A Conversation With The King (Part 2)
Notes
Transcript
Review
Review
Turn to Nehemiah 2:5-8.
In the opening verses of chapter two, Nehemiah began a conversation with the king of Persia, but it didn’t start exactly like Nehemiah would have wanted. Nehemiah had been thinking about how to have this conversation with the king, but he certainly didn’t intend to start it by appearing sorrowful and distressed. Because of this situation, Nehemiah was afraid, but he courageously brought his burden to the king. In a fleeting moment, he prayed to the God of Heaven, and then made his request to the king.
Introduction
Introduction
Read Nehemiah 2:4-8.
Finish up message from last week.
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The prayer in the conversation - Nehemiah 2:4.
This prayer was very different from the one we witnessed in chapter one. This prayer was short, silent, and deadly serious. Nehemiah doesn’t tell us here, but I wonder what he actually prayed.
“Lord God, please help me.”
One writer refers to this as a “telegraph prayer.” You might call it an “emergency prayer.” We’re going to see Nehemiah do this multiple times in this book. How could he pray like this and have confidence that God would hear? The answer is because he had already been praying and fasting about this for the last four months. He had already been working the soil. The field had already been plowed by prayer. Now it was time to plant the seed in the heart of the king and to trust God for the harvest.
In a fleeting moment, he prayed to the God of Heaven, and then presented his case.
Read slowly:
Application: Christian, you won’t have confidence that God hears your emergency prayers unless you first spend time with Him in seasons of prayer. He might hear your prayer, but you won’t have confidence without the seasons of prayer. Get alone with God like Nehemiah did in chapter one. Get to know Him in prayer and then you’ll have confidence that He hears you in a crisis moment like this.
We are all familiar with the date, July 4th, 1776. That was the day that the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence and renounced our allegiance to the king of England. Perhaps you don’t know about another important date that was just one year earlier, on July 5th, 1775. On that day, another vitally important document was adopted by the Continental Congress. It was called the Olive Branch Petition. It was a formal request that Congress sent to the king as a final attempt to prevent war from being declared.
John Dickinson, a delegate from Pennsylvania, also the namesake of Dickinson College in Carlisle, lead this effort to maintain peace with the homeland. He carefully worded the document so as to cast the blame for their grievances not on the king, but on Parliament and on the king’s royal officials. The petition requested several things:
The removal of British troops from the colonies.
The repeal of certain laws and taxes.
And a return to a mutually beneficial relationship between Britain and the colonies.
Finally, it emphasized the colonist’s loyalty to the British crown and their hope that their rights as his citizens would be respected.
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The request in the conversation - Nehemiah 2:5, 7-8.
Much like our colonial forefathers made a request of their king, Nehemiah finds himself making a request of his king here in Nehemiah chapter two.
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He requested with respect and humility
Nehemiah addressed the king with respect and humility. He knew that if you wanted a favor from the most powerful man on the planet, you better ask nicely.
Application: It amazes me that people today sometimes have such an entitled attitude that they will demand things from those that are in authority over them - things that they have no right to demand. It’s completely backwards! You don’t demand anything of someone who is over you. Here’s some examples:
Christian, you don’t get to demand things of God. That’s not an option.
You don’t get to demand good health
You don’t get to demand a large bank account
You don’t get to demand an easy life
Jesus said that the Father knows how to give good gifts to His children, so you can request. You can ask nicely. But don’t come to Him making demands. To put it mildly, that doesn’t impress the God of Heaven very much.
Young people, don’t demand things of your parents. Demanding things of your parents is an insult to the Lord and His design for the home. You should be thankful that they provide you with the necessities of life. But you have no basis to demand that they pay for your amenities also like a phone, a car, or your speeding tickets. A young person with a demanding and entitled attitude may get what they want from their parents, but they won’t get very far in life because that attitude doesn’t work in the real world.
If you need to make a request of someone, do it with respect and humility.
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He requested to build Jerusalem
Read Nehemiah 2:5.
Notice something, Nehemiah never says the name of the city. Perhaps he was wisely avoiding this because a few years earlier, in Ezra chapter four, the king had been told that Jerusalem was a rebellious and bad city. Instead, Nehemiah simply asks to rebuild the city of his forefathers.
This was a big favor to ask of the king, as Nehemiah was well aware. But this was a big step for Nehemiah also.
He showed tremendous courage!
He exemplified servant leadership!
He signaled that he was willing to leave a comfortable life and to embrace a hard life!
Application: God give us men like Nehemiah! Men that aren’t desperate for power and authority but who will step up when God calls them to do so! Men that will volunteer! That was Nehemiah!
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He requested authority and support
Read Nehemiah 2:7-8.
Verses six, seven, and eight give the clearest indication that Nehemiah had thought this conversation through. He had prepared for this moment, even if it didn’t start out the way he envisioned.
In verse six, he had answers to all of the king’s questions.
In verses seven and eight, he knew what he needed and who he needed to talk to. He knew the name of the man that supervised the King’s forest. Now here’s a little detail that caught my interest: Asaph is a Hebrew name. It is not Chaldean or Persian. It is a Hebrew name. Do you think it’s possible that the God of Heaven put a Jewish man in charge of the king’s forest over in Judah? And He did that so Nehemiah would have access to the wood needed to rebuild the gates of Jerusalem?
