nehemiah 1 a

DOES ANYBODY EVEN CARE?

Nehemiah 1:1–11 (KJV)

Series: Be Determined

Message 1: A Burden Before the Building

Introduction

Does anybody even care anymore?

Does anybody care that families are falling apart?

Does anybody care that churches are becoming entertainment centers instead of houses of prayer?

Does anybody care that young people are leaving church by the thousands?

Does anybody care that people all around us are dying without Jesus Christ?

Does anybody care that our nation has forgotten God?

We live in a generation that has plenty of opinions but very little burden.

People will argue on social media for hours over politics, sports, or the latest headline, but many of those same people have never shed a tear over a lost soul.

The world has become good at talking and poor at caring.

Yet when we open the book of Nehemiah, we meet one man whose heart was different.

Nehemiah wasn't a preacher.

He wasn't a prophet.

He wasn't a priest.

He wasn't a king.

He was simply a layman.

But God used him to accomplish one of the greatest rebuilding projects recorded in Scripture.

Why?

Because before Nehemiah ever picked up a stone...

God first broke his heart.

Revival has always begun the same way.

It begins when someone becomes burdened by what burdens God.

One of the greatest truths you'll learn from Nehemiah is this:

God uses people whose hearts are broken by what breaks His heart.

That will become the heartbeat of this entire message.

Read Nehemiah 1:1–11.

The Setting

The walls of Jerusalem had been lying in ruins for nearly one hundred years.

A remnant had returned from Babylon.

The Temple had been rebuilt.

But the city itself remained broken.

The walls were destroyed.

The gates had been burned.

The people lived in fear.

Every enemy around them mocked them.

They had religion...

but no protection.

They had a Temple...

but no testimony.

They had returned to the land...

but they had never fully recovered.

Meanwhile...

Seven hundred miles away...

A Jewish man named Nehemiah lived in luxury.

He served as cupbearer to King Artaxerxes.

Most people picture a cupbearer as nothing more than a servant carrying a drink.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

A cupbearer was one of the highest officials in the kingdom.

Every drink offered to the king passed through his hands.

He protected the king from poison.

Because of this...

the king trusted him completely.

The cupbearer had constant access to the throne.

He had influence.

He had wealth.

He had prestige.

He had security.

He had everything the world could offer.

Nehemiah could have stayed there the rest of his life.

No one would have blamed him.

But God had placed him in that palace for a reason.

Just as God placed Joseph in Egypt...

Esther in Persia...

Daniel in Babylon...

God placed Nehemiah exactly where He wanted him.

Never underestimate where God has placed you today.

You may think you're "just" working a job...

"just" attending school...

"just" raising children...

But God prepares His servants long before He uses them publicly.

God always puts His people in the right place at the right time.

One ordinary day became the turning point of Nehemiah's life.

Isn't that how God often works?

It was just another day when Moses saw a burning bush.

It was just another day when David was called from tending sheep.

It was just another day when Peter was cleaning empty nets.

It was just another day when Saul of Tarsus traveled to Damascus.

Never underestimate an ordinary day.

God specializes in turning ordinary days into extraordinary moments.

I. He Cared Enough to Ask

Nehemiah 1:2

"That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews..."

Everything changed because Nehemiah asked one question.

He wanted to know how God's people were doing.

Think about that.

He had every reason not to ask.

He lived in comfort.

He had security.

He had influence.

His life was going well.

Yet he intentionally asked about people hundreds of miles away.

Why?

Because he cared.

Many people today would rather not know.

We often believe ignorance removes responsibility.

"If I don't know about it...

I don't have to do anything."

But ignorance has never solved a problem.

People say,

"What you don't know can't hurt you."

That simply isn't true.

If you don't know you have cancer...

it can kill you.

If you don't know your engine has no oil...

it can destroy your vehicle.

Most importantly...

if you never learn that Jesus Christ died for your sins...

that ignorance has eternal consequences.

Not knowing truth never protects us.

It often destroys us.

