Sermon Brief
Date Written: January 10, 2013
Date Preached: January 13, 2013
Where Preached: OPBC (AM)
Sermon Details:
Series Title: Building with God
Sermon Title: Praying Toward A Plan
Sermon Text: Nehemiah 2:1-8 [ESV]
Introduction:
Last week I asked the question, “Have you ever had a project SO large that you did not know how to approach it? OR have you ever had a problem so big that you did not know how you were going to get thru it?”
We looked at Nehemiah and how he saw a problem that seemed FAR too big to tackle… and we saw how he was distressed and disheartened about it, but prayed and God led him…
God led Nehemiah to assess the situation, led him to a prayer of confession of his sin and then revealed to Him the most wonderful truth… God does not abandon His people!
We saw that the situation Nehemiah faced is similar to what Oak Park is now facing. We have a huge problem… I described our problem as this HUGE elephant in the room!
That elephant in the room is all of these empty seats we see around us every week! Every week those empty seats cry out to us… screaming to be filled! We long for those seats to be filled, but that seems so impossible!
It seems like a mountain that is impossible to climb… It is NOT like we haven’t tried because we HAVE! Time and time again we have tried under our own power, but like I said last week… WE cannot build this church… God is going to have to grow our church!
Nehemiah saw this task and it looked impossible! Jerusalem lay in ruins and the Jews who had returned were shamed and afraid of the people around them…it broke his heart.
His desire was to remove the shame and bring safety to his countrymen… BUT mainly to restore Jerusalem to glorify God!
We face a similar situation today in our church. These empty seats have become a source of distress and shame to us… why can’t we grow… what is wrong with us?
My desire is that we FILL these seats, but as I said last week our desire to fill these seats should be exactly the same as Nehemiah’s…
Our desire must be to must seek to be a church body that glorifies God in all of our actions! I truly believe if we stop worrying about ‘growing’ the church and focus on serving our God that the growing and expanding of our borders will happen! This is HIS promise to us!
Today we are going to look at the first 8 verses of chapter 2 here in Nehemiah. He assessed the situation and prayed about his situation…in his prayer, he confessed his sin and prayed FOR his country!
Then we find him crying out for God’s grace and for God to NOT abandon His own… What we find in the final few verses of ch 1 is that he came to the conclusion that God WAS NOT going to abandon His people… We get a sense that Nehemiah believed God was going to move and do something, but he did not know what that would be…
I believe that today, in our church, for us to excel at being the church God desires us to become then we have to have that same type of attitude and outlook as Nehemiah had. We must to be the servants God desires of us and we must remember that God will NOT abandon His children.
Today as we read Nehemiah 2:1-8 I believe we can see where Nehemiah took the next step in conquering this problem. He found a way to ‘eat’ this elephant in the room… to conquer this challenge that lay before him…
FIRST we can see that Nehemiah had assessed the situation and had prayed to God for forgiveness and sought God’s mercy and grace in his efforts!
However, today we are going to look how Nehemiah acted AFTER going to God in prayer… AFTER bathing this situation in prayer… What we can see from Scripture was that Nehemiah knew where to start and that was at the feet of God… He prayed and then he made a plan! BEGIN READING HERE…
Nehemiah Pain Revealed – v1-3:
1In 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 I had not been sad in his presence. 2And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid.
Now, if you remember I told you that in chapter 1 the month of Chislev was mentioned and we learned that was the time frame of Nov/Dec.
This chapter begins in the month of Nisan, which is around our Mar/Apr time frame. So for at least 3 months Nehemiah has been in prayer and fasting about this situation that has his heart sick.
Nehemiah was in an important position in the Gov’t, a position that gave him daily access to the king. The king knew Nehemiah and his disposition and on this one particular day Nehemiah showed up for work with a sour look on his face…
This is because Nehemiah was troubled and afraid for his countrymen and the city of his fathers, but the issue here was that the King noticed his sad countenance and asked Nehemiah what was wrong with him…
Now, I don’t know for sure but I can bet you that for 3 month Nehemiah had been able to put on a smiling face at work and do his job, BUT on this day, he just could NOT hide the despair in his heart!
