7:56 Well, good afternoon or good evening, Maranatha Bible Church. Welcome to our Friday night Bible study. As always, we are so glad that you have chosen to spend this evening with us as we open God's word together, as we mine the depths of God's word together. You might have noticed just briefly as you came in here, but we are having some technical difficulties. So we're going to ask for your help.
8:25 The projector does not work, so there are no lyrics tonight. And so we were asking you all to rely on a different piece of tech of technology, one that most everybody probably has in this building, your phones. I wanna list the songs that we are going be going to be doing, and I encourage you, if you don't know these songs, to just to to search them on your phone and so that you can join us as we sing to the Lord tonight. The first song will be Christ the Shore and Steady Anchor. You can find find that.
8:58 It's the Keith and Kristen Getty version, Getty music. The next one will be turn your eyes upon Jesus. This is the worship initiative version. So, turn your eyes upon Jesus, the Worship Initiative Version. And the last one is, Yet not I, but Christ in Me by City Alight.
9:24 So Christ the shore and steady anchor, turn your eyes upon Jesus, and yet not I, but Christ in me. And as we were praying just now in in the back together, things happen. Technology malfunctions happen. But this, I encourage you brothers and sisters, is yet just another opportunity for us to worship the Lord for us to give our all to Him. So let's do that.
9:51 I wanna read briefly from Isaiah chapter 66 verses one and two as we set our mind and our hope on the Lord. Isaiah 66, just the first two verses. Thus says the Lord, heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What is the house that you would build for me? And what is the place of my rest?
10:19 All these things my hand has made. And so all these things came to be declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look. He who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. I pray that is all of us here tonight.
10:45 I pray that is our heart posture and our attitude as we prepare to sing to Almighty God, as we prepare to open the Bible, God's word to us, living an act of sharper than any two edged sword. And truly, may we approach it tonight with humility. May we approach this this service tonight, contrite and spirit hating our sin and looking to our savior. And may we approach what we do tonight trembling at the Word of God. Let's pray.
11:23 Father, we we thank You. Lord, you are great. You are glorious. Human language isn't enough to describe your might and your power and your goodness, Father. But we will try tonight as we sing to you, as the word is proclaimed for the good of your people and for your glory.
11:52 Help us now, Lord. Please remove distractions from us. Please remove the the cares of this world. Lord, may may may they all fade away in the face of Jesus Christ as we look to Him tonight. Help us, Lord.
12:09 Help our hearts tonight. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. Lord, take our hearts tonight and seal it. Bind it to you tonight.
12:18 And may all of us tonight come away with more joy, more love, more adoration for you in our hearts. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Amen. Church, will you please stand and lift your voices to the Lord?
28:02 Yes, Lord. To you be all the glory. Not to us, but to your name be the glory, Lord. God, we thank you that we can gather and come before the throne of grace freely, and worship freely in spirit and in truth, not on this mountain or that, We praise you, Lord. We thank you that we are united in Christ.
28:28 Through your spirit, Lord. God, we trust that you have wonderful things in store for us tonight, Lord. In the depths of your word, God, we ask that you anoint our pastor in a special way tonight, that he would preach your truth, unrestricted by anything, Lord. And that you would make us people ready and willing to receive and obey your word tonight. Lord, we need you.
28:52 We need your spirit. Like Moses, Lord, we would rather not do this at all if your spirit is not with us, Lord. God, come and be amongst your people in a special way tonight, Lord. We beg you. We need your power, Lord.
29:16 Amen. Why don't you turn to somebody, warmly greet them to this bible study this this evening? Welcome to Friday night Bible study. Thank you for using not just your phones, but using your voices. You know, whenever this happens, it happened probably a few times over the years that we've been here.
29:54 I'm always reminded of the necessity to tuck away in my heart a couple of hymns by memory, just in case. Just in case you find yourself in a place where you don't even have your phone, and you need to sing. Paul and Silas, they knew how to sing in prison. I'm sure they didn't have iPhones with them, but they had it on their hearts. And you may never know when you need a song filled with scripture truths to lift your spirits or the spirits of someone else.
30:29 Well, hopefully, in our new building, we won't have these technical difficulties, at least that many times. We're so grateful for every season that we're in, and we are at the threshold of a brand new chapter as a church. Many of you know this. Many of you have been praying and even contributing to this new chapter. If you don't know this, by Monday, we will be having the keys to our brand new home.
30:52 Yes. And we can rejoice in that. And I'm gonna just reserve my words for the appropriate time to just if I'm not careful, I'll just gush out but for now, I'll just say this. Thank you for your, again, contributions to this. You still have a chance to give towards this.
