Ascension Sunday

Father, we, week after week, come before you as we open your word, and sometimes we can

take it for granted, that it is just a good deed to do for respectable people like us.

But Lord, if we're honest with ourselves, apart from you, there is no good in us, as

the prayer book says.

Lord, we desperately need you in our lives.

We need your grace.

We need to know your love afresh every week.

So as we open your word, will you speak to us through it?

Would you open our minds to understand and our hearts to receive what you would have for

us this morning?

And we pray this in Christ's name.

Amen.

We've talked about this in the past, how in our day of bounty and affluence and, dare I

say, decadence, there is a meaning crisis.

There is, at no point in human history, so much things at our disposal.

And yet, generally speaking, people are desperate to find meaning.

A meaning crisis.

Oftentimes, meaning is to be found through self-expression and self-achievement.

But this seems to not be the antidote for a lack of meaning, but something that perpetuates

the lack of meaning.

That might give reprieve from the feelings of meaninglessness for a time, but will never

fully satisfy.

I put forward to you this morning that only by knowing and doing God's will will we find

deep meaning in this life.

A meaning that will stretch through this life and into eternity.

That's the deepest, biggest, fullest source of meaning for the human heart that exists.

So today we will read of Nehemiah's arrival in Jerusalem and the preparation for the rebuilding

of Jerusalem, its walls, its gates.

And on the surface, this is a very straightforward text.

Steve read, Nehemiah comes, he inspects, he rallies the people, he's opposed, he stands

against them.

And then soon, in chapter 3, we're not going to touch on chapter 3, you'll see if you read

it yourself, it's just a list of names and what they built.

But building begins.

It's very straightforward.

But hopefully we will see that Nehemiah has been tasked by God to not just rebuild a decrepit

and broken down city, but to rebuild a decrepit and broken down people.

People that are in a very real way meaningless.

That are not walking in God's will.

In fact, because of that, their city, their hearts, their lives, this people, they are broken

because of the very reason that we'll see that they are not walking in God's will.

Nehemiah is calling them back to this.

So Nehemiah is doing God's will and helping the people to do this.

And through it, hopefully, we will see three key aspects of what it means to walk in God's will

and help us to enjoy real, deep, long-lasting, eternal meaning in our lives.

So the first thing, the favor of God that accompanies those who do God's will.

We'll see that verses 9 and then 11 to 16.

The second is the empowerment that God gives to those who are doing his will.

So he doesn't simply call us to do his will, but he gives us the means by which to do it.

And that's in verses 17 and 19.

And then we will see that there is great prosperity in doing God's will.

And we'll define what that prosperity is.

And we'll see that in verse 20.

So the favor of God, the empowerment of God, and the prosperity of God

as it pertains to doing God's will.

If you have a Bible, it would help a lot if you followed along.

Feel free to jump up and grab a Bible from the back welcome table at any point.

Don't worry about interrupting.

Please, it would help quite a bit.

So let's look at the first point.

The favor of God as it pertains to doing his will.

First and foremost, the Lord is about his business.

He is about his redemption, his glory, about his will being accomplished above all others.

And to that end, we labor for and with him in accomplishing his will.

So it's not as if we have our goals and our will that we want to see accomplished

and God is kind of our help.

He gets on board with our plan.

It is actually the opposite, where there is God's will

and we get the privilege of participating and joining him in doing his will, accomplishing his will.

And as we do so, his favor will accompany us.

And what does that favor look like?

So we won't read, but if you remember from last week,

Nehemiah is, he's all tore up inside.

Jerusalem is, he hears news that Jerusalem is laid waste.

He is praying, he is fasting, he is looking for opportunities to canvass the king.

He is the cupbearer for the king.

To canvass the king, to reverse the king's decree to stop the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

And then he does.

And the king's favor is with him.

And not only does King Artaxerxes of Persia say,

yes, rebuild Jerusalem and the gates and the walls.

He provides patronage to see it through.

And protection to protect God's people as they rebuild.

All of this, as we read, is just pure favor from the king to Nehemiah.

However, we remember that, in fact,

although the king had a huge part to play,

it was God who showed the favor as Nehemiah was doing his will.

We see this in verse 8 of chapter 2.

If you want to turn there, it says this.

