“Eyes on Eternity” (Nehemiah 10:32-39) - Revive Us Again VII -

“Eyes on Eternity” (Nehemiah 10:32-39)

- Revive Us Again VII -

“What Makes You Rejoice?”

One church reporter in Georgia conducted a survey in her neighboring college, Kennesaw State University with the purpose of evangelism, and asked the following question to the students. The question was “What makes you rejoice?” The majority of the students answered: “Family and friends.” Quite a few students also answered, “I don’t know.” Some said, “graduation,” “vacation,” “money,” “success,” “social service,” or “to be a better person.” Few students answered, “Jesus Christ,” or “God.” I don’t have the exact statistical figures, but I think if we visited our neighboring schools and did a survey in them, there would be no significant differences in the outcome. And if someone asked you this question, “what makes you rejoice?” What would be your answer to that? In the age of Nehemiah God sent great revival to his people. One of the sure signs of true revival is the “joy of the Lord.” The people of Israel were filled with great joy. Nehemiah 8:12 says, “Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.” And they observed the Feast of Tabernacles. Nehemiah 8:17 says, “And their joy was very great.” And now, in today’s scripture the people renew their covenant with God, particularly in three areas of their lives – marriage relationship, sabbath-keeping, and giving. Actually, churches operate under a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. “How is your marriage?” “How do you keep the sabbath?” “How much are you giving to the Lord?” We normally dare not ask those questions each other. It’s as if we have an unspoken agreement: “I won’t talk about it if you won’t, so we can go right on living as we are.” But in fact, these three are the very areas that we must talk about and restore for our spiritual growth. The Israelites promised to restore their marriage relationships, sabbath-keeping, and giving, not out of guilt or dutiful drudgery, but out of joyful exhilaration! 

Two types of Joy

There are basically two types of joy found in the Bible. In John 2, Jesus performed the first miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee. He turned water into wine. All the people there enjoyed tasting the best wine and rejoiced! But the joy they had was different from each other. The first group of people, including the master of the banquet and other guests, they rejoiced because of good food and the premium wine. But the second group of people, including the servants and Jesus’ disciples, they rejoiced because they had found the Messiah, the Master of their lives. So what made these two different groups of people have different degrees of joy? Because the degrees of commitment were different. The Bible says that the master of the banquet tasted the water that now become wine but did not know where it came from. However, the servants did know because they themselves had filled the jars with water and took it to the master. Many Christians are invited to the wedding banquet of the Lamb. They rejoice over many blessings from God. They enjoy them. But, this joy is the joy of the master of the banquet. Jesus turned water into wine, not just to entertain people, but to reveal His glory and show us that He is the true Master of the banquet and our lives. When we dedicate ourselves to Jesus Christ, we are then able to have great joy that the servant had.

Then, what is the essential difference between those two types of joy? One is temporary, and the other is eternal. Solomon said, in Ecclesiastes 1:2, “Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless!” But here, the Hebrew word Habel also means “temporary.” So, this verse can be translated in this way: “Temporary! Temporary! Everything is temporary!” And Solomon used the rhetoric on purpose, especially irony and paradox to emphasize the truth. In 2:24, he said, “A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God.” To eat and drink, to work, to spend time with friends and family – surely these are blessings from God. They are good. But, here Solomon is saying, “All of them are temporary.” Our physical health and strength will fade away. Our friends and even spouses will pass away. Our children will leave from us. To find our joy in them is not the point of Ecclesiastes. Instead, in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 Solomon concludes, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” The point is this: “Choose for yourselves today whether you will live for temporary things, or for eternity.” Solomon challenges us to live for everlasting joy rather than temporary one.

Eyes on Eternity

The people of Israel, in the past, rejoiced because of the “blessings” from God – their possessions, health, family and friends. But now, they rejoice because of “God” Himself. And they dedicate themselves to the Lord, and God gives them even greater joy. This is a virtuous circle of joy. When we dedicate ourselves to the Lord, He gives us greater joy. Nehemiah 12:43 says, “And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy.” In my early twenties, my bucket list was to travel around the world. I saved all my wages, and right after being discharged from the army, I went to Canada. I went to Europe. I went to Thailand. At that time, my purpose of saving money was to travel as much as I wanted. It was good. I really had a wonderful time with friends and enjoyed nature and people. And I still do love to travel, but it is not my bucket list any more. If the Lord wants me to, I would be willing to stay the same place for life, because I’ve found greater joy in my heart. Now I still save money, but I do with different purpose. Now my joy is to give to God’s missions as much as I can. Because now I know which one is temporal and which one is eternal. Would you want to care more about eternal things? Then reallocate some of your money, maybe most of your money, from temporal things to eternal things. A.W. Tozer said, “As base a thing as money often is, it yet can be transmuted into everlasting treasure. It can be converted into food for the hungry and clothing for the poor; it can keep a missionary actively winning lost men to the light of the gospel and thus transmute itself into heavenly values. Any temporal possession can be turned into everlasting wealth. Whatever is given to Christ is immediately touched with immortality.” Our earthly treasures can become heavenly ones.

Tithing as the Training Wheels of Giving

Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt 6:21). Here Jesus is saying, “Show me your checkbook, your bank statement, and your tax statement, and I will show you where your heart is.” Where is your heart? Let us set our hearts on the Kingdom of Heaven. Let us gain an eternal perspective. Then, how can we gain this eternal perspective and not be entangled with temporal things? Both the Bible and church tradition say “tithing” can be an excellent way to cultivate this. In Leviticus 27:30 the Lord said, “A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.” Some people argue that tithing is Old Testament practice. Tithing is legalism. But Jesus Himself reaffirmed tithing, but he emphasized that we have to do it with act of love and justice. He rebuked Pharisees, in Luke 11:42, “What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things” (NLT). The early church fathers, such as Origen, Jerome, and Augustine, taught that the tithe was the minimum giving requirement for Christians. Tithing is not the finish line of giving, but it’s just the starting blocks. In this sense, Randy Alcorn said, “Tithing is like training wheels of giving.” It helps us to cultivate the “mindset of eternity.” In all ages, the tithe is the powerful antidote to materialism. It is our visible affirmation of faith, “I own nothing; Jesus owns everything!” It is a visible symbol of putting first things first.

Five Minutes after We Die

Probably, some of you have seen the film, Schindler’s List. German businessman Oskar Schindler bought from the Nazis the lives of many Jews. At the end of the film, there’s a heart-wrenching scene in which Schindler looks at his car and his gold pin and regrets that he didn’t give more of his money and possessions to save more lives. Schindler had used his opportunity far better than most. But in the end, he longed for a chance to go back and make better choices. Five minutes after we die, we’ll know exactly how we should have lived. John Wesley said, “I judge all things only by the price they shall gain in eternity.” Missionary C. T. Studd said, “Only one life, ’twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “There is a time for everything.” And in verse 11 Solomon comes to a conclusion, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men.” Here he is saying, “There is a time for everything. So, seize the day! Redeem the day! Live for eternity that God had put in your heart!” Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field” (Matt 13:44). Do you want to experience this kind of joy? Let us transfer our assets from earth to heaven. Let us give humbly, generously, and sacrificially to God’s work. In the movie Chariots of Fire, Eric Liddell said, “I believe God made me for a purpose … and when I run, I feel His pleasure.” I would like to testify this: When you give, you will feel His pleasure. Amen.