Nehemiah 13:1-14 KJV
1 On that day they read in the book of Moses in the audience of the people; and therein was found written, that the Ammonite and the Moabite should not come into the congregation of God for ever;
2 Because they met not the children of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, that he should curse them: howbeit our God turned the curse into a blessing.
3 Now it came to pass, when they had heard the law, that they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude.
4 And before this, Eliashib the priest, having the oversight of the chamber of the house of our God, was allied unto Tobiah:
5 And he had prepared for him a great chamber, where aforetime they laid the meat offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the corn, the new wine, and the oil, which was commanded to be given to the Levites, and the singers, and the porters; and the offerings of the priests.
6 But in all this time was not I at Jerusalem: for in the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon came I unto the king, and after certain days obtained I leave of the king:
7 And I came to Jerusalem, and understood of the evil that Eliashib did for Tobiah, in preparing him a chamber in the courts of the house of God.
8 And it grieved me sore: therefore I cast forth all the household stuff of Tobiah out of the chamber.
9 Then I commanded, and they cleansed the chambers: and thither brought I again the vessels of the house of God, with the meat offering and the frankincense.
10 And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given them: for the Levites and the singers, that did the work, were fled every one to his field.
11 Then contended I with the rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together, and set them in their place.
12 Then brought all Judah the tithe of the corn and the new wine and the oil unto the treasuries.
13 And I made treasurers over the treasuries, Shelemiah the priest, and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah: and next to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah: for they were counted faithful, and their office was to distribute unto their brethren.
14 Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the offices thereof.

Let's talk about the inward man. Let's talk about God's house his temple, the very human soul and heart, because of the severity of God's judgment on the unclean vessel, one of dishonor and not one of honor. God wants to first take the unclean vessel and purge it make it clean and dwell within it. Yet it does not work quite like that. God not forcing you to choose him, he asking you do you want to be free from sin, and he will purged you from the evil and sin in your life, if you choose him. There are things not worthy to live first in non believer, much less a believer. Let's talk about the believer first. He is suppose to be purified by the Holy Spirit. Preacher preaches a sermon reminding the person not only of God's grace, but that sin needs to be removed from heart and soul. The person leaves the church dwells on it and decides what he doing is not sin in his eyes. The problem is it is sin in God's eyes?

Thirty years into the Babylonian exile and Babylon was in power Ammonite set their authority in the temple of God. Giving Tobiah the Ammonite a chamber. He was the opposer of Nehemiah in regards to rebuilding the temple. When Nehemiah came he removed Tobiah from his chamber and purge and cleaned the temple. Calling back the Levites, and singers of God and putting them in their place. Performing all the sacrifices according to the law. However what cause upheaval, was the law concerning the Ammorite and Moabites not being able to enter the temple because they had wanted to curse them, this was in the wilderness, during the story of Balaam, that law had been established.

God would send a sign to Balaam people and Balak people of the coming of the Messiah, for they would be the magi, the ones following the promised star. God calling to purge the enemy as well as the people of God. Nehemiah was right in the purging not because of the law, but because of the life style of the Ammonites were idolatry and such that it belong not in temple. Ammonites and Moabites had intermingled in marriage, and taught their children not even the language of Jewish nation, or God. Important to reading of the scrolls. The language and culture totally becoming annihilated. Part of exile even with the permision of rebuilding the temple and the wall, Jerusalem Priesthood still had a problem of purging of the temple of the culture of the new government as far as faith in idolatry. Nehemiah had to purge it for the one true God has a prophet of faith in God.

Purging of the temple in Jerusalem is going to have to happen again, but it needs to begin with the knowledge of Christ and who he is. Islam needs to know who Christ is as well for the temple to be purged and reestablished in faith in one God. Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Remember Moses seen both God in man form and in Spirit. He had the law of God the son of God before him as it was writen and recorded by God Almighty himself.