The keeper of the king's, I'm sorry, I'll just jump to the very last bit of verse 8.

And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.

Verse 9 continues.

Then I came to the governors of the province beyond the river

and gave them the king's letter.

So did the patronage work?

And the answer is, most certainly it did.

Now the king had sent me with officers of the army and horsemen.

But circling back to the last part of verse 8,

it says,

The favor of God opens doors that are otherwise shut.

How on earth would a cupbearer, who is the servant of a king,

and in a sense, he's not, well, he's certainly not native to Persia.

He has been captured, his people have been captured by successive kingdoms,

and he is a mere servant.

And now, this open door is given to him.

Why?

Not because he caught the king on a good day,

but precisely because the hand of the Lord was upon him.

He had favor from God.

This favor of God allows,

it allows God's will to be accomplished through his people

in situations that are either difficult or impossible in our own strength.

But to be clear,

just because the Lord's favor rests on a person

doesn't necessarily mean that they will experience ease or smooth sailing.

Hard work is required.

God invites us to labor,

but it is certainly labor.

Nehemiah is working hard.

He doesn't act haphazardly at all.

He waits.

He works.

He waits.

He works.

He has an opportunity,

finally, to talk to the king after a good amount of praying.

And he, even when he is allowed back to Jerusalem,

he gets there and he begins working even harder.

Look with me, verses 11 to 16.

So I went to Jerusalem and was there three days.

Verse 12.

Then I arose in the night,

I and a few men with me,

and I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem.

There was no animal with me,

but the one on which I rode.

I went out by night,

by the valley gate,

to the dragon spring,

into the dung gate,

and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire.

Then I went on to the fountain gate,

to the king's pool,

but there was no room for the animal that was under me to pass.

Then I went up in the night by the valley and inspected the wall,

and I turned back and entered by the valley gate and so returned.

And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing,

and I had not yet told the Jews,

the priests,

the nobles,

the officials,

and the rest who were to do the work.

Even when Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem,

the favor of the Lord upon him,

he doesn't take for granted that there's hard work ahead of him.

He has the wherewithal to inspect and assess the sad state of affairs

without being noticed or caught.

Now this is a key bit,

and we'll get into it a bit later on.

There's opposition.

There's also potentially suspicion as an outsider,

even if he is a Jew.

He was not born in Jerusalem.

He was born in Persia.

He has enjoyed the fine things in the Persian court.

He's an outsider,

even though he is ethnically Jewish.

There's suspicion.

Nevertheless,

Nehemiah,

he is not naive.

He works hard.

He thinks through strategy.

He is very serious about how he is looking to labor for the Lord.

He needed God's favor to fly under the radar,

to avoid suspicion,

and ultimately we'll see in the next section

to empower the people to join him in the Lord's work.

You know,

we're going to,

in the coming months and years,

who knows how long,

you know,

this church will exist,

either because the Lord's going to come back,

or,

you know,

a hundred years from now,

who knows.

But as we seek to labor for the Lord,

bearing witness to him,

faithfully in our workplaces,

in our neighborhoods,

to raise our children,

in the fear and admonition of the Lord,

to confess our sins weakly,

and choose the narrow way of the gospel of Christ,

instead of the broad way of the cultural winds that blow,

we can be sure that as we follow and seek God's will,

he will give us favor.

God,

again,

is about his business,

is about his will being accomplished.

And as much as we partner with God,

or get on board with God,

he will give us open doors where there are closed ones.

And that,

by the way,

doesn't necessarily mean success,

the feeling of success.

You know,

there's countless examples of missionaries that have gone to foreign lands,

and their ministry has proven completely unfruitful.

And yet,

so they either die,

or go back to where they're sent.

And yet,

their faithfulness to doing God's will,

has laid the foundation for what will come.

The conversion of whole people groups.

Following God's will,

knowing his favor,

doesn't necessarily feel like success all the time.

But,

we continue on,

we press forward.

And I think the big question is,

when we ask the question,

what is God's will?

How do we know his favor?

The big question to ask as we make decisions,

and seek God's will,

is this.

Will this bring glory to Christ?

According to the scriptures.

Will this lead to life?

According to the scriptures.

Will this shine light in the darkness?

According to the scriptures.

