Pastor Nate continues our study through the Bible in the book of Nehemiah.
[00:00:00] Well, last week we began the book of Nehemiah
[00:00:03] and we saw in the first chapter Nehemiah come face to face with the burden
[00:00:09] of God. God had looked out upon the people of Israel
[00:00:14] and their city, the holy city, a city that was meant to
[00:00:18] radiate with God's glory and God's goodness, a city that was meant to
[00:00:23] reverberate with the glory of God and
[00:00:26] broadcast God's grace to the nations around them. That city
[00:00:30] for over 150 years now had lied in
[00:00:35] ruins and God knew about it but he shared
[00:00:38] that information with Nehemiah who was a thousand miles away serving as the cup
[00:00:43] bearer to the most powerful king in the world at that time
[00:00:46] a man named Artexerxes in Persia
[00:00:49] and when Nehemiah heard what God had
[00:00:53] seen, Nehemiah's heart was moved. It says in verse 4 of chapter 1 that he
[00:00:59] prayed and he fasted and he mourned for
[00:01:03] many days. He was broken up over the gap between
[00:01:08] what should be and what was and his heart
[00:01:11] drove him to cry out to God and he began to pray
[00:01:15] we saw him last week confessing his sin and confessing
[00:01:20] the sin of the people of Israel and asking
[00:01:23] the God of the covenant to revive the people
[00:01:27] of Israel once again. Nehemiah had begun to see things
[00:01:32] the way that God saw things and the way that I presented it to you last week
[00:01:37] I was trying to declare to you that this is often the first
[00:01:41] step in God renewing his people. In the book of Nehemiah God is the main
[00:01:46] character
[00:01:47] God is the one who is working hard to renew the people of Israel
[00:01:51] God is the one who is trying to get not just the city
[00:01:54] operating at full strength but the city operating that way so that the people
[00:01:59] of God
[00:01:59] can be worshipers of God devoted to God coming to the
[00:02:03] temple of God offering sacrifices
[00:02:06] to God. But there's a danger that comes
[00:02:10] after God shares his burden with us
[00:02:15] there is a danger that comes when God reveals to us the gap between
[00:02:19] what is and what could
[00:02:23] be. The danger is that we might conclude
[00:02:27] that nothing can be done that that's just the way
[00:02:32] that it is that the gap in the church or the gap in my life
[00:02:37] those things are permanent fixtures
[00:02:41] there is nothing that can be done. Nehemiah and the people in Jerusalem
[00:02:46] could have come to that conclusion like I said for a hundred and fifty
[00:02:51] years the city had been in disrepair
[00:02:55] by that point everyone who had seen
[00:02:59] the city in its former glory was dead
[00:03:02] everyone who'd seen millions of people visiting Jerusalem
[00:03:08] in the feasts to celebrate the God of Israel
[00:03:11] was dead everyone who'd seen the kings of Israel sitting on
[00:03:16] glorious thrones pointing to the true
[00:03:19] king of kings and Lord of lords was dead
[00:03:23] everyone at that time saw Jerusalem as just another
[00:03:28] vassal city that reported to the kings
[00:03:31] of earth and they would have had little hope that anything could change
[00:03:36] in fact the people in Jerusalem during Nehemiah's day
[00:03:39] weren't even dreaming about rebuilding the walls
[00:03:43] or repairing the gates the reigning king in Persia
[00:03:48] was against them King Art Xerxes Nehemiah's
[00:03:51] own boss had only years earlier forbade them from rebuilding
[00:03:56] the city they had no resources at their disposal they were just a
[00:04:00] poor nation without opportunities to raise
[00:04:04] capital and they had no plans for what they would do
[00:04:07] even if they were given permission to rebuild
[00:04:12] the task was so daunting it seemed fixed in nature
[00:04:17] and so what you have is a group of people Nehemiah included
[00:04:21] who would be tempted to say we have no hope
[00:04:25] we have no hope that this could change we have no hope
[00:04:28] that anything that has been in the past could be any different
