Untitled Sermon (2)

Title: The Courage to Ask Hard Questions and Receive Hard Answers

Text: Nehemiah 1:1-4

· Make sure sermon ideas are clear and well-worded.

· Plan with the dynamics of oral communication.

· Design the presentation to follow the text.

· Design the presentation to engage the audience.

· Balance development for the whole man.

· Plan for the audience and for the occasion.

This exercise involves planning the design of your sermon for an oral presentation. This form follows the motivated sequence outline combined with the traditional introduction-body-conclusion format.

Introduction

Attention

It's that time of year again, we are all asking questions, what will the New Year hold for you, what are your resolutions? Oh, the questions, questions, and questions that are being asked. So today we are going to start a new study series in the Book of Nehemiah, and where better to begin than in the first chapter, which conveniently is all about asking questions, answering questions, and finally responding to the answers. Please join me as we explore the Need as believers to ask

Need

As Christians, we must understand what sincere prayer looks like.

Bridging Sentences

[Subject: Prayer    Modifier: Sincere]  

Textual Idea:

Sincere Prayer is done with adoration, confession, and supplication.

Interrogative:

 Do we pray with the sincerity of Faith and trust that is reverent of God?

Transition:

Please join me as we explore the importance of sincere and committed prayer as a reverent believer in God and his provisions, as we examine Nehemiah 1:5-11

When we pray, we must do so with ADORATION, recalling all that God has done for us. Nehemiah 1:5

When we pray, we must do so with hearts and voices that CONFESS the sins of ourselves and recognize the shortcomings of all believers. Nehemiah 1:6-7

When we pray, we must do so with SUPPLICATION to God.

Nehemiah 1:8-11

Body

Satisfaction

Division 1 Statement

When we pray, we must do so with ADORATION, recalling all that God has done for us.

Explanation

    As we have heard and read in the preceding verses, Nehemiah has asked questions and received answers that were not favorable; his response was to mourn and fast, but as we read here in verse 5, he takes it further, he turns to God in deep and earnest prayer, beginning with giving adoration to God, you read that he calls upon the God of Heaven, the great and awesome God, these words may seem very unassuming in todays language but what Nehemiah is doing is stating that he is addressing the one true God the God of Isreal, Abraham and Issac, he is recalling the convental love, or as the Hebrew language called it chese meaning:

· Covenantal Love: It signifies a bond of loyalty and commitment, like God's enduring love for Israel or a deep commitment between individuals.

· Action-Oriented: Chesed isn't just a feeling; it's demonstrated through acts of kindness, charity, and compassion, like visiting the sick or feeding the hungry.

· Beyond Obligation: It involves going beyond what's expected, showing generosity and undeserved favor, reflecting a selfless connection.

So Nehemiah is beginning his prayer, addressing God and saying something like this: God, I know that you are faithful, I know that you are loving, I know that you are not idle in action, I acknowledge that you are providing beyond all expectation and are generous to your people who do not deserve what you provide, I acknowledge that I am undeserving, but you are Faithful and you answer our prayers, so I seek you now in ernest.

He is acknowledging that God is worthy of all praise and is capable of keeping all of his promises to his people, and therefore seeks his counsel in faith and trust.

Illustration

What Nehemiah demonstrates here is humility. I believe that if we look at what he is doing here through the lens of the parent-child relationship, we can gain a greater respect and admiration for this practice. So if a child comes to the parent with a request, and they begin by making demands and having an inflated ego of their position, the parent will rebuke and not honor the request. Now, if the child were to come to their parents with sincere adoration, acknowledging what has been provided and the love that has been lavished upon them, the child is most likely to be heard in full and their request honored.

This same concept is genuine when we pray to God: we give him adoration, not simply because he will reward us, but because he is worthy of all praise, and the act of adoration shows that we understand our position as the created and the beneficiary of his love and grace.

Argumentation

1 I will extol You, my God, O King, And I will bless Your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised, And His greatness is unsearchable. 4 One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts. 5 On the glorious splendor of Your majesty And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ps 145:1–5.

15 Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Heb 13:15.

As we have heard and read in Nehemiah's example, adoration during prayer is essential; here, we observe King David doing the same, adoring and praising the Lord for his love and faithfulness, showing that acknowledgement of God through adoration is a biblical practice and necessary for sincere prayer to occur. Next, we look in Hebrews 13:15 observing that as the New Testament Church, this same model of sincere prayer by inclusion of adoration of the Lord is still active today and should be embraced by all believers when we go in prayer before God.

Application

To apply what is being observed here is to do the following, when we approach God in prayer, we bring praise an adoration to him not as means of manipulation but as sincere worship of his graciousness and holy status as our Father, acknowledging the love shown in the son to us on the cross praising him that he has given us a new covenant that is made by the blood of his son for the forgiveness of our sins and the ability to be reconciled to him.

Transition (Div. 1 to Div. 2)

So we see here the concept of adoration as worship of God in prayer but there is still more to be observed:

Division 2 Statement

When we pray, we must do so with hearts and voices that CONFESS the sins of ourselves and recognize the shortcomings of all believers. Nehemiah 1:6-7

Explanation

As we study the model of prayer that Nehemiah demonstrates here, we observe the act of confession and the admission of personal and corporate sins. Nehemiah is confessing to God that he is guilty of failing to keep the commandments given. He admits and acknowledges that all of Israel is guilty of the same offense, not keeping the commandments of God. It is essential to recognize that this confession is not just lip service but also a confession of the heart; he is troubled to know that he and all of Israel have sinned against God, and to this point had not confessed this sin. Still, he now admits and grieves over this sin, being open to God and acknowledging the sin that God knows we have committed individually and as his people.

