Hope Sabbath School Lesson 11 Backslidden People

[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] welcome to Hope Sabbath school an in-depth interactive study of the Word of God we are in the middle of an amazing series of studies on Ezra and Nehemiah today's topic backslidden people you say that sounds depressing but actually it's good news because God loves backslidden people and he wants to restore them to a life changing intimate relationship with himself to experience his immeasurable unfailing love like never before actually to transform them to transform us into all that he ever intended us to be until use us to bless other it's going to be an amazing study and I'm excited because one of our team members Jason's going to be teaching today great topic and we're glad that you're with us in fact we'd love to hear from you if you've started your own in-depth interactive study where you live because you can take the same outline that we use same outline Jason will be using today and you can download it from our website just go to 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while on DirecTV and we're glad you're part of our family here's a note from a donor in Guyana now some of you have been to Guyana dear Christian friends greetings in the name of our precious Savior and soon coming King I am a beneficiary of what hope channel is doing around the world in this regard I would like to partner with hope channel to ensure that the gospel reaches the ends of the world please receive an enclosed gift of $1,000 from Guyana to help with the ministry of sharing the love of Jesus with the world amen thank you we're donor supported ministry and I know the blessing will come back to you as you join the Lord and his harvest work Swain writes from Zambia Swain says I wish to thank you for the work you're doing and how you present the Bible studies on Hope Sabbath School you've really helped me learn how to present the study to my class well that's what Jason's going to do today we're gonna model what could be reproduced ten thousand times right so thank you Swain we're glad you've got a class there in Zambia I've been teaching the Sabbath school since 2008 and because of watching hope Sabbath school all the classes I'm teaching have appreciated how I handle the study that's awesome it can be multiplied thanks to hope service go may God bless you as you continue to labor in his vineyard will Swain thanks for writing to us from Zambia god bless you give our greetings to your in depth interactive Bible study group Kofi writes from Ghana and said I asked God to help me take my Bible study seriously and I promised him not to miss out on any of the studies this year but I'm a student in high school I wouldn't get time to read and I was working at house when I was back from school I'm living with my brother and his family and we don't get to church early to learn the Sabbath school we'd also don't study at the house but then I found Hope service go up hope Sabbath school was the first channel I saw and subscribe to I downloaded the full lesson as audio on my phone by the way our new app you can do that you can also do an offline doubt download and then you can watch the program when you offline somewhere where you don't have a connection it's awesome and I'll listen to it when I wake up in the morning and while I'm working or in the night I've not missed any of the studies since I found hope sebas goal I downloaded your theme song on my phone use it as my alarm tone it touches my heart anytime I hear it I want to be a pastor one day and visit hope Sabbath school and be one of the Saints who would defend God's Word in the last days Thank You Kofi for writing to us from Ghana what do you say not as raising up men and women young people around the world Joyce writes to us last one from Jamaica we have a lot of people in Jamaica who watch over anyone would you make and roots here Nicole oh and cuz they do Jamaica roots hello whoops Abba school family this is Joyce writing from Mandeville what a blessing it's been for me to sit and go through Hope Sabbath school guides with you all I've been watching for a while and I've been truly blessed my daughter is now 11 years old and she's been listening to the scripture songs from when she was a little girl she would run from wherever she was in the house come and sing the scripture song with me and then run back to what she was doing get this as she got older she would sit and what's the Bible study with me amen what a blessing I've downloaded the study guides for the very first time and I look forward to making copies and sharing them with my Sabbath School class by the way we found that the best way to have an interactive study is to give everyone a copy of this outline so just make a copy and give it to everyone and they can follow along we now all look forward to the Bible study every week god bless you Joyce well thanks for writing to us Joyce glad you're part of our hopes and school family there in Jamaica and God's doing amazing things isn't he and one of the things amazing that God's doing in these last days he's calling people back who drifted away the Bible calls that backsliding slipping away slipping away he wants to heal us because of his immeasurable love call us back to that's what we're gonna study about right after we sing our theme song from Psalm 25 [Music] let me not be ashamed over let me not be ashamed [Music] god of my salvation [Music] for you a god of my salvation [Music] my soul my god I trust in you [Music] amen you know wouldn't it be a wonderful miracle of God if someone watches hope sabbath-school today who slipped away and they hear the call of God and the draw of God's love to come back let's pray as we begin our study amen please bow your heads as I pray our dear Heavenly Father today as we open your word as we see how even when we've made mistakes whether individually or as a group we can still return to you lord help us to take lessons from these ancient stories and apply them to us here now Lord Lord send your spirit send your power with us and most importantly