“How is Your Vision?” Nehemiah 1:1-11
How is your vision? I wear glasses, not because they make me look awesome but so I can see what’s on my plate. If you take my glasses and set a plate of mashed potatoes, green beans and liver in from of me; I might think it was a plate of collards, grits and ribeye steak. [If I couldn’t smell…] However I see far off pretty good.
We are preparing to celebrate 100 years of sharing Jesus from this old building. The building has seen 187 years of witnessing the grace and salvation of God. But if we focus, only, on the past our vision will be blurred for the future. My dream is that 100 years from now, there will be a group who look back at EBC and see that because we were forward focusing people that the gospel has continued to be spread from these grounds.
Looking at our text we see that over 150 years earlier, Nebuchadnezzar and the armies of Babylon invaded Israel and carried many of her people away as slaves. You might say that they had lost their vision and those were dark days for the nation of Israel. The Jews urgently needed someone who had the vision to return Jerusalem and the nation of Israel to her former glory.
God had such a man in mind. His name was Nehemiah and God was about to use Nehemiah to begin the process of rebuilding the city of Jerusalem and to bring about the restoration of the nation of Israel.
Our nation is thousands of years removed from the days of Nehemiah. Many may say that was then and this is the 21st century but we live in a day when our nation desperately needs people of vision.
We live in a day when morality means little and decency means even less.
For me, following our study of Acts, it has become crystal clear that the church of our day can’t hold a candle to its former self.
In researching for our 100 year celebration I read a number of entries to church history where the church refused to allow sin to run free. When someone was foolish enough to live in open sin the church came together dealt with the matter swiftly and Biblically.
Today the walls that once separated the righteousness of the church from the world have been broken down. The gates that once identified the church as the glorious house of God have been burned to the ground, by the flames of sin. Today the church that once stood proud and strong has been tarnished by the disease of compromise!
We need people of vision and you/I can become the people God uses for His glory, in these days, to make a difference for His name’s sake!
I want to show you two simple facts presented here that teach us how to improve our vision.
1. People with vision will face difficulties. Verses 1-4
Nehemiah served as the king’s cupbearer. Some make this sound like a glorious job and Nehemiah may have had a great package, with all the benefits. He was very close to the king. He was very respected by the king but I think most people misinterpret his job. Nehemiah was the king’s cup bearer and that sounds like he was the guy in charge of keeping up with the king’s tea glass.
BUT the truth is, he was not a free man…he was a slave and his job was to taste all the king’s food/beverages before it got to the king.
Nehemiah wasn’t tasting the food for seasoning and sending the king’s steak back if it wasn’t a perfect medium. He was tasting everything to prevent the king from being poisoned. Would you apply for that job?
Yet God is still God and even though Nehemiah was part of the group captured and enslaved He was still providing protection and provision for His own.
Nehemiah, even as a slave, who was in danger of dying with every bite or sip, was living a life of peace, prosperity and political power.
He was, possibly, one of the most trusted men in the kingdom.
Look at verses 2&3. Nehemiah’s peaceful life was suddenly crushed by a visit from his brother. His brother brought news that the people of Israel were being tormented by their enemies and the city of Jerusalem was completely devastated.
How many of you have experienced the fact that life can be perfect one minute and in a million pieces the next?
How do you handle times like this?
Look at verse 4. When Nehemiah hears this awful news, his heart breaks and he enters a time of fasting, weeping and prayer before the Lord.
Instead of being happy in his high position, or saying “well that’s their problem…” Nehemiah was heartbroken for his people and his pain brought him to his knees in prayer!
Sometimes, when we become satisfied with things as they are, God will shake things up a bit.
He has a way of getting our hearts and minds on the things that really matter.
God was about to restore Jerusalem, but He needed a man with good vision to make it happen.
The news from Jerusalem was God’s call for Nehemiah to become involved in what God was about to do.
God wants to restore EBC and this nation…God wants to restore His people but He needs people with good vision.
When God invites His people to join Him, they respond in different ways.
Some are like Isaiah, who responded eagerly to God’s invitation. [Isa 6:8 NIV] “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!”