[00:04:32] in the future they say past performance is the best
[00:04:36] indicator of future performance and they could have looked
[00:04:39] at the last 15 decades and even beyond that
[00:04:43] and said there's no way what we've seen in the past
[00:04:46] dictates that in the future we're going to be continually
[00:04:50] living in this despair and so God worked hard
[00:04:55] in Nehemiah chapter two to awaken hope in his people
[00:05:00] this is what God does I hope that you saw that God was moving
[00:05:04] all throughout this chapter Nehemiah confessed it
[00:05:08] after the king asked him what he wanted what did Nehemiah say
[00:05:13] in verse four he says so I prayed to the God of heaven
[00:05:18] when the king gave him everything that he wanted
[00:05:21] Nehemiah concluded the good hand of my God was upon me
[00:05:27] once Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem he got up in the night
[00:05:30] to inspect the city because he said he had told no one
[00:05:35] what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem
[00:05:42] and when he finally told the Jewish leadership
[00:05:44] why he was there he said I told them of the hand of my
[00:05:48] God that had been upon me for good
[00:05:51] and when a coalition of hostile forces came against them
[00:05:56] Nehemiah responded that God of heaven will make me prosper
[00:06:01] Nehemiah was conscious that God was doing things
[00:06:05] throughout this chapter working to revive and awaken
[00:06:10] the hope inside of his people and I believe that God
[00:06:14] wants to awaken this hope in many of us today
[00:06:19] he wants us to know that we have the permission
[00:06:23] we have the resources we have the plans of heaven
[00:06:30] at our disposal to help us experience renewal with God
[00:06:36] and when we need renewal God wants us to believe
[00:06:39] that it can happen he wants us to have this hope
[00:06:43] so what did God do to awaken hope in Israel
[00:06:47] in this episode and how might he awaken hope in us today
[00:06:53] well the first thing I want you to see is that
[00:06:56] God awakens hope while we pray
[00:06:59] God awakens hope while we pray
[00:07:03] and what I don't mean is that somehow hope
[00:07:07] inside your heart an expectation or a confidence
[00:07:11] that God could move is somehow a reward
[00:07:14] that God will give you if you pray for enough minutes
[00:07:18] you know like God is in heaven going
[00:07:20] you know what I really love most of all prayers
[00:07:23] and if you pray then I will reward you
[00:07:26] with a feeling of hope that's not what I'm talking about
[00:07:29] today there's something that happens as we pray though
[00:07:33] and it's that hope arises now I get this because
[00:07:38] of what happened to Nehemiah you know last week
[00:07:41] when we were in chapter one we saw Nehemiah's
[00:07:44] initial burst of prayer but that episode
[00:07:48] that tells us began four months before this episode began
[00:07:52] both chapters have a time marker what this means
[00:07:56] is that Nehemiah had not just heard the burden
[00:07:59] that God revealed was moved by the burden prayed
[00:08:04] for a minute and then forgot what God has showed him
[00:08:08] no for four probably long months Nehemiah
[00:08:13] was on his face before God he was continually
[00:08:17] praying and bringing this burden to the Lord
[00:08:20] and those four months might have felt like an eternity
[00:08:23] to Nehemiah you know when Nehemiah finally got
[00:08:26] to actually rebuild the walls and repair the gates
[00:08:31] you know how long it took 52 days under two months
[00:08:35] is how long it took Nehemiah to rebuild the city
[00:08:38] so he prayed for four months for a thing
[00:08:42] that was gonna take him less than two months
[00:08:45] to accomplish he was crying out to God
[00:08:48] asking God to do this work and I don't know
[00:08:51] if there were ever moments that Nehemiah felt
[00:08:53] that God was inactive but God was certainly active
[00:08:58] God was moving in Nehemiah's heart
[00:09:01] God was preparing the king to respond
[00:09:04] in the way that he did and he was preparing
[00:09:06] the right moment for the people in Judah
