10000 BRICKS: The Burden of the Builder
Nehemiah 1:1–11
#10000Bricks
INTRODUCTION (p)
When Kelly and I were first married (I was in my early 20s) many moons ago, I got it in my head that I wanted a bookshelf for some of my books. I did not need to go out and buy one… but I could build one with some 2x4 laying around and one trip to the local hardware store. After many irregularly screwed in screws and some choice words from this young preacher’s mouth, my bookshelf was finished. It was about four feet tall and had to lean up against the wall to work because I could not figure out how to get it to stand on its own. It was also uneven. Kelly laughed at me which made it even worse. Everything is worse when your wife laughs at you.
When Kelly and I first moved here (I was in my early 40s), only about 7 years ago, I got it in my head that I wanted a raised bed for a garden. I had never really gardened before. I did not need to go out and buy raised beds… but I could purchase wood, hardware, and all that I needed from the local hardware store and build my own. I did. In my barn. When I was finished, the bed was so heavy that I had to load it on the back of my pickup and ease it into the yard. If I remember correctly, I also got my truck stuck in the yard, but that might have been another time. I had that raised garden bed for 7 years.
I recently took that raised garden bed apart and the reclaimed wood is sitting in my barn waiting for me to refashion it into a few smaller garden beds for this next gardening season. Not so large. Not so big. But just right. Several “just right” raised beds for things that I actually want to grow or grow and eat. We’ll see how that goes but based on the few projects I just told you about, you can imagine how my building efforts will go. And Kelly still laughs, but now mostly to herself. Mostly.
TRANSITION / BACKGROUND ON NEHEMIAH
Today, we are going to start a series of sermons from the Book of Nehemiah all about some building efforts. Spoiler alert: these building efforts had trials but were successful. The Book of Nehemiah is the 16th book in the Old Testament and has 13 chapters with 406 verses. It is a historical memoir as it was written by Nehemiah. We are going to make our way through this book until Easter.
According to the Biblical record, the Babylonian armies smashed Jerusalem to pieces (2 Kings 25) including the temple and all the palaces (2 Kings 25, Jeremiah 52). They devastated the countryside as well (Jeremiah 32). The Babylonians killed many of the priests and leaders (2 Kings 25) and then deported the young, the skilled, and others deemed of use. Nehemiah lived after this mayhem and destruction. Nehemiah was born in exile as he had never seen Jerusalem or even been there. Some of his family had returned to the land of Israel, but not him. Other Jews has traveled back to the homeland, but not him.
We know about Nehemiah from the Bible, but also from sources NOT in the Bible. Josephus, a Jewish historian says this about Nehemiah (XI, 183, 8]: “Then, after performing many others splendid and praiseworthy public services, Nehemiah died at an advanced age. He was a man of kind and just nature and most anxious to serve his countrymen; and he left the walls of Jerusalem as his eternal monument.”
About 100 years before Nehemiah, some of the Jews returned in the 540s BC, but not all is well in Jerusalem. The events in Nehemiah take place after some of the Israelites already went home. The book takes place in the 440s-430s BC after about 100 years or so of recovery. Nehemiah chapter one’s events occur which show the recovery is not going well. The book takes place mainly in Jerusalem, except for chapter 1 and the first half of chapter 2.
TRANSITION
Let’s read from Nehemiah 1.
READ NEHEMIAH 1:1-11 (ESV)
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the citadel, 2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.” 4 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. 5 And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 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. 7 We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. 8 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, 9 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.’ 10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 11 O 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.” Now I was cupbearer to the king.
TRANSITION
As I looked over this passage of Scripture, some basic questions came to mind which seemed to form a good way for us to wade through these verses. First, Who is Nehemiah? Second, What did Nehemiah hear? Third, How was Nehemiah impacted by what he heard? Those are three good questions with the last one being our key question.
WHO IS NEHEMIAH?
Nehemiah was a Jew living in forced exile from his homeland. We find that Nehemiah is someone who had an important position. He lived in Susa in the citadel which means he lived in the city and worked there. The last verse in the chapter tells us that he was “cupbearer to the king.” That last verse of chapter 1 is important.
In Nehemiah 1:11, Nehemiah reveals that he served as “cupbearer to the king.” This is a role that went beyond simply tasting wine or serving drinks or being a butler. The cupbearer was a trusted royal official. He was responsible for protecting the king from poisoning and ensuring the safety and quality of what the king drank and ate. He oversaw all the food. Because of this, the position required absolute loyalty, discretion, and integrity. This meant Nehemiah had regular personal access to King Artaxerxes. The role of “cup bearer” placed him at the intersection of security, administration, caterer, and wise counsel.
