Nehemiah 2 – Building Inspection
How good are you at waiting? When you are waiting do you get frustrated or do you make plans for the situation ahead? When we next encounter Nehemiah in chapter two some four months have passed since Hanani brought news of Jerusalem’s perilous state and Nehemiah’s prayer. Four months before he gets an opportunity to bring his request before the king. We are not told if he was biding his time for an opportune moment or if he had to wait his turn on the rota of servants to be cup bearer before the king. Nehemiah did not just blurt out his plan but waited for a favourable moment before the king so that his plan would succeed. He had prayed to God for success but he also had to play his part in its success.
Verses 2‐3 – at the end of the verse we learn that Nehemiah entered the presence of the king with a sad countenance and that he had never been depressed in the king’s presence before. You know it was a dangerous thing for a servant to come before the king with such a sad face. In fact it could cost him his life for doing so. Some of the kings even demanded that their servants cover their mouths with the palms of their hands so that they would not breathe on them when doing their duty before them. Nehemiah’s heart is burdened for Jerusalem and it shows on his face. What is more the king also notices his sad countenance and asks him three questions – Why are you depressed? Are you unwell? Why is your heart so sad? Here is Nehemiah’s opportunity but I want you to
notice how he speaks and what he says in response to these questions. Nehemiah does not go for the jugular. He answers with deference and respect that was common in that day. He never mentions Jerusalem by name – he is wise because in Ezra 4.17‐23 Artexerxes had turned down an earlier request to rebuild the walls of that great city.
When Nehemiah is asked these questions by Artexerxes he is filled with fear. Here is the moment he has been waiting for but also if the king does not like what he is about to hear Nehemiah may lose his life. However, despite his fear he seizes the moment. Nehemiah, in verse 3, states the reason for his sad countenance. The city of the grave of his ancestors lies in ruins. For Artexerxes this may have appeared a strange reason to be sad because the Persians did not bury their dead. Instead they left them out in the open to be devoured by the animals. They had elaborate ceremonies concerning the souls of the dead but the bodies were counted as nothing and so graves were virtually unheard of. Still, Artexerxes listens to Nehemiah as he explains his sadness.
Verses 4‐5 Nehemiah immediately prays as he is about to answer the king. Here is the moment and he quickly prays before speaking. Here is the God‐given moment and he wants and needs God’s strength to answer correctly in order for success to follow. Nehemiah requests to be allowed to go and restore the city of the graves of his ancestors, again he avoids naming Jerusalem, though it is unlikely that Artexerxes did not know where he was talking about.
Verses 6‐8 the queen is mentioned, which may mean that this is a private audience because female royalty was rarely present at public festivals – do you remember king Ahaseurus sending for Queen Vashti in the book of Esther? Nehemiah asks to be allowed to go to Jerusalem and he is very wise – he asks for letters of safe passage and also a letter to the keeper of the forest so that he can get wood to do the rebuilding work. You know we read a little later in the book of Nehemiah that he will be away for an initial 12 years.
Verses 9‐10 well he makes his journey to Jerusalem, safely but in verse 10 we encounter the opposition. Sanballat is governor of Samaria and he is opposed to anyone rebuilding Jerusalem and making it strong once more. He is aided by Tobiah and Geshen. These men are politically opposed to Nehemiah and his rebuilding work. Their positions have come under threat by the arrival of Nehemiah.
Verses 11‐20 nocturnal inspections and the selling of the vision. Verses 11‐12 Nehemiah spends the first three days resting.
Nehemiah never seems to be in a hurry. He spends time recuperating before starting on the next step of the task. He takes only a few men into his confidence and tells them about the task
ahead. He goes out at night to inspect for himself the damage and the state of disrepair. He wants to see firsthand the state that Jerusalem is in. Those with him on these nocturnal expeditions see only familiar ruins but to Nehemiah here is vital information for the task ahead. Remember that – it often takes someone from outside the ruins to see what has happened and what can be done to repair and rebuild the ruins. Often those who have looked on the situation many times, maybe each day can only see familiar ruins – their eyes have become accustomed to looking on ruins. How many relationships, lives, and situations remain in ruins because people have become accustomed to ruins, familiar with disrepair and they are in dire need of fresh eyes to come and look around and see the potential to rebuild and restore?
Verse 13 – Nehemiah does not make a complete circuit of the walls. He looks only at the southern walls – why? Historically the weakest part of Jerusalem was the north and Nehemiah knows that is where the Assyrians and then the Babylonians came through – so nothing is left there, nothing is preserved but a visit to the south will reveal what is left of the walls and give hope to start rebuilding.
Verse 14 shows the destruction of Jerusalem as there was not even room for the donkey to pass through – so complete was the destruction of the walls and the rubble lying around. Nehemiah can only retrace his steps (verse 15) back into the city and ponder the task ahead. So he calls the nobles (verse 16)~ together because he needs their help and support to begin and complete the rebuilding work. Nehemiah is not a loner, he is not seeking glory for himself but seeking to bring God glory by rebuilding the walls and restoring the gates of Jerusalem. At this stage he had said nothing to them. They did not know why he had come or what he had been doing since he arrived in the city. They did not know of his nocturnal inspection of the walls.
Verses 17‐18 here are the key verses of this passage. 130 years before Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed the walls of Jerusalem. For 130 years they had lain in ruin and the people had become used to seeing the walls in such a state. In fact there was probably no one alive who could remember the walls being intact. ‘This is how it has always been...’ was probably the refrain of the people. Sound familiar? It took an outsider, with new and fresh eyes to change things. Nehemiah does four things:
He begins by identifying with them. He doesn’t say “you have a problem” but “we have a problem, we are in trouble...come let us rebuild the walls together.” He is not coming to them as an outsider to tell them all their problems but to identify with them in their trouble. Here is an image of Christ Jesus – He came and identified with us in our sinful state so that through Him we might be restored and rebuilt. Secondly, he stated the problem – Jerusalem lies in ruins and the gates are burned. It might sound obvious but sometimes people need to hear the obvious. Sometimes people need the problem to be clearly stated because all too often the familiar has become normal and people need to
know that it is not normal to live with ruined walls and burned gates. Make the application where appropriate in life!
