Introduction
This is the word of the Lord,
Nehemiah 10:28–29 ESV
28 “The rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all who have separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, their daughters, all who have knowledge and understanding,
29 join with their brothers, their nobles, and enter into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law that was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord and his rules and his statutes.
Let us pray.
This is the third sermon in a series we’re calling ‘The Intentional Church’, and our desire is to lay a biblical foundation for what a local church is supposed to be. Most of you in this room have been coming to this church long enough to recognise the flavour of what we believe the church is supposed to be and do. But not all of you necessarily understand why we are the way we are in some or several areas. Maybe you understand somewhat and still have questions. Maybe you’ve been wondering for a long time and have grown content with just living in the mystery.
- Why do we do expositional preaching?
- Why do we do church discipline?
- Why do we hold to a formal church membership?
- What do elders and deacons really do?
- Why do we have a clear confession of faith and doctrinal distinctives instead of being broadly ‘evangelical’?
And the list could go on and on. This sermon series is an attempt to lay the biblical foundations that would help answer many of those questions. Use this time to listen, investigate and ask questions whenever you can. Be intentional! The reason I’ve chosen ‘The Intentional Church’ as the series title is because that word ‘intentional’ best captures who we are, and what we do, and what we expect from all of you who are committed to this church.
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The subject today is on Church Membership, and as I was rummaging through my sermon archives, I was pleasantly surprise to see that I’ve preached on this subject multiple times. And every time I’ve preached on it, someone or the other has come up and said, “I’d like to be a member now”. But this sermon is not aimed at those of you who are yet to become members of this church. It is aimed at all of you in hopes that there will be growing unity and consensus on the matter of what it means to be plugged in to the local church. There are different ways that I can make the case for church membership and every one of them would be effective to get the point across for both non-members and members.
But what I’m aiming for is not, “Yeah, that makes sense. Formal church membership is the best way (or at least a good way) to function as a local church.” I’m not aiming for it to make sense for you and some of you are probably members because it made sense. What I’m aiming for maybe too high but I am allowed to do that – to thirst for the impossible, and maybe this sermon will show you why. My aim is to have you be able to say, “I cannot imagine my life apart from my covenant commitment to the local church. This is my family, my home, my place of belonging. I am not just attending—I am bound to these people in love, in accountability, in service, and in mission. This church is not just a part of my life; it is woven into the very fabric of my identity as a disciple of Christ.” I want you to not just understand church membership—I want you to rejoice in it. To see it not as a duty but as a delight, not as a burden but as a blessing. I want you to embrace church membership with joy—to look at your fellow members and say,
“These are my people. We belong to one another in Christ. I will labor for their good, pray for their growth, mourn in their losses, rejoice in their victories, and walk with them until glory.”
“I will bleed when they bleed, sing when they sing, run with them, fight alongside them, live with them and die with them!”
I want you to experience what David felt when he wrote: “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)
I want you to feel the joy of belonging as Paul described: “So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” (Romans 12:5)
This is the beauty of covenant membership—not a lifeless contract, but a joyful commitment to walk together, worship together, and grow together in Christ.
So, I am not just asking you to understand why church membership matters. I am calling you to love it, embrace it, and find your joy in it. Because here, in the household of faith, in the covenant community of Christ’s people—you are home. How do we achieve this? I’m taking Ashok’s advice from last week’s sermon – If we want devotion in our heart, we need doctrine in our head.
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Let us begin with the most pressing question that many Christians who have enquired about our church have asked. “Yes, Pastor Mike! Amen to all of that, but why a formal covenant-signing membership? Why can’t we have all of that without the formal process.” I will answer this in part here and give you some more pointers at the end of this sermon. Now, I want you to patiently think with me throughout this sermon, and at the end of it I will apply it to all of you in this room.
For now, let me give you three arguments for the formal membership process
1. The issue at stake is not whether a church should have a formal membership process, but what kind of process it should have.
If someone rejects this church’s membership process, the real question is, “If not this process, then what process?” Because effective church congregation and commitment require a process. And that is Not Just a Theological Issue—It’s a Human Reality This isn’t merely a doctrinal debate—it’s a human communal reality. Every well-functioning institution or community requires a defined process of belonging, recognition, and accountability.
- Imagine a man walking into a government office, chest out, chin high, and announcing with full conviction, “I am now a citizen of this great nation!”
