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The Desire Of The Righteous

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• Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah, you will find that after 1st and 2nd Samuel, 1st and 2nd Kings, 1st and 2nd Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah. Nehemiah chapter 1, and we're going to read verse 11. The title of the message is "The Desire of the Righteous." I think you will understand momentarily. "The Desire of the Righteous." Nehemiah chapter 1 and verse 11. Nehemiah is praying, and he prays, "O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant and to the prayer of thy servants who desire to fear thy name. And prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man, for I was the king's cupbearer."

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• So let me ask you a question. Here it is. If you could have only one desire granted you by the grace and mercy of God, what would that desire be? The truth of the matter is everyone has desires. There's nothing wrong with desiring things that are biblical, godly, and holy. However, the truth of the matter is since we are depraved sinners by nature, we normally desire things that are wicked, wrong, unbiblical, and ungodly. And the Word of God declares that there are many of the wicked people who desire wicked things. They usually end up boasting in those wicked desires and also blessing those who are like themselves. For instance, in Psalm 10 in verse 3, the Bible says, "For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth," or whom the Lord hated. So a wicked man then boasts of his evil desires and he blesses those who are likewise evil like him. We're also informed in Psalm 112 in verse 10, "The wicked shall see it and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth and melt away." Listen, "the desire of the wicked shall perish." So really and truly all of his desires are going to go away anyhow. I don't know if you've ever paid attention to James 4 in verse 2, but the scripture teaches us that murders, fightings, wars, all stem from lusts and wicked desires. For instance, in James 4 and verse 2, the Bible says this, "Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain."

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• "Ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not." So interestingly there, our Lord pens all of the fightings, all the wars, all the murders, on wicked lusts, on wicked desires.

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• Now, the interesting thing is this. When you get to James chapter 4 and verse 2, the Greek word there for lust and desire is epithumeo. And that word actually means to desire, to covet, to long after, and to long for, and to lust after. And the word is used in the scripture both in a good and in a bad sense. Usually when we think of lusts, when we think of desires, we think of that which is evil, sinful, and wicked, but it's not necessarily like that.

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• Let me show you two passages that will demonstrate otherwise. I want you to turn first of all to the book of Luke chapter 22 and verse 15. Hold Nehemiah, we're coming back there, but look in Luke chapter 22 and verse 15. By the way, I could break it down a little bit more for you, although the word is epithumeo. We take that word actually from epithumia, and epi is a preposition which means upon, and it's actually from the Greek word thumos, which means a passion. So your lust is basically whatever you set your passion upon.

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• In other words, it is the desire of your heart. But just to show you the good sense of the word lust or desire, here it is. Luke chapter 22, note if you would verse 15, our Lord says to his disciples, "And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer." Actually, it's the same word with lust. "Have I lusted to eat this Passover with you before I suffer?" In other words, he's setting his desire upon a last supper with them in a fellowship with them. So it is a good and holy usage of the word. One more passage. If you will look in 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 2, again, you'll see basically the same word. 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 2. Notice if you would, the scripture says this, "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." Set your affection, set your passion on the milk of the word that you may grow thereby.

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• Now I use those two scriptures just simply to point out and make the truth known that desires are not necessarily wicked and wrong in and of themselves. There are indeed evil desires and wicked desires. But just because there are wicked and evil desires does not mean that every desire is like that. There are holy desires. There are righteous desires.

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• Now, if you look back in Nehemiah chapter 1 in verse 11, let me give you two very clear and plain implications. The first one is this. He says in verse 11, "O LORD, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant and to the prayer of thy servants." So Nehemiah is not just praying for his own prayer, but he's also praying for the prayer of other servants as well.

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• So let me put it to you like this. It is right and honorable to pray for the Lord's servants. I hate to have to say this, but it's the absolute truth. And unhappily, most pastors don't even believe this, but it is the truth. We're not in competition. We're on the same team. And so therefore, I mean, it doesn't matter to me if the Lord used this pastor in this church and started a great awakening and a great revival. I'm more than happy. I'm not in competition with him. There are a lot of pastors that think, well, just because it doesn't affect my church or bless my church, I'm against it. No, no, no. We're not in competition. So he is praying, actually, not just for his own prayer, but for the servants of the Lord as well.