Thirdly, he calls for specific action – let us rebuild the walls and let us no longer be in disgrace. Nehemiah calls for action and gives a justification for that action. They are not going to rebuild the walls alone because he will be with them to rebuild the walls. He could have pointed out the problem and given them a plan of action but what they really needed was vision and leadership. Nehemiah provided both.
Fourthly, he bears personal testimony to the power and work of God in bringing about success. He could bear testimony to the work of God in bringing about his presence in Jersualem, the letters of safe passage and the letters allowing them to have wood from the royal forest for the rebuilding work. We too can bear testimony to what God has wrought in our hearts and lives.
At the end of verse 18 we read that these people are encouraged and decide to take action. I want you to note the two things here. They are encouraged and encourage one another to take action. Sometimes people stop there – they talk about what they want to do, the plans and the designs might even be drawn up but they never take the next step of actually beginning to rebuild. Friends don’t stop at the planning and designing stage – take action.
Verses 19‐20 opposition appears again when they hear of what is happening in Jerusalem. They ask two scornful questions of Nehemiah – they might even have been in writing.
The first question is to belittle them – are you busy doing that? It is an attempt at a put down. There is real spite and scorn, even bitter sarcasm in this question.
The second question – concerning rebellion against the king has the purpose of frightening those involved. Treason meant certain death and if the king heard that their actions were such an act the consequences would be dire for all Jerusalem. Friends there will always be people who try and frighten you from rebuilding and restoring the walls and the gates. There will always be opposition when you go to restore and rebuild the ruins of your life – the first voice will satan’s in your ear telling you that it will never succeed and you are not worthy – don’t listen to him – answer as Nehemiah did – you have no part of this and you have no right to it either.
Nehemiah rejected their interference and told them that their claim over Jerusalem had no historical validity, connection or claim to the city. He proclaimed that God will give them success in this venture and that they needed no earthly appeal or might to complete it. No earthly threat would dissuade them either.
Application – I think verses 17‐20 are important for us today. All too often I encounter people who cannot see the wood for the trees. They cannot see the ruins, the broken walls and the burned gates of their life. They think their behaviour, their relationships and their way of life is normal. They have grown used to living with all the ruins and they are familiar, even dare I say safe, with them. God in His love and mercy often brings a Nehemiah into our lives to point out the obvious, to call us to action and to walk each step as we rebuild those walls.
Opposition will come, it always does. Don’t be surprised by it, but remind them that they have no claim over your life – it now belongs to Jesus and He has promised success.
If you are called to be a Nehemiah – take your time, take courage and speak when the opportunity arises, make your plans, inspect the landscape, call them to join you in the work of rebuilding and restoring. Remember God is with you. It is He who called you, equipped you and has promised to be with you every step of the way.
Amen.
VISITORS MAP
Saturday 19 February 2011
Tuesday 8 February 2011
REBUILDING WITH PRAYER
Nehemiah 1 verses 1‐11
Rebuilding with Prayer
During last year there was a programme to tell the history of the world in 100 objects. You may have heard it on the radio. People often make lists of the world’s most influential people, or histories most influential people. If you get your face on the cover of Time magazine you are considered to be an important person. The Sunday Times publishes a rich list each year, telling you who has lost money and who has gotten even richer. So who influences history? In the world in which we live it is pretty easy to feel, and believe, that ordinary people make absolutely no difference to history but in the book of Nehemiah we shall see that the very opposite is in fact true. Nehemiah chapter 1.
Ezra and Nehemiah were originally one book in many of the early Hebrew texts and they need to be read together to get the full round picture. Historically they are set during the fourth century BC when the people of Israel are in Babylonian exile. Artexerxes is king of Persia and he allows, or rather sends, Nehemiah back to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls and gates of the city. Nehemiah encounters fierce opposition to this task from other people and finds his own people in complete disunity and disarray. Despite all of this he rebuilds the walls of Jerusalem. When the people once again begin to fall into sin Ezra and Nehemiah read the Law of God to them and call them to repentance.
Verses 1‐3 serve as an introduction to the book and also put before us the necessary facts of the story. We are told that Hanani, along with other men from Judah, came from Jerusalem and that Nehemiah asked them about Jerusalem and about the people of God there.
Their reply is given in verse 3 – read. The reply sets the scene for the rest of the book. Nehemiah is informed that Jerusalem lies in ruins and the people are despairing as a result. The walls are broken down and the gates have been burned. There is no means of protection and it is not a city that you would be proud to belong to. Further to that the people themselves are in no better state. In fact they tell Nehemiah that the people are in great trouble and shame. Is that not a dreadful description of the people of God? What is to be done?
There are two possible reactions – ‘nothing to do with me...’ or
‘let’s get a recovery project/programme into place...’ Nehemiah does neither of these – turn to the following verse 4.
Verse 4 – this is the key verse of this passage, and in fact of the whole books. Look at what Nehemiah does when he hears the disturbing news of the state of Jerusalem and the people of God there. He sits down – he takes a seat. Quite literally he stopped what he was doing and shut out all the distractions of his life in the palace. He shut out all the riches and glamour of the royal court – he took a ‘sabbath.’ In the Hebrew ‘sabbath’ is ‘shabbath’ which meant ‘to stop’ and that is what he did. Here is the first lesson we learn from Nehemiah – to stop what we are doing to concentrate on what God would have us do. When we read on in verse 4 we read that he fasted and prayed – but he could do neither if he was still busying himself with the things of everyday life. So the first thing he did was to stop all other activity in order to concentrate on being before God. We all need to take that on board at the beginning of 2011. Let me ask you what are all the distractions going on around you when you come to read your bible and to pray. The radio on in the background, checking emails, or is the television still on? That should never be – we are to stop – to shabbath – so that God gets our full attention. I know what some of you are thinking right at this moment – do you know how difficult it is for me to get even five minutes spare time? I want to be as gentle as I can with you about this but I do want to be honest with about it – if it is a priority you will find the time. If you are serious about your relationship with God you will find the time. Some of you seriously need to examine your time management before God. You cannot find time to be alone with God but you can spend hours on face book, hours playing Farmville and all those other pointless games on websites but you cannot stop and be before God in prayer? You can read the newspapers, the latest novel, surf the internet, bid on ebay, never miss an episode of eastenders but you cannot make time to be alone before God. Nehemiah immediately sat down, stopped, before God when news came of the disrepair of Jerusalem and the despair of the people of God.