we pray all this in the holy name of Jesus our cleanser our Savior amen amen here in Ezra and Nehemiah we have the story context the children of Israel have kind of returned from exile and they've returned even though they've made some mistakes and they're trying to get the worship service going and they're trying to sort of reform the process as they're going along now unfortunately as we've seen in previous lessons there's been some difficulties and there's been some challenges and one of the words that's kind of been used to describe this process is the word backsliding now backsliding is a word that not everyone may be familiar with and so I just want to ask on the team here if someone or even several people can tell me what is the word backsliding mean maybe as a definition or what it looks like in an action someone here on the team Gladys I see you kind of nodding your head so and you're smiling when you think of backsliding what comes to mind for you well when you have made a decision for Christ and you somehow backtrack on that decision and you start sleeping away from him and creating some some distance between you and Christ slipping away made a decision backtracking Addyson two words come to mind I think if creep and compromise been compromised so kind of little by little and then compromise making changes that are not consistent with the decision that you'd made before all right so we have this idea of backsliding now let's look at what the backsliding how the backsliding happened and so I'd like to ask Jonathan if you could open for us we're an ami at chapter 10 and I want you to read verses 30 and 31 and then verse 39 there are some promises that are made and I want us to look at where the backsliding begins where which is here with the promises so let's look at the start and then let's see what happens in the story all right I'll be reading from the New International Version verses 30 31 and 39 we promise not to give our daughters in marriage to the peoples around us or to take their daughters for us when the neighboring people's bring merchandise or grain to sell on the Sabbath we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on any holy day every seventh year we will go for go working in the land and we'll cancel all debts and the people of Israel including the Levites are to bring the contributions of grain new wine and olive oil to the storerooms where the articles for the sanctuary and for the minister increase to gate keepers and the musicians are also kept we will not neglect the house of our God all right so when we read that that sounds pretty positive right we're gonna do all these very good things what are some of those things that were listed what are some of the problem promises Evelynn that you saw there well they promised that they wouldn't marry into pagan cultures they wouldn't marry into pagan cultures yes Stephanie I see you smiling there they would honor the Sabbath they would honor the Sabbath yes Edinson they would be faithful in their tithes and offerings they'd be faithful in their tithes and offerings all right Gladys yeah they will forgive there were for respect the seventh year which will be that when the land cannot be worked on and they had to forgive all debts that will respect that all right so we have all these different activities and they sound very positive they're they're very good promises now I want to ask what are your thoughts on these promises when you hear them because they sound positive they sound beneficial Jonathan you've got a certain facial expression you've got some thoughts on this here reminds me of when the when God comes down on Mount Sinai and gives the law and the moment people are overwhelmed and they say oh all these things that God says we will do so I don't know if it's quite the same spirit that maybe it sounds like a little but it sounds like it could be a little bit of self-confidence maybe not recognition of just how prone we are to go astray so maybe some self-confidence Kenneth and then I I want to I want to ask kind of push back though a little bit for for the sake of discussion here because these are legitimate issues and these are legitimate problems that they've dealt with and so I want to hear from Kenneth and then I also want to hear what do we think about this tension between dealing with legitimate issues and responding to them in the manner that glorifies God so from our previous study where they made all these sacrifices to God you'd be convinced that okay these people are really going to do it but the their track record just as Jonathan said we don't know what that they are able to keep the other side of the bargain or I'm going to fall back and offer what they are promising so they don't know that they're able so what's the problem here why why are they not able Nicole well I as jonathan even said it starts with we we we will we will that's not a lord help us to Lord lead us to where we need to go it's all we're gonna do something and so I think when we believe that our own strength can take us through we we fail just really simple we fail so is it fair to say that maybe backsliding can begin with good intentions about good activities but from a heart yes their story from the New Testament jason flashed into my mind even if everybody else denies you I won't that's what this Peter you know and and he's got good intentions but he's in a very dangerous place and you don't even have to turn the page of my Bible and he's saying I don't even know who he is so I think the Lord has said you're at risk and he says no even if everyone else does it I won't I think that the challenge here is that all of us are capable of backsliding and we have to say god I just I need you to hold me close to you you know my commitment is just this that I'm not gonna resist you at all amen now there are some principles that Jesus referenced I think of Matthew 22 Stephanie I'd actually like you to read that for us because I think referencing what Jesus has said and going to the Gospels might be helpful to get our minds focused how we can avoid backsliding ourselves