Does Anybody Really Care???
Notes
Transcript
A Man of Deep Concern and Prayer, 1:1-11 (1:1-11)
Speaking of Nehemiah, Charles Spurgeon said, “We are not called to govern, as he did, with an iron hand, but we ought to be equally inflexible, decided, and resolute for God, and for His holy will.”
In other words, God calls us to Be Determined!
God’s work has never been easy, and in these last days it is getting more and more difficult to serve.
The enemy is hurling his ammunition at us as never before and is setting his subtle traps where we least expect them.
But PRAISE GOD - the same great God who enabled Nehemiah to finish building the walls of Jerusalem will enable us to finish our course with joy and accomplish the work He has called us to do.
BROTHERS & SISTERS - There is no reason to quit or even to despair!
Be Determined Preface
God’s work has never been easy, and in these last days it is getting more and more difficult to serve. The enemy is hurling his ammunition at us as never before and is setting his subtle traps where we least expect them.
But the same great God who enabled Nehemiah to finish building the walls of Jerusalem will enable us to finish our course with joy and accomplish the work He has called us to do. There is no reason to quit or even to despair!
Introduction: people with needs are all around us, people with desperate needs. Now think of the great diversity of these needy people around the world, even within our very own communities, neighborhoods, and churches:
Introduction: people with needs are all around us, people with desperate needs. Now think of the great diversity of these needy people around the world, even within our very own communities, neighborhoods, and churches:
Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Determined, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 9.Introduction: people with needs are all around us, people with desperate needs. Now think of the great diversity of these needy people around the world, even within our very own communities, neighborhoods, and churches:
⇒ the single mothers who are destitute
~ those addicted to alcohol, drugs, OTC meds, gambling, and various other life destroying addictions
⇒ the children who are physically, mentally, or sexually abused
⇒ the poverty-stricken who are hungry, thirsty, or homeless
⇒ the unemployed who have lost their jobs and cannot find adequate employment to support their families
⇒ the widows, widowers, and divorced who must face a new life on their own
⇒ the masses who are lonely, empty, and without purpose
⇒ the masses who are diseased, injured, or dying
“The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that’s the essence of inhumanity.”
George Bernard Shaw put those words into the mouth of the Rev. Anthony Anderson in the second act of his play, “The Devil’s Disciple.”
Men and women of compassion must step forward, men and women who have a genuine and deep concern about meeting the needs of others.
Men and women of compassion must step forward, men and women who have a genuine and deep concern about meeting the needs of others.
Nehemiah was such a man.
In fact, he was so gripped with concern for others that it is the first fact he mentions about himself in his great book.
The entire first chapter focuses upon his tender heart and his concern for those in desperate need.
This first chapter is, “A Man of Deep Concern and Prayer” 1:1-11.
1. Nehemiah’s distress at hearing the news from Jerusalem: a man of tender heart and genuine concern (vv.1-4).
2. Nehemiah’s prayer: a man who illustrated Christ’s intercession on our behalf (vv.5-11).
TWMT and lets stand for the reading of God’s living Word!
Pray with me church...
I. He Cared Enough To Ask - vs. 1-3
I. He Cared Enough To Ask - vs. 1-3
Nehemiah means, “The Lord has comforted”
while serving in the palace of the Persian king, Nehemiah received some alarming, distressful news from Jerusalem.
From Nehemiah’s reaction, we immediately see that he was a man with a tender heart and deep concern for his people, the Jews.
What happened is briefly described by Scripture:
1. Nehemiah was in the palace fortress at Susa, the capital of the great Persian Empire.
Because of the warmer climate there, the kings of Persia spent their winter months at Susa.
They spent their summer months at Ecbatana.
God put Nehemiah in Susa just as He had put Esther there a generation before, and just as He had put Joseph in Egypt and Daniel in Babylon. When God wants to accomplish a work, He always prepares His workers and puts them in the right places at the right time.
Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Determined, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 14.
The Cupbearer
Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the Persian king Artaxerxes I.
As the cupbearer, his primary responsibility was to always taste the wine being served to the king in order to protect the king from an assassination attempt by means of poison (v.11).
The cupbearer was a very prominent, honored, responsible, and influential position within the kingdom.
Furthermore, the cupbearer had to be an honest and trusted man, a man in whom the king could put his complete confidence.
A king placed his very life in the hands of his cupbearer.
And Because of this, the cupbearer sometimes became a trusted advisor to the king, which was apparently true with Nehemiah (2:1-8).
The present event took place in the month of Kislev (November–December), the 20th year of the reign of Artaxerxes I.