31:19 And, we're so grateful for those here, for those outside of this church family, who are extended church family, who watch us regularly online for the encouragement. And not just in your giving, your words, the comments on our YouTube page, the just the love that has been so tangible. Just every step of this whole process has been fragrant and so, graciously led by the Holy Spirit. It just adds to the testimony of this wonderful provision. And so at this time, the ushers will help us in our giving.
31:54 If it's on your heart to give, if you wanna sow into the kingdom of God in this way, just know that you are sowing into eternal things. And I can't think of a better way to use my finances or the funds that God has allowed me to have than to give back to him because it comes from him anyway. And he rewards us on top of that. He's a wonderful God. And as that is taking place, I don't really have many announcements.
32:20 The only thing I can mention is that we have, as you know, are closing on Monday, so be praying about that. That doesn't mean that we won't be having service here in the next couple weeks. That just means a lot of us will be working in the next couple of weeks because we wanna prepare our new home for that official grand opening, if I can use that phrase. Beyond that, just to let you know that we also have our yearly conference just around the corner. So many things happening, but God knows that we can handle it.
32:43 That's why he allowed it to happen. But we have our yearly conference at the August, August 27 to the thirtieth. And, I was just hearing from different people who couldn't make it in the past couple years saying, we're coming this year. And so I'm expecting a great turnout. Registration will be open, on June 1, and I would not delay because sometimes when people wait and delay, they don't get to be on-site in terms of sleeping there in one of the facilities that they offer.
33:09 So just be mindful, mark that off your calendars that at the August, we will have our conference and June 1 is when the doors swing open for us to race to see who is the first one to register. That's a competition that we have amongst some people here. If you don't know about it, you don't need to worry about it. Just register at an early time. Well, as much as announcements are important, I'm glad when there are not too many of them because that gives you more time to do what we're here to do.
33:33 And so I invite you to come to the book of Nehemiah with me. And perhaps you are already there. But if you're joining us for the first time, we just started our Bible study series in this brand new book. And it is a wonderful sequel to The Book of Ezra. And many of us have already seen that in the first few verses of this new book, but we have not completed chapter one yet.
33:55 And that's what we will seek to do tonight. So plant your finger there at verse four. We will read in a moment here, but I would love for us to pray once again. Heavenly Father, thank you. Thank you for loving us.
34:16 Thank you for showing your love in so many ways. Thank you that according to the words of the Lord Jesus Christ in John 17, you love us as you love your son. It's so hard for us to grasp that you love us as you love your son, Jesus Christ. And we know that this is difficult to fathom. That's why Paul in Ephesians three prayed that we would know the height and the depth and the breadth of your love for us.
34:44 So, Lord, use the means of this bible study to help us comprehend just how strong your love is. And help us, in response to the revelation of your love, love you with a greater intensity and devotion. Lord, some of us may be weary in the flesh and that can be a distraction. Some of us may be distracted in our minds, though our bodies are fine. Whatever may be an obstacle to this bible study, remove it in your power.
35:12 Remove it so that we can receive all that you have to say In Nehemiah chapter one. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but you can know a lot about a person based on what makes them happy. The objects that stir their passions, the things that make them gleeful, even the things that make them laugh are indicators to what they possess in terms of priorities, convictions, and desires.
35:49 Yet interestingly, scripture also teaches us that you can know a lot about a person based on what makes them sorrowful. The burdens that they carry in their hearts reveal just as clearly the priorities and perspectives and passions of a person. And today, you and I, by the grace of God, are gonna know more about this man, Nehemiah, because he is going to show us how he responded to the tragic news of the condition of the people of God in the city of Jerusalem. Perhaps you've already read this chapter before and so you're already familiar with its content, but in case you're not, the rest of this chapter is dedicated to Nehemiah's heartfelt prayer in response to the news of the devastation that the Jewish people were enduring after returning from exile. But this is not the only time Nehemiah prays.
36:51 Depending on how you group his prayers, it's safe to say that there are are around 12 recorded pleas that Nehemiah makes towards the Lord. And most of them are shorter than what we have here. And and beyond this confirming that Nehemiah was a praying man and that God uses praying men, there are wonderful and insightful details waiting for us to uncover in the verses that we will examine together. And so let's begin by reading it all in one shot without interruption, without commentary. Let's just begin here in Nehemiah chapter one verse four.
37:27 Remember, we looked at the first three verses and Nehemiah, while being in the palace in Susa, was visited by his brother and friends who told them of the shame and trouble that the Jewish people were experiencing because of the walls that were broken down and here is what he does in response to it. 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. And I said, oh Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 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.
38:20 We've acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses saying, if you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples. 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. They are your servants and your people whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. Oh, 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.