[00:09:10] to hear the news of Nehemiah's arrival
[00:09:13] God was working in those long term
[00:09:17] longer prayers that Nehemiah prayed
[00:09:20] and you guys sometimes God will invite us
[00:09:22] into long term prayers for a people
[00:09:27] or for a project or for a movement
[00:09:29] things that we'd like to see God do in our lives
[00:09:32] my first year working here at this church
[00:09:34] my first year on staff was 1999
[00:09:38] the long time ago and there are things
[00:09:40] that I began praying for God to do in this community
[00:09:43] that I'm still asking God to do in this community
[00:09:48] there are people in your life that you know
[00:09:51] that you need to pray for sometimes for decades
[00:09:54] asking God to work and move in their lives
[00:09:58] but Nehemiah not only prayed long prayers
[00:10:01] he prayed a very short prayer in this passage as well
[00:10:05] it says in verse two that Nehemiah
[00:10:07] was serving one day in the courts of the king
[00:10:09] and he had sadness of heart
[00:10:13] and he says that he had never been sad
[00:10:15] in the king's presence before
[00:10:17] many people think that it was actually illegal
[00:10:20] for him to be sad in the king's presence
[00:10:22] it's like if you're on the king's staff
[00:10:24] you have to be cheerful and upbeat at all times
[00:10:28] and King Art Exerxes on this day
[00:10:30] he noticed for the first time Nehemiah's sadness
[00:10:33] and he asked Nehemiah about it
[00:10:35] and Nehemiah is very honest
[00:10:36] it's like this book is a journal almost
[00:10:38] he says I was very afraid
[00:10:41] you know I'd never been sad in his presence
[00:10:43] he asked me that question
[00:10:45] but Nehemiah had a decision in that moment
[00:10:47] and what Nehemiah did is he took his shot
[00:10:50] he didn't say oh king it's nothing oh king
[00:10:52] I'm sorry that I'm sad
[00:10:54] he says why wouldn't I be sad
[00:10:57] when the city of my father's graves lies in ruins
[00:11:02] it's gates burnt with fire
[00:11:04] it's walls broken down
[00:11:05] why wouldn't I be sad
[00:11:07] and when that's the condition of my hometown
[00:11:10] and the king responded in verse four
[00:11:14] by saying what are you requesting
[00:11:18] what do you want
[00:11:20] and Nehemiah said so I prayed to the God of heaven
[00:11:26] that's a brief prayer
[00:11:29] that Nehemiah silently uttered to God
[00:11:33] he wasn't saying to Art Exerxes
[00:11:36] hey yo I need a minute to pray about this
[00:11:40] can I have a few days
[00:11:41] can I even just have a few hours
[00:11:43] can I get some counsel
[00:11:45] as we put our list together
[00:11:46] no it's a momentary thing
[00:11:48] Art Exerxes doesn't even know about it
[00:11:51] Nehemiah is just talking to God
[00:11:53] as he's talking to this king
[00:11:56] you see Nehemiah's long term prayers were foundational
[00:12:00] but sometimes a short prayer
[00:12:03] is more helpful in the moment
[00:12:06] you know imagine you've been praying for someone
[00:12:08] for decades or for many years
[00:12:11] they're caught up in a life or in a mindset
[00:12:14] that is blocking God's love and grace
[00:12:17] from having access to their hearts
[00:12:20] and then one day they call you
[00:12:23] they're distraught
[00:12:24] or something has gotten into their minds
[00:12:26] a tragedy has struck them
[00:12:27] and they're ready to begin talking
[00:12:30] about the things of God
[00:12:31] they're ready to begin talking to you about Jesus
[00:12:34] now you've been praying for them
[00:12:36] so you know exactly what you want to have happen
[00:12:39] ultimately in their lives
[00:12:41] but you're likely in that moment
[00:12:42] going to pray again
[00:12:44] quietly, silently, quickly
[00:12:46] to God God please give me wisdom right now
[00:12:49] show me what to say to this person
[00:12:51] give me power and forcefulness
[00:12:53] give me the scriptures that I need
[00:12:55] Father help me in this moment
[00:12:58] and well in prayer
[00:13:00] what happens is our hope is awakened
[00:13:05] how?
[00:13:06] How does prayer translate into hope
[00:13:09] that God can do things?
