We turn in the word of God to Nehemiah chapter 5. This particular chapter may at first reading seem distant, abstract and remote from us in this 21st century. We may ask, well what can it possibly teach us today that is of any relevance and benefit to us? After all, these things happened so long ago, in a different land, with different people, at a different time. It's all seemingly remote from us. This is where we need to be reminded. that God gave us this word, so it means that it must be studied intensely in order to understand what is written. And that's why we begin with the context. In chapter 4, which we looked at last Sabbath, it describes the trouble God's people suffer from outsiders. Chapter 5 describes the trouble God's people suffer from insiders and immediately you begin to see there is a relevance. How often the church stands firm against those on the outside only to collapse because of those on the inside. Here in chapter 5 is a spiritual problem that surfaces in the form of greed, selfishness and indifference. And here too we immediately see its relevance. We live in a materialistic world. Everyone is judged and estimated according to their bank balance, their neighbourhood, their house, their car, their job, their profession and so on. That's how our culture grades everyone. And when we bring that mentality inside the church, then the church itself begins to deteriorate. In other words, when we look at each other, the first question is not, what is your occupation? Do you have one or not? Are you worth knowing or not? Who are your friends? Are they worth knowing? Our first question always is, are you a child of God? That's the first question. In fact, perhaps it's the only question. And if you are, then let us converse together on spiritual things. That's the health of the church. So our theme from chapter 5 is this. How to discourage God's people. How to discourage God's people. I'm not saying you should discourage God's people. I'm saying here is how you can discourage God's people and therefore avoid it at all costs. Firstly, we note the complaint that is made in verses 1 to 5. Here are three groups of people and they're all essentially in the same situation. The first group in verse 2 are those who have nothing to sell, yet they need to eat. The second group is in verse 3, those who mortgaged their property in order that they may eat. And the third group of people in verse 4, those who borrowed money in order that they may eat. The situation you immediately see is dire indeed. These are tough economic times. Well we're living in tough economic times. Well they were living in tough economic times and they have reached a crisis and it is one of bare survival. That's the practical situation that they're in. We are struggling to survive. We are struggling to make ends meet. We are struggling to put food on the table. That's the one thing that is so essential. Food. That's what they're talking about. We need our daily bread. We need to eat. And we're struggling to eat. Secondly, there is the response in verses 6 to 9. How does Nehemiah respond to all this? His response may surprise you, yet it is needful. First there is rage in verse 6, and I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words. He is angry at all that he is hearing because he immediately sees that this is more than an economic problem. There is a spiritual problem that has surfaced in this form. He is full of rage. And second there is rebuke in verses 7 to 8. I rebuked the nobles and the rulers and said unto them and so on. And third, he gives a reminder in verse 9. Also I said, it is not good that ye do. Nehemiah is unapologetic in saying, what you're doing is wrong. In our culture, to say that one's self is wrong is deemed pathetic. You need help. But for someone to say another is wrong is deemed arrogant. Nehemiah, as a man of God, openly, publicly, unashamedly, in light of the word of God, says what you're doing is actually wrong. But he adds to it something that is very, very necessary and important. Ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God? There's the principle you ought to follow, walking in the fear of God. Why? Because of the reproach of the heathen, our enemy. The world is watching you. This is what you have forgotten. The world is watching you. The ungodly Those who are enemies of the theme are actually watching you, they study you, they observe you. Nehemiah is angry at the sheer callousness of some of these people. The evident dismissal by them of a fundamental principle which he sets out in verse 7. he exact usually every one of his brother where is that love of the brethren he says you just can't subscribe to it in theory you are to follow it in practice you are to actually demonstrate your love of the brethren instead What I see from you is downright selfishness. That's what I see. I don't see your love of the brethren. I see your selfishness, your indifference, your hardness of heart, your callousness. You're living for yourself. You are living only for one thing and that is material gain and benefit. That's all you're living for. That's how Nehemiah is talking to them. He is saying to them quite bluntly and plainly, you are living just for money. That's all you're living for. That's all you're interested in. Money and possessions and material things of all kinds. And this whole situation is all exacerbated by three things. And for the health of the children I have alliterated them for you. The first is families in verse 2. We our sons and our daughters are many. We have got families to look after. Second there is famine in verse 3. because of the dirt. What does famine mean? It means shortage, it means inflation, and it means exploitation. Those who have and who can get more will exploit those who can't. So they impoverish the rest. And of course, where there is shortage, in comes inflation. All the prices start to rise. So there are families to feed, there are famines to deal with, and the third problem we call fees. It's