Will this result in God's kingdom coming on earth as it is in heaven?

According to the scriptures.

Notice,

according to the scriptures is key in this,

because it's not just how we define,

what is good,

or what is true,

or what is beautiful,

or what is light,

or what is life.

It's what God says,

according to the scriptures.

So like I said,

this divine favor may not always feel like success.

Nehemiah gave up much as he walked,

in the favor of the Lord.

We talked about this last week,

and I referenced it a bit already.

He enjoyed the finer things of life.

He enjoyed a type of prosperity and bounty,

in Persia.

And he left it,

to make a thousand mile journey,

to a place he only heard of,

to experience opposition,

and to not even necessarily have his own things,

the things that he would be used to.

He felt the scorn of opposition,

and weathered the abuse,

as he walked in the favor of the Lord.

He labored hard,

as we have seen,

in the favor of the Lord.

But all of this,

he knew God's favor.

He spent his life,

not on the beauty of Persia,

but on the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

Things that aren't fleeting,

but are eternal.

And God helped him with this.

God empowered him.

Another way to say it,

is God equipped him to this end.

So, going to the second point,

the empowerment of God,

that he gives to those,

walking in his will,

seeking his will.

Verses 17 to 19,

if you can look with me there.

Then I said to them,

these are the people,

the Israelites,

the Jewish people of Jerusalem,

you see the trouble we are in,

how Jerusalem lies in ruins,

with its gates burned.

Come,

let us build the wall of Jerusalem,

that we may no longer suffer derision.

And I told them of the hand of my God,

that had been upon me for good,

and also of the words that the king had spoken to me.

And the people said,

let us rise up and build.

So they strengthened their hands for the good work.

And pause there.

Nehemiah was doing something extraordinary

that was nearly impossible.

The rebuilding of Jerusalem.

He was an outsider.

He needed the help of a broken and wayward people.

He also was opposed by a host of powerful and influential enemies.

I'll reference them shortly.

And even with all of the patronage and support of the king,

success was not for certain.

More often than not,

God will empower us to do his will in ways

that aren't necessarily supernatural.

In the case of Nehemiah,

you think,

how does a cupbearer,

probably has silky, soft hands,

who has only known the beauty and the bounty of the king's palace.

He's a cupbearer.

He's tasting.

He's like a sommelier.

Like,

how is that man going to rebuild Jerusalem?

And yet,

in the courts,

this was a training ground,

equipping that God was doing

years and years and years

before Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem.

He knows how to organize,

how to assess,

how to advise.

He knows how to make a pitch

and how to give good,

inspirational,

and yet,

wise counsel.

We see this here.

Often,

God equips us

with the

experiences

and the skills

that are already existing in our lives.

Sometimes,

he gives us supernatural

equipping as well.

Or maybe,

we know what to do,

but we need training

and he provides the means by which to do that.

But nevertheless,

God has equipped us,

you and I,

to do his will.

The church is called a body for a reason.

It's talked about in the New Testament.

Not everybody's an arm or a leg or a nose.

We work together as a body.

You will have opportunities

to do God's will

with your skill set

that God has ordained for you

to accomplish his will

as a community,

as his people together.

This is what he's doing with Nehemiah.

It's incredible to think

that God in his providence

has put you in situations

and in training,

circumstances,

or circumstances that has led to training

years and years and years before

that will be transferable

for you doing his will today

or tomorrow or next year.

It's remarkable.

God is about his business

and he invites us into it

and he equips us

to do just that.

Nehemiah says to the people

as he gathers them together

in this rousing speech,

first,

he's saying something like this,

first and foremost,

God is with us.

He is directing our steps.

Notice that he doesn't lead with,

I have all the papers from the king.

We have kingly,

royal backing.

He doesn't lead with that,

does he?

What does he say?

Verse 18,

And I told them of the hand of my God

that had been upon me for good

and also of the words

that the king had spoken to me.

That comes second.

Nehemiah,

he's saying to the people,

first and foremost,

God is with us.

He is directing our steps.

He is showing us great favor.

The king is on our side.

He has overturned

this moratorium

that he had previously spoken.

The moratorium's over.

We can start rebuilding again.

He has given us resources

and protection

to get the job done.

And what do the people say?

This is what they need.

