SERMON: Known By Our Unity

Thank you for subscribing to the Shepherds Church podcast. This is our Lord's Day sermon, and we pray that as we declare the Word of God that you would be encouraged, strengthened in your faith, and you would catch a greater vision of who Christ is.

May you be blessed in the hearing of God's Word, and may the Lord be with you.

Right now I'm teaching a book in our Adult Sunday School class at Tri-City, and it's called Stop in the Name of God. Some of you may have heard of that. It was the last book that Charlie Kirk wrote, and it concerns observing the Sabbath.

We don't necessarily agree with every little nuance that he might say about the Sabbath. It's a complex commandment, but the book is very meaningful. I would recommend it if you have a chance to read the book.

You know, our Christian life can be punctuated many times by the people we meet and the books we read. And one book that had an amazing impact upon me for many years ago was a book by Francis Schaeffer, and it was a small book.

It was called The Mark of the Christian. Anybody familiar with that? The Mark of the Christian? Oh, good. I would highly recommend that book. It had to do with a mark that God gives us as Christians. Okay, we all have an identifying mark, or more than one.

Sometimes I tell my children at Tri-City Christian Academy, we offer the sacrament of baptism to them. Many of them are unchurched, but if their parents come to a class and understand baptism, and if at least one parent is baptized, then we offer to baptize their children.

And many of them do, and it's a great blessing in our Christian school chapel program that many times the children are baptized. What I tell the children is, Jesus is putting his mark on you. It's a mark, and sometimes I'll kind of ham it up a little bit, and I'll say, I have the mark.

Does anybody see it? And they all look, no, they don't. Of course not. It was done some 75 years ago, and it's water. It's gone. It dries off, but Jesus can see the mark. Jesus knows that you have been marked if you've been baptized into covenant union with Christ, but that's not the mark we're talking about.

The mark of the Christian is something that is, in fact, visible. What is that mark? There's a, I used to be a mechanic, and you could always tell a mechanic by the grease under the fingernails. It was, you'd never get it off.

And it was, you could always identify a person's trade sometimes, their hands, or the way they stand, or the way they hold themselves. Sometimes you can tell, if you're very observant, what they do. There's a saying that motorcycle riders, I used, I like motorcycles, and you can tell a motorcycle rider by the bug stains on their teeth.

Okay? Means they smile when they ride the motorcycle going down the road. Christians have a mark, and Francis Schaeffer talks about that mark, and Jesus explains it in two places. One is John 13, and this is in the upper room discourse.

Jesus is in the upper room. He had just washed the disciples' feet. He had just served the first Holy Communion meal, and he told them, I'm going to give you a new commandment. A new commandment, and it's going to give, it's going to mark you.

And I'm sure some of the disciples will say, hey, we've already got ten. You're going to give us number eleven? Yeah, I am. A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another, as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

That's the new commandment, and then here's the mark. By this shall all men know that you're my disciples, if you love, if you have love one to another. It's going to mark you. It's interesting. God is giving the world, and Francis Schaeffer used to use this haunting term, the watching world.

God is giving the watching world a criteria upon which to judge whether or not we really are his disciples. You know, maybe we blow it and don't have love for each other, and then God is saying the world has a right to judge.

They're not my kids. More positively, sometimes we do obey that commandment. We do love one another, and God is giving the world, is saying, those are my children. A mark of the Christian. Very important.

I'm haunted by that phrase, the church before the watching world. They're watching us. They're watching to see what? How perfect we are? No. How well we dress? No. Forget that. Whether or not we love each other, that's what they're looking for, because the world doesn't normally have that.

But Jesus went further. A few chapters later, we're still in the upper room, and now he's praying to his Father. Think of this. God the Son, praying to God the Father. Talk about prayers that get answered.

He prays, first of all, it's kind of neat, neither pray I for these alone, but for them which shall believe on me through their word. Hey, that's us. He's not praying for just those guys in the upper room.

He's praying for the people that will become Christians, centuries and centuries and centuries later. He thought of the Shepherd's Church in Chelmsford, Mass. He's praying for us. Neither pray I for those alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word.

And here's the prayer. Here's what he's asking. That they all may be one. As thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee. That's unity, folks. God the Father, God the Son, they're tight. That they also may be one in us.

Here's the thing, the mark again, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. Well, that's the second time he did that. First time, it was love one another, that the world may know that you're my disciples.

Pretty good, but now be one that the world can have the right to judge whether or not God the Father has sent God the Son. Hey, that's a heavy responsibility that we bear. The mark of the Christian, mutual love.