so Stephanie if you could refresh Matthew chapter 22 verses 37 through 39 what are some what are some principles here that we can avoid going down this this path and I'll be reading from the King James Version jesus said unto him thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind this is the first and Great Commandment and the second is like unto it thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself alright so we see here we've got these two kind of focuses loving God loving our neighbor so what do you see here Gladys the focus is is in coffers the more that we focus on God you know everything else like we say in previous studies we just go you know it would look differently so our focus must be God and then when we focus with God we can help other people around us alright Jonathan and I was just gonna say that either loving God and being faithful to God is something that is placed beyond our reach it is a gift of God itself you know something that we have therefore we have to ask him for for faithfulness asking for the capacity to to make us capable of loving him Travis I would just like to say you know it's listed in here love God with all your heart all your soul and all your mind that's the prerequisite to loving our neighbor as ourselves and it's the prerequisite to live in a holy life and keeping the promises of God if we have that connection it's only then that we're capable all right and now let's get here Oh Derek you wonder sure no I just think G says everything else hangs on that oh you know if I'm just my focus is I want to be so connected with God that I love it with all my heart and let his love flow through me to everyone I think that God would say everything else is gonna be okay mm-hmm when you got those two clear Commandments Jesus says the two great Commandments amen Jonathan sometimes we get tired very quickly of trying to be faithful of trying to love either pioneers brothers and on it because we try by yourself mm-hmm all right and we should always have God help us and we don't know why amen and now let's get into the story and I'm gonna ask Gladys if you could read for us Nehemiah chapter 13 verses 4 & 5 we're gonna see a specific situation that happens and we're gonna see some problems that give some evidence of backsliding and let's kind of look at what's going on and what's happening here in the story I'm reading from the New International Version Jeremiah chapter 4 13 verses 4 & 5 before this leadership the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God he was closely associated with Tobiah and he had provided him with a large room formerly used to store the grain offerings and incense and temple articles and also the tithes of grain no wine and Olive Oyl prescribed for the levites musicians and gatekeepers as well as the contributions for the priests all right now does anything stand out to you anything kind of startling when you read the ice Jonathan I mean if you look back earlier Tobiah is he's kind of this foreigner he's like an ammonite I guess a ruler and he was against the Jews against them rebuilding the temple against I think they'll be like rebuilding the wall and now he has he's related to this priest and because of that he's how he's related his crews question and now he has a spot in the temple I'm like god there's some there's some big problems going on here backsliding is taking a whole new level almost yes Canada Oh mean irony is there is reformed the temple is cleanse and then you gave another place but these same people which you establish that reform so it's like you didn't do what you started initially you just went back to zero Travis well the this it says that they were allied together and it's quite possible has been suggested that their children read intermarried so already breaking some of the promises that had been made and so they have you know well my daughter your son I guess we're all family now and you know and all of a sudden it just it astounds me that all of a sudden directly affects the temple and the storehouse right away that so quickly yes and Travis alluded to that where is Tobias he just kind of you know hanging out outside the walls kind of watching things or no yes Stephanie they've actually moved God's furniture and brought his furniture in and we we know from chapter 6 that Tobiah and Sanballat were enemies yes so the the idea of them completely replacing gods for enemies it it just baffles my mind so Travis alluded to it but what do you think is going on here why is this all happening behind the scenes yes there I was thinking of a man who drifted away from God and I just remember his words as we're reading this he said I did things I never thought I would do one step led to another if you had told this individual a liar ship that he would move God's things out of the way and put an a hostile ammonite official in the house of God he would have said absolutely impossible but you get married in a marriage between children and children you get different things happening like with Solomon and I'm hearing this man's testimony to me that when you start slipping you will end up doing things you never thought you would do that's what happened to you yep so I just want to ask and feel free no one has to but has anyone experienced this in their own life have you ever you know been in a way you you thought you know you started out strong you made some good promises to God but then little by little maybe you started slipping and the next thing you know Tobiah was hanging out in your room visit someone's laughing does anyone comfortable enough to share maybe where they have been in that situation Nicole well I've shared this before but you know I am was baptized when I was nine years old into this church and so I was gonna I was a pathfinder I did everything at the church that I supposed to do I got the college and thought wow the world is so much bigger than the church that I left and I found myself slowly but gently compromising and doing things that I never thought I would do in college and it took the death of my mom for me to realize that