Nehemiah wasn't afraid of painful facts.

Because people who truly love others want the truth—even when it hurts.

One writer said,

"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored."

Closing our eyes to reality doesn't change reality.

Nehemiah asked because he possessed something becoming increasingly rare—

a heart that genuinely cared.

Let me ask you:

When you hear a missionary report...

Do you care?

When someone gives a prayer request...

Do you care?

When your pastor shares a ministry need...

Do you care?

When you hear someone has drifted from God...

Do you care?

Or have we become experts at saying,

"I'll pray for you,"

while never actually praying?

A burden always begins with concern.

Before God calls a man to build...

He first teaches him to care.

Here's a truth worth remembering:

Comfort kills concern.

The greatest enemy of revival is often not persecution.

It's comfort.

We like comfortable churches.

Comfortable schedules.

Comfortable Christianity.

But nobody has ever changed the world sitting comfortably.

Nehemiah teaches us that revival begins when someone asks,

"How are God's people really doing?"

Not out of curiosity...

But out of compassion.

Keep repeating this truth in your heart:

God uses people whose hearts are broken by what breaks His heart.

And that burden begins by caring enough to ask.

Transition:

But asking wasn't enough.

When Nehemiah heard the answer, he didn't shrug his shoulders and move on with life.

The facts did something to him.

They broke his heart.

That leads us to the second mark of a person God can use...

II. HE CARED ENOUGH TO WEEP

Nehemiah 1:3-4

"And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept..."

The report Hanani gave Nehemiah can be summarized in three heartbreaking words:

Remnant

Ruin

Reproach

Those three words described the condition of God's people.

There was a Remnant

Instead of a mighty nation...

only a handful of struggling people remained.

God always preserves a remnant.

Even in the darkest times, God has people who remain faithful.

Sometimes you may feel like you're one of only a few Christians standing at work.

One of only a few students standing for Christ at school.

One of only a few families trying to serve God.

Remember this:

God has always worked through a remnant.

Noah's family.

Gideon's three hundred.

The disciples.

God has never needed the majority.

He simply needs people willing to obey Him.

There was Ruin

The walls were broken.

The gates were burned.

Jerusalem no longer reflected the glory of God.

The walls represented protection.

The gates represented authority.

Without either one, the city was exposed to every enemy.

Spiritually speaking...

Many Christians today are living without walls.

No standards.

No convictions.

No spiritual discipline.

Everything the world offers simply walks right into their lives.

Television enters unchecked.

Internet enters unchecked.

Sin enters unchecked.

False doctrine enters unchecked.

The walls are down.

The enemy doesn't have to break in anymore.

We've opened the gate.

There was Reproach

Jerusalem had once been the glory of the world.

Now it had become an object of ridicule.

The surrounding nations mocked God's people.

May I say something lovingly?

When Christians live no differently than the world...

the world doesn't respect Christianity.

It mocks it.

The greatest testimony this world needs isn't another celebrity preacher.

It needs ordinary Christians who genuinely walk with God.

Nehemiah's Response

Verse four doesn't say he became angry.

It doesn't say he blamed the government.

It doesn't say he blamed previous generations.

It says...

"...I sat down and wept..."

What makes people laugh...

and what makes people cry...

reveals their character.

Some laugh at sin.

Some laugh at immorality.

Some laugh at drunkenness.

Some laugh at filthy jokes.

Others cry because they missed out on a vacation.

They cry because someone hurt their feelings.

They cry because they didn't get their way.

Nehemiah cried over what mattered.

His tears revealed his priorities.

Our world often sees tears as weakness.

God often sees tears as strength.

Jeremiah wept.

David wept.

Paul wept.

Jesus wept.

The strongest men in Scripture were often men who knew how to cry before God.

Psalm 126:5 reminds us:

"They that sow in tears shall reap in joy."

Notice the order.

First the tears.

Then the joy.

Before there was rebuilding...

there was brokenness.

Before revival...

there were tears.

Before victory...

there was burden.

