By The Rev. Dr. Paul A. Leggett
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Sermon Text: Nehemiah 9:26-32
Sermon Theme
There is no greater theme in Scripture than the mercy of God. Along with the love of God it expresses the fundamental attitude of God toward all humanity. Ezra, the scribe, has come back to Israel with the returning captives following seventy years of slavery in Babylon. The people have forgotten the ways of the Lord. They know virtually nothing of the Scriptures. Ezra reads God’s word to them. Their reaction is to weep, realizing how far they have fallen from God’s will. Yet they are told to rejoice and celebrate because the word of God has been declared to them. Ezra then prays for the people according to God’s “great mercies.” Ezra’s prayer is a model for us. Praying according to God’s great mercies brings us closer to God. It also empowers us to live for God.
Sermon Outline
- Truth. The mercy of God cannot be invoked without dealing directly with human sin. We need the mercy of God because we are so far from God’s will as revealed in his word. As long as the people did not know the word of God they were content with their behavior and their lives. Faced with the word of God, in this case the books of Moses (the Torah), the people break down and weep. God had given them receptive hearts (Acts 16:14). The truth was brutal. They had turned away from God in every way imaginable. They had committed “great blasphemies” (Nehemiah 9:26). Their sins were indescribable (Ezekiel 23). When God confronts us with our failure to follow his word, we are without excuse (Genesis 3:11). Often our sins are at their worst when we are trying the hardest to be spiritual (Matthew 23). God’s word is not merely a guide or a model. It is a command to be obeyed (Deuteronomy 5:33). And the truth is we do not obey (Romans 5:12; I John 1:8).
- Triumph. It is the fundamental nature of God to be merciful (Exodus 34:6-7). God judges sin. He will not acquit the guilty. However the ultimate reality of God, established as far back as the covenant with Abraham, is that God will take upon himself the guilt of his people (Genesis 15:7-21; Isaiah 53:6). The most prominent part of the Tabernacle is the mercy seat. This is where God meets us (Exodus 25:17). This foreshadows the ultimate mercy seat which is the cross of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:21-26;). The death of Christ is all sufficient (Colossians 1:20; I John 2:2). If we don’t grasp the radical nature of God’s mercy, then we lose not only the gospel, but the essential message of Scripture. Ezra prays for the people according to God’s mercies. There is no other basis for prayer (Matthew 9:13). Too often Christian theology has confused Biblical truth with Greek mythology focusing on grim details of judgment and punishment (I Timothy 4:7). The Bible does speak of a judgment according to works (Matthew 25:31-46; Romans 2:6; II Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 20:12). Yet this is not the final word (Romans 5:12-21; Ephesians 2:8-9). God’s final word is mercy (Romans 11:32; Titus 3:4-7).
- Turn. Ezra’s prayer for the people according only to God’s mercies effects a change in them. Because of God’s mercy they pledge to turn from their previous ways to follow the word of God (Nehemiah 10:28-29). To realize the extent of God’s mercy to us in Jesus Christ is to call us to faithful living (Romans 12:1-2). It must be emphasized however that following God is always the result of God’s mercy, never the cause. Ezra makes no promises to God regarding the people of Israel. Ezra’s prayer focuses on the sinfulness of the people and the great mercies of God. God’s mercy in Christ has no limit or boundary (Psalm 145:8-9; John 3:17; Ephesians 2:4-5; I Timothy 1:12-16). Yet there is a sober warning here. We are not to make light of God’s mercy or presume upon it (Romans 2:4-5). Even those who have received God’s mercy may come to reject it (Matthew 18:23-35; Hebrews 10:26-27). The mercy of God is the foundation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The tragedy is that too often Christians have attempted to present the gospel without mercy. A judgmental attitude is the opposite of God’s mercy (Matthew 7:1; James 2:13). We must learn to pray as Ezra did, according to God’s great mercies. Only then can we be merciful as our heavenly Father is merciful (Luke 6:26).
Questions for Us
- What are some of the ways we tend to minimize our sin so that we don�t think we have to depend completely on God's mercy?
- Why do you think it is that Christians are often perceived to be judgmental?
- What are some practical ways that we can use Ezra's prayer as a model for our own prayers?