taxation in verse 4. The King's tribute. We all hate taxes. That is what the state charges us rather than the state of taxes. But we hate all this taxation. we're appalled at the height of Jews but there's not much we can do about it so here are these three basic problems and it has all been made worse by the indifference of their brethren there is no brotherly love there is no real interest by all these other people in the lives of their brethren. They're just completely indifferent to their hardships, to the problems that they face. They have no sympathy, no care, no interest. Now you understand why Nehemiah is angry. He's very angry. he's full of rage. But on top of all of this, there is this significant and crucial rebuilding project, the temple and the walls. In other words, rebuilding the Lord's cause when once it was decimated. So all these other things going on in their lives and at the same time they are expected, yes, and required, yes, to ensure that the Lord's cause is rebuilt. Doesn't it all sound so very familiar? Just when you thought that Nehemiah 5 was really remote and abstract you begin to realise just how important it is. Our country is full of multitudes who say they are Christians but seemingly care nothing about the state of the Lord's cause and about the state of the Lord's people. They have a blind eye turned towards those believers who are struggling in so many areas of life. And yet the Lord's cause has to be maintained. The Lord's cause has to be prospered. The Lord's cause has to be built up. Isn't Nehemiah right to be angry? Isn't he right to rebuke? Isn't he right to metaphorically stab all these people? To confront them with the realities of the situation? To point the finger at them and say, you and you and you are indifferent to the Lord's people. That you are callous, hard-hearted, worldly minded, materialistic, living only it seems for financial gain. That's the only thing that matters to you. Increasing your bank balance. Because your problem fundamentally is you are without any love of the brethren. You see your brethren, but what do you see? You see a means and a mechanism for your own gain. You do not see them as the Lord's people, engaged in the Lord's work, struggling to make ends meet, struggling to survive, and yet dedicated to trying to ensure the Lord's cause is rebuilt. spiritual problem surfacing in the form of greed, materialism and worldliness. And how relevant to our own age, where everything is judged and estimated purely on the basis of money. That is why some when they go out shopping they like to carry a bag that's got a very important label on the side rather than the label of plastic little bag from a downtown shop that's pretty low down the scale. You want to carry one from M&S or Harrods of London rather than Primark or Asda. Which would you rather carry? So you go and buy a bag that's got M&S on the side of it, or Harrods of London on the side of it, and you put your ass the bag inside it, so it looks as if you've been to Harrods. Because everybody judges one another on the basis of the bag that they carry. And that's it. On other occasions, it used to be the label was on the inside of your clothes. Now it's on the outside of your clothes. So that everybody can see this is where I shopped. Because everybody's judged on the basis of money. And that has come into the church. And you have it here in Nehemiah 5. And Nehemiah says, I hate it. I hate it. It's wrong. Your first concern is God. Your second concern is love of the brethren. Thirdly, verses 10 to 13, the resolution. Nehemiah doesn't just simply rebuke. He isn't just angry. He tells them, now this is what you're going to do about it. First, you're going to stop being materialistic and worldly minded in verse 10. So you're going to put a stop to it right away. You're going to stop thinking about money, money, money. And you're going to start thinking about God and God's people. Second, he tells him restore everything. Verses 11 through to verse 12. And third, the end of verse 12, he calls them to a resolve. Then I called the priest and took an oath of them that they should do according to this promise. I want you to promise this day before God, he says, that you will put God first, that brotherly love will be demonstrated in your lives, that you will cease hereafter to be materialistically minded, worldly minded, thinking only of yourself in terms of money and gain and possessions. I want you to promise today, he says, publicly that here on you will not be like that but rather you will demonstrate love of God and love of God's people and so he puts it in writing and he makes them swear promise an oath is taken They make a covenant before God to put God first and God's people first before themselves. And fourth, there's a warning that follows in verse 13. You know what Nehemiah says essentially in verse 13? God will repay you in the same coin If you don't keep this promise, as you have impoverished others, God will impoverish you. He will pay you back in the same coin. That's what he's saying here. That's what he's saying. God, in light of this promise, He will pay you back in the same coin if you don't keep your promise. As you have robbed others, God will rob you. As you have been indifferent to the plight of others, God will be indifferent to your plight. He will pay you back in the same coin. That's how he ultimately resolves this basic problem. And then fourthly, verses 14 to 19, the example Nehemiah records for your benefit the biblical principles that he himself followed he is telling you this is what shaped his life and there are three things that shaped his life the first is selflessness not selfishness but selflessness verse 14 and also verses 17 In other words Nehemiah is saying I am not asking you to do anything that I myself have not done all these years this is what I have followed from the day I was appointed governor over this land I haven't lived off what the governor is entitled to Haven't done that, he says. Not