Sometimes we pray for God to remove our burden.

God gave Nehemiah one.

Sometimes we ask God to make life easier.

Instead...

He makes our hearts heavier.

Why?

Because burdens often become God's invitations to ministry.

When God lays something on your heart...

don't run from it.

Don't bury it.

Don't ignore it.

That burden may become the greatest work God ever does through your life.

Our Palace of Comfort

Don't miss where Nehemiah is while he's crying.

He isn't sitting in the rubble.

He's sitting in a palace.

He isn't hungry.

He isn't homeless.

He isn't under attack.

He isn't rebuilding walls.

He's comfortable.

Yet his heart is in Jerusalem.

That's the difference between compassion and convenience.

He could have ignored the report.

He could have said,

"That's not my problem."

"They made their own decisions."

"They should fix it themselves."

But he didn't.

Because compassion refuses to stay comfortable.

Church, may I ask us some hard questions?

When was the last time you lost sleep over someone's soul?

When was the last time you cried over your children?

When was the last time you prayed until tears came?

When was the last time you were burdened over your church?

Over your community?

Over America?

Over missionaries?

Over revival?

We've become so comfortable that we've almost forgotten what burden feels like.

We have padded pews...

air conditioning...

multiple Bibles...

Bible apps...

Christian radio...

Christian bookstores...

Christian podcasts...

And yet...

many Christians have no burden.

The greatest threat to Christianity in America isn't persecution.

It's comfort.

Comfort has become the cemetery of Christian service.

The devil doesn't always have to make us wicked.

Sometimes he only has to make us comfortable.

Comfort whispers,

"Somebody else will do it."

Burden says,

"If nobody else goes...

I'll go."

Comfort says,

"I don't have enough time."

Burden says,

"I'll make time."

Comfort says,

"Someone more qualified should do it."

Burden says,

"Lord, here am I."

Illustration – The Starfish

A man was walking along the beach after a terrible storm.

Thousands of starfish had washed ashore.

As he walked, he noticed a little boy picking them up one at a time and throwing them back into the ocean.

The man laughed and said,

"Son, there are thousands of them. You'll never make a difference."

The little boy picked up another starfish...

threw it into the sea...

and replied,

"I made a difference to that one."

Nehemiah couldn't fix the whole world.

He simply cared enough to start.

God has never asked you to solve every problem.

He's simply asking you to obey the burden He's placed on your heart.

Application

Perhaps God has burdened you to teach.

Perhaps He's burdened you to preach.

Perhaps He's burdened you to witness.

Perhaps He's burdened you to help someone in this church.

Perhaps He's burdened you to pray for revival.

The question isn't whether God is speaking.

The question is...

Will you ignore the burden?

Or will you embrace it?

Remember the heartbeat of this message:

God uses people whose hearts are broken by what breaks His heart.

Transition

Nehemiah didn't allow emotion to replace action.

He didn't simply cry...

wipe away his tears...

and move on.

His burden drove him somewhere.

It drove him to his knees.

Because every genuine burden should always become a prayer before it becomes a plan.

And that's exactly what Nehemiah does next.

III. HE CARED ENOUGH TO PRAY

Nehemiah 1:4-11

"...and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven."

Nehemiah's burden didn't push him into panic.

It pushed him into prayer.

That is one of the greatest marks of spiritual maturity.

Immature Christians panic.

Mature Christians pray.

Many people see a need and immediately begin making plans.

Nehemiah did something different.

He stopped.

He sat down.

He wept.

He fasted.

He prayed.

Only then did he begin to move.

Far too often we reverse that order.

We make our plans...

Ask God to bless them...

Then wonder why they fail.

Nehemiah first sought the face of God.

Then he sought the favor of the king.

There is a tremendous lesson there.

Never take your plans to God for His approval.

Take your heart to God until His plans become yours.

The book of Nehemiah begins with prayer...

and ends with prayer.

Twelve different prayers are recorded throughout this book.

Before every major decision...