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• Now, here's the second implication. I want you to look at it. He says, "O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant and to the prayer of thy servants." Ah, now here is the qualifying phrase, "who desire to fear thy name." So he's not just simply praying for fellow servants. He's praying for those fellow servants who desire to fear the name of the Lord. So negatively speaking, the prayer would not be for servants who do not desire to fear the name of the Lord. So you'd have to ask this question, why would he not be praying for those who do not desire to fear the name of the Lord? And the answer is very simple, because those who really and truly do not desire to fear the name of the Lord, they're merely playing. They're not serious about the work of the Lord, and they're not interested really and truly in obeying God. In fact, I want you to see how set Nehemiah was on this. If you look in Nehemiah chapter 1 beginning there with verse 3, he had asked about the inhabitants of Jerusalem and here's the answer that he got in verse 3. And they said unto him, "The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire." So here's a very pitiful picture of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I mean, they're in deep affliction. The wall is broken down. The gates are burned with fire. They have no protection.

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• Now look in verse 4. He said, "And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven." So Nehemiah now is really concerned about the inhabitants of Jerusalem. He's concerned about the wall. He's concerned about the people. He's concerned about the city, the town, and so he sits down and he cries and he mourns and he fasts and he prays. Now, here's the thing, this is why in verse 11 he's prayed for the prayer of thy servants who desire to fear thy name. Now, we may pray for all of God's servants, but I will tell you this, I believe the majority of our prayers, the intensity of our prayers, the fervency of our prayers, the constancy of our prayers should be for those who desire to fear the name of the Lord.

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• It's much like that passage in Galatians chapter 6 and verse 10. That's where the apostle Paul says this, "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, but especially they that be of the household of faith." In other words, we have a duty and obligation to do good to everyone, but there is a special duty and a special obligation to those who are the household of faith. And when you stop and think about the household of faith, there are some who are in the household of faith that are not very serious. And there are others that are very serious. So Nehemiah understood this. And therefore, in Nehemiah chapter 1 in verse 11, he prays not just for the servants of the Lord, but for those who desire to fear his name.

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• So they are going to take the work very seriously. So it's imperative that we understand something at the outset of this message, and that is this, that our desires and our motives are before the Lord. He knows us. He knows us in detail and he knows us intimately. We cannot fool him. We cannot deceive him. You know, many times we do things without thinking. We upset some brother in Christ or to use the modern day word, we offend them. And then, you know, we look at them and say, well, you know, I didn't mean it that way. I didn't mean to do that. And they said, well, OK, that's all right. We'll work it out. We'll forgive each other. We'll go over. Well, you know, the truth of the matter is this. I may say to Steve, I didn't mean that. But the Lord knows whether I mean it or not.

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• You see what I'm saying? So he knows every one of our desires.

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• Now, the interesting thing is this. David said in Psalm 38 and verse 9, "Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee." All my desire is before thee. So every one of our desires, whether they're right, wrong, good, bad, holy, unholy, they are before the Lord. And the truth of the matter is this, God will judge wicked, unbiblical, and ungodly desires.

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• And if you've never thought about it like this, think about this. In reality, our desires and our motives are more important than our outward conduct. Because our outward conduct stems from our desires and our motives, as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. And you remember what our Lord said to those Pharisees in Matthew 23, he said, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!" He says, "for ye garnish the outside of the sepulcher, and then ye make it white."

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• But on the inside, you're full of dead men's bones. So the outside really doesn't matter if the inside is all messed up. And so that's why I'm saying we have very clearly desires that are right, desires that are wrong, and God's going to judge those that are wrong. Let me give you a good illustration. I want you to turn in your Bibles, hold Nehemiah, but turn to the book of Numbers chapter 11. Numbers chapter 11. And then after that, we're going to Psalm 78. Psalm 78. After we get to Numbers chapter 11. In Numbers chapter 11, the children of Israel are in the wilderness.

