Scripture for June 23rd: Nehemiah 1:2-11

Sermon Title: Ask Me If I Care

Hanani, one of my brothers, came to visit me with some other men who had just arrived from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had returned there from captivity and about how things were going in Jerusalem. They said to me, “Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.” When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. Then I said, “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses. “Please remember what you told your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’ “The people you rescued by your great power and strong hand are your servants. O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.” In those days I was the king’s cup-bearer.

“Who cares?” This attitude is often expressed in the actions of individuals who are busy with the events and circumstances of their own lives to “care” about other people. “I’m too busy to take time for someone else,” their thinking goes, so they don’t take time to care about the needs of the people around them. Because they have this attitude, they miss opportunities to be a blessing to others and to participate in God’s work. As a result, they miss blessing after blessing, and ultimately fail to find their true purpose for their lives: to live for others.

Nehemiah did not have this attitude. Instead, he displayed the exact opposite behavior: he passionately cared for others. He, too, was busy, and his life was filled with great responsibility, wealth and power. And yet he took time to greatly care for those who were in desperate need. By showing such compassion for others, he demonstrates to us what following God looks like: a life lived for others.

This coming Sunday we will talk more about what it means to care for others as we begin the sermon series, “Nehemiah: The Man That Followed God.” Hope to see you then!

Scripture for June 16th: I Peter 3:1-7

Sermon: Demonstrate God’s Love

Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear. Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

When we read the Scripture above, we are tempted to think that Peter is placing new restrictions in the relationship between a husband and wife. Quite to the contrary, Peter is freeing them to love each other as God intended. You see, Peter was writing to a people who thought of wives as property belonging to their lawful husband. Women had no rights and wives were subjected to the desires and wishes of their husband, whatever they may be. Peter is saying in this passage that both the husband and wife have critical roles to play in a marriage and should treat each other with honor and respect as they fulfill those roles. The Apostle Paul gave even greater instructions to the husband when he said they were to love their wives as Christ loved the church (Eph. 5:25). Think of that – the husband was no longer to view his wife as mere property, but as important as the church is to Christ. This new way of thinking was truly revolutionary. And it still is today. When husbands and wives love each other with sacrificial love, God blesses not only their lives, but so many other lives as well, both in their time and generations into the future. The Apostle Paul reminds us of this great lasting power when he wrote in I Corinthians 13:13: “Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love” (NLV).

On Sunday we will talk about how love is a not only powerful and meaningful, but also a decision that is tangible and real as we conclude the sermon series, “All in the Family.” I hope you to see you then as we celebrate Father’s Day!