Well, I do indeed trust that you have come hungry this morning for the feast of the Word of God that is going to be laid before us. Please open up your copy of the scriptures to Nehemiah chapter 13. Nehemiah chapter 13. Now, as you're turning there, There are a few things that we must remember, and one I think that is most obvious that came to us through Pastor Andrew's sermon last week, and even what we'll see today, is the absolute necessity of godly leadership. That is to say, when leadership is absent, disarray ensues, chaos, compromise, and complacency now has gripped and overtaken the old covenant people of God here. And now Nehemiah's return It reveals and opens up a true spiritual decline that has happened in the community in his absence, but also the need for constant reformation according to the Word of God. Now, this chapter has been titled, Nehemiah's Reforms, but I think it's best to understand it as the reforming hand of God. In our day and age, the natural tendency of even spiritual institutions, churches, is to deform instead of reform. Nothing has changed since Nehemiah's day. Many abandoned biblical authority instead of preferring cultural trends over the Word of God. They reshape or even reject theology to fit modern ideologies. They reject doctrinal clarity in favor of feel-good messages that avoid convicting truths from the Word of God. We see this probably most evident to us in our day and age with this distortion of biblical leaderships and roles in the professing church. Feminizing the pulpit, ignoring clear biblical teachings on male eldership, The fundamental problem is that these individuals have not taken God at His Word and are not seeking to follow it, no matter what it costs them. All people will go in one of two ways, either deforming or reforming according to the Word of God. The Church of Christ is called to embrace this principle which we call Semper Reformanda, which means always reforming according to the Word of God. Reformation is really like house cleaning. If you don't keep up with it, things will start to stink very clearly. The Scriptures are the lenses also by which we must see all things. We're not reforming according to our new standards or what we feel is the best spirit of the age of the day, but we reform according to the Word of God. And the Word of God is a lens by which we see all things. The way that we interpret reality. The way that we faithfully obey God instead of man. Now last week we saw much on compromise and today we're going to continue that theme. But there are two areas, two major areas set before us in this passage that required reformation. It is first Sabbath observance and second marriage purity. And interestingly enough, these are two creation ordinances given by God to all men in all places and in all times. Our proposition today is this. The people of God must continually reform their lives according to His Word. No exceptions and no excuses. Let's begin now in verse 15. I want us to examine, firstly, the Sabbath reforms. Verse 15, In those days I saw people in Judah treading wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and loading donkeys with wines, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them about the day on which they were selling provisions. Men of Tyre dwelt there also, who brought in fish and all kinds of goods, and sold them on the Sabbath to the children of Judah and in Jerusalem. 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 fathers do thus? And did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Yet you bring added wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath. Verse 19, "'So it was, at the gates of Jerusalem, as it began to be dark before the Sabbath, that I commanded the gates to be shut and charged that they must not be opened till after the Sabbath. Then I posted some of my servants at the gates, so that no burdens would be brought in on the Sabbath day. Now the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice, Then I warned 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 Levites that they should cleanse themselves and that they should go and guard the gates to sanctify the Sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of your mercy. First notice the situation around verses 15 and 16, these violations of the Sabbath that are taking place. Verse 15 and 16 give us and describe this situation that was at hand. Look there again. In those days I saw people in Judah treading wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and loading donkeys with wine, grapes, fig, and all kinds of burdens which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them about the day on which they were selling provisions. Men of Tyre dwelt there also, who brought in fish and all kinds of goods, and sold them on the Sabbath to the children of Judah in Jerusalem." Now what's taking place here is that the people were busy, very busy people, but even busy laboring on the Sabbath day. They treaded out these wine presses, they carried loads, they sold goods on the Sabbath. They were also buying fish and all kinds of goods from the men of Tyre. They were being enticed into compromise. Compromise on this day which belongs to the Lord. That day which has been set apart since God created the world. The Sabbath was not being honored. It was being profaned by this commerce and personal gain. Let's turn to Exodus chapter 20 really briefly. Here the Sabbath command is reiterated, but we know the Sabbath command goes back to creation. It was given at creation by God Himself. given to Adam, and it continued to be upheld, and then significant clarity is now given to us in a passage like Exodus 20 at Sinai in the fourth commandment. Exodus chapter 20, there in verse 8. