Repentance is a discovery of the evil of sin, a mourning that we have committed it, a resolution to forsake it. It is, in fact, a change of mind of a

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3 Question: What is confession? In the context of sin what is confession? Take a look at Psalm 32:1-5. It has this sense: An acknowledgement first used in Gen. 29:35. Used commonly in the Psalms to mean give thanks or give praise (i.e., Ps. 9:1; 28:7; 106:1, etc.). God expects His people to confess their sins Lev. 26:40; Ps. 32:5; Prov. 28:13. The word in the NT, in the context of sin, has essentially the same meaning: to assent, accord, agree with. 1 John 1:9; Matt. 3:6; Acts 19:18. More broadly, the word means to acknowledge truth 2 Cor. 9:13; 1 Tim. 6:12-13; Heb. 3:1.

4 Another question: Is it right or even possible to confess someone else s sin? Is that something we should do? How is it even possible, really? Does God hold me/us accountable for the sins committed by someone else? It s interesting take a look at these passages: Ps. 106:6; Jer. 3:25, 14:20; Ezra 9:1-15, 10:1; Dan. 9:4, 20. Are we responsible before God for the sins of our forefathers? Do we share in their guilt, even though it may have been long ago? Do you think it is significant that Matt. 9:6 uses us and our rather than me and my?

5 And yet another question: We ve talked about confession what about repentance what is it? Repentance is a discovery of the evil of sin, a mourning that we have committed it, a resolution to forsake it. It is, in fact, a change of mind of a very deep and practical character, which makes the man love what once he hated, and hate what once he loved. Charles Spurgeon Repentance means turning from as much as you know of your sin to give as much as you know of yourself to as much as you know of your God, and as our knowledge grows at these three points so our practice of repentance has to be enlarged. J.I. Packer

6 And yet another question: We ve talked about confession what about repentance what is it? The OT words mean to relent, change one s mind, be grieved; humbling and contrition (i.e., Lev. 16:31, 23:27; Psalm 35:13); turn, return. In the NT the verb form of the word translated repent indicates a moral turn of the whole person from sin and to God William Mounce In the NT the word means a turn from sin to God (Acts 3:19, 8:22, 26:19-20). God s patience in delaying judgment is intended to lead people to repentance and salvation (Rom. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9).

7 A big German word: Heilsgeschichte (whew!). And now the question: What in the world does it mean? It s fairly simple, really it means salvation history. But theologians like big words, so, well, there you go. Why bring this word up? Because that s what makes up most of Nehemiah ch. 9. Let s look back Neh. 8 was the big Bible Conference, with Ezra the priest as keynote speaker. Day One was corporate exposition of the Scriptures: Ezra read the Law, and Levites scattered throughout the crowd gave the meaning to the people. Day Two was the first ever men s small group Bible study, during which they realized that it was time to celebrate the Feast of Booths.

8 Why bring this word up? Because that s what makes up most of Nehemiah ch. 9. Let s look back As Ezra read the Law and the Levites explained it, the people were convicted of their sin, and had to be encouraged to celebrate the Feast with rejoicing and thanksgiving to God (8:9-12). They did celebrate it with very great rejoicing (8:17). The Feast was to start on the 15 th of the 7 th month and go for one week, followed by one day for a solemn assembly (Lev. 23:33-43), so they would have finished all of this on the 22 nd. Now (9:1), it s the 24 th (the moms had a pile of laundry to do on the 23 rd ), and the people gather once again.

9 Repentance and renewal Nehemiah ch. 9 So here s what s in this chapter (outline-wise): The gathering of the people v. 1-5 The prayer of worship, confession, and repentance v The renewal of the covenant v The writer starts by giving us the date: Tishri the 24 th. The Feast of Tabernacles was to start on the 15 th but before that was the great and solemn Day of Atonement (Lev. 16; 23:26-32). There is no solemn assembly commanded in Leviticus for Tishri the 24 th. This seems out of place here in Neh. 1 why?

