WHEN OPPORTUNITY STRIKES
Nehemiah 2:1-8
S: Courage
Th: Brave Hearts
Pr: WE MUST HAVE COURAGE TO MEET THE NEED.
?: How?
KW: Ways
TS: We will find in our study of Nehemiah 2:1-8 five ways that Nehemiah is readied for the task that is on his heart.
The _____ way Nehemiah is readied is…
I. PREPARATION
II. POSITION
III. PRAYER
IV. PLANNING
V. PROVIDENCE
Version: ESV
RMBC 19 Jan 03 AM
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Notebook: Fear (Clarence)
There were two old geezers living in the backwoods of the Ozarks: Rufus and Clarence.
They lived on opposite sides of the river and they hated each other. Every morning, just after sunup, Rufus and Clarence would go down to their respective sides of the river and yell at each other.
"Rufus!" Clarence would shout, "You better thank your lucky stars that I can’t swim, er I’d swim this river and whup you!"
"Clarence!" Rufus would holler back, "You better thank YOUR lucky stars that I can’t swim, er I’d swim this river and whup YOU!"
Every morning. Every day. For 20 years.
One day the Army Corps of Engineers came along and built a bridge. But the insults went on every morning. Every day. Another five years.
Finally, Mr. Rufus’ wife had had enough. "Rufus!" she squallered one day, "I can’t take no more! Every day for 25 years you’ve been threatenin’ to whup Clarence. Well, thar’s the bridge! Have at it!"
Rufus thought for a moment. Chewed his bottom lip for another moment.
"Woman!" he declared, snapping his suspenders into place. "I’m gonna whup Clarence!"
He walked out the door, down to the river, along the river bank, came to the bridge, stepped up onto the bridge, walked about halfway over the bridge, then turned tail and ran screaming back to the house, slammed the door, bolted the windows, grabbed the shotgun and dove under the bed.
"Rufus!" cried the missus. "I thought you was gonna whup Clarence!"
"I was, woman, I was!" he whispered.
"What in tarnation is the matter?"
"Well," whispered the terror-stricken Rufus, "I walked halfway over the bridge and saw a sign that said, “’Clearance, 13 feet, 6 inches.’ He ain’t never looked that big from the other side of the river!"
Well…
1. Have you ever hesitated at an opportunity?
Something ever cause you to pause because it was a whole lot bigger than you thought it was?
This happened to Nehemiah.
When we began the story of Nehemiah last week, we saw that…
2. Nehemiah has become aware of a problem that needs fixing.
As we learned last week, Nehemiah lived in Persia’s capital city, Susa, the most powerful place in the world at that time.
And through his brother, Hanani, he receives bad news.
Once again, Jerusalem’s walls have been flattened and the gates have been burned.
Morale is low, for the residence of God, the temple in Jerusalem, is unprotected and in danger.
Nehemiah sees the need, but it is obvious that what needs to be done is unclear.
So, as we observed last week…
3. Nehemiah has turned to God for help.
Nehemiah has seen the need.
He has felt the need.
It is on his heart.
Now, he shares the need with God.
He prays for God’s help.
He doesn’t know what to do.
Can he, Nehemiah, meet the need?
As we come to today’s text, we see that there is a role for Nehemiah to fill.
So…
4. We will find in our study of Nehemiah 2:1-8 five ways that Nehemiah is readied for the task that is on his heart.
[1] In 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. [2] And 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. [3] I 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?” [4] Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. [5] And 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.” [6] And 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. [7] And 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, [8] and 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.
OUR STUDY:
I. The first way Nehemiah is readied is PREPARATION.
ILL Notebook: Prayer (“I haven’t heard…”)
The professor of a graduate-school class of gifted students included a HUGE amount of material on the midterm exam.
Tension in the room built, people were sighing and gasping aloud as they realized how much material they had covered and were expected to recall.
The following week, the professor tossed the graded papers on her desk and announced, "Class, after I left here last week, the Lord spoke to me.”
He said, “Thanks, professor. I haven’t heard from some of those people in years.”
Well, as these students revealed, often we realize that when our problem is bigger than us, it is time to pray.