Artaxerxes I ruled from c.465–423 B.C., which means that this event occurred in 445 B.C.
2. While serving in the palace at Susa, Nehemiah was visited by his brother and a number of other men who had just made a trip to Judah (vv.2-3).
Like large doors, great life-changing events can swing on very small hinges.
It was just another day when Moses went out to care for his sheep, but on that day he heard the Lord’s call and became a prophet ().
It was an ordinary day when David was called home from shepherding his flock; but on that day, he was anointed king ().
It was an ordinary day when Peter, Andrew, James, and John were mending their nets after a night of failure; but that was the day Jesus called them to become fishers of men ().
You never know what God has in store, even in a commonplace conversation with a friend or relative; so keep your heart open to God’s providential leading.
Notice that with keen interest, Nehemiah questioned them about the Jewish captives who had returned to Jerusalem from their exile.
With keen interest, Nehemiah questioned them about the Jewish captives who had returned to Jerusalem from their exile.
In response to Nehemiah’s question, the men painted a dark, dismal picture of the returned exiles.
They were in deep trouble and severe distress and were bearing terrible afflictions. They were being reproached and disgraced by the surrounding people and nations.
In addition, the wall of Jerusalem had been torn down and the gates had been burned.
See in 586 BC the Babylonian’s, under King Nebuchadnezzar, destroyed Jerusalem, breaking down the walls, burning down the temple, & taking its precious vessels - and the city lay in ruins until the rebuilding effort led by Nehemiah ( & , and )
Other Scriptures reveal the dreadful hardships the returned exiles were suffering:
⇒ They were suffering an economic depression due to famine (5:1-3). Famine naturally causes hunger, disease, and eventually starvation, unless relief comes. It also brings loss of income and jobs, decreased sales for businesses, and in some cases bankruptcy.
⇒ A large number of people were suffering oppression due to the greed of certain wealthy farmers and businessmen (5:4-5).
In order to buy food, some of the people had to mortgage their homes and fields.
Others had to borrow money in order to pay their taxes.
The wealthy loaned money to the people, but they acted greedily in their own self-interest. They were forcing the adults and their children into some form of servitude or slavery in order to pay off their debts.
In essence, the wealthy were not only amassing all the property of the less fortunate, but they were also enslaving them unjustly.
⇒ The people were suffering persecution in the form of anti-Semitism, ridicule, and harassment from their neighbors and other nationalities who surrounded them ().
⇒ Above and beyond all their personal suffering, the people were defenseless against enemy attacks since the wall of Jerusalem had been torn down and its gates burned with fire (v.3).
Three words summarize the bad news: remnant, ruin, and reproach.
Instead of a land inhabited by a great nation, only a remnant of people lived there;
and they were in great affliction and struggling to survive.
Instead of a magnificent city, Jerusalem was in shambles; and where there had once been great glory, there was now nothing but great reproach.
Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Determined, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 16.
II. He Cared Enough To Weep - vs. 4
II. He Cared Enough To Weep - vs. 4
Hearing this bleak and discouraging news about his homeland broke Nehemiah’s heart (v.4).
Grave concern gripped the inner recesses of his soul.
He began to weep and mourn over the severe distress of his people.
Utterly broken, Nehemiah began to fast and pray for many days on their behalf.
Just how many days is not stated by Scripture. But day after day he sought the Lord, begging the Lord to help his people through these dire circumstances.
See church - What makes people laugh or weep is often an indication of character.
People who laugh at others’ mistakes or misfortunes, or who weep over trivial personal disappointments, are lacking either in culture or character, and possibly both.
Sometimes weeping is a sign of weakness; but with Nehemiah, it was a sign of strength...
as it was with Jeremiah (),
Oh that my head were waters
And my eyes a fountain of tears,
That I might weep day and night
For the slain of the daughter of my people!
Oh that my head were waters
And my eyes a fountain of tears,
That I might weep day and night
For the slain of the daughter of my people!
Paul (),
serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews;
and the Lord Jesus ().
When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it,
In fact, Nehemiah was like the Lord Jesus in that he willingly shared the burden that was crushing others.
In fact, Nehemiah was like the Lord Jesus in that he willingly shared the burden that was crushing others.
Thought 1.
Thought 1.
Nehemiah’s tender heart and deep concern for others were evident in his life by his actions. When others suffered, he was gripped by compassion for their welfare.
So it must be with us.
When we see or hear about people in need, we must feel empathy, identifying with their need.
But even more important than just feeling for others, we must act.
We must be benevolent in meeting the needs of others both at home and abroad.