if I didn't change my ways sooner than later I would not be able to see her again and so literally at her funeral I was like wow I've really messed this thing up and God just slowly reeled me back in but yeah it's it's it's a real thing out there it's a real thing now you said at the end there God slowly reeled you back in so the unveiling yes so good and it's still really immeasurable love of God reeling you in even when you've backslidden God can still be there now let's look further in the story and I'd like to ask Evelyn if you could read for us Nehemiah chapter 13 verses 6 & 7 because after all this is the book of Nehemiah and so what's Nehemiah doing to this time why is he allowing all this these bad things to happen why isn't he there to stop them yes Evelyn I will be reading from the New Living Translation I was not in Jerusalem at that time for I had returned to King to King Artaxerxes of Babylon in the 32nd year of his reign though I later asked his permission to return when I arrived back in Jerusalem I learned about Aliyah sheeps evil deed in providing Tobiah with the room in the courtyard of the temple of God all right so what did those verses tell us what is the the situation going on there Jason Nehemiah he wasn't there he wasn't there so good why isn't he there did he just decide he needed to go on a long trip he just you know needed to take care of his own personal affairs in Babylon or are there other things going on yes Jonathan he originally asked leave of the king and so now he's I mean he's kind of invested himself here in Jerusalem but he technically needs to go back and so it seems like he kind of goes back and the king and ever and and after talking to the king like everybody realizes he should probably stay in Jerusalem but he has to go back at least Nakul remember did he promise when he left the the king that he would return when he finished his duties so he was only keeping his word in terms of returning back home which is something that we all need to learn to do is keep our word so he's keeping his word yes Gladys he's a cup bearer know like like Nicole said he gave His Word the king asked him before he left when are you going to return so he had to fulfill his word mm-hmm so he's fulfilling his word he's back there in Babylon and then during this time all these problems begin to emerge so it's possible yes Jonathan when I say day I want to highlight the importance of the presence of godly leader mmm the importance of the presence of godly leader and also the fact that we even with our main supervision should be faithful to God just remain faithful to God sometimes happens that if there is a faithful pastor then the church remains faithful there is a pastor that compromises with the world then the church gets compromises so we should individually be faithful you know what I like about Nehemiah because they're absolutely right he kept his word to go back but his heart was still there in Jerusalem it was much more comfortable for him to stay with the king but he's basically keeping his word but his plan is as soon as possible he'll he'll be able to go back I think what's more important is is how he responds when he gets back which means it's not just kind of washed his hands and okay I'm done with that assignment his heart is really committed to what God wants to happen there and on that note Addison let's read what happens when he gets back because we've seen in verse 7 you know he came to Jerusalem he sees this but now he's got a certain response and so if you could read for us Addison Nehemiah chapter 13 verses 8 and 9 let's see what is what is Nehemiah's response now that he has returned and sees this situation and I'm reading from the King James Version and it grieved me sore therefore I cast forth all the household stuff of Tobiah out of the chamber hmm and then I commanded and they cleansed the Chamber's and thither brought I again the vessels of the house of God with the meat offering and the frankincense alright so there's a quite a few different activities that happen here but I want us to kind of look at them in order if you can what's the first thing he does does he jump right in and you know attack Tobiah just is his first response one of attack or what is the first thing it says right in the very beginning that he does Stephanie grieved him he was in pain one has a bed yes so there's some personal reflection there's some kind of you know emotional response there's a sort of you could almost say even an individual focus before he goes out and does any kind of attack yes Travis I would like to just say that he probably didn't take him too long to make that decision because he was a god-fearing man yeah and he knew I mean he was there when they made the promises and pledges he knew this wasn't supposed to be so I went well I think he was grieved it didn't take him long to say this don't belong that's kind of yeah and also I can sense from the father he says a grieving bitterly it wasn't just grieving about it somehow it was praying about it and asking God what to do mm-hmm just makes me wonder how many other people saw this and maybe were disturbed by it but didn't take yeah I didn't stand up and say no this is not right and let me talk to others and yeah yes Jason as I as you they were reading this it dawned on me that this was a fourth shot of what Jesus did in the temple you know and dinner with dinner thieves you know just that yeah it is that context of that grieve and it's just one of roughly just being angry for no reason I mean he's literally saw this ungodliness taking place and he acted upon that because the Spirit of God was in him and he expressed it in such a way so he expressed it in such a way how did he express it what does Nehemiah actually do Evelyn it seems that his first concern is to make sure the temples cleanse mmm he's like okay we need to get Tobias things out of here and clean this place up get these things out and clean this place up yes Jonathan and I'm just thinking I'd like to think and imagine to make Reformation it takes boldness it takes courage and a sanctified