Nehemiah
Synergy
Nehemiah 2
August 17, 2003
Intro:
A. Today I want to remind you of the sign that I told you about last week…
[Humor: Is That a Welcome?, Citation: Gary Shank, Olathe, Kans. "Lite Fare," Christian Reader.]
Seen on a church sign:
We Care About You
Sundays 10 a.m. Only
B. Today we come to the second chapter of the book of Nehemiah and we move from compassion to synergy…
I. Compassion
Nehemiah 1:3-4 (NIV), They said to me, "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire." 4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
A. Last week, we began our study of the book of Nehemiah.
1. As we look back at verses 3 & 4, we see that things were pretty bad in Jerusalem.
2. Nehemiah has a serious job in Babylon under the current king, Artaxerxes I.
3. Nehemiah’s brother, Hanani, has been back to Jerusalem and had seen the terrible condition of things back there and is giving a report of what he saw to Nehemiah in Babylon.
4. Hanani tells Nehemiah that the people living there are in great trouble and disgrace.
5. Hanani tells Nehemiah that the wall of the city is broken down and its gates had been burned with fire.
6. This news really shook Nehemiah.
7. The Scripture says that when Nehemiah heard these things he sat down and wept and mourned and fasted and prayed for many days.
8. Nehemiah was visibly moved with compassion for the people and the condition of the city.
B. Beginning with verse five and continuing to the end of chapter one, we get to ease drop on what Nehemiah was praying during these many days.
1. Nehemiah praised God for keeping His covenant of love with those who love Him and obey His commands.
2. But then he also confessed that the people had not kept their end of the covenant with God (they had not obeyed His commands) and God had rightfully sent them into exile.
3. But then Nehemiah reminded God that if the people returned to Him, He had promised to restore them.
4. That is the just of what Nehemiah had been praying for these many days.
C. But Nehemiah wasn’t one of those kinds of believers who just prayed about bad situations.
1. Nehemiah knew the importance of praying, but that wasn’t all that Nehemiah intended to do.
2. Nehemiah wasn’t one of those kinds of believers who just TALK about how bad things are and say, “I hope things get better for you.”
3. Nehemiah wasn’t one of those kinds of believers who just SAY, “That’s awful! I’ll certainly keep you in my thoughts and prayers.”
4. Nehemiah intended to DO SOMETHING about the terrible situation and he was praying to God for guidance about what the people should do and beg God for HIM to do something.
D. I talked about the NT illustration of the body and the head and the church’s corresponding relationship to Christ.
1. When our head decides it’s going to do something, the arms and hands and feet do the actual work.
2. The head doesn’t actually do the work.
3. And that’s the way the church is supposed to be.
4. The body waits to hear from the head what He wants us to do.
5. When we hear what the head wants us to do, we DO it!
6. God doesn’t intend to do everything for us.
7. God has called us to be His feet and hands.
8. Instead of just begging God to do something, we should ask God want He wants to do through us.
E. And that is exactly what Nehemiah is doing in this prayer in chapter 1.
1. Nehemiah is actually in captivity to a foreign king.
2. God’s people had been in captivity by foreign kings for over 160 years, ever since Nebuchadnezzar had besieged it in 605 BC.
3. But now the people are beginning to repent and God has put it into the kings’ hearts to allow them to return to Jerusalem.
4. Zerubbabel and Ezra have already lead some people back to Jerusalem and have done a little work.
5. But things are still VERY BAD as we see in verse three.
6. So Nehemiah, moved with compassion, is praying to God to do something, but he’s asking God what he himself can do.
7. That’s what verse 11 means…
a. When Nehemiah prays, “Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” he’s asking God what he can do.
b. Nehemiah is the cupbearer for the king…
1) This is a very high ranking position of importance to a foreign king; a position of great responsibility.
2) The cupbearer’s job was a matter of protecting the king and the cupbearer was not allowed to show emotion in the presence of the king.
c. Nehemiah knows he needs to do something, but he’s going to have to take a leave of absence from his job.
d. How do you get a leave of absence from a foreign king?
e. How do you get a leave of absence from a foreign king in order to do something for God, His people, and His city?
f. Answer: You get down on your knees and you pray, “Give your servant success today by granting him faveor in the the presence of this man.”
8. Nehemiah was moved with compassion.
II. Imagination
Nehemiah 2:1-9 (NIV), In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before; 2 so the king asked me, "Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart." I was very much afraid, 3 but I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?" 4 The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 and I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it." 6 Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, "How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?" It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time. 7 I also said to him, "If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? 8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?" And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests. 9 So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.