He then fasted and prayed. He didn’t do this for five minutes but for a number of days. It was not a one off arrow prayer, prayed in the moment to salve his conscience. Nehemiah was serious before God in prayer for Jerusalem and the people of God. Prayer mattered because prayer influences history, changes events, moves people and helps fulfil the will of God. Throughout the book of Nehemiah we read of him praying:
1.4 he prays for a long time
2.4 he prays in an emergency
4.4 he prays when he is misunderstood instead of getting bitter
4.9 he prays when he is in danger
5.19 he prays when he is tested
6.9 he prays even when he is exhausted
7.3 he keeps on praying
Nehemiah is saturated in prayer. He makes no decisions, takes no steps forward and does not begin a task without praying. His life was a life of prayer. When word comes of Jerusalem he prays – not just because it is the right thing to do but also because it is the only thing to do – there is no greater thing that you can do for someone or some situation than to bring it to God in prayer. Do you believe that? Do you really believe that? If you do then prayer will be a priority in your life. So let us look at what Nehemiah prayed.
Verse 5 Nehemiah begins his prayer with adoration of God. He begins with praise, declaring the greatness of Almighty God. He describes God as a great and awesome God. It is this understanding of God that is the bedrock of his prayer – why else would you pray if you did not believe that God was in control? Nehemiah then states that God is faithful and loving. It is God himself who has called the people into a covenant relationship with him. Nehemiah uses the ‘name’ that God revealed to Moses when Moses asked to see God’s glory in Exodus 33. ‘Steadfast love’ – covenant love – this is the glory of God. God is His name – that is why it is not to be taken lightly, vainly or used as a swear word. Here Nehemiah reveals the glory of God and that this God of majesty, of power and might is the one who has called, and covenanted, His people into an intimate personal relationship with Himself – so that they can pray to Him. Without a relationship there can be no communication and without communication there can be no relationship. If you claim to follow Christ, to belong to God and are not praying then there is no relationship with God or a breakdown in your relationship with God. It is the same in marriage – the breakdown of the relationship is usually because of the breakdown in communication – no communication = no relationship – that is why scripture constantly uses marriage as an illustration of the relationship of God and His people.
Adoration also slows Nehemiah down – it is all part and parcel of the ‘shabbath.’ Nehemiah’s heart has been moved by the plight of Jerusalem and the people of God but his focus needs to be on God. Jerusalem is very obviously the issue on his heart that he wants to bring before God but prayer is not about a ‘heavenly shopping list’
– it is about a relationship with God. Adoration at the beginning of prayer slows him down, reminds him of before whom he now stands and to whom he is bringing his requests. It reinforces the covenant relationship and his understanding that God is gracious, faithful, loving and awesome. Remember to praise and adore God
when you begin to pray – it focuses your heart and mind on God and not on self.
Verses 6‐7 – Confession. The next part of Nehemiah’s prayer is a lesson in confession of sin. Being in the presence of God he can only confess his sin because he is aware of his sinfulness before God’s holiness. I hope and pray that the same is true of us. When we come into the presence of God we become aware of our sinfulness in His presence. I think it is important that we teach that to our children and to our teenagers. In a world where there is little respect for anyone or anything we need to reinforce by our own actions, by our own prayers and by our teaching that God is holy, He is awesome and majestic and that we are sinners in His presence. I am horrified at the lack of reverence before God. God is not you bosom buddy. Nor is He your mate and should not be treated with such flippancy as often passes for worship. He is your creator. He sustains your life each day. He decided the moment of your birth and He has already decided the moment of your death. He sent His Son to die for your sin and He is holy, awesome, majestic and all powerful. The least you can do is to show respect and reverence in His presence.
Nehemiah confesses that he, and the people of God, have not kept the word of God and in so doing they have sinned against God. They are at fault, not God. They have broken the covenant, not God. They have been unfaithful, not God. Nehemiah is honest in his confession before God and he confesses because he knows that God is gracious and will forgive those who truly repent and turn from their sin. It is the holiness of God that convicts him of his sin and it is the grace of God that brings him to confession. There is wrath and mercy here. There is both judgement and grace in confession of sin. There is acknowledgement of who God is and who Nehemiah is before God. Oh, that we would follow such an example of prayer. At the beginning of 2011 is it not right that we should we confess like Nehemiah that we are sinners, that we have broken the covenant with God and that we have been unfaithful.
I think it is fair to say that confession of sin is one of the neglected areas of prayer in the life of many. I am not talking about confessing your sins to another person. What passes for confession of sin in prayer? Often we pray and ask God to forgive us our sin – one sentence – it has not involved self‐examination before God, it has caused us no pain, remorse or regret and there is certainly been no shame or embarrassment about it. I wonder, truly wonder, how much genuine repentance and confession of sin actually happens in the life of many – the result is actually pretty easy to see. The evidence of this lack of true repentance and confession is seen in the number of those who claim to follow Christ who live lives of sin, who walk away from God and who are casual about the moral law of God.
If I have lied – do I ask God to forgive me because I am a liar? If I have broken my marriage vows do I ask God to forgive me for adultery? If I have cheated on expenses do I confess that I am a thief? If I have gossiped and destroyed someone’s reputation do I confess that I am a murderer? If I have claimed to follow Christ but lived as the world lives do I confess that I am a hypocrite? True confession leads us to naming sin for what it is, to confront it openly and confess it specifically before God. Nehemiah did, and he also said that the people of God in general were guilty of sin.
The result of such confession is that my guilt is assuaged, my conscience is seared by the Holy Spirit and purified by God and the burden of sin (which we used to confess to God was intolerable and that we were unable to bear it) is lifted from my shoulders and life. Don’t you want that? I know that I do.
Verses 8‐9 make harrowing reading for the people of God, in the day of Nehemiah and today. Look at the consequences of sin and blessing of confession. Sin scatters people because its sole purpose is the breakdown and death of relationships. The sole purpose of sin is to break your relationship with God and to lead to your death
– both physical and spiritual. If only we would understand that about sin. If only we had eyes that would see the consequences of our sinful actions before we took the next step. Adam and Eve could not see the death of their relationship with God and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden and the gracious provision of God – and so they ate the forbidden fruit and brought death into their relationship with God, with each other and with the earth. Nehemiah knows this and confesses that the people of God cannot claim to be ignorant of this because God had told them of such consequences through His word – you cannot be ignorant of it either. The death of their relationship with God, the removal of God’s protection and the scattering of the people (all of which has happened and is pictured in the broken walls and burned gates of Jerusalem) are because the people have been unfaithful to the covenant relationship with God. Friends, there are no blessings to be found in unfaithfulness but there is always death and scattering.