Some will respond to God’s call like Moses, will make all manner of excuses and say;
“Here I am but PLEASE Lord Send Arron.” That’s why you will hear me say that when God invites you to join Him, don’t come tell me what you think God wants me to do…
Others, like Jonah, try to run from God. You can run but you can’t hide.
[Psa 139:7-8 NKJV] “7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend into heaven, You [are] there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You [are there].”
God knows how to get your attention and when He places a burden on your heart get up and go with Him. Join Him in whatever He calls you to do, knowing that He has a plan and He is not asking you to do something in your own strength. He will empower you, provide for you and wok in and through you to accomplish His great work. There is nothing in this world more awesome than being allowed to be a part of His plan!
2. People with vision pray. Verses 4-11
The first thing Nehemiah does is gripe and complain, right?
Nehemiah gets himself before the Lord in prayer and fasting.
Nehemiah teaches us how to come before the Lord in prayer.
Look at verse 5. In order to correct our vision, praying must begin with praise.
Nehemiah begins by praising the Lord. He praises God for His Power, His Holiness and His Sincerity. He praises God for Who He is!
Look at verse 6a. We need determination [Bulldog tenacity] if we are to correct our vision.
Nehemiah prayed “day and night” and he prayed until the answer came.
That is the kind of praying we need to see demonstrated in our day.
We are not to pray the kind of prayer that stops after a couple of times but, the kind of prayer that goes to God and stays before God until we have what we came after.
This is what Jesus has tells us to do in Luke chapter 18. [Luke 18:1 NIV] “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”
I used to tell Suzanne how bad I wanted to buy something and she would convince me to wait and see if it went on sale and we could get it cheaper. The truth is that she knows I’m an impulse buyer and if she could get me to wait, I would forget about if it wasn’t really all that important.
If we pray for something a couple of times and then forget all about it, we need to ask ourselves whether or not it was something that truly burdened our heart!
Look at verses 6b-7. Praying must involve repentance, if we are to correct our vision.
Nehemiah not only prays for real needs but he confesses his sins as an individual and the sins of His people as a nation.
He even confesses the sins of his fathers. In other words the sin of the past generations are important to where we are going…
EBC we need to understand that this is crucial if we are to see our prayers answered…
[Psa 66:18 NLT] “If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.”
Repentance is about the forgiveness of sins, even the sins of those who came before us BUT repentance begins with ME getting MY heart right with God first!
Look at verses 8-10. Praying involves standing on promises, if we to correct our vision.
Nehemiah begins to focus on the promises that God had made to Israel.
We sing that Hymn, “Standing on the Promise” but God not only promises to bless.
If we look closely at the Word of God, as He deals with the Nation of Israel, He promises to punish their sins and yet to restore the nation in the event of repentance.
Prayer must be grounded on the Word of God and founded on the promises of God.
Why? Because God’s righteousness is based on the accuracy of His Word.
[Psa 138:2 NLT] “I bow before your holy Temple as I worship. I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness; for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name.”
Paul said in [Rom 4:20-21 NLT] “20 Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. 21 He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.”
Look at verse 11. Sometimes praying includes partners that help us correct our vision.
Visionary prayer is a team effort, if we are to see that mighty hand of God at work.
If we are to move forward for and with God we need as many prayer warriors as we can get.
In the near future we will be looking at the idea of prayer and fasting, in our Sunday evening Bible study.
Let me encourage you to get as many people as possible involved in praying for you and praying with you. Don’t try to go it alone. Even the Lord told us there was power in corporate prayer. [Mat 18:19 NKJV] “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.”
Look at verse 11. Praying involves petitions which helps correct our vision.
In verse 11 Nehemiah is only praying for the Lord to give him grace in the sight of the king. He is asking for God to make clear the next step, not the big picture.
When we pray we should express our needs before the Lord, because He is interested in His people and their needs.
He may already know what we need, but He still wants us to ask! The faith involved in our praying honors Him greatly! That’s why Paul says in, [Phl 4:6 NIV] “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