“I’ve lived there for years, obeyed the laws, cheered for the national cricket teams, and even paid taxes. Surely, that should count for something, right?” But the immigration officer, sympathetic and a little confused, gently leans forward and says, “That’s wonderful, sir, but citizenship isn’t just a feeling. It’s a legal recognition, a covenant, if you will. You don’t just wake up one morning and declare yourself a citizen. There’s a process, an oath, and a formal commitment that makes it official.”
What the man in this situation fails to realise is that belonging to something greater than himself requires more than just personal conviction—it requires corporate affirmation, and such an affirmation (however it is done) will require a process.
- Or, picture a woman walking into a software company, finds herself a vacant desk, and dives right into a stack of files. When security arrives, she waves them off and insists, “I belong here. I love this company’s mission, I know the work, and I’m ready to contribute. I don’t need a formal hiring process—I’m in!”
They call HR manager who has to explain to her, “That’s nice. But belonging here isn’t just about shared enthusiasm. It’s about commitment. It’s about accountability. It’s about an agreement between you and us that establishes rights, responsibilities, and expectations. Without that, you’re just a visitor, not an employee.”
And this is precisely the problem with an informal approach to church membership. We live in an age where people want the benefits of belonging without the cost of commitment. They want fellowship without accountability, identity without obligation, and authority without submission. But biblical membership—real, weighty, joyful membership—is not a self-appointed status. It is a covenantal commitment, recognized and affirmed by the local body of Christ. And whatever shape or form that takes in any church, will become a formal and unavoidable process. Just as a nation cannot function without defined citizens, and a business cannot operate without recognized employees, the church cannot shepherd, disciple, or exercise authority over those who simply declare themselves “in” but refuse to be formally counted. The church is not a loose association of independent contractors, but a body—a family—where membership is affirmed, responsibilities are clear, and love is more than just a passing sentiment.
So, the real question isn’t, “Why do I need a formal membership process?” but rather, “Why wouldn’t I joyfully embrace the beauty of covenantal belonging?
2. Covenanting is, by definition, formal. It is a binding, structured, and deliberate commitment between parties, recognised and affirmed by those involved, both in the Bible and in the world we live in.
- If a young man were to walk up to your daughter and say, “Why do we need all this formality? Why can’t we just agree that we love each other and be done with it?” “Look, we both know we belong together. Why do we need legal documents, witnesses, or a ceremony? Isn’t love enough? Isn’t my word enough? Isn’t my promise enough?”
Now, as genuinely committed as that young man may be, he is missing the entire point of marriage. A marriage is not just a feeling—it is a covenant. And a covenant by its very nature is public, recognized, and affirmed. It involves witnesses. It involves vows. It involves accountability. Without those things, the so-called “marriage” is just a private arrangement with no weight, no security, and no binding commitment.
- Or think about adoption. Adoption involves a legal process because the status of belonging must be recognized and affirmed for the sake of the child and the family.
This is precisely why church membership must be formal. The church is not a social club, where people float in and out as they please. It is the household of God (1 Timothy 3:15), a covenant community that requires clear commitments. The Bible describes the church as the Bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:25-27), a body where every member has a function (1 Corinthians 12:12-27), and a family where there is real accountability (Hebrews 13:17). None of these metaphors work if membership is casual and undefined. When you join a church, you are not just attending an event—you are covenanting with a body of believers. And just as in marriage, just as in adoption, that covenant must be formal, public, and affirmed. If we understand this in marriage, if we understand it in family, then why would we demand something less for the Church—the very institution Christ purchased with His blood (Acts 20:28)
3. The New Testament undeniably assumes a defined, knowable, and accountable church body.
- In Acts 2:41-47, those who believed were “added” to the church, marking a clear distinction between those who were inside the covenant community and those who were not.
- In 1 Corinthians 5:12-13, Paul instructs the church to judge those “inside” the church, implying that there was a recognized group of members who were accountable to one another.
- Likewise, Hebrews 13:17 commands believers to “obey their leaders” because those leaders will “give an account” for their souls—something that would be impossible if membership were undefined.
I will dive into this in the next sermon on Elders & Deacons and show how this relationship requires a defined church membership.
- Even Matthew 18:15-20, where Jesus outlines church discipline, presupposes a local church body to which a person belongs and from which they can be removed if unrepentant.
