Cornerstone Independent Baptist Church
08/24/25 Sunday Worship Service
  • All I Ever Want To Be

  • Review

    This will be right after Ruth’s missionary presentation.
    Mention interview that we will have at the evening service.
    Turn to Nehemiah 9
    Last time we saw that Ezra the scribe read the Scriptures to the Jewish men that gathered in Jerusalem. They read in the law that they were to practice the upcoming Feast of Tabernacles and so they made preparations for and celebrated the feast. God established the feast as a time to look back and remember their humble beginnings. It was also a time to look around at all that God had done.
    God had done great things for Nehemiah and for the Jewish people. If you’re God’s child this morning, He has assuredly done great things for you also and He is worthy of your worship and celebration.

    Introduction

    Read Nehemiah 9:1-3
    The Feast of Tabernacles ended on the 22nd day of the month. The verses we just read indicates that two days later, the Jewish people regathered but this time it wasn’t for celebration. It was for confession of sin.
    However, there was something on the Jewish calendar that made this gathering different.
    Here’s what the Jewish calendar looked like that month:
    Next slide here:
    The seventh month (Tishrei)
    1st - Feast of Trumpets
    10th - Day of Atonement
    15th-22nd - Feast of Tabernacles
    Chapter nine resumes the story on the 24th day of the month. Here’s the thing: this was not another annual feast day. This was not mandated on the Jewish calendar. The 24th of the month was not set aside for this purpose like the Day of Atonement. So this gathering for confession of sin and for repentance was of their own doing and desire! This was real! This was deliberate. This was intentional. It was a choice of the will.
    I don’t know if they celebrated the Day of Atonement back on the 10th or not. I assume that they did because it was commanded in Leviticus 16:29 and Nehemiah and Ezra obviously desired to obey the Lord, but the Bible doesn’t tell us what they did here. All I know for certain is this: in this moment, the Jews were serious about being in a right relationship with God. They set aside this day as A Day Of Confession.
    Application: Church family, when was the last time that you paused and had a time of quiet reflection and confession of sin?
    Maybe the last time was when we celebrated the Lord’s Supper a few weeks ago?
    Maybe the last time was during revival services back in April?
    Maybe longer ago than that?
    I’m not talking about a quick prayer where you say, “Lord, if I’ve done anything wrong today, please forgive me of all my sin…”
    That’s not confession. “Confess” means to agree or to acknowledge that something is true.
    So when I ask about your confession of sin, I mean a time where you pause as long as necessary to let God search your heart and reveal any sin that you’re clinging to. Then when God does that, you quickly admit to God that it is sin and you claim His forgiveness. That’s what 1 John 1:9 tells us to do as soon as we sin against the Lord.
    Christian, when was the last time you paused to let God do that kind of soul-searching in your heart? If God has put something on your mind right now, then don’t wait, just bow your head and make that right with the Lord. Maybe you need to pause long enough this afternoon to let God have that opportunity in your life.
    These Jews decided to have a time of confession of sin. Here’s the process that they went through and that we need to follow:
    Next slide here:
    They committed to humble themselves - Nehemiah 9:1
    If we’re honest, we all know that humility doesn’t come to us naturally. Pride is written into our DNA, not humility.
    Scripture indicates that humility happens one of two ways:
    Either God humbles us by different means
    Or, we humble ourselves
    These people decided to take the easier route and humble themselves.
    Winston Churchill was once stopped late at night by a policeman who didn’t recognize him. “Sir, you’re out past curfew. What’s your name?” Churchill, the Prime Minister of Britain, could have pulled rank.
    Instead, with a twinkle in his eye, he said,
    “If I told you my name, you wouldn’t believe me.” The officer insisted and wouldn’t let him pass until Churchill finally confessed who he was. When Churchill did so, he couldn’t help but laugh at the officer’s embarrassment.
    Churchill could have taken offense—but he chose humor and humility instead.
    The Jewish people that assembled here showed on the outside what was happening on the inside.
    They fasted
    They took off their regular attire and put on rags
    They threw dirt on themselves
    Why did they do these rather strange things? Because they were that serious about humbling themselves before the Lord, they were beyond caring what other people thought.
    They didn’t care what Sanballat might say!
    They didn’t care about Tobiah’s sarcastic words!
    The only thing that mattered was what God thought of them!
    What’s amazing is that they were on the right track, because God has said that humility will always get His attention.
    Psalm 34:18 KJV 1900
    The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; And saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
    Psalm 51:17 KJV 1900
    The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
    Psalm 102:17 KJV 1900
    He will regard the prayer of the destitute, And not despise their prayer.
    Psalm 147:3 KJV 1900
    He healeth the broken in heart, And bindeth up their wounds.
    Andrew Murray summed up humility in this way: “Humility is nothing but the disappearance of self in the vision that God is all.” - Humility: The Journey Toward Holiness (1895)
