Rebuilding Begins with Borkenness

Series: Restoring What Is Broken with God’s help

Opening Theme.

Need.

Question.

Main Principal.

Outline.

Opening Story

A few years ago, a man bought his childhood home. It had been in the family for generations. He hadn’t seen it in decades.

From the outside, it looked… fine.

The paint was faded, but intact.

The structure was still standing.

But when he walked inside, everything changed.

The floor sagged.

The wiring was unsafe.

Water damage had rotted the beams.

Mold had crept into places no one could see.

Here’s the thing—

That house didn’t collapse overnight.

It decayed slowly. Quietly.

While no one was paying attention.

And the inspector said something that stuck:

“The most dangerous damage is the damage you get used to.”

Nothing would change unless someone:

Acknowledged how bad it really was

Took responsibility for addressing it

Was willing to invest time, resources, and comfort to restore it

That’s the situation with the Book of Nehemiah

Chapter 1 isn’t about walls.

It’s about what happens when someone finally stops pretending everything is fine.

God restores what is broken—

but only when someone is willing to see it, own it, and step into it.

Nehemiah 1:1–11 ESV

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.” 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. 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.

Step 1: When we are studying the Old Testament it is important to understand the “first audience” or those living in that time so that we can understand the author’s meaning to themm before we start trying to apply meaning to us.

The Text in Their Town

Nehemiah 1 opens far from Jerusalem, in Susa, the capital of the Persian Empire, around 445 BC. Nehemiah is about 900 miles or around 4 months travel by camel

Jerusalem technically exists again:

The temple has been rebuilt (Zerubbabel)

Worship has been restored (Ezra)

But the walls are still destroyed

To the original audience, this meant:

God’s people were exposed

God’s city was shamed

God’s promises looked unfinished

Meanwhile, Nehemiah is not suffering.

He is the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes:

Trusted with the king’s life

Constant access to power

Wealth, safety, comfort, influence

This is not a rags-to-riches story.

This is a comfort-to-conviction story.

When Nehemiah hears the report. Look at verse 4 (underline) tells us he:

Sat down

Wept

Mourned

Fasted

Prayed

To the original audience, this was shocking.

A man with everything allows the brokenness of God’s people to become his personal burden.

What are the differences between their world and ours? Step 2: The Width of the River

There’s a real distance between Nehemiah’s world and ours:

Jerusalem was the covenant city—we don’t have one today

Walls were physical security—ours are social, spiritual, moral\

Nehemiah served a pagan king—we live in a democracy

He rebuilt stone walls—we deal with broken systems, families, souls

And yet…

The distance from them to us isn’t as wide as it looks.

God’s people are still:

Vulnerable

Discouraged

Prone to complacency

And God is still looking for people willing to see what others ignore.

What is the central truth about God that is true for them and us?

Step 3: Cross the Principlizing Bridge

When God intends to restore what is broken, He first awakens a burdened heart that responds with repentance, prayer, and readiness to act.

This is about how God mobilizes His people.

And Nehemiah shows us three movements of a burdened heart.

This pattern shows up everywhere in Scripture: Step 4: Consult the Biblical Map

Moses saw Israel’s suffering → humbled himself → acted

Isaiah saw God’s holiness → repented → said “Here am I”

Jesus saw the crowds → had compassion → gave Himself

God always:

Opens eyes

Softens hearts

Sends people

Nehemiah is part of a much bigger story of restoration that ultimately points to Christ.

How should we live today? Step 5: Grasp the Text in Our Town

Transition Statement: We have to acknowledge what is broken in or around us.

Brokenness leads us to a…

Recognition of Ruins

Nehemiah 1:1-3

God opens our eyes to the ruins around us, which sparks a burden in our hearts.

This awareness is vital for initiating a process of prayerful reflection and readiness for God’s restoration work. It suggests that acknowledging ruin is the first step in seeking divine intervention.

God opens our eyes to the ruins around us, which sparks a burden in our hearts

(vv. 1–4)

Nehemiah doesn’t minimize the report. He lets it wreck him.

Illustration

Destiny Rescue (Leah was 5)

Here’s the uncomfortable question:

What ruins have we learned to live with?

Broken families.

Spiritually drifting kids.

Lonely men.

Cultural hostility toward faith.

We often are informed—but not burdened.

Application:

When was the last time something caused you to weep instead of debate?

Illustration Mrs Good

Are you protecting your comfort from God’s compassion?