I'm going to be talking today about Nehemiah. I'm doing a series in Nehemiah. I don't preach that often at Tri-City. The last time I was here, I think I spoke on Nehemiah chapter 1. Today, we're in Nehemiah chapter 5.

I don't preach every Sunday. But in Nehemiah chapter 5, there is a lesson for us to learn and it ties into that talk about the mark of the Christian. I love the book of Nehemiah because it speaks to the age we are in.

What was Nehemiah all about? It was about rebuilding the falling walls, the fallen walls of Jerusalem. Can we not say that we live in a culture where the walls of Christendom have collapsed? Now, it doesn't mean it's all gone.

We've been here before, people. Nothing to panic about, but our culture has collapsed. Don't worry. God delights in death and resurrection. It's going to come back. It's going to come back to greater glory.

But right now, we are like Nehemiah. We are in a rebuilding situation. We have to take the rubble and rebuild the walls of our fallen Christendom culture. Going through chapter 4, there's a beautiful verse, so built we the wall and the wall was joined together unto the half thereof for the people had a mind to work.

I don't know about you. I've been accused of being a workaholic at different times. I hear music when I read that verse. The people had a mind to work. You guys are having a workday coming up next month.

We have workdays. I think it's the same day, August 29th. We have workdays at our church too, and I just love it. I think this is a picture of heaven. Everybody having a mind to work. It's beautiful. And the walls were joined together.

Halfway done. The people had a mind to work, but then we go into Nehemiah chapter 5, and there's a shifting of gears. Things aren't so great. And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives.

What's wrong with the wives? Against their brethren, the Jews. What's going on here? For there were that said, we, our sons and our daughters are many, therefore we take up corn for them that they may eat, that we may eat and live.

Some also there were that said, we have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses that we might buy corn because of the dir. Things aren't going very well. People are enslaving their children to their brothers so that they can eat.

And sometimes they're mortgaging their property. There were also that said, we have borrowed money for the king's tribute and that upon our lands and vineyards. They're going into debt so that they could pay their taxes.

The people are crying under this burden. Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children. And lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants. And some of our daughters are brought under bondage already.

Neither is it in our power to redeem them. We can't even pay for them to get them out of chock. For other men have our lands and vineyards. They were selling their children into servitude to pay debt, to pay taxes, so that they could eat.

This is not good. The walls are looking pretty good now. But the inner state of the people is not too good. Nehemiah said, and I was very angry when I heard their cry in these words. Then I consulted with myself and I rebuked the nobles and the rulers and said unto them, Ye exact usury every one of his brother.

And I set a great assembly against them, had a big meeting. And I said unto them, we after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews which were sold unto the heathen and will ye even sell your brethren?

You're selling your own brothers into slavery. Or shall they be sold unto us? Then they held their peace and found nothing to answer. I guess so. Also, I said it is not good that you do. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen, our enemies?

Now, we just shifted gears a little there. Do you realize people are watching us? Do you realize that they're noticing these walls we've rebuilt? We're on stage, people. We're before the watching world, and we're doing this to our own people?

The walls may look pretty good, but we don't look too good. I likewise, I likewise in my brethren and my servants might exact of them money and corn. I pray you, let us leave off this usury. Restore, I pray you, to them even this day their lands, their vineyards, their olive yards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money and of the corn and the wine and the oil that ye exact of them.

Get your act together, people. This is sinning against God. We are a shameful testimony. You know, it's interesting in this Nehemiah story. There were enemies watching them rebuild the walls, and they mocked them at times.

One time, one guy said, you know, look at those walls. These flunkies, they can't even put together walls. If a fox were to run up on one of the walls, they would collapse. Hey, they were mocking them, but I'll tell you something else.

Satan and his demonic hordes were on a more cosmic scale mocking God's people because they were shaming themselves publicly. They were failing in this command to love each other as God has loved us. Restore, I pray you, to them even this day their lands, their vineyards, their olive yards, their houses, and also the hundredth part of the money and the corn and the wine and the oil that ye exact of them.

It's restitution time, people. Then said they, we will restore them. Oh, they're obeying. God is at work. God is on his throne. God is moving in the hearts of the people. We will restore them, and we will require nothing of them.

So will we do as thou sayest. We're going to do this, Nehemiah. Thanks for bringing us to our senses. Then I called the priests and took an oath of them that they should do according to this promise. We're going to lock it in now.

Also, I shook my lap and said, so God shake out every man from his house and from his labor that performeth not this promise, even thus he be shaken out and emptied. And all the congregation said, amen, and praise the Lord.

And the people did according to this promise. Moreover, from the time that it was appointed, from the time I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year, even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, the Persian king that sent him, that is twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor.

