Introduction

One of the great modern debates is how do we tell America’s story? When most of us took American history, we heard a story about great heroes—Benjamin Franklin’s wisdom, George Washington’s character, and Thomas Jefferson’s foresight. 

But many are pushing back. They want to make sure you know that many of our founding fathers owned slaves, and the Constitution allowed slavery to continue. So, they believe America’s founders are not heroes; they are perpetrators of oppression.”

Most people don’t believe these men were either saints or evil wretches but consider the contrast on the extreme ends of the spectrum. Some make it sound like all the founding fathers were born again Christians with impeccable virtue. And those on the other extreme paint them as evil, greedy tyrants, whom we should only remember with shame and disdain.

And if a historian only focuses on the parts of the story that fit his narrative, he can make a compelling case without saying anything untrue. The only difference is what parts of the story he emphasizes. 

You didn’t come this morning to debate Thomas Jefferson’s character, but the debate illustrates the fact that every story is selective. So, telling an accurate story requires great care. This includes your story including your spiritual journey. You can focus on the negatives and be bitter and anger or on the ones that inspire worship and thanksgiving.

Israel sets a good example in Nehemiah 9. This chapter summarizes 1,000 years of Israelite history in 32 verses. So, the author has a lot to choose from. He could have easily highlighted all the ways Israel tried to serve God but all the judgments they endured. And this history would have been a bitter indictment against God. Maybe that’s how you see your life. You’re the victim, and God is always letting you down.

But Nehemiah 9 doesn’t do that, and neither should you. Rather, this chapter emphasizes two themes in Israel’s story. First, God had been incredibly gracious and good. Second, Israel rebelled and endured the judgment they deserved. So, this chapter is not a celebration of Israel’s greatness; instead, it becomes a prayer of confession.

That makes this chapter an important example for us because confession is a vital discipline of a healthy Christian walk. Unfortunately, it is often terribly misunderstood.

So, we’ll spend two weeks walking through what this important chapter teaches about confession. The central message is this. God-honoring confession begins with a clear vision of God’s grace which creates a proper perspective on my sin. I’m passionate about this idea because so many Christians have sour views of confession. Some practice it poorly, and others hardly ever do it. We need this chapter and the pattern it provides. It begins in vv. 1–5 with…

I.  The Assembly (vv. 1–5a)

These verses provide important context for the psalm that follows and several important challenges for us. The 1^st is…

Hunger for God’s presence. Verse 1 tells us that this assembly takes place on the 24^th day of the month. That’s significant because it’s already been a busy month. Remember that on the 1^st day of the month, Ezra read the law and the Levites explained it. When Israel realized how they were disobeying God’s law, they grieved over their sin.

But God had set aside that day for the Feast of Trumpets, a celebration of God’s provision. So, they tabled their grief and celebrated the feast. Then, they returned to Jerusalem again on the 15^th–22^nd to observe the Feast of Booths. For eight days they celebrated God’s provision in the harvest, and they read from the law for several hours every day.

So, it’s been a busy month. And don’t forget that all of this happened only 1 or 2 weeks after 52 days of intense work to rebuild the wall. These people are tired. They’ve hardly spent any time at home. But only two days after the Feast of Booths they were back in Jerusalem to confess their sins.

Why? They understood that they needed God’s presence more than they needed rest. They couldn’t ignore the sin the law had revealed. They must confess it. They must be right with God.

But very often when the Spirit convicts, we don’t deal with our sin. We justify it. We tell ourselves God doesn’t care, or we’ll deal with it later. We’d rather risk losing God’s nearness than confront our sin and commit to change.

Learn from Israel’s example. When the Spirit convicts, deal with it right now because grieving the Spirit is simply not an option. The 2^nd challenge is…

Embrace godly grief. Again, Israel had done a lot of celebrating that month during the Feast of Trumpets and of Booths. But now they assemble “with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dirt upon them.”

There’s no buffet at this assembly. There’s not even a bowl of nuts. And people are not wearing their Sunday best. Sackcloth was made from goat hair. It was ugly and itchy. Finally, their hair and faces were covered in dust or ash. All 3 demonstrated that they were not gathering to rejoice but to grieve and mourn over their sin. This assembly has a different mood.

Sadly, many churches have no room for this kind of grief in their theology or practice. For some, worship is a trite show of happiness. They just want to feel good and make you feel good. Some are a little more intellectual about it and claim that grace negates any need for grieving over my sin.

But James 4:9–10 commands Christians who are in sin, “Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”

To be clear, there’s no merit in grief. We are saved by grace alone. We don’t confess our sins so that God will become our Father. A true Christian confesses his sin because God already is his Father, and he wants to enjoy fellowship with him. If you love your Holy Father, your sin will grieve you. So, embrace healthy, gospel-rooted grief over your sin.

Of course, that demands that you first believe the gospel. Again, salvation is by grace alone. The Christian life must begin by receiving Christ as your Savior. You repent of your sin and believe in the finished work of Christ on the cross. Once you receive Christ, you are forever saved by his grace. Daily confession adds nothing to that.