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• And God has been feeding them with manna, angel's food, the corn of heaven. And they get just so sick and tired of manna. And they're saying, well, we don't have any meat. We'd love to have meat. We had meat in Egypt. Why can't we have meat now? So in Numbers chapter 11, verse 18, God heard their whining and complaining. And he said this, "And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt." When we were slaves. That's what made it so comfortable back in Egypt in slavery. We had meat, you know. That's so insane, but and he says, "Therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat."

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• "Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days; but even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the Lord which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?" Isn't that interesting?

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• Now, notice God said, I'm going to give you flesh. I'll give it to you till it comes out your nostrils, till it becomes loathsome. I can give you a good clear illustration of that. When I was 12 years old, my father and mother allowed me to go to Savannah, Georgia and spend a week with my aunt and uncle. And I was so happy to go because my aunt and uncle owned and operated a bakery. And I had a whole week with them.

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• I want you to know something. I ate doughnuts. I ate regular doughnuts. I ate glazed doughnuts. I ate cake doughnuts. I ate cream-filled doughnuts. I ate sprinkled doughnuts. I ate doughnuts until I was so sick. And my wife can tell you, I probably didn't eat another doughnut for 30 or 40 years after that, and I still don't care anything about them. I just got sick of doughnuts and they became very, very loathsome to me.

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• So notice, if you would, Psalm 78. Listen now. They have been complaining because they didn't have meat. They had this manna. And watch, if you would, Psalm 78, beginning there with verse 23. Look what God says. "Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, and had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven. Man did eat angels' food: he sent them meat to the full." Now watch what happens. "He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind. He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea."

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• "And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations." Now pay attention to verse 29. "So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire; they were not estranged from their lust. But while the meat was yet in their mouths, the wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel." Did you hear what he said in verse 29? He gave them their own desire. Do you realize that one of the most severe judgments of God is when God gives us what we want, when we want that which is contrary to Him? It is indeed a judgment of God. If God ever leaves us to ourselves, if God ever leaves us to our fleshly desires, it is a judgment. Hence, we need to do what Nehemiah prayed about. We need to learn to fear His name.

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• Now, here's the pressing question in this message so far. What does it mean to fear the name of the Lord? In the Bible, the name of the Lord is always synonymous with and equated with the person of the Lord. So to fear His name is to fear Him. To not fear His name is to not fear Him. I want you to hold Nehemiah, but turn in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy 28.

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• You can mark this passage because we will come back to it. But I want you to look in Deuteronomy 28, beginning there with verse 58. Watch carefully. Deuteronomy 28 verse 58 and 59. God says, "If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD; then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance." Note, he said, "If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, the Lord thy God."

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• Now, there are three very clear implications in this passage. First of all, fearing the name of the Lord is equal to and synonymous with fearing the Lord Himself. Secondly, fearing the name of the Lord is vitally and intimately connected with obedience. Thirdly, a failure to fear the name of the Lord is a failure to fear God Himself, and thus brings judgment upon the individual or upon the nation.

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• Now, what I'd like to do is this. Just for a few minutes, I'd like to look at each of these three implications so that we may clearly understand each one of them. So first of all, fearing the name of the Lord is the same as fearing God Himself. So if you look in your Bibles, in fact, go to Deuteronomy chapter 6, and as you're going to Deuteronomy chapter 6, let me just quote Exodus chapter 20 and verse 7, where the Bible says, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. Taking God's name in vain is the same as cursing God. His name is representative of Himself in all that He is. So look in Deuteronomy chapter 6 and verse 13. Again He says it, "Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name." So thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and shalt swear by his name.

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• You'll see it again in Deuteronomy chapter 10 and verse 20. Deuteronomy 10 and verse 20. He says, "Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name."

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• Now, I want you to turn to Psalm 20, if you would, because here are passages that take God and the name of God and use them interchangeably. So notice, if you would, Psalm 20 and verse 1, look what the scripture says. "The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble." That's his person. "The name of the God of Jacob defend thee," that is still his person. Skip down to verse 5.

