Rebuilding with Prayer: Nehemiah 1

Luke 11:1Luke 11:1 Introduction “Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”” Introduction

Read Nehemiah 1:1-3 “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, 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. 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.””

The year is approximately 446 B.C., around 12 years after Ezra launched to Jerusalem with Wave #2.

Nehemiah was a counterpart to Ezra, but apparently wasn’t able to return with Ezra, presumably because of his important government position.

He was a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes (vs. 11).

A cupbearer was a highly placed political official who had the utmost trust of the King.

And one day as he was in the citadel of the King, "his brother” returned to Jerusalem.

Now we don’t know if this is a blood relative, or just a Jewish brother, but it was somebody who had actually seen the city of Jerusalem.

The city that Nehemiah had only heard rumors of. He had never set eyes on it himself, because by this point

at minimum 139 years had transpired from the time of exile to our text today.

So Nehemiah was born in captivity, and grown up in captivity.

And the news Nehemiah received was devestating.

Nehemiah 1:3 “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.””

The Walls are Broken Down

And this meant very dire consequences.

Broken walls meant frightening insecurity, negligible commercial development, and economic vulnerability.

But there is a much more serious consequence.

As we’ve stated consistently throughout Ezra, the people of Israel were the covenant people of God. Selected by God to live seperate from the world. To live in such a way that demonstrated the distinctiveness of their God.

In short, Israel was intended to be an outpost of God’s Kingdom on earth.

To show the world around them what abundant life looks like when a people submits to God, His Word, His Ways and His Will.

and Jerusalem, better known as the City of God, is an extension of this destiny.

It was the city of the people of God, and that city also served as a reflection of God.

Psalm 48:1-3 “Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King. Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress.”

Psalm 48:12-14 “Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever.”

Jerusalem, was a reflection of God.

So the walls being broken was in effect communicating to the nations around them, that their God was broken.

An insecure city represented an insecure God.

A vulnerable city represented a vulnerable God.

Broken Down Walls lend to an image of a Broken Down God.

Now listen as I make this segway here.

I do not adhere to Replacement Theology. Replacement Theology believes that the church has totally replaced the people of Israel.

I don’t believe that. I believe Israel has a future, and that Romans 11:1 rings true!“I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means!”

But I do believe in Covenantal Theology.

And as in the OT the People of Israel were the covenantal people of God, I believe that in the NT with the redemption found in Christ, the Church is the Covenatal People of God by grace.

We have been grafted in by grace.

So, as the people of Israel were to reflect God in the Old Covenant, now in Christ we THE CHURCH are to reflect our God.

We are to be an outpost of God’s Kingdom on earth, as it is in heaven.

We are to show the world around what abundant life looks like when a people submits to God, His Word, His Ways, and His Will.

But when we look at the church in the West, I’m afraid our walls are broken down.

Instead of representing a God that values unity, our walls are broken down by infighting over secondary theological or denominational matters.

Instead of representing a God that is moral, our walls are broken down with churches all across the country that have adopted and teaching there is no absolute morality, that morals are culturally defined.

Instead of representing a God that is rich in mercy and abundant in sacrificial love, our walls are broken down by projecting a God that is merciful only to particular political leanings, and sacrificial in love to those that agree with me.

Instead of representing a God that is worthy of our worship, our walls are broken down because many can’t even see God due to our platforming and worship of charismatic personalities and preachers that peddle the word of God for their own brand.

I fear that the walls of the big c church, the christian church, are broken down.

But the big c church is just made up of individual people who confess faith in the grace of Jesus.

So let’s get personal!?

How are you doing in your reflection of God?

When people look at your lives do they see God?

Or… are your walls broken down?

I think if we were honest we could all individually, and collectively use a little rebuilding.

& This is the story of Nehemiah.

A story that shows how God builds His church.

But not in the way that nehemiah has so frequently been abused!

This book has been so misused and abused to drive physical building campaigns, but. that’s not the point!

Nehemiah shows us not how God builds a physical church, but a spiritual one.

How he builds people on the inside— so that we individually and collectively exhibit the humility, purity, love, and zeal for God that we see in Jesus.

So that when people see us… they see Him

How does he build us? How does God build His church?

Nehemiah 1 shows us that God Builds His Church with Prayer.

We find Nehemiah praying 9x in this short little book, and chapter 1 is the most detailed of his prayers.

How many of you would say the following is true for you?

“I know that I should pray. I know I should pray more. I believe Jesus has called me to pray and expects me to pray. But… for some reason I just don’t.” Or at least when I do, I struggle.

I don’t know what to say.

It feels weird.

I get so distracted.

etc. etc.