So, please don’t think you can start confessing sins and earning salvation. Daily confession is only meaningful once you are saved. If you have never repented and believed the gospel, that’s what you must do today. I’d love to speak with you more about how you can know that your sins are covered through the blood of Christ. Returning to the text, the 3^rd challenge is…

Pursue genuine holiness (v. 2a). Chapter 13 will say lot more about separating from foreigners. For now, I’ll just note that this is not about racism or racial superiority. It’s about how Israel had compromised with the sinful beliefs and practices of their foreign neighbors. Chapter 6 said that Tobiah, one of Israel’s enemies, had married the priest’s daughter, and his son had married into an important Israelite family. Chapter 13 will say that others had made similar compromises.

But Psalm 73:28 says, “The nearness of God is my good,” and James 4 says you can only draw near to God with clean hands and pure heart. For Israel to drew near to God, they must come with “clean hands and a pure heart.”

You must do the same with the same heart. Godly people aren’t passionate about holiness because we are cranky, proud legalists. We are passionate about holiness because we love God and want to be near to God. So, hate your sin because you love God’s presence more. 4^th…

Pursue biblical conviction (vv. 2b–3): Consider the fact that on the 1^st of the month, they spent around 6 hours studying the Bible. On the 2^nd, the leaders studied again. From the 15^th–22^nd, they spent several hours daily studying the law. Now they spend “a fourth of the (24^th) day (3 hours)” reading the Word again. God is doing a great work, and the “sword of the Spirit” is at the center of it all. God works through his Word.

And they weren’t only picking the feel-good parts of Scripture. They clearly welcomed the sharp edge of conviction because 3 hours of Bible study inspired 3 hours of “confession and worship.”

That’s exactly what we will see in the prayer that follows in vv. 5–37. Israel will worship God as the Creator Lord who had shown incredible grace. And they will confess their rebellion against him.

So, imagine the scene. This assembly is very different from the others. Everyone came in sackcloth and ashes prepared to mourn for 6 hours. Then they read the Scriptures, for the purpose of facing their rebellion. Finally, they worshipped by highlighting the stark contrast between God’s goodness and their darkness. It’s a somber scene.

Nehemiah 8:10 said, “The joy of the Lord is your strength. So, I must be clear that sorrow and grief should not consume your Christian experience or our corporate worship. Joy and thanksgiving should get most of the attention. But we must also look our sins in the eye, honestly confess how evil they are, and pray for grace to forsake them.

You should invite conviction and repentance when we gather as a church. You should do the same in your private devotional time. Ask God to search your heart. Face the sins he exposes, ask God to forgive, and rest in his promise to do so. These disciplines are vital to knowing the nearness of God.

That’s the heart behind this assembly. Then vv. 4–5 say that two groups of Levites led different parts of this 6-hour assembly. The 1^st probably did the teaching, and 2^nd probably led the worship and confession. The psalm that’s recorded in vv. 5–37 captures the essence of this time of worship and confession. It sets a great example for us.

Going back to my introduction, Israel had to choose a narrative about their history, and they rightly choose to focus on two themes—God’s glorious grace (vv. 5b–15) and Israel’s rebellion (vv. 16–37). With the rest of our time today, let’s consider how they praised God (vv. 5b–15). First, they rejoiced that…

II.  God created all things (vv. 5b–6).

Since we are so prone to pray as if we are reading our wish list to Santa Claus, I will highlight every time I can how biblical prayers almost always begin with worship and thanksgiving. This prayer is no exception. Prayer is worship and fellowship before it’s about getting what you want. Discipline yourself to keep that focus. Slow down. Spend time with your Father and anchor your thoughts in his glory before you get to your request.

Since this was corporate worship, the psalm begins with an invitation to worship. It calls the people to “Arise, bless (worship) the Lord your God forever and ever!”

Why should they worship? The psalm answers because God is Creator Lord. First, he made the heavens. He spoke every star and galaxy into existence. Second, he made the incredible world in which we live. He made mountains and valleys, and he made the seas. And God filled all of it with living creatures.

It is very biblical and good for your soul to frequently use creation as a way to meditate on God’s glory. “The heavens declare the glory of God.” They give tangible expression to the power, wisdom, and goodness of God. Take time to look at the things God has made and to worship him for them.

But remember that this psalm is headed toward confession. The fact that God is the creator provides an important foundation for godly confession. Paul makes this connection in his sermon on Mars Hill. He begins, “The God who made the world and all things in it” (Acts 17:24). He goes on to say that because God is the creator, he is our Lord and our judge.

That’s why sin is a big deal. It’s not just a mistake or a detriment to my happiness. My sin is always rebellion against the Creator Lord. So, creation doesn’t just declare God’s glory; it declares my obligation to God and, very often, my failure to obey. 2^nd, the psalm rejoices that…

III.  God displayed sovereign grace (vv. 7–8).

The psalmist transitions from God’s blessing on all mankind to his blessing on Israel. He especially highlights God’s sovereign grace. Out of all the people on the earth, God chose Abraham for his special favor. Abraham was a pagan. He didn’t choose God; God chose him.