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• "We will rejoice in thy salvation." That is the person. "And in the name of our God we will set up our banners." That's still his person because his name represents him. "The Lord fulfill all thy petitions." Look in verse 7. "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God."

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• So the very first implication is this. The name of God represents himself. To fear his name is the same as fearing God. Secondly, I'm pointing out that fearing God is vitally and intimately connected with obedience. And here's the truth. It is so connected with obedience that it is impossible to fear Him and not obey. I'll show you that before I close. So, go back in your Bibles to the book of Leviticus chapter 19. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus. Look in Leviticus chapter 19.

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• And notice, if you would please, verse 14. Leviticus 19 and verse 14. I'm pointing out the fact now that fearing the Lord is vitally connected with obedience. So here is what he says in verse 14. "Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the Lord." Now look, thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind. Why? Thou shalt fear thy God. In other words, if you fear God, you're not going to be cursing the deaf. You're not going to be putting a stumblingblock before the blind. Look, if you would, Leviticus chapter 19 and verse 32. He'll say it again. "Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the Lord." So if you really fear God, you're going to rise up before the hoary head. That is, you're going to respect old age and you're going to honor the face of the old man.

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• Look in verse 17 of Leviticus. Leviticus 25 and verse 17. Here He says it again. "Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God: for I am the Lord your God." So what is to stop me from oppressing you or anyone else? I fear God. And so if I fear God, I am going to be obedient. Turn right on over to Deuteronomy chapter 10 and verse 12. Deuteronomy 10 and verse 12.

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• Here it is very plainly stated. "And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul?" Then in Deuteronomy chapter 13 and verse 4, look at it right there, Deuteronomy 13 and verse 4, "Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him." So this is why I'm telling you it is impossible to fear God and remain disobedient. In 1 Samuel chapter 12 and verse 24, let me just quote it. Samuel said, "Only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you." So if you fear him, you fear his name. If you fear his name, you will obey him and you will love him and serve him and honor him.

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• So obedience basically is the same as fearing the name of God. If you look back to Deuteronomy 6, and verse 24, you need to see this verse. Deuteronomy 6 and verse 24, here it is. "And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day." So fearing the Lord, of course, is for our good and for our protection as well. Which brings me to the third implication, and that is this, a failure to fear the name of the Lord is a failure to fear God and always brings judgment. Now, just two passages. So I want you to go back to Leviticus chapter 26, Leviticus 26, and then we're going to Deuteronomy 28. Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 are the two passages of the Bible where you have the blessings and the curses. So if you look in Leviticus 26, beginning there with verse 14, here are the curses, or at least part of them, for disobeying.

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• He says, "But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; and if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant: I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it." Verse 17, "And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies."

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• "They that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you." Wow. So this is judgment if we do not fear Him.

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• Now, if you look in Deuteronomy 28, and let's go back in our Bibles to verse 58. Deuteronomy chapter 28 and verse 58. Let's start there. I read 58 and 59 earlier. He said, "If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD; then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance. Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed. And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God. And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it. And the LORD

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• shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone. Among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: and thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life: in the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see." So, what he is saying is if we do not fear his name, judgment is going to fall upon us.

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• May I point out the fact that the sins of our forefathers, the sins of our ancestors, are exactly the same sins that we have today. We have failed to fear the name of the Lord. If you would like to know what is wrong with Washington, D.C., there's no fear of God there. If you'd like to know what's wrong with Tallahassee, Florida, there's no fear of God there. If you want to know what's wrong with Atlanta, Georgia, there's no fear of God there.

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• Look at all the state capitals. Now, I'm going to point something out. When you talk about fear, you have to understand there are basically two types of fear that are mentioned in the Bible. First of all, the word fear refers to all reverence and respect. Honor. Honor the hoary head, says God. Honor thy father and thy mother. The second type of fear is fear of wrath or fear of anger, fear of punishment. I told you before, when I was a boy, I feared my father. What did I mean by I feared my father? I honored him. I respected him. He was my father. He ruled the roost.