We know that King Artaxerxes held this position as important because of his own family history. According to ancient historians (such as Herodotus) a man named Artabanus was a court official, often identified as the commander of the royal bodyguard or a position like the cup bearer. Artabanus murdered King Xerxes I, likely while the king was in his bedchamber, using his privileged access to the palace to carry out the assassination. After killing Xerxes, Artabanus attempted to seize control of the empire. His plot failed when Artaxerxes (the same king Nehemiah serves) discovered the treachery and had Artabanus executed.
After Xerxes, all Persian kings had trust issues. We see this even in the Book of Esther. Persian kings placed extraordinary trust only in the most proven officials. Nehemiah, who had access to the king’s person, food, and drink on a daily basis, was just such a person. Nehemiah is big deal important. This is why in chapter 2 when King Artaxerxes asks: “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart” (Nehemiah 2:2) it is significant as it made the king on edge thinking there was a problem with one very close to him who was supposed to protect him.
SUMMARY
In summary, Nehemiah is a Jewish believer in God who lives after the exile to Babylon and was born in exile himself. Nehemiah has a position of privilege with the King of Persia as cup bearer which makes him the security-butler-with-a-side-of-therapist. Nehemiah has not yet returned to Israel at any point.
TRANSITION
This leads us to our second question: What did Nehemiah hear?
WHAT DID NEHEMIAH HEAR?
Verse 2 shares with us that Nehemiah’s brother named Hanani or Hananiah visits him in Susa bringing news about three different topics. Nehemiah wants to first know about those Jews who had already immigrated back home and had escaped their exile. This includes some of Nehemiah’s own family. He secondly wants to know how those who were left behind were living. He lastly asks about Jerusalem. The news is not good. His brother as well as some others tell him:
RE-READ NEHEMIAH 1:3 (ESV)
“The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.”
Why is this a big deal?
Why is Jerusalem being broken down still news?
Jerusalem would have been profoundly important to Nehemiah on cultural, strategic, and religious grounds, as all three are tightly woven together in his life. Even the term “Jews” starts to be used during this time referring to those whose home was Judah… Judahites… Judahs… Judeans… Jews. Jerusalem is the center of Judah.
Jerusalem was the symbolic heart of Jewish identity. Even after decades in exile, Jews defined themselves by their connection to the city of David. Its ruins represented not just physical destruction, but national shame and broken identity. For Nehemiah, the broken city meant that God’s people were living without dignity among surrounding nations. Israel was broken because Jerusalem was broken.
Jerusalem was crucial because it sat at a key geographic and political crossroads. As a fortified city, its walls were essential for security, trade, and stability in the region. Without walls, Jerusalem was vulnerable to attack, exploitation, and intimidation from neighboring people.
Above all else, Jerusalem was the city God had chosen to place His Name. It was the site of the temple, the sacrificial system, and the spiritual center of Israel’s covenant life. The Bible is very clear that Jerusalem is important.
READ 1 Kings 11:36 (ESV)
“…Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen to put My Name.”
READ 1 Kings 14:21 (ESV)
“…Jerusalem, the city that the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to put His Name there.”
READ Jeremiah 3:17 (ESV)
“… Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD…”
Though the temple had been rebuilt after a fashion, the city’s disgrace undermined Israel. It undermined everything that it meant to be Jewish and God’s people.
ILLUSTRATION
Though it is not the same, I want to try and draw some kind of parallel. For those in the USA, the closest comparison is Washington DC. Perhaps Ground Zero in NYC for 9/11. Perhaps Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Jerusalem to Nehemiah was what Washington, D.C., Ground Zero, and Independence Hall are all rolled into one with a whole bunch more emphasis added in.
TRANSITION / PURPOSE
We are about to ask the key question of this passage which will bring home for us the point of chapter 1 and why we are thinking through this passage. This same key question may impact us as well.
HOW WAS NEHEMIAH IMPACTED BY WHAT HE HEARD?
Verses 4-11 share how Nehemiah was impacted by the words of his brother and those that had journeyed from Israel. Take note of these words and phrases:
Verse 4: “sat down and wept and mourned for days”
Verse 4: “continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven”
Verse 6: “hear the prayer of your servant”
Verse 6: “we have sinned against you”
Verse 7: “we have acted very corruptly”
I want to pause here for a moment. Notice that in the five phrases we just read that something significant occurred inside of Nehemiah. The news about Jerusalem impacted his emotions and in his concerned state for Jerusalem, he fasted and prayed to God. His heart was broken and he turned to God. The best word that I know of to describe what happened to Nehemiah is “holy burden.”
A holy burden comes from God. It is a concern given to us by the Holy Spirit that we can’t just shake. It is not random but is given for us to honor God and to obey Him. Most importantly, a holy burden is not just a feeling or a change in our attitude, but it moves us to some kind of action. If I am honest, the best example of someone who had a holy burden… is Nehemiah, but he is not the only one.
