I WAS VERY ANGRY

Preached at Soul Savers Online Healing and Deliverance Conference
Locations: Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Malawi, Pakistan, South Africa & USA

Theme: Cleansing and Restoration of the Temple

Theme Scripture: Nehemiah 13:8-9

Hosted by Pastor Anthony Marozpa of Zimbabwe

Greetings in the precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am brother Don Chang and by the grace of God, I’ve been given an opportunity to share the word with you all. Today, our message come from the book of Nehemiah. Before I read the verse, I want to tell you a little something about Nehemiah..

Nehemiah was an interesting person in Scripture.

For someone who has a whole book about himself, he was of humble beginnings.

Nehemiah wasn’t a Priest.
Nehemiah wasn’t a Prophet.
Nehemiah was a cupbearer of the King.

Nehemiah was an ordinary man, like you and me.

He wasn’t from the line of the Levitical priest.
He wasn’t a teacher of the law.
He wasn’t royalty.

But, he was two powerful things.

He was a man of prayer.
He was an ordinary man that God would use to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and restore the temple of God which was in ruins.

Was there no other Holy man at Jerusalem?
Where were the passionate lovers of God?
Where were the keepers of the Holy Word?
Where were the prophets who would speak God’s truth to the nation of Israel?

When the people of God became prideful and corrupt, he used the foolish to shame the wise.

Some of you in here may feel like you didn’t come the right lineage.
Some of you in here may feel like you can’t do it because you’re not a pastor son.
Some of you in here may feel like you can do God’s work because you aren’t trained.

No. God can use you my brother, as he used Nehemiah powerfully.

Our sermon passage for today comes from Nehemiah 13:8-9. This is already at the end of the book and many things have happened which we need to understand this text fully. Before I go into it, Let me read this verse for you.

“I was very angry, and I threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the chamber. Then I gave orders, and they cleansed the chambers, and I brought back there the vessels of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense.”

Nehemiah was very angry. At first glance, you must ask yourself, why are you so angry Nehemiah and who is this person Tobiah? Why are you sending this man out of the chamber of the house of God?

For this answer, we must start at the beginning of the book of Nehemiah.

In Nehemiah chapter 2, he was in the presence of the king while doing his job as the cupbearer. The king looked upon the face of Nehemiah and immediately knew that he was sad. He asked him why he was sad. Nehemiah told him that the reason why he was sad was because his country that he loves is in ruins. The walls of Jerusalem has been torn down, therefore thieves can come in and ransack them. The temple was destroyed. Nehemiah had great sadness for Israel. He asked the king if he would let him go back to his country to rebuild the wall and the temple. By the grace of God, the king had favor upon Nehemiah and let him go. He even supplied him with material to rebuild the temple.

Now while this was happening, Tobiah who was an ammonite was displeased greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel (Nehemiah 2:10)

As Nehemiah, the cupbearers, plan to restore the walls of Jerusalem came to the ears of Tobiah, he began to taunt Nehemiah saying, “What is this thing you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” To which, Nehemiah answered to him, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.” In other words, He told Tobih, God will help us to restore Jerusalem, but you Tobiah will have no place in there.”

As Nehemiah went forth with building the walls, again Tobiah mocked them, “Yes, what they are building—if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!” That wall will not stand a chance. That wall is so weak, even an animal climbing it will destroy it. (Nehemiah 4:3)

Now at first, they mocked Nehemiah thinking that he wasn’t able to restore the wall, but news came to him that the walls were being built and the breaches on the walls were being to be closed. This time, they didn’t just mock them, but they became angry at the work of God. (Nehemiah 4:7)

When Nehemiah was finished rebuilding the all and every single breach was repaired, then they were out for Nehemiahs’ blood. They wanted to do him harm, because he HATED Israel. Tobiah was an enemy of Israel. Tobiah wanted to see the destruction of Israel.

“Now when Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it (although up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates) Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do me harm. (Nehemiah 6:1-2)

We see here, that when Nehemiahs’ plans were just words, they began to mock him, thinking he will not be able to do it. Then as Nehemiah progressed the plan and repairs were being made, Tobiah became angry. When the walls were fully repaired, Tobiah wanted to see the death of Nehemiah. Tobiah didn’t just hate Nehemiah, he hated the God that Nehemiah served. The true GOD as opposed to false god.

