Care for God's family

Good morning. Please have a seat, and let’s pray.

[PRAYER]

When you get into a big problem or emergency, who are the first people you call for help? When you have great news to share, who are the first to know and celebrate with you? I’d love to conduct another church survey on that although it might be a bit tricky to collect responses right now. But I’d like to think that for most of us, our answer would be family – whether that’s a parent, spouse, sibling, or a close friend that’s like family. And that’s not necessarily because they’re the people we get along with the best or the most reliable. It’s simply because they’re your family who cares for you and who you care about. So, there’s a sense of ‘family comes first no matter what’. Now, as I say that I realise that may be more of an ideal which won’t be the case for all of us, and certainly not at all times. In fact, at times, we might feel like family fail to treat us like family; they don’t turn up, they get it wrong, they don’t care for you as much as they should – we don’t turn up, we get it wrong, and we don’t care for them as much as we should.

Well, enter the book of Nehemiah – and it’ll be really helpful if you could find a Bible to turn to page 401 to follow along our passage in Nehemiah 5. God’s people, the Israelites have been busy rebuilding the wall together (or God’s place in Jerusalem). The story so far has been outside opposition against Israel while God enables his people to continue the work. But now (in Nehemiah 5) there arose a great outcry of the people (Nehemiah 5.1) within the walls. If this was an episode of the Netflix original Nehemiah TV series, this would be the episode that shifts from the action at the wall to the problems in the home. And just before you’re tempted to skip to the next episode back to the wall, stay with me because this was such a big problem that they couldn’t return their focus to the wall until this was resolved. What was the great outcry about? It was against their Jewish brothers because God’s people were not treating each other like family. God’s people were not treating each other like family. This starts with:

1. A failure to see God’s people as family. (Nehemiah 5.1-5)

Hear the outcry from Nehemiah 5.2-5:

For there were those who said, ‘With our sons and our daughters, we are many. So let us get grain, that we may eat and keep alive...We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain because of the famine…We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards. Now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, and our children are as their children. Yet we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but it is not in our power to help it, for other men have our fields and our vineyards.

So, one group of Israelites were struggling to feed their big families, they’ve mortgaged their property because they’ve had to leave their land to relocate for the rebuilding and were facing heavy taxes and a famine. Another group of Israelites, maybe those of higher professions or had settled down for longer, were enslaving the first group of Jews in need. Talk about rebuilding the wall when many of them probably didn’t have a proper home to sleep or food to put on the table. Maybe the second group thought, ‘we don’t really know these people so there’s no need to find them a place to stay – they can work for it like everyone else.’ Or ‘these guys are desperate for work, I’ll give them work as slaves in my field – win win.’ God’s people mistreated their fellow Jewish brothers & sisters because they failed to see them as family.

Today, God’s people are no longer Israel as a nation, but anyone who follows Jesus. So, if you’re following Jesus today, do you see other Christians here as God’s family? I always find it heart-warming when an international meets someone from their home country here. In some cultures, there’s a strong and immediate sense of brotherhood. Oh, you’re from the same country and city? Their eyes light up, there’s a warm embrace, they switch to their native language. Come over to my place for lunch after this. Need a place to stay, I’ll find you a place. That’s not as big in my culture, we get a few more seconds of eye contact or a head-nod from afar. But I know my natural inclination is still to see someone who looks more like me as closer to family. A lot of that is just how we are but what if we saw all of God’s people with the same care and concern? With the warm embrace of lost brothers. Oh, you’re a Christian too? Come and join my family meal.

I think it’s also telling in what we call one another and how we refer to each other. Most of the times, it’s I’m going to meet ‘church friends’ or my ‘church group’ and less often brothers and sisters, or family. Of course, it’s not a big deal what we call each other but I wonder if there’s a part of our culture that makes that a bit weird or too close for comfort to be seeing each other as brothers and sisters, because our culture says, your needs are yours to struggle with. Your problems are yours to solve. Now if we were to see our immediate family that way, maybe it would sound like this…My daughters’ recital tomorrow – I’ll check my schedule to see if I can make it. Mom’s birthday lunch after church – I’ve got to do some work on the house or finish my assignments. Brother who needs a place to stay – sorry don’t know anywhere so can’t help. Family means we make time for each other. What matters to them, matters to us – not because it’s particularly interesting (or remotely interesting) but because they’re family and their needs matter.

And if there have been times you’ve walked into church feeling neglected for your needs or uncared for, we’re sorry that has happened. I’m sorry if we’ve spoken and I’ve overlooked something that mattered to you. It’s likely many, if not of us have felt that way at some point. We’re not a perfect church but let’s consider that others in the church family have felt the same way before. And the only way we can help, is by starting to see each other as family. The people failed to see each other as family which led to them oppressing the needy. So, now Nehemiah responds with:

2. A call to treat God’s people as family. (Nehemiah 5.6-13)

Have a look at Nehemiah 5.6:

I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. I took counsel with myself, and I brought charges against the nobles and the officials…

Nehemiah is furious but takes a moment to collect himself before charging the guilty for how they have mistreated their brothers. He wanted justice but more than anything, behind his anger was a deep concern for God, and Israel’s witness to the nations. Nehemiah 5.9 ties all of what he’s saying together:

The thing you are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies?