You know,

these people weren't

the cream of the crop

that were taken away

by the Assyrians

a couple generations prior.

They were the peasants

that were left.

Now, mind you,

Zerubbabel and Ezra,

we read about those two leaders

in Ezra,

they rouse the people,

but there's been 20 years

of lost momentum

between those leaders

and Nehemiah.

So any kind of empowerment,

any kind of strength

that was previously there,

it was sapped.

And Nehemiah,

really God through Nehemiah,

he is rousing the people.

And now we see

the good hand of God

who has helped Nehemiah

convince the king

and the people.

And we look at what

the king has given

and we say,

what a miracle from God.

But when people are broken

and despondent

and they are lacking

any sort of

self-worth

to convince those people

to rise up,

to strengthen their hands

and build,

that is a miracle.

That's something only God can do.

Only God can take

broken and desperate

and hurt people

and heal them

and use them then

for his glory

to accomplish his will.

It's remarkable

what is happening here.

The people are empowered.

Why?

They get on board

to God's plan

to accomplish God's will,

the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

The empowerment of the Lord

is a supernatural blessing

but also

the regular blessing

upon God's people

to trust and act

upon God's word.

To believe

that God's promises are true,

to walk in obedience with Him

as a response

to His love

towards us.

Throughout the New Testament

this is called

the grace of God.

The grace of God

that He gives

in abundance,

grace upon grace

to do His will,

to live out His will,

to walk in wholeness

to see His kingdom come

on earth

as it is in heaven.

They need it,

don't they?

They rally,

the troops need rallying

but also

it's not just that

they need rallying,

opposition is coming

and it's heavy.

Look with me

in verse 19.

But when Sanballat,

the Horonite,

and Tobiah,

the Ammonite servant,

and Geshem,

the Arab,

heard of it,

they jeered at us

and despised us

and said,

what is this thing

that you are doing?

Are you rebelling

against the king?

These are three characters,

well the two,

Sanballat and Tobiah,

Tobias,

Tobiah,

they bookend this section.

We see them

in the verses 7 to 9,

they show up

and they do not want to see

Jerusalem rebuilt.

They accuse the people

of rebellion.

Now rebellion against the king,

it's not just sticks and stones,

may break my bones,

words will never hurt me.

These words

will get them hung

if it's true.

Create a narrative

that this Nehemiah,

he might have the patronage

of the king,

but he was tricking the king.

He is going to rebuild Jerusalem,

he is going to rebel.

They're serious statements

and these men

are very powerful.

We won't get into

a character study on them,

but just know that

they represent

the political power,

that would be Sanballat,

he is the governor of Syria,

Tobiah,

he is a servant

of the Ammonites,

which are the enemies of God,

but also he's like this

Jewish person

that has kind of

bought into

the foreign gods

and the foreign worship,

but also keeping,

in a sense,

the Jewish faith.

He is this strong

religious power

that is opposing

the true religion

of God's people.

And then Geshem,

the Arab,

who has this

kind of huge

series of Arab lands,

big economic strength

in the region.

So now God's people

are surrounded

on all sides

by enemies

and by almost

all spheres of influence,

political,

religious,

and economic.

This is a huge problem

if you're trying

to rebuild Jerusalem.

Jerusalem,

the rebuilding of Jerusalem

was not in their best interests.

And these people,

if they truly do represent

the prevailing

political,

religious,

and economic forces

in the region,

it shows us

in a sense that

as we

engage

in walking out

God's will,

we will feel

the weight of opposition.

temptation.

And there's a great

temptation

to give in

or to give up.

It's a very real thing.

To walk

in this world

as a true Christian,

trusting

in God's empowerment

and in His favor,

it will always

be opposed

by

the prevailing

political

forces,

the prevailing

religious

spiritualities,

the prevailing

economic

philosophies.

there will

always be

opposition

to God's people

as we seek

to do His will.

To be a Christian,

we've talked about

this a lot

in our house,

these days

is to

no longer

be on the home team.

And that means

that decisions

we make

will not be

treated with indifference

but with opposition.

I'm not talking

about flaunting

what we do

and being loud

and boisterous

and not

unwinsome

in doing

life in a

kind of a

I don't know,

not wise way.