[00:13:12] Well it was through prayer
[00:13:15] that Nehemiah realized
[00:13:16] that he wasn't really getting permission
[00:13:18] from the king that day
[00:13:20] but through the king
[00:13:22] from the true king
[00:13:25] Nehemiah was standing that day
[00:13:27] before the most powerful man on earth
[00:13:30] but because he'd been praying for four months
[00:13:32] to the God of heaven
[00:13:33] he realized that this man was just a man
[00:13:37] and that behind that man
[00:13:39] or above that man
[00:13:41] there was God
[00:13:42] who cared for Nehemiah
[00:13:43] and was leading his life
[00:13:46] Nehemiah had come to realize this
[00:13:48] I think through prayer
[00:13:50] in fact there's an indication of this
[00:13:53] that we skipped over last week
[00:13:55] in chapter one
[00:13:56] at the end of his prayer
[00:13:58] notice in verse 11 of chapter one
[00:14:00] Nehemiah said
[00:14:01] give success to your servant today
[00:14:04] and grant him mercy
[00:14:06] in the sight of this man
[00:14:10] no one called king Artix Xerxes
[00:14:14] just a man
[00:14:16] but that's how Nehemiah came to think of him
[00:14:19] because he was interacting with the God of heaven
[00:14:22] you see it's very easy
[00:14:25] to live in a place of discouragement
[00:14:27] or hopelessness
[00:14:29] to think that there's no way that renewal can happen
[00:14:31] or that anything can change
[00:14:33] and everything that was before
[00:14:34] is what will come after
[00:14:36] it's easy to believe that we are stuck
[00:14:40] but as we pray and interacted with God
[00:14:44] we're reminded of the divine reality
[00:14:47] a greater reality
[00:14:48] we're reminded of God's ability
[00:14:51] and our hope should begin to awaken
[00:14:55] because we can't have true fellowship with God
[00:14:59] without being transformed
[00:15:01] to become a bit more like God is
[00:15:03] and God knows what he can do
[00:15:07] you know when you spend a long weekend
[00:15:09] with a close friend
[00:15:10] and by the end of the weekend
[00:15:12] you're kind of sounding just like them
[00:15:13] you guys are rubbing off on each other
[00:15:15] you're laughing at the same stuff
[00:15:17] you're saying the same things
[00:15:19] finishing each other's sentences
[00:15:20] that's not what it's like with us and God
[00:15:26] when we spend time with him
[00:15:27] it's not like a little bit of us is rubbing off on him
[00:15:30] he's the same yesterday today and forever
[00:15:32] he does not change
[00:15:33] he is unchangeable and immovable
[00:15:36] but when we interact with him
[00:15:37] we are changed
[00:15:39] we begin to see a little bit of his power
[00:15:42] and reality and authority
[00:15:45] Elijah the prophet
[00:15:47] was a man who had an experience like this
[00:15:50] in his ministry
[00:15:51] he came around a long time before Nehemiah's day
[00:15:54] and he had to spend a long time alone with God
[00:15:58] time in prayer
[00:16:00] time in the word
[00:16:01] and one thing that Nehemiah
[00:16:03] or excuse me that Elijah noticed in scripture
[00:16:05] was that God had made an agreement
[00:16:08] with the people of Israel
[00:16:10] that if they persisted in rebellion against him
[00:16:14] he would declare a drought
[00:16:16] as a way to wake them up from their spiritual slumber
[00:16:20] and Elijah started realizing
[00:16:22] as he realizes this about God
[00:16:24] through interacting with God
[00:16:26] that he was living in a time of spiritual rebellion
[00:16:29] amongst God's people
[00:16:31] so James recaps Elijah's story
[00:16:34] and what Elijah did next
[00:16:36] he said Elijah was a man with a nature like ours
[00:16:41] and he prayed fervently that it might not rain
[00:16:44] and for three years and six months
[00:16:46] it did not rain on the earth
[00:16:48] then he prayed again
[00:16:49] and heaven gave rain
[00:16:51] and the earth bore its fruit
[00:16:54] and I suggest to you is only because
[00:16:56] of his interaction with God
[00:16:58] that Elijah would pray ever dreamed of pray that way
[00:17:02] this was not just some random desire that he had
[00:17:06] you know what I really want
[00:17:07] I wanna drought for three and a half years
[00:17:10] know what he had come to conclude
[00:17:13] through interacting with God in prayer
[00:17:15] and more importantly in his word
[00:17:18] this is the kind of thing God said he would do
[00:17:21] and so he began crying out to God
[00:17:23] God I'm asking you to do the very thing
[00:17:26] that you have revealed in your word that you would do
[00:17:31] and Nehemiah
[00:17:33] he wanted provisions and permission
[00:17:35] to go rebuild God's city
[00:17:38] so that it could be the place that God stated
[00:17:41] it was meant to be
[00:17:43] and so he'd become confident and hopeful
[00:17:46] as he prayed that God could do these things