Then halfway from Nehemiah 5.10-11 he includes himself in this call to return all that they’ve taken:

…Let us abandon this exacting of interest. Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the percentage of money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them.

Instead of using one another for their own personal gain, they should have been caring for each other’s needs and giving generously as each was able. Maybe we’re not holding someone’s vineyard with interest rates, but let’s consider how we can be stewarding our resources for our brothers and sisters in need. Could you think of the next church event that needs some form of payment (Women’s conference next week) and offer to cover the cost for someone who you know would find it a bit harder to pay? Could you bring cooked meals or groceries to those in our congregation who find it harder to leave home? Could you include someone who would appreciate being invited into your family life? Usually, it helps to know people and their needs but even if you can’t think of anyone in need, the best way is always to start getting to know people and it won’t be long before it becomes obvious. But if that still fails, ask around or even better – read the weekly email. At the bottom there’s always a section with shared needs from people in our church family. Here are some from last week’s: Two male Christian working professionals are looking for a house to rent, and two other people in church are looking for bikes. Could you help?

It's been such blessing being part of the church family over these years where I’ve been served so well by many of you. Whether that’s being provided affordable accommodation that frees me up for the work of the church or being included into your family life. And being on the church staff means I get to witness a lot more that goes on behind the scenes – from quick responses of wanting to cover Weekend Away costs for students to generous offering to cover shortfalls from events. So much of this is already happening, but as Paul often encouraged many churches, to do so more and more. Still, there are greater needs of our brothers and sisters from beyond our church and country that I’m convicted for brushing aside all too often. Newsletters and appeals that I’ve receive knowing that’s the outcry of our wider church family, but I haven’t done much to respond. All of this is difficult. We don’t always know what’s the best way to support each other financially. We don’t always know what the needs are, especially when we’re influenced to think our problems should be sorted out on our own. And we need wisdom to know how much we can give or help.

But going back to Nehemiah’s concern, all of this should come from the fear of God. A fear of God has a reverence and recognition for who He is and what He’s done to save us to be His people – which means being a part of His family. While a life without fear of God thinks, ‘I know I’ve been saved but God’s family – it doesn’t really matter to me’. That’s what angered Nehemiah. And we need to ask ourselves what message does my church family life give to those outside? If a friend outside would follow you this week to all your meetings and interactions with church family (who you meet, how often you meet, what you do), what would they think? Would it cause them to want to find out more because it’s unlike anything they’ve seen, or would they think there isn’t much difference to other groups they’re apart of? We’ve seen; A failure to see God’s people as family. A call to treat God’s people as family. And finally:

3. An example of generous service to God’s people. (Nehemiah 5.14-19)

We’re reaching the end of the episode where we get an inside look into what seems to be Nehemiah’s diary. So, here’s his monologue…in his 12 years as governor he says halfway through Nehemiah 5.14-16:

Neither I nor my brothers ate the food allowance of the governor. The former governors before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them their daily ration of forty shekels of silver. Even the servants lorded it over the people. But I did not do so, because of the fear of God. I also persevered in the work on this wall, and we acquired no land…

Nehemiah didn’t take what he could have because he cared about God’s people and feared God. It was his right as governor to take more food, income, and land, but because it would come at the expense of the people, he declined. He mentions 150 men that were with him, probably involved with the wall. Here’s what he did for them (Nehemiah 5.18):

Now what was prepared at my expense for each day was one ox and six choice sheep and birds, and every ten days all kind of wine in abundance. Yet for all this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because the service was too heavy on this people.

Nehemiah gave what he didn’t need to them because he cared about God’s people. He fed the people with money out of his pocket and still didn’t take the allowance entitled to him. In a culture that says ‘Never do anything for free’ and asks ‘What’s in it for me?’ Nehemiah asked ‘How can I help?’ and walked the talk. The last verse Nehemiah 5.19, he ends by saying:

Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people.

It sounds like he’s giving himself a pat on the back, ‘Well done Nehemiah, good job.’ But these were his words to God – not to anyone else. And it showed again that he feared God. He knew God saw everything he did. And he knew he would have to give an account to God in the end. We have a great example in how Nehemiah cared for God’s people through his word and actions, through his position at work and way of life. Now doesn’t that remind us of someone who would come later, who didn’t take what he could have (all power and authority) and gave all that he had? We know from our first reading in Mark 10.42-45 Jesus tells his disciples:

You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many.

Unlike other leaders who would use their position for their benefit, here was a King that came to serve the people by meeting their greatest need of forgiveness of sin. Saving them by offering his own life as a payment for all who would accept it. And not just a great example for those in past, but his service and life paid the price for all throughout history – that all who would believe would be saved into his family.

If you wouldn’t say you’ve accepted Jesus yet, would you consider the invitation into his family? A family that helps you know Jesus more but won’t be perfect until He comes again. And if you would say you’re following Jesus, then do you hear the outcry of your family in Christ? How can you care for God’s family the way Jesus has for you? Let’s pray.