And this is certainly the example that Nehemiah has given us.
1. We are to pray passionately and consistently.
We know that Nehemiah has been praying for four months, as there is a four-month space between Chislev and Nisan.
And as we observe in his prayer, it has become obvious to him in time that he must go before the king.
But before he does so, he is spending time in God’s waiting room.
He does so because…
2. Prayer keeps the burden fresh and our heart expectant.
In the normal circumstances of life, we tend to see what we are looking for.
But what we often miss are the things we don’t expect to see.
This is one of the advantages of prayer.
Prayer keeps us looking for God’s intervention.
It sensitizes us to the subtle changes that are taking place around us, and as a result, we are apt to recognize God’s workings.
Another advantage of continued prayer is that it reaffirms the vision God has given.
You see, vision from God is long term.
In time, it grows stronger and it grows deeper.
As we persist in prayer, God continues to burden us.
At the same time, though, we are to wait for the Lord.
We are not to run ahead of God.
Nehemiah waited for four months.
This kept him from rushing around trying to do his own thing on his own strength.
He resisted the urge to make something happen.
Instead, he expected God to do something and he was ready for it.
II. The second way Nehemiah is readied is POSITION.
In many ways, we fail to see this wonderful truth, that…
1. God engineers our circumstances.
God is always working behind the scenes.
He works and maneuvers to place us right where He wants us.
For Nehemiah, God landed him a job that gave him an inside track to the king.
Daily, the king entrusted his life to Nehemiah.
As we noted last week, that as the king’s cupbearer, one of Nehemiah’s duties was to taste the food before the king.
So, if there was something wrong with it, Nehemiah would obviously know first.
For Artaxerxes, this was personal.
He knew betrayal, for his father had been poisoned by a trusted servant.
We have no idea how Nehemiah came to the position, but nevertheless, he is there.
It was his responsibility to serve responsibly and with integrity.
And in the process, he has developed a worthy reputation.
This is so true in our own lives.
So often we wonder why God allows certain things to happen to us, and yet somewhere down the line, it is revealed that God has positioned us.
And when the moment comes, we find that it has been worth every bit of effort.
Our waiting time has not been wasted time.
For Nehemiah, he knew the heart of the king had to be changed.
Artaxerxes, previously, had issued an order against the city of Jerusalem so that it couldn’t be rebuilt.
It was obvious to Nehemiah, though, that he was in position to do something about it.
This means that…
2. We are to take advantage of the opportunity.
For Nehemiah, I think the door opens unexpectedly.
There is no doubt that the news of Jerusalem has affected him deeply, even emotionally.
Eventually, his face shows it and the king simply says, “What’s the matter? You are not sick.”
Now, the door has swung open.
So, now note…
III. The third way Nehemiah is readied is PRAYER.
When the door swings open…
1. We are to trust God.
We find a little later in the text that Nehemiah offers a short prayer.
It is from this, we find more about the character and example of Nehemiah.
He is utterly dependent on God.
He takes a deep breath, utters a prayer of “help,” and says what God has placed on his heart.
You know, it has been said…
“Success comes when a thousand hours of preparation meet one moment of opportunity.”
Andy Stanley also helps us here in his book called Visionneering, when he says:
What God originates, He orchestrates.
For Nehemiah, he knows the time has come.
God has orchestrated the events in such a way that Nehemiah couldn’t miss it.
Which shows us that…
2. We must boldly act, even if we are scared.
You see, Nehemiah could have been in a heap of trouble.
His gloomy face could be considered more than just bad manners.
It was against the law.
No one was allowed to be sad in the king’s presence.
It was a bad reflection on the king’s goodwill, and so, could be punishable by death.
But Nehemiah’s faith was greater than his fear.
He believed in the promises of God.
And he finds that God gives him the right words.
He says, “I want to honor the burial place of my fathers.”
This was an angle that touched the heart of Artaxerxes.
The notion that one’s forbears should lie in an honorable grave made sense to the king, for this was Persian custom.
God had prepared the way for Nehemiah, giving him the wisdom and the information and the instincts to touch the heart of a king.