[00:17:50] and I think as we interact with God over time
[00:17:53] and in important moments
[00:17:55] we might be further reminded of what God can do
[00:17:58] and what God wants to do
[00:18:00] and our hope as we pray is awakened
[00:18:03] so spend time with the Lord
[00:18:05] because he will remind you of his power
[00:18:08] and ability and what he can do
[00:18:11] but another way that God awakens hope
[00:18:13] in this passage is by making a way
[00:18:16] God awakens hope by making a way
[00:18:20] Nehemiah responded to the king's question
[00:18:23] after he prayed his short prayer
[00:18:24] he said in verse five to the king
[00:18:27] if it pleases the king
[00:18:28] and if your servant has found favor in your sight
[00:18:32] that you send me to Judah
[00:18:34] to the city of my father's graves
[00:18:37] that I may rebuild it
[00:18:40] now here what you have is the boldness
[00:18:43] that Nehemiah had in front of God
[00:18:45] privately in prayer coming out
[00:18:47] now it turns into boldness in front of his boss
[00:18:49] in front of the king
[00:18:51] and Nehemiah's attitude is very reminiscent
[00:18:53] of a lot of other people in scripture
[00:18:55] people like Daniel or Joseph or Esther
[00:18:57] or the apostles who were bold before kings and emperors
[00:19:02] Nehemiah wanted the king's permission
[00:19:04] to rebuild Jerusalem
[00:19:05] and he wanted to be the one to rebuild it
[00:19:10] he's not just praying for Jerusalem
[00:19:12] he's volunteering himself for Jerusalem
[00:19:15] and the king it says in verse six responded favorably
[00:19:17] he said how long will you be gone
[00:19:19] and when will you return
[00:19:21] and when Nehemiah heard those words
[00:19:22] what he realizes that the king is favorable towards me
[00:19:26] so what he asked Art Exurksi's for was for two letters
[00:19:31] the first letter was for governors
[00:19:33] that were on the journey
[00:19:35] in the province beyond the Euphrates River
[00:19:38] so that Nehemiah could have permission to pass
[00:19:41] and permission to build
[00:19:43] and the second letter was for a man named Asaph
[00:19:46] he says in verse eight
[00:19:47] Asaph was in charge of the king's lumber yard
[00:19:51] and he would be the one that Nehemiah needed
[00:19:53] to get supplies from
[00:19:54] and so he says give me a letter to Asaph
[00:19:57] saying that I get to have all the timber
[00:19:59] that I need for the project
[00:20:01] and the king granted Nehemiah says in verse eight
[00:20:04] what he asked for the good hand of his God was upon him
[00:20:08] this was super abundant favor and provision
[00:20:13] this was a miracle
[00:20:14] Nehemiah got everything that he asked for
[00:20:17] and he asked for a lot
[00:20:19] he didn't set the bar low
[00:20:21] he set the bar high it was a huge request
[00:20:24] they say go big or go home
[00:20:25] and that's what Nehemiah was doing
[00:20:28] he wanted permission
[00:20:29] he wanted provision
[00:20:31] he wanted protection
[00:20:32] and he got all three
[00:20:34] the same king
[00:20:35] this is the same king
[00:20:36] that had shut down the rebuilding project
[00:20:39] a few years earlier
[00:20:41] was now commissioning Nehemiah
[00:20:43] to go do the rebuilding
[00:20:46] God had made a way
[00:20:48] where there was no way
[00:20:52] now the people back in Jerusalem
[00:20:54] they didn't know about any of this happening
[00:20:58] they were likely convinced
[00:20:59] that renewal would never come
[00:21:01] it would never happen
[00:21:02] but a thousand miles away
[00:21:04] God is doing this work
[00:21:06] providing everything that they needed
[00:21:09] for the rebuilding effort
[00:21:11] you see guys this is God
[00:21:12] he makes a way where there is no way
[00:21:18] you know years earlier
[00:21:19] before Nehemiah's day
[00:21:21] there was a prophet who came after Elijah
[00:21:24] named Elisha
[00:21:27] there was a famine
[00:21:29] in a city of God
[00:21:31] in Elisha's day
[00:21:32] a famine that was terrible and desperate
[00:21:34] I mean people were dying in the streets
[00:21:38] and the famine had been caused
[00:21:39] because the Syrian army
[00:21:41] was besieging the city
[00:21:43] no one could go out or come in
[00:21:44] and so there were no supplies
[00:21:46] getting to the people
[00:21:48] and one day Elisha the prophet
[00:21:50] prophesied in the city
[00:21:52] he said within 24 hours
[00:21:55] grain and barley
[00:21:57] are going to be abundant
[00:21:59] on the streets of Samaria
[00:22:02] now there was a military official
[00:22:04] who heard Elisha's prophecy
[00:22:07] he was the one that was in charge of guarding the gate
[00:22:09] and he said in response
[00:22:11] he said if the Lord himself
[00:22:13] should make windows in heaven
[00:22:16] could this thing be?