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• When he said jump, I would ask how high. Until I got older and then I decided, you know, I'm almost grown. I think I can do what I want to. And then dad decided, you know, you can't do what you want to. You're going to do what I tell you. And if you don't do what I tell you, here's a nice peach tree limb that will teach you.

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• You are still to obey. I usually tell people we had a peach tree, a big peach tree up in our house. The thing never did blossom till after I left home because he used all the limbs for switches. But I feared him. I mean, I feared him both ways, you understand, because he was a big man and a strong man. And so here's the fear of God.

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• Now, I want you to turn in your Bible to Psalm 36, because I want you to see this. I'm going to prove this to you from the scripture. But if you don't fear God, you are going to be not only wicked and vile, but you are going to be exceedingly impudent toward him as well. Note, if you would, in Psalm 36, look at the first four verses there. Look at this. "The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful. The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit."

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• "He hath left off to be wise, and to do good. He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil."

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• Now, let me ask you this. Why does the wicked man not abhor evil? Why does he set himself in a way that is not good? Why does he devise mischief upon his bed? Why are the words of his mouth iniquity and deceit? Why has he left off to be wise and to do good? Why does he flatter himself in his own eyes until his iniquity be found to be hateful? And the answer is, verse 1, there is no fear of God before his eyes.

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• You know, the Apostle Paul said the same thing in Romans chapter 3, verses 12 through 18, he said, "They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: their feet are swift to shed blood: destruction and misery are in their ways: and the way of peace have they not known: there is no fear of God before their eyes." So when one despises the name of God, he's despising God, and when he despises God, he isn't only going to sin against God, wickedly, blasphemously, he will do so with the utmost impudence, spitting in the face of God, and daring God, and challenging God to do his worst. You know, God asked this question.

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• Now, I want you to listen carefully. You'll find it in Malachi 1 and verse 6. Here's what he asked. He said, "A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name." So if you despise the name of God, you're not going to honor Him. You're not going to fear Him. You're going to sin against Him. I want to give you two illustrations from the book of Nehemiah. One of these illustrations is a negative. That is, it's going to show you what people do when they do not fear God. The second one is a positive. It's going to show you what people do when they do indeed fear God. So if you look in your Bibles to the book of Nehemiah, chapter 5. Nehemiah, chapter 5. And I want us to begin reading there with verse 1 and read through verse 13.

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• Here is the negative illustration. Here is what happens when you do not fear God. Nehemiah 5, verse 1. "And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews." So the Judahites were crying out against the Judahites. Remember, this was a remnant that had escaped from Babylon. They're back in the land. Now watch verse 2. "For there were that said, We, our sons, and our daughters, are many: therefore we take up corn for them, 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 dearth. There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards. 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 into bondage already: neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our lands and vineyards."

  #49 | 35:05 to 36:02 | cleaned

• Now watch Nehemiah's anger. "And I was very angry when I heard their cry and 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. 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? or shall they be sold unto us?"

  #50 | 36:03 to 37:15 | cleaned

• "Then held they their peace, and found nothing to answer. Also I said, It is not good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies? I likewise, and 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 oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them. Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do as thou sayest."

  #51 | 37:15 to 38:27 | cleaned

• "Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise. Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labour, that performeth not this promise, even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the congregation said, Amen, and praised the Lord. And the people did according to this promise."

  #52 | 38:28 to 39:00 | cleaned

• Now, let me ask you a question. Is it not unlawful, according to the Bible, to charge a brother usury? Of course it is. Is it not unlawful to confiscate and to steal and to defraud? Of course it is. So here's the question. Why were these Judahites charging their brethren usury? And when they could not pay, they were confiscating their lands. And when they could not have land any longer to confiscate, then they took their children as servants and slaves. Why were they?

  #53 | 39:02 to 39:39 | cleaned

• Nehemiah tells you why. He said, "Ought ye not to walk in the fear of the Lord?" They didn't fear God. God had forbidden all of that, but it didn't matter to them. And then he said this, listen carefully. He says, "Ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies?" He says number one, you ought to walk in the fear of God simply because God commanded you to walk in his fear. But number two, you've got to remember we're living among the heathen. We're living among our enemies. And what were the enemies saying?

