Sermon notes from Sunday 1 July 2018 at LIMC
Nehemiah 4 verses 1 - 14
What a man Nehemiah was yet he was only a man! He was just flesh and blood physically, made up as you and I. He had many failures and things went wrong in his life. Verse 14 "be not ye afraid of them (the enemy), remember the Lord (get him into the right place in your lives), which is great and terrible and fight for your brethren, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your houses." 500 years before the birth of Christ in Jerusalem - what was it like for all and sundry? The great city had to have great walls and gates yes? The city had neither. The enemy had come in and taken the people captive to Babylon, they all had turned their backs on God. God had told them "when you forget about me I have to turn my back on you, then the enemy will come in." God will always protect his children but when they allow sin into their lives then they will be carried captive and that is what is happening here. The enemy came in, knocked down every stone in Jerusalem. What was Nehemiah looking at when he came to Jerusalem? Just a heap of stones, rubble. The people were a proud people but they had lost their zeal. When Nehemiah was approached about this by the enemy he said "I am doing a great work" (chapter 6 verse 3). This book in the Bible is the history of a man who was prepared to give all for God. We might be saved by the grace of God but have we laid our all on the altar for the Lord? You don`t need to have a great ability or intellect but what you have must be placed at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ. We see here a great work that Nehemiah was involved in and it all began in his heart. Are you prepared to give what Nehemiah gave - your all to the Lord?
The insight that Nehemiah seeks. In chapter 1 we find Nehemiah out in the garden walking. He was 1000 miles away from Jerusalem in the palace of Shushan but his heart was in Jerusalem. So many people had returned from captivity to Jerusalem and they should have already started the work but nothing was going on at all. When Nehemiah asked his friends about the work of God he was disappointed. Are we interested in the work of God today or is there something far more important that we should, could or have to be doing? In chapter 1 verse 11 we read that Nehemiah was the kings cupbearer. It was an important job. Nehemiah has done well for himself. He had come up through the ranks. He had been faithful to God and God had honoured him, put him in a great position. He was like the prime minster of the day. No-one came in to see the king unless Nehemiah said so. He had one very special quality - God was always first in his life. It didn`t matter where he was or who he was with, that was most important to him. He goes out to the garden and sees his friends coming. The insight he had - he wanted to know what was happening in Jerusalem, what God was doing there, what the people were doing. Is God first in your life? Yes you are saved by God`s grace but is he first in your life? There can be other things far more important for us. Nehemiah was not long in getting down to business. Have you been concerned about the work of God? Joseph was taken down into Egypt and ended up in Potiphar`s house. The temptation came up but Joseph said "I cannot do this thing and sin against God." (Genesis 39 verse 9) God was first in his life. He knew there was something more important in his life. For the Hebrew children in Daniel, the king built an image and commanded everyone to bow down to it when the music was heard. The 3 Hebrew children said "we will not do it." (Daniel 3 verse 18) They would be loyal to their God. Daniel was tricked and trapped but he would not give up. The people told him not to pray but what did Daniel do? He went up to his house, flung open the windows, got down and prayed. He was arrested, accused and thrown into the lions den. Did he betray God? No. "Him that honoureth me I will honour." An angel was sent down and shut the lions mouths. When the king got up the next morning he ran to the den to see what had happened. There was Daniel, ready to take his stand before the king. (Daniel 6 verse 22) Peter was arrested by the Sanhedrin and told not to preach in the name of God anymore. (Acts 4 verse 21) Have we allowed the Lord to slip a little? Are there other things that have crept into our lives in place of the Lord? When was the last time you spoke to someone about the Lord? Sat down with someone and chatted to them about the things of God?
The interest Nehemiah had. Nehemiah 2 verse 10. Sanballat and Tobiah were not pleased when they heard that Nehemiah had gathered all the people together. Nehemiah had now left Shushan the palace and gone down to Jerusalem and that annoyed the enemy. Elijah walked past a woman every day and she was able to say of him "here is a holy man of God." Nehemiah had an interest in the people of God. When the people of Israel came into the land of Canaan we read "there arose up a generation that knew not the Lord." (Judges 2 verse 10) Nehemiah was interested in the people`s spiritual condition. He was interested in the sin of the people and realised what sin would do. "The wages of sin is death." "Fools mock at sin" the bible tells us. We can see that all around us today. People laugh at this book, say it is so out of date. Sin separates us from God. The Lord Jesus came to make a way back to God. There are champions of social welfare and they are important but where are the champions in the Houses of Parliament, in society, in the church of Jesus Christ that are speaking out for the spiritual welfare of children today? Nehemiah could see how the people had turned away from God. The answer was in repentance and turning again to God. The answer is in Jesus and what he did 2000 years ago, when he died on the cross of Calvary. He died for our sins that one day we might go at last to heaven saved by the precious blood of Christ. A young man came to Jesus one day and asked him "what good thing can I do that I might inherit eternal life." He was taught in a good home how to climb the social ladder but not taught how to be saved.
The inspiration that moved Nehemiah. He had an interest in the people and an interest to go but that was no enough. Nehemiah spent time in prayer, confessing his sin, praising God and then God broke into his life and instructed him to go to Jerusalem. God broke into his life and instructed him to go. There is a place for long and lengthy prayers but there is also a need for quick prayers - Nehemiah 2 verse 4. Nehemiah was before the king when he was asked why he was so sad. For Nehemiah his answer could have meant death, the moment he realised that question was asked he quaked in his boots. Then he prayed quickly to God. It is the sort of prayer you pray when someone challenges you about the Lord. You need a quick answer. Nehemiah was inspired to go down to Jerusalem. The bible tells us on a couple of occasions that God put it into his heart - chapter 2 verse 12 and verse 18. We might say we could never do anything for the Lord but I am sure Nehemiah thought the same. I am sure he never thought he could build a wall but he did. We should not make that an excuse.
Nehemiah inspects the work. He had 3 days - chapter 2 verse 11. He had to look and see what needed to be done. God expects us to do as Nehemiah did. Chapter 4 verse 14. The devil has a plan for your family - not to lift them up or exhalt them. Nehemiah tells us to fight for our families, to not let the devil snatch them away. It is time to pray for our families, to pray for the next generation growing up.
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