These passages make it abundantly clear that the church is not an informal association of Christians but a defined, accountable community where membership is both recognisable and necessary for biblical leadership, discipline, and care. Now, I could go on and on about the distinctions between the universal church and local church, and passages about congregational relationships that would fail without a defined membership, but all of these arguments at best may cause you to say, “Yeah I get it. I get why you do formal membership.” But then, that is not my aim.
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The Revival that failed
To understand the weight of covenant membership in the local church, we must first look at one of the greatest revival movements in Israel’s history – but a revival that ultimately failed. For centuries, Israel and Judah repeatedly broke their covenant with God, turning to idolatry and injustice despite the warnings of the prophets. God had promised blessing for obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1-14) and curses for disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:15-68), and eventually, His judgment fell. In 722 BC, the ten northern tribes of Israel (the northern kingdom) were conquered by Assyria due to their idolatry (2 Kings 17:6-23). They were forcibly removed, scattered among the nations, and never restored as a distinct kingdom. Despite watching Israel’s downfall, Judah (the southern kingdom) followed the same pattern of rebellion. The prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Habakkuk pleaded with them to repent, but the people refused. In 586 BC, God used Babylon, led by King Nebuchadnezzar, to bring judgment. Jerusalem was besieged, the temple was destroyed, and the people were carried off into exile (2 Kings 25:1-21). This was the darkest moment in Israel’s history—their land was taken, their city was in ruins, and their connection to the temple was lost. The prophet Daniel was taken in the first wave of exile to Babylon (Daniel 1:1-7). And in Daniel 9, he realizes that Jeremiah’s prophecy (Jeremiah 29:10) predicted a 70-year exile, and so he prays for restoration.
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70 years later, just as God had promised, the Persian Empire conquered Babylon, and King Cyrus issued a decree allowing the Jews to return (Ezra 1:1-4). This began the three major waves of return and revival that are covered in the books of Ezra & Nehemiah. Now, Ezra & Nehemiah were not originally two separate books. They were one volume written by the same author. And there is a remarkable pattern that one can find in these three major waves of return and revival documented in these books.
- Each of them are initially given a commission to go out to reclaim and rebuild.
- Zerubabbel was sent to rebuild the temple, Ezra was sent to restore the Law, and Nehemiah was sent to rebuild the city.
- All of them face opposition in their work.
- And despite their best efforts, all their endeavors ultimately fall short.
1. Zerubbabel: The Rebuilding of the Temple (Ezra 1-6, Haggai 1-2, Zechariah 4:6-10)
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Commission:
In the first wave, God appoints Zerubbabel, a descendant of King David, to reestablish temple worship. We find him in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew and Luke. 5 Centuries before the coming of Jesus King Cyrus of Persia issued a decree allowing the Jews to return and rebuild the temple (Ezra 1:1-4), fulfilling Jeremiah’s prophecy (Jeremiah 29:10). About 50,000 Jews returned under Zerubbabel’s leadership (Ezra 2). And here we learn something important. Brothers and sisters, when God began His great work of restoration after the exile, He did not start with the walls of the city. He did not begin with military defenses, national structures, or political power. He started with the temple.
Why? Because worship always comes before culture. The spiritual life of a people must be restored before their national and cultural life can flourish. This was always the pattern. At Mount Sinai – Before Israel Became a Nation, They Became Worshipers In the Exile – The Crisis Was Spiritual, Not Just Political. After the Exile – Worship is the First Priority. This is why Zerubbabel was the first leader sent back—his task was not to secure the borders, but to restore the worship of God. The first thing the people did when they arrived was rebuild the altar (Ezra 3:1-6). Only after the altar was restored did they begin to lay the foundation of the temple (Ezra 3:10-11). The walls of the city were not rebuilt for another 90 years! Why? Because a city without walls can survive, but a people without worship are already dead. What good is a nation if it does not honor God? What good is a culture if it does not glorify its Creator?
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Opposition:
But, as soon as the foundation was laid, opposition arose from the Samaritans and other local adversaries
Ezra 4:1–5 ESV
1 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel,
2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ houses and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here.”