As a believer in Christ there are times even our own heart had to purged. Think if you get a blood clot that needs removing, and instead of it being removed it causes a blockage of the flow of the love God in one's life. Why is their a block of God's love, because the idolatry has enter one's life. Let's talk about modern day idolatry, it is not always another religion it is anything that comes between you and God. How many people pick up a paper and read the horoscope section or magazine, or find it online. Now lets say you memorize your horoscope for the day. Did it come to pass, was it even possible it could or would apply to anyone that day. Those words had more meaning to you, then God's word you read before you read your paper. Yet you memorize the horoscope to see if it came to pass. Yet you never took time to memorize God's word to see if it would come to pass in your walk with God. How serious are you taking your walk with God that you allow horoscope to control your life. It might be a good vibe for that day, but is it of God? We read our fortune cookies in the chinesse restauraunt and never realize even those have good vibes but what the origin of these things that are being put into one's mind. Even the devil imitates good vibes, to encourage a good vibe day. We memorize good vibes for recall but do we memorize scripture to encourage a person in faith. There is old saying, "if you can not say something nice do not say it at all". I do not think God intends us to not memorize good things, or bring to recall things to help us in bad situations that others learned from their situation. That not what I am writing about. What I talking about is putting the prophecy of falsehood, before receiving the truth of the word of God and even putting into memory as if it would really come to pass and in reality it sort did or did not come to pass. Even the devil say it right occasionally. God's word is always true. If you hearing untruth in a church better to walk away or speak the truth of God's word, do it according to God's Spirit not your own. Why because God's word does not come back void.

What is the point the point is where are we in our faith? Are we allowing God to remove those roadblocks of opposition in our life. Does God's word have power in our life if we refuse to listen? It still has power but what kind of power. Power of destruction or power of hope and love. If a person is drinking to get drunk is that putting destruction in one's own hands as will as God's power to destroy. When a believer ask Christ to be Lord of one's life, one is not only asking for salvation, but asking God to cleanse the temple he will be residing in until our soul is prepared and ready for heaven. One might think cleaning house is only once in a while, but in truth cleaning house is not just one day a week or month, it takes daily keeping things pickup and messes cleaned up. Why would anyone think one good scrubbing is enough? God's house once purged from all the corruption, is holy unto God. He does one good cleaning when Christ enters in but it sometimes takes a life to keep some thing permanently out of one's life that is causing it own spiritual destruction.

How do we learn about keeping our soul purged from sin, putting everything first in God's hands. Reading God's word and knowing what it says do is part of it. However learning to walk and listen to God's Spirit, to know when we fail at keeping the house clean we have a High Priest Name Jesus to clean and to purge the heart by his word and Spirit. Christ is living inside to defend the soul. Saying he is my child and devil you have no room here.

Nehemiah kicked old Tobiah right out of the Temple and purged it. However Nehemiah knew it was work to keep the temple clean. He knew the people that should of been keeping it clean were not in their place to do the work. God's physical temple is the believers of Christ. Yet no one perfect in regards to living and following perfectly in the will of God all the time. It is not that impossible, it is God giving his children free will in life to learn, and our free will unyield to God's Spirit is allowing muck in his temple inside and outside of it. Hopefully our sin has not reach judgment like Cain(cast out of God's sight, or the judgment like Israel forced into exile. If God still speaking to you, or you still hearing the call of God in your life over sin, then God still calling you to walk by His Spirit. To allow him to purge your heart and soul, even when you need to regroup and follow in the right pathway. God has not destroyed you, he is not finished with you yet. Your faith is secure through belief in Christ, then all you need is purging of sin, going through the sanctification process from time to time, and even daily. God not done with you yet, or any of his children. Faith is a process, but the faithful has a responsiblity to honor God with their life and lifestyle. Consider what you put into your temple, where Christ lives within as a believer, whether you allowing him to purge the dirt and muck right out of there. Remember your mother scrubbing you from head to toe and even trying to get that outward stuff out of your life that seemed to be effecting your behavior. Will God does not work from the outside in, he works from the inside out. It is a better way to clean. Ever get a stain on a shirt. Try washing it from the opposite side first to remove inner layer of the stain, it takes less time to get the outer stain out. And sometimes that all you need to remove a stain.

Nehemiah began to fill the temple with all the good things and people it was suppose to have. When we make right choices in what goes into our soul, first beginning with Christ and then everything that good, we have a holy place for Christ to dwell without the need for added soap and water.

Dear Heavenly Father, purge us and clean us like your Priest did the temple. Let your Son the Great High Priest purge our soul, and cleanse us from all unrighteous that steals our soul. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 KJV
16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.