Yet there is hope, yet there is grace and yet there is blessing. If the people return to God, repent of their sin and are faithful to the covenant that God has established with them – Nehemiah says no matter how far apart they are, no matter how far they have been scattered God will gather them together to the place where He has chosen to dwell and to make His name known. At the time of Nehemiah that place was Jerusalem – God choose the place and He choose that His name would dwell there – in the Temple. What a wonderful picture – which finds its ultimate fulfilment in the book of Revelation – when God’s people, a gathering which no man can number, gather for the banquet of the Lamb. God is not about scattering people – throughout His Word He gathers His people together – around His word, around His throne of grace, a place where He dwells with and amongst His people. Nehemiah knows that this is God’s will – to gather His people and to dwell amongst them. God has not changed. God’s desire is still to gather His people and to dwell amongst them.
Verse 10 – Redemption of God’s people by the hand of God. Jerusalem may lie in ruins and the people of God may be despairing but God is the God of redemption. By His hand the people are redeemed and in that redemption they are declared the people of God. This morning you may feel that your life is in ruins and the walls of your life are broken down and the gates are burned. You may feel despairing because of your past and the past of others which has brought you to this place this morning. This morning God whispers into your life that He is the God of redemption – the one who redeems, who has paid for all the consequences of your sin and the sins of others. He has taken all the punishment for your unfaithfulness and the unfaithfulness of others and this morning by His mighty power and His strong arm He will redeem you. He wants you to know that redemption. He wants you to know the redeeming love of the saviour, not just to know it in your head but to feel it in the depth of your soul – to know you are redeemed.
Verse 11 – now Nehemiah is in a place to ask of God. Look at this verse closely this morning. He does not immediately launch into a list of requests concerning Jerusalem. Having taken a ‘shabbath’, having adored God, confessed his sin and praised God for His faithfulness and redemption he asks that God would turn His ear to his request – not because of who Nehemiah is but because Nehemiah fears the name of the Lord. Look at what he asks of God
– give me success before this man – the king.
I want you to note that Nehemiah does not tell God or ask God about Jerusalem and what needs to be done there – no he asks simply that God gives him success in the next step – before king Artexerxes. There is no racing to the end of this project, there is only prayer for the next step of the journey. Too often we pray for the end of the journey without having asked God for success for taking the first footsteps of that journey. Remember that in prayer. Pray for the next step
I want to encourage you to keep on praying and to take prayer seriously.
Make the time – take a shabbath each day. Quite literally stop whatever you are doing and come before God – use the pattern of Nehemiah 1‐11 for your prayer pattern. Don’t go through the motions. Turn off the computer, switch off facebook, the television, whatever and go before God in prayer. You want to influence your children, you want to enrich your marriage, you want the blessings of God in your life – it won’t happen unless you are before Him in prayer. Start somewhere – but you need to start. You need to keep going, be persistent because satan will through everything at you, including the kitchen sink, to stop you praying.
.
Amen.
Rebuilding with Prayer
During last year there was a programme to tell the history of the world in 100 objects. You may have heard it on the radio. People often make lists of the world’s most influential people, or histories most influential people. If you get your face on the cover of Time magazine you are considered to be an important person. The Sunday Times publishes a rich list each year, telling you who has lost money and who has gotten even richer. So who influences history? In the world in which we live it is pretty easy to feel, and believe, that ordinary people make absolutely no difference to history but in the book of Nehemiah we shall see that the very opposite is in fact true. Nehemiah chapter 1.
Ezra and Nehemiah were originally one book in many of the early Hebrew texts and they need to be read together to get the full round picture. Historically they are set during the fourth century BC when the people of Israel are in Babylonian exile. Artexerxes is king of Persia and he allows, or rather sends, Nehemiah back to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls and gates of the city. Nehemiah encounters fierce opposition to this task from other people and finds his own people in complete disunity and disarray. Despite all of this he rebuilds the walls of Jerusalem. When the people once again begin to fall into sin Ezra and Nehemiah read the Law of God to them and call them to repentance.
Verses 1‐3 serve as an introduction to the book and also put before us the necessary facts of the story. We are told that Hanani, along with other men from Judah, came from Jerusalem and that Nehemiah asked them about Jerusalem and about the people of God there.
Their reply is given in verse 3 – read. The reply sets the scene for the rest of the book. Nehemiah is informed that Jerusalem lies in ruins and the people are despairing as a result. The walls are broken down and the gates have been burned. There is no means of protection and it is not a city that you would be proud to belong to. Further to that the people themselves are in no better state. In fact they tell Nehemiah that the people are in great trouble and shame. Is that not a dreadful description of the people of God? What is to be done?
There are two possible reactions – ‘nothing to do with me...’ or
‘let’s get a recovery project/programme into place...’ Nehemiah does neither of these – turn to the following verse 4.
Verse 4 – this is the key verse of this passage, and in fact of the whole books. Look at what Nehemiah does when he hears the disturbing news of the state of Jerusalem and the people of God there. He sits down – he takes a seat. Quite literally he stopped what he was doing and shut out all the distractions of his life in the palace. He shut out all the riches and glamour of the royal court – he took a ‘sabbath.’ In the Hebrew ‘sabbath’ is ‘shabbath’ which meant ‘to stop’ and that is what he did. Here is the first lesson we learn from Nehemiah – to stop what we are doing to concentrate on what God would have us do. When we read on in verse 4 we read that he fasted and prayed – but he could do neither if he was still busying himself with the things of everyday life. So the first thing he did was to stop all other activity in order to concentrate on being before God. We all need to take that on board at the beginning of 2011. Let me ask you what are all the distractions going on around you when you come to read your bible and to pray. The radio on in the background, checking emails, or is the television still on? That should never be – we are to stop – to shabbath – so that God gets our full attention. I know what some of you are thinking right at this moment – do you know how difficult it is for me to get even five minutes spare time? I want to be as gentle as I can with you about this but I do want to be honest with about it – if it is a priority you will find the time. If you are serious about your relationship with God you will find the time. Some of you seriously need to examine your time management before God. You cannot find time to be alone with God but you can spend hours on face book, hours playing Farmville and all those other pointless games on websites but you cannot stop and be before God in prayer? You can read the newspapers, the latest novel, surf the internet, bid on ebay, never miss an episode of eastenders but you cannot make time to be alone before God. Nehemiah immediately sat down, stopped, before God when news came of the disrepair of Jerusalem and the despair of the people of God.