39:05 Now I was a cupbearer to the king. What Nehemiah is demonstrating here is the tenderness and compassion that should be alive in those who belong to the Lord. Remember, he is reacting to the news of the trouble that God's people are facing. And what Nehemiah felt about the dishonor that they were trying to manage is something that God expects of all of his people. I'm not necessarily speaking about the need to weep.
39:44 Some have a stronger tendency to be tearful about certain things, nor am I even speaking about the need for extensive fasting, though there is an appropriate time and place for fasting. What I am primarily referring to is a sense of disturbance and brokenness and burden when something is brought to our attention relating to the humiliation, disgrace, and the need of the church. And the reason why I can say that Nehemiah's attitude here applies to Christians is because the Lord rebukes Israel for having the totally opposite attitude that we find here when learning about the impending Assyrian invasion. This is worth turning to in our bibles, the book of Amos chapter six. God, through his prophet, presents a few woes to the generation of those who lived in the northern tribes of Israel before they were removed from the land.
40:47 Remember before the Babylonian exile, there was an Assyrian one, and I want you to see how he responds to the indifference of some of the Israelites even though they knew of the warning of judgment to come. Amos six. I hope you're there. Look with me here at verse four. Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory, and stretch themselves out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the midst of the stall, who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and like David invent for themselves instruments of music, who drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph.
41:41 You see that? Highlight the last part. Listen, God is not against nice furniture. He's not opposed to good food. He doesn't reject wine, oil, or music, but he is deeply opposed to the indulgence of these things while having total indifference toward the state and the future of the church.
42:07 Notice how this crowd was preoccupied with new forms of entertainment. That's what it means here when it says that they're inventing for themselves instruments of music. Not to glorify God like David, but to find new new shows, new forms of talent, new inventions to stroke one's ego. And yet at the same time, there is not the slightest concern for the moral collapse and the social decay of the spiritual community. Notice also here that he does not say at the end but are not grieved over the ruin of Israel.
42:46 Did you notice that? The prophets do not waste any words. God is speaking through them. He says so clearly, the ruin of Joseph. Why?
43:01 Because he wants to convey the following message. In the same way, Joseph's brothers were heartless towards him while he was in anguish, while he was in that pit, while he was crying out for mercy. These elite Israelites were showing no sympathy, no thought for their fellow brothers in time of need. How does this all relate to us? Well, it would be unrealistic to say that we all have to feel a sense of personal responsibility for the universal church or else we would constantly be burdened.
43:40 However, this is a call to reflect. If there is any evidence of concern in our hearts, when something is made known to us especially that which is in our reach, in our community, in our local church, in our nation. And one of the ways that we can begin or at least one of the signs that there is a a softness in our souls for the sanctification and the safety of the church, of our fellow brothers and sisters is that we pray about it. We bring it before God. We come to the prayer meeting.
44:24 We say, Lord, pour out your spirit. Your church is in trouble. Churches are in trouble. This institution needs you. Their walls are down.
44:35 There's no discernment. There are no watchmen. Can you find that in you? Or do you relate more to Amos chapter six where you're constantly consumed with leisure and comfort and one form or pursuit of personal fleshly happiness. May God help us.
45:06 Nehemiah shows us one way that we actually care and reflect God's heart. We pray. We pray about it. Now that may seem like an obvious response but I had a question, why was this Nehemiah's immediate response to fast and pray? And I think there are two reasons.
45:23 The first one is that Nehemiah had insight. He he was discerning and he understood the real cause for the ruin of Jerusalem.
45:38 Sin. That's what he plainly states here in verse seven. Look at it again. We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments. It wasn't because they didn't have resources.
45:48 It wasn't because they didn't have the favor of the government. It wasn't because they were lazy necessarily. It was because they sinned. He understood their present condition is caused by their past rebellion. And because of this, he responds in a spiritual manner.
46:06 He goes to God and he repents on behalf of the people. Now here's why this is crucial to understand. Unfortunately, what you have, some people do not pray because they fail to recognize the spiritual realities behind their circumstances. I am fully aware that there are some people who over spiritualize nearly everything. But there are also those who don't have any hint of the spiritual influence at all.
46:40 Both extremes are dangerous And that's why so many never arrive at real lasting solutions in their ministries, in their marriages, and many other of their miseries Because they have never factored in the spiritual elements behind this predicament or this ongoing struggle, and so they never applied the spiritual remedies to address them. There are people like that. They never think maybe, maybe the reason why there's chaos, the reason why there's conflict, the reason why there's frustration is because of a spiritual thing, like sin or disobedience or spiritual warfare and so they don't pray. Nehemiah was not like that. He was a very balanced man.
47:35 He prays in this chapter. In the next chapter, he's gonna get to work and he's gonna ask and he's gonna do very practical things. But here, we see that he is doing the right thing at the right time. He understands the root cause of the problem and so he addresses it at the root. He prays.