God rarely restores what we refuse to grieve.

Transition Statement: Brokenness leads us to…

Repentance in Prayer

Nehemiah 1:4–7 ESV

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. 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.

Repentance begins the journey of restoration as God reshapes our hearts and purposes.

Nehemiah starts with God—not strategy.

Nehemiah:

Confesses sin

Includes himself

Appeals to Scripture

Trusts God’s character

This is not prayer of performance.

Nehemiah is aligning himself to God in prayer.

Believers today must do the same thing

Before God rebuilds the circumstances, He rebuilds the man.

Application:

We often pray about our problems while refusing to repent within them.

Too often, we bring our problems to God in prayer without first bringing our hearts to Him in repentance.

Illustration

I counseled an engaged couple years ago who were living together.

Getting married because you’re living in sin may remove the immediate problem,

but it doesn’t heal a heart that is still resistant to God’s authority.

Obedience that is driven by pressure, fear, or consequences is not repentance—

it’s compliance.

And compliance without heart change does not please God.

1 Samuel 15:22 NLT

But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.

God is not after behavior modification—He is after heart transformation.

Repentance is not weakness. It is readiness.

Transition Statement: Brokenness allows us to call out to God with our…

Request and Readiness

Nehemiah 1:8–11 ESV

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 transforms our burdens into opportunities for His glory and purposes.

Nehemiah’s prayer ends with a bold request:

“Give your servant success today…”

He knows what obedience will cost:

His comfort

His safety

His career

Possibly his life

Yet everything God needs to use Nehemiah—

is already in Nehemiah’s hands.

Position. Access. Skills. Favor.

Application: 3 questions

What if your resources aren’t accidental?

What if God has already placed you where restoration needs to begin?

What obedience have you delayed because it feels too costly?

God doesn’t call the fearless. He calls the available.

Church, Nehemiah’s story doesn’t end with walls.

It ends with a question—one the text presses on us today:

What do you do when God lets you see the ruins?

Because seeing is never accidental.

Nehemiah didn’t go looking for this burden. God brought it to him.

And notice—

God didn’t start by asking Nehemiah to rebuild anything.

He started by:

Breaking his heart

Drawing him to prayer

Calling him to repentance

And then asking him to move

Nehemiah shows us that burden is often God’s invitation to participate in restoration.

Nehemiah isn’t the hero of this story.

He points us to someone greater.

Jesus also:

Left a place of privilege

Entered a broken city

Wept over Jerusalem

Carried the weight of ruin that wasn’t His fault

But unlike Nehemiah—

Jesus didn’t rebuild walls. He gave His life.

Nehemiah risked his position. Jesus surrendered His.

Nehemiah stood before a king asking for favor. Jesus stood before Pilate in silence.

And on the cross, Jesus took on the ultimate ruin—sin, shame, death—

so that what was broken could be restored.

That’s why Nehemiah matters.

Before God restores through us,

He must restore us.

Appeal. Worship Team up

So here’s the appeal today—not theoretical, but personal.

1. For Some: Recognition

You’ve grown accustomed to the ruins.

In your heart

In your marriage

In your walk with God

In the world around you

You’re aware of whats wrong but you are not broken by it.

Today, God is asking you to stop looking past brokenness and let it matter again.

Response:

“Lord, open my eyes to what breaks Your heart.”

2. For Others: Repentance

You see the brokenness—but you’ve stayed distant from it.

You’ve criticized it.

Analyzed it.

Blamed others for it.

But Nehemiah teaches us:

Restoration always starts with “we have sinned.”

Not “they.” Not “them.” But “We & Me.”

Response:

“Lord, search me. Start with me.”

3. For Many: Request and Readiness

You already feel the burden.

You know exactly what God is pressing on your heart.

And like Nehemiah, you’re standing in a place of:

Comfort

Stability

Influence

Resources

And God isn’t asking you to quit everything—He’s asking you to use everything.

The question isn’t:

“Can God restore this?”

The question is:

“Am I willing to be part of the solution?”

Response:

“Here I am, Lord. Use me.”

Response.

Church, if God restores what is broken—then brokenness is not something to avoid.

It’s something to respond to.

So today:

Recognize the ruins

Repent in prayer

Request boldly

And be ready to move

Because God still restores what is broken.

And He often begins by breaking the heart of someone who’s willing to say yes.

“Lord… start here. Start now. Start with me.”