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Transcript

LaunchPad: Day 31 · Equipped: A Podcast Platform for the Equip Ministry of Cuyahoga Valley Church

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Nehemiah chapter 9, verses 1 through 3.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: By this point in Nehemiah's story, the walls of Jerusalem have been built.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: God's people have gathered, and they have heard his word read aloud.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: Their response is not simply celebration, the return to confession.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: Nehemiah 9 tells us that the people gathered together, separated themselves from what they had drawn them away from God, confessed their sin, and spent time listening to the book of the law.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: There is something beautiful about the connection between confession and the word.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: They allow God's word to tell the truth about where they had been, who God is, and who they were becoming.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: Confession can sometimes become focused on shame.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: We remember our failures, replay our mistakes, and allow our past to define us.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: But biblical confession has a different purpose.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: It brings what is hidden into light so we can experience God's grace and faithfulness.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: John in chapter 1 verse 9 says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: Notice the character of the one receiving our confession.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: Our confession does not tell God something he does not already know.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: Instead, we come into agreement with him and open ourselves to his forgiveness and cleansing.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: This is where transformation becomes personal.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: God is not only interested in forgiving what we have done, he is continuing to shape who we are becoming.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: Nehemiah 9 also reminds us that journey is not meant to be walked alone.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: The people confess together and listen to God's word together.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: Their renewal happened in community.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: We can become skilled at managing appearances, looking as though everything is fine when our hearts are tired, angry, fearful, and far from God.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: But spiritual transformation requires honesty.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: The people of Nehemiah's day did not pretend.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: They stopped, listened, confessed, and returned to God together.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: As we near the end of this season of prayer and fasting, there can be a temptation to focus on what comes next.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: We may want to measure what has changed, identify what has been accomplished, or quickly move towards the next thing.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: But Scripture reminds us that transformation is ongoing return to God.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: We return when we recognize sin.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: We return when we become distracted.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: We return when disappointment exposes something in our hearts.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: We return when God's word challenges us, and we return when we simply need to remember who God is.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: The walls have been rebuilt, but the work of renewal is not finished.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: God was doing something deeper.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: He was turning the hearts of his people back towards him.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: We can experience external progress and still need God to continue to do his work within us.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: We can celebrate what he has done while recognizing that he is not finished transforming us.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: Perhaps this season has revealed things we do not accept.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe God has brought fears, attitudes, habits, relationships, or desires into light.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe some prayers have been answered while others remain unanswered.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: We do not have to resolve everything today.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: We can return to confess, to scripture, to community, and to the faithful God who continues to meet us with mercy.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: The journey through Nehemiah reminds us that God's work is about more than rebuilding walls.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: He's rebuilding hearts.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: As this season draws to a close, perhaps the invitation to pause and ask God what he has been doing within us.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: What has he revealed?
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: What have we confessed?
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: What has his word shown us?
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: Where might he still be inviting us to surrender?
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: When we confess, we do not meet God wanting to condemn us.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: We meet a God who is faithful to forgive, faithful to cleanse, and faithful to continue his transforming work in us.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: Question to consider.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_00: As I look back over this season, what has God revealed about my heart?
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: And where is he inviting me to return to him through confession and his word?
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: Prayer prompt.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: Pray for the humility to confess honestly, receive God's forgiveness, and remain rooted in his word together.