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. Notice for the people of God here in Nehemiah's day, this was no new commandment. It was not like they haven't heard about these things before. But I also want you to notice in Exodus 20, notice the creation connection. That connection to creation. God himself setting that pattern of laboring for six days and then resting one day. But what happens? Well, the people of God naturally deformed. Over the course of time, these Old Covenant people had deformed in this area. The command fell to the wayside. It was no longer important to them. God's Word and His Law were overlooked. The parents were not teaching their children how to honor and set apart the Sabbath day. And the people became very negligent in guarding their hearts and guarding that day which belonged to God. What happened was that they saw it as just another day. Another opportunity for me to gain. The pagan nations around them had influenced them, even so much so they came to their gates to sell things to them. And it was another day designed for them, they saw, as just another day for commerce. Another day for carrying my burdens. It was the get-ahead mentality. I cannot afford to rest. I must work. I need to climb that ladder. But at the heart of this is a lack of trust in God that He will provide. Do we think ourselves to be wiser than God? They neglected this one and seventh cadence, which God had established ever since the creation for man, six days for labor and one for rest and worship of our great God. Listen to Matthew Henry remarking on this passage. He says, where holy time is overlooked and made nothing of, it is not strange if all holy duties be neglected. This is a situation regarding the Sabbath. Let's go back now to Nehemiah 13 and notice 2nd, Nehemiah's rebuke and his not so gentle reminder. Verses 17 and 18. Nehemiah says, 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 fathers do thus? And did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Yet you bring added wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath. Notice that Nehemiah contends with these nobles. Nehemiah didn't come to him, well, if you just want to think about it, no pressure. You may have potentially violated the Sabbath. No, he contends with them. Contending in the Hebrew means to strive, to plead against, and to even quarrel with and conduct a case against. Exodus 17 is where this word is used, another place in Scripture. 17.1, it says, Then all the congregation, the children of Israel, set out on their journey from the wilderness of sin, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped in Rephidim. But there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore the people contended with Moses and said, Give us water that we may drink. So Moses said to them, Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the Lord? While this is a negative, sinful example in Exodus 17, Nehemiah provides to us a holy, positive example of contending. Nehemiah confronts very boldly. He rebukes. He tells them, this is great evil that you're doing. It is morally wrong and it's a sin against Almighty God to profane His most holy Sabbath day. Now let's go together to Jeremiah chapter 17. Not only does he confront them, But he also calls to mind, do you not remember what happened to your forefathers? And it's interesting how he calls them their forefathers, but then he, just a few verses later, a few moments later, says it's our God. He is disconnecting from them with their following in the profanation of the Sabbath day. Jeremiah 17. Nehemiah reminds them of the past, God's judgment on their forefathers for Sabbath breaking. Look in verse 21, Jeremiah 17, 21. Thus says the Lord. Take heed to yourselves and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem, nor carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, nor do any work, but hallow the Sabbath day as I commanded your fathers. but they did not obey, nor incline their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear nor receive instruction. And it shall be, if you heed me carefully, says the Lord, to bring no burden through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but hallow the Sabbath day, to do no work in it, Then shall enter the gates of the city kings and princes, sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes accompanied by men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And this city shall remain forever, and they shall come from the cities of Judah and from the places around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin and from the lowland, from the mountains and from the south, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, bringing sacrifices of praise to the house of the Lord. But if you will not heed Me to hallow the Sabbath day, such as not carrying a burden when entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched." Now the warning is very clear. Continued profanation brings God's wrath. To presume upon God angers Him. And he is greatly displeased with that rebellious heart and nature that men who claim to be the people of God have. Men strive continually against God. The natural man strives continually against God. They live their lives in unrepentant sin. And the Lord is angry at such people like that, unless they turn from their sins and exercise faith in Christ. And if they do not turn from their sins, God's wrath will be poured out on them for all of eternity. But yes, even as our passage teaches us, it angers the Lord to violate and profane the Sabbath day. But from this, what I want us to understand and take serious, that rebellion kindles God's wrath. Romans 1.18 tells us, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Listen to Nahum 1, verses 2 and 3. God is jealous and the Lord avenges. The Lord avenges and is furious. The Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries and He reserves wrath for His enemies. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power and will not at all acquit the wicked. how sad it is in our day and age that we don't hear much about the anger of God, His wrath, His jealousy for the preservation of His holy name. The Lord contends with sinful men. But dear friends, what we must know today is that yes, God is very angry at unrepentant sinners, but He takes glorious delight in all who forsake their sin and come to Him by means of Jesus Christ. Listen now to Micah 7, verse 18, who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of his heritage. He does not retain his anger forever because he delights in mercy. And then the prophet Isaiah in chapter 55, verse 7, let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to the Lord and he will have mercy on him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon. Now you see the difference between the wicked man, the unrepentant man, the natural man, and the man who is a Christian who is righteous, the difference between those two is repentance. The wicked are obstinate in their ways, they refuse to amend them, but the righteous cling to Christ. and are set ever in changing their ways and being conformed by the Word of God. Repentance, indeed, is the difference. Repentance is the mark of those who are not under the wrath of God. Immediate change and new endeavors to follow the Lord and His Word no matter what it costs them. Thus, Nehemiah leads the people into these practical steps of repentance. Show yourself to be truly the people of God, he says, by offering genuine repentance and turning from your sin. Let's go back to Nehemiah 13, verses 19 through 21. Look thirdly, Nehemiah's practical measures for reform and repentance. So it was at the gates of Jerusalem, as it began to be dark before the Sabbath, that I commanded the gates to be shut, and charged that they must not be opened till after the Sabbath. Then I posted some of my servants at the gates, so that no burdens would be brought in on the Sabbath day." Now here in order, to preserve the purity of the Sabbath. Notice what Nehemiah does. He commands that the gates be slammed shut and not opened until after the Sabbath is passed. Nehemiah posted guards at the gates so that not a single burden would be able to pass through. A burden here is being a weight or a load that someone carries. It was a physical burden that they carried within the gates, whatever it may be. But we must understand it also is a spiritual burden. The weight of disobedience now clinging to their shoulders. This reminds me of Christian. in the pilgrim's progress, who carried a crushing load of sin, guilt, and judgment, a burden that he could not bear. Here these merchants carry a similar burden, that burden of disobedience to God's law, which brought his wrath and their guilt. Now a Christian, if you recall, he had his burden removed when he clinged to the cross of Christ, and he set forth now a life of new obedience, following the Lord. Just as Christian groaned under the crushing weight of his burden, these merchants and buyers were also weighed down by their disregard for the Sabbath. They may have thought that they were only carrying goods to sell, but in reality they were carrying upon their own shoulders rebellion of God's most holy day. A burden far heavier than any sack of grain or basket of food. Nehemiah then slams the gates shut, ensuring that no burden can enter into Jerusalem. And we must likewise slam the gate shut of our heart to sinful distractions and anything that would cause us to profane the name of the Lord. Now back in Pilgrim's Progress, what happens? Well, Christian's burden falls from his back when he reaches the cross and he sees the beauties and the glories of Jesus Christ. And then he is freed by faith to now walk in righteousness. Now while this Sabbath observance does not speak to our justification, Still yet, we must find that release of our burdens when we honor the Lord in His most holy day. We must lay aside any and every burden of sin and self-reliance and find joy in obedience to our great God. And it makes no difference whether it's the Sabbath command or another. But the lesson is very clear in what I want us to take from this. True repentance takes steps and practical measures in one's life to ensure that sin does not find a stronghold or a way into our lives. We must likewise slam shut the gates, not only towards temptations of the Sabbath, but every temptation that comes our way. We must firmly deny any sin whatsoever entry into our hearts. We must strive with our temptations that we would not give in. We merely must contend with our own sin. Repentance is not just about saying we're sorry. It's not even just about making confession either. Repentance is turning completely in the opposite direction. It's putting to death the root of sin in their lives and turning unto God, endeavoring after new obedience according to His Word. That's what true repentance is. But as we'll see, God's enemies do not give up so easily, do they? Let's continue, verse 20. Verse 20, Now the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice. Then I warned 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. Now, I'm sure you can imagine the scene here. It may at first seem a bit comical to us, but we have to understand the seriousness of sin. Nehemiah is furious, and rightfully so. He threatens them that if they do not leave, harm will come their way. Now if we remember in the Old Covenant, Sabbath breaking was punished by the civil magistrate. It was enforced by the theocratic nation of Israel. One example