I'm talking about

just the decisions

that we make,

the things that we

hold our children

back from,

how we spend

our money,

what we spend

our money on,

the things we lobby

our government

for,

or if you're in

government,

the things that you

refuse to do

because it goes

against your faith

and the reality

is there will

be real opposition

to what we do

as Christians,

living out God's

will.

But it's been

like this forever.

It has.

And God has

promised us

as we walk

according to

his will,

he will give us

favor and empowerment

to do it.

And that doesn't

mean there won't

be consequences

to suffer,

but it means

that the consequences

that we suffer

will only be

superficial in this

life.

but the benefits

will go on

through eternity.

And it's hard

to see eternity

in this life,

but this is where

we cling to the

promises of God

so that we can

trust that no

matter how

much we suffer

for God's sake

in this life,

that truly

the reward

in the life

to come

will be

infinitely greater

and because it's

eternity,

infinitely longer.

that is

an empowering

thought.

That is

God's spirit

at work

in our lives

to think that

way and to

feed ourselves

with that

and to encourage

one another

with that

and to read

about that

in Holy

Scripture

that in a

sense we are

just sojourning

through this

life.

It doesn't

mean we

pull out

from this

life,

but it means

that we

are brave

by God's

empowerment

by his

equipping

to live

out this

life well.

The church,

friends,

is an

outpost

of heaven.

It really

is.

In a

landscape

of meaninglessness,

the call

is to find

meaning through

almost anything

else but

a humility

of bending

our knee

to the will

of God.

It's always

about accomplishing

our will.

and yet

here we

are in

outposts

of heaven

proclaiming

the gospel

of Christ,

trusting that

the Holy

Spirit is

empowering us

and we

believe,

according to

scriptures,

that God

will use

his people

to transform

this world,

to transform

Ottawa,

our neighborhoods,

our schools,

wherever we

may be,

our workplaces.

That is

foolishness to

the world,

but God

uses the

foolishness

to what?

Shame the

wise.

It's a

remarkable

thing.

We will

experience

real suspicion

and hostility

like the

people of

Jerusalem

did as

they began

to work

for God,

but by

God's

strength

they will

walk in

obedience

and so

too will

we.

Not

perfectly,

we will

repent

and confess

and then

get back

up and

keep going

by God's

strength.

faith.

But just

trust that

if God

is calling

you and

he truly

is to

do his

will,

he's giving

you everything

you need

and it is

better than

shrugging it

aside and

trying to

in a sense

build your

own kingdom

here on

earth.

It will

always be

better.

It might

not feel

better at

specific

junctions of

life,

but certainly

it is.

Doing God's

will,

enjoying his

favor and his

empowerment is

really the

good stuff

of life.

We get a

glimpse into

this now

through Nehemiah's

response to

the mockery and

the accusations

of these three

men,

Sanballat,

Tobiah,

and Geshem.

And look with

me in verse

20.

This is what

Nehemiah says

in response to

their accusations

and their

jeering.

Then I replied

to them,

the God of

heaven will

make us

prosper and

we his

servants will

arise and

build,

but you have

no portion

or right or

claim in

Jerusalem.

The weight

of these

words are

hard to

fully

comprehend.

Understand how

detrimental a

curse is to

these three

and to their

followers.

You really,

in a sense,

have to

understand the

significance of

Jerusalem and

what the

heavenly city

represents

throughout the

scriptures.

I've had the

incredible

privilege of

going to

Jerusalem a

number of

times.

I remember

the first

time I

went,

I was

exhausted.

And it

was a

red eye and

I arrived

there.

I don't know

when I,

whenever you

arrive after

a red eye,

I don't know,

I was tired.

And I got in

this little

minibus and

I just wanted

to get to

my family's

house in

Jerusalem.

And I

remember being

so tired,

but then all

of a sudden I

see a sign

that says,

Jerusalem 20

kilometers away,

15 kilometers

away and

all of a

sudden I

sit up and

it's like

there's this

anticipation

building.

It's also

very interesting

that you

travel up to

Jerusalem.

The Psalms of

Ascent are

called the

Psalms of

Ascent because

the people are

ascending to

Jerusalem, but

also ascending

to God.

But there is

something about

this.

And I

mean,

Jerusalem

itself,

I mean,

I've never

been to

Rome, but

I've heard

about Rome

being a very

filthy city,

dirty.