couraged so he had to go against people desires and things like that so we and also when there is a radical problem we also should take Reiko actions yeah I mean it definitely like Jason said this is like Jesus when they saw Jesus cleansed the temple you know it's it says they remembered zeal zeal for your house has eaten me up I mean I I think Travis is right I don't think it took him a whole lot of time he was bitterly grieving over it and he said these things would get going out of here it it almost seems a little later I mean some of his actions like he's a little bit wild yeah and yet as was said you know why didn't anybody else do anything I mean this is the pagan official who was opposed to the things of God throughout the whole story living in the temple mm-hmm you know Nehemiah's willing to take whatever consequences will come now in verse 9 what is the last portion that he does there at the end we see that he grieves he takes action and kicks Tobiah stuff out he cleanses and then what else does he do yes Kennedy brought back all the articles he brought them back he begins the process of restoration and in a way if you think about it this kind of is also you can see this in one's personal spiritual life first of all Nicole's kind of referenced her story before there's grieving then there's an action you have to get rid of certain things friends the friends in her case yes there's cleansing and then you know little by little yes Gladys restoration restoration you have to put back in yes Jonathan I was thinking if maybe there might have been something like you've got but they just built this temple and they had some of the furniture returned but they didn't have maybe all it wasn't maybe as fancy as is assuming it was it was simple and you know maybe maybe that room could be better used or something and it makes me think like sometimes the temptation in life is to take other things that seem like they're better than the simplicity of God's Word and his ways like God's Word in his ways isn't quite as fancy is it and quite as well dressed as everything else so it's tempting to put it in our little rooms rather than to trust in them maybe the simple things and let God make them beautiful that's a very good point and so let's also look at another problem that happened milena if you could read for us Nehemiah chapter 13 verse 10 we're finding out additional problems that take place in this process of backsliding I'll be reading from the New King James Version I also realized that the portions for the Levites had not been given them for each of the Levites and the singers who did the work had gone back to his field alright so why is this a problem Nikol what's going on who cares about the Levites and in the field what's what's going on here well remember that we read about the promise that they were not going to neglect the house of God and they and there was a whole kind of campaign to make sure that they had the right people come back to make sure the temple was operating properly and then they've neglected the priests so now who is doing the spiritual guidance for this whole community no one so they're all losing their focus because there's no one there to provide any kind of spiritual leadership for them they're losing their focus yes Gladys yeah we also have to remember that the Levites lived out of what was brought to the temple they didn't have a feel of their own that didn't have an inheritance per se so what they had was what the people gave so if they didn't give anything they had to go and do something else to make sure that their family would not starve mmm yes Kenneth and I I feel like the people also reacted to the poor leadership of the priests elisha and that is why they refused you sort of doing something about it so the I respond was to cause other innocent people to suffer because of one man's decision to bring the enemy into the house of God mm-hmm and this is kind of a pattern of backsliding step by step the leaders the people eventually it becomes this process that we've reckons recognized whether it happens on the individual level like Nichole referenced or whether happens with the whole community as we've seen here so now Nehemiah we've we saw what he did with Tobiah but a parent he has to do something a little more with the community and so I'd like to ask Travis if you could read for us Nehemiah chapter 13 verses 11 through 13 let's see what else does Nehemiah do how does he address this situation and I'll be reading from the New King James Version so I contended with the rulers and said why is the house of God forsaken and I gathered them together and set them in their place then all Judah brought the tie then of the grain and the new wine and the oil to the storehouse and I appointed a treasures as treasurer's over the storehouse shall lamb shall amaya the priests and zodac describe and the Levites padilla and next to him was Hannon and thus the son of succor and the son of Matai Anaya for they were considered faithful and their task was to distribute to their brethren all right so there's some some things that go on here and first of all before we get into the specifics I just kind of want to ask what is Nehemiah sort of general impression and feeling here does he kind of enter you know soft and gentle in their home this is colloquial kumbaya kind of expression that man we're all laughing because Nicole yes how does how does how does Nehemiah handle this he's like what have you done literally he's like what have you done to God's temple and he comes in and he says righteously he says we've got a mate we've got to fix this we got to make this right because we are representing God here on earth and so he comes in with righteous indignation we call it and says no you can't do this no you can't do this and it's interesting the New King James the verse and I have it says he contended with them and so yes Derek someone said to me one time be more concerned about what God thinks and what people think and it's clear to him that you know this needs to be addressed and he probably is some people whispering in