He then fasted and prayed. He didn’t do this for five minutes but for a number of days. It was not a one off arrow prayer, prayed in the moment to salve his conscience. Nehemiah was serious before God in prayer for Jerusalem and the people of God. Prayer mattered because prayer influences history, changes events, moves people and helps fulfil the will of God. Throughout the book of Nehemiah we read of him praying:
1.4 he prays for a long time
2.4 he prays in an emergency
4.4 he prays when he is misunderstood instead of getting bitter
4.9 he prays when he is in danger
5.19 he prays when he is tested
6.9 he prays even when he is exhausted
7.3 he keeps on praying
Nehemiah is saturated in prayer. He makes no decisions, takes no steps forward and does not begin a task without praying. His life was a life of prayer. When word comes of Jerusalem he prays – not just because it is the right thing to do but also because it is the only thing to do – there is no greater thing that you can do for someone or some situation than to bring it to God in prayer. Do you believe that? Do you really believe that? If you do then prayer will be a priority in your life. So let us look at what Nehemiah prayed.
Verse 5 Nehemiah begins his prayer with adoration of God. He begins with praise, declaring the greatness of Almighty God. He describes God as a great and awesome God. It is this understanding of God that is the bedrock of his prayer – why else would you pray if you did not believe that God was in control? Nehemiah then states that God is faithful and loving. It is God himself who has called the people into a covenant relationship with him. Nehemiah uses the ‘name’ that God revealed to Moses when Moses asked to see God’s glory in Exodus 33. ‘Steadfast love’ – covenant love – this is the glory of God. God is His name – that is why it is not to be taken lightly, vainly or used as a swear word. Here Nehemiah reveals the glory of God and that this God of majesty, of power and might is the one who has called, and covenanted, His people into an intimate personal relationship with Himself – so that they can pray to Him. Without a relationship there can be no communication and without communication there can be no relationship. If you claim to follow Christ, to belong to God and are not praying then there is no relationship with God or a breakdown in your relationship with God. It is the same in marriage – the breakdown of the relationship is usually because of the breakdown in communication – no communication = no relationship – that is why scripture constantly uses marriage as an illustration of the relationship of God and His people.
Adoration also slows Nehemiah down – it is all part and parcel of the ‘shabbath.’ Nehemiah’s heart has been moved by the plight of Jerusalem and the people of God but his focus needs to be on God. Jerusalem is very obviously the issue on his heart that he wants to bring before God but prayer is not about a ‘heavenly shopping list’
– it is about a relationship with God. Adoration at the beginning of prayer slows him down, reminds him of before whom he now stands and to whom he is bringing his requests. It reinforces the covenant relationship and his understanding that God is gracious, faithful, loving and awesome. Remember to praise and adore God
when you begin to pray – it focuses your heart and mind on God and not on self.
Verses 6‐7 – Confession. The next part of Nehemiah’s prayer is a lesson in confession of sin. Being in the presence of God he can only confess his sin because he is aware of his sinfulness before God’s holiness. I hope and pray that the same is true of us. When we come into the presence of God we become aware of our sinfulness in His presence. I think it is important that we teach that to our children and to our teenagers. In a world where there is little respect for anyone or anything we need to reinforce by our own actions, by our own prayers and by our teaching that God is holy, He is awesome and majestic and that we are sinners in His presence. I am horrified at the lack of reverence before God. God is not you bosom buddy. Nor is He your mate and should not be treated with such flippancy as often passes for worship. He is your creator. He sustains your life each day. He decided the moment of your birth and He has already decided the moment of your death. He sent His Son to die for your sin and He is holy, awesome, majestic and all powerful. The least you can do is to show respect and reverence in His presence.
Nehemiah confesses that he, and the people of God, have not kept the word of God and in so doing they have sinned against God. They are at fault, not God. They have broken the covenant, not God. They have been unfaithful, not God. Nehemiah is honest in his confession before God and he confesses because he knows that God is gracious and will forgive those who truly repent and turn from their sin. It is the holiness of God that convicts him of his sin and it is the grace of God that brings him to confession. There is wrath and mercy here. There is both judgement and grace in confession of sin. There is acknowledgement of who God is and who Nehemiah is before God. Oh, that we would follow such an example of prayer. At the beginning of 2011 is it not right that we should we confess like Nehemiah that we are sinners, that we have broken the covenant with God and that we have been unfaithful.
I think it is fair to say that confession of sin is one of the neglected areas of prayer in the life of many. I am not talking about confessing your sins to another person. What passes for confession of sin in prayer? Often we pray and ask God to forgive us our sin – one sentence – it has not involved self‐examination before God, it has caused us no pain, remorse or regret and there is certainly been no shame or embarrassment about it. I wonder, truly wonder, how much genuine repentance and confession of sin actually happens in the life of many – the result is actually pretty easy to see. The evidence of this lack of true repentance and confession is seen in the number of those who claim to follow Christ who live lives of sin, who walk away from God and who are casual about the moral law of God.
If I have lied – do I ask God to forgive me because I am a liar? If I have broken my marriage vows do I ask God to forgive me for adultery? If I have cheated on expenses do I confess that I am a thief? If I have gossiped and destroyed someone’s reputation do I confess that I am a murderer? If I have claimed to follow Christ but lived as the world lives do I confess that I am a hypocrite? True confession leads us to naming sin for what it is, to confront it openly and confess it specifically before God. Nehemiah did, and he also said that the people of God in general were guilty of sin.
The result of such confession is that my guilt is assuaged, my conscience is seared by the Holy Spirit and purified by God and the burden of sin (which we used to confess to God was intolerable and that we were unable to bear it) is lifted from my shoulders and life. Don’t you want that? I know that I do.