  #54 | 39:40 to 39:58 | cleaned

• There's no difference between us and them. They're doing exactly the same thing that we're doing. Do you realize that is the charge that is given to most Christians today? I can't tell any difference between me and most Christians except they go to church and I don't. Everybody does the same thing. Everybody acts like you can't tell the difference. And this is what he's saying. You don't fear God. If you feared God, you would obey him.

  #55 | 39:59 to 40:35 | cleaned

• You would not be charging usury. You would not be doing that to your brother. You would not be confiscating their lands. You would not be enslaving their children. You wouldn't do that. So here's the negative. They did not fear God, so they sinned against Him. Now here's the positive. I want you to look at this. Let's begin with Nehemiah chapter 5 and verse 14. But before I do, let me tell you that in the book of Nehemiah, you will run across the word and that word is the Tirshatha. You'll find that in Nehemiah chapter 8 in verse 9, which Nehemiah is called the Tirshatha. Moreover, in Nehemiah chapter 5 in verse 14, which we're about to read, he's called the governor. The Tirshatha was the governor. That's just another word that is used there, but he is the governor. Now he was a governor in Judah and Jerusalem for 12 years. So watch this verse 14. "Moreover from the time that 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, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor."

  #56 | 40:36 to 41:06 | cleaned

• He said although I was the governor I did not take everything the governor could take. Watch. "But the former governors that had been before me were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the people: 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: and all my servants were gathered thither unto the work."

  #57 | 41:07 to 41:32 | cleaned

• "Moreover there were at my table an hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers, beside those that came unto us from among the heathen that are about us. Now that which was prepared for me daily was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this required not I the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people. Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people." Now the question has to be asked.

  #58 | 41:32 to 42:48 | cleaned

• Why did he not charge like all the other governors? Now, you say, well, listen, if he's going to eat an ox every day and six sheep and all the fowl and well, 150 people ate at his table. You ought to see what it's like at our house and we have 20 and 30 to eat. I mean, you can go through a bunch of food in a heartbeat. But you've got 150 sitting down three times a day, I guess that would really be an expensive time. But he said, for all of this, I didn't charge any money. I didn't demand. Why did he not demand? Why did he not do like the other governors?

  #59 | 42:48 to 43:21 | cleaned

• He said, because I feared God. So let me ask it like this. Think about this. The only thing that will stop the abuse of office. The only thing that will deter theft and fraud and taking advantage of others is the fear of God. Why did Nehemiah not act like our modern day politicians who defraud, deceive, steal, confiscate, do whatever they want to do? Why did Nehemiah not do like them and in 12 years become exceedingly rich? Because he feared God.

  #60 | 43:22 to 43:56 | cleaned

• He said, I'm not going to do those things. That's wicked. That's wrong. That's ungodly. This is why in Nehemiah 1 in verse 11, he was praying for the prayers of those servants who desire to fear thy name. He said, I know that those who really desire to fear the name of God, you can trust them. They're going to work. They're going to be honest. They're going to do that which needs to be done.

  #61 | 43:57 to 44:37 | cleaned

• And you do not have to constrain them to do their duty and to fulfill their obligations. So Nehemiah said, I didn't take the bread of the governor. I didn't do all those things that I could have done because I fear God.

  #62 | 44:37 to 45:26 | cleaned

• Now, let me make some applications because I want to tie all this together for you. The first one is this. You know, I began this message, I asked you a question. If you could have one desire fulfilled, and God guaranteed you he would give you the desire of your heart, what would that one desire be? To be absolutely honest. If you said, well, my one desire should be to fear the name of the Lord, that is going to include so many things, it is unbelievable. I'm going to show you, it would include God's providence, it would include God's protection, it would include God's provisions, it would include God's blessings. But do we really and truly desire to fear the name of the Lord?

  #63 | 45:26 to 45:54 | cleaned

• You know, the Bible says in Proverbs chapter 18 and verse 1, "Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom." In other words, if we really desire something, we're going to set ourselves apart. We're going to focus upon it. We're going to work on it. We're going to seek it until we accomplish it. So the question has to be asked, do we really and truly desire to fear the name of the Lord? Our Lord, of course, is wisdom incarnate. He is truth incarnate. And there are special promises to those who seek Him and desire to fear His name.