Guess what, if that’s you, you’re in GREAT company.

Prayer is a learned discipline.

Luke 11. Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”

The disciples of Jesus had the greatest pray-er consistently model prayer, and even after observing it they point blank asked… Teach us to pray.

Prayer is a learned discipline.

All we need today is the humility of the disciples… to want to learn.

Because… God Builds His Church with Prayer.

So let’s read the remainder of our text, and learn How to Pray.

Nehemiah 1:4 “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.”

Alright, today is about prayer, but do you see what Nehemiah does to bring additional power to his praying?

He fasts! Fasting is the giving up of food, for a set time, for a spiritual purpose & for Nehemiah this purpose was to accentuate His prayers.

Andrew Murray writes, “Prayer is reaching out after the unseen; fasting is letting go of all that is seen and temporal. Fasting helps express, deepen, confirm the resolution that we are ready to sacrifice anything, even ourselves to attain what we seek for the kingdom of God.

Nehemiah as we are about to see, comes to God in prayer with a specific petition, he accompanies this petition with fasting that helps express his resolution in his petition.

Alright, let’s keep reading. Nehemiah 1:5-11

Nehemiah 1:5–11 ESV

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, 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. We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, 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.’ They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 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.

God Builds His Church with Prayer.

And the first thing we learn is that Prayer is Relational.

Prayer is Relational

Nehemiah 1:5 “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,”

God is Great & Awesome

Nehemiah dropped to his knees and began talking to a person. That person is God.

Now, instinctually, anybody can throw up a prayer to some unknown God. Its the phenomenon of Foxhole Religion.

Even the most staunch atheists will pray every now and then, and we do that, because as Romans 1 says, our conscniences bear witness that God must exist.

But a Christian doesn’t just pray with instinct.

We pray with knowledge.

The late Tim Keller defines prayer as a “personal, communicative response to the knowledge of God.”

You see Nehemiah was simply responding to a God that he knew… a God he knew personally, relationally.

He’s on his knees as a posture of humility because of his knowledge of God.

He knew that God was great and awesome… that in light of God’s greatness, Nehemiah had no right to approach Him. No business addressing Him. God is utterly Transcendent.

He doesn’t come to God arrogantly demanding that His petition be heard and granted.

He comes informed. Informed that before such a great God, he is nothing… and demonstrates his humility by bowing and addressing himself as servant in v6.

God is transcendent, and consequently Nehemiah comes Empty Handed.

But… he does not come uninvited.

Nehemiah knew God transcendent, but he also knew God is intimate.

That he is loving, and desirious of communion!

The word there is hesed.

Often translated goodness, kindness, mercy, steadfast in love.

Nehemiah knew that God, solely based on who He is, still invites and welcomes all who seek him.

Church do you know God?

Do you know how empty-handed you must come before a God so great and awesome?

A God who is Holy, Holy, Holy, and because of His greatness He is utterly unapproachable by you. Transcendent!?

In prayer, you must come empty-handed with that knowledge.

But… you also come invited.

Do you know God as Hesed. Unconditional in His loving kindness. That inspite of His greatness, he still seeks an a nearness with you relationally?

Although, you don’t deserve access to the knowledge of God, or to even address Him relationally, He has made a way for you because He is a covenant God, steadfast in His love.

Hebrews 10:19-22 “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith...”

Because of God’s love, Jesus took all of God’s Awesomeness upon Himself, so that now through faith in Him, you can draw near to God.

Do you know this God? The God that is Transcendent, yet in Christ Intimate?

Prayer is personal response to the knowledge of God.

Keller again “prayer then is profoundly altered by the amount and accuracy of that knowledge.”

If you want to grow in Prayer, we must grow in Knowledge of God

And the clearer our understanding of who God is, the better our prayers will be.

And fortunately for us, Nehemiah shows us where we can grow in this knowledge.

Point #2 Prayer is Scriptural

Prayer is Scriptural

Prayer is Scriptural

In 1648 the churches of England, Scotland, and Ireland formed an assembly to create some basic questions and answers that could be used to instruct others in the basic principles of the Christian Faith.

The result: The Westminster Shorter Catechism. This work has been used for centuries in the development and maturation of faith, and I highly recommend each of you to grow familiar with it.

But Question 1 asks: What is the chief end of man?

A: The Chief End of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.

Do hear the relational nature found in the purpose of your existence. You're primary purpose as a creation of God to enjoy God forever. To be in ongoing, deepeing relationship with Him.

Question 2 then asks: What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him?

A: The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him.

Church, Prayer is Relational and the more we know God the better praying becomes. And the means in which God has provided for us to Know Him is His Word.

