Nehemiah:Renew Restore Rebuild- Answering The Call

 Nehemiah:Renew Restore Rebuild

Answering The Call 

Opening Illustration:

Over the course of the last year, all of us have had to endure the inconvenience of COVID-19. For some it meant to wear masks when we didn’t really want to wear a mask. If you are like my wife, it meant that you no longer worked from an office but rather you worked from home. Kids had to stay home from school. Ten came the vaccinations. You probably heard about all those who lost their jobs due to the pandemic. Hit especially hard was the food service industry. I have an subscription to Christianity Today and they were interviewing a man living in California who had worked for 20 years as a waiter. Before the pandemic, he worked long hard hours. He said that he would work some weeks upwards of 90 hours. After the pandemic, his restaurant closed down and he was let go. His response was curious. Im not sure that I would have been able to respond they way that this gentlemen did. Listen to what he said. 

“I don’t feel too bad. I didn’t realize until I lost my job how I had lost track of my family, how little time I was spending with my wife and my children, and how I had been neglecting my responsibilities at my church. They gave me six months pay as a buffer zone, and I intend to use it all. Listen," he said, "I count this as a wake up call to set my priorities straight, and I don’t intend to blow it again."

Point:

Have you ever had a wake up call like that? Has God ever allowed a crisis or catastrophic event to interrupt your life and shake you from the routine of your day? The question reminds me of my friend Randy Stembridge. Randy was heading to choir practice. He was driving on a familiar road. He had just pulled out of Zaxby’s with a large sweet tea. This is what he did every Wednesday before choir practice. It was is a normal day. It was like any old day. Randy pulled out into traffic and didn’t see the car that blew into the side of his truck. This accident left him with brain injuries, bruises and brokenness. He would spend weeks in the hospital. Thankfully, God brought our brother through this trial and he sings regularly on this very stage. However, Randy has told me numerous times that while enduring the events of that crash were horrible, difficult, and discouraging, God used it to change his priorities. This accident reshaped his life and presents a new purpose for his life. 

Some wake up calls are drastic in nature. Others are more subtle. Maybe your wake up call came in the form of a job change. A new boss. A bad grade at school or maybe the coach told you that you were no longer starting. 

I define a wake up call as an event that turns your eyes away from the routine of your reality and puts your eyes on Christ. You realize, sometimes painfully, that without His help you are destined to fail. I have had a few wake up calls in my life. I received a wake up call on December 16, 2000 as my wife walked down the aisle. God I don’t know how to be a husband. How in the world am I going to provide for her and protect her? I received a wake up call from God when my children were born and when we brought Jett home from China. God I have no idea what I am supposed to do with these kids. I need help. I received a wake up call when on my first day as the Senior Pastor of Eastern Shore Baptist Church. God I have never been a pastor. I have no idea what I am doing. Please God don’t let me fail. A wake up call is any event that makes you realize how small you are and reminds you of how much you need God. So, answer the question this morning?

Have You Ever Received A Wake Up Call?

Background:

Today we are starting a new series in the Old Testament book of Nehemiah. The title of the series is Nehemiah:Renew, Restore, Rebuild. The book was written by Nehemiah, whose name means “The Lord Comforts”, as much of it comes from a first person perspective. The book of Nehemiah could be read as a sequel to the book of Ezra, and some scholars believe the two were originally one work. It is possible that Ezra compiled Nehemiah’s original accounts with other material to create the book of Nehemiah. 

The book of Nehemiah opens in the Persian city of Susa in the year 444 BC. The Israelites have been exiled in the land of Persia for 70 years. Jeremiah prophesied that the Israelites would be conquered by the Babylonians. Their best and brightest would be taken to Babylon where they would be in subject to the King, learn their ways, traditions, and practices. This exiling of the Israelites left their homeland in disrepair and destruction. The Babylonians were eventually conquered by the Persians. The book of Nehemiah chronicles the Israelites return to Judah following their exile Just so you know, Ezra and the prophet Malachi were contemporaries of Nehemiah. The events in the book of Esther occurred in the same time period between Ezra 6-7, between the first and second returns of the people of Israel. Nehemiah was a layman, not a priest like Ezra nor a prophet like Malachi. He served the Persian king in a secular position before leading a group of Jews to Jerusalem in order to rebuild the city walls.Under Nehemiah’s leadership, the Jews withstood opposition and came together to accomplish their goal of rebuilding Jerusalem and her defenses.

Nehemiah recorded the reconstruction of the wall of Jerusalem, Judah’s capital city. It took 12 years to complete the project. Together, he and Ezra, who led the spiritual revival of the people, directed the political and religious restoration of the Jews in their homeland after the Babylonian captivity. He comes back to a community in cultural and moral decay. Nehemiah faces the eroding culture, financial shortfalls, volunteer recruitment and outside invasions but still, Nehemiah makes it matter. He builds something for God’s supreme glory. Nehemiah’s life is a great study of leadership, how to trust in God, and how to deal with haters. It is a very relevant book today as we are trying to rebuild our society, our church, and our lives after COVID-19. Think about it. Look around friends. Our church looks a lot different today. We have a lot of empty seats. I am not sure if you know this but we are in a rebuilding project and we will need God’s help to accomplish the goal of filling this place back up. So, let’s dig in and see what Nehemiah chapter 1 has for us today. 