It’s speculation, but that’s the God that I serve.
This much is certain: Nehemiah had done his homework.
The king’s cupbearer in Iran wouldn’t normally have any reason to know the name of the official in charge of the regional forest over in Judah, but Nehemiah knew that information. As Nehemiah stepped out in faith to lead this project, he did what he could to ensure its success.
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The permission in the conversation - Nehemiah 2:6.
You may be wondering, “How did the king of England receive the Olive Branch Petition?”
Well, by the time the document reached the king, he had already declared that the colonies were in open rebellion and they needed to be suppressed. He refused to even read the petition. That decision may have been one of the greatest mistakes of his reign.
Thank God that Artaxerxes, the Persian king, was a little more rational than that! Nehemiah’s request pleased King Artaxerxes. Permission was granted.
It’s important to understand verse six in the context of the bigger picture. Yes, permission was granted, but something bigger than that happened in verse six.
Prayers were answered!
Nehemiah had been praying for this very moment for the last four months! He prayed for mercy in the sight of the king (Nehemiah 1:11)! That’s exactly what he received.
Application: One of the greatest joys of the Christian life is seeing God answer prayer.
Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
Answered prayer is one of the greatest joys of a personal relationship with the God of Heaven.
Our church has seen answers to prayer already this year.
We regularly pray that more people will accept Christ as their savior. We’ve seen that already this year.
We often pray that God will move in people’s hearts. We pray that we’ll see spiritual growth in our church. I asked God to stir us up and convict us through the Kollmeyer’s ministry two weeks. God did that! I know that God has been working among us already this year!
I had been praying for some good estimates to replace the roof on this building. It’s looking like God has answered that prayer!
It’s exciting to see God do these things. Maybe we should ask Him for even greater things!
Does our God enjoy answering prayer?
Yes!
And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
If you ask the Lord for something in faith, you will receive. Now you might not always receive exactly what you ask for, but that’s because He knows what you need better than you do! Whatever He gives will be better for you than whatever you asked for!
Application: When you have a specific need, pray specifically so you can see God work specifically. Nehemiah prayed for mercy in the sight of the king and God gave Nehemiah his request. The king said, “permission granted!”
“Permission to do what”, you might ask. It was permission not only to build the walls of Jerusalem, but also to serve as the appointed governor over Judah.
I’ll show you a verse where we’ll see this in a moment but first, I want you to notice one more detail found in verse six. At the very end of the verse it says that Nehemiah “set him a time.” Nehemiah gave a timeframe on when he expected to return to Shushan the palace in Iran. However long that time was, Nehemiah probably had to get it extended later on.
It was the twentieth year of Artaxerxes’s reign when this conversation took place. By the thirty-second year of the king, he is still serving as governor from Jerusalem.
Read Nehemiah 5:14.
Nehemiah was given authority to serve as governor over Judah and to build the walls of Jerusalem. He would serve in this capacity for twelve years during his first term in office.
We’ve seen the request and the permission in the conversation, now thirdly…
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The blessing of God over the conversation - Nehemiah 2:7-8.
The king saw fit to grant every aspect of Nehemiah’s request. Nehemiah saw it as being something much greater: the blessing of God.
Read Nehemiah 2:8b.
The king granted the request, but God moved the heart of the king.
The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever he will.
Nehemiah finished his work that day. When he got home, he sat down and and thought about everything that had transpired.
He thought about his heavy heart that morning as he served the king.
He remembered the fear that gripped his heart when the king noticed his sorrow.
He thought about his quick prayer and then his step of faith as he began telling the king of his burden.
He thought about his request to rebuild the walls and to lead the people.
He thought about the king’s permission and how that he would now serve as the governor of Judah.
Through it all, one point was clear in his mind: God had done this! God had granted his request! God had blessed this conversation. Look what God had done!
Conclusion
Conclusion
Christian, these are the kinds of victories you see when you step out in faith and do what God wants you to do. These are the kinds of joys you experience when you take God at His Word and you obey Him.
Stepping out in faith and obedience is not easy. It will cost you some security. It will take you beyond your comfort level. It may include some moments of fear, of doubt, and of desperate pleading with God.
In Nehemiah’s case, signing up to lead the reconstruction of Jerusalem included moments of fear.
But seeing God’s blessing upon you? That’s priceless.
That’s what Nehemiah experienced in A Conversation With The King.
Invitation
Invitation
Unsaved: salvation
Saved: Nehemiah showed great courage in this conversation. He didn’t let fear hold him back from doing what God wanted him to do.
What fears are holding you back from doing the will of God?
Is fear turning you into a closet Christian when you’re around a certain group of people? Maybe at school? Maybe at work? Maybe around your neighbors, friends, or family? It’s time to be real. It’s time to Be Committed. It’s time to be a courageous Christian.
Start taking measurable steps faith. Leave the shadow Christianity behind. Boldly follow Christ and see God work greatly in and through your life.
