Title: Recommit to Love

Reading: Nehemiah 10:28-30

Ne. 10:28 “The rest of the people — priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, temple servants and all who separated themselves from the neighboring peoples for the sake of the Law of God, together with their wives and all their sons and daughters who are able to understand —Ne. 10:29 all these now join their brothers the nobles, and bind

themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations and decrees of the LORD our Lord.  Ne. 10:30 “We promise not to give our daughters in marriage to the peoples around us or take their daughters for our sons.

        The world today reveals many harsh relationships with others. We must serve a God of covenant who calls us to recommit to love God.

        The strength of Israel would ultimately be found in healthy, committed relationships. We are called to respond by committing our lives to God.

1.      Recommit to Relationship With God. (Nehemiah 10:30) Because—

1. Israelites were not only rebuilt the wall, they restored the relationship with God.
2. How to keep the recommit to love relationships is hard work, but we have to do. Let’s pray: God, we give ourselves to you; God, we give you our hearts, too. Please give us wisdom, in Jesus name. Amen!

2.      Return to Your First Love. (Nehemiah 9:28 & Revelations 2:4)

Re. 2:4, Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 2:5 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lamp stand from its place.

a.       Forsake all other gods. The gods of religion, the god of materials and return to theLove who formed you, the Love who held you, and the Love who desired you.

b.      The image of fidelity of marriage

        God never quit on you. We really need the relationship with God. Especially,   when we have hard time we do need love each other as Jesus said in John 15:

        John 15:12, My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

    John 15:13 Greater love has no-one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

c.       Don’t quit on God; God never quit on you (Isaiah 54:10)- Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

3.      Reestablish boundaries for ourselves, the rules to protect our children. (Ne.9:30)

1. Protect your family and children. (Deuteronomy 7:3, 4)

De. 7:3 Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, De. 7:4 for they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods, and the Lord’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you.

2. The importance of rules.

   Rules – Relationship = Punishment & abuse

   Rules + Relationship = success & blessing

   Love = Discipline (Hebrew 12:6) – ‘because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” [Prov. 3:11,12] He. 12:7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? He. 12:8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. He. 12:9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! He. 12:10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his  holiness. He. 12:11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

4. Reclaim Your inheritance. (Psalm 127:3)

Ps. 127:3 Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.

a.       Our responsibility is model the lifestyle of Jesus.

b.      The divine relationship.

c.       A new Humanity

Conclusion: Israelites rebuilt the wall completed, and the agreement God made with them in the days of Moses was restored (De.8). This covenant has principles that are important for us today. Our relationship with God must go far beyond church attendance and regular devotions. It should affect our relationships (10:30), our time (v.31), and our material resources (vv.32-39), when we chose to follow God, we must keep our promise to God in times of poor or rich, it is the price of Success (Joshua 1:8).