We have to understand something here about monarchies and royalty. In America we simply cannot relate to this thought, but the King was to be pleased at all times at ANY cost…
The King had ABSOLUTE rule and control. He could have someone put into prison or put to death simply because he did not like the way they looked at him and Nehemiah KNEW this! He understood that one just did NOT bring a negative attitude or saddened face into the king’s court!
SO, By Nehemiah being sad in the presence of the king he was jeopardizing his job… or even his life! This was troubling to him because he was a Jew in a foreign land and if he lost his job, he may not be able to support his family and he could even be thrown into prison. So Nehemiah was SO afraid!
The question we must ask is “What was Nehemiah doing for those three months after he heard the terrible news?” Well we know that at work he was ‘hiding behind a façade of happiness’ He was broken on the inside, but trying to keep up a happy persona on the outside!
How much are we like Nehemiah when it comes to things like this? I believe society has ‘taught’ us to hide our pain… after all who wants to hear about my pain? Who wants to be brought down? When we ask someone “How you doing?” do we REALLY want to know?
Well Nehemiah had hidden his pain for a long time but on this day it came forward and betrayed him. Now, the king knew about Nehemiah’s pain and troubled heart.
Let me share this with you people. OUR King… King Jesus wants to know ALL about us! He IS sovereign and He IS in control and YES He does have the ability to squash us at a glance, but He has proven thru His work on the Cross of Calvary that He loves us and cares for us! He wants to hear the pain in your heart! He wants you to bring your burdens to Him!
Are you coming to church and coming to worship with pain in your heart but hiding it with a façade of happiness? How can you truly worship Christ with all that pent up pain and anguish in your heart? Christ is asking you this morning, “What’s wrong, why is your heart sad?” What is your response to Him going to be?
I believe our response should be as Nehemiah’s response was in the next verse, let’s read it…
3I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
Nehemiah’s response to the king is a great example of how we can respond to God… First he acknowledges the KING… You are the king, may you reign forever!
This response gives honor and respect to the king. In other, words, Nehemiah understood that the king did NOT have to speak to him… the king did not have to care… that the king could have ignored him OR worse disposed of him!
Nehemiah honors the king, but he also knows the king, he has been in his presence EVERYDAY and he knows that the king would not ask him what was wrong, if he did not care!
So after he honors the king, Nehemiah lays out his dilemma to the King. He tells him of his homeland and the difficulties that they are having and the dangers they are facing.
People this is a great picture of how we should come to God with ANY issue or problem in our lives! FIRST we come to God honoring Him and giving Him glory… but we also must understand that God cares for us and He has proven this thru His Son Jesus!
God wants to know what is on our heart… on our mind… Now I am going to say something here about this… God already KNOWS what is on our heart and mind, but He wants us to bring it to Him… not so he can know, but so we can know He loves us and cares for us… PRAYER IS FOR US!
When it comes to OUR situation here at Oak Park, I see many of us with a heavy heart, but putting forward a happy face for the outside world! I am NOT saying we need to be sad faced and downcast, but what I am saying is that we need to go to the King with our troubles!
OUR King will listen! Our King will respond! Our King wants us to come to Him! Our King will answer! Our troubles are great, but our King is ready to listen!
After Nehemiah’s pain is revealed the king then basically asks him what can He do to help, let’s look at v4
Nehemiah’s Purpose Revealed – v4-5:
4Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.
Here Nehemiah reveals what HE believed to be his purpose in life at this moment, but as we look at this verse I want us to see that there are 2 parts to this verse critical to our understanding of the situation.
FIRST, is the King’s request of Nehemiah! What we do see is that the King was genuine in his desire to help Nehemiah. He knew Nehemiah needed help, but he needed specifics, he needed Nehemiah to share more about the issues and problems and let him know what he could do for Nehemiah and his people. So he says, “Tell me what you want…”
2nd - I believe this is the KEY part of this verse! I believe knowing how Nehemiah reacts to the Kings request reveals the heart and character of Nehemiah!
Nehemiah could have just told the king what HIS plan was and what HE thought should be done, but Nehemiah does NOT do this… The first thing Nehemiah does when the king offers his help is go to God in prayer!
