Sermon 32
Sermon Preached by Brenda Williams at Wonersh 2nd July 2006
NEHEMIAH – Man of prayer and
action
Some lessons for us to ponder as we await the next
phase of development in this church.
BibleGateway.com
- Passage Lookup: Nehemiah;
NEW LEADER - In Ian Scott Thompson
who we welcome later this year.
NEW VISION – Will it be for growth, spiritually
and numerically.?
NEW COMMITMENTS – for each of us to each other
in the building up of the Christian community here and in reaching out into the
wider community to show what God can do through his praying people.
You, like Nehemiah and those he encouraged, have a
role to play in God’s purposes for his people here.
NEHEMIAH – an ordinary man – like one of
us became
-A LEADER who knew ‘The gracious hand of the
Lord was upon him’
-A LEADER who was moved by God to undertake a
seemingly impossible task.
His story, like that of Ruth and Esther, is what one
of the older members of our church calls ‘a ripping yarn(as
Colin told us 2 weeks ago)!
Nehemiah’s example has often encouraged and
inspired our family during good times and bad as we have sought to follow where
God has led us,
Special verses like Nehemiah 8, 10 ‘The joy of
the Lord will be your strength’ which was given to Malcolm and I on our
wedding day, and a friend sent it to me in its more complete form at
Malcolm’s Thanksgiving service, encouraging me with ‘Do not grieve,
the joy of the Lord is your strength’
This man Nehemiah, was a wine waiter in the court of
King Artaxerces at the winter palace in
Nehemiah was moved to tears, remembering the
jubilation that accompanied their return to their homeland and to
SO HE …. PRAYED
Not just a quick, arrow prayer – this needed
concentrated effort.
He needed to seek God’s guidance, to know if he
was the one for the task,
And to be sure that God would equip him with wisdom
and strength.
He prayed and fasted for several days –
including a pattern prayer, like the prayer Jesus taught us
In Nehemiah Ch 1-
He praises God for who he is and what
he has done
He confesses his sins and the sins of the people who
have neglected God’s laws.
He remembers with thankfulness God’s promises
and the way they been fulfilled in the people returning to
He became specific in his request, knowing if he was
to go and accomplish this task he would need the king’s permission.
He requested leave! He prayed finally -
‘Give your servant success today by granting me
favour in the presence of the king’
Prayer had nurtured Nehemiah’s faith in God.
Daily, reverent conversation with God, including listening as well as down to
earth requests, gives us the right to those arrow prayers in an emergency which
Nehemiah needed when he came face to face with the king.
RESULT!! God
granted him favour in the sight of the king
The king noticed his sad face (no emotion allowed in
front of His Majesty)
Nehemiah – the ordinary man was afraid!!
BUT
He replied with due respect then a brief explanation
Ch 2 v 3 “ May the king
live forever! Why should I not be sad when the city of my fathers lies in ruins”
The king’s immediate response must have come as
a bit of a shock. V 4 ‘What is it you want?’
God’s answers sometimes come sooner than we
think!
SO HE SENT UP AN ARROW PRAYER! “What do I say
now, Lord.
Then Nehemiah replied, the Lord prompting him,
‘Send me to the city so that I can rebuild it’
Another shock
‘How long will your journey take and when will you get back?’
Words then tumbled out – first he set the time,
then more requests, with God’s prompting, for safe conduct letters
through neighbouring countries(c/f visas),
and for letters to suppliers of timber for construction of the gates of
the city.
The king did even more – supplied escort of
officers and cavalry for the journey.
Nehemiah acknowledges God’s hand in it all
“Because the gracious hand of
my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.”
ALWAYS HE SAW
So with prayer, preparation and thanksgiving to God,
the adventure has begun.
How will the new leader make out? – How will the
people respond?
After a difficult journey, through inhospitable
territory, travelling in the cool part of the day, they arrive and Nehemiah
gives himself 3 days for rest and renewal, making sure he is at peace with
himself and in harmony with God’s will before starting to review the
situation and plan the strategy.
Working for God is never an easy option. A leaders always needs to take in before he can give out.
Nehemiah’s motto could have been
‘He prayed as if everything depended on prayer
and worked as if everything depended on work’ I’m not sure where this came from, but it was
inscribed on my husband’s study clock.
Nehemiah was a man who because of this kind of
commitment became an enabler, an encourager, and an inspiration to his work
force, in spite of opposition and discouragements. He had a dispirited company
of people to get alongside.
He had arrived and knew he had a difficult task to
accomplish and needed their full support.
Let’s pause in his story at this point-------
What is going to be your vision for this Christian
community?
What part are you going to play in it? Will you be a
dedicated supporter of the leadership? How will you respond to any criticism or
opposition to the church or its leadership future plans?
Nehemiah arrives in
1st HURDLE – extent of destruction
Nehemiah went out at night with just a few trusted
friends to view the state of the walls- they were worse than he had ever
expected, non existent in places, with rubble everywhere, gates probably been
chopped for firewood. He promptly gathered together the priests and the nobles,
laid out his plans and challenged them, fully identifying with them.