Sure, v. 8 says God “found his heart faithful,” but Genesis clearly teaches that Abraham only proved his faith years after God chose him and blessed him. It also notes Abraham’s faith failed several times. So, God’s grace, not Abraham’s faith, is the hero of his story.

Verse 8 adds that this grace inspired God to make incredible promises to Abraham. He promised a land, a multitude of descendants, and a great kingdom. And notice why God fulfilled these promises (v. 8b). God didn’t bless Israel based on their righteousness. They were anything but righteous. No, God’s own righteousness was the key. Despite Israel’s sin, God kept his promise because he had committed himself to it.

That’s very significant for the confession in vv. 16–37. If Israel had earned God’s blessing, their story was a story of oppression and God’s injustice. If they believed that narrative, they would become bitter and angry at God. They only way they could rightly understand their history, their sin, and their judgment was with a clear vision God’s sovereign grace.

The same is true for you. If you build a history of your life where you are the hero and you have done so much for God, then you will have a warped view of your sin. Either you will belittle it (because it undermines the story you want to believe), or you will despair that you have failed.

But if you constantly rehearse the gospel and remember that God loved you first and pursued you when you wanted nothing to do with him, you can know the security of his grace. You don’t have lean on yourself; you can lean on him. And you don’t have to pretend you are better than you are. You can rest in the certainty, “I’m just a great sinner who serves a great Savior.

So, confession can turn destructive if it becomes either a legalistic exercise in earning God’s favor (Catholic confession) or a crushing time of despair if all you do is reflect on how terrible you are. The answer to both is a clear vision of sovereign grace. So, anchor all your confession in gospel meditation. 3^rd, the psalm rehearses how…

IV.  God delivered his people (vv. 9–15).

These verses rehearse the story of the exodus up through the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai. It’s another beautiful example of doing God-centered, grace-focused history. The psalmist highlights 4 wonderful truths about God.

God is the Almighty Savior (vv. 9–11). Egypt was the great world power of Moses’ time, and they claimed that their gods were the greatest gods. But God put Egypt and her gods in their rightful place through the 10 plagues and the miracle at the Red Sea.

Remember that most of the plagues confronted a source of Egyptian pride. God proved he was more powerful than the Nile, the sun, and the animals Egypt worshipped. In the process v. 10 says “(God) made a name for Himself.”

And I love how v. 11 describes God’s victory at the Red Sea. God “hurled” the strongest army on earth “into the depths, like a stone into raging water.”

Do you see how the psalmist is framing Israel’s history? Everything is built around the power and grace of God. Israel wasn’t a victim of a negligent, weak God. He proved his power and grace in the exodus. They had to see their current hardship and sin in that light; otherwise, they were sure to misinterpret it. So will you. You must see every blessing, every hardship, and every sin considering a great God who has done great things for you. 2^nd…

God is near (v. 12). When life is hard, Satan wants you to believe that God is far away and uninterested. But v. 12 reminded Israel that God was near. For 40 years he symbolized that presence with the pillar of cloud. And God has promised you, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you” (Heb 13:5). God is always good and always faithful even when we don’t understand his ways or his purposes. If you are going to maintain a true perspective on your life and your sin, you must remember that God is always near. 3^rd…

God speaks (vv. 13–14). I love this perspective on the Law. Look at how he describes it (read). Your flesh wants you to believe that God’s Law is oppressive and discouraging. If you believe that, you will despise conviction, holiness, and the discipline of confession. But if you believe what God says here about his law, it changes everything.

Don’t listen to the world or your flesh. Ignore the preacher who paint God’s law as the enemy and grace as license to indulge the flesh. Believe what God says about his Law. Love holiness. Hate your sin. Confess it for what it is, and rest in the grace of the gospel. 4^th…

God provides (v. 15). Remember that this is not how the wilderness generation saw it. God miraculously provided food for 40 years! But they believed the manna wasn’t good enough. When they rehearsed their history in Egypt, they remembered the good food but conveniently forgot about the slavery and brutal oppression.

So often, we do the same. We rehearse a history that is built on every disappointment and hardship, and we leave out all the good blessings of God. Christian, God forgave all your sins, and you’re going to heaven. But sometimes you’ll sit in your comfortable home with two cars in garage, a big meal in front of you, and complain about how bad your life is.

God is good. The only question is whether or not you see it.

Conclusion

With this background of God’s abundant grace, the psalmist proceeds to set in contrast to Israel’s continual rebellion and the just judgment they endured. Next Sunday, we’ll look at that confession. But for now, remember that the big idea which ties it all together is, God-honoring confession begins with a clear vision of God’s grace which creates a proper perspective on my sin.

Christian, God-honoring confession is good for your soul. Discipline yourself to remember how you have sinned, and to ask God to forgive you. But be sure to approach the entire process from a firmly gospel-centered perspective. If you don’t, you will fall into one of several destructive ditches. But if keep a gospel-centered perspective, the discipline of confession will do wonders for your Christian walk.