We too as we live this life, Satan will just laugh when we talk about going to church. He thinks, this broken man, he will not go to church. He will mock God and give you many reasons not to go. When we give our life to God, he will get angry and say what is this work of God stealing my dead army. But, when we begin to complete the tasks that God has put before us, Satan will desire to see our death, the end of our ministry. The attack of the enemy doesn’t end there.

After Nehemiah finished the work of the Lord, Tobiah sent letters to make Nehemiah afraid. He tried to instill a spirit of fear into Nehemiah. This isn’t a fear of God, but a fear of man. Tobiah tried to make Nehemiah fear him.

“And Tobiah send letters to make me afraid.” Nehemiah 6:19

Now, some of you may be wondering, isn’t Tobiah an Israelite? Isn’t he part of Israel? What is wrong with him?

When we look at Ezra 2:59-60, it shows us something disturbing about the past of Tobiah. There was no proof that Tobiah belonged to Israel. They couldn’t prove their descent connected to Israel. They were outsiders of the people of God.

!“The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, though they could not prove their fathers’ houses or their descent, whether they belonged to Israel; the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, and the sons of Nekoda, (Ezreal 2:59-60)

Even though he wasn’t from the lineage of Israel, he had a connection to Eliashib, the priest who was appointed over the chambers of the house of God. Eliashib was related to Tobiah and prepared a place for Tobiah in the house of God which was the room used for grain offering, frankincense, the vessels, the tithes of grain, wine and oil, which were given by the commandments to the Levites, singers and gatekeepers and the contributions of the priests (Nehemiah 13:4-5)

THIS MOCKER OF ISREAL
THIS HATER OF ISREAL
THIS ATTEMPTED MURDERER OF NEHEMIAH
THIS ENEMY OF THE LORD MOST HIGH
THIS SERVANT OF SATAN

Through a connection with the priest, we setup his place in the house of God where the precious treasures, tithes and vessels were held.

Some of us who believe in Jesus Christ, we confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord, we have become the temple of the Lord Most High and in the chamber of our heart, we have taken out the desire to steward the things of God and have given room to the devil to stain the temple of God. We don’t need a family member to bring the devil in. The devil came by way of our own accord. We have allowed through our temptations, our addictions and our infirmities a grapple for the devil to take a room in the house of God.

If you are blind, you will not know, but today may be message be a message of deliverance for your life.

Deliverance from the mocker of God.
Deliverance from the hater of God.
Deliverance from the one who is trying to murder you because you belong to God.
Deliverance from the enemy of the Most High God!
Deliverance from the lies of Satan as he tries to dwell in chamber on your heart.

What must you do? How must you react?

Let’s look at Nehemiah and how he reacted when he heard about this devil worshiper in the house of God.

“And I was very angry.”

We need to get ANGRY!
We need to get angry at our disobedience.
We need to get angry at the devil that tricked us.
We need to get angry at the plan of the devil that made it’s way into our hearts.
We need to get angry at Satan

“And I threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the chamber.”

In this righteous anger toward evil,

We need to look inside our hearts and throw out the furniture of the Devil.

We need to throw out the devils mirrors.
We need to throw out the devils records.
We need to throw out the devils closet.
We need to throw out the devils bed.
We need to throw out the devils clothes.
We need to throw out the devils paraphernalia.
We need to throw out the devils crafts.
We need to throw out the devils instruments.
We need to throw them out! IN JESUS NAME!

“Then I gave orders, and they cleansed the chambers.”

How do you cleanse your heart the chambers of your heart?

You must come back to your first love.
You must come back to the one who saved you.
You must come back to Christ and place him again at the center of your heart.

There is no other way to do this other than FAITH in Christ!

Acts 15:9b, “having cleansed their hearts by faith.”

Not faith in yourself.
Not faith in your pastor.
Not faith in your teachers.
Not faith in your family.
Not faith in anyone else, but JESUS CHRIST ALONE will be the cleansing of your chambers.