the in the background saying who does he think he is but he's not preoccupied with what they think or say but what what God has told them to do and he addresses it courageously now when I asked this idea of contending because the word contending means to argue debate fight and and we kind of had this idea sometimes in the church that good Christians they don't contend they they're just nice peaceful and all of that so I'd like to ask some people on the team what would you say to someone who says good Christians don't contend don't fight don't cause problems Kenneth you kind of have a questionable expression there I would say even when we are contending we do it in the spirit of Christ we don't do it like the way the world would do it no we do it thinking that yes we may not understand anything but there are some cold things that we can all understand for it so we all love to seek the souls of men into the kingdom of heaven that one we can negotiate because that is what God gave us but as to the carpet of the church or the pews we can have some different preferences but in all we should treat each other with love so that doesn't go beyond what we are supposed to Jonathan I was thinking of a quote from an author that I appreciate that says when Christ spoke his words of condemnation he spoke it with tears in his voice and I think that before you say some things you you have to make sure that you're coming with the same heart of compassion and making sure it's coming from the right place because there's so many things in our heart that are not necessarily the right grounding just as a starting point well just you know we related this to the cleansing of the temple when Jesus chased out the money changers and nobody stopped him because they recognized his authority I think there was a certain recognition of Nehemiah's authority here because it doesn't say that people got in his way and tried to stop him the he put set them in their place he appointed people here he appointed people there and he got everything pointed back in the right direction so he came with with a recognized authority and that's such an important point and the love of God in our hearts is so important John the Baptist confronted evil - but it says some people even wondered if he was the Christ I mean he was so reflecting the love of God and the the character of God and I think there are some people who love to come in and just criticize everyone and they think that's their mission in life when our mission is actually to reflect the immeasurable unfailing love of God which may mean in love with tears in our eyes confronting a person who's doing something destructive but they're not gonna have any question about our motive or where our heart is we've by God's grace we've earned that what right that's what Jesus earned John the Baptist turned Nehemiah had earned the right by the way he lived hmm to confront that evil now one way that you can also see whether you're contending is from a spirit of God as the reaction the effect that happens and so what do we see here what is the effect of Nehemiah sort of battle with the leaders what ends up coming out of this yes Gladys boy seems that you know everything began to be back in place you know the Levites returned the tights were brought back so everything started to go in the way that God intended to go and what happens here there's some kind of organizational reference that's made some kind of situations so Travis tell me what goes on here in this situation how does the organizational process take place well first off the Levites weren't getting they had not nothing to live on so when they're set back at the temple service is set back up then he begins to set things back in place the sacrificial services and that and then establishes the Sabbath with with the congregation and then I think what you're looking for in verse 13 he sets up treasures yes let's get this organized because who knows whether in addition - to buy a living in the temple they weren't siphon off siphoning off some things that were coming in let's have godly people who will monitor this so that the people that are supposed to get these offering saying gifts actually received them Jonathan and then we'll have to move to the prayer yeah it just struck me how a lot of the things that were backsliding were actually kind of organizational procedure I mean it was ones that would give him by God but and was having real effects but it was kind of like they weren't doing this and so it makes me think that our organizational procedure can be important and grounded well so God is a God of order an organization can be part of his plan alright and so I'd like to ask Jason if you could read for us Nehemiah chapter 13 verse 14 Nehemiah it's actually recorded that he has a little bit of a prayer hair so read the prayer and then I want to hear some thoughts on that they made my pleasure and I'm reading from the New King James Version and the Bible says remember me oh my god concerning this do not wipe out my good deeds that I've done for the house of my god and for his service all right so what are your thoughts Gladys on that prayer I see you had some kind of expression there well he wants he wants to make sure that he's faithful to God's house and that was one of the things that he established before he wanted God's house to be a priority in the in the life of his people and just leave restore he once got exact please remember me because I I did this Kenneth and it summer summer I see that as a prayer of dedication of these leaders so that in a word God will also remember them why he's crying out he calls and they also hear the prayer that God want them to do something and they shouldn't allow this good deed at his Trent they are trying to do in the house of God goal so he said prayer is a Chad and it was also a dedication Travis I would like to suggest that this prayer isn't even about him asking for a blessing at all on himself but rather on the temple service and the things the restoration because Lord I've been faithful to you answer my prayer that this that this will