3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers’ houses in Israel said to them, “You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”
4 Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build
5 and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
These were the Samaritans and other surrounding people who offered to help rebuild the temple, but Zerubbabel and the Jewish leaders firmly rejected their offer (Ezra 4:3). At first glance, this may seem harsh, but the reason was clear: these people did not truly worship Yahweh. Their worship was mixed with pagan practices, the very sin that led Israel into exile (2 Kings 17:24-41). Rebuilding the temple was a covenantal act of obedience, reserved for those fully devoted to God. Allowing outsiders with divided loyalties would have compromised true worship and undermined the purpose of restoration. This reminds us that God’s work must be done God’s way, without blending truth with falsehood. Angered, these people discouraged the Israelites and got the Persian authorities to halt construction for nearly 16 years.
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Complete but Falling Short:
The people, overwhelmed by hardship, neglected the work and focused on their own houses instead of God’s temple (Haggai 1:2-4). The prophets Haggai and Zechariah rebuked them, urging them to resume the work, and eventually, the temple was completed in 516 BC (Ezra 6:14-15). But something was missing. The Shekinah glory of God never descended on this temple, as it had on Solomon’s (1 Kings 8:10-11). The prophet Haggai wrote,
Haggai 2:3 ESV
3 ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes?
Ezra accounts how,
Ezra 3:12 ESV
12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy,
Though the temple was rebuilt, God’s glorious presence never returned as it had in Solomon’s day. The structure stood, but the fullness of His dwelling was absent—and the people soon drifted from Him again. Was worship restored? Yes. But did the reformation succeed?
2. Ezra: The Restoration of the Law (Ezra 7-10, Nehemiah 8-9, Malachi 2:7-9)
The second wave of return was led by Ezra, a priest and scribe, a descendent of Levi, specifically from the priestly line of Aaron.
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Commission:
He was sent to restore the knowledge of God’s Law and renew covenant faithfulness among the people. Nearly 80 years after the temple was rebuilt, King Artaxerxes of Persia sent Ezra to Jerusalem to teach the Law of Moses and reform the people (Ezra 7:6-10). His mission was not just about building structures, but about building up the spiritual life of the people. He was given authority to appoint judges, enforce the law, and bring religious revival (Ezra 7:25-26). Before the city walls could be rebuilt, the hearts of the people had to be restored to God’s law. Without a lawful and spiritually grounded people, culture becomes corrupt, and society crumbles. True renewal begins with worship and then obedience to God, which then produces lasting cultural and social stability. So the temple first, worship first, then lawfulness.
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Opposition:
When Ezra arrived, he found the people had already fallen back into sin—they had married foreign wives and begun mixing with pagan practices (Ezra 9:1-2).
Ezra 9:1–2 ESV
1 After these things had been done, the officials approached me and said, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with their abominations, from the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
2 For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost.”
He was heartbroken and led national repentance, calling the people to separate from their unlawful marriages (Ezra 10:1-3). These weren’t unlawful just because they were foreign. Nothing prevented these women from becoming Jews and living among them. The issue here were their abomination. This leads to a mass divorce.
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Complete but Falling Short:
Despite Ezra’s deep reforms, the people continued to fall into compromise. Though he restored the knowledge of God’s law, he could not change their hearts. By the time Nehemiah arrives, many of the same sins Ezra fought against had resurfaced again. Even though the Law was taught and the covenant renewed, the people could not sustain their faithfulness.
3. Nehemiah: The Rebuilding of the Walls (Nehemiah 1-13, Malachi 1:6-10)
The third wave of return was led by Nehemiah, a Jewish cupbearer to the Persian king, who sought to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and restore civic order. Though Nehemiah was not a prophet in the traditional sense, his works were similar to that of one.
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Commission:
Nehemiah received word that Jerusalem’s walls were still in ruins, leaving the city defenseless and vulnerable (Nehemiah 1:3-4). He prayed and fasted for months before receiving permission from King Artaxerxes to rebuild the walls (Nehemiah 2:4-8). When he arrived, he inspected the city by night and devised a strategic plan to rebuild the walls (Nehemiah 2:11-18). Now that the temple is restored, and the people have been instructed in the law, the city is being rebuilt.
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Opposition:
Here again, as soon as the work began, Nehemiah faced intense opposition.
Nehemiah 4:1–3 ESV
1 Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews.
2 And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?”
3 Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Yes, what they are building—if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!”
And so they tried to intimidate, mock, and attack the workers, forcing Nehemiah’s men to work with a sword in one hand and a trowel in the other (Nehemiah 4:16-18). Even within the Jewish community, corruption and oppression were rampant, requiring Nehemiah to confront the nobles and officials (Nehemiah 5:6-13).