only that, all the provisions that I was entitled to, I haven't made use of. To the contrary, I've turned them all back into the hands of other people. Selflessness. He spent himself for the Lord's cause. Second, spiritual mindedness. Look at what he says at the end of verse 15. So did not I that is in terms of being selfish. Why not? Because of the fear of God. Nehemiah loved God. He feared God. He lived to serve God. And yet he couldn't follow the practices of others. Everything that he had, he turned it all back towards the people. He was interested in the Lord's people, the Lord's cause. God mattered more to him than anything, mattered more to him than his own material financial gain. that's why he says in verse 19 think upon me my God for good according to all that I have done for this people he spent himself for God's cause God's people and third single-mindedness verse 16 I continued in the work of this wall neither bought we any land And all my servants were gathered thither unto the work." Single-minded approach to the Lord's cause. Single-minded approach. These are the principles Nehemiah followed. What is your reaction to all of this? What is your response to all of this? What is your reaction to all of these things that we've learned in this fifth chapter? You may say, well, so what? Well, let's come to applications. This is what I mean by so what. Here's the response. Firstly, what Nehemiah 5 teaches, Christ himself taught in Matthew chapter 6. And in verses 23 and 24, Matthew chapter 6, verse 23 and 24, or rather 33 and 34. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. All these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Seek ye first the kingdom of God. Put the kingdom of heaven first and central in your life. not your own life, your own health, your own wealth, your own happiness the kingdom of heaven first foremost central that's why you're a Christian if you are a Christian that's what you are to live for that's what you're to work for this is what Nehemiah 5 is saying if you put your own interest first your own financial gain First, all you will succeed in doing is to undermine the commitment of the rest of God's people. You will undermine the commitment of everyone else to the Lord's cause. So Nehemiah 5 is a warning to the church. The church may withstand the barbarians outside. But if believers inside act contrary to these two simple truths, fearing God, loving the brethren, the church itself will continue to collapse. It will be destroyed from within, not from about. The church has withstood barbarians for over 2,000 years. But every time it declined, it declined from the inside. not from the outside. When those who were inside the church ceased to fear God as they should, ceased to be interested in love of the brethren, that's when the church began to decline and continue to decline. Can we say that the church in the United Kingdom is on a strong, vibrant, healthy condition? I think all of us would unanimously say the church is not in a strong, healthy, vibrant position. Why? Because it seems that the Lord's people, just like the men and women of the world are up to their knacks in materialism. Interested only in their own material welfare. Which brings me to the second point. Beware of the pursuit of worldly gain. We read earlier in our service, in the consecutive reading of scripture, the love of mind. The love of money is the root problem. Not that money is the problem. Money itself is not the problem. It's the love of it. It's that hunger for it. The three golden cows of our age are health, wealth, happiness. That's why television is dominated by medical dramas and getting rich quiz games. and image programs. They all reinforce the predominant ideology of our culture. The church ought to be the last place that encourages what the culture thinks. Yet it seems the church is encouraging these cultural ideas about image, It shouldn't matter where you buy your clothes. If you buy them out of Oxfam or wherever, that's fine. If you buy them in Harrods of London, that's equally fine. But it shouldn't matter where you buy your clothes. What should matter to the church is your spiritual survival. So in light of Nehemiah 5 we must say to you all beware of the pursuit of worldly gain. Of course you have to have a vocation. Of course you need an income. Of course you have to pay your bills. But let's not confuse having to do those things and living for those things. There is a subtle difference, isn't there? You work to live. You don't live to work. That might help. You live for God. You live for Him. You live for Christ. He is to be preeminent. He is to be predominant. And thirdly, A well-needed corrective. Verse 9. It is not good that ye do, ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen, our enemies? If there is a simple basic principle that Christians need to be reminded of, fear God. Walk in the fear of God. Why? Because of the heathen. How often this point is made in the New Testament. For example in Romans 2 verses 23 and 24 Paul rebukes the Jews because of their boast, but their boast means nothing for they live contrary. He says, Thou that makest thy boast of the law through breaking the law dishonorest thou God for the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you. You boast, we have the oracles of God. We have the law of God. But look at how you live. You live contrary to that very law and as a consequence the Gentiles blaspheme God. They curse God because of you. 1 Timothy 6 verse 1. He makes the same point. Here he's dealing not with Jews and Gentiles. but with servants and their masters. Let as many servants as are under the yoke." So he's writing to Christians who are slaves. Count their own masters worthy of all honour. Why? Why should any Christian in such dire circumstances bother to live as a Christian? that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. If there's one reason why Christians in the workplace ought to be the best workers on the planet, it's this reason. To