Nehemiah prayed.

Before every obstacle...

Nehemiah prayed.

Before every battle...

Nehemiah prayed.

His confidence wasn't in his leadership.

His confidence wasn't in his experience.

His confidence wasn't in the king.

His confidence was in God.

Someone once wisely said,

"Whatever man does without God, he must either fail miserably—or succeed even more miserably."

Nehemiah succeeded because he depended completely upon God.

A. His Prayer Began With Praise

Verse 5

"I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God..."

Notice what Nehemiah did not do.

He didn't begin with,

"Lord, here's my problem."

He began with,

"Lord, let me remind myself who You are."

Prayer always becomes bigger when our view of God becomes bigger.

Too many of us spend our prayer time telling God how big our problems are.

Instead...

we should spend our prayer time reminding ourselves how big our God is.

He is...

The God of Heaven.

The Creator.

The Sovereign.

The Almighty.

The One who spoke the universe into existence.

The One who parted the Red Sea.

The One who stopped the Jordan River.

The One who fed Israel in the wilderness.

The One who raised Lazarus from the dead.

The One who conquered death, hell, and the grave.

If He can do all of that...

He can certainly handle what you're facing this week.

May I ask you a question?

Is the God you pray to big enough to handle the burden you're carrying?

Sometimes our prayers reveal that our problems have become bigger than our God.

Nehemiah reminds us...

God is always greater.

Application

Are you facing financial difficulty?

Pray.

Are you raising children in an ungodly culture?

Pray.

Do you need wisdom?

Pray.

Are you searching for God's direction?

Pray.

Is your marriage struggling?

Pray.

Do you have a lost family member?

Pray.

Are you carrying a burden no one else knows about?

Pray.

Prayer is never our last resort.

Prayer is our first response.

B. His Prayer Continued With Confession

Verses 6-7

One of the most remarkable things about Nehemiah's prayer is that he repeatedly uses one little word.

"We."

Not...

"They."

Not...

"Those people."

Not...

"My ancestors."

He says...

"We have sinned."

He identifies himself with God's people.

He could have blamed previous generations.

He could have blamed the politicians.

He could have blamed the culture.

Instead...

he looked in the mirror.

Revival never begins by pointing fingers.

It begins by bending knees.

One finger points outward.

Three fingers point back at us.

The greatest need in America isn't for Washington to repent.

The greatest need is for God's people to repent.

The greatest need isn't for Hollywood to repent.

It's for the church house to repent.

Too often we're experts at identifying everybody else's sins.

But revival begins when God's people confess their own.

Psalm 66:18 says,

"If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:"

Before Nehemiah ever asked God to rebuild a wall...

he asked God to cleanse a heart.

Sometimes we spend more time asking God to change our circumstances than we do asking Him to change us.

Illustration

Suppose you went to the doctor because you had severe chest pain.

The doctor performed every test.

Then he looked at you and said,

"You have a blocked artery that could kill you."

Imagine replying,

"I'd rather not know."

Would that help?

Of course not.

You can't treat what you're unwilling to admit.

Neither can we experience revival until we admit where we've drifted from God.

Confession isn't telling God something He doesn't know.

It's agreeing with Him about what He already knows.

C. His Prayer Was Grounded in Scripture

Verses 8-9

Nehemiah reminds God of His covenant.

Not because God had forgotten.

Because Nehemiah hadn't.

His prayers were saturated with Scripture.

He knew God's promises.

He knew God's character.

He knew God's covenant.

His faith rested on God's Word.

Many of us struggle in prayer because we pray our feelings instead of God's promises.

Feelings change.

God's Word never changes.

The strongest prayers are Bible-filled prayers.

When you know Scripture...

you know how to pray.

That's one reason every Christian ought to read God's Word every day.

Don't tell me you want God to speak to you if your Bible stays closed all week.

Don't tell me you want God's direction while neglecting the very book that reveals His will.

The Christian who neglects Scripture will always struggle in prayer.

Prayer and Bible study are like two wings on a bird.