We didn't impose ourselves and make ourselves a burden to you. All of us that came from Persia to rebuild these walls, we're not doing it on your dime. We're paying our own way. But the former governors that had been before me, they were chargeable unto the people and had taken of them bread and wine beside forty shekels of silver.

Yea, even their servants bear rule over the people, but so did not I because of the fear of God.". It's an important posture for the servant. Pastors know this. We're not in it for the money, and we're not trying to get rich from the congregations.

It's a great sin to do so. I was down south one time hearing this radio preacher down there. I guess there's a lot of them on the radio down there. This guy was really waxing eloquent, and it came time for the offering.

You could tell this was going to come, and he just said, I want you to get on your knees people out there in radio land, and I want you to have God put an amount on your heart that you're going to send me.

Get that amount so you can see the numbers. See that number in your face. And then when you have that number, when you know what that number is before you send it to me, double it, and then send it in.

I got a big kick out of that. Too often God's people, God's leaders are viewed as exploiting the people, but Nehemiah shows us a model that he didn't do that, but so did not I because of the fear of God.

Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall, neither bought we any land. I didn't come and buy land. I wasn't a land speculator on the cheap, taking advantage of the economy. Neither bought we any land, and all my servants were gathered thither under the work.

This is when he talks about his table. This is cool. Moreover, there were at my table 150 of the Jews and rulers. 150 people at this guy's table daily, besides those that came unto us from the heathen that are about us.

That phrase is telling. 150 people besides the heathen, the non-believers that we welcomed in. That tells us something about the posture of the Christian community. We are to be a people of hospitality, a people that welcome others to our tables, both at home and then on fellowship days that we have in our churches.

We're to be a generous people, a people that celebrate around food, around the bounty of the blessings of the covenant. That's what Nehemiah did. Now, that which was prepared for me daily, get this, was one ox, oxen are big, you know, by the way, one ox and six choice sheep.

Also, fowls were prepared for me, and once in 10 days store of all sorts of wine. I would have been a happy camper there. Yet for all this required not either bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people.

I paid for it myself, and I want to share God's generosity with the people I'm called to serve. And then this verse, the last verse in the chapter, think upon me, my God, for good according to all that I have done for this people.

Yeah, think about that. You know, the world watches us, the world watch these, our brothers back here in the Old Testament, Nehemiah. At Tri-City, we just put up a sign, we have a beautiful property that God has given us, but it didn't really have a sign for people to see who we were.

And we had this sign made, and it was just installed about a couple of weeks ago, Tri-City Covenant Church, Tri-City Christian Academy, the times that we meet. It's beautiful. It's beautiful. And I was thinking, that sign tells people who we are.

In a way, it's our mark, just like Nehemiah had a mark. The walls were being built up, and the people, they were being mistreated, but then they corrected the mistake. I thought on that sign in front of Tri-City, how terrible it would be if somebody took a big wad of mud and threw it at that sign.

That's what happens symbolically when we don't love one another. That's what happens symbolically when we mess up the testimony that God has given us, when we don't have mutual love. And then people conclude they're not really Christians, or worse, God didn't really send His Son, the mark of the Christian.

Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people. You know, sometimes you'll find a pietistic type Christian, oh, I don't serve God because of what's in it for me. I just serve God disinterestedly.

That's not it. When our earthly fathers offer us a reward for service well done, what an insult it would be to say, Dad, I don't care about that. I just want to obey you. Eh, God put that reward out there for a purpose.

He wants us to rejoice in His reward structure, and our God, to use a movie line, is a God who really knows how to return a favor. That works both ways. Godfather, ask anybody around here, they'll tell you, I know how to return a favor.

And God knows how to return a favor, and God cares about giving His children reward. And Nehemiah, forthrightly, no problem. He just said, Lord, remember me. Remember me for good. I remember your pastor talking about in Malachi 3, there aren't too many times where God says, prove me.

But there's one time He just said, prove me. You give tithes and offerings, prove me. Put me to the test and see that I'm a God that knows how to return a favor. I know how to give reward. We are a privileged people.

God has been kind to us, to say the least. And God has generously offered reward for those that serve Him. One of the verses in the Bible that just intrigues me in Corinthians, as it is written, eye has not seen nor ear heard, neither has entered the heart of man the things that God has prepared for them that love Him.

We are on a course to great reward. Let us pray that God would give us vision, wisdom, and strength to serve Him. Let us pray. Dear Heavenly Father, we pray that we would be found faithful as our brother Nehemiah, and then as our older brother, the Lord Jesus Christ, who went to the cross and bore our sins, that we could have pardon and new life in You.

This we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.