Nehemiah 1&2 - The Heart
Notes
Transcript
Broken walls, broken Lives, broken hearts
Broken walls, broken Lives, broken hearts
The walls are broken
the gates are destroyed
and the people are in Great distress
THESE ARE WORDS FOUND IN THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH IN THE BIBLE - IN FACT YOU WILL FIND THEM IN THE FIRST THREE VERSES.
A wall in a city is important
Broken walls are an Open invite to attackers and thieves
The People are in danger
A CITY HAS BUILDINGS
STREETS
PEOPLE
COMMERCE
CULTURE
WORSHIP
WALLS = SAFETY
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.”
REBUILD RENEW RECONCILE
REBUILD RENEW RECONCILE
LAST WEEK WE TOOK YOU THROUGH THE INTRODUCTION TO OUR NEW SERMON SERIES ON THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH
WE ARE LOOKING AT
REBUILDING
RENEWING
RECONCILING
SO WE BEGIN IN CHAPTER 1 & 2 - I HOPE YOU HAD A CHANCE TO READ THESE TWO CHAPTERS THIS PAST WEEK.
LETS BEGIN BY TAKING A LOOK AT WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE:
NEHEMIAH HEARS FROM HIS BROTHER THAT THINGS ARE NOT GOING WELL BACK HOME IN JERUSALEM.
NEHEMIAHS HEART IS BROKEN FOR HIS PEOPLE.
When was the last time that you were stopped in your tracks by a major devastation?
Broken destroyed homes – war / weather.
LET ME JUST ASK YOU A QUESTION - DO YOU KNOW WHAT RUINS LOOK LIKE?
I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT ANCIENT RUINS I AM TALKING ABOUT NOW?
AS I WAS PREPARING THIS I WAS REMINDED OF WHEN I WENT TO FORT MC MURRAY
AS WE WALKED AROUND THE NEIGHBOURHOODS AND SAW THE DEVASTATION THAT THE FLOOD CAUSED NOT ONLY THE BUILDINGS BUT ALSO ALSO THE PEOPLE.
HOWEVER NOT ALL RUINS ARE THAT OBVIOUS, NOT ALL OF THEM ARE THAT VISIBLE.
Survey the ruins that lie around in your world
Broken lives
broken family’s
human souls lying in ruins
HOW DO WE RESPOND TO THAT?
INDIFFERENCE
APATHY
HOPEFULLY IT IS WITH THE SAME ATTITUDE THAT NEHEMIAH TOOK.
NEHEMIAHS HEART IS BROKEN FOR HIS PEOPLE. AND HE BREAKS DOWN AND WEEPS AND FASTS AND PRAYS FOR DAYS,
IN CHAPTER ONE WE COME ACROSS THIS PRAYER THAT NEHEMIAH PRAYED TO GOD:
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.
NEHEMIAH DOES NOT START TO POINT FINGERS AND SAY OH GOD HELP THESE PEOPLE WHO ARE IN RUIN
HE STANDS IN THE GAP FOR THE PEOPLE AND INCLUDES HIMSELF IN THIS.
LAST WEEK WE LOOK AT THE HISTORY AND WERE REMINDED THAT THE PEOPLE HAD DISOBEYED GOD AND GONE THIER OWN WAY AND EVEN THOUGH WARNED THEY CONTINUED ON THE RESULT
- EXILE -
-SEPERATION FROM GOD
NEHEMIAHS HEART WAS BROKEN
GOD PUT IT INTO HIS HEART TO HELP THE PEOPLE OF JERUSALEM
HE ASKS GOD TO PUT IT INTO THE KINGS HEART TO BE KIND TO HIM
THE VERY HEART OF HIS PRAYER SAYS - “Lord send me!!”
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NOW FROM WHEN NEHEMIAH GOT THE NEWS IT WAS CHISLEV - NOVEMBER/DECEMBER OF THAT YEAR,
HE APPEARS BEFORE THE KING NOW IT WAS NISAN APRIL/ MAY THISIS 4 MONTHS LATER.
WE FINISH OFF CHAPTER ONE WITH NEHEMIAH ASKING GOD FOR FAVOUR WITH THE KING.