You cannot soar spiritually with only one.

D. His Prayer Ended With Confidence

Verses 10-11

Nehemiah finishes by expressing confidence.

Not confidence in himself.

Confidence in God.

He believed God could move the heart of King Artaxerxes.

He believed God could provide the resources.

He believed God could protect the workers.

He believed God could accomplish the impossible.

Faith is not believing God can.

Faith is believing God will do exactly what He has promised.

Nehemiah didn't know every detail.

He didn't know every obstacle.

He didn't know every enemy.

But he knew God.

And knowing God was enough.

Church...

You don't have to know everything about tomorrow.

You simply need to know the One who already lives there.

Real Prayer Changes Us

Someone wisely said,

"Prayer is not getting man's will done in heaven; it is getting God's will done on earth."

While Nehemiah prayed...

Something happened.

His burden became clearer.

His vision became sharper.

His faith became stronger.

Prayer didn't simply prepare the project.

Prayer prepared the man.

Sometimes we want God to change our situation immediately.

Instead...

God spends time changing us.

Because God is always more interested in the worker than the work.

Real prayer keeps your heart and your head in balance.

Without prayer...

a burden becomes frustration.

Without prayer...

zeal becomes recklessness.

Without prayer...

good intentions become human effort.

But when we truly pray...

God shows us:

What to do.

When to do it.

How to do it.

Every one of those matters.

Transition

After days of praying...

God had settled something in Nehemiah's heart.

He wasn't content merely to cry about Jerusalem anymore.

He wasn't satisfied simply praying about Jerusalem.

Eventually...

Every genuine prayer demands a response.

There comes a moment when faith must stand up and obey.

God was about to ask Nehemiah to exchange the luxury of the palace...

for the labor of the work.

He was about to leave comfort...

for calling.

Which brings us to our final point...

He cared enough to volunteer.

IV. HE CARED ENOUGH TO VOLUNTEER

Nehemiah 1:11

"...Prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer."

Nehemiah closes his prayer with a statement that might seem insignificant.

"For I was the king's cupbearer."

At first glance, that sounds like he's merely telling us his occupation.

But there's much more happening.

Nehemiah knows exactly what he's asking God to do.

He's asking God to change the course of his life.

He realizes that if God answers this prayer...

everything is about to change.

He won't simply be praying for Jerusalem anymore.

He'll be going to Jerusalem.

That is the difference between wishing something would happen...

and volunteering to make it happen.

Many people pray,

"Lord, send someone."

Very few pray,

"Lord, send me."

Isaiah said,

"Here am I; send me." (Isaiah 6:8)

God is still looking for people who will say those words.

Prayer Produces Willingness

While Nehemiah prayed, something changed.

His burden became greater.

His vision became clearer.

His excuses became smaller.

Real prayer always moves us closer to obedience.

Prayer is not a substitute for obedience.

Prayer prepares us to obey.

Some people use prayer as an excuse to delay.

"I'll pray about witnessing."

"I'll pray about serving."

"I'll pray about surrendering."

There are some things you don't need to pray about.

You don't need to pray whether you should tell people about Jesus.

You don't need to pray whether you should be faithful to church.

You don't need to pray whether you should read your Bible.

God has already spoken.

The question is not whether God has given direction.

The question is whether we will obey.

The Price of Obedience

Think about what Nehemiah is about to leave behind.

He is exchanging:

Luxury for labor.

Security for uncertainty.

Prestige for persecution.

Comfort for conflict.

Ease for endurance.

He will leave the king's palace...

to live among broken walls.

He will trade fine meals...

for difficult days.

He will exchange royal approval...

for ridicule from enemies.

He will become the target of mockery, slander, and opposition.

Why?

Because the burden in his heart had become greater than the comfort in his life.

There comes a moment in every Christian's life when comfort and calling collide.

You cannot hold on to both forever.

Sooner or later...

you must choose.

Will you live for comfort...

or will you live for Christ?

