Introduction: What does it mean to “repent?” What does it mean
to “confess sin?” I thought I knew. But in the last few years
I’ve begun to rethink those terms based on my study of the
Bible. Let’s plunge into our study of Nehemiah and see what we
can learn. Perhaps you will adjust your understanding of those
terms!
- Confession
- Read Nehemiah 9:1-2. Do you notice anything strange
in these two verses? Something that does not fit
with your understanding of the confession of sin?
(They confessed the sins “of their ancestors.”) - What has been your understanding of “confess
your sins” when a minister calls for repentance
and confession? (I traditionally understood it
as a confession of something that I had done.) - Read Matthew 6:12. What do you think Jesus is
talking about here? (I think He is talking about my
traditional understanding of the confession of sin.) - Read 1 John 1:9. What do you think the Bible is
talking about here? - Re-read Nehemiah 9:2. I’m going to assume that at
least some of the “ancestors” to which Nehemiah
refers were dead. Certainly the people would not be
referring to their personal sins when they confessed
the sins of their ancestors. How do you understand
this use of the term “confessed their sins?”
(Logically, this has to be some sort of “corporate”
confession. It is contrary to the way confession is
referred to in 1 John 1:9 or Matthew 6:12.) - Read Matthew 3:1-2. Have you ever thought about the
logic of this call by John the Baptist? Why would
you repent because of something that is near in
terms of time or space? Why would you repent at all
because of something someone else is doing? - Read Matthew 4:17. Jesus says the same thing. What
do you think is the “kingdom of heaven?” (I think
Jesus is referring to Himself.) - If I’m right, why would the people repent about
that? Why not rejoice? - Read Matthew 11:20. Why would you repent because
great things were done in your city? Why wouldn’t
you rejoice instead? - As you contemplate all of the ways that “confess”
and “repent” are used, what meaning would include
all of them? (I think the common thread among all of
these is attitude. Nehemiah’s call is to confess the
wrong attitude that generations of God’s people had
towards God. When John the Baptist and Jesus call
for repentance, they are asking the people to change
their understanding of the Messiah. The people are
called to change their attitude about the nature of
sin and forgiveness – for the Kingdom of Heaven is
here! Even when we are thinking about our personal
sins, Jesus asks us to change our attitude about the
sin in our life. By the power of the Holy Spirit be
honest about the sin in your life and determine to
change course.) - Praise
- Read Nehemiah 9:3. What do you think about the order
of these activities? First read the Bible, then
confess, then worship. Does that seem logical? - Does that seem consistent with our discussion of
what it means to repent? (One reason why the
GoBible questions always start with reading a
Bible text is that it is essential to know God’s
word. Once we contemplate His word, then we see
where our lives are out of line. When we are
sincere about following God, our attitudes are
changed by the Holy Spirit, and we experience
joy that turns to praise.) - Read Nehemiah 9:4-5. Does anything like this ever
happen in your church? Do the people “cry out with
loud voices” and “stand up and praise” God? - If not, why not? (I recall church members
criticizing this kind of praise because it was
too “Pentecostal,” or “evangelical.” These are
false arguments. The question is not whether
some church (or group) does it, the question is
what does the Bible say about it.) - Read Nehemiah 9:6. What is the first reason for
praising God? (He is the Creator.) - How important is the acknowledgment of this?
(I’ve studied this before. God’s primary claim
to our allegiance is that He is our Creator.) - Does belief in our God as Creator have an
impact on our attitude about current
controversies? - Read Nehemiah 9:7-12. What is the next reason for
praising God? (What He has done in their life and
the lives of their ancestors.) - My wife keeps a journal of the times in our life
when God did great things for our family. Do you
do this? If not, you are missing a great source
of encouragement.) - Read Nehemiah 9:13-14. Are the Ten Commandments and
the Sabbath a reason for praising God? - If you answered, yes, explain why? (The Sabbath
and the laws are meant to be a blessing to us.
So many people have the wrong attitude about the
nature of God’s law.) - A few minutes ago I saw an article about “death
bed” conversions. The idea is that I’ll do what
I want, and just at the last moment I’ll confess
so I can go to heaven. If confession is about
attitude, what does that say about your
attitude? (This is like a promise to make you
rich – and you decide that you will reject this
offer until just a moment before you die.
Clearly, you have the wrong attitude about what
is being offered!) - Read Nehemiah 9:15. What else has God done for His
people? (He fed them, gave them water, and gave them
a home.) - Rebellion and Reaction
- Read Nehemiah 9:16-19. When you pray, do you
normally recite the errors of your ancestors? - Why do it here? (Note that the prayer is not
simply about rebellion, it is about God’s
gracious reaction to it.) - Do you have any explanation for why the people
would cite the rebellion that occurred in the
Exodus from Egypt, as opposed to the more recent
rebellion that resulted in their Babylonian
captivity? They were just coming out of the
Babylonian captivity! - Read Nehemiah 9:20. What does this teach us about
the Holy Spirit? (Sometimes we think that the Holy
Spirit is active only in the New Testament. This
shows us that He was so important in the Old
Testament that the people were specifically noting
His work.) - Notice the nature of what is being discussed:
water, food, and the Holy Spirit. How essential
are water and food? What does this say about the
Holy Spirit? - Let’s skip down and read Nehemiah 9:25-28. Does this
answer our earlier question about why they confessed
the Exodus sins and not the later sins? (Yes. They
had not yet gotten to that point in their history.) - Let’s skip down and read Nehemiah 9:36-38. What is
the conclusion that the people reach in their
prayer? (They are going to enter into a “binding
agreement” with God!) - We are going to study this agreement next week.
Right now, let’s analyze this prayer. We’ve been
calling it a prayer, even though it seems to be a
praise that has turned into a long statement of the
history of the people. Should you periodically
review your entire history with God? - What are the highlights of this review? (God has
been faithful while the people have been largely
unfaithful.) - Is this what you hear from people today? When
people are suffering, do they generally
acknowledge their part in the suffering? - My father’s mother remarried when she was 62
years old. The man she married was a recovered
alcoholic who was on fire for God. I recall him
telling me how sad he was that he had wasted so
much of his life in addiction. That kind of
honesty made a big impression on me! - Friend, the central part of repentance and
confession, is not about a single sin, but rather
about your attitude. Nothing helps get our attitude
right more than studying God’s word and then
honestly considering of our history with God. Will
you commit to taking time for an honest review of
your history with God? Will you review God’s
kindness to you? Will you commit to Bible study? - Next week: God and the Covenant.