APPLICATION TO OUR HOME CITY
JOHNSTOWN
Countless numbers are hurting in countless ways. Like Nehemiah, we must arouse ourselves to show tender concern for the hurting and suffering of this world. We must reach out in compassion to help all we can.
When God puts a burden on your heart, don’t try to escape it; for if you do, you may miss the blessing He has planned for you.
The Book of Nehemiah begins with “great affliction” (), but before it closes, there is great joy (8:12, 17).
“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning” ().
Our tears water the “seeds of providence” that God has planted on our path; and without our tears, those seeds could never grow and produce fruit.
Listen to what God’s Holy Word says:
Listen to what God’s Holy Word says:
“As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” ().
“But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him” ().
“We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves” ().
“As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” ().
“As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” ().
“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” ().
“But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth” ().
Nehemiah Asked, Wept, and 3rdly Nehemiah...
III. He Cared Enough To Pray - vs. 5-10
III. He Cared Enough To Pray - vs. 5-10
Prayer, Example of—Humility, Example of—Nehemiah, Prayer of:
Day after day Nehemiah knocked at the door of heaven, seeking the face of the Lord on behalf of the Jews who had returned to Judah.
According to the model that Jesus Christ later taught His followers, Nehemiah asked, sought, and knocked at the door of heaven.
Scripture will reveal that:
he received what he asked for,
found what he sought,
and the door was opened to him by the Lord ().
“For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Nehemiah became an intercessor, seeking the Lord on behalf of his people.
Twelve prayers are recorded in his book, nine of which were offered up by Nehemiah himself (1:5-11; 2:4; 4:4-5, 9; 5:19; 6:9, 14; 9:5-37; 13:14, 22, 29, 31).
In the present Scripture, his prayer is spelled out point by point:
1. First, Nehemiah began his prayer by acknowledging God, praising Him for who He is and what He has done (v.5).
1. First, Nehemiah began his prayer by acknowledging God, praising Him for who He is and what He has done (v.5).
⇒ Nehemiah acknowledged God’s supremacy over all by addressing Him as the “Lord God of Heaven.” As the God of heaven, He is supreme, sovereign over all the universe, all that is in heaven and earth. He rules and reigns over all, controlling all events, including the affairs of men.
⇒ Nehemiah addressed God as the “great and terrible [or awesome] God.” This refers to the power and majesty of God. As the great God, He possesses all power and might. As the awesome God, He is the Supreme Being who possesses all the glory and majesty of perfection and holiness. He is totally set apart from all other beings.
⇒ Nehemiah also addressed the Lord as the “One who keeps His covenant with all who love Him and obey His commandments.” God always keeps His Word, His promises to those who choose to love and obey Him.
Nehemiah praised the Lord for His faithfulness. Emphasizing God’s love for those who seek after Him, Nehemiah indicated that he was going to be crying out for the mercy of God upon his people.
When God puts a burden on your heart, don’t try to escape it; for if you do, you may miss the blessing He has planned for you.
The Book of Nehemiah begins with “great affliction” (), but before it closes, there is great joy (8:12, 17).
“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning” ().
Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Determined, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 17.
Our tears water the “seeds of providence” that God has planted on our path; and without our tears, those seeds could never grow and produce fruit.
The only question remaining was whether or not the people would turn to the Lord and obey Him.
The only question remaining was whether or not the people would turn to the Lord and obey Him. Would they truly repent of their sins and keep His commandments?
Would they truly repent of their sins and keep His commandments?
2. Second, Nehemiah identified with the people by confessing both their sins and his own before the Lord (vv.6-7).
He became an intercessor for the people before God, asking God to forgive the sins of Israel and of his own family.
Note that Nehemiah did not make this request only once. He sought God’s forgiveness day and night (v.6).
Yet Nehemiah did not ask God to forgive his and Israel’s sins in general. Rather, he spelled out their sins (v.7).
The word “remember” is a key word in this book (; ; ; ; , , , ).
Notice that Nehemiah used the pronoun “we” and not “they,” identifying himself with the sins of a generation he didn’t even know.
It would have been easy to look back and blame his ancestors for the reproach of Jerusalem,
BUT Nehemiah looked within and blamed himself! “We have sinned! We have dealt very corruptly!”
Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Determined, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 19.
They had lived extremely wicked and corrupt lives, defiantly disobeying God’s Word, His Holy Commandments, His statutes and laws.
3. Third, Nehemiah pleaded for God’s mercy and help (vv.8-11).
He asked God to remember His Holy Word, the covenant He had made with His people (vv.8-9; see ; , esp.58-68; 30:1-10).
The covenant concerned sin and judgment. If the people sinned, they would suffer the hand of God’s judgment by being scattered among the nations, which is exactly what had happened.