Jerusalem's

kind of like

that.

There's an

infestation of

stray cats,

kind of a

random fact,

and they are

loud and they

fight.

It's kind of

grimy.

But the old

city, you

approach it and

you think,

these walls are

millennia old.

The Romans were

here.

Before that, it

was King David.

Before that, it

was Abraham

visiting.

But most

importantly, this

is where Jesus

himself walked

through.

It's a

remarkable place.

Jerusalem

itself is a

regular city,

but in the

scriptures,

regular city

today, but

that old

city, the

temple, the

city itself

upon the

hill, the

city that

David, King

David founded

where our

Lord Jesus

walked.

It's Zion,

it's Jerusalem,

it's a heavenly

city, the city

of God.

And throughout

the scriptures,

it is the

place where God

will choose to

dwell with his

people.

people.

Psalm 48

Psalms 48:1–3

verses 1 to 3

says this,

Great is the

Lord and

greatly to be

praised in the

city of our

God, his

holy mountain.

Beautiful in

elevation is the

joy of the

earth.

Mount Zion in

the far north,

the city of the

great king.

Within the

citadels, God

has made himself

known as a

fortress.

Throughout the

Bible, Jerusalem

is where God

dwells with his

people.

But more

importantly, it

is with the

entire thrust of

the Bible, looks

towards the

return of Christ

and the

establishment of

the new

Jerusalem that

will come

down at the

end of the

age.

And it will

be the place

where God

will dwell with

all his

people, world

without end.

If you've

attended church

for a while,

you'll be

familiar with

the revelation

of Jesus to

St. John,

and especially

verses, or

chapters 20 and

21 and 22

that have this

wonderful, cosmic,

kind of crazy

picture of this

new Jerusalem

coming down,

perfect cube,

whether or not

that's literally

what will happen,

it is a

remarkable thing

that the new

Jerusalem will

come.

But it's very

bizarre if you

think about it.

It is a very

bizarre sight.

And if you are

skeptical of the

faith or becoming

increasingly skeptical,

I can relate to

you.

It seems like

like in this

world, to see a

cube drop from

heaven, and we

are to believe

this, it's a bit

of a bizarre

thing.

It seems a bit

fantastical.

However, this

idea, in fact,

is not just a

fantastical thing,

and I know that

it fights against

the skepticism that

you might feel,

but let me put it

forward to you

that it is the

basis of all of

the greatest stories

that we enjoy and

believe.

What do I mean?

The heavenly city

is something that

is throughout our

myths and our

legends.

Camelot, Atlantis,

El Dorado, Asgard,

if you're into

Marvel movies,

Wakanda.

These heavenly

cities, these cities

where they're full of

treasures and riches,

advancements,

technologies, where

people will risk life

and limb to find them.

Big adventures to find

these heavenly cities,

the cities where you

will enjoy true

happiness and true

glory, a place where

you will dwell with

the gods.

This idea of a

heavenly city, this

new Jerusalem, isn't

just a cool story that

the Bible invented,

but it is a hope that

God has put on the

human heart.

to dwell with God in

the heavenly city means

to be in union with the

creator of all things.

It means enjoying

happiness and bliss and

complete satisfaction

without envy.

Imagine that.

Imagine having complete

satisfaction without being

jealous of somebody.

It means being at peace

with ourselves and

others and most

importantly, God.

seems that the dwelling

with God in the

heavenly city is one of

the greatest cries of

the human heart.

There's a motivation for

our desire to accumulate

wealth, the feelings of

meaninglessness that we

have when we feel like we

do not have direction

because we chase after

things that promise what

the heavenly city will

guarantee us.

Everything, our desires to

be whole and happy, they

find meaning.

in our heart's desire to

dwell with God in the

heavenly city.

So to oppose a building of

this city isn't just a

mean thing of San

Belat, Tobiah, and

Geshem.

They're not just being mean

here.

They are actively opposing

true life itself.

They are actively working to

undo the source of life and

because this is what they

are doing, they have no

portion, right, or claim.

They are not only in the

heavenly city.

It is a pronouncement of

damnation upon them.

But it's also a warning for

us, isn't it?

The Bible is very black and

white.