Today’s Scripture

Nehemiah 1:1-11 ESV

The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.

Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the citadel, 

(Susa was the winter lodging for Persian kings. It is located in Iran.) 

2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.”

4 As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5 And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father's house have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. 8 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, 9 but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ 10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

Now I was cupbearer to the king.

Nehemiah’s Burden Becomes Israel’s Blessing!

I. A Dire Report vs. 3

Nehemiah 1:3 ESV

3 And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.”

Point:

Have you ever been somewhere in body but somewhere else in mind or spirit? This is the case for Nehemiah. Nehemiah’s body was in Susa but his mind was in Jerusalem. Scripture tells us that Hanani returned from a scouting mission to Jerusalem along with other men. Upon his return, Nehemiah seeks him out and asks about the status of the people of Jerusalem and the city itself. Sadly, Hanani delivers some devastating news to Nehemiah. Nehemiah is completely broken over the news of his homeland. We will talk about his response in the next point. For right now, let’s talk about what was going on in the city of Jerusalem, the capital city of Judah. 

Point:

The bad state of the people and the bad state of the city walls were intimately connected. In the ancient world, a city without walls was a city completely open and vulnerable to it’s enemies. They had no defense and no protection. 

Likewise, Jerusalem had become a backwater, no nothing town. You might call the city of Jerusalem, the Holy City of God a one stop light town. All of the city’s glory had faded and there was nothing of value left in it and that includes the people who were seen to be also rans and people to be forgotten about. These were the leftovers, not good enough to be taken back to Babylon. 

Imagine being the people left in the city. They never knew where their next meal would come from. They were in constant fear of being attacked or killed. Men were fearful that their wives or children would be killed or worse, stolen and sold into slavery. 

These poor people were not living as the conquerers that God had created them to be, they were living as survivors. They were just barely getting by. Remember that God does not want us to live like this, defeated and discouraged. Romans 8:37 reminds us that God does not want us to be just conquerers, He wants us to be more than conquerers because He loves us. 

You might say that the Israelites were suffering in 4 different ways. 

The Israelites Suffered...

A. Economically 

There was tremendous famine in the land when Nehemiah received this message. 

B. Socially

As a result, families sold children into slavery. The family was under attack. 

C. Militarily 

We learn that the walls surrounding the city were damaged. This damage opened the city up to outside invaders. 

D. Religiously 

Notice that Israel has no priest, no prophet and seemingly God's presence is no where to be found. The people were in trouble and is graced. 

Point:

Things were bad. How bad were they? About as bad as it could get. I heard a quote no long that I found to be encouraging. 

“God is moving most when we think that God is not moving at all.” 

I believe that to be true. Do you? The people of Judah were hurting. Maybe they thought that God had abandoned them? Well God is about to show up in a mighty big way. 

What about you this morning? How do you react to bad news.  In a moment you will see how Nehemiah reacts.  I think that most people react in a couple of different ways. 

Paralyzed

Confused

Run

You’ll see in just a moment how Nehemiah reacts. 

2 Timothy 2:7 NLT

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

Psalm 34:18

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. 

Nehemiah’s Burden Becomes Israel’s Blessing!

I. A Dire Report vs. 3

II. A Deep Response vs. 4

Nehemiah 1:4 ESV

4 As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

Point:

Nehemiah’s immediate reaction was extreme. He didn’t just feel bad for Jerusalem and its people; right away, there was no strength in his legs , and he began to weep and to mourn. God was going to use Nehemiah to do something about this situation. But first, God did something in Nehemiah. Any great work of God begins with God doing a great work in somebody. 

Brothers and sisters, you cannot change a bad situation until God changes you. 

God saw the need in heaven, but little would be done until the right man also felt the need. God would do something great to meet that need through Nehemiah.

But there is no way Nehemiah could do this alone. He had to be a leader – one who influences other people – to get this job done. Nehemiah is a book all about leadership – something we obviously need today. Since leadership is influence, leadership applies to everyone. Everyone has an area of leadership. In some way, each one is a leader; the question is if they are a good leader or a bad leader.

Leaders must prepare themselves for difficult work because it won’t be easy. “There is no winning without warfare; there is no opportunity without opposition; there is no victory without vigilance. For when ever the people of God say, ‘Let us arise and build,’ Satan says, ‘Let me arise and oppose.’” 

Leaders must have a big vision, and Nehemiah had one. “Through me, God is going to correct a problem that’s been around a hundred and fifty years. Through me, God is going to do something that completely failed down before.” We must have a vision, a goal, that is big enough.

Nehemiah’s response to this issue was not some passing fad. Scripture tells us that he began to fast and pray. He got serious. 

Point:

I am not sure about your Bible knowledge or how much you know about Nehemiah or what you know about the situation surrounding Jerusalem. Let me say this to you though, this was not the first time that someone tried to fix the problem. There were at least two others who saw what was taking place in Jerusalem and tried their best to fix it. They were smart. They were qualified. They were both failures. We know that Zerubbabel, the prince tried. He tried to fix thing politically. Then Ezra the priest came and made some success. Yet God woke up Nehemiah, the layman to complete the work. This tells me that a normal guy can do a big job. You don't have to be a priest or politician.