A. Now I have called this section imagination…
1. The reason is because as I read it, I’m reminded of the NT passage Ephesians 3:20 (NIV), Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
2. This is a section where God does more than what we could imagine!
B. Now I know that some are bored with all the background information, but it strengthens my faith to know that this stuff can be historically proven with factual information.
1. Verse one of chapter two is actually clarifying verse four of chapter one.
a. In verse four Nehemiah tells us that he had been praying for “some days.”
b. But let me tell you that what he meant by “some days” is a little different than what we think of as some days.
c. Chapter one, verse one says that chapter one took place in the month of Kislev in the twentieth year (of Artaxerxes—see 2:1).
d. You see time is marked from the inauguration of the current King.
e. In the twentieth year of King Artaxerexes’ reign, in the month of Kislev, or November.
f. Then chapter two verse one says chapter two took place in the month of Nisan (or March) in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes.
g. So there is about four months that have elapsed.
2. So when Nehemiah says that he sat down and wept and mourned and fasted and prayed for “some days,” it was about 120 days!
3. Nehemiah is moved with passion for God and compassion for people.
4. Nehemiah is serious about this!
C. Now I told you that emotion in the presence of the king is punishable by death…
1. In verses 1 & 2 we see the drama unfold that Nehemiah has been praying about for the past four months.
2. Nehemiah brings the King’s wine, and he notices that Nehemiah is sad.
3. This could bring about his death, but Nehemiah has been praying for four months!
4. “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.” This is the moment of truth!
5. But don’t be fooled into thinking that Nehemiah was some sort of super-human spiritual giant and this didn’t faze him because he’d been praying for four months.
6. Nehemiah was a man who put his robes on one arm at a time, just like we do!
7. At the end of verse two Nehemiah tells us that he responded the same way you and I would have, “I was very much afraid!”
8. But in spite of his fear, he spit it out: “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire.”
9. Then the king could tell that he wanted something and asked him what he wanted.
10. And Nehemiah said he prayed to the God of heaven…
a. I love that line! And we KNOW what he prayed!
b. Even though it is not recorded here, we KNOW what he prayed!
c. We know that at this pressure filled moment, he didn’t repray chapter one—he didn’t have time—he was on the hot seat before the king and he had to give an answer immediately!
d. What did he want? We know what he wanted and he knew this is the moment of truth that he’d been praying about for four months.
e. He wants this leave of absence and it is now or never!
f. So what did he pray under his breath before answering the king? “GOD HELP ME!”
D. Now as we read through this section…
1. We see that Nehemiah is not killed. (Praise the Lord!)
2. We see that the King granted his leave of absence. (Praise the Lord!)
3. We see that the King gave him official letters for protection while traveling. (WOW—amazing!)
5. We see that the King gave him timber from his forest to use in construction in Jerusalem. (Glory to God!)
6. We see that the King also sent the cavalry with him to protect him (More than what he asked!)
7. “And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king gratned my requests.”
8. Retelling this story later in verse 18, I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me.
9. Nehemiah compassionately poured out his heart to God on behalf of his people for four months and God did exceeding abundantly more than he could ask or imagine!
III. Opposition
Nehemiah 2:10 (NIV), When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.
A. Now here is a verse that will come as no surprise to anyone who has been a Christian for very long.
1. No sooner had God started moving, did Satan start moving.
2. God has started the wheels to rolling and Nehemiah is on his way to Jerusalem.
3. No sooner is the man of God on the road, than Satan and his demons start passing the Word that something’s a foot.
B. Sanballat and Tobiah get word of this and they were very much disturbed by it.
1. Now there are a million things I could say about this, but suffice it to say that this is the first that we hear from these two, but it won’t be the last.
2. These two were in Jerusalem, but they had no legal right to be there; they were foreigners.
3. They don’t ever go away, in fact the same demons that influenced these two are still there to this day.
4. To this day there are people who are not God’s people in Jerusalem that have no right to be there who are still “disturbed” that God’s people are occupying their own land.
5. And these demons do not allow the people they use to just stay disturbed—they will do much more.
C. But let me leave it at that and say this: Whenever you hear from God and you set out to do what God has called you to do, there WILL BE people who are disturbed by it!
1. It doesn’t matter who you are or how Godly or nice a person you are, if you set out to do what God has called you to do and God starts giving you some success, Satan will stir up his demons and his demons will stir up some people and there WILL BE people who get upset with you.
