I think of the words of our Lord, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.”(John 12:24). For any churcH to experience new life means the members must die! They must die to their preferences and their plans and choose to abide in God’s desires and His designs. This is pictured in Nehemiah 9.
Sanctification means we are A SACRIFICING PEOPLE, (v. 1). The seriousness of their seeking after God is seen in the sacrifice they made. They denied themselves of food because their hunger for God was greater than the physical need. Fasting is typically connected to prayer. We give up in order to go up. How passionate are you in seeking God?
When we are sanctified we will not only be a SACRIFICING PEOPLE, but we will be A SEPARATED PEOPLE, (v. 2). Jerusalem fell and the Jews were carried into captivity--not so much due to the might of the enemy’s military, but the compromise with the enemy’s idolatry. Here we find the Jews separating themselves from the world and unto the Lord. They confess their sins and call upon God for cleansing. Sanctification suggests our separation. If we say we love God, but give our affections to the world, we are guilty of spiritual adultery! James put it bluntly, “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4). God will forgive, but we must repent and return to Him.
Sanctification is about being A SACRIFICING AND SEPARATED PEOPLE, and more to be A SCRIPTURAL PEOPLE, (v. 3ff). Here they are reading from the Word of God. The communication of the Scriptures brings them to the confession of their sin. The cleansing from their sin leads to the celebration of their Savior. The Word of God brought life and vitality to them.
The remainder of the chapter is an overview of the Old Testament. You may say, “That’s interesting, but so what?” God’s people cannot be alive without being fed the Word of God. That Word will guide us, empower us, grow us, and prune us to be more fruitful.
If we want to know church revitalization, it requires sanctification and so let us commit to being a sacrificing, separated, and Scriptural people.
Yours for Church Revitalization,
Dennis Thurman, AMS
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