Nehemiah could have just waited.  He could have let more qualified people to step in to do the ministry.  However, the call was his and he responded to the call.  

Look At Nehemiah's Attitude!

A. He Was Not Cold (Indifferent)

B. He Was Not A Critic (They Got What They Deserved)

C. He Got Connected (He Knew That The Only Response Was Going To God) 

Psalm 55:22

Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall. 

Nehemiah’s Burden Becomes Israel’s Blessing!

I. A Dire Report vs. 3

II. A Deep Response vs. 4

III. A Direct Request vs. 8-9

Nehemiah 1:8-9 ESV

8 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, 9 but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ 

Point:

Prayer is essential to leadership. If your vision is so big that only God can accomplish it, then you obviously must pray. If prayer isn’t absolutely necessary to accomplish your vision, your goal isn’t big enough.

It appears that Nehemiah prayed for four months before he did anything. Later, when the work of rebuilding the walls actually begins, it only takes 52 days to finish the job. But that 52-day project had a four-month foundation of prayer.

Nehemiah took his pain and stress to God in prayer – and seemingly, was able to leave it there. Prayer will relieve your stress. You may be trying to relieve stress through entertainment, but all that does is divert your attention. Entertainment doesn’t give any solutions to stress. Prayer will give you strength; when you wait on the Lord in prayer, He will renew your strength (Isaiah 40:31). 

Point:

Friend, the one thing that I love about Nehemiah’s prayer is that he leaves room for God to reply. So many times we pray, we tell God our wish list, ask Him to solve our problem, and pass along our burdens to Him. Then we say Amen and move on. We never leave time for Him to speak back to us. Friends, prayer is just a religious word for heavenly communication. Except, if our prayer only go one way, we are not really communicating are we? Gentlemen, imagine if you come home tomorrow after a busy day of work and you dump all your problems on your wife. You tell her about all the people that annoy you and drive you crazy. You ask her to solve some problems for you and then when you are done, kiss her good by and walk into the den. You turn on the tv and you never give her a chance to response. Is that communicating? Is that even a marriage? I don’t think so. Yet, that is how we often times treat God. Not Nehemiah. Nehemiah spoke to God, invoked His Word, and then gave God lots of time to lead him. Before you can lead, you better learn how to listen. 

Illustration:

In his book Directions, author James Hamilton shares this insight about listening to God: 

"Before refrigerators, people used icehouses to preserve their food. Icehouses had thick walls, no windows and a tightly fitted door. In winter, when streams and lakes were frozen, large blocks of ice were cut, hauled to the icehouses and covered with sawdust. Often the ice would last well into the summer.

One man lost a valuable watch while working in an icehouse. He searched diligently for it, carefully raking through the sawdust, but didn't find it. His fellow workers also looked, but their efforts, too, proved futile. A small boy who heard about the fruitless search slipped into the icehouse during the noon hour and soon emerged with the watch.

Amazed, the men asked him how he found it.

I closed the door,'' the boy replied, "lay down in the sawdust, and kept very still. Soon I heard the watch ticking.''

Often the question is not whether God is speaking, but whether we are being still enough and quiet enough to hear. Yes, Jesus assures us that our heavenly Father always listens to us, but do we really listen to God? Do we follow the instructions of Psalm 46, "Be still, and know that I am God"? 

Point:

Isaiah's Commission from the Lord

8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”

Nehemiah’s Burden Becomes Israel’s Blessing!

I. A Dire Report vs. 3

II. A Deep Response vs. 4

III. A Direct Request vs. 8-9

IV. A Driven Resolve

Nehemiah 1:11 ESV

11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

Now I was cupbearer to the king.

Point:

Nehemiah Gets To Work!

A. Canceled His Plans

B. Communicated The Need 

C. Consecrated Himself To God's Plans 

Illustration: The Dope On A Rope

There once was this criminal who had committed a crime. (Because, hey, that’s what criminals do. That’s their job!) Anyway, he was sent to the king for his punishment. The king told him he had a choice of two punishments. He could be hung by a rope or take what’s behind the big, dark, scary, iron door. The criminal quickly decided on the rope. As the noose was being slipped on him, he turned to the king and asked. “By the way, out of curiosity, what’s behind that door?” The king laughed and said: “You know, it’s funny, I offer everyone the same choice, and nearly everyone picks the rope.” “So,” said the criminal, “Tell me. What’s behind the door? I mean, obviously, I won’t tell anyone,” he said, pointing to the noose around his neck. The king paused then answered, “Freedom, but it seems most people are so afraid of the unknown that they immediately take the rope.”

Sure Nehemiah was afraid but that did not keep him from moving forward with God’s plan and request.  

Nehemiah Had Lots of Excuses 

1. Uneducated

2. Unqualified

3. Unequipped 

4. Undermanned 

5. Unprepared 

Isaiah 41:10

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

What Excuses Are Keeping Your From Being The Example?