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Nehemiah 10:31-38
We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can also download our service at Baptist-Christian at iTunes. As time passes and people become more self-centered, they become less service-centered! Satan is a master distracter as well as a master deceiver. Israel is turning again to The Lord in service. We find at least five standards for service. All service for God
- IS ESPECIALLY SACRED (v. 31). Ultimately, all service (in any capacity) comes from the soul. Service for the Lord comes from the heart of our soul. Because we have lost our fear of God, we don’t always see service for Him as sacred. If we have lost our fear, our reverence, our attitude of sanctification, we also lose point of view in service to Him. On our journey back to God we must retrain and resolve that all service to God is holy, sanctified. Such service must be done is reverence. Read Lev. 19:30 and Ps. 89:7 to get started. The angels that surround God are seraphim, the highest order of holy angels with unimaginable power. David teaches us that God is more awesome that all of them. Service must be done in an attitude of devotion. The idea is “careful as to the relation and presence of God.” In the NT the emphasis is on the fear of God as a result of love for God in the believer’s heart. Service for God must also be pure in motive. All service all the time anywhere must be to God’s honor and glory! Service
- MUST BE ACCORDING TO DIVINE DIRECTION (v. 32). No matter what, when, where or how the service is rendered, if it is rendered for God it must be only as He directs. God makes that clear to Israel when He tells them not to look anywhere else than His Word for direction. When our life contradicts God’s Word we are not following His direction, therefore, our service is not God centered. Service for Him
- REQUIRES THE BEST ENERGY FROM THE BEST PEOPLE (v. 34). No one can ever support from Scripture an attitude of apathy, uselessness, or indifference to a Christian’s life in service to the God Who saved them. The first or best energy in a Christian’s life is that energy spent putting and keeping God first in every part of their life. I. SERVICE IS ENCOURAGED BY SPECIAL DIVINE PROMISES (v. 34 – “as it’s written in the Law…”) All God’s promises concerning us are conditional! They are all “if…” “then…” Why? Because God is not obligated to be beneficent! Therefore, blessing depends upon obeying God’s law as He directs, not as we choose! Finally, service
- IS TO BE GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY ALL (v.36-38). The key word here is “ALL!” Everything we have or hope to have (except our sin) comes from God. That “all” includes family, income, health, home, everything. To neglect any Christian responsibility, is to neglect and even reject God’s instruction from His Law. We are obligated to lay aside all our prejudices and personal issues and wholeheartedly embrace God’s message. When we neglect to embrace all, we are neglecting God and His Word. Rev. 22:18, 19 tells us that’s not healthy! If we are serious about spiritual revival, then we must be just as serious about service to God as He directs! We are bound by our salvation to serve Him in “ALL!” If we can help you answer your spiritual questions, call us at (574) 643-9419.