[00:22:18] You see there's a real lack of faith in this man
[00:22:20] he said no God can do a lot
[00:22:22] but he can't do that
[00:22:24] he might be the God of heaven
[00:22:25] but he can't do that
[00:22:27] even if he made windows in heaven
[00:22:29] he could not do that
[00:22:30] and Elisha responded and said
[00:22:32] you shall see it with your own eyes
[00:22:35] but you shall not eat of it
[00:22:37] now right about that time
[00:22:38] there were a few beggars
[00:22:39] on the outskirts of the town
[00:22:40] at the gates of the city
[00:22:43] and what they realized
[00:22:43] as they were begging
[00:22:44] was that nobody had anything
[00:22:47] they realized that they were dying
[00:22:49] and that if they went into the city
[00:22:50] to look for bread
[00:22:51] they were destined to die
[00:22:53] and they looked out into the plane
[00:22:55] they saw the Syrian encampment
[00:22:58] and they thought to themselves
[00:22:59] well what do we have to lose?
[00:23:02] if we go out to them
[00:23:03] and ask them for food
[00:23:04] what's the worst that could happen to us?
[00:23:06] they'll kill us
[00:23:07] we're gonna die
[00:23:08] if we don't do something
[00:23:10] so it would be the same result
[00:23:12] so they said let's just go and see
[00:23:13] if they might take us as prisoners of war
[00:23:16] and feed us as their prisoners
[00:23:19] they went out to the encampment
[00:23:20] and to their shock
[00:23:22] the whole Syrian camp was empty
[00:23:24] not only was it empty
[00:23:25] but the Syrians had left everything
[00:23:27] all their food
[00:23:28] all their supplies
[00:23:30] all their beverages
[00:23:31] they had left them all behind
[00:23:33] apparently what God had done in the night
[00:23:36] was bring the sound of a massive invading army
[00:23:40] into the Syrian camp
[00:23:42] they thought they were under attack
[00:23:44] and so they fled for their lives
[00:23:46] these beggars
[00:23:47] these lepers were there
[00:23:49] eating all the food
[00:23:50] that the Syrians had left behind
[00:23:52] and finally they looked at each other
[00:23:53] and they said what we are doing is not good
[00:23:56] we have to go tell everyone
[00:23:58] back in the city
[00:23:59] of this miracle
[00:24:01] that has just occurred
[00:24:02] they went back in
[00:24:03] at first nobody believed them
[00:24:04] they sent out some spies to see
[00:24:06] if it was true
[00:24:07] and the spies came back
[00:24:08] and confirmed their report
[00:24:10] and the stampede out of the city
[00:24:13] was so massive
[00:24:14] that the captain who was guarding
[00:24:16] the gate was trampled to death
[00:24:19] he had seen it with his eyes
[00:24:22] but he had not tasted it
[00:24:23] with his mouth
[00:24:25] you see God can do things
[00:24:28] above and beyond what we think
[00:24:31] is possible
[00:24:33] he is able
[00:24:34] we call him the way maker
[00:24:37] we know that he parted the Red Sea
[00:24:39] we know that he opened prison gates
[00:24:42] we know that he fulfilled dreams
[00:24:44] we know that he brought down
[00:24:46] hostile powