Called to Repair

HOOK

INTRO

Meet & Greet Intro myself

Where to Start

As I was thinking about what sermon series and where to begin with here at Camp Herkus

Having a sense of heaviness and worry these last few weeks.

I know for the last few weeks just watching the news I’ve felt a sense of heaviness. I don’t know about you, but with remembering 9/11, Russian drones, and Charlie Kirt assassination I’ve felt as if major things around me are happening out of my control. Things that even if I tried to fix, its too big for me to even try and it seems like its all hitting at once. I’ve felt this sense of uneasiness. What do you do with this? How do you handle whats happening? Where do you go?

With that feeling of heaviness

The Story of Nehemiah helps to guide us through these struggles as he himself had a similar struggle. A man that watched helplessly his own people suffer and his hope dashed is moved by God to do something about it and I want to start understanding how Nehemiah responded to God when he felt life uncertainties come at him.

PRAYER

Jesus, we ask you to come in this place lord. We know that you are doing a work here within us and within Lithuania even before any US force arrived. Lord I pray as we begin our deployment and for those that are ending their deploymen that we have safe transition.I pray that this becomes a normal routined deployment and I pray for 3-69 as they depart.

BOOK

TEXT/PASSAGE

NEHEMIAH CH 1

CONTEXT-

AUTHOR/DATE-

Before getting into Nehemiah and all that we just read we need to do some context of the story. The name Nehemiah means “The Lord Comfort” Kind of a fitting name for him as he is seeking comfort from God hearing about Jerusalem. But why is Nehemiah asking about Jerusalem in the first place? Better yet, why is a Jewish man found serving a Persian King?

HISTORICAL-

We believe Nehemiah’s story is set around the time 410-408 BCE. If you rewind back to around 539 BCE another empire named Babylon had conquered the southern kingdom of Israel called Judah. What Babylon did to have control of the region they would disperse the people of that region. In other words they take all the rich smart wealthy influential people and bring them back to Babylon. Then, they would take other displaced people and reestablish them in that region. This was the way Babylon felt they could control its empire.

Shortly after Babylon takes over Judah, Persia is on the rise and they take over Babylon. So now the Jewish people are subject to a conquered, conquered empire. What was different is that Persia had a opposite idea of the people it conquered. Instead of taking them out of the land, they sent them back to their original home lands.

This happens in 539 BCE with Cyrus issue a proclamation permitting all refugees to return homeward. So Jewish people are coming back to Israel and settling down, rebuilding, and reclaiming back their homelands. Prior to Chapter one of this book another man named Ezra, which his book is before Nehemiah went back 13 years ago to settle. It’s important to see that the people in Ezra 7:7 where priest, singers, and gatekeepers. In other words, they were going with the plan on rebuilding the temple of God.

Nehemiah’s question we believe either to his brother or a relative of his was wanting to know what was the update of Ezras efforts.

THEOLOGICAL THEMES-

Imagine the wondering of Nehemiah? I don’t know how long he thought this question. Maybe it popped in his head, or maybe he was thinking of it for a long time and when he saw his chance he was curious. And Nehemiah gives away how he truly felt hearing about the walls.

Walls meant security

Walls meant Temple building

Walls meant Judicial system

Nehemiah’s question was more than about the rebuild, but that rebuilding reconnecting back to God.

In other words no walls meant no judicial system and now return of God back to his dwelling place. Which if God did, then Israel would be restored back to its former glory.

TENSION IN TEXT-

I think Nehemiah echoes a lot of what is happening within the soul of our time right now. A sense of lost and hopelessness. When I was in college in my psycology class they told us that the demographic with the highest rate of suicide was older retired men. They didn’t have anything to live for and they attempted. Just these last few years studies are coming out that on the rise, young teenage groups are starting to take over that place. How sad is this. What is going on in our time where this is a thing.

Nehemiah heard the story probably many times the failing of his peoples walking away from God. Generation after generation slowly moving away to where they couldn’t make themselves out from the next kingdoms on earth. Israel was to be set apart. A becconing light to the rest of the the kingdoms of what true relationship looks like and they failed. It lead to there down fall and Nehemiah, man he just hopes one day, it will come back.

I don’t know what your facing what struggle or trial in your life. Maybe your also dealing with this heavy feeling of where am I at in life? slowly you’ve drifted away. Maybe your dealing with a personal struggle, marriage, finance, even doubting God. Maybe your belief in Jesus has been challenged and you’ve stopped coming to him. Maybe you got contempt I don’t know, but what i do know is that I talk to enough people that their is this sense of heaviness wearing on the heart man like Nehemiah, I have this hope of revival in our world where people are coming to Jesus and my life gets better. But like Nehemiah, I’ve had set backs. Or maybe the news you were hoping to get has crushed you and now your left doubting, questioning, wondering that age old question If their is a good and loving God, why does he allow this to happen.

I love what it says here because what Nehemiah does next is so profound and yet simple. Verse four says he stopped or sat, weptd, mourned, fasted, and prayed.

To be honest I’m the opposite. I’m a stress eater. It’s more like I don’t a pizza, donut, beer, and then I’ll cry. I don’t about you but that’s how I am.

Story of my baseball team getting cut.

However, Nehemiah shows great spiritual discipline for us to see that he stopped and prayed.

He stopped, his hopes gone, probably some doubt, maybe anger, I don’t know but before he made an action, he made an appeal to God.

In other words, Nehemiah humbled himself.

He didn’t lash out yell, accuse, scheme to make this right he positioned himself before God, God I’m going to give you my grief, I’m going to empty physically out myself and and now I’m broken and hopeless and I need you.

For the rest of this book, it begins the dialogue of God responding to this prayer and empowering Nehemiah. God answers back and now the restoration of Jerusalem will begin.

What this little thing Nehemiah tells us about God is this.

GTT- God restores humble hearts but humbles harden hearts.

LOOK

BE- A person of prayer

More often than nought, I tend to complain more than I do pray more. I’ll be honest about that. Nehemiah sought seeking God first before anything else.

He appealed to God before he took action.

Story at camp prayer

KNOW- The Lord is true to his word

One of the most important things about this prayer that Nehemiah says is reminding God of his reminders.

Vs 5 he says- awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love

Vs 9- Nehemiah reminds God bringing people back to him both literally and spiritually.

Nehemiah has not lost hope in God, but I think he’s being honest he’s probably feeling I believe, but it’s getting hard for me to see how.

However, God time and time again comes through in ways that both we and the people of Israel do not see.

DO- Prioritize grief to God

TOOK

CONCLUSION-

IMPLICATION- Where are you broken that God needs to begin rebuilding?

APPLICATION- How can you humble yourself before God?

PRAYER