in Exodus 35. It says, Now, of course, in the New Testament, this New Testament age in which we live and stand, we do not live in a theocracy and Sabbath breaking is not punished by the civil magistrate. But the point is, it is very serious to profane and break the Sabbath day and doing everything possible right here, to go against the law of God. I think in our day and age, we've lost really the sting and seriousness of sin. It's a light thing. We live in a very licentious age where it's not a big deal. God will forgive me. I can do this. But we must realize the seriousness it is, that sin is. Look now in verse 22. We also see in read of the priestly responsibility in endeavoring after this new obedience. And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves and that they should go and guard the gates to sanctify the Sabbath day. The Levites here were commanded likewise to purify themselves. and guard the gates, right? They'd previously been ceremonial unclean. They had to cleanse themselves now in order to make sure that they could serve faithfully in the temple of our God. But their role here was to lead the people in Sabbath keeping, to lead the people in the sanctification of the Sabbath. The people of God needed leadership. Listen to Derek Thomas here. He says, we may argue that under the New Covenant, the Sabbath is no longer enforceable as a civil code, as it evidently was under the Old Covenant. Nevertheless, he says, we do have an obligation to observe the Sabbath on an ecclesiastical level. That is the Church. At the very least, it is in the interest of the church for the state to protect her ability to do so. Why Christians should place themselves at the forefront of those showing disregard for the principle of one day and seven seems foolish and irresponsible. His point being this, the civil government, yes, they don't show us how to keep and don't enforce the Sabbath keeping any day and age, but the church still must remember that the Sabbath is for the people of God, that principle of one and seven. And so we must likewise continue, with God's help, to sanctify the Sabbath day. So let me ask you this morning, as you're considering this text, it may be easy to look back and think how foolish the Israelites were, but we need to understand that we're oftentimes right there with them in our disobedience to God. So I ask this morning, where do you, my brother or sister, need to reform more according to the Word of God in your observance of the Lord's Day? Are you carrying unlawful burdens that we see here? Are you constantly buying and selling without necessity? Are you sanctifying the entirety of the Lord's day? Let me ask you this way, are your gates wide open allowing anything and everything to make their way through into your life? The people of God must take seriously the commandments of God. We are not nine commandment Christians either, right? There should be no such thing as that. Will there be opposition? Yes. From Satan and our spiritual enemies? Will there be temptations? You better believe it. Even from professing Christians. But we trust the Lord, we take Him at His word, and we ask His Spirit to help us obey from the heart. And notice Nehemiah's posture afterward. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according. to the greatness of Your mercy." A repeated prayer from verse 14. Nehemiah repeats this prayer, asking for God's mercy and His favor to be shown to him. Matthew Henry helps, and I'm summarizing here. He says, Nehemiah's prayer in verse 22 reflects his deep humility and dependence on God's mercy. He petitions, remember me, much like the thief on the cross, acknowledging that God's recognition is enough. He also pleads, spare me, showing that he does not presume to merit reward, but instead relies on God's mercy, much like Jeremiah's prayers for God's restraint in judgment. Even the most faithful saints require God's sparing mercy because no one is sinless. Nehemiah's plea is rooted not in his own righteousness, but in the greatness of God's mercy, demonstrating that our only hope and our ultimate hope rests not in our works, but in God's abundant grace. True spiritual reform requires both godly leadership and practical obedience. Willing hearts to follow the Word of God. And really, in fact, a love for the Word of God must be present within us. Humility to sit under it and allow it to correct us, to rebuke us, to exhort us, and to not bristle at the first sign in our hearts that we're not obeying the law of God. Also, what's necessary for true reform is a sincere desire to turn from sin. Not to tolerate it, not to compromise in it, not to give in just a little bit, because I'm not as bad as everyone else, but a sincere desire to turn from any and all sin. and that continual posture of submission to God. We must always be reforming according to the Word of God. And I hope you understand I'm not just speaking about Sabbath observance. Every area of the Christian life must be given to reforming according to His Word. We cannot compromise in anything. We must be a holy people that's set apart and different from the rest of this world. The pagans must see how we uphold the law of God. how we treat His day, how we honor and revere Him. But not only as it relates to the Sabbath, we must be also marked and set apart in that way, but secondly, we must consider these marriage reforms now brought by Nehemiah. Let's continue. Secondly, the marriage reform. So we're going to continue this theme of reforming according to the Word of God. First we saw in Sabbath keeping, but now let's see in the purity or preserving purity in our marriages. Verse 23 and 24 give us the problem of what's happening in Nehemiah's day. It's a problem of mixed marriages. Let me read