2. It may be people in your family, it may be your friends, and it may be in the church.
3. But hear me well: When you start to move forward and God starts giving you success, you WILL meet opposition!
4. You will encounter opposition, just as Nehemiah did.
IV. Preparation
Nehemiah 2:11-16 (NIV), I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days 12 I set out during the night with a few men. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on. 13 By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. 14 Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through; 15 so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate. 16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.
A. Again, I like Nehemiah!
1. I love that phrase where he said he prayed to God under his breath.
2. Now, he’s in Jerusalem and he hasn’t told anyone what he’s there for.
3. AT NIGHT, he goes out and looks around…
a. He’s there for three days before he does anything.
b. But after three days, he starts taking theses night journeys.
c. He took a few men with him on these journeys, but he hadn’t told anyone what God had put on his heart to do.
d. By night he went through Valley Gate toward the Jackal Gate and the Dung Gate, looking at the walls.
e. He was out looking at the damage to the walls and the gates.
f. Then he moved toward the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but his horse couldn’t fit through.
g. So he kept going all around at night examining the wall.
h. Three times he said he was doing this at night.
i. Two times he says that he didn’t tell anyone why he was there or why he was taking these night journeys.
j. He really hasn’t said in the Scripture what he is doing yet, but he just lets slip here that he hadn’t told the Jews or priests or nobles or officials or anybody else what THEY were going to be doing.
k. Nehemiah is taking his time and scopeing things out and figuring out what was going to be done and who was going to do it.
B. Nehemiah is now in Jerusalem in a phase of preparation.
1. He spent months praying about this in Babylon.
2. He spent months asking God to change his circumstances to enable him to be able to meet this need.
3. Now he is in Jerusalem scopeing out the situation with his own eyes.
4. Hanani had told him about it, but he’s checking it out for himself.
6. God has put this in his heart, but he is taking his time and planning this out in his mind before it happens. And I’m sure that he is still praying!
V. Synergation
Nehemiah 2:17-18 (NIV), Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace." 18 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me. They replied, "Let us start rebuilding." So they began this good work.
A. Now synergation is a word that I made up to fit this outline.
1. Synergy is however, a real word.
2. Webster says synergy means to work together; the combined or cooperative action or force; the combined or correlated action of different organs or parts of the body.
3. It means that when two or more things or people work together, there is more accomplished than when they are working separately.
4. The work that is done by the team just keeps steam rolling and becomes greater and greater because of the team.
B. When Nehemiah announced his plans, the people said, “Let us start rebuilding.”
1. Nehemiah simply told the group that God was calling him to do this and asked who was going to join him and the people said, “Let’s get after it!”
2. And in the next chapter we see the exact locations where each family started building.
3. But God put this on Nehemiah’s heart, he prayed about it and he stepped out on faith and God gave him success in the presence of the man!
4. Nehemiah was serious about meeting the need and God moved heaven and earth to change the circumstances to allow Nehemiah to go and meet the need.
5. Nehemiah went and prepared and announced what God had put on his heart and the people rallied together to help him meet this great need.
C. And God will still do the same thing today!
1. When you and I start praying with compassion for a need, God will move heaven and earth to change the circumstances of life in order to help us meet that need.
2. God will do exceedingly abundantly more than all we ask or imagine!
3. God will provide the resources to accomplish the task!
4. And when the church and the Spirit are cooperating together to meet a need—there is so much that is accomplished that is absolutely amazing!
5. There is a synergy that builds as the church works together with the Spirit—it keeps growing and snowballing and multiplying!
7. That’s the kind of church I want to be a part of!
8. Where everyone is a team and we are all working together to meet the needs of people.
9. A place where synergation happens!
10. Some churches sit around and have meetings and moan when “stuff happens!”
11. But we’re going to be a place where we celebrate when synergation happens!
VI. Determination
Nehemiah 2:19-20 (NIV), But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. "What is this you are doing?" they asked. "Are you rebelling against the king?" 20 I answered them by saying, "The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it."
A. Now I told you that Sanballat and Tobiah were not going to go away.
1. They weren’t just going to be disturbed.
2. They weren’t just going to be disturbed and do nothing about it.
3. Now that the people are involved and synergation has started, they think they’ve got to do something.
4. So now they are publicly mocking and ridiculing them.
1. They’ve gone from being disturbed, to going around the community and flapping their jaws about them.
2. Now they are trying to stir up trouble with their mouths.
B. But notice Nehemiah’s determination…
1. Nehemiah doesn’t let people’s mouths stop him from what God has called him to do.
2. Nehemiah has felt compassion for a great need.
3. Nehemiah has spent months in prayer about this.
4. Nehemiah was granted success beyond imagination in getting this project off the ground.
1. Nehemiah has traveled to Jerusalem and spent some time in preparation.
2. Nehemiah has seen the Spirit move amongst the people and gotten them stirred up to join in on the project.
3. Synergation has started and there is no way that Nehemiah is going to let a little ridicule stop what God has put upon his heart!
