Sunday Setup – Nehemiah 5

Hey, cross church. Welcome to the Sunday setup. This weekend we are diving back into our series jumping into the book of Nehemiah and we're picking up in Nehemiah chapter 5. And as we've been going through this story as they have begun to work on the construction and build the wall as they're increasing in this project, uh they faced external opposition. And in our passage this weekend, the opposition turns internal. And we pick up in Nehemiah chapter 5 starting in verse one. It reads this. There was a widespread outcry from the people and their wives against their Jewish countrymen. Some were saying, "We our sons and our daughters are numerous. Let us get grain so that we can eat and live." Others were saying, "We are mortgaging our fields, vineyards, and homes to get grain during the famine." Still others were saying, "We have borrowed money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards." We and our children are just like our countrymen and their children. Yet we are subjecting our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters are already enslaved, but we are powerless because our fields and vineyards belong to others. Nehemiah speaking says, "I became extremely angry when I heard their outcry and I heard these complaints. After seriously considering the matter, I accused the nobles and officials saying to them, each of you is charging his countrymen interest." So I called a large assembly against them and I said, "We have done our best to buy back our Jewish countrymen who are sold to foreigners, but now you sell your own countrymen and we have to buy them back." They remained silent and could not say a word. Then I said, "What you are doing isn't right. Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God and not invite the reproach of our foreign enemies? Even I, as well as my brothers and my servants, have been lending them money and grain. Please, let's stop charging this interest. Return their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses to them immediately along with the percentage of the money, grain, new wine, and fresh oil that you have been assessing them. They responded, "We will return these things, and we will require nothing more from them. We will do as you say." So I summoned the priests and made everyone take an oath to do this. Also shook the folds of my robes and said, "May God likewise shake from his house and property everyone who doesn't keep his promise. May he be shaken out and have nothing. The whole assembly said, "Amen." And they praised the Lord. And then people did as they had promised. Furthermore, from the day King Art Xerxes appointed me to be governor in their land from the 30th year until his 32nd year, 12 years, I and my associates never ate from the food allotted to the governor. The governors who preceded me and heavily burdened the people, taking them from them food and wine as well as a pound of silver. The subordinates also oppressed the people. But because of the fear of God, I didn't do this. Instead, I devoted myself to the construction of this wall, and all my subordinates were gathered there for the work. We didn't buy any land. There were 150 Jews and officials, as well as guests from the surrounding nations at my table. Each day, one ox, six sheep, and a some foul were prepared for me. An abundance of all kinds of wine was provided every 10 days. But I didn't demand the food allotted to the governor because the burden on the people was so heavy. Remember me favorably, my God, for all that I have done for this people. In this section, Nehemiah is continuing on the story and he's telling this narrative kind of from the first person. And as he's walking through the the opposition that they faced, we see what the people were up against, but we also see the mindset that Nehemiah approached us with. And constantly a few of the words that come out here, he it says they praised him as he kind of called them to this standard that God had. It says he became angry when he heard their outcry. It says he lived in a way because of the fear of God. And in verse 15, everything he did, the way he chose to go about his life, the way he chose to respond to those taking advantage of people was because of the fear of God. And I think that's where we need to start our prayer prompt is God, we fear you because God, we fear you because because you are holy, because you are great, because you are eternal, because you are a creator. God, we fear you because. Pray those prayers to our God. Heat. Heat. God, we fear you because you are all powerful. We fear you because we revere you. Because we hold you in esteem that nothing else in our world, our universe compares to God. We fear you because you are a one and only. You are in your own class. You are above everything else. And God, because we fear you, Lord, we are called to live differently. And in this passage, we see how Nehemiah calls people to live differently, but he lives differently himself. In verse 19 as he wraps this up, he says,"Remember me favorably, my God." And and just think about this prayer is he says, "For all that I've done, I want God to remember these deeds that I do, not to earn my way into heaven, but because he understands the holiness of God, he's lived in accordance to that and wants God to remember how faithful he's been." And and think of if we do we live in a way that God should remember it and remember it favorably. as our second prayer prompt as we think about the ways we should fear God is in the second half reflecting on God remember me favorably for and these are the things we should do God remember me favorably for sharing my faith God remember me favorably for how I raised my children God remember me favorably by how I am a spouse to my significant other God remember me favorably favorably for pray those prayers to our God. Heat. Heat. God, remember me favorably for how I was faithful to the opportunities to the path that you put in front of me. God, you have called us to do some sort of work in our life. how we serve our church, how we serve our community, God, how we serve our family, how we serve those around us in our sphere of influence. And God, my prayer is that we do so in a way that honors you, that lives in fear of your reverence and holiness, but God, that ultimately will be remembered favorably by you in the course of eternity. And God, I just thank you for our church family. I just thank you that as we gather in this new year, as we are fired up for what you have in 2026, God, that we just have this call to think of who you are and to live in accordance to it and let us live lives that can be remembered favorably by you. God, we thank you for this time. We ask that you prepare our hearts uh for this weekend and that you walk with us as we go throughout this week. And we lift all this up in the holy and the saving in the amazing name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Thank you for joining us today. We will see you this Sunday to kick off the new year. Heat. Heat.