  #64 | 45:54 to 46:13 | cleaned

• Let me show you some. Turn in your Bibles very quickly to Psalm 10. Psalm 10, look, if you would please at verse 17, Psalm 10, verse 17, very quickly. Look at this. Psalm 10, verse 17, the word of God says this, "Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear." Did you get that? Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble.

  #65 | 46:13 to 47:00 | cleaned

• It's not necessarily that we were able to give voice to our desires. He knows our desires and he hears our desires. He says, Lord, thou wilt hear the desire of the humble, thou wilt prepare their heart, that is, to get that desire fulfilled. Thou wilt cause thine ear to hear. Look in Psalm 21 and verse 2. Psalm 21 and verse 2. The scripture says, "Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips." So if God gave you your heart's desire, what would it be? And then in Psalm 73 in verse 25, I can quote that verse where David asked, "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee." How badly do we really desire the Lord? What did David say? "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?"

  #66 | 47:00 to 47:38 | cleaned

• Now, if we really and truly and genuinely desire to fear the name of the Lord, we need to set ourselves apart and seek that we may truly, genuinely do that. Here's the second application. As the curse is upon those who disobey, so His blessings—let me go back and repeat that and say it another way. So His special blessings are upon those that do obey. Since you're in the Psalms, look if you would at Psalm 33. Psalm 33, note if you would, verse 18. Psalm 33, verse 18. "Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy." The eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him. Well, if we fear him and if we desire to fear him, his eye is going to be upon us. Look, if you would, in Psalm 34 and verse 7, I like this one. "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them."

  #67 | 47:38 to 48:09 | cleaned

• I don't know about you, but I don't mind having a band of angels camped around me. I don't mind having angels interfere in my life and save me from destruction, deliver me from all kind of things. That's just a special blessing for those that fear the Lord. Look in Psalm 34 and verse 9. "O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him." Well, if you want your provision, if you never want to be in want, then the answer is we must fear him. Look, if you would, in Isaiah 59 and verse 19. I could quote it, but I want you to see this one. Isaiah 59 and verse 19. Isaiah 59 verse 19. The Bible says, "So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him." Note, if you would, so shall they fear the name of the Lord. When you fear the name of the Lord, even the Spirit of God is going to come in to defend you and raise up the standard of righteousness.

  #68 | 48:10 to 49:22 | cleaned

• Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to 2 Kings chapter 17. 2 Kings 17. I want to show you basically where we are today. And before I show you this from the Scripture, let me just tell you up front that in this passage, the king of Assyria had conquered the northern kingdom, had taken the Israelites and placed them in Assyria. He conquered other nations as well. And therefore, he took all those other nations and put them in the northern kingdom, especially in Samaria.

  #69 | 49:23 to 50:34 | cleaned

• Now, you have to remember, in the New Testament, the Samaritans were hated and despised by the Judahites in the southern kingdom. Why? Because all these heathen now have been in the northern kingdom. There were some of the poorest of the Israelites left in the land, and they intermarried. And thus the Jews in the southern kingdom referred to the Samaritans as dogs. They wanted nothing to do with them. So now you have this mixture in this land and these people have brought all of their idols.

  #70 | 50:34 to 51:28 | cleaned

• Now please remember it was Jeroboam who made the two golden calves. He put one in Dan and one in Bethel. And all those northern kings all followed Jeroboam in the worship of the calves. So, with that in mind, look in 2 Kings chapter 17 and verse 25. So remember now, the Assyrian king has placed all these people in the land. "And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the Lord: therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which slew some of them. Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land."

  #71 | 51:30 to 51:50 | cleaned

• In other words, this is a heathenistic thinking. In other words, God is a local God. He's not the omnipotent, eternal, omniscient, omnipresent God of the universe. Oh, no, no, no. He's just a local God. They said, we don't know the manner of the God of the land. Therefore he hath sent lions among us, and, behold, they slay us, because we know not the manner of the God of the land. Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the God of the land. Well, it couldn't be the one true and living God because they were worshiping the calves. Now watch what happens. Verse 28. "Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the Lord." Really? Well, watch what happens.