47:54 The second reason why Nehemiah prays immediately in response to this news is because he also understands the magnitude of the work and the miraculous power that would be required in order to resolve it. Now we have the habit of reading so fast through some of these accounts that we never pause to meditate on the real life implications of some of these challenges to some of these ambitions and achievements. Nehemiah understood that there are gonna be some hurdles here. Where do I even begin? And I have a hunch here that Nehemiah has one thing in mind in terms of a challenge, and that is how the king is gonna let him go.
48:39 A king who prior to this was already convinced that rebuilding the walls in Jerusalem would not be for his interest. Do you remember in our study of Ezra that there was one section where he abandons the chronology of the events that he is recording and piles together different examples of the oppositions that the exiles faced upon their return. Do you remember that study? Well, in one of the examples, he goes to the future and he mentions what King Artaxerxes asked of the exiles because of the adversaries of the exiles and what they told him. Let's see it again because it plays into what we find here in Nehemiah one.
49:25 Go to Ezra chapter four. The Artaxerxes here in Ezra chapter four is the same Artaxerxes that Nehemiah is serving. And notice what Ezra says in his account of the persecution that the exiles faced throughout their time in Jerusalem. Ezra four, look at verse 11. He writes, this is a copy of the letter that they sent.
49:49 That is the adversaries of the people of Judah. To Artaxerxes the king, your servants, the men of the province beyond the river send greeting. And now be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are finishing the walls and repairing the foundations.
50:10 Now be it known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, they will pay no tribute, custom or toll and the royal revenue will be impaired. This letter that Ezra is making known to the reader seems to indicate that there was before Nehemiah, after Ezra, somewhere between that, though they are contemporaries, they're gonna work together. Not explicitly clear but somewhere before Nehemiah makes this request to go back to Jerusalem, there were earlier attempts to rebuild the walls. And the enemies of the people of Judah saw saw this, they didn't like it and so they sent a letter to Artaxerxes and said, put a stop to this. You're gonna harm your kingdom.
50:51 This is gonna cause a rebellion. And when you read later on in Ezra four, he actually listens. Now there are others who do not consider this to be proof of previous attempts to rebuild the wall, but claim that these adversaries are coming up with this. They're exaggerating the efforts of the people of Judah and they are slandering them and they are lying to the king. But whichever view you hold, one thing is absolutely clear, the last time Artaxerxes received any hint or news of the people rebuilding the wall, he opposed it.
51:26 He was not in favor of it. So you can imagine how daunting this would be for Nehemiah who understood this. How am I going to convince the king? His last recorded declaration and statement was, no way is Jerusalem ever going to have walls. This historical detail is not often taken into consideration when considering Nehemiah's prayer life, at least in the season of his prayer life.
51:55 And so it makes sense then. Look at Nehemiah one verse 11. What was his final request? Oh 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. Who is this man?
52:12 The king. I need mercy fresh. Mercy. And I love that he prays this. His prayer for mercy is more powerful when you connect it with Ezra four.
52:28 Why? Because Nehemiah understood that there is a persuasive force with prayer, not just toward those who are neutral towards the things of God. Right? Sometimes in our human thinking, we evaluate where a person stands with spiritual things or the gospel or the Bible or Christianity, and we think that person has a better chance of coming to Christ. I'm gonna spend more energy on them in my prayers, my evangelism.
52:51 And sometimes there's wisdom in that, right? We don't cast our pearls before swine. However, Nehemiah shows us that prayer even works for those who are expressly opposed Like Artaxerxes was toward the rebuilding of the wall. He still believed if I pray and if I seek and if I wait on God, he can change anything and anyone including the hearts of kings and rulers and magistrates. Don't give up praying for your loved ones.
53:20 Not just those who seem to not care, just do whatever you want, but those who attack you for your faith. Those who told you, why do you come to this place on Friday nights? Hang out with us. You lose your mind or something? Prayer is just as effective for them.
53:39 Nehemiah is gonna show us that in the very next chapter. Now, I'm aware that we have many other verses to look at, but there's one more thing that I want us to look at here before we go on. Notice how in verse four, Nehemiah says that he sat down and wept and mourned for days and I continued fasting and praying. Does anybody have an idea how Nehemiah how long Nehemiah prayed for? If you have an idea, you can answer.
54:06 Any clue? Four days? Ten days? Two weeks? This is where time stamps in narratives and in different parts of the Bible should never be ignored.
54:20 Look back at verse one of this book. The words of Nehemiah, the son of Hakaliah, now happened in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year as I was in Susa, the citadel. The month of Kislev in the twentieth year. K? This corresponds to November, December.
54:40 Go to Nehemiah chapter two verse one. In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now had not been sat in his presence. This is when Nehemiah is going to receive permission to go to Jerusalem. Now the month of Nisan falls approximately between the months of March and April.
