A Spiritual Leader
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
A Spiritual Leader
A Spiritual Leader
4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,
Background!
“We all need renewal from time to time”
In our Bibles today, the books of Ezra and Nehemiah are separate.
However, early on, Ezra and Nehemiah were combined into a single, unified work.
To understand the setting of Nehemiah, here is a brief outline of the two books: These stories take place after King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian Empire invaded Judah and destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, taking a large number of the Jewish people into exile.
The beginning of Ezra takes place approximately fifty years after the initial exile and one year after Persia had overtaken the Babylonian Empire.
Ezra and Nehemiah record three stories of particular leaders who oversaw groups of people returning to Jerusalem and the rebuilding process:
Zerubbabel () helps rebuild the temple.
About sixty years after the conclusion of those events, Ezra the priest () arrives in Jerusalem to restore the teaching of the Torah (the Law of God). Nehemiah
() returns to initiate and oversee the rebuilding of the walls around Jerusalem, with this taking place a few years after Ezra’s return.
These three stories of return and rebuilding follow a very similar pattern.
First, each begins with a king of Persia being stirred by God to send the leader to Jerusalem and to supply them with resources.
Second, each leader encounters heavy resistance from others in the region that threatens the rebuilding efforts.
Third, each leader overcomes the opposition.
Fourth, the rebuilding or restoring process finishes with a great celebration.
A Spiritual Leader
I Recognizes the Problem
I Recognizes the Problem
1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, 2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 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. 4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,
Nehemiah is serving in the Persian empire as a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes.
One day, an Israelite named Hanani, who is Nehemiah’s brother (see and 7:2), returns to Persia from Judah.
Nehemiah inquires of the well-being of the Israelites who had returned and about Jerusalem.
Hanani tells him that the people in Israel are “in great trouble and disgrace” and that “the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire” ().
3 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.
Upon hearing this report, Nehemiah’s heart breaks, and he mourns, fasts, and prays for several days ().
4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,
Notice he asked how they were doing.
caring about others
It was really bad news ....
A Spiritual Leader
II Prays
II Prays
4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,
4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, 5 And said, I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: 6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house have sinned. 7 We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses. 8 Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: 9 But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there. 10 Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.
neh 1.4-
First, when Nehemiah encounters the bad report, his first response is to pray ().
He does not go and tell others; he tells God.
He does not try to distract himself from the problem; he goes God.
He casts his anxieties and cares upon God. When we encounter bad reports or go through difficulties, prayer should be our first response, not our last resort. In the same way, when we experience the goodness and blessing of God, prayer with thanksgiving should also be our initial reaction.
Brokenness and weeping before God he prayed .....
he asked how they were doing and he prayed
8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: But the prayer of the upright is his delight.
6 In my distress I called upon the Lord, And cried unto my God: He heard my voice out of his temple, And my cry came before him, even into his ears.
A Spiritual Leader
III Waits to Act
III Waits to Act
Nehemiah enters a season of seeking God through prayer, fasting, and mourning. Nehemiah says that “for some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven” ().
1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,
Chislev corresponds roughly to November/December” [The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), s.v. “Chislev”].
When Nehemiah goes to the king in chapter 2, it is the month of Nisan, which is “the first month of the Israelite calendar, corresponding approximately to March/April” (Lexham Bible Dictionary, s.v. “Nisan”).
Nehemiah did not just pray and fast for a few days. Rather, he prayed, fasted, and mourned for 90 to 150 days.
We live in a culture that thrives on the instant.
We want things to happen right away—from packages arriving in the mail in two days to downloading movies immediately to our phones.
“A lot of things that are really valuable take time. But immediate gratification is the default response.
It’s difficult to overcome those urges and be patient and wait for things to come over time”
This desire for the instant influences our spiritual lives also. When we experience trials and hardships, we must patiently enter into the process of seeking God and waiting on him. Just because we do not see immediate results from our prayers and other spiritual disciplines, we must not quit or give up. We need to persevere and walk by faith.
1 I waited patiently for the Lord; And he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
the first church
42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
A Spiritual Leader
IV Confess
IV Confess
6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house have sinned.
Nehemiah confessed his sins and the sins of his people ().
Nehemiah confessed his sins and the sins of his people ().
neh
“Confession is a powerful spiritual practice in our lives.
Nehemiah confessed his sins and the sins of his people (). “Confession is a powerful spiritual practice in our lives. However, when we hear or think about the word confession, we might have a negative reaction. Confession is not a negative word, a horrible experience, or meant to be a reminder of our failures. Confession is beautiful. … The Greek word is a compound term from ‘to speak’ and ‘the same.’ Therefore, confessing is agreeing with God that we sinned against Him and perhaps others” (Craig Conaway, “The Weapon of Confession,” 6,
However, when we hear or think about the word confession, we might have a negative reaction.
Confession is not a negative word, a horrible experience, or meant to be a reminder of our failures.
Confession is beautiful. … The Greek word is a compound term from ‘to speak’ and ‘the same.’
Agreeing with God!
Therefore, confessing is agreeing with God that we sinned against Him and perhaps others” (Craig Conaway, “The Weapon of Confession,” 6,
Therefore, confessing is agreeing with God that we sinned against Him and perhaps others” (Craig Conaway, “The Weapon of Confession,” 6,
This certainly does not mean that the cause for every trial, hardship, or suffering is a result of personal sin. However, when we seek God in difficult seasons and agree with him and his truth, we humble ourselves and submit to his rule and reign.
Rebuilding and healing begins with confession
6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
A Spiritual Leader
IV States God’s Promises
IV States God’s Promises
5 And said, I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:
8 Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: 9 But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there. 10 Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.
neh 1.
Fourth, in prayer, Nehemiah recalls the character and promises of God (, ).
When we find our hearts troubled and our circumstances appearing dark, we must remember how great and amazing God's faithfulness and lovingkindness is toward us ().
In verse 5, the word for love is the Hebrew word hesed, which means “loyal love, unfailing kindness, devotion, i.e., a love or affection that is steadfast based on a prior relationship”
God’s loyal love for us is steadfast—meaning, it does not fluctuate!
After remembering God’s character, Nehemiah recalls God’s promise (). Whenever we go through afflictions, stressful events, and seasons of hurt, we need to stand in hope upon the foundation of God’s truth.