time in prayer, thought meditation.

How has God been dedicated to you from the beginning of your life until now?

And then two, write.

Write your own covenant to God.

Go ahead and write your own covenant.

How are you going to respond to God's dedication to you?

You know, I did this, and I'll be honest with you, as I was doing this,

I was getting inspired, but a part of me was getting a little hesitant.

I started singing a little outcast again forever, forever, forever.

And I was like, wow, I can't believe that there's some hesitancy to recommit,

and I had to pray through that.

I was like, wow, you've been so good to me.

How could I ever give you anything less?

And yes, there might be a hesitancy to to maybe just put my toe into the

pool, but no, I'm gonna jump right in.

And so God in his mercy and the grace move me along during his prayer so that

I can say what true conviction Jesus is.

Lord,

as we close relationship with God is more than emotion.

It's devotion.

God's people have a divine dedication to God, to God's word, and to God's will,

and God is calling us to either commit or recommit fully to the Lordship of Jesus.

Imagine if we all dedicated ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus.

Imagine what would happen.

If we didn't just attend church, but we were fully devoted to Jesus,

marriages would heal, families would reunite, addictions would break.

Priorities would shift.

Peace would be experienced.

Generosity would increase.

Hope would be gained.

People far from God would come home.

Our church wouldn't just grow.

It would become a life giving force in this county, and not

because we tried harder, but because we were surrendered fully.

That's what happens when God's people stop drifting and start dedicating.

May we learn from our brothers and sisters in the faith, our ancestors.

May we also say we will not neglect the house of God because Jesus is Lord.

May we move from emotion to devotion.

Amen.