Ch 2 v17 READ Notice the ‘WE’ and
‘US’ throughout.
God’s work needs to be done in full
co-operation, not in isolation, leaving it to the leader.
Nehemiah inspired a positive response.
‘Let us start rebuilding’ they said. SO
THEY BEGAN THIS GOOD WORK. A great start!
2nd HURDLE (and 3rd,4th etc) – Sanballat
and Co
At first the local neighbouring rulers were disturbed
that someone had come to help the Jewish people – they had been profiting
from their weaknesses and were hoping to take over the land. They mocked and
ridiculed them and accused them of rebellion against the king.
CH 2v.20 Nehemiah’s bold defensive answer was
“The God of Heaven will give us success. We will start rebuilding. You
have no share or claim or historic right to the city.” God’s
work, by God’s people.
Chapter 3 is all about co-operation, detailed
planning, sharing of skills. Every individual listed – everyone important
to whole enterprise, like “every member ministry” within a local
church – all have a part to play)
(church in Thanet had
reputation – always at least
52 in congregation on Sunday as 52 on duty rotas.) rotas!!!)
Nehemiah was the inspiration for a community
enterprise. He had a bit of a run in with ‘the nobles’ who at first
thought they were above all this building work but he eventually got their
support.
3rd HURDLE – Sanballat
Again
Became incensed! Ridiculed the endeavour in front of
Samaritan army
Ch 4 v 2 – 3 “What are those feeble Jews
doing? Will they ever restore their wall? Can they bring the stones back to
life from those heaps of rubble?” His friend Tobiah
added, “Even a fox climbing on it would break down their wall!”
RESPONSE
PRAYER for
deliverance v 4 and 5 “ Hear us and help us O
God “
WORK - v 6 “THEY WORKED WITH ALL THEIR HEART”
– LOVELY PICTURE
THE WALL REACHED HALF IT’S HEIGHT.
4th HURDLE – Sanballat
and Co
Plotted to fight and stir up trouble
. Enlisted his allies.
Planned to take the city by surprise
Meanwhile labourers becoming tired – so much
rubble – others within and outside the city warned of imminent attack,and the labourers became
discouraged
RESPONSE
PRAYER to our God
WORK involving posting a guard day and night
–PRACTICAL SOLUTION
Extensive plans put in place to protect workers
– some on duty while others worked – all had weapons to hand in
case of attack. Total commitment was required.
Nehemiah addresses them
v.14 READ “ Remember the Lord who is great and
awesome, and fight to defend your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives
and you homes.” V 20 “ Our God will fight
for us” Stirring words when needed.
RESULT! – God had frustrated the enemies plans – they withdrew for a time, no longer
able to attack by surprise. Opposition from outside calmed down BUT
5th HURDLE – From within the ranks
Justice being demanded against greedy Jewish leaders
taking advantage of their poor countrymen by charging high interest rates on
loans, confiscating fields and vineyards in lieu of high taxes among other
injustices. This made it doubly hard for the men to be away from home on the
building project, leaving wives and children without income support.
Nehemiah had to turn his attention to challenging the
corruption and made the nobles and officials who had acted in this way take an
oath to rectify this. Nehemiah himself, acting as governor at the time took no
taxes of either silver or food and wine as former
governors had, showing by example that God’s people must be above
reproach.
RESPONSE
Ch 5 v 12 the nobles and officials responded to Nehemiah’s
wise, God inspired arguments, and said ‘We will not demand anything more
from them. We will do as you say.’
Example of the respect for Nehemiah’s leadership under God.
THE LAST HURDLE- Sanballat
of course!!
Finally walls finished except for the gates on their
frames.
Sanballat tries for negotiation – ‘come to meet me
at a village on the plains of Ono’
Nehemiah sent back a reply – O NO!
I’m not falling into that trap –
I’ve got the final bit of the project to finish. Why should I stop now?
Sent 4 times – wearing him down? O NO! O NO! O
NO! O NO!
Final letter – threatens to tell the King in
This is the last straw – Reply –
“Absolute rubbish!! The King knows and approves of all I’m doing
– and it’s God’s work anyway!”
Again and again Nehemiah prays throughout and
doesn’t give in to threats or discouragements.
Let us
pray against a Sanballat causing God’s people
and leadership here to be discouraged.
SO THE WALL WAS COMPLETED
Chapter 6 v 15 READ
THIS WORK HAS BEEN DONE WITH THE HELP OF OUR GRACIOUS
GOD
To think through
God can take ordinary men and women and transform them
into extraordinary leaders for His purposes.
God can take an ordinary job, like a building project,
and bring out the best work in people binding them together in unity,
witnessing to God in the neighbourhood.
God can take our ordinary prayers and through them
transform seemingly impossible situations into fantastic opportunities.
God will shower each of us with exceptional
experiences of His gracious hand at work in our lives, if we will let Him in to
direct every aspect of our lives.
Let us pray
May God grant our future leader the knowledge of
God’s gracious hand at work in all the good things he has planned for us.
May God give us all the grace to work and witness
together in unity as together we build, or rebuild on the foundations of our
faith.