| Introduction At camp, around the campfire, we sing a song that goes like this, "Our God is an awesome God. He reigns from heaven above with wisdom, power, and love." As we read this chapter, we realize that God opened the eyes of his people to see how awesome he is. They saw his holiness, his majesty, and his glory. Above all, they saw the goodness of their God. As they looked at how good God was and how they acted toward him, they are driven to repentance. Nehemiah 9 is an illustration of Romans 2:4. Rom. 2:4– Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? As the people of God spent time thinking and contemplating the goodness of God, their sin became very evident to them. That led them to repentance and confession. They confessed the greatness of God and the heinousness of their sin. They acknowledged the gap that separates the sinner from God, and they also acknowledged God's forgiveness of the repentant sinner. I. They Confessed the Greatness of God. A. They confessed God as the Creator and Sustainer of all things and because of that he is worthy of worship. 6. B. They also confessed that God was a personal God who, not only created and preserves all things from heaven above, but also condescended to his people by way of covenant, 7-8. 1. The God who created and personally condescended by way of covenant does not leave his people in bondage. 2. He delivers them by the power of his hand, 9-12. C. They confessed that that the God who redeems doesn't leave his people to figure things out on their own. 1. He gives them his law, 13-14. 2. The laws that will prepare them for the coming of Christ. Gal. 3:24– Therefore the law was our tutor to bring usto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. D.They confessed that the God who gives his law for the good of his people also provides for their physical needs, 15. 1. Of all the things God provided for them, they pick these two: water and bread. 2. These are the most basic needs without which their very existence is threatened. 3. They realized that their very existence depended on God (just likes us – give us this day our daily bread). 4. These two elements, bread and water, are also especially chosen for remembrance because God would also provide the ultimate Bread and Water: the Lord Jesus Christ himself who satisfies any hunger and quenches any thirst. Jn. 6:35– I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. Rev. 21:6– I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. E. They confess that despite all the goodness, mercy, compassion, and deliverance from the Lord, they rebelled against the Lord, 16-17a, 18. 1. Rebellion is always contrary to fact. 2. One never rebels BECAUSE of what God has done. 3. It is always in spite of what God has done. F. They confess that even in their rebellion God remained faithful to them, 17b, 19-21. 1. Isn't that how God deals with us too? 2. We sin against him and he continues to give us breath and leads us to repentance. G.They confess that any victory they had in the Promise Land was God working through them, 22-25. H.They confess that despite the goodness of God, they turned their backs on him, and God turned them over to their enemies in order to bring them to repentance, 26-27 (this is likely the time of the judges). Heb. 12:5-11– And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: "My son, do not despise thechastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; forwhom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives." If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us,and we paid themrespect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened usas seemed bestto them, but He for ourprofit, that wemay be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. I. They confess that their entire history was marked by their rebellion and the Lord's faithfulness and mercy toward them, 28-31. A. Because of all these truths that they confessed about God and themselves, they now turn to God and ask him for one more deliverance: final deliverance from the Babylonian captivity, 32-38. 1. They are back in Jerusalem, but they are subjects of the king of Persia, 36-37. 2. They know they deserve to be captives, 33-35. B. So, they don't try to barter with God; they simply throw themselves at the mercy of God, 32. III. Ourselves in Our Ancient Brothers A. In all honesty, the experience of our ancient brethren is also our experience. 1. Through Jesus Christ, God has made even more clear to us the truths of 17b, 31, 32. 2. The cross of Jesus displays our rebellion for the world to see. 3. For the believer, every sin we commit is an act of rebellion against the God who has made abundantly clear that he loves us by giving us his Son. B. If we deal in honesty with our sins like the brethren of Neh. 9 did, our eyes will be open to the mercy of God in Jesus Christ. 1. There is really no better way to be overwhelmed by the goodness and love than by honestly looking at our sin through the cross of Christ. 2. Jesus says that those who are forgiven much will love much. 3. Brothers and sisters, we have been forgiven much! 1 Jn. 1:9– If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us oursins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Ps. 103:12– As far as the east is from the west, sofar has He removed our transgressions from us. 2 Cor. 5:21– For He made Him who knew no sin to besin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. IV. There Is Great Fruit That Comes from Confession like We See in Neh. 9. 1. There is no way that one can take an honest look at his/her own sin through the cross in the light of the greatness and holiness of God without being thoroughly humiliated – "be merciful to me a sinner." 2. This humility will benefit our horizontal relationships because we will deal with other as fellow receivers of the undeserved grace of God instead of dealing from a position of superiority. 3. You can see how that would be a blessing for the husband/wife relationship, parent/child and any relationship in the Body of Christ. B. Freedom from the bondage of sin. 1. We realize that Jesus took the guilt of our sins upon him and gave us a Spirit of liberty. 2. This is essential for our growth in Christ, especially if a person is struggling with a life-dominating sin like an addiction. a. A Christian who is struggling with an addiction has usually bought the lie that he can't help but submit to the thing he is addicted to. b. Yet, Christ says that the truth has set us free and that we are free indeed. c. When we confess who God is, what our sins are, and what the cross means, we are freed to lay our sins aside. 1 Pt. 5:6-7– Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1. Throughout this prayer of confession, they kept acknowledging that God was the one bringing them back to himself. 2. Daily confession of sin will cause us to live our lives grounded on what God has done for us through the cross of Jesus Christ. Gal. 6:14– But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
Notice that, ultimately, their prayer is that God would deliver them, 32b, 36-37. God answered their prayers in a way they couldn't even have imagined. He sent his Son, born of a woman, to redeem them, not just from the king of Persian, but from their sins, and to adopt them as sons and daughters of God most high.
http://olympiabp.blogspot.com/2018/09/confession-of-sin-nehemiah-9.html
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