10 The gathering of the people Neh. 9:1-5 Good question. And there s no answer in the book. But maybe we can piece one together Remember again the peoples conviction in 8:9-12. Ezra, Nehemiah, and the priests & Levites wanted to make sure that the people associated doing God s will with delight (like the Psalm writers did Ps. 19:8; 40:8; 119:14, 16, etc.). But that delight had to be set in perspective: there was the reality and guilt of sin. It was time to face that, and the challenge of living as the people of God in a new and very different world.

11 The gathering of the people Neh. 9:1-5 Good question. And there s no answer in the book. But maybe we can piece one together The people needed more than just a happy feast to remember; they needed a deep response of the heart to the words of God. This was a solemn assembly that was certainly in the spirit of the Day of Atonement (Lev. 23:27, 29, 32), though it does not appear that the sacrifice was made (or at least it is not recorded here). The fasting, sackcloth, and dust they were expressing with their bodies the humbling and sorrow of their hearts (Gen. 37:29-34).

12 The gathering of the people Neh. 9:1-5 In another act of recognition that it was the sins of their own people that brought about the exile, the Jews separated themselves from all foreigners This was living out the principle of Lev. 20:26. Ezra had dealt with this before, some years earlier. Jews had intermarried with the peoples around them, and were in danger once again of adopting their false gods. He confesses their sins in prayer (Ezra 9:6-15), the people confess their sin (10:1-4), they renew their covenant commitment to the Lord (10:5-17), and finally separate themselves from their foreign wives (10:18-44).

13 The gathering of the people Neh. 9:1-5 This problem of failing to separate themselves from the peoples around them would bubble up to the surface again we ll see it in Neh. 13. Which raises a question: to what degree are we as Christians to be separate from the people around us? I think Eph. 5:1-17 answers the question well. So the Jews are assembled as a group, with all foreigners some distance away, and they confess their own sins, and the sins of their fathers. There was solidarity not only in their nationality (they separated themselves), but in their guilt (see Ps. 106:6).

14 The gathering of the people Neh. 9:1-5 The author gives us a brief description of what this confession looked like in v. 3 It took place over a period of six hours and notice the little detail in v. 3: And they stood When the Holy Spirit has gripped the heart, there is little thought given as to whether or not the chair has sufficient padding. It was 3 hours of reading (and likely explanation, as in ch. 8) and 3 hours of confession and worship. In v. 4 we see Levites on the elevated platform leading the people in confession. In v. 5, others are leading in worship and prayer.

15 The gathering of the people Neh. 9:1-5 The walls were rebuilt, but the city itself was barely livable (7:4), enemies who sought harm surrounded them, they lived in poverty as slaves in their own land (9:36-37), and they were an insignificant people now no longer a great nation, not even a nation at all. But that reality has to be interpreted in light of an even greater reality: The context of relationship: bless the LORD your God The context of eternity: your God from everlasting to everlasting. The context of the greatness of God: exalted above all blessing and praise.

16 The prayer of worship, confession, & repentance Neh. 9:16-31 Whoever prays this prayer (likely Ezra, but the text doesn t say. Later Gk manuscripts include his name, but the Hebrew does not) knows his Bible history this is a walk through salvation history from Genesis (v. 6-8), Exodus/Leviticus (v. 9-15), Numbers (v ), Deuteronomy/Joshua (v ), Judges (v ), Samuel/Kings/Chronicles (v ). This prayer of confession is the confession of two things and there s a whole lot more of the first thing than the second. How much of this is confession of sin? And what else is being confessed in this prayer?

17 The prayer of worship, confession, & repentance Neh. 9:16-31 Notice how the prayer starts out there is nothing but praise for the first 15 verses. It is characterized by You and Your that s what stands out. What stands out in v ? The five-fold repetition of the mercy of God: v. 17, 19, 27, 28, and 31. The people resisted (v , 18, 26, 28, 29, 30), and yet in every instance there was this: Nevertheless, in Your great mercies You did not make an end of them or forsake them, for You are a gracious and merciful God (v. 31).