8. "The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it."
9. Nehemiah had already seen God work greatly in this effort and he KNEW God was going to continue to give them success no matter what these people thought!
10.These people didn’t have any right to be there and they didn’t have any right to stop them from doing what they were doing!
11.Nehemiah told them that this was God’s business and it was none of their business!
12.Nehemiah was determined that there was NOTHING that was going to stop him from accomplishing what God had put on his heart to do!
C. And that’s the same kind of determination that the church needs today!
1. We’ve got too many Christians who are to easily dissuaded from the work of God!
2. We need more Christians with enough backbone to stand in there and say, “I’m going to stick with this great work!”
3. That kind of determination builds synergation, just as it did for Nehemiah!
Conclusion:
A. Now here is where I believe God wants Somerset to get together with the Spirit of God and create some synergation.
1. The ministry that God has given Somerset today is youth ministry.
2. We have a slew of kids that need to be reached for Jesus Christ.
3. I don’t believe there is anyone here who cannot see and feel the need that we have before us in these youth—their eternities are at stake and God has put us here at this time and this place to reach and take them to heaven!
4. We have had some success in this area—we have had over 60 kids in youth groups on Tuesday nights this past school year.
5. That was before the bus was burned.
6. Without the bus, the attendance dropped in half.
8. God has given us huge new bus.
9. But now we don’t have enough help.
10. Sue had a meeting week before last and there were not enough people to get youth groups off the ground.
11. So they haven’t started yet.
12. We Care About You--Sundays 10 a.m. Only
13. The Sunday morning Jr. Church program is floundering for lack of help as well.
14. We need teachers!
15. I make no excuses or apologies—we have a great need before us—we need teachers!
16. We Care About You--Sundays 10 a.m. Only
17. We need all kinds of help with snacks and recreation and just supervision.
18. We need people to clean up after the crowd has gone.
19. We need people who will pray seriously about this success of the programs—both on Sunday and Tuesday.
20. We need people who will drive the bus and people who will chaperone the bus.
21. I believe that if this church gets behind the youth program and gets involved in the youth program there will be synergation created that no one can stop!
B. I believe that we need to quit talking about how great a need we have and start asking God what He wants us to DO about the needs of our youth.
1. I believe that if everyone prays about this, God will lay upon your heart specifically what he wants you to do: teach, pray, clean, whatever.
2. So that is what I’m asking you to do: starting today and for the next three days, I’m asking you to pray about what God wants you to do to get involved in our youth program.
3. Pray about time, talent, and treasure.
4. I believe that God will speak to you and lay upon your heart what he would have you to do.
5. Now if God lays it upon your heart to do something outside the youth program that’s great, but you pray for God to move heaven and earth to make it so you can contribute to the ministry of this church in some tangible way.
6. You may have to show a little backbone as Nehemiah did, but the Spirit of God will work with!
7. I’m sure that Sue is discouraged from the lack of help at the last meeting.
8. I’m sure she’s praying and wondering what she’s going to do.
9. I know that she has ordered some new material for Sunday and Tuesday and has scheduled another meeting hoping for more workers and some decisions about curriculum.
10. Here’s what I believe God wants us to do…
a. Go home and pray seriously about what God wants you to do.
b. Take the lead of Nehemiah and don’t talk about it to anyone—especially Sue.
c. Just think and pray.
d. Then Wednesday night, let’s bless the shoes off Sue when the whole church shows up for her meeting!
e. She doesn’t know anything about this sermon and she doesn’t need to know until then!
f. She’s is carrying a heavy load and we’re going to surprise her and bless her and we are going to create such a synergation that even we are going to be amazed at what God is about to do!
g. So you come to the meeting and we’ll talk about what God has laid upon your heart to do.
h. Let’s care about our youth 24/7 and not just Sundays only!
i. Let’s cooperate with each other and the Spirit of God and create some synergation around here!
j. Let’s ask God to move heaven and earth for these young people!
k. Some of them are right here with us in this service today, and they want to see whether we really care or we’re just flappin’ our jaws!