Verses 8‐9 make harrowing reading for the people of God, in the day of Nehemiah and today. Look at the consequences of sin and blessing of confession. Sin scatters people because its sole purpose is the breakdown and death of relationships. The sole purpose of sin is to break your relationship with God and to lead to your death
– both physical and spiritual. If only we would understand that about sin. If only we had eyes that would see the consequences of our sinful actions before we took the next step. Adam and Eve could not see the death of their relationship with God and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden and the gracious provision of God – and so they ate the forbidden fruit and brought death into their relationship with God, with each other and with the earth. Nehemiah knows this and confesses that the people of God cannot claim to be ignorant of this because God had told them of such consequences through His word – you cannot be ignorant of it either. The death of their relationship with God, the removal of God’s protection and the scattering of the people (all of which has happened and is pictured in the broken walls and burned gates of Jerusalem) are because the people have been unfaithful to the covenant relationship with God. Friends, there are no blessings to be found in unfaithfulness but there is always death and scattering.
Yet there is hope, yet there is grace and yet there is blessing. If the people return to God, repent of their sin and are faithful to the covenant that God has established with them – Nehemiah says no matter how far apart they are, no matter how far they have been scattered God will gather them together to the place where He has chosen to dwell and to make His name known. At the time of Nehemiah that place was Jerusalem – God choose the place and He choose that His name would dwell there – in the Temple. What a wonderful picture – which finds its ultimate fulfilment in the book of Revelation – when God’s people, a gathering which no man can number, gather for the banquet of the Lamb. God is not about scattering people – throughout His Word He gathers His people together – around His word, around His throne of grace, a place where He dwells with and amongst His people. Nehemiah knows that this is God’s will – to gather His people and to dwell amongst them. God has not changed. God’s desire is still to gather His people and to dwell amongst them.
Verse 10 – Redemption of God’s people by the hand of God. Jerusalem may lie in ruins and the people of God may be despairing but God is the God of redemption. By His hand the people are redeemed and in that redemption they are declared the people of God. This morning you may feel that your life is in ruins and the walls of your life are broken down and the gates are burned. You may feel despairing because of your past and the past of others which has brought you to this place this morning. This morning God whispers into your life that He is the God of redemption – the one who redeems, who has paid for all the consequences of your sin and the sins of others. He has taken all the punishment for your unfaithfulness and the unfaithfulness of others and this morning by His mighty power and His strong arm He will redeem you. He wants you to know that redemption. He wants you to know the redeeming love of the saviour, not just to know it in your head but to feel it in the depth of your soul – to know you are redeemed.
Verse 11 – now Nehemiah is in a place to ask of God. Look at this verse closely this morning. He does not immediately launch into a list of requests concerning Jerusalem. Having taken a ‘shabbath’, having adored God, confessed his sin and praised God for His faithfulness and redemption he asks that God would turn His ear to his request – not because of who Nehemiah is but because Nehemiah fears the name of the Lord. Look at what he asks of God
– give me success before this man – the king.
I want you to note that Nehemiah does not tell God or ask God about Jerusalem and what needs to be done there – no he asks simply that God gives him success in the next step – before king Artexerxes. There is no racing to the end of this project, there is only prayer for the next step of the journey. Too often we pray for the end of the journey without having asked God for success for taking the first footsteps of that journey. Remember that in prayer. Pray for the next step
I want to encourage you to keep on praying and to take prayer seriously.
Make the time – take a shabbath each day. Quite literally stop whatever you are doing and come before God – use the pattern of Nehemiah 1‐11 for your prayer pattern. Don’t go through the motions. Turn off the computer, switch off facebook, the television, whatever and go before God in prayer. You want to influence your children, you want to enrich your marriage, you want the blessings of God in your life – it won’t happen unless you are before Him in prayer. Start somewhere – but you need to start. You need to keep going, be persistent because satan will through everything at you, including the kitchen sink, to stop you praying.
.
Amen.
Saturday 5 February 2011
77 times...
Matthew 18.21-35
It is vital that you understand the context of these verses if you are in any way to understand their importance for all of us and your church. Chapter 18 of Matthew contains 7 things which are vital to the life and vitality of a Christian church community. Verses 1-4 deal with humility, verses 5-6 welcoming people, verses 7-9 wholeheartedness, verses 10-14 pastoral care, verses 15-20 openness, verses 21-22 forgiveness and verses 23-35 freedom from resentment. Each of these has to do with personal and interpersonal relationships and Jesus sets them firmly within the context of a church community. Hence his reference to 'the little ones' or 'brothers' when dealing with such issues. If I had time we could go through each of these things and examine ourselves concerning them, but I don't and so I will deal with the issue of forgiveness.
Forgiveness - verses 21-35.
Don't you just love Peter in the gospels? I love his openness and his impulsive speaking - even when it gets him into bother. Jesus has just spoken to them how to deal with difficulties in relationships within the church (verses 15-20) and Peter now wants some answers concerning forgiveness. Poor Andrew having to listen to his brother asking such a question. At the time of Christ rabbi's said that you were to forgive your brother 3 times and Peter probably thinks he is being magnanimous by saying 7 times. How could Jesus not fail to be impressed by the generosity and graciousness of Peter here? Yet Peter is shocked by Jesus' answer - 77 times. I can imagine Peter's face flushing with embarrassment at this answer from Jesus. Outrageous grace and mercy is spoken of here by Jesus. Peter thought he was offering the moon in saying 7 but Jesus shows the outrageous nature of forgiveness in the kingdom of God by stating 77 times. Now can I say to you if you get hung up on counting the numbers here you will have missed the whole point of what Jesus is teaching Peter, the disciples and us. Jesus is saying that forgiveness is a hallmark of authentic kingdom life. The Christian life is born in forgiveness and such forgiveness must characterise all who claim to be followers of Jesus. Jesus tells Peter you must go on and on forgiving - constantly forgiving - just as God constantly forgives you. Being a forgiven person Peter you must become a forgiving person. Let me repeat that for you - being a forgiven person you must become a forgiving person. To be able to say 'I forgive you' is not enough - we must go on forgiving whenever we feel that sense grievance arising in our hearts again. You see forgiveness is really a matter of our wills - more than a feeling - in fact feelings are not the issue at all - our wills are the issue - and we really do need to take that on board. Your heart will eventually catch up with your head as we reiterate and repeat forgiveness until it becomes a very part of us and manifests itself to all. The supreme example of such forgiveness is Christ on the cross - towards those crucifying him and towards us whose sins put him there to be crucified. You know an unwillingness to forgive is the cause of many broken relationships and can I say, as humbly as it is possible to say, to claim to be a Christian and to not forgive someone is incompatible.