I mean, okay, I'll say this.

The Bible is a lot of,

there's a lot of gray that is

in the Bible.

It doesn't tell us about how

to live life in a lot of

different aspects.

I mean, it requires wisdom

and we can get wisdom from

the Bible.

But the Bible is also very

black and white when it

comes to what is God's will

and what isn't God's will.

And there's no gray allowed.

There's no wiggle room here.

And either we are throwing

ourselves at the mercy of God,

trusting that as we, by his

strength, working out his will

and getting on board with that,

that we are going to have a

portion and a claim and a right

into the heavenly city.

But if we actively push against

it, it is a warning for us that

there is true, that there is true

damnation for those that oppose

God's will.

To not have a portion or a right

or a claim to the heavenly city

is an eternal curse.

And friends, by God's kindness

and grace, if you hear this

warning this morning and you are

troubled in your soul, God is at

work pointing you towards him.

And don't stifle it.

Don't push it away.

Embrace it.

Throw yourself at the mercy of God.

So can you hear the weight of

verse 20 here?

Can you feel the weight of

Nehemiah's words?

Can you also feel the comfort for

those that actually do have a

portion and claim and right in the

heavenly city?

What does he say at the beginning

of verse 20?

Then I replied to them, the God of

heaven will make us prosper and we

will arise and build.

Prosperity is found not in the

accumulation of things, but the

partnering with God to arise and

build, to walk in his will and to do

the things he's called us to do.

That's prosperity.

That's what it is.

It's to have a portion and a claim

and a right to dwell with God in the

new Jerusalem forever.

How do we, here in Ottawa, sitting

here on this absolutely stunning Sunday

morning in mid-May have a portion and

right and claim in the city of God, in

the heavenly city and in the Zion to

come?

And the answer is simply this, not by our

own ability.

Not by our own effort, not by our own

hard work, but only through the shed

blood of Christ on the cross of Calvary.

You see, the will, partnering with God to

do his will, it's always in response to

becoming a part of his family, to be,

being a part of his kingdom.

So it's only through the shed blood of

Christ on the cross of Calvary.

And I'll end with this.

We have access to the heavenly city, being

made citizens of the new Jerusalem that is, that is, that is going to come, who knows when,

but is going to come precisely because Jesus, when he was condemned for a crime he did not

commit, was spat out of Jerusalem.

He was hung on a cross at the place of the skull, outside of the city limits, and he died in our

stead.

He gave up, in a sense, his citizenship for a time so that we could then get citizenship to

the new Jerusalem, to the heavenly city, to dwell with God forever.

His citizenship, in a sense, was revoked so that ours could be granted.

His death has brought us life.

Hebrews 12, 22 says this,

But you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,

and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn,

who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect.

Verse 24,

And to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better

word than the blood of Abel.

To the blood of Christ, we are citizens of the heavenly kingdom.

So may we enjoy the favor and empowerment of the Lord as we do his will, but may we even

more revel in the cross of Christ.

That, in a sense, that visa that is given to us, that citizenship that is given to us,

that grants us a portion, right, and claim to the new Jerusalem.

And as King David says,

let us make it our prayer.

Psalm 16, verse 11,

Psalms 16:11

You make known to me the path of life in your presence.

There is fullness of joy at your right hand pleasures forevermore.

This is,

this is what we get to claim.

This is our portion.

This is our right.

Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for, for the rebuilding of the temple by Nehemiah.

But we're, we're more thankful of, of, of what it represents and how it is deeply, deeply

instructive for us this morning.

Lord God, help us to be about your will.

Help us to trust as we are about your will, that we will receive your favor, that we will

receive your empowerment.

But ultimately, Lord, that we will enjoy the prosperity of what it means to be your people.

Lord, as we go our, our, uh, go on this week, let us be, let us be, uh, people that, that

just ask the question every morning, throughout the day.

Lord, use me.

Lord, use me to accomplish your will.

But also, more importantly, that we'll pray, Lord, help me to see the cross of Christ in,

in its fullest beauty.

Help me to understand that I truly am, by your grace, a citizen of the new Jerusalem to come.

Lord, we thank you.

We thank you that you bless us with pleasure and joy and fullness and life and light for

eternity.

In Christ's mighty name.

Amen.