* Moses was given a burden for the people of Israel
* David had a burden for God’s honor as he faced Goliath in 1 Samuel 17
* Isaiah had a burden for his sinful nation on Isaiah 6
* Esther had a burden to save her people from extermination
* Apostle Paul had a burden for all the churches
READ 2 CORINTHIANS 11:28 (ESV)
“And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.”
These phrases indicate to us that a burden from the Lord was laid on Nehemiah’s heart, but the test of the burden is… action. Is there action that Nehemiah undertakes in response to the God-given prompting? The answer is yes.
The last phrase I noticed in his reaction comes in verse 11.
Verse 11: “give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man”
Nehemiah had decided in his heart to approach the king to request a bold action. The working out of this is in chapter 2, but we see here even in chapter 1 that Nehemiah has been moved by the burden of the Lord, flavored by fasting and prayer, to an action.
TRANSITION
Here is why any of this matters.
APPLICATION
What we see in Nehemiah 1 is not simply an emotional reaction, but an inner transformation. The words he heard from his brother did not stop at his ears, but went straight to his heart. He sat down. He wept. He mourned for days. The news slowed him, softened him, and broke him open before God. This is where a holy burden begins.
This day I am asking God to give you a holy burden. I can’t give it to you. He can.
A holy burden is what happens when God allows us to feel what He feels about something. It is more than sympathy. It is more than concern. It is a weight that settles on the soul and refuses to be ignored.
Many of us are informed, but not burdened. A holy burden interrupts comfort. It presses us toward prayer. It pushes us toward fasting and action. Eventually, it demands obedience. God has always worked through burdened people:
* Moses could not ignore the cries of enslaved Israel.
* David could not tolerate God’s name being mocked.
* Isaiah could not unsee a holy God and a sinful nation.
* Esther could not remain silent when her people faced destruction.
* Paul carried daily pressure—not for programs, but for people.
In every case, the burden came before the action—and the action flowed out of prayer.
What does this have to do with our church? What does this have to do with us?
Today we (we as in the church in general) are beginning to think about the funds needed for our proposed new sanctuary. Right now, our leaders are praying about what they are able to sacrifice for the new building to lead the way. It is a process and not something that can be done overnight. This is not just a bookshelf or some raised garden beds, but a large part of our church which helps us to reach the 6500 in Eastern Greene County who do not regularly attend church or know about Jesus. The purpose of Cincinnati Christian Church is to help people find and follow Jesus. We are doing that and are outgrowing our sanctuary.
I am praying that all of us, leaders included, have a God-given burden for the need of the new sanctuary. It is not something that I can manufacture in us and for us and to be honest… I don’t want to. We do not want a manufactured need to begin this project. We want a burden from the Lord planted in each heart. I want to pray that God gives a burden for the need for increased worship space because He is already blessing our church with growth. We follow Him in this. Nothing else.
* So here is the question that presses on us today: Are you willing for God to place a burden on your heart for a new sanctuary?
A holy burden does not mean you have all the answers. Nehemiah didn’t. It simply means you are willing to say, “Lord, here I am. Break my heart for what breaks Yours—and then show me what obedience looks like.” God begins building projects in the heart before they begin on the ground. Vision starts with a holy burden. Seeing what’s broken and weeping over it. Prayer, repentance, and aligning our hearts with God’s purposes.
* So here is the question that presses on us today: Are you willing for God to place a burden on your heart for a new sanctuary? Just be willing.
PRAYER
“Lord, break my heart for what breaks Yours. Give me ears to hear, courage to obey, and faith to trust You with the outcome.”
INVITATION
Openness to the voice of God.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
Have you ever seen something broken—like a toy, a bike, or even a playground—and felt sad about it?
(Let kids respond.)
When something is broken, it’s hard to just ignore it, right?
Today’s sermon you will hear later is about a man named Nehemiah. Nehemiah lived far away from his home city, Jerusalem. One day, his brother came to visit him and told him some bad news. He said, “Jerusalem is broken. The walls are torn down, and the people are sad and not safe.”
When Nehemiah heard this, he didn’t say, “Oh well, that’s too bad.” The Bible says he sat down and cried. He was very sad because he loved God and he loved God’s people.
But Nehemiah didn’t stop there. What Did Nehemiah Do?
Nehemiah did three important things:
* He cared. His heart hurt because the city was broken.
* He prayed. Nehemiah talked to God and asked Him for help.
* He got ready to help. Nehemiah asked God to help him be brave.
What are some things today that might be broken or sad?
(Prompt gently: people who are lonely, kids who are sick, someone being left out, a family having a hard time.)
God cares about those things—and He wants us to care too.
Sometimes God gives us a caring heart when we see something sad or broken. That feeling is God saying:
“I want you to pray.”
“I want you to help.”
“I want you to care.”
You might be little, but you can still: Pray for someone. Be kind. Share. Tell a grown-up when someone needs help.