Prayer is Scriptural

Throughout this prayer Nehemiah draws on several passages from the book of Deuteronomy.

Verse 8 = Deut 28:74, V 9= Deut 30:1-4 & Deut 12:5.

In verse 10 he quotes the words in which Moses had pleaded for Israel on Mount Sinai from Deuteronomy 9:29.

Prayer is Scriptural.

Church, this is why I so desperately want you in the Word of God early and often. We want this book in your hands, in your head, and in your heart.

Not so you can check if off your to do list.

Not that you can win some spiritual points for bible knowledge.

“Well I know all 66 books of the Bible.”

But that you might KNOW GOD.

Not know about Him, but to Know HIM, and there is a huge difference!

You can have a cognitive knowledge of God, and have demons as your companions. For demons knew about God.

Pharisees knew about God.

I’m not talking about cognitive knowledge, but experiential knowledge.

Experiential Knowledge

How many of you took HS Spanish?

How many of you can actually speak spanish!

I took HS Spanish and passed everyone of my tests, and made an A in the class.

But I can’t speak a lick of spanish. Why!?

Because our language learning methodolgoy was to accumulate a bunch of facts, put words on flash cards, memorize…

But knowledge accumulation did not aid me one bit in my lived experience.

The Scriptures are intended to be lived, intended to be applied, which inevitably leads to a personal encounter and experience with God.

Nehemiah had studied the Word of God

He cognitively understood that God was Great and Awesome. And He cognitively understood that God was kind and loving.

But as we will see next week, he finally gets his moment and lays his request before King Artaxerxes.

He tells the King he wants to go. To lead the rebuild. And for the materials to do it.

Nehemiah 2:8 “And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.”

Nehemiah studied the Word and knew from Moses, God is faithful in love, but now… now He had his own testimony!

He had his own experienience with the faithfulness of God.

And this is what happens when you put your cognitive knowledge of God to the test, and He comes through ...

It leads to a deeper love and adoration and trust in God, which inevitably strengthens your relationship.

So now… you can even more glorify Him and enjoy Him forever.

Psalm 62—

There was an extended season of my life where my character, integrity and reputation was constantly attacked.

It was devestating for me. I couldn’t sleep. I had no appetite. The stress was emotional, physical, and spiritual. It was impacting my marriage, and other relationships. It was tough.

As part of my Bible reading I came across Psalm 62.

David had been unjustly maligned and persecuted by Saul and writes,

Psalm 62:3-4 “How long will all of you attack a man to batter him, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence?

I read that late one night, and just started weeping. That’s how I felt. A leaning wall… a tottering fence.

One more blow and I’m done. I can’t withstand this anymore.

But the Psalm continues… Psalm 62:5-7 “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.”

That night I began to pray that Psalm. I cognitively understood that God is a rock and a refuge. But as I stood on the Truth of His Word, and began Praying the Truth of His Word my cognitive knowledge became experiential.

I was eventually vindicated from all the character attacks, and I came out of that season KNOWING God as my rock and refuge.

So now… when my character is attacked, I don’t stress too much, just run to my all familiar refuge.

Prayer is Scriptural, for the Scriptures lead us into experiential knowledge of God.

Thirdly, prayer is confessional.

Prayer is Confessional

Nehemiah 1:6-7 “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. We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses.”

As Nehemiah reflects on who God is, He is subsequently reminded to who He is.

Church, as you grow in your knowledge of God, you will simultaneously grow in your knowledge of self.

Graph

What this image shows is that the longer you walk with God, and better you get to know Him the more your awareness of His Holiness grows.

Not His holiness… He is forever Holy and never changes, but your awareness of it grows.

Which then, by default should grow your awareness of your own sinfulness.

Which as those 2 things get further and further apart, the cross, the hesed of God grows bigger and bigger.

Nehemiah got this.

He made no excuses for the plight of Israel or Jerusalem.

They had brought this upon themselves.

Nehemiah made no excuses

He didn’t blame their plight on Babylon or others.

He didn’t loathe his circumstances, or the Samaritans and their resistance.

He didn’t even blame it on the devil!

Nehemiah understood that it was SIN, not the destoryed walls, that was the actual root of their problems.

Before petitioning God, Nehemiah knew he had to get right with God.

Church, we have got to understand this. Prayer is Confessional.

We are so quick to excuse or blame away the broken walls of the church, why God seems to be so misrepresented today.

But the fact that we collectively misrepresent God has nothing to do with who’s in office, your kids access to technology, the state of public schools, the busyness of your job, or russia or china, or even the devil!