continue you know that that the things I've done set in place that they will work so I'm reading four times in his letter that he says remember me three times in Chapter thirteen remember me oh my god concerning this also remember me oh my god for good and I'm a little uncomfortable with it I am and that just tells me again that God uses imperfect people you know it's like telling the king of Persia you know remember me when you're doing the distributions I'd like to read it all as totally wonderful and you know do a writer careful description of why this is what Jesus would have said but but I I kind of him you know chalk this up Lord remember me so I may be wrong but I do know from reading the scripture Peter is a great example that God called an imperfect person to help lead his church that's true and Nehemiah I would dare say was not perfect either and I'm just wondering why three times in one chapter was saying remember me God we definitely know he was imperfect one thing though that he did well was restore and with some of the reforms and so I'd like to ask Stephanie if you could read for us Nehemiah chapter 13 verse 15 and 16 we have more problems more backsliding that's gone on and so let's see what this backsliding is now here and I'll be reading from the King James Version in those days saw I and Judah some treading wine presses on the Sabbath and bringing in sheaves and lattices as also wine grapes and figs and all manner of burdens which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victual 's there dwelt men of Tyre also there in which brought fish and all manner of where and sold on the Sabbath unto the children of Judah in Jerusalem all right so what's going on here Gladys yes the same thing that they promised before that they will keep the Sabbath at they would not buy on the Sabbath that's the same thing that they are doing people are actually pressing the wine and they were bringing loads and selling there in Jerusalem in the whole city on Sabbath yes Kenneth I'm beginning to see that perhaps because they've been in captivity after they came back they need a lot of instruction to be in accordance with God and probably something that I would have suggested for name air to do was to read the law the book of the law to them so that they will know the ways of God because now it's like from one thing they do this and then he takes action but probably if there has been some time for him to instruct them just like all the kids did after they found the work of the Lord instead of the people then the people started filming the reforms but now it's like they do this and then the group over ball and then he respond to it so that's what I'm sensing from the scripture reading well if we know one thing about Nehemiah he is going to respond something do something so Kenneth can you read for us Nehemiah chapter 13 verses 17 through 22 and let's see here how does Nehemiah deal with this issue I'll be reading from the New King James Version Nehemiah 13 17 to 22 then I contended with the nobles of Judah and said to them what evil thing is this that you do by which you profane the Sabbath day did not your father dude us and they're not our God will order disaster on us and on this city yet you bring added wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath so it was at the gates of Jerusalem as it began to the dark before the Sabbath that I commanded the gates to be shut and child that they must not be open to after the Sabbath then I posted some of my sevens at the gate so that no burden will be brought in on the Sabbath day now the mentions and sellers of all kinds of ways Lord outside Jerusalem once or twice then I want them and said to them why do you spend the night around the wall if you do so again I will lay hands on you from that time on they came no more on the Sabbath and I commanded the liver is that they should cleanse themselves that they should go and guard the gates to sanctify the Sabbath day remember me Oh God concerning this also and spare me according to the greatness of your mission all right so there is a lot there yes Jonathan have people outside the church making sure everyone's keeping the law and Sabbath just right mmm shutting the door or if they I don't know you know it brings up lots of questions okay how do we what what is the principle and and what are the right ways it brings up lots of questions Stephanie what are your thoughts as you read this and as you see the situation unfolding I was just thinking if if I had been one of those people that was at the door on Sabbath and he talked to me like that I wouldn't have come back either just being honest about it but you know I think like Jonathan's saying there is a balance right but apparently he needed to make a very clear reform to let them know this is not acceptable and actually in in Nehemiah earlier Nehemiah Ezra did speak to them from the law and they did understand the Word of God so Derek I'm so thankful that Jesus came because even though there's this strict enforcement which they've obviously slipped away from remembering the Sabbath and not doing their their will or their work on this holy day the Sabbath was meant to be a blessing not just the time to not do things and so you see Jesus coming and you know he's not saying if you do that I'm gonna lay hands on you that's what name I said right Jesus saying folks you need to understand the Sabbath was made for you for man not man for the Sabbath by the way it's good to do good on the Sabbath so so he's restoring the beauty and I'm just so glad he came and again I I know that that God used Nehemiah and we do need to guard what we do on the Sabbath but we also need to say okay that's what we shouldn't do what should we do mm-hmm yeah so as we focus on our relationship with God who loves us and is set aside this special time so Jesus really comes I guess you would say as a radical reformer reformer yeah - and a restorer yes what God really intended yes and you quoted there mark - 27 and 28 about the Sabbath being made for man giving us some practical principles to help us understand