Which now leads us to…
IV. The fourth way Nehemiah is readied is PLANNING.
What we see by Nehemiah’s example is that the presence of faith does not mean an absence of organization.
1. We are to think through the implications of our burden.
When God has laid something on your heart, and you have planned, you are prepared to communicate.
And as we see by the text, this is no small plan.
This is HUGE!
Every step has been thought through.
Nehemiah is organized and decisive.
Note the process…
First, he has to convince the king to allow him to leave to rebuild the wall.
Second, he has to convince the king to lend financial support.
Third, he must procure letters from the king guaranteeing safe conduct in his travels.
Fourth, he must also get lumber to rebuild the city gates.
Fifth, he asks the king for the title of “Governor of Judah.”
Sixth, he must organize the rebuilding.
Seventh, construction must begin and finish.
Nehemiah has thought this all through during this four-month time.
ILL Notebook: Unexpected (Gracie Allen)
The long time actress and comedienne Gracie Allen once received a small, live alligator as a gag. Not knowing what to do, Gracie placed it in the bathtub and then left for an appointment. When she returned home, she found this note from her maid: “Dear Miss Allen: Sorry, but I have quit. I don’t work in houses where there is an alligator. I’d a told you when I was hired, but I never thought it would come up."
Nehemiah, on the other hand, is expecting the unexpected, teaching us that…
2. We must make allowances for opposition.
Opposition was going to come.
Complaints were going to come.
Nehemiah was not naïve to this.
He was going in to this whole situation knowing that just because God had given him a vision, it didn’t mean that it was going to be easy.
Nevertheless, he moves forward.
And we now come to…
V. The fifth way Nehemiah is readied is PROVIDENCE.
From Artaxerxes, Nehemiah hears the words, “Granted.”
Nehemiah discovered that the time in the king’s court was well-spent and that he was the man “for such a time as this.”
God is working.
Again, the waiting time has not been wasted time.
God has used him.
Nehemiah proves and testifies that God has good hands!
God’s blessing is obvious.
God supplies and blesses the faithful.
APPLICATION:
I want you to know today that God has placed you.
What you are doing, where you are located, at this point in your life, is no accident.
You may not know what God is up to behind the scenes of your life, but you are positioned.
It may be difficult to see the connection now.
But in time, it will come together.
The question is, when God places upon you a burden, will you follow the biblical example of Nehemiah?
I like how Andy Stanley discriminates between dreamers and visionaries.
It is an important distinction…
1. “Dreamers dream about things being different. Visionaries envision themselves making a difference.”
When God places a burden on you, a burden that calls for a change, will you be ready to be used by God to make the difference?
There is a saying that I have always enjoyed when it comes to the subject of change.
It goes like this…
ILL Notebook: Change
“If we always do what we’ve always done, we’ll always get what we’ve always gotten.”
So, let me ask you…
2. Are you ready to move on goals that are bigger than you?
You know…
When something seems too big for us, that’s a good sign.
For if it is from God, it ought to be too big.
Consider the Source!
In Ezekiel 22:30, we find these words from God:
And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach [gap] before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.
During times of peril, God searches for the man and for the woman who will stand in the gap and build the wall.
God looks for people, as we said last week, that possess a holy ambition to see His agenda fulfilled in the world.
God seeks for those who will say, “I will make the difference.”
As Nehemiah has shown us…
3. WE MUST HAVE COURAGE TO MEET THE NEED.
For God has created you and me to make a difference in our surroundings.
God has called us to penetrate the world.
Might each one of us courageously possess a holy ambition, bathed in prayer, to fulfill the portion of God’s agenda that He has laid on our hearts.
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Be courageous…and meet the need by starting with prayer; when God has burdened you, count on God to work, look for God to work, expect God to work.
Be courageous…and meet the need with the realization that God is going to use you and the circumstances you are in; you may not see the connection now, but in time, it will be clear.
Be courageous…and meet the need, even when it is scary; possess a holy ambition to accomplish the portion of God’s agenda that He has for you, even if it is huge and beyond your human limitations (that’s because it is supposed to be beyond your limitations).
Now may the God of peace equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