so live in the right way that God and truth is not blasphemed. So Nehemiah is saying look at all these people around you. They are watching you. They are saying oh so that's what your theology leads you to do. You say you believe in God but look at how you treat the brethren. So that's how it works out then. Why you're no different from the rest of us. That's exactly what we think. We think like that. We don't even believe in God. We hate everybody. We just want to do as much damage to everybody else and get as much for ourselves. We don't care about anybody else. Oh I see you Christians live the same way just like us. There's no difference between us. And Titus 2. And in verse 5 he makes the same point. Here the context is in relation to home life and family life. And he's giving these instructions to women that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children. It's amazing that anyone would need to be instructed to do this and yet how often we need to hear it. Love your husband, love your children. to be discreet, chaste, keepers of home good, obedient to their own husbands? Why on earth would you love your children? Why on earth would you love your husband? Let the word of God be not blasphemed. Very simple, isn't it? His logic is impeccable but so powerful. Why on earth should any Christian woman live as a Christian woman? Because if you say you believe the word of God and you don't live out that word, everyone else will say, the Bible? They'll curse it. It's irrelevant. They'll dismiss it. Nehemiah 5 is saying the very same. It says to these people, fear God, walk in that fear, love the brethren, because the enemies of God are watching you. Fourthly, the Lord preserves his cause for a reason. Why did these nobles agree to what Nehemiah demanded? In order to secure, shall we say, the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord who moved the heart of Cyrus, who prompted Artaxerxes to rescind his previous decree, changed the hearts of these people to enable his cause to survive, to ensure that his cause would prosper, that this work would be complete. Because God's purpose was the coming of Jesus Christ. The Savior would be born. He would come to this city. He would walk around the walls of this city. Think of all the miracles and all the things he taught in and around Jerusalem. All the lessons that he drew from Jerusalem. And you know that is still the case. Nehemiah speaks sharply. harshly, bluntly. Why? Because uppermost in his mind was the ultimate coming of Jesus Christ. And that is still the case. Everything is moving forward to the return of Christ. God is slotting everything in place. His word will be preached sometimes sharply and harshly with reproof and rebuke in order to ensure that God's people are roused and stirred. and that they lift their gaze up from material things in this life to contemplate and consider the return of Jesus Christ. 2 Peter chapter 3 verses 11 and 12 say, seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved What manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness? Everything you see, houses, lands, clothes, all these things that are so valuable, so important in our culture, all going to be dissolved. Nevertheless, We, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. So here's the test for every single one of us today. What are you living for? What are you actually looking for? If you say you are a believer, What is it that occupies your mind daily, constantly, continually, 24 hours a day? Are you consumed in your lives with this life, this world and material things? Or is it the case you give them their place, but the priority in your life the kingdom of heaven and the return of Jesus Christ. We, he says, according to his promise, we who believe the promise, we look for, we aim at, our whole direction of life is towards the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. There was a man who liked to turn a phrase And he once said this, you're either in the way or in the way. There's a difference in how you understand it, isn't there? So you're either in the way or in the way. In other words, you're either travelling on that path to everlasting life or you're simply a nuisance, a roadblock, a botheration. You're in the way. You need to be removed. Nehemiah 5 is saying the same thing. You either fear God. Walk in the fear of God and love the brethren. Or you're not. You're a nuisance. You're in the way. You're undermining the commitment of the Lord's people. And something will have to be done about you. That is why he threatens them. Verse 15. I shook my lap and said, God will repay you in the same coin. You don't keep your promise and your resolve. When you became a Christian, did you not resolve? Did you not promise? With my life, I will serve the risen Saviour. Is that not what you promised? Is that not what you said? I will give myself wholly to the service of my Lord. Are you still keeping that promise? Are you still living out that promise? Or is it the case that this life and this world has distracted you? And all these other concerns and cares that are lawful in themselves have become predominant to such an extent that even the return of Christ has become remote and distant and the cause of the Lord is not as important as it should be. And we can put it to the test very simply, painfully, embarrassingly painful. And that is, shall we all be present at the Sabbath evening service, midweek service, and they will go into the home and say, What about your own spiritual development and growth? Are you maintaining that? Your communion with Christ? Is that the aim at the end? Or has it become erratic? The odd time or two you might pray or read, but everything else has crowded it out. How erratic is your communion with God? It's embarrassing isn't it? I am thankful we don't have to stand up and say how we have done the past week. You know yourself. But when the MR5 say to you, are you single-minded, spiritual-minded, selfless for Christ? Amen. Let us pray.