Building on God’s Faithfulness By Getting Love Right
Nehemiah 5
How are you doing with your love for God, and out of that, your love for one another? Do you have a clear understanding of what it means to love God and love others?
Our world is in a love crisis today, with total confusion and distortion over the meaning of love. God has given us the truth clearly through His Word. Yet the biggest love crisis of today lies within our hearts.
There is hope for us to know what love means and how we can love God and love one another!
Four Biblical truths to correct our understanding of love:
1. Love does not use what God has given to sin against our neighbour (1-5)
- Nehemiah 5 opens with an outcry from God’s people – not over the threat that was looming outside the walls, but about the greater hurt that was already happening inside the walls.
- The wealthy Israelites had taken what God had generously blessed them with to love Him and their people with, and used it to hurt their people and sinned against their neighbour.
- All of us have a temptation or inclination to use the stuff that God has given us for ourselves first before we use it for God’s purposes and for the love of our neighbour.
While you and I might not be guilty of the exact expression of sin of the Israelites in Nehemiah’s day, in what ways are you tempted to use what God has given you to love yourself first? Are you generous with the remainder of God’s stuff after you’ve exhausted it on yourself, or is everything open to be used by Him for His purposes as you love Him and others? Do your spending habits, accumulation of goods, hobby investments, home decisions, car decisions, furniture decisions, and beyond reflect a “this is God’s” mentality or a “this is for me” mentality?
2. Love confronts sin when it has happened (6-11)
- What angers His heart is not being mistreated by others, but God’s people mistreating each other (6).
- In Nehemiah’s confrontation, we learn what a loving confrontation of sin looks like:
- Rebuke (7)
- Reasoning (8-10)
- Plea for restoration (10-11)
Is there any sin that we are personally involved in that is hurting the church family in its worship, unity, and witness? Or, is there sin we know of, yet are not confronting?
If there is sin, repent today. If confrontation is needed, follow Jesus’ instruction for the New Testament church family today - “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.” (Matthew 18:15)
3. Love turns from sin and makes things right (12-13)
- The loving confrontation worked! (12a)
- Nehemiah calls the people together once again, and gives a tangible moment to solidify the conviction they experienced into commitment. (12b)
- Nehemiah gives them a warning - with a powerful illustration. (13)
- The Gospel is a loving confrontation that works! The Gospel is a call to solidify conviction to commitment! The Gospel is a warning to fear the Lord because He is gracious and merciful, and He is holy and just!
Have you turned from sin and made things right with Christ? While it is God who initiates and takes action in us, giving us the gift of faith and regenerating our hearts before we can respond, we then respond. Have you responded? And if you have sinned against a brother or sister, have you turned from sin and made things right?
4. Love enjoys and delights in God more than our stuff and its privileges (14-19)
- The people ended up in this situation through a series of choices over time that reflected a great love for themselves, then for God.
- Nehemiah teaches the people as he now turns to the example of his life.
- “Good works are invincible demonstrations to confute and convert those that do otherwise.” (John Chrysostom)
- How can you safeguard your life against the temptation to make the stuff that God has given you all about you instead of all about God? Be all about God! Enjoy and delight in God more than your stuff and its privileges!
What stuff and its privileges in your life are you tempted to delight in and love more than Christ? What true things about God are you not believing that’s keeping you from being fully satisfied in Him? What false thing are you chasing to fill a desire that only Christ can satisfy?
How does the inventory of love from Nehemiah 5 match up with your life?
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