Only the blood of Jesus Christ will be able to clean the chamber of your heart.

Only the blood of the LAMB will be able to clean you from your sins.

We don’t give orders to Jesus, but in humility and repentance, we come before our King and have faith in him. We believe in the gospel.

As you listen to this, there are those of you who are already repenting in your heart now. May God deliver you from your addictions, may he deliver you from the demonic forces that tempt you and accuse you.

After he cleansed the temple, he brought back the vessels of the house of God.

“and I brought back the vessels of the house of God.”

In the history of Israelites, the vessels of the house of God were treasures. May of them of precious metals. They were treasures that were acquired during the time of King David. He place these vessels in specific places for the glory of the Most High God. These vessels belong in the house of God in the chambers of God, but Tobiah the evil one, tried to make you forget about the vessels of the Lord. He tried to make you forget of the majesty and splendor of our King, but God is angry! He is jealous and he will not let Tobiah reside in your heart!

All those years of allowing the devil to steal, kill and destroy means your house has become baren.

Yes, still by faith in Jesus Christ, you are saved, but you have grieved the Holy Spirit.
You have taken an honorable vessel and turned into an dishonorable one by filling it with evil.

If the treasures at no longer gold and silver, what are they?

Colossians 2:2-3, “And their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden “ALL THE TREAUSRE OF WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE”

Now, the treasure are WISDOM AND KNOWELDGE of WHICH IS IN CHRIST JESUS!

Fill your heart, fill your temple with the WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE OF GOD which is revealed to us IN CHRIST JESUS!

“with the grain offering and frankincense.”

And as you do these things, naturally, you will begin to love God and your generosity for God will grow. You desire to give tithe will grow. Your desire to serve God will grow. Your desire to sacrifice for God will grow. And as you progress in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, no longer will it be important for you to fill your earthly vessels with the treasure on earth, but you will look to heaven and you will realize, the REAL TREASURE, the TRUE TREASURES are not on earth, where moth and rust destroy, but they are in HEAVEN! Therefore, your hand will grow larger for the body of Christ. Your hand will become more generous for the church. As Christ becomes your treasure, your heart, your life and your offering will show.

Therefore, for those of you who don’t believe in Jesus Christ yet, I warn you now. You are not the temple of God. You are on the side of Tobiah. You have been a mocker of God. You have been a hater of God. You have chased after the idols of your heart and you are in a desolate place, but we were not created just to fill our hearts with the materialistic things of this world. We were not made, just for bread and food alone. God has revealed to us that we live off of every word that come from the mouth of God. So, to you who don’t yet believe, but as you heard this message, you want to transform you dead broken temple into a new temple of God, I invite you to invite Jesus Christ into your life as your Lord and Savior. Please connect with me to do so. May God help you to see the truth in Jesus Christ as the only way to the Father.

Therefore, for those of you who do believe in Jesus Christ and have fallen away or backsliden. You are not alone. There are many of us who go through season of life where we just let go and allow the devil to take charge in a chamber of our heart, but this is your time. This is your time to open you eyes and see what has happened to you. GET ANGRY. GET ANGRY AT SATAN. GET ANGRY AT THE DEVIL! Recognize that you’ve been tricked, duped with false promises and terrible delivery. Repent, clean your house of the remnants of the devil, reestablish your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and allow for him to cleanse your heart. Submit to him and sin no more! May God give you the strength to endure the temptations of the enemy and overcome them in Jesus name!

Lastly, therefore, for those of you who do believe in Jesus Christ and you’ve been growing in grace, you’ve protected your heart from the temptations of the world. You’ve secured a place in your large chamber for the treasures of the Wisdom and Knowledge of God through Jesus Christ. You’ve prepared a place in your heart for fragrant offerings to the Lord with joy and peace. May God continue to bless you richly, continue to guide your path and bring to you a deeper understanding of the depth of the love of God in Christ Jesus.

All these things, we believe and have faith to be true.

The devil is a liar.
Only God is God.

Only God belongs in our heart.

May the Lord bless you with faith, deliverance from evil and the rebuilding the temple, which is yours in Christ Jesus.