18 The prayer of worship, confession, & repentance Neh. 9:16-31 The actual confession of sin really doesn t start until v. 33, and it ends in v. 36. This is one of many examples in Scripture of a truly God-centered prayer. Robert Murray McCheyne s words are still brutal some 200 years later: You wish to humble a man? Ask him about his prayer life. Other great examples of God-centered prayer: 1 Sam. 2:1-10, 1 Chron. 29:10-19, 2 Chron. 20:3-12, Jer. 32:16-25, Dan. 9:4-19, Jonah 2:1-9, Neh. 1:4-11; and the best one: Matt. 6:9-13. Most of our prayers are health-related how can we pray God-centered prayers?

19 The prayer of worship, confession, & repentance Neh. 9:16-31 Praying God-centered prayers (by Derek Thomas): 1. Remind yourself that there is only one God in the universe, and that you are not Him. 2. Adoration comes first, before confession, thanksgiving, or supplication. Worship the Lord in your praying. 3. Read a psalm before you pray, and attempt to emulate what you find: a preoccupation with God in all His multifaceted nature. Find psalms of joy or grief, praise or lament, and note how the psalmist spends time with God, making Him the center of his thoughts and desires. 4. Learn to love God s names so that saying and repeating them fills you with an inexpressible joy, a reminder of who He is and His covenant faithfulness to you in the gospel of His grace. 5. Learn to wait upon the Lord. Watch how the psalmist, fainting as he thinks of his own troubles, finds relief by deliberately focusing on the great things God has done: I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember Your wonders of old. I will ponder all Your work, and meditate on Your mighty deeds (Ps. 77:11-12).

20 The prayer of worship, confession, & repentance Neh. 9:16-31 In this prayer we see: The great works of God throughout salvation history. The extravagant blessing of God toward a people chosen, not because of their worth, but because of His good and kind will. The immeasurable mercy of God toward a people who almost continually rejected His commands, authority, and steadfast love. This prayer is a good, healthy ratio of praise to confession I say that because it is easy for us to lose sight of what sin really is. What is sin? This:

21 It is the glory of God not honored. The holiness of God not reverenced. The greatness of God not admired. The power of God not praised. The truth of God not sought. The wisdom of God not esteemed. The beauty of God not treasured. The goodness of God not savored. The faithfulness of God not trusted. The commandments of God not obeyed. The justice of God not respected. The wrath of God not feared. The grace of God not cherished. The presence of God not prized. The person of God not loved. That is sin. John Piper

22 The renewal of the covenant Neh. 9:32-38 One writer notes that during their wandering in the wilderness the Jews lacked nothing (v. 21) and appreciated nothing (v. 17). And notice the sharp contrast between man and God: Nevertheless they in v. 26, and Nevertheless You in v. 31. Even though they are back in Jerusalem we are slaves this day behold, we are slaves we are in great distress (v ). And so the response of the people was this: we make a firm covenant (v. 38).

23 The renewal of the covenant Neh. 9:32-38 There s a lot we could say at this point but I m going to leave it at this: Ezra dealt with this very issue in Ezra 9-10 and the people took it seriously, and there was a reset. Here in Nehemiah 9 he deals with the very same issue, they took it seriously again, and reset. In Nehemiah 13, we ll see Nehemiah deal with the same problem all over again, and the people take it seriously again, and there is yet another reset. For the same problem. Again. 3 times they get all serious and make promises, and 3 times they fail to keep them. Which tells you what?

24 The renewal of the covenant Neh. 9:32-38 That it is God s gracious covenant with man that is the important one, the one that matters go back to 9:6-8 again. Notice the last line: And You have kept Your promise, for You are righteous. It s like this: My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father s hand John 10:27-29.