Jesus never promised His followers a comfortable life.

He said,

"If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." (Luke 9:23)

The Christian life has never been about convenience.

It has always been about consecration.

Comfort Is the Enemy of Commitment

May I speak plainly?

One of the greatest dangers facing the American church today isn't persecution.

It's prosperity.

We have become so comfortable that we've forgotten what sacrifice looks like.

We schedule God around our lives instead of scheduling our lives around God.

We fit church into our calendar if nothing else is happening.

We say we love the Lord...

but we hesitate to inconvenience ourselves for Him.

Don't tell me you want God to use you in great ways if you're unwilling to serve Him in small ways.

Don't tell me you want to preach someday if you won't pass out a Gospel tract today.

Don't tell me you want to teach a Sunday school class if you won't faithfully study your Bible now.

Don't tell me you want God to trust you with much when He can't trust you with little.

Jesus said,

"He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much." (Luke 16:10)

God doesn't begin with platforms.

He begins with faithfulness.

Burdens Demand Action

Notice something remarkable.

Nehemiah never says,

"Someone ought to do something."

He says,

"I'll do it."

That one decision changed history.

Jerusalem's walls were rebuilt because one man decided that doing nothing was no longer an option.

I wonder...

What burden has God placed on your heart?

Is it your family?

Your church?

Your neighborhood?

Young people?

Missions?

Bus ministry?

Teaching?

Preaching?

Discipleship?

Whatever God has placed before you...

don't ignore it.

If God has burdened you, He intends to use you.

There Comes a Day You Must Decide

There comes a moment when every believer has to settle some things once and for all.

You cannot keep one foot in the world and one foot with Christ.

Eventually...

you must make up your mind.

You must decide who you're going to live for.

You must decide what authority you're going to follow.

You must decide what matters most.

As for me...

I've made my mind up.

I've made my mind up...

I'm following Jesus.

I've made my mind up...

The Bible is my final authority in all matters of faith and practice.

I've made my mind up...

Jesus Christ is worth living for.

I've made my mind up...

Sin has never delivered what it promised.

I've made my mind up...

The devil is a liar.

I've made my mind up...

This world is not my home.

I've made my mind up...

Political correctness will never replace biblical truth.

I've made my mind up...

The Gospel is still the power of God unto salvation.

I've made my mind up...

Serving God is not one option among many.

It is my life.

There is no negotiation.

There is no backup plan.

There is no retirement from serving Christ.

I've decided to follow Jesus.

No turning back.

No turning back.

Conclusion

One man cared...

and a city was rebuilt.

One man cared...

and a nation found hope again.

Think about the people throughout Scripture who simply cared enough to obey.

Abraham cared enough to rescue Lot.

Moses cared enough to stand before Pharaoh.

David cared enough to face Goliath.

Esther cared enough to risk her life for her people.

Paul cared enough to carry the Gospel across the Roman Empire.

And above them all...

Jesus cared enough to leave Heaven...

to be born in a manger...

to live a sinless life...

to bear our sins on the cross...

to shed His precious blood...

to die in our place...

to rise again the third day...

all because He loved us.

If you've never trusted Christ as your Saviour...

the greatest evidence that God cares is found at Calvary.

The cross forever answers the question,

"Does anybody care?"

Yes.

Jesus does.

Invitation

This morning, I want to invite three groups of people.

First...

If you're here without Christ, come today.

The One who cared enough to die for you is ready to save you.

Second...

Christian, have you become comfortable?

Has your burden been replaced by convenience?

Ask God to break your heart again for what breaks His.

Third...

Has God been dealing with you about serving Him?

Perhaps He's calling you to teach, preach, witness, serve, give, or simply surrender.

Stop saying, "Someone ought to."

Start saying, "Lord, here am I."

Because history has never been changed by people who merely noticed the need.

History has been changed by people who cared enough to answer God's call.

The question today isn't...

"Does anybody care?"

The question is...

Will you?

May every heart respond as Isaiah did:

"Here am I; send me."