This whole blame game has been around since the Garden of Eden when Adam, under the microscope of God’s penetrating love said, “The woman made me do it!” and then Eve quickly chimes in, “The serpent made me do it!”

Sin in your heart is the root of our problems… broken down walls is just the fruit.

Therefore, before Nehemiah launches into dealing with the fruit he severes the ROOT!

As you Pray Relationally, informed Scripturally, allow the knowledge of God to lead you to Pray Confessionally.

And you don’t need to fear…

He knows already. Everything lies exposed before Him.

But He is HESED. The cross is big enough to bridge the gap of your sin.

Listen if you’re new to church, you need to know that you don’t have to clean yourself up to come to God.

Murder. Abortion. Adultery. Some of the sins that attach such a deep seated shame, but if you come to the Cross of CHrist confessionally guess what!?

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

You don’t have to clean yourself up… He in his love promises to clean you.

How many x’s! 70x7

Psalm 103:10-14 “He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

He is Transcendent, but He is also Intimate

so Pray confessionally.

Last but not least,

Prayer is Supplicational

Prayer is Supplicational

Now, for all the English Masters in the room… I need to come clean. Supplicational isn’t a word… I made it up because it was killing me to have Relational, Scriptural, Confessional, and then end with Supplication… So I’m going to say… Prayer is Supplicational

Supplication

Websters says Supplication= the act of asking for something humbly and earnestly.

Prayer in its simplest form is asking.

Spurgeon says, “Like it or not, asking is the rule of the Kingdom.”

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said,

Matthew 7:7-8 ““Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”

James 4:2-3 “You do not have, because you do not ask.

To pray is to Ask. And that’s exactly how Nehemiah closes out his prayer.

He has prayed relationally, Scripturally, and confessionally now he gets to the ask…

Nehemiah 1:11 “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.”

Nehemiah’s knew he had to do something about the broken down walls, but he was a slave in the court of Artaxerxes.

So for him to have any chance at repairing the walls, he needed favor and mercy from Artaxerxes. He needed his blessing.

That was the petition… “when I get the chance to make my request known to the King… give me mercy God.”

And Nehemiah’s prayer was answered! God heard and responded to his asking… you know why!?

2 Reasons

First, because God is Good!

Matthew 7:9-11 “Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

Remember, Prayer is Relational. And the person you are addressing in your supplication is eternally good. He is such a good father, and if you as a sinful father know how to give good gifts to your children… how much more will our Perfect Father in heaven!

He loves to respond to the prayers of his children.

But you may think… if that’s true, why then do my prayers go unanswered.

Oh, now your beginning to press into the mystery of prayer. And I don’t hold all the answers to that question.

But Scripture gives one.

James 4:3 “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”

Oftentimes, our supplications aren’t granted because our motives out of alignment with the will of God.

And here lies the 2nd reason I believe Nehemiah’s prayer was granted.

Secondly, he asked according to God’s will.

1 John 5:14 “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.”

How could Nehemiah be so assured that his motives were right!

Well because he didn’t just launch into supplication.

He began relationally. Remembering who he was talking to.

He prayed scripturally. Reminded of the will of God.

He prayed confessionally. Emptying himself of any sinful motives.

So consequently he prayed supplicationally.

But let me tune you into one more secret here in Nehemiah’s Prayer life.

Pray Persistently

It’s easy to read this account and assume it all happened in a 3 minute time frame one day.

But this prayer recorded here is just a summary of Nehemiah’s persistent prayer that took place over the course of 4 months.

Look at verse 1. --- Chislev

Look at 2:1— Nisan

That’s 4 months.

Nehemiah made supplication for 4 months before the answer was granted.

In Luke 11 after Jesus gave his disciples the model prayer he says this:

Luke 11:5-10 “And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence

Pray with Persistence. Ask, and keep on asking. Seek, and keep on seeking. Knock and keep on knocking.

For 4 months Nehemiah asked, and next week we will see the answer to prayer.

Conclusion

How did Nehemiah go about rebuilding the Walls of Jerusalem.

He did it with Prayer.

How does God go about building the church today?

He does it with Prayer.

And as we’ve learned today:

Prayer is Relational

Prayer is Scriptural

Prayer is Confessional

Prayer is Supplicatinoal

Now listen, if you’ve never run before I’d encourage walking 10 min a day, not signing up for a marathon.

The marathon will only discourage you.

And if prayer is new to you, the same principle applies.

I’d encourage you to do this:

Take 5 min each day this week:

Open up Psalm 103 and read it.

Then talk to God Relationally in light of who He is Scripturally.

Then talk to God confessionally especailly in light of that Psalm.

Then finally, make one ask. One supplication everday this week.

“Teach me to Pray.”

Let me pray.