Nehemiah (Part 5)

Intro

Now we changed our sub-header it to - IS IT WORTH FIGHTING FOR ?

Q. What creates a renewal of commitment ? What makes it worth fighting for?

A refocus of purpose inspires a renewal of commitment.

1. THE COMMON CHALLENGES THAT CONFRONTED GOD’S PEOPLE (4.1-12)

These challenges can be expected, so don’t get upset when they come.

A. Insults from Governor Sanballat (4.1, 2)

B. Enemy attacks (4.6-8)

C. Discouragement (4.10)

D. Fear

Fear can bring paralyses.

2. THE COMMON PURPOSE THAT COMPELLED GOD’S PEOPLE (4.13, 14)

A. God’s Greatness.

B. Family and home

3. THE COMMON COMMITMENT THAT BROUGHT COHESION AMONG GOD’S PEOPLE (4.15-23)

A. Half of the people worked

B. Half of the people stood guard

CHALLENGE

I broke this down into 5 summary points

Is to understand you have a Purpose, Get a Vision, Be Encouraged

Pray, WORK

Today we are going to talk about

CONFRONTING WRONGDOING - A Recipe for Good Leadership

Nehemiah 5:1–19 (ESV)

1 Now there arose a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers.

2 For there were those who said, “With our sons and our daughters, we are many. So let us get grain, that we may eat and keep alive.”

3 There were also those who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain because of the famine.”

4 And there were those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards. ( it was about 12%)

5 Now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children are as their children. Yet we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but it is not in our power to help it, for other men have our fields and our vineyards.”

6 I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words.

7 I took counsel with myself, and I brought charges against the nobles and the officials. I said to them, “You are exacting interest, each from his brother.” And I held a great assembly against them

8 and said to them, “We, as far as we are able, have bought back our Jewish brothers who have been sold to the nations, but you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us!” They were silent and could not find a word to say.

9 So I said, “The thing that you are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies?

10 Moreover, I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us abandon this exacting of interest.

11 Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the percentage of money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them.”

12 Then they said, “We will restore these and require nothing from them. We will do as you say.” And I called the priests and made them swear to do as they had promised.

13 I also shook out the fold of my garment and said, “So may God shake out every man from his house and from his labor who does not keep this promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied.” And all the assembly said “Amen” and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.

14 Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the food allowance of the governor.

15 The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them for their daily ration forty shekels of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But I did not do so, because of the fear of God.

16 I also persevered in the work on this wall, and we acquired no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work.

17 Moreover, there were at my table 150 men, Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us.

18 Now what was prepared at my expense for each day was one ox and six choice sheep and birds, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. Yet for all this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because the service was too heavy on this people.

19 Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people.

POINT – If Satan can’t stop you from outside forces he will start working on the inside of the camp – and some of the concerns are very real. Moses for example had the same challenges

*****No matter how high and how thick the wall was going to be built, it will only stop outside attacks, you have to be prepared for inside ones as well.

POINT – God is very concerned about the helpless, the disenfranchised, those that have been taken advantage of - especially by the hands of his own people.

KEY Question

Leaders tackle problems head on and set an example of godly living for others to follow. So How do we deal with injustice?

OVERVIEW

Not only did Nehemiah deal with problems from outside enemies, he also had to deal with conflict within his own group. The rich were taking advantage of the poor by charging them high interest rates on loans. In order to survive, families were forced to sell their children into slavery (5.1-5). People who were united by working together were now torn apart. Nehemiah brought the problem into the light and led the people by setting an example of godly living.

SERMON OUTLINE

1. DIRECTLY ADDRESS A PROBLEM

A. Nehemiah questioned unjust leaders in private (5.7)

B. Nehemiah showed the importance of the problem by bringing it to light at a public meeting (5.7b, 8)

One of the problems I see for Christians are falling into is the trap of “quiet objection”

– We call it Meekness when actuality it is nothing more than cowardice.

– We vacate instead of fight

- The Enemy has won many battles because Christians never showed up to fight.

- Christ was very public- He never had a difficult time going into the Synagogue run by people who were in many ways the enemy ( Pharisees and Sadducees) – He kicked over a few tables in His day

QUESTION – How many have you kicked over? – Im not talking about debating with one another, We are very good at that

Christians should be a force to be reckoned with

- We are a confused lot – How about this for a little toughness- How about Matthew 18 principle- three strikes your out.

We don’t have prayer in school because we didn’t fight for it-

We are not called to enable people in their sin, we are called to help get them out of it- We are called to redeem and care- The Good Samaritan got his hands dirty- spent time energy and money on someone hurting. He was active not passive- He didn’t go down the other road.

2. EXEMPLIFY GOD-HONORING BEHAVIOR

A. Nehemiah explained that people can honor God by the way they live (5.9)

EPH 4:1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

Sometimes the most dangerous enemies of the Gospel come from within the camp

3. COMMIT TO THE SOLUTION

A. Nehemiah personally committed to changing his behavior (5.10)

B. Nehemiah asked the leaders to return property and repay in full (5.11)

What is the solution? – Leaders ask for solutions – they are not stuck on the problems.

Can you apply this today to a situation you are going thru right now.

4. ENSURE ACCOUNTABILITY

A. Nehemiah had the leaders make a promise, in front of the priests (5.12)

Pray for the fear of God – Even the one criminal on the cross,

Luke 23:39-41

39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

POINT – if you won’t be accountable to God you won’t be accountable to men or fear them

B. As a result, the leaders kept their promise and praised God (5.13)

5. AVOID ENTITLEMENTS

A. Out of respect for God, Nehemiah refused to accept the food he was allowed so that he did not burden others (5.14, 15)

People don’t understand – and it becomes a burden

6. LEAD BY EXAMPLE

A. Nehemiah kept focused on the main priority of rebuilding the wall (5.16) STAY FOCUSED

B. Nehemiah served others rather than taking advantage of his food allowance (5.17)

CONCLUSION

Find out if the poor are being exploited in your city. Use Nehemiah’s example to put together a plan that confronts wrongdoing and helps those who have been affected by injustice.