But the covenant also concerned repentance and obedience and the wonderful experience of God’s mercy.
If the people returned to the Lord, they would be returned to the promised land.
This was the eternal promise of God. Accordingly, if the people of Nehemiah’s day would return to the Lord, the blessings of God would fall upon them. They would be delivered from their deep distress and trouble.
Too often, we plan our projects and then ask God to bless them; but Nehemiah didn’t make that mistake.
He sat down and wept (), knelt down and prayed, and then stood up and worked because he knew he had the blessing of the Lord on what he was doing.
Nehemiah Asked, Wept, Prayed and 4thly Nehemiah...
IV. He Cared Enough To Volunteer - vs. 11
IV. He Cared Enough To Volunteer - vs. 11
Nehemiah then asked God to remember their relationship: they were God’s servants, the very people He had redeemed by His great power and mighty hand (v.10).
Thus he begged God to hear his prayer and the prayers of other servants who feared and revered his name (v.11).
Lastly, Nehemiah made a very practical request of the Lord. He asked the Lord to make an opportunity for him to approach the king because he wanted to request the king’s help (v.11).
It has well been said that prayer is not getting man’s will done in heaven but getting God’s will done on earth.
Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Determined, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 21.
However, for God’s will to be done on earth, He needs people to be available for Him to use.
This was a prayer Nehemiah had apparently been offering up for several months (1:1; 2:1).
This was a prayer Nehemiah had apparently been offering up for several months (1:1; 2:1).
Now, at last, the door was opened for him to approach the king. This was the day. Thus, Nehemiah asked the Lord to give him success in this critically important matter.
King Artaxerxes needed to be aroused or stirred by God to grant.
The special request Nehemiah was going to make.
The point to observe is that Nehemiah closed his prayer by asking God for specific help in dealing with the king.
Bear in mind Nehemiah’s prominent and influential position in the royal court. He was the cupbearer to the king (v.11).
Real prayer keeps your heart and your head in balance so your burden doesn’t make you impatient to run ahead of the Lord and ruin everything.
As we pray, God tells us what to do, when to do it, and how to do it; and all are important to the accomplishing of the will of God.
Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Determined, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 22.
Thought 1. In his prayer, Nehemiah illustrated the coming intercession of Jesus Christ.
That is, Nehemiah stood in the gap between his people and the Lord. Nehemiah became the intercessor, the representative of the Jewish exiles who wished to plead their case before the Lord.
This is exactly what Jesus Christ has done for us. Jesus Christ is our Intercessor, our Representative, our Advocate who presents our case before God.
When we turn to the Lord Jesus Christ with any distress or trouble, Christ presents our need to the Father.
And the Father hears the plea of Christ on our behalf.
Through Jesus Christ we can receive forgiveness of sins and be given a victorious, triumphant life.
The power to conquer all the trials, hardships, and distressing circumstances of life can be obtained only through Jesus Christ.
As stated, He is our Intercessor, Advocate, and Representative before God.
Listen to what the Holy Word of God says: “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” ().
“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots” ().
Thought 2. Nehemiah was a man who believed in prayer and who prayed often and much.
This is clearly seen in the present Scripture.
His prayer life stands as a strong example for us: we should pray, pray often, and pray much.
Listen to what God’s Holy Word says about prayer:
Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible - Commentary - The Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible – Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther.
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” ().
“Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” ().
“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint” ().
“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” ().
“Pray without ceasing” ().
“Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds” ().
Abraham cared and rescued Lot from Sodom ().
Moses cared and delivered the Israelites from Egypt.
David cared and brought the nation and the kingdom back to the Lord.
Esther cared and risked her life to save her nation from genocide.
Paul cared and took the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire.
Jesus cared and died on the cross for a lost world.
God is still looking for people who care, people like Nehemiah, who cared enough to:
ask for the facts,
weep over the needs,
pray for God’s help,
and then volunteer to get the job done.
“Here am I, Lord—send me!”
“Pray without ceasing” ().
Be Determined 4. He Cared Enough to Volunteer (Neh. 1:11)
Abraham cared and rescued Lot from Sodom (Gen. 18–19). Moses cared and delivered the Israelites from Egypt. David cared and brought the nation and the kingdom back to the Lord. Esther cared and risked her life to save her nation from genocide. Paul cared and took the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire. Jesus cared and died on the cross for a lost world.
God is still looking for people who care, people like Nehemiah, who cared enough to ask for the facts, weep over the needs, pray for God’s help, and then volunteer to get the job done.
“Here am I, Lord—send me!”