Illustration

When I think about what Nehemiah is demonstrating here, I once again think of the parent-child relationship, how, when a Child has broken a house rule, knowing that they have. The parent is aware but has not yet punished the child for it. The child may confess that they have broken the rules, asking for forgiveness and grace, and what parent won't give them the grace and forgiveness they pleaded for? This is the same with God; he knows we have sinned. He is waiting for us to admit our sin and ask his forgiveness, so that he may grant it in grace.

Argumentation

13 He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Pr 28:13.

12 “Go and proclaim these words toward the north and say, ‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord; ‘I will not look upon you in anger. For I am gracious,’ declares the Lord; ‘I will not be angry forever. 13 ‘Only acknowledge your iniquity, That you have transgressed against the Lord your God And have scattered your favors to the strangers under every green tree, And you have not obeyed My voice,’ declares the Lord.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Je 3:12–13.

9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), 1 Jn 1:9–10.

As we read here in Proverbs 28:13 the warning that not admitting our sin inhibits us from being prosperous now this is not to be taken as the sin is the reason you’re not rich or anything like that what was prosperous is being in a relationship with God, when we do not confess our sins to God then we are not able to be in his prescence and therefore our relationship and prayer life suffers, We can then observe in both Jeremiah and 1 John the instruction to confess and that through confession we experience is grace and compassion. He will forgive us so that we may be in his presence again.

Application

 To apply what has been read and heard here we must go before God in prayer confessing and admitting that we have sinned against him, knowing that we are imperfect and ask for his forgiveness repenting of the sin that we have committed.

Transition (Div. 2 to Div. 3)

So we give adoration, we confess our sins, but there is one last part to this model that we must explore

Division Point

When we pray, we must do so with SUPPLICATION to God.

Nehemiah 1:8-11

(Explanation)

As we read the last verses of Chapter 1 of Nehemiah, we observe tow previous parts of his prayer model: adoration as worship and praise, confession of sin, and now we see supplication, now before we can examine this deeper we need to understand what the biblical concept of supplication is and this can be understood in three ways the first: The biblical vocabulary surrounding supplication reveals its essential character: one Hebrew term carries the sense of “seeking favor for oneself” and is related to the word “grace,” signifying that what is requested is undeserved.

Supplication constitutes earnest beseeching of God to the point of begging, with the term itself meaning “to beg.”

Supplication reflects theological reality: believers approach God acknowledging their absolute dependence on His intervention. Rather than presenting polished requests, supplication expresses raw need and desperation before God’s throne. The variety of biblical terms for prayer—including “to lament,” “to entreat,” “to ask,” and “to cry out of distress”—demonstrates how dependent believers were on God for help.

So as we observe here in these final verses of chapter one, Nehemiah is doing precisely that he is earnestly stating to God that he understands that the exile and dispersion that has occurred the desolation of the city all are the result of the disobedience of man to God, and that God is the only one that can fix this situation realizing that he and all of the remaining Jews from exile are dependent upon his grace to restore them. He presents a true, urgent tone in his prayer and sincere petition to God for help. Notice how it is not a very polished finish but a raw expression of need, repentance, and acknowledgment of God as the only answer.

(Illustration)

When I read these verses, I am once again reminded of the Parent Child relationship again, Nehemiah, petition God knowing that he is not equal to and cannot solve this problem, similar to how a child asks their parent for help when in need knowing that they are not equal to their parents but reliant upon them to solve their struggle and provide for their needs. Once again, Nehemiah has shown humility in all parts of prayer, acknowledging his need for God.

(Argumentation)

18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. 19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ps 145:18–19.

14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), 1 Jn 5:14–15.

As we have read and heard here, making supplication to God is about going to him with earnest faith that he will provide and that he is the only answer to the issue and request that we are bringing before him. This concept is also observed here in Psalm 145:18-19 as it reminds us that he is near to those who call upon him in truth, sincerity, not out of pragmatic reasons, but true belief in him, he will care for them and save them. Then, in 1 John 5:14-15, we can once again observe that if we have confidence that we ask according to the will of God, he hears us and answers our request. Each of these verses echoes supplication to the Lord, as demonstrated by Nehemiah, each showing the same sincerity that Nehemiah had when he came before God in prayer for the returning exiles and the city walls of Jerusalem.

(Application)

The application of this looks like this: I will bring my petitions before God, not because I think I deserve them or merit them, but because I believe that he is faithful, loving, and gracious, and will provide for my needs. I understand that he is the only one who can answer these requests, and I trust that the response received is his will, so that he may be glorified.

Conclusion

Visualization

Reiteration

As Christians, we must engage in sincere and reverent prayer before God, acknowledging his full Character and provisions of grace for us.

Action

As we have read and heard here in the last two weeks, we must ask questions, answer questions and respond to these answers with sincerity, not allowing for our response to be guided by our emotions, but instead by the will of God made known through the Holy Spriti, we must practice sincere prayer, that honors God, acknowledges our own shortcomings and need of him, not being afraid to ask for his help knowing that he will provide it. So as we depart this time of worship and teaching today, let us go forth with this challenge, engage in sincere and reverent prayer this week, giving adoration, confession and supplication to God, and knowing that he is worthy of the praise, and that he is waiting for us to come to him so that he may take action for us, having provides us his son as evidence of this all.