HE WAS THE KINGS CUP BEARER
HE HAD A GOOD JOB BUT THESE KINGS WERE UNSTABLE PARANOID PEOPLE
REMEMBER ARTAXEXES’ FATHER WAS KILLED SO HE WILL BE VIGILANT
ALSO WE READ IN EZRA 4 THAT THIS VERY KING PUT A STOP TO THE PROGRESS IN JERUSALEM BECAUSE HIS ADVISORS REMINDED HIM THAT THESE WERE THE PEOPLE THAT DEFEATED MANY KINGS AND KINGDOMS IN THE PAST. IF THEY ARE ALLOWED TO REBUILD IT WOULD BE DANGEROUS FOR HIS KINGDOM.
NEHEMIAH HAS SAD EYES BEFORE THE KING
THE KING SAYS TO NEHEMIAH THIS MUST BE A SICKNESS OF THE HEART BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT SICK.
THIS IS THE SHORTEST PRAYER IN THE BIBLE - I OFTEN TRY AND FIGURE WHAT HE WOULD HAVE PRAYED.
GOD HELP!
GOD?
HELP?
NEHEMIAH ASKED FOR FAVOUR AND THEN MADE HIS REQUEST TO THE KING:
And please give me a letter addressed to Asaph, the manager of the king’s forest, instructing him to give me timber. I will need it to make beams for the gates of the Temple fortress, for the city walls, and for a house for myself.” And the king granted these requests, because the gracious hand of God was on me.
NEHEMIAH MAKES IT SAFELY TO HIS DESTINATION AND COLLECTING SOME NOT SO FRIENDLY PEOPLE ON THE WAY.
GOD SOFTENED NEHEMIAHS HEART - TO BE BROKEN FOR THE PEOPLE
GOD SOFTENED THE KINGS HEART TO GIVE FAVOUR AND SUPPLIES
GOD LAID ON NEHEMIAHS HEART THE PLANS FOR REBUILDING
Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me but the one on which I rode.
NEHEMIAH WENT ON A RECONNAISSANCE MISSION AROUND THE WALLS AND SURVEYD THE DAMAGE.
I BELEIVE THIS IS WHERE GOD SOLIDIFIED HIS PLANS WITH NEHEMIAH ABOUT THE WORK THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE.
COVID 19 HAS LEFT US WITH:
BROKEN WALLS
WHAT ARE THE BROKEN WALLS IN YOUR LIFE?
PERHAPS THE BROKEN WALLS IN YOUR LIFE ARE ACTUALLY WALLS THAT YOU HAVE BUILT AROUND YOURSELF TO KEEP OTHERS OUT THEREFORE ALIENATING PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE. THESE WALLS CAN BE REPOSITIONED.
PAST HURTS
TRAUMA
DISSAPOINTMENTS
SOMETIMES THOSE WALLS CANNOT BE REBUILT IN THE SAME PLACE :
MY DAUGHTER AND HER HUSBAND LOVE TO BUY HOUSES AND FIX THEM AND SELL THEM.
THEY HAVE GREAT VISION THEY CAN SEE THE WALLS MOVED AND REPOSITIONED AND IT LETS IN MORE LIGHT AND ALLOWS FOR MORE FLOW.
REBUILT
IT REQUIRES:
OPEN HEARTS
OPEN HANDS
OPEN MINDS
CHANGE
REPENTANCE
FORGIVENESS
BROKEN LIVES
FEAR - caused by human rights being violated - fear is real
ANXIETY - what you dread can happen
POVERTY - poor in spirit, relationally, monetarily
captivity of our own thoughts and fears
we in prison by our past and cant move forward
BROKEN HEARTS
perhaps it is a friend, spouse, collegue that has broken your heart
LOSSES
THE BEST NEWS IS:
Repentance always brings hope
Return to me…..
The work of the Lord depends on the Lord
But now I said to them, “You know very well what trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire. Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and end this disgrace!”
Then I told them about how the gracious hand of God had been on me, and about my conversation with the king. They replied at once, “Yes, let’s rebuild the wall!” So they began the good work.
And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
WHAT HAS GOD BROKEN YOUR HEART FOR?
CHALLENGE:
Consider the calling of God IN your life
Survey the ruins that lie around in your world
Broken lives
Broken family’s
Human souls lying in ruins
PERHAPS THIS HAS TO BEGIN WITH YOU AND THEN YOUR IMMEDIATE FAMILY.
MY PRAYER TODAY IS THAT THE CRY OF OUR HEARTS WILL BE THE SAME AS NEHEMIAH -
Lord send me!!
Reading Challenge
By Oct 18 Read CH. 1&2
By Oct 25 Read CH. 4&6
By Nov 1 Read CH. 3&5
By Nov 8 Read CH. 8
By Nov 15 Read CH. 9&10
By Nov 22 Read CH. 11-13