“The Case for Christ: - K/God: Path of Righteousness”

What path does righteousness take in sustaining the Kingdom of God and His church?

To gain an insight into the answer to this question, let us turn to Nehemiah 8 - the book of Nehemiah, chapter 8.

After the Babylonian captivity, Nehemiah was disturbed about the condition of Jerusalem and its people.

He resolved to rebuild the walls of the city, to change the civil well-being of its inhabitants, and to help re-establish the people on a firm basis with their God as the congregation of the Lord.

In verses 1 and 2, of chapter 8, we see something a little unusual about the gathering together of the people.

The wall had been rebuilt in spite of the difficulties that Nehemiah had to overcome in doing it.

Their enemies had tried to oppose and hinder its rebuilding. Even as it was being done, the workers had to do it with their weapons nearby.

The poorer inhabitants were being swindled by some wealthy extortionists, a serious problem going on at the same time that required Nehemiah’s attention.

And, to further hinder his rebuilding plan, there were the enemies who were plotting against his life.

In the light of all these difficulties, the people realized the hand of the Lord in bringing the work of restoration to a successful finish.

So, in the gathering of themselves together, they were especially grateful to the Lord in this particular feast-day celebration.

He had helped them through the terrible and hard times so they were not remiss about setting their attention upon Him.

In coming together, they specifically asked ‘...Ezra, the scribe, to bring the book of the law of Moses’ to read to them.

And, as they came together to hear it, they came as ‘one man’: that is, they came in a unity, in a real depth of one heart in their vision and in their purpose.

For notice their intensity in v 3: ‘...and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.’

And, we find, in v 8, that Ezra, along with Nehemiah and some of the Levites, proceeded with the job of teaching 
‘...in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.’ (v 8) 

They had read ‘from morning until mid-day’, a period of about five or six hours!

What rapt attention they gave to the reading of the Lord’s Word the entire time!

It was a deep, concentrated, profound meeting. 

Can we not truly say that this was strictly the grace of God in operation?

The psalmist, in Ps 84:11, saw how the Lord gives grace and glory: no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. 

It was strictly God’s grace in full operation, withholding nothing from these people in Jerusalem as they listened to His Word.  

How do we know it was God’s grace operating?

When the reading was done, the people wept: the word took its effect within them.

They were applying it to their own condition of heart.

They were deliberately leaving their old ways behind and replacing it with a new, vigorous attitude of mind.

But - you see - in them, there was also a real desire to hear the Lord’s Word and there was an equally real desire to make it their rule.

And so the leaders said to them: ‘This day is holy unto the Lord your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.’ (vs 9)

Nehemiah, seeing the sincerity of their hearts, then encouraged them to put their weeping and mourning behind them and to enjoy their feast day with their families.

Verse 10: ‘Then he said unto them, ‘Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet...’.

And he further encouraged them to share with the poor - who did not have the means to participate as fully in the festivities - so they could have a part in it, as well.

‘...and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared...’, he told them.

And, then, he reminded them of the foundation for such merriment.

It was because ‘...this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’

It was a day of holy joy, a joy that had been founded on their earnest communion with the Lord.

And, in v 12, ‘...all the people went their way...to make great mirth, because they understood the words that were declared unto them.’

They took to heart the admonitions given them, just as Jeremiah did.

He had said unto the Lord, in Jer 15:16: ‘Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart: for I am called by Thy name, O Lord God of hosts.’

Thus, this community of the Lord’s people was blessed. It found its strength together through the joy of the Lord.  

And why was this such a triumphant moment for them?

Look once again: they specifically requested to hear the Lord’s word.

Why? 

They wanted to make clear within their hearts the rule of God for their communal living!

They went beyond the ordinary: they had sought, as one people, the higher things of spiritual understanding.

It was founded on the consciousness of the Lord’s rule for their lives, on their sincere communion with Him.

And, because of this good foundation, God gave them the privilege of experiencing His joy.

And that is no small thing!

‘Thou wilt show me the path of life: in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore,’ the psalmist wrote.

God had graciously imparted His holy joy to them when He filled the desire of their hearts to hear His word!

It was a joy bubbling up from the wellspring of the grace of God that was operating for them!

It was not a silly sentiment nor a giddy, fleeting emotion.

Oh, no! This joy had substance to it! 

It gave them strength! 

Its force was compelling - powerful enough to move more and more into the riches of His grace.

It gave them a gladness, a jubilation of heart, that supported and nourished their spiritual beings.

It was the joy abounding out from the treasure of grace God was pouring out to them.

It was joy that gave them spiritual nourishment at that very moment.

It was joy that gave the strength to follow-through in holding steady and firm before Him.

Nehemiah had also resolved to establish the people on a firm basis before God.

So they needed to go on to discover far more concerning His will.

In the reading of the book, they found the law of building booths to live in on their feast days.

Coming under the rule of God meant they must follow His instructions to build those booths, which they did.

And the end of that was: ‘...their joy was great.’ (v 17)

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Now - let us go to the time when Jesus preached the kingdom of God.

We know that He always had put a deep and unwavering importance on its present spiritual part of it.

It was a present reality, He often said.

And, His thoughts about this present reality rested upon this same central thing seen by the people of Nehemiah’s day: the rule of God in the human heart and of God’s active work always taking place in it.  

And, because it is the most important thing in human life, Jesus likened it to a treasure hid in a field which a man found and hid.

As the people were in Nehemiah’s day when they heard the Lord’s word, so was this man who discovered the treasure in the field. 

When the man found it, he was so elated and so joyous about it.

And what did he do? 

He gathered everything he had, sold it all in order to buy that field so that he could claim the treasure in it as his own. 

He saw where the treasure was, he sensed the value of the treasure, and he knew it was worth every ‘sacrifice’ in order to get it: he wanted it for his own possession! 

But - Jesus, knowing the joy of the man who finds the kingdom and possesses it, also went on to teach about the practices and privileges of it.    

He said: ‘The good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things...’.

That is - the man who finds the kingdom and has it as his own must go on.

There must be a bringing forth, from the good treasure he has in his heart, good things.

He must draw from that treasure of God’s grace within him, if he desires to go on.

He not only gets rid of the old - sells it all - but he must replace it with the new.  

He must go on and restore it with the grace of God that he continuously receives.

He must go on to the place in which the activity of God’s grace is felt, understood, received and translated into action.

From that, there springs the joy of the Lord that gives the ‘good man’ strength.

So - by consistently putting into practice that which God supplies of the abundance of His grace, the ‘good man’ can enjoy the privilege of God’s joy that goes along with it.   

In other words, the ‘good man’ guards that good deposit of the grace of Jesus Christ and translates it into overcoming by consistently drawing from it.
  
The joy of the Lord in it turns into strength and strength into ceaseless overcoming.
 
This is the path of righteousness that sustains His people in the Kingdom of God.

It brings that work of restoration to a successful finish in the ‘good man’.

And this is infinitely true of those who are ‘one’ in their vision of the kingdom of God, in their passion for its realization, and in their devotion to the King of Kings.

That same path brings that work of restoration to a successful finish in the congregation of His people into ‘one man’!

Yes - God is able to ‘...grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the  inner man.’ 

‘...that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness;

Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light...’.

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I will close for tonight.

May the Lord bless this to our hearts and lives and may He open our understanding to receive it well.

In the name of Christ our Lord!

Amen! 

Let us pray.