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Complete but Falling Short:
Despite completing the walls (Nehemiah 6:15), the deeper issue remained—the hearts of the people were still unchanged. By the end of Nehemiah’s book, the people had once again broken the Sabbath, neglected the temple, and intermarried with pagans (Nehemiah 13:4-30).
Nehemiah 13:25 ESV
25 And I confronted them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair. And I made them take an oath in the name of God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.
Even though the temple was rebuilt, and the law was given, and the city secure, the people were still spiritually weak. Walls could not keep sin out. In fact Nehemiah’s concluding prayer states,
Nehemiah 13:14 ESV
14 Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for his service.
Nehemiah 13:22 ESV
22 Then I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates, to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember this also in my favor, O my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your steadfast love.
Nehemiah 13:31 ESV
31 and I provided for the wood offering at appointed times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.
His prayer was, “O Lord, remember me, for I tried.” The revival of temple, law and stone could not succeed. Though they could complete every task, the descendent to King, Priest and this unlikely Prophet could not bring revival. Yet, this falling short is not unexpected.
Jeremiah 31:31–34 ESV
31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah,
32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord.
33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
Ezekiel 36:26–27 ESV
26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
Isaiah 42:6–7 ESV
6 “I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations,
7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.
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Now, In the midst of the rebuilding efforts, Nehemiah 10 records a powerful moment—the people of Israel renew their covenant with God. They had rebuilt the temple, the law, and the walls, but now they pledged their hearts and lives to obeying God’s commands.
What did this look like?
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A Formal and Written Commitment
The leaders, priests, and Levites sealed the covenant (Nehemiah 10:1-27), making it an official and binding agreement before God. This shows they took their commitment seriously, making public accountability a part of their revival.
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A Pledge to Follow God’s Law
They swore to walk in God’s Law and obey everything written in it (Nehemiah 10:29). This was their way of saying, “We will not repeat the sins of our fathers.”
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Specific Commitments to Holiness
No intermarriage with pagan nations (Nehemiah 10:30) → To preserve spiritual purity. Keeping the Sabbath holy (Nehemiah 10:31) → A renewed focus on worship and obedience. Supporting the temple and its services (Nehemiah 10:32-39) → A commitment to worship and sacrifice.
At this moment, the people recognised something of their heart’s problem, that walls and temples mean nothing if hearts are still wandering. Zerubbabel built the temple—but God’s presence never returned. Why? Because God would no longer dwell in a temple of stone, but in His people (John 2:19-21, 1 Corinthians 3:16). Ezra restored the law—but the people still broke it. Why? Because external commands could never change hearts (Romans 8:3). Nehemiah built the walls—but they could not protect the people from sin. Why? Because true security comes from a transformed heart, not from physical barriers (Proverbs 4:23). Revival had to come through something greater—through Someone greater
The Revival that succeeded
Then, in the ruins of their failure, four hundred years later came a descendent of David, and true High Priest, and Prophet of all prophets – and he would lead one more wave of revival. Where the triune efforts of Zerubabbel, Ezra and Nehemiah failed, the triune efforts of Father, Son and Holy Spirit would not. For Christ would not work on stone and structure. Instead he would not leave one stone on top of another. Look at this brothers and sisters – what we’ve seen in Matthew in these past few months. The King of kings who came amidst shouts of Hosanna to Jerusalem, brought revival by tearing and destroying the temple that Zerubabbel built, fulfilling the Law that neither Ezra nor the Israelites could keep, and laying in ruin the city of Jerusalem that Nehemiah rebuild. For he came to plunder the one thing that none of them could do – to lay in ruins the external and to plunder the hearts of the people. And his revival does not fall short.
Romans 12:1 ESV
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
John 3:16 ESV
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Conclusion :
The Covenant Commitments of a Church Member
Who is a healthy church member? He is one plundered in the true and succeeding revival. Do you know that in this final revival God’s priorities remain unchanged? He reinstates worship like Zerubabbel by building a new temple – not of water and stone, but of flesh and blood. You are the temple of the living God (1 Corinthians 3:16). Then he takes the Law of God like Ezra and in its reading, writes it upon the pages of you heart. Hebrews 8:10
Hebrews 8:10 ESV
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
And then, like Nehemiah, with great zeal and fervor declares in Matthew 16:18 “…I will build my church.” Brothers and sisters, we do not stand on the foundation of a failed revival—we are the fulfillment of the one that succeeded. You are not called to build a temple with Zerubbabel—for in Christ, you are the temple. The Spirit of the Living God does not dwell in structures of stone, but in you, the living stones, being built together into a dwelling place for God (1 Peter 2:5, Ephesians 2:21-22).