55:03 So we can say based on this that Nehemiah was in this contrition, the state of prayer, seeking God, raising up his voice to the heavens for a solid four months. I'm not sure about you but that changes the way I understand this man's desperation. And when we come to Nehemiah chapter two, we will spend more time looking at the whys and the hows of this duration of prayer. But I wanna just make note of one thing and it's how this reveals something about one way we can know that God may be directing us toward a certain work. One way you and I could discern, a ministry, a service, a mission that God is leading us to is by the persistent, steady burden we feel for it.
56:01 Nehemiah's reaction to this news was not short lived, was it? The timeline confirms that he was not just emotional for a couple of days and then it all fizzled out. He couldn't shake it off. And sometimes an ongoing yearning to see a need met, to see a work done in God's kingdom is a signal of a path that we may need to pursue. Be cautious now because righteous desires no matter how intense they are are not always signs that God is leading us somewhere.
56:42 As important as those feelings may be and those convictions growing are, they need to be accompanied by wise counsel. They need to be treated with persistent serious prayer and they need to always always always be waited on. Patiently waiting on the Lord to confirm. What Nehemiah models for us though is that when a burden is birthed, don't ignore it. Tap into it.
57:13 Explore it. And with that, his testimony shows that if it's from God, he will confirm it. And the way it's confirmed for him is that the door will swing open. And what he felt and what he was wrestling with and what he brought before God ended up being authorized by God because providence approved it. If you and I want to see genuine fruit and longevity in ministry, it has to be birth and passion.
57:50 I'm not saying you have to feel giddy and excited for whatever ministry you are connected to on an ongoing, unbroken basis. However, if there is no passion, if there is no drive, if you don't dream about it to some extent, if you don't talk to God regularly about it, what are you doing? And if you're just going through the motions, guess what? The fruit of it is gonna show. But Nehemiah here is showing us a very important sequence.
58:20 There's something birth in his heart, something that will later be birth in prayer and it's going to manifest in the remainder of this book in terms of fruit and effectiveness. Let's actually get to the content of the prayer, shall we? We're not gonna look at all the insights but let's look at some. You know, as I read this over and over again, something stood out to me. Something began to glisten.
58:47 And it was how Nehemiah referred to himself and the other parties involved who belong to the Lord and serve the Lord. Let me show you what I mean. Look at verse six. He says, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant. Underline that.
59:07 You're saying why? Well, keep reading. That I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel, your servants. Okay. Look at verse eight.
59:18 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses. Out of all the things that you could have said about Moses, what did you choose to say? Your servant. And he does it twice. Look at verse 11.
59:27 We already saw but let's revisit it. Oh 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. So throughout throughout this prayer, Nehemiah identifies himself, he identifies those who are the people of Israel, he identifies those who are praying with him, he even identifies Moses as what? God's servants. And this is a humble reminder that no matter the nature of our ministry, whether we are leading people like Moses or we are behind the scenes and helping a guy like Nehemiah build some walls, all of us are no greater than this.
1:00:05 We are simply servants. Whatever your gift looks like. Whoever knows your name or doesn't know your name. In the sight of God, we are all merely servants. You know, this attitude that Nehemiah displays you reminds me of what Christ didn't suggest but commanded.
1:00:28 Actually, when I was thinking about it today, I thought in teachings about serving the Lord, sacrificing for the Lord, pursuing some kind of ministry for the Lord, this verse that I'm about to tell you to turn to is rarely brought up. Rarely brought up. Luke 17 verse 10. And I wonder if you've ever heard this being used to exhort us to properly view ourselves and ministry for Jesus Christ. This is Jesus Christ telling his own and us how we should view ourselves in light of serving him.
1:01:08 Luke 17 verse 10, I will wait for you because I want you to see with your own eyes. So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, we are unworthy servants. We have only done what was our duty. Isn't that something? Did Jesus recommend this?
1:01:34 He says, when you've done your ministry, say this. Now why would Jesus say this? I'll tell you why. Because there are many Christians who are tempted to think that we're doing God a favor by serving him. That's why.
1:01:47 Or that we're something special for serving him. Look at me, what I do. I serve God. Not just on Sundays, Fridays, and Wednesdays. Who cares?
1:02:01 Look what I do. This church wouldn't survive without me. Oh, they might be able to go on but it'll be a struggle, I think. You know what Jesus says to you and I? You're a servant and you're doing your duty.
1:02:22 God is not in our debt when we serve Him. That is the least that you and I can do after what He has done for us. It's the least that we can do. If we actually understand how our Christ served us. If I have 10,000 lives to live, I'll give you all of them to your service.