The unmerciful servant - verses 23-35.
Jesus follows on from his instructions concerning forgiveness with a parable about an unmerciful servant. The story is meant to show clearly to Peter and the other disciples, and us, how much God has forgiven him, them, and us and how trifling are the things which we hold on to. Jesus tells them of a servant who owed a vast sum of money, in fact the amount mentioned no one could repay. The amount is more than the money set aside by David to build the temple - that puts it into perspective. The point is that the debt owed to the king is incalculable and there is no way that the servant could repay that amount. When challenged by the king he begs for time to repay, even though there is no possibility to repay. Against all expectations the king forgives him the debt when he asks for mercy. Astonishing grace. Outrageous grace. Outlandish mercy is shown to this man. He should be thankful but as we read on in the story we realise that this man has not learnt forgiveness despite being forgiven so much. He should have behaved towards others with the same generosity as he had just experienced but he does not. In fact he catches a fellow-servant who owes him a pittance in comparison what he owed to the king. He demands the last penny from this man and throws him into prison until the debt is paid. So horrified are the other servants at his treatment of this fellow-servant that they go and tell the king - and the greek says they tell him in great detail what the man has done. Look at the kings response in verse 32ff. The king calls the man 'wicked' and that is exactly what he is. It is a wicked sinful thing to be forgiven so much and to refuse forgiveness, for so little, to another. The king turns the man over to the 'torturers' until his debt is repaid - but we already know from the start of the parable that it is impossible to repay such a debt - the meaning is obvious to Peter - eternity is in question here. Can I point out to you that 'torture' here speaks of 'spiritual torment' and that is exactly what you are bringing upon yourself by refusing to forgive.
To drive the point home Jesus speaks - read verse 35. These are very sobering words to Peter, who you remember began this conversation by asking how many times he had to forgive his brother (Andrew) and thought he was being generous with suggesting 7 times. Your relationship with God is affected by your relationships to and with other people, please never forget that.
Jesus tells Peter, and the other disciples, if you refuse to forgive others you are closing off God's forgiveness towards you. This is not because we earn God's forgiveness by forgiving others but our forgiveness of others is a natural consequence of his forgiveness to us. When Peter understands and appreciates the undeserved forgiveness he experiences and enjoys from God in Christ then he will be moved to forgive others, including Andrew his brother. If we have a problem with the latter it is because we have a problem with the former - in that we do not appreciate the nature and extent of our own sins and the cost of their forgiveness. When I understand the incalculableness of my sins and the debt I cannot pay to God - and when I hear God say 'as far as the east is from the west is how far I have removed your sin' or 'though your sins are like scarlet they are now white as snow' - all because He forgives me in Christ - then I will get a correct perspective and understanding on forgiving others. Colossians 3.13 is a verse we should all memorise and repeat to ourselves everyday. By forgiving others we find freedom in Christ.
Naturally we may find it hard to forgive. Peter did, hence his question to Jesus. Holding on to hurts, refusing to forgive is a deadly disease in a life and in the life of any Christian. It certainly has severe spiritual consequences. Our relationship with God is strangulated by refusing to forgive others. "Is there someone you will not forgive?" is one of the most spiritually revealing questions you can ask yourself or anyone else. You see if you refuse to forgive you are placing yourself in a place of bondage, spiritual, mental and emotional bondage - which may well have physical manifestations also. By refusing to forgive you give the past a foothold in the present and you allow the pain of the past to continue to dominate and dictate the present. By staying angry and holding on to the debt who are you hurting? Primarily you are hurting yourself first and foremost.
In finishing let me answer the question "What is forgiveness?" It is not forgetting - Jeremiah 31.34 - read - tells us that God chooses to remember our sins no more - that is not the same as forgetting. Forgiveness is a conscious decision not to remember and not to bring the past into the present to be used against someone.
It is not tolerating sin - it is not inconsistent with forgiveness not to remain in a situation where sin is being committed. For example an abusive relationship - it is right to forgive and it is equally right to remove yourself from that relationship so that the sin does not continue.
Forgiveness also means we all have to live with the consequences of our actions and the actions of other people. Christ forgave us by taking upon himself the consequences of our sinful actions - death on the cross. He made that conscious choice and we are called to do the same.
Finally can I remind you of the Lord's prayer - forgive us our trespasses (or sins) as we forgive those who trespass against us. Now - as yourself 'Did I mean it?' It has implications for your own relationship with God and your spiritual growth. It has implications for your relationship with other people. It is foundational to the spiritual health of each Christian and each congregation and the truth is refusing to forgive will be at the root of bitterness and resentment in your life and in the life of your Church congregation. Only you know how to apply this passage to your life and only you can do it.
It is vital that you understand the context of these verses if you are in any way to understand their importance for all of us and your church. Chapter 18 of Matthew contains 7 things which are vital to the life and vitality of a Christian church community. Verses 1-4 deal with humility, verses 5-6 welcoming people, verses 7-9 wholeheartedness, verses 10-14 pastoral care, verses 15-20 openness, verses 21-22 forgiveness and verses 23-35 freedom from resentment. Each of these has to do with personal and interpersonal relationships and Jesus sets them firmly within the context of a church community. Hence his reference to 'the little ones' or 'brothers' when dealing with such issues. If I had time we could go through each of these things and examine ourselves concerning them, but I don't and so I will deal with the issue of forgiveness.
Forgiveness - verses 21-35.