Now we should see this as something we ALL should do in everything we do in our lives! When we are in need our first response must be to GO TO GOD! This is because when we try to do things on our own… what usually happens?
When we rely on our own wisdom and guidance, we find ourselves getting hurt and failing all the time! However, when we lean on God’s wisdom we find ourselves prospering greatly!
God wants to know our request… God wants to know what we WANT for Oak Park? So with that in mind, it should be that we go to HIM in prayer and NOT begin to tell God what WE think will work or what WE think should be done!
We should be going to God for HIS guidance and direction on what we must do for Him to glorify Him and what we can do as His instruments so He can grow this church!
The key is going to God FIRST for our decisions! Here we see that Nehemiah did NOT lean on his own understanding! He was faithful to the proverb in Prov 3:5-6 (NLT) “…Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do NOT depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take…”
He was seeking God’s wisdom and path for this plan… He prayed BEFORE he answered the King. After he prayed, THEN he answered the king!
5And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' graves, that I may rebuild it.”
Once Nehemiah had prayed to God, the implication here is that God confirmed His plan to Nehemiah and Nehemiah understood that this was God’s plan! He prayed and then spoke with the King about his plan… do you think he came up with this plan on his own?
Friends when we go to God… we go to Him to discover His wisdom and understanding! We want Him to reveal to us the right path and plan for our lives.
When we are obedient in this manner, our decisions fall into line with God’s will and we are blessed and content, no matter what the world may throw our way!
Nehemiah understood because of his intimate relationship with the king that he could ask him this favor… but greater still was the fact that Nehemiah was intimate with God and knew he could go to God and then trust God with the plan God gave him!
Nehemiah KNEW his purpose… God revealed it to him and then gave him the plan on how to accomplish it! So when the King asked, Nehemiah then revealed HOW he was going to fulfill his purpose!
Nehemiah’s Plan Revealed – v6-8:
6And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. 7And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, 8and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.
Nehemiah’s plan was not an elaborate plan… in fact, Nehemiah did not know exactly what he was going to do other than go to Jerusalem and help to rebuild it!
But here is what we need to understand about this plan… God did not give Nehemiah ALL the details of the plan up front! God gave Nehemiah what he needed to get started, and we will see that as Nehemiah progressed through this journey, God continued to open his eyes to what was needed and what direction to take!
People, our purpose has been revealed to us… it is revealed to us by the ‘elephant’ in the room every Sunday morning! Our purpose is to rid our sanctuary of these empty seats… The plan on how we will do this is not something God will give us in its entirety, but he has given us clarity on how to start!
We start, by reaching out to our family, friends, neighbors and co-workers… to those we know! We invite people to our church, but more importantly we share Christ with them!
Do I know what God has in store around the corner? NO, but what I do know is that God wants us to reach this community for Him!
When we look at Nehemiah’s plan we see he had a direction, but what we may overlook is that Nehemiah knew that he could NOT complete this plan without clearance from the king!
He asks for letters to clear the way for him in this project… to clear the way and to equip him with what he needed!
People that is what the Holy Spirit is in our lives… it is God in us leading us and clearing the way for us to do what God has called us to do… The HS is clearing the way AND equipping us to do the task!
We may have a plan for this week or this month or even for this year, but we cannot know what the future holds! Nehemiah’s plan saw an end result and all he did worked toward that end and he relied upon the king to help him reach that goal!
People we have a end goal in sight… FILLED PEWS! Our desire and plan is to rid this fellowship of all these empty pews around us, by FILLING them with people from the community!
Last week I issued a challenge to you as a church… I believe God is calling us to lead 24 people to be baptized this year. 24 new souls, 24 new believers coming into the kingdom and 24 new Oak Park church members! 24 empty seats filled with people to serve our Savior and help us to work toward filling the rest of the seats!
This challenge of 24 baptisms is NOT our sole purpose but merely a step in the right direction. I can tell you that all we know now is that we must invite others and share Jesus… but that does not mean that we won’t do other things to see people come to Christ!
We must rely on our KING for His guidance in this effort! Knowing that God has cleared the way for us to harvest as many souls as we can! We must be submissive to God’s leading and understand that God knows our purpose as believers, and it is His desire that we submit to Him in order to fulfill that purpose!
Conclusion:
We face a huge mountain ahead of us! It is a mountain that seems too large, too high, too massive for us to climb! However, we are not in this on our own! We have a Savior that cares for us and wants to see us fruitful in His kingdom!
This mountain can be climbed and these empty seats can be filled, but it is going to take a unified effort on our part! We must surrender to God and His will for this battle to be won! We must surrender thru deep and abiding prayer to the Father!
My dear friends what I have discovered about the mountains of life is that believers have a tendency to complain about our problems instead of praying. We only look at and see what WE cannot do!
I will admit that there are some problems that can be solved by careful thought or by rearranging our priorities because God created us with a mind to think and reason.
I also believe there some other issues that can be solved by discussion and good counsel AGAIN b/c God has created us with a rational thought process...
But WE cannot SOLVE all of our problems! there are some problems that go far beyond our ability of rational thought, thinking and reason... Those problems can be solved only by taking them to our Lord in prayer! Those problems can only be overcome thru the guidance and wisdom of God.
Those types of problems go beyond our physical abilities to reason, think or act! These problems boggle our mind sand overwhelm us because they go beyond the physical realm! These problems are the direct result of spiritual enemies!
We have this massive problem here in our fellowship… it is
all these empty seats, but this is NOT a physical problem! It cannot be solved by simply filling these pews.
This is a spiritual battle and it is only on the spiritual battleground where it can be solved! You see, the enemy has the upper hand as he has gained a foothold in our fellowship! He will NOT let us take it back with just programs and human effort!
No my brothers and sisters, in this fight there is only one path to victory! There is only one way that the enemy will surrender what he has taken... That way is for all of us to submit to God as our champion and the only weapon we have for this battle is PRAYER!
As a body of believers, we must make a determined effort to pray about this issue! We can no longer be casual about our prayer time or what we are praying for...
The Apostle Paul instructed that we should pray without ceasing… that we should live with a constant attitude of prayer in our hearts.
But I want to warn you, our prayer for our church CANNOT be to restore our church to what it used to be! Our prayer must be fully submitted to Gods will and what His will is for our church!
I believe God desires this fellowship to flourish but it will only flourish if we are surrendered to Him! Our growth is going to be tied directly to our submission to His will! I know that Gods will is sometimes hard to see and understand and I know that will discourage some of us!
Some of us will get frustrated when we do not see results OR when the results are not what we desire, BUT when that happens and when we feel like complaining -- that is the time we must go to our Lord in prayer again!
I'm telling you this for very practical reasons! The fact of the matter is that complaining only raises the level of stress in our hearts and minds and does nothing to move forward! BUT prayer quiets our spirit, calms our thoughts and tames our emotions! Prayer allows us to be quiet and see and hear Gods voice in the midst of any sort of confusion...
Again Paul spoke about this, in Phil 4:6 [ESV] tells us:
6do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
People this prayer like I am speaking about here…the same type of prayer that Nehemiah prayed… It is not a one and done thing, prayer to win a battle such as this will require much time on our knees!
It will also take us fasting and giving our ENTIRE person to God! God is faithful and when we live a life of prayer and focus on Him then we are prepared to listen to Him and do what He is calling us to do!
Today you have seen how that thru months of prayer and seeking Gods face on this matter that Nehemiah came to realize his purpose and God’s plan in this very difficult situation.
Today you may be hearing from God on how he wants to use YOU… He may be revealing YOUR purpose in His plan to rid our fellowship of all these empty seats! The question is are you willing?
Nehemiah was willing… Nehemiah was submissive… Nehemiah was obedient! God is calling us to be HIS instruments in dealing with our fellowship and all of these ‘empty seats’ Are we ready to do this? Are we ready to build this fellowship with God in this community?
Today you have heard about Nehemiah and his close relationship with the King…well today you may be here and NOT have a relationship with the King of Kings… Jesus!
I want you to know that it is HIS desire to have a relationship with you! I want you to know He wants YOU to come to know Him today!
Give evangelistic invitation here…