1:02:45 So the Lord is really bringing us back down to reality here because we have a tendency of having this sense of superiority maybe, self worth, self praise, and Nehemiah's prayer reminds us of a new covenant attitude. As we continue here, I want us to consider something else. We see again here in verse eight and verse nine that one of the greatest recorded prayers in the Bible is biblically informed. Look at verse eight and nine for a second here. He says, remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses saying, if you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples.
1:03:31 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. So what was Nehemiah doing here showing us the importance of being saturated with the Bible in order to be effective in our prayers and intercessions. Right? This is something that we've seen over and over and over again but there is an added layer of inspiration here with Nehemiah. Was he born in Jerusalem?
1:03:59 No. No. He's born in exile. Was there a temple in Babylonia to draw inspiration from? No.
1:04:07 Yeah. There was a community of Jews there, even God fearing Jews. But just imagine the atmosphere, imagine the temptations And yet, what I see in Nehemiah is what we saw in Ezra, that he was committed to knowing God's word, to loving God through the word. And it shows up in his prayer language. And not only does it say something about Nehemiah's absolute commitment to the truth, it shows him and it shows us the the secret to fuel in our prayer lives.
1:04:42 Rehearsing God's character, his abilities, his works, his ways, and his faithfulness. In fact, that's exactly what he brings up here in verse 10. Look at it with me. He says, they are your servants and your people whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. Notice this.
1:04:58 They are your servants and your people whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. There's something happening more than just Nehemiah reminding himself that the people of Israel are in covenant with God. Therefore, God will be faithful to his covenant people. This is Nehemiah also reflecting on what God has done with this people, giving him the hope that he can do it again with this people. You have redeemed this people from Egypt.
1:05:28 With all the impossible challenges, with a tyrant like pharaoh, with with with a Red Sea, you brought them out. Surely, Lord, you can bring them out of this ruin. So you see already that Nehemiah is energized and he has an anchor in this place of praying for weeks and months because he knows God has done it before. God can do it again. And the only way that you can even have a a chance of tasting that kind of faith is if you know what God has done.
1:06:02 Can I ask you something? What stories in the scriptures do you visit in order to strengthen your faith? Are you familiar enough with them to apply them to virtually any situation that comes to you? We should be able to get there. And as primary and foundational as that is, we should also be aware of what God has done in history.
1:06:23 What God has done in people's lives around us. What God has done in our parents' lives if they've served the Lord. Our pastor's lives, fellow brothers and sisters, we should accumulate testimonies in order to know how to pray like Nehemiah prays. You know, in the years that we've been praying for a building, I found myself doing something repeatedly. And my wife can testify to this too whenever she was in the car with me, that if I wasn't too distracted thinking while driving safely, not too distracted with my mind here, sometimes I would drive by different buildings, especially buildings, church buildings with nice parking lots.
1:07:06 And I would say out loud, God, if you did it for them, you can do it for us. Just just simple just simple words to the Lord and just tangible observations that, God, if you did it for that ministry, do you love us any less? Surely not. And he doesn't love us anymore. He's done it before.
1:07:31 He's helped different ministries I'm sure overcome obstacles and and permits and persecution and neighbors that might cause even more headache. All these things. And Nehemiah shows us that we need to know that if we're gonna be able to stay in the place of prayer long enough to see answers. And we've seen answers, haven't we? Now as we continue, I want I want us to just look at the final verse here and I can tell you this with a great confidence that we can we can spend an entire separate session on this one verse alone.
1:08:04 It is packed packed packed with incredible observations and I just want us to consider a couple of them here before we close. We learn here that Nehemiah's final words are mentioning not just his commitment to pray and his desperate need for God to answer his prayers, but that there are other people who are praying with him. Did you pick up on that? Look at it again. Oh Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, that's Nehemiah, and to the prayer of your servants.
1:08:39 Who else is praying with him? Evidently, he made this need known to them. He got a prayer group to join him, to partner with him. And the only thing that we know about them is what? That they delight to fear God's name.
1:08:54 What a fascinating phrase. Delight to fear God's name? That seems kind of absurd on the surface. If there's any delight in relation to fear, it's to have less of it not more of it. Unless, of course, these servants with Nehemiah comprehended the treasures that come with fearing God that made them fear God and want to grow in reverence and awe of him the way he deserves.
1:09:25 Delighting to it's a delight for me to stand in awe of God. I wouldn't wanna be anywhere else. What a thing to be said of anybody who delight, One translation says, who desire to fear your name. If your heart fears God tonight, rejoice in that. If it doesn't, if you can be honest with yourself and say, I know preachers talk about the majesty of God and the awe of God, but I believe in a theory but I don't feel it in my soul.