Don't you just love Peter in the gospels? I love his openness and his impulsive speaking - even when it gets him into bother. Jesus has just spoken to them how to deal with difficulties in relationships within the church (verses 15-20) and Peter now wants some answers concerning forgiveness. Poor Andrew having to listen to his brother asking such a question. At the time of Christ rabbi's said that you were to forgive your brother 3 times and Peter probably thinks he is being magnanimous by saying 7 times. How could Jesus not fail to be impressed by the generosity and graciousness of Peter here? Yet Peter is shocked by Jesus' answer - 77 times. I can imagine Peter's face flushing with embarrassment at this answer from Jesus. Outrageous grace and mercy is spoken of here by Jesus. Peter thought he was offering the moon in saying 7 but Jesus shows the outrageous nature of forgiveness in the kingdom of God by stating 77 times. Now can I say to you if you get hung up on counting the numbers here you will have missed the whole point of what Jesus is teaching Peter, the disciples and us. Jesus is saying that forgiveness is a hallmark of authentic kingdom life. The Christian life is born in forgiveness and such forgiveness must characterise all who claim to be followers of Jesus. Jesus tells Peter you must go on and on forgiving - constantly forgiving - just as God constantly forgives you. Being a forgiven person Peter you must become a forgiving person. Let me repeat that for you - being a forgiven person you must become a forgiving person. To be able to say 'I forgive you' is not enough - we must go on forgiving whenever we feel that sense grievance arising in our hearts again. You see forgiveness is really a matter of our wills - more than a feeling - in fact feelings are not the issue at all - our wills are the issue - and we really do need to take that on board. Your heart will eventually catch up with your head as we reiterate and repeat forgiveness until it becomes a very part of us and manifests itself to all. The supreme example of such forgiveness is Christ on the cross - towards those crucifying him and towards us whose sins put him there to be crucified. You know an unwillingness to forgive is the cause of many broken relationships and can I say, as humbly as it is possible to say, to claim to be a Christian and to not forgive someone is incompatible.
The unmerciful servant - verses 23-35.
Jesus follows on from his instructions concerning forgiveness with a parable about an unmerciful servant. The story is meant to show clearly to Peter and the other disciples, and us, how much God has forgiven him, them, and us and how trifling are the things which we hold on to. Jesus tells them of a servant who owed a vast sum of money, in fact the amount mentioned no one could repay. The amount is more than the money set aside by David to build the temple - that puts it into perspective. The point is that the debt owed to the king is incalculable and there is no way that the servant could repay that amount. When challenged by the king he begs for time to repay, even though there is no possibility to repay. Against all expectations the king forgives him the debt when he asks for mercy. Astonishing grace. Outrageous grace. Outlandish mercy is shown to this man. He should be thankful but as we read on in the story we realise that this man has not learnt forgiveness despite being forgiven so much. He should have behaved towards others with the same generosity as he had just experienced but he does not. In fact he catches a fellow-servant who owes him a pittance in comparison what he owed to the king. He demands the last penny from this man and throws him into prison until the debt is paid. So horrified are the other servants at his treatment of this fellow-servant that they go and tell the king - and the greek says they tell him in great detail what the man has done. Look at the kings response in verse 32ff. The king calls the man 'wicked' and that is exactly what he is. It is a wicked sinful thing to be forgiven so much and to refuse forgiveness, for so little, to another. The king turns the man over to the 'torturers' until his debt is repaid - but we already know from the start of the parable that it is impossible to repay such a debt - the meaning is obvious to Peter - eternity is in question here. Can I point out to you that 'torture' here speaks of 'spiritual torment' and that is exactly what you are bringing upon yourself by refusing to forgive.
To drive the point home Jesus speaks - read verse 35. These are very sobering words to Peter, who you remember began this conversation by asking how many times he had to forgive his brother (Andrew) and thought he was being generous with suggesting 7 times. Your relationship with God is affected by your relationships to and with other people, please never forget that.
Jesus tells Peter, and the other disciples, if you refuse to forgive others you are closing off God's forgiveness towards you. This is not because we earn God's forgiveness by forgiving others but our forgiveness of others is a natural consequence of his forgiveness to us. When Peter understands and appreciates the undeserved forgiveness he experiences and enjoys from God in Christ then he will be moved to forgive others, including Andrew his brother. If we have a problem with the latter it is because we have a problem with the former - in that we do not appreciate the nature and extent of our own sins and the cost of their forgiveness. When I understand the incalculableness of my sins and the debt I cannot pay to God - and when I hear God say 'as far as the east is from the west is how far I have removed your sin' or 'though your sins are like scarlet they are now white as snow' - all because He forgives me in Christ - then I will get a correct perspective and understanding on forgiving others. Colossians 3.13 is a verse we should all memorise and repeat to ourselves everyday. By forgiving others we find freedom in Christ.
Naturally we may find it hard to forgive. Peter did, hence his question to Jesus. Holding on to hurts, refusing to forgive is a deadly disease in a life and in the life of any Christian. It certainly has severe spiritual consequences. Our relationship with God is strangulated by refusing to forgive others. "Is there someone you will not forgive?" is one of the most spiritually revealing questions you can ask yourself or anyone else. You see if you refuse to forgive you are placing yourself in a place of bondage, spiritual, mental and emotional bondage - which may well have physical manifestations also. By refusing to forgive you give the past a foothold in the present and you allow the pain of the past to continue to dominate and dictate the present. By staying angry and holding on to the debt who are you hurting? Primarily you are hurting yourself first and foremost.
In finishing let me answer the question "What is forgiveness?" It is not forgetting - Jeremiah 31.34 - read - tells us that God chooses to remember our sins no more - that is not the same as forgetting. Forgiveness is a conscious decision not to remember and not to bring the past into the present to be used against someone.
It is not tolerating sin - it is not inconsistent with forgiveness not to remain in a situation where sin is being committed. For example an abusive relationship - it is right to forgive and it is equally right to remove yourself from that relationship so that the sin does not continue.
Forgiveness also means we all have to live with the consequences of our actions and the actions of other people. Christ forgave us by taking upon himself the consequences of our sinful actions - death on the cross. He made that conscious choice and we are called to do the same.
Finally can I remind you of the Lord's prayer - forgive us our trespasses (or sins) as we forgive those who trespass against us. Now - as yourself 'Did I mean it?' It has implications for your own relationship with God and your spiritual growth. It has implications for your relationship with other people. It is foundational to the spiritual health of each Christian and each congregation and the truth is refusing to forgive will be at the root of bitterness and resentment in your life and in the life of your Church congregation. Only you know how to apply this passage to your life and only you can do it.
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