You are not waiting for Ezra to teach you the law—for in Christ, you are priests before the Lord, and the law is now written upon your heart (Jeremiah 31:33, Hebrews 8:10). You do not need a scribe to force righteousness upon you, for God Himself has put His Spirit within you, causing you to walk in His statutes (Ezekiel 36:27).
You are not called to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem with Nehemiah—for in Christ, you are the city on a hill that cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:14). You are the people of God, set apart and secured not by stones and gates, but by the unshakable foundation of Christ (Hebrews 12:28). Your task is not to protect a fading city but to build and preserve the Bride of Christ, His Church (Ephesians 4:12-13).
O Covenant Member, Don’t You See What You Represent?
You are the revival that succeeded. You are not part of a failed system of stone and law—you are part of the eternal Kingdom of God.
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What then will you covenant to do? Look at the pledge of the Israelites again in.
Nehemiah 10:28–29 ESV
28 “The rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all who have separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, their daughters, all who have knowledge and understanding,
29 join with their brothers, their nobles, and enter into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law that was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord and his rules and his statutes.
The people make a vow (a serious oath) to walk in God’s Law, to observe all that he had commanded. Does that sound familiar? Jesus, the King, Priest and Prophet forever, who succeeded in his revival, issued you a commission. Not like the commission to Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah who although they overcame opposition ultimately failed. The revivals of old were written in stone, and stone can crack. But the revival of Christ is written in flesh and blood, sealed with the power of the Spirit, and no enemy, no failure, no force of darkness can undo what He has begun. He issues you a commission to make disciples of all nations, baptising them and teaching them to observe all that he had commanded, for this Jesus would be with us to the end of the age.
Romans 8:35–39 ESV
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The Great Commission, your commission under the victorious Christ, will never fail.
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Brothers and sisters, the covenant renewal in Nehemiah 10 continues in the New Testament—but in an even greater and more glorious way. The Church, like Israel, is a covenant people, publicly identifying with Christ through baptism (Matthew 28:19), committing to one another in love and holiness (Hebrews 10:24-25), and devoting ourselves to the teaching, breaking of bread, and prayer (Acts 2:42). Just as the Israelites pledged to uphold worship in the temple, we are now the temple (1 Corinthians 3:16), and our worship is in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Covenant membership in the Church, like in Nehemiah’s time, is not casual—it is a sacred, public, accountable commitment to Christ and His people.
The Israelites signed a covenant—but we have been sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14).
They pledged to keep the Law—but we are now taught by grace (Titus 2:11-12).
They committed to the temple and its services—but now, we serve as priests in the household of God (1 Peter 2:9).
So, brothers and sisters, covenant membership is not just an Old Testament formality—it is a New Testament reality. To be a member of Christ’s Church is to declare, as they did in Nehemiah’s time, that you belong to God’s people. It is to walk in obedience, to be accountable, to serve the household of faith, and to live as those set apart for God’s glory. The revival in Nehemiah’s day was written on paper, but ours is written on hearts (Jeremiah 31:33). Theirs was sealed with ink, but ours is sealed with the Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:22). Theirs was a pledge to keep the Law, but ours is a promise that Christ has already fulfilled it (Matthew 5:17).
So, Church, do not treat covenant membership lightly. It is God’s design for His people to walk together in faithfulness, to be distinct from the world, and to be bound together in the love of Christ. Just as Israel stood before God and pledged themselves to Him, so too the Church stands today, not in the shadow of a broken covenant, but in the full light of the covenant that will never fail.
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Covenant Membership is the Revival That Lasts
Nehemiah’s people signed a covenant and failed.
But Christ’s people are secured by a covenant that cannot fail.
You are not a spectator in the Kingdom of God—you are a member of His covenant people.
You are not just attending a church—you are the Church.
You are not just building walls—you are building the Bride of Christ.
So embrace the weight and the glory of covenant membership. Live as those who belong—not to a failing revival, but to the unshakable, unstoppable, eternal Kingdom of God.
Amen!