1:10:02 Ask God for it. He can do something in you, I'm sure. He can open your eyes certainly. And you don't need to be a preacher to have it. These are unnamed fellows which brings me to my next point.
1:10:18 There's something to learn here about leaders and non leaders. So allow me to speak about this for a moment. For those who are leaders now or aspiring leaders, I want you to notice that Nehemiah acknowledged these servants in prayer even though he would be platform by name, even though he would be the face of this massive revival and a movement of great restoration of historic proportions, he would be the main guy. And yet, I see something noble about Nehemiah. He understood the value of those who serve alongside him in the background.
1:10:57 This is a hint that he understood that he would not be able to do this on his own. He's he's actually even relying on his prayer partners. And he mentions them in his prayer before God and we should go beyond that and even express our appreciation from time to time to those who are serving behind the scenes. So leaders, take note of this. Even though God has called you to perhaps guide and and possess vision, understand that you were never called to do it alone.
1:11:27 You can't do it alone. Neither can I? But secondly, we learned that it's possible to effectively contribute to the cause of Christ and not be a leader and not even be known. Do you believe that the Holy Spirit could have mentioned these servants who prayed with Nehemiah by name? He could have.
1:11:46 If you doubt that, we've studied a lot of names, haven't we? God is not shy of including names, if he wants to include names. But when he doesn't mention a name, sometimes there's insight even in that. And what I find here is that these individuals who served God and served Nehemiah were not known, but they played a major part in what we're gonna see in the following chapters, because they prayed. Here's what that means.
1:12:17 Unfortunately for some, fortunately, I don't enjoy saying this, but for some, their incentive to serve the Lord Jesus Christ in the context of the local church or any kind of ministry is to have a sense of recognition. It's to be respected. Oh, and if they can get a title, like all I need is a title. If I can have a title along those other guys who have titles, oh, yeah. That's what I'm looking for.
1:12:46 Please listen. Don't enter ministry if you are very aware of your low self esteem. I'm not saying you can't be tempted with self esteem. I can't I'm not you're saying that you can't be discouraged, but if you are pursuing service to the Lord because you need identity in that service, danger for you and danger for the church that you're serving. I know it sounds innocent.
1:13:12 I know it's almost like it's kinda harmless. Actually, it's not. It can cause a lot of problems. Instead, you and I have to come to a place and ask this question, am I willing to sacrifice my time? Am I willing to serve and give my energy towards whatever God asked me to if I never receive praise for it?
1:13:34 If you and I fear his name like these servants did, we will. We will. Because when you stand in awe of God, the appreciation of man has little value. That's the problem. We get this thing all mixed up and we we we crave the pat on the back and we crave the accolades and we crave the attention and we crave people say, oh, he's doing something effective.
1:14:04 He's doing something great. He's doing something popular. As much as Nehemiah is so inspirational, I find equal inspiration from these servants that we'll only know in heaven. They feared God. They loved God.
1:14:27 Think about it. The reason why they were willing to pray with Nehemiah is because they delighted to fear the the Lord. No other ambition. No other agenda. And I'm sure they celebrated the fact that Nehemiah would be the leader of this whole movement.
1:14:51 Final thought for us tonight. What came to mind here in meditating on these verses is that prayer unlocks more rewards than we often remember. The ultimate prize of what Nehemiah does here in chapter one is that the king will indeed give him the mercy that he asked God for. And that he will have the favor and more than just the favor to go. Because Cause you have to understand how difficult this is.
1:15:15 This is not just a normal job where you put in your two weeks notice thinking, I have another thing. Thank you for all the benefits and the opportunities. No. He was one of the most trusted individuals in the kingdom. It would not be so easy for him to leave his post.
1:15:32 And so, yes, we're anticipating that God is going to answer this prayer, but I want you to see that God gives him much more than that. And one of those examples is how Nehemiah speaks about the king in this verse. Look again at verse 11. Oh 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. I mean, he mentioned servant three times in this one verse.
1:15:57 And grant him mercy in the sight of this man. Now, don't make the mistake of taking Nehemiah's reference to the king as this man as an expression of disrespect or disdain. That's not what's happening here. Because the very first recorded words of Nehemiah in chapter two when the king calls upon him is, may the king live forever. That is respect.
1:16:24 He didn't look down upon his employer. He didn't look down upon this king. Instead, lean into this. As Nehemiah continued to spend time in God's presence, as he continued to deal with the truths that he studied in God's word and put them into practice in terms of praying about it and allowing his heart to believe it, his perspective began to change. Especially when you compare what he says here in the last verse of his prayer with the first words of his prayer.
1:17:00 Look back at verse five. Nehemiah one five. And I said, oh Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God. What a way to address the Lord. He begins by exalting his absolute sovereignty, his glory, his infinite beauty and power.