it for you. Now what's the problem here? Well, the problem that Nehemiah faced was that the Israelites had begun marrying pagan women. The fruit of this was pagan intermarriage. The fruit of their compromise was pagan intermarriage. And that the children now were losing the Hebrew language. That's to say they were assimilating into the pagan culture. They no longer had access to the Word of God that was written in Hebrew. The danger was that the people were compromising their identity as God's people. They're compromising their exclusive worship of God and their ability to pass on the faith to the next generation. We must understand that marriage is not a mission field. If you yoke yourself to an unbeliever, expect to plow continually in circles. Something was terribly wrong, Nehemiah says, and something must be done. Look now in verse 25. So I contended with them and cursed them, struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, You shall not give your daughters as wives to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons or yourselves. Notice again, Nehemiah again contends with them. The same word used in verse 17 that we've already discussed. He confronts. He rebukes. He tells them, this is evil what you're doing. It is morally wrong and a sin against Almighty God to profane marriage in this way. He strikes them, okay, as serious offenses in the Old Covenant warranted physical punishment. Look with me in Deuteronomy 25 very quickly. Deuteronomy chapter 25. Deuteronomy chapter 25 there in verse 2 says, Then it shall be, if the wicked man deserves to be beaten, that the judge will cause him to lie down and be beaten in his presence according to his guilt, with a certain number of blows, forty blows he may give him, and no more, lest he should exceed this and beat him with many blows above these. And your brother be humiliated in your sight. What else did Nehemiah do? Well, he also plucked out their hair. Nehemiah didn't hold hands with compromise. He shows us here, he pulls out even hair, right? Showing us that some of us really need a great wake-up call. And kids, here's a great illustration for you. Maybe perhaps one time in your life you've had a bad haircut. Perhaps mom or dad took you to the barber and you ended up looking way different than you wanted to or expected to. Imagine though, if instead of using scissors, the barber just yanked at your hair one by one, pulled it out every last bit. That would definitely get your attention, right? Well, that's kind of what Nehemiah does here. He was so serious about stopping the sin of the people of God. He doesn't just say, hey guys, don't do that. No, he wanted to shake them awake. He was like a barber with no scissors, making sure they understood how serious their sin really was. Brothers and sisters, sometimes we need really strong reminders to take sin seriously, because sin is no small thing in God's eyes. This should also remind us, if we know our Bibles, of a passage like 2 Samuel chapter 10, where Hanun humiliated David's servants by shaving off half of their beards, which was an act of deep dishonor in the ancient world. Nehemiah, however, used this physical reprimand to show the seriousness of their sin, emphasizing that their compromise with pagan wives was an offense to God, and that they must repent immediately. And notice what he does next, returning back to Nehemiah 13, and finally he makes them swear an oath, to take an oath unto God, to not continue this practice any longer. Now, it's worth noting that Nehemiah doesn't command them to end the sinful marriages that they were already in. We see this, for example, in the book of Ezra, where he commands those marriages to be done for, ended, terminate them. But here, they are to remain as they are, and to not allow any more of these sinful marriages to continue. But why? That's the big question. Why was this such an evil? Why was this such an atrocity? Why was this such a serious offense against God? Unless we misunderstand, this has nothing to do with race per se, but it has to do with idolatry that comes with taking foreign wives and their gods. This is why Nehemiah gives the example of Solomon. Look now in verse 26 and verse 27. Did not Solomon, king of Israel, sin by these things? Yet among many nations there was no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless, pagan women caused him even to sin. Should we then hear of your doing all this great evil, transgressing against our God by marrying pagan women? Now Solomon, who was beloved and blessed by God, One of the most wisest men upon the earth, he fell into sin because of his pagan wives. And what a lesson that is for us. He was the wisest of all men and yet he still fell into sin. Let's go to 1 Kings chapter 11 together. 1 Kings chapter 11, the passage, perhaps one of the passages that Nehemiah is alluding to. for the people of God to consider and remember this terrible example that Solomon set. 1 Kings 11, chapter 11, verse 1. But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites, from the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, you shall not intermarry with them. nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.' Solomon clung to these in love, and he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned away his heart." For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites. Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father David." One of the wisest of all men. ever born under the sun, and yet he still falls into sin. The Lord's anger kindled and burned hot against Solomon for his wickedness, and He tears away the kingdom from him after that. Listen to John Gill. He says, If so great and wise a man was enticed by them to idolatry, much more may you, and therefore it was very dangerous to marry with them. This is Nehemiah's point. If even Solomon could not resist, Neither can you. Sin is like a leak in your roof, right? Leave it alone and it won't be long before the whole house caves in. Nehemiah declares their actions as great evil, a direct transgression against God. And Paul picks this up in 2 Corinthians and tells us what is the real problem in 2 Corinthians 6.14. Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. What part has light with darkness? Nothing. You will never convert them. They will always convert you. Bad company corrupts good morals. Young ones, do not compromise in this area. Do not even consider a relationship with someone who does not worship Christ. Most likely, they will influence and ruin you instead of you influencing them to Christ. It is great evil to marry pagans and to even entertain the idea of a relationship with them. This is what Nehemiah teaches us. Finally, back to verses 28 and 29, we see the further effects of this compromise and complacency with sin, leading us to consider the defilement of the priesthood. And one of the sons of Joadah, the son of Eliashib, the high priest, was a son-in-law of Senballot the Horonite. Therefore I drove him from me. Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites." Now, what's going on here? Well, simply a high priest's grandson had married into the family of Senballot, one of Israel's enemies. Nehemiah then drives him away to demonstrate again no tolerance for spiritual corruption. The house needed to be cleaned. And Nehemiah was here bringing true reformation according to the Word of God. Now we may be tempted to be a bit shocked or uneasy with Nehemiah's response in this passage. We may be tempted even to say, well, that's pretty harsh, right? After all, in our day and age, isn't the 11th commandment that thou shalt be nice? Nehemiah doesn't seem very nice. Not very Christian even, some may say. No, he takes very seriously the commandments of God and the absolute mockery of His name that it is when people claiming the name of Christ blaspheme in sin against the name of our God. Modern discomfort with Nehemiah's strong actions reveals our own moral and spiritual softness. We've been indoctrinated by the culture. Faithfulness to God, not mere niceness, must be the believer's priority. Listen to what J. I. Packer says. He's very helpful. He says, "...what we must bear in mind here, however, is that the conventions and expectations of our smooth, post-Christian, relativistic, secular, immoral, Western culture are not necessarily in line with the truth and wisdom of God." Any embarrassment we might feel at Nehemiah's forthrightness could be a sign of our own spiritual and moral limitations rather than his. Was it a weakness that in Nehemiah's code of conduct, the modern shibboleth, thou shalt be nice, seems to have had no place, while thou shalt be faithful to God and zealous for God was evidently basic to it? Would Moses, David, Jesus, or even Paul have qualified as Mr. Nice Guy? The assumption so common today is that niceness is of the essence of God goodness. That needs to be exploded, he says. Nehemiah should not be criticized for thinking that there are more important things in this life than being nice. Biblical leadership, he continues, is not about being nice. It's about being faithful. Nehemiah wasn't winning any popularity contest, but he was winning battles for the glory of God. We cannot compromise, brothers and sisters. We must be tethered to the Word of God no matter the cost. We must see that the serious nature of our sin and any tolerance of evil is wickedness. And we must give everything for the sake of following Christ and be willing to part with anything that steals our allegiance or our loyalty to God. Winsome, yes. But nice, no matter the cost, no. Faithfulness to God is our supreme priority. So what are we to take from a passage like this as we respond to the Word of God? Well, brothers and sisters, I think this passage clearly teaches us that we must be Reformation seekers in all areas of our lives. The Reformation is not just some cool theology, but it has real and tangible effects and changes our lives. All theology, what we understand and think about God, should lead to how we practice. It should affect the way that we live our lives. Our theology does not just stay in our heads. It never has any effects in the real world or what our hands do. No, but they're directly connected. What we believe about God will reflect in how we live our lives. We must, as the people of God, see our need for ongoing reformation in every area of life. Two things brought to our attention here, the Lord's Day. Our understanding and practice of it. But yes, even our marriages, our relationships, all to the glory of God. Let me say just a few things about marriage. We need to remember the purpose of marriage. That these reformations that we're asking God to bring upon us as the people of God would even make it into our marriages. Our marriages exist to bring glory to God. We must follow His Word diligently as husband and wife and not compromise in what God has called us to do in every area. We must remember that He is wiser than us. We must remember our callings, our specific duties. Our marriages exist not for our happiness, but for our holiness. We must maintain and strive and contend with our sin to keep our marriages holy, slamming the gates shut to any temptation, any sin, or any such thing that would contaminate our marriages. We must be constantly pursuing that. Secondly, the Christian life is one of constant reformation by the Word of God. Now we don't reform our lives by what we think is best, nor what we think the culture thinks best, nor do we reform our