Sermon notes from Sunday 2 September 2018
Nehemiah 1 verses 1 - 11
Think of the situation Nehemiah found himself in. What sort of character he was and the effect it had on his life. Proverbs "where there is no vision the people perish." Wouldn`t it be sad for us to have no vision, no vision of perishing souls, souls going out into a lost and Christless hell for all eternity? Nehemiah got a great vision of the need all around him. Here was a man who saw things, his eyes were opened by the Spirit of God. He had voluntary service, saw what needed to be done and asked the Lord to send him into the situation. Consecrated and committed to the work of God. We see he spoke out. We need to be a people who can speak out about things happening all around us. Nehemiah had a great victory. He achieved what he set out to do. Do we really have a vision for those not saved or do we need to come afresh and say "Lord give us that vision." We often sing the hymn "take my life and let it be consecrated to thee." We never really think of the words. If you were to go through that hymn would we be prepared to do all that it tells us? Are we prepared today to give notice?
The interest that Nehemiah had for the work. Notice where he is - chapter 1 verse 1 "in Shushan the palace". Verse 11 "I was the kings cupbearer." Living in a palace in all the luxury and splendour, really high ranking servant of the king. He was the man who would say who would go in and see the king or not, he oversaw all that the king was to eat and drink. Nehemiah had one passion - the work of the people of God. Israel was a defeated people. That nation God had promised so much to, he had brought them out of Egypt, brought them through the waters, gave them the land of Canaan. As long as you serve me and look to me you will get the good of it, if you turn away then judgment will fall. God patiently walked with that people but they had turned their backs on the God of heaven. They began to worship gods of the people of that land. They had said "we don`t want you any more God we want a king." They wanted to be like every other nation. Jeremiah 7 verse 13 "And now because you have done all these works and I spake unto you rising up early and speaking but you heard not and I called you, but ye answered not." They were so taken up with sinful ways that they shut God out all together. God had said to Jeremiah I don`t want to hear your promises for this people, intercession was no longer good, they had crossed the line, a line of no return, they had sinned and followed other gods. Sin now must pay, the floodgates were opened. God allowed Nebuchadnezzar and his armies to go down into Jerusalem, carrying away captive the people of Israel. Jeremiah 15 "The Lord said unto me though Moses and Samuel stood before yet my mind could not be toward this people, cast them out of my sight and let them go forth." Even with the mighty prayers of Samuel and Moses praying for their people God would close his ears. Even today in our situation, our lives turning away from God as his people, his nation, God would not hear the prayers of his people for the province in which we live in. Now in Nehemiah the Persian king was raised up to bring them back into the land of Israel once more out of captivity in Babylon into Jerusalem again. Now they had been back for 70 years. Nehemiah was living up in Babylon, in Shushan the palace, he had a good existence and was very secure. One thing was on his mind - the work down in Jerusalem. No doubt they would be in a good way of going again but what a sad message he received. This man had a great interest. Although he had a good job, living in luxury, was well off, his heart was for the people of God. We can get so caught up in our work, the friends we have and all the pleasures they bring, so much so that we forget about God. Sometimes our thinking of God can be low on our agenda. We turn away, one little thing slips in and then another. Do we have that interest? Jesus talked about a man who fell among thieves. There he was lying in the road, battered and bruised. No-one had any mercy for him. A Levite passed by, could see the body lying there on the road. A priest passed by too. He was a religious man with no compassion for this man lying in the road. It was a foreigner who came on him and took care of him. Have we that interest today as we see men and women walk past? That is the interest Paul had as he stood in Athens. He could see they were given over to idolatry. He could see these people had nothing spiritually speaking. His heart was stirred. He had a natural interest in their souls. Demas hadn`t that interest. He preached for a while, followed Paul for a while, then he forsook him and the preaching of the word of God. Abandoned the interest he had in the souls of men and women. It is good to have an interest in the souls of men and women.
The inquiry he makes. What happens - his friends came up from Jerusalem, he meets them where they are in verse 2. Here`s a man in Shushan, the kingdom of Babylon, on his heart was the work of God and the people of God in Jerusalem. Now he had the opportunity to ask his friends about the people and the work of God. He could easily have said the right people are down there to help the people of Israel but no he had a interest in the people of God and the work of God. Have we that interest in the work of God? The inquiry Paul had. He was lying in chains. Philippians 1 he is speaking to those coming in to comfort him. Verse 14 "and many of the brethren in the Lord waxing confident by my bonds are much more bold to speak the word without fear." Just because he was cut off from the work of God he was interested to know if the work was stopped. Paul enquired about the work regularly. Remember when he left Thessalonica and had to leave there quickly he knew the work was not finished. 1 Thessalonians 3 verse 5 "for this cause when I could no longer forbear I sent to know your faith lest by some means the tempter have tempted you and our labour be in vain." "Forbear" is an emotional word. He had to inquire about the souls. That challenged me - do we enquire about souls?
There is the impact this news on him. He received a poor message in verse 3. He thought to himself, the people have been done there for the past 70 years, surely they will have the work progressing. The walls were broken down and the gates were burnt. The gates were there for safety and protection. We have to be careful with the walls around our lives that they do not break down. The wall of our bible study, times of prayer, quiet times that they are not broken down. We need to watch what we listen to. We become discouraged. The impact it would have. It brought Nehemiah to his knees, he came unto the Lord of heaven for days and nights. Nehemiah found out that the people wouldn`t put their backs to the work. They were giving leeway to the enemy. The impact of the word - Nehemiah 1 verse 4 "I sat down and wept and mourned certain days and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven." Nehemiah prayed, we need to pray for our home, nation, church and fellowship again.
There is the involvement that it brings. This is only the start for Nehemiah. On his knees weeping and praying. Then God tells him to go to Jerusalem and take care of the work. He is involved now but only after he has prayed to the God of heaven. We can only find out the purpose of God when we pray and seek God`s help. Souls are dying as we speak, perishing into a lost sinners hell. May God give us what Nehemiah had - an interest, an inquiry, an impact that it takes us to our knees but involvement - there is something I can do.
No comments:
Post a Comment