1:17:22 And then as he comes here to the end of his prayer and refers to the most feared and powerful man in the Persian empire, when compared to the truth of who God is, he is just a man. Do you see this? He's just a man. As he glued his eyes, and more importantly the eyes of his heart, and as he exercised the words of faith, and as he meditated on who he was speaking to, whatever pump, whatever pride, whatever power Artaxerxes possessed, it began to fade. So here's what you and I have to understand.
1:17:59 Nehemiah was praying for the Lord to do a work in the city of Jerusalem and all the while the Lord was doing a work in Nehemiah. Can God change the problem that you're praying about? Absolutely. Believe it with all your heart but also believe this, he's gonna change you in the process. And in this case, what you have here is Nehemiah's understanding of who God is and even the greatest obstacle that he had was not so much of an obstacle in light of who God showed himself to be to this man.
1:18:38 So Nehemiah received an added reward and that was a revelation of the majesty and might of his God. Prayer carries power not just for predicaments, but for our own personalities and our own perspectives. You will never lose if you pray. You will lose a lot more than you think if you don't. Do you believe that there is much more that we can get from these verses?
1:19:12 I think so. For for the sake of our time tonight, let's pause and
1:19:38 Lord, we delight to fear your name. You're worthy to be feared. And if any of our hearts have lost that sense of awe, use the truths, Lord, from these verses that have been pressed against our hearts to mold us and to sharpen our understanding of who you are, who we are studying about, who we are speaking to even now. Lord, much has been said and there was more that could be said. But we say thank you for the portion that has been presented to us this evening.
1:20:28 And we pray that when we learn something of you and what you ask of us, that it would move us genuinely. That it would do more than just tickle our brains, but that it would stir our hearts. Lord, thank you that you do not change. And what you long for and expect and desire out of many men and women that we find in the scriptures is no different for us. So Lord, if you're looking for people who have concern for your church in a very real and personal way, if we don't have that, birthed it in us.
1:21:25 Lord, if if we are overcome by the size of our obstacles, help us understand that you've given us this weapon, this grace, this gift called prayer that can do so much more than we think. But we we bless your name. We honor your name. We revere you, Lord. And we believe that you've brought us to the book of Nehemiah for such a time as this.
1:21:50 You will equip us efficiently for this next season as a church and we will glean from it and Lord by your help, we will apply all that we hear that we may see the fruit of it in our days. We honor you now in song. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen.
1:22:11 Well, I think the praise team will come now and tell us what song we will sing together. If you feel like you need to stay seated and just continue to pray and talk to the Lord before you make your way out of here, you can do that. Glorify God and sing it, you can do that as well. So whatever you are inclined to do, as long as you are focused on the Lord, let's take these next few moments and worship him.
1:22:39 We'll be singing two songs. The first one will be Change My Heart, O God. And the second will be His Glory and My Good by City Of Light. Change My Heart, O God, and his glory and my good. Change my heart, oh God.
1:32:03 I know we finished bible study, but I want to ask one more question. Does anybody remember what the 12 spies, more specifically the 10 of the 12, compare themselves to when they return from spying out the promised land? Does everybody have an idea? Very good. You know your old testament well.
1:32:24 For we seem to be like grasshoppers in comparison to them. What a what a perspective. What a description for themselves. We're like little bugs. They're giants.
1:32:37 They'll crush us with one blow. Have you ever considered what God considers the inhabitants of the earth to be like? Let me read it to you from Isaiah chapter 40 verse 22. It is he who sits above the circle of the earth and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers. Have you ever seen that verse?
1:32:59 So here here are these spies looking at these giants in the land of Canaan. They're like, oh, we're like grasshoppers and here's God in heaven looking at these giants saying they're grasshoppers. See prayer elevates us. But faith which is excited through prayer, at least one means, brings us up to heaven's perspective and we begin to see things the way God sees them. And so in Nehemiah's case, I mean, who is more powerful than Artaxerxes?
1:33:25 No one. But as he spent time with God, he realized he is just a man. He is just a man. I'm I'm already excited to get to Nehemiah chapter two, but we can't stay here too long. Let's pray and thank you for this time.
1:33:40 Oh, Lord, we thank you. Thank you for your word. Thank you that when it is explained in your power and your clarity, it burns something in our hearts. We pray that we would never lose that testimony that those two on the road to Emmaus expressed, did not our hearts burn within us when he explained to us the scriptures. Be our teacher always, Lord.
1:34:03 Be our guide always, Lord. Oh, change us through your word, Lord. Only you can do it. We love you. Bring us again to this place for this cause should you tarry.
1:34:14 In Jesus' name we pray. Amen and amen. May the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all this weekend. We will be here again on Sunday to yet again look at the word this time in the book of Revelation, and I trust you'll be blessed. Take care now.