    Application: Christian, the only thing that stands between you and a humble heart is a choice.
    Make a choice to humble yourself this morning before the Lord, but please understand, I don’t want you to stop there! That would be too easy! Verse one indicates that if your decision is genuine, it will be evident somehow.
    “Pastor Tim, are you saying we’re supposed to go home and throw dirt on our heads?”
    No, I’m not saying that.
    That was a cultural way of showing humility, brokenness of heart, mourning, and grief.
    How is humility shown today? How did Christ model humility for us?
    Colossians 3:12 KJV 1900
    Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
    Our Savior did not show His humility by putting on rags or by throwing dirt on His head. He showed humility by how He interacted with others. He showed humility by continually taking the focus off Himself and His needs and giving attention to others and other’s needs.
    Next slide here:
    They committed to sanctify themselves - Nehemiah 9:2
    Do you ever find yourself using words that you generally understand, but may struggle to define?
    Our conversational English has quite a number of those.
    Take the word, “justice”, for example. You could probably use it in a sentence, but you might find it more difficult to define. Is it fairness? Is it getting a certain punishment? Some might say its equality - whatever that is!).
    Freedom – People use it all the time, but it can mean legal rights, lack of constraint, personal autonomy, etc.
    The word “sanctify” probably falls into this category also. You might be able to use it in a sentence, but giving its proper definition is a whole different thing. “Sanctify” doesn’t appear in verse two, but its written all over what they did.
    Read Nehemiah 9:2
    They separated from the Gentiles that lived among them and they confessed their sins. I could say it this way: they consecrated themselves unto the Lord. They chose to distance themselves from anyone that was not dedicated to their God. That’s a far cry from many American Christians that seem to compete for how much they can look like the world.
    These people did exactly what God commanded in Leviticus 11:44:
    Next slide here:
    Leviticus 11:44 KJV 1900
    For I am the Lord your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy:
    They sanctified themselves. They separated from those that didn’t love their God and they separated unto their God.
    Thousands of years later, the apostle Peter would write these words in 1 Peter 1:15 “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;”
    That’s exactly what the Jews were doing here! They were intent on being holy in every area of their lives. Nehemiah’s desire to repopulate Jerusalem with spiritual Jews was turning into a reality because these people stopped being casual and instead got serious about their faith.
    Application: Holiness demands a change of conduct. An inward commitment to Christlike holiness will result in a change in how you live!
    Sometimes that change will be radical.
    Other times that change will be slow but consistent.
    Either way, others will see that there is something different about you! They might not be able to pinpoint it at first, but if they pay attention long enough, you know who they’ll see in your life?
    They’ll see Jesus in you.
    But you have to let Him shine through you. That requires a commitment to consecrate yourself to Him.
    Next slide here:
    They committed to a renewed relationship with God - Nehemiah 9:3
    Read Nehemiah 9:3
    Church family, I’m not going to dwell on verse three very long, but I want you to notice the three components to renew your relationship with God.
    They read the Scriptures
    They confessed their sin
    They worshipped the LORD their God
    You see, reading the Scriptures lead to Holy Spirit conviction which lead to confession of sin. Having God’s forgiveness lead them to worship their God.
    Application: if you find that you’re never confessing sin to God, it’s likely that you’re not exposing yourself to His Word enough. God’s Word will bring conviction. A humble heart will respond with confession, which leads to God’s forgiveness. Knowing that you’re forgiven and right with God will lead to worship. That is the pathway to a renewed relationship with God.
    There’s another word we use to describe this: it’s called revival!
    Application: Are you a revived Christian? If not, there’s nothing stopping you! Start immersing yourself in God’s Word! Humble yourself and start confessing any and all sin the moment that God convicts you of it! And start enjoying a renewed relationship with your God!

    Conclusion

    American culture has set aside days on the calendar for many things. Whether for birthdays or for holidays, we regularly have days that are dedicated to one thing or another. Perhaps today God has convicted you, Christian, that’s its time to set aside a day for one purpose: A Day Of Confession.

    Invitation

    Christian:
    Perhaps you need to make a commitment to humble yourself before the Lord. The only thing that stands between you and humility is a choice. Don’t kid yourself, that choice may be more difficult than you realize. Choose to humble yourself before the Lord anyway.
    Maybe you need to make a commitment to sanctify yourself. Holiness isn’t a buzzword in most American churches. It’s not popular. It must be a priority here.
    Maybe you just need to commit yourself to a renewed relationship with God. You’ve strayed away like the prodigal son and its time to come back to your Heavenly Father.
    Unsaved

      • Leviticus 11:44KJV1900

Cornerstone Independent Baptist Church
7177323232
4 members