(upbeat music) - Welcome back to the podcast. We have been doing this podcast for almost a decade now. And over those 10 years, there have been some moving pastoral moments throughout those episodes. I remember one from a long time ago. I looked it up. It's way back in episode 131, episode 131 in Oldie.

There, Pastor John was talking about important Bible verses to memorize, ones that he's found particularly useful in serving others. One such text was Psalm 130, verse three. If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? There, Pastor John testified, quote, how many times have I knelt down, put my arm on somebody who has just been broken over some sin that they have committed, and I have been able to just pray over them this text.

Lord, if you would mark iniquities, who could stand? That's a moving picture of a word spoken pastorally. And that image and that text comes to my mind when I think of today's sermon clip, because there's a question over how do we approach God in the midst of our brokenness, particularly in the brokenness we experience over our own sins.

This very question gets answered robustly in Nehemiah chapters nine and 10. God's people are in distress, distress caused by their own sins. They know it, and they know they deserve the distress itself. So how do we approach God now? Here's Pastor John to explain, looking at Nehemiah chapter nine.

- Starting with verse six, to the end of verse 37, the Levites are praying. This chapter is a prayer. They're praying to the end of verse 37, and they're crying out to you, oh God. The word you, in reference to God, occurs 30 times in these verses. What did they do?

What did they say? How did they deal with God in great distress? And that's what we wanna know. How did they do that? Before we ask further, let's get more specific about the distress, 'cause this will clarify your situation. 'Cause there's some of you right now who are perhaps arguing with yourself, if not with me, what you're about to say is not gonna apply to me, 'cause you don't understand how I got where I am.

So let's just see whether that's true or not. Back to verse 37. They're not just in distress. They are in a distress that they deserve to be in because of their sin. And they are in a distress that God himself put them in. So let's look at verse 37 to see that.

The land, its rich yield that we're supposed to inherit as a promise. This land goes to the kings whom you set over us. The slave masters, you put them over us, God, because of our sins. In other words, the great distress that we are in, we deserve to be in.

And not only do we deserve to be in, it's judgment sent from you. So now we get clarity for you on this. Some of you might be tempted to say, the rest of you in here, you can call upon God in your distress, but not me, because I sinned my way into the mess I'm in.

And number two, God put me here as a discipline or a punishment. So the rest of you can go on about your merry way following this preacher and learn how to call upon God in your distress, because it just came upon you. It didn't just come upon me, I brought it on me.

That's their situation. So if you're in that category, you dare not talk like that. Don't talk to God like that. Do not say to God, this text is not addressing my need 'cause I sinned my way into the mess I'm in and you brought it on me. That's irrelevant, that's the point of this text.

These people are in a distress they deserve to be in, God put them in. None of you may escape the good news of this text. You have no right to tell God he can't give you good news. Oh, how many people I have dealt with over the years who tried to tell God they are beyond good news.

And I get upset with them because they are belittling the cross, diminishing the blood, crying down the mercy, exalting themselves in their self pity. I won't have it, neither in this room nor in the counseling chamber. Don't tell God that he can't give you good news because you've sinned your way into your misery and God himself brought you under his discipline.

That's exactly their situation. So we're in this together and we want desperately to know, so how do you approach God now? How do you talk to God in that situation? 'Cause that's what they're doing and I want to learn as best I can how they do it. So what do they do?

It's astonishing what they do. They pray back to God the entire history of the Old Testament. This is the longest, maybe the right word is, this is the fullest retelling of the Old Testament in the Old Testament. So Jim Hamilton says in his new commentary, this is the fullest retelling of the Old Testament in a short space in the Old Testament.

And it's a prayer. So they're telling God what God did for a thousand years, more than a thousand. That's a remarkable way to approach God in a deserved God ordained distress. So verses six to 31, they're telling the story of the Old Testament. Why would they do that? Here's why.

God does not exist so that we can enjoy Bible stories. Bible stories exist so that we can enjoy God. And they desperately, desperately need to know is our God the kind of God in whom there's any possibility of enjoyment in our great distress, well-deserved, given by God. Any hope at all that there's a God in heaven that would give us hope that He could be enjoyed in this.

That's what they need to know. And they know where to find the answer in the story 'cause that's what the stories are for, to reveal God. And they desperately need to know what kind of God do we have? Is it over for us? Or is He the kind of God that perhaps there might be some hope in a deserved, God-given distress?

That's why they're retelling the stories back to God. Verses six to 15, the Levites celebrate the power of God, the righteousness of God, and the covenant-keeping salvation of God. Verse six, "You are," all caps, "the Lord." And you know what that refers to. Yahweh, "You are," that's His personal name.

It's like, "You are James." Well, it's not James, it's Yahweh. You are Yahweh, and you know where the name came from. Exodus chapter three, verse 14, "Tell them I am sent you. "I am who I am." And the name Yahweh built on I am who I am, which means every time you see big L-O-R-D, this is God saying, "I am God." And I have no competitors, and I depend on nobody, and nothing, I had no beginning, I will have no end.

Deal with me, because that is reality. That's God, every time He says, "You'll know I'm the Lord," so they begin, "You are Yahweh." It's a good place to begin. You are absolute God. There's no negotiation going on here, at all. You don't negotiate with God. He is absolute reality.

We are defined. He is definer. We are dependent. He is totally independent. Our being comes into being. His being has always been as inconceivable as that is, and how glorious. So we just begin here. This is a place of reverence, and humility, and lowliness. You begin your dealing with this God in your great distress.

You are Yahweh, the great, and only, and absolute God. Verse six in the middle. "You have made heaven, and heaven of heavens, "with all their hosts, the earth, and all that is on it, "the seas, and all that is in them, "and you preserve them all." So you made everything.

You uphold everything. "Therefore, the hosts," I like the translation, "armies, the armies of heaven, worship you." You are exalted. Verse five, "Exalted above all blessing and praise." So that's where you begin, right? In dealing with God, just lift him up. Now remember, these are people who are totally guilty, under distress, given by God, okay?

So you lift up your soul in your guilt, and you lift up your soul in your distress, and you lift up your soul under the mighty hand of God, and you say, "You are God." That's a great place to begin. - Yeah, amazing. Don't tell God that he can't give you good news because you've sinned your way into your misery.

That's a great point from a sermon preached on June 27th, 2014 at the Gospel Coalition Women's Conference in Orlando, Florida. It covered Nehemiah 9, verse one, all the way to Nehemiah 10, verse 39, and it is titled, "Responding to God According to His Word." If you have a great sermon clip for me, send me an email.

Give me your name, hometown, the sermon title, and the timestamp of where the clip happens in the audio, and make a note of what stands out to you. Put the word clip in the subject line of an email and send it to me at askpastorjohn@desiringgod.org. That's an email address, askpastorjohn@desiringgod.org.

Well, do unbelievers get a second chance at salvation after death? It's a common question, very important one, one that means we need to look carefully at 1 Peter 3:19. I'm your host, Tony Rehnke, and we are rejoined in studio with Pastor John when we return on Friday to look at that text, 1 Peter 3:19.

We'll see you then. (upbeat music) (upbeat music)