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Aug 06, 2017

The Grapes of Wrath

The Grapes of Wrath

Passage: Nehemiah 5

Speaker: Dr. Steven Laufer

Series: Living the Story: Nehemiah

Category: Sunday Sermons

Keywords: consequences, repentance, salvation, sin, social justice

Social ills and community problems don’t just materialize out of thin air. They are the result of sinful behavior present within those communities. The topic of the Israelites’ moral choices and disobedience to God surfaces numerous times in both Ezra and Nehemiah. Nehemiah 5 serves as a case study where the greed and excess of some members of the community was leading to poverty and slavery among other members. Nehemiah addressed the matter by challenging those in the wrong, and they, instead of bristling at his challenge, recognized the truth in it and took steps to make changes. As a church, we want to continue working in the realm of social issues and community transformation, but may we be ever reminded that the greatest need people have is for a relationship with God and a lifestyle becoming ever-more in line with his best. For social ills are really moral matters, and their solutions must include the spiritual component.