  #72 | 51:52 to 52:40 | cleaned

• "Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt. And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, and the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. So they feared the Lord, and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places. Are you watching? They feared the Lord, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence."

  #73 | 52:42 to 53:27 | cleaned

• Do you know, that is pretty much descriptive of what we have in Christendom today. Everybody says we fear God, but they do whatever they want to do. Live the way they want to live, act the way they want to act, serve when they want to serve, you know. Interestingly, verse 32 says they feared the Lord and made to themselves the lowest of them priests. Verse 33 says they feared the Lord and served their own gods. Here is the conclusion, verse 34, "Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the Lord, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law and commandment which the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel." In other words, they don't fear God. They said they did, but they did not fear God because they did not obey God.

  #74 | 53:27 to 54:13 | cleaned

• So let me put it again. If you fear the name of the Lord, you fear God. If you fear Him, you obey Him. Here's the last application. I want to show you the conclusion and the blessing put together. One is our duty, our obligation, and commandment, and the other is the promise of grace and glory. So let me give it to you like this. Here is our duty and our obligation.

  #75 | 54:13 to 55:08 | cleaned

• Ecclesiastes chapter 12 and verse 13. "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." If you fear God, you'll keep his commandments. If you fear him, you will obey him. This is the whole duty of man.

  #76 | 55:08 to 56:01 | cleaned

• Now here's the grace and here's the blessing. Listen, Malachi chapter 4 in verse 2, "But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall." Did you hear what he said? "But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall."

  #77 | 56:01 to 56:59 | cleaned

• You know what that means? That means you're getting fat. You're being blessed. A stalled calf is the calf that gets the feed. And he grows because he's not out doing a lot of different exercises and exercising by running and jumping and kicking. No, no, no. He is being fattened and blessed. So God says, here it is. If you obey me, the Sun of righteousness is going to rise with healing in his wings and you shall go forth and grow up as calves in the stall. Is it any wonder that when Nehemiah prayed in verse 11, he prayed for the Lord's servants who desire to fear thy name. I wonder how many professing Christians, how many church members would actually say, I desire to fear the name of the Lord and I will separate myself.

  #78 | 56:59 to 57:31 | cleaned

• I will seek His face. I will seek obedience in every area of my life because I want to fear His name. All right, well, let's pray. Father, thank you again for your love, your grace, your mercy. May we see, Father, the absolute necessity of fearing thy name and bringing our lives into greater conformity to your word. Give us, Lord, your word, your truth, your will for our lives. Help us, Father, to desire to fear thy name. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask. Amen.

  #79 | 57:31 to 57:55 | cleaned

• So.

  #80 | 57:55 to 58:29 | cleaned

• You know what that means? That means you're getting fat. You're being blessed. A stalled calf is the calf that gets the feed. And he grows Because he's not out doing a lot of different exercises and exercising by running and jumping and kicking. No, no, no. He is being fattened and blessed. So God says, here it is. If you obey me, the son of righteousness is going to rise with healing its wings and you shall go forth and grow up as calves in the stall. Is it any wonder? That when Nehemiah prayed. In verse 11, He prayed for the Lord's servants who desire to fear thy name. I wonder how many professing Christians, how many church members would actually say, I desire to fear the name of the Lord and I will separate myself.

  #81 | 58:29 to 59:36 | cleaned

• I will seek His face. I will seek obedience in every area of my life because I want to fear His name. All right, well, let's pray. Father, thank you again for your love, your grace, your mercy. May we see, Father, the absolute necessity of fearing thy name and bringing our lives into greater conformity to your word. Give us, Lord, your word, your truth, your will for our lives. Help us, Father, to desire to fear thy name. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask. Amen.

  #82 | 59:37 to 1:00:14 | cleaned

• so

  #83 | 1:00:44 to 1:00:45 | cleaned

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T01:49:30Z