the purpose of the Sabbath even if men well intentioned or otherwise nehemiah may have had a little bit not quite fully divine you could say in some ways understanding yes Jonathan I guess I feel like I'm torn because I'm one hand I'm like man that's really tough but is it fair do we go too far if we look at somebody and say oh because their actions seemed too strong for us that they're not christ-like or they're not following God I mean it was Christ who gave we were we had it on here like some of the stone this person if they cook over a fire I mean like this so Christ Himself gave to Moses some very strong things including on the Sabbath so it seems like there is a place for strong boundary making now it should be very cautious about that and it just I think on both sides there's there's there's caution that we should be made about judging Travis you want to try to help us yeah I think we're being a little hard on me Amaya he's not he's not the the sanhedrin or the the Jewish leaders in Jesus day condemning everybody the Jews understood very clearly at deuteronomy the sabbath commandment to keep the sabbath because i am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt out of bondage it was a memorial that God has freed us from slavery and he was just now doing the exact same thing again bringing them out of Babylon out of bondage and I think he's just like pleading like this is a memorial for us to remember that God has just redeemed us he took us out of Babylon he's he's restored the temple he's he's restored Jerusalem like please you know this is how I picture it Nicole I'm not gonna be mean to me in my earth what I do want to say though is that I think that we can fall in the same trap of believing that we are doing what's best for what we see around us and not really being led by the spirit so I'm just one of those be cautious that we are seeking the Lord whenever we want to talk about some what someone's doing that we don't think is right because that's where it comes from a spirit of love and whether or not this came from spirit of love I don't know because I wasn't there reading the words it seems kind of harsh but if it comes from a spirit of love and God is leading him in this direction then we have nothing to say about what did or did not happen and we just have to trust that God is working and whether he's working through Nehemiah's imperfections or Nehemiah's strong zeal guided by the Holy Spirit either way God is still working and God is still moving I want to look very quickly at one little story from the life of Jesus Jonathan if you could read for us mark chapter 3 verses 1 through 6 I just want to look real quickly here at this little story and how it may give us some lessons for the way to deal with the Sabbath and how Jesus dealt with the Sabbath mark chapter 3 verses 1 through 6 oh right I will be reading from the New International Version another time Jesus went into the synagogue in a man with a shriveled hand was there some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand stand up in front of everyone then Jesus asked them which is lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil to save life or to kill but they remained silent he looked around at them in anger and deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts said to the man stretch out your hand he stretched it out and his hand was completely restored then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the her own Ian's how they might kill Jesus all right so what's very quickly what are some principles we see here about how Jesus dealt with the issue of the Sabbath yes Kenneth the first principle is that he makes sure he plays how God want men to relate to each other and to him on the Sabbath day yes definitely did good on the Sabbath hmm you're good on the Sabbath Jason it's about life you know preserving life rather than killing it's about preserving life rather than killing I just think that Jesus knew that they would react in a very hostile way but the truth about the character of God the Sabbath was a time of healing and blessing was more important than the hostility of his enemies and they just had to tell the truth about God amen and I want to challenge you maybe you've made some choices in life maybe you've backslidden as we've referenced here whether it's in keeping Sabbath or giving tithe and offerings whatever you've done I want to challenge you that maybe as you read through this story ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and hask him to show you how you can return to God's love we've read here about his unfailing immeasurable love and just let God change you and return you restore you back to how he created us to be amen thanks so much well we've all been challenged you know the truth of the matter is it's easy to look at other people but we've all slipped away in some ways and but instead of seeing God chasing after us to see him reaching out and love the draws to himself that is a picture that can change your height let's pray a Father in Heaven thank you so much for the truth revealed in the life of Jesus sometimes we see we see truth in the Old Testament but but we don't see a full revelation of your character I'm so thankful that Jesus came to to be the full revelation of your character Jesus said if you've seen me you've seen the father and Lord God wherever we've slipped away as Jason has said may we hear your loving call to come back into a life transforming relationship with you we thank you that you you're longing and waiting and we thank you that you will welcome us in the name of Jesus amen if you've been blessed today as we've studied the Word of God we'd love to hear from you write to us at SS hope at hope TV org we're all on a journey aren't we and it's a journey towards a God who loves us with an immeasurable and unfailing love go out and share that good news with those around you [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Channel: HopeSabbathSchool

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Length: 58min 27sec (3507 seconds)

Published: Thu Dec 12 2019