lives by what we think is easiest. We reform our lives according to the Word of God. This must mean that we cherish, that we esteem, that we love and desire the correcting influence of the Word of God. Remember, as Pastor Greg read, that the Word of God is that double-edged sword. And it cuts. Even to believers, it cuts. And it should cut and produce conviction in us. But at the same time, we remember the Lord's loving and healing hand that comes to His people. and heals those wounds and draws us closer to Christ. We must never be afraid of biblical change. A lot of people, right, hate change. But as Christians, we should never inherit or never take that mentality upon us. Biblical change is what we must pursue. We must come to the Word and be open and exposed to it, and not afraid to let it have its work in us and with us. We must not bristle at it when it differs from us or our opinions, realizing that we are sinful men, and we need constantly the Lord's correcting influence on our lives. But notice the promises of God. And so take heart in this this morning. And when the Lord sees a humble and contrite heart, He delights in that. And He helps us with all of these sins. Third, not only individually, but the church as well must guard against complacency and compromise. Against the temptation to deform instead of reform. Now, if we naturally let it go its way, all things will deform. We're not going to attain to reformation in our churches by just simply waiting for something to happen. Reformation doesn't come naturally, but it comes by striving and pursuing that. Complacency, though, also comes when we aren't zealous for the things of God. Perhaps we've lost our first love. We now have a spiritual apathy that's set in about us. A stupor has gripped us. We're not concerned with spiritual things any longer. And that breeds complacency, which then leads to compromise. So be zealous for the things of God. Give it your all to please Him in obedience. He has not left us in the dark. He has given us His Word and His Holy Spirit. And it is possible to obey Christ truly. Fourth and finally, We cannot overlook the need for biblically qualified, called leaders of God in the church. Leadership must take responsibility for spiritual purity in the church. God's people need to be led. The sheep needs a shepherd to direct them, to push and prod them at times. They must be faithful and they must strive with all of their might to be winsome. Now, Nehemiah's actions are not an excuse for us to be harsh and fierce like a bull in a china shop, but we must be winsome and firm. It is absolutely wrong if you're more concerned about someone being nice to you rather than being faithful to you. Faithfulness trumps niceness. When sin enters into the camp, it cannot be tolerated. It must be purged and removed. 1 Timothy 5 tells us this, those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all that the rest also may fear. Church leaders must confront sin with courage and conviction, and yes, even compassion. True love for God's people means protecting them from spiritual harm. Because sin is a serious thing. So serious that God sent His own Son to die in the place of sinners. To redeem them from their sin. To enable them to be set free from sin. To no longer live in that sin. If you are in Christ, take these matters seriously to your heart today. Pray to God and beg Him to help you to see what areas in your life need reformation. What areas of this body of Christ need reformation? Every area, no matter what, must always be subject to the Word of God. Semper Reformanda. Always reforming according to the Word of God. And if you are outside of Christ this morning, take His words and counsel, believing in Him alone, and go and sin no more. In conclusion, Nehemiah's reforms show us that compromise leads to judgment. but obedience leads to blessing. As believers, we must stand firm in our biblical convictions, reforming our lives according to the Word of God. And we cannot ever forget that this is not a mere human effort, but it is the work of God. We need His Spirit to reform us, to change us, to work these things in our lives. So examine your life this morning. Where is reformation needed? and make today, today be the day where you choose by the grace of God to reform those areas in your life and obey Christ from the heart. Remember us, oh our God, for good. Let's pray. Lord God Almighty, we come before You as Your people. We pray that You would cultivate in us a humble spirit As we stand exposed to Your Word, we would not take these matters lightly, but at the same time that we would remember that when You bring conviction to us, that there is a remedy for that. There is hope and mercy to be found at the feet of Christ. And so now we cast ourselves down and we ask and beg for mercy. Pray that You would help us in all areas of our lives. That we would be a people that faithfully reflect the image and the glory of God to this lost and dying world. And that you would work in us great and mighty things by your Spirit. I ask that you would help us in our marriages. Strengthen those marriages. Keep us from sin in our marriages. May our marriages exist to give glory to God. So we ask that you would work mightily there, help us to do diligence in those areas that you're convicting us. May we go and find repentance and we confess our sins one to another. And may we encourage one another to press on, to not lose heart and remember that, yes, even for these sins, Christ has died. And so we ask now this morning that you would be with us that you would wake us up from our spiritual slumber and that you would set our heart on fire for Christ, giving us a love and zeal for the things of God. Lord, we do ask this in his precious name. Amen.