Seven Mile Road

This Sunday we welcomed a whole new crew of Bostonians into the life, under the care, and onto the mission of Seven Mile Road. We began in Nehemiah 11, noting the courage displayed by those who willingly moved back into Jerusalem and connecting that with the commitment to invest our lives in the advance of the gospel through the local church. Then we heard (briefly!) from folks who are stepping in with us.

Reference: Nehemiah 11:1-2

Nehemiah (in chapter 12) recounts what happened on Dedication Day: the city has been rebuilt and repopulated and now everyone gathers to celebrate. Two choirs of men encircle the city and lead everyone in such loud and raucous singing that their voices can be heard from miles away. In this sermon, we talk about how this scene - with godly men leading and everyone singing together - informs our song life at Seven Mile Road.

Nehemiah and the people have sorrowed over their sin and reveled in God’s grace, and now they covenant together on the 3 specific things, one of which is committing themselves to “funding the ministry” of Jerusalem. They knew that the only way right worship could be restored to the city was if they gave generously to it, so they went all in!

In this sermon, we’ll see what drove their eagerness to give and ask how this can inform our life together at Seven Mile Road.

Reference: Nehemiah 10:32-39

In this sermon, we see that the people’s immediate response to hearing the words of God read and explained is to weep over their sin. This is a good response as those tears are a gift from God. And yet Nehemiah quickly instructs them to stop crying and start partying. Why the 180? Because the “joy of the Lord” is our strength.

The aim, the intent of God’s Word (once understood) is to move us to believe and live it. The Word of God is not an intellectual mind-teaser nor a fascinating story for engaged readers. No, God spoke so that we might believe Him and live for Him specifically in our time and in our place. As we continue on in Nehemiah 8, we are struck by a stark discovery of the people of God that changed the way they lived. We’ll understand their story of discovery and the response that they had before highlighting the principles for us. The remarkable question this week will be, “What might we discover in God’s Word that would mean we never live the same way again?”

The walls and gates of the city have been re-formed! Now the really hard work comes: it’s time to re-form the people. Where does this work begin? The same place reformations and revivals always begin: with God’s words heralded, heard, understood, embraced. In this sermon, we work through Nehemiah 8:1-8 and catch a vision for a church being alive to the unpacking of Scripture.

As we jump back into Nehemiah’s memoir, we see that the city walls are up and gates are in, but the work is just beginning. Now it’s time to reform the people. But before that work can begin, Nehemiah needs to put someone in charge of “security.” Who does Nehemiah appoint? And, more importantly, why? As we unpack those answers we’ll glean much-needed wisdom for calling leaders in the life and mission of the church.

Reference: Nehemiah 7:1-4.

In this sermon, we cast vision for how those of us who struggle with porn use can experience freedom in 2020. If porn is an issue for you to one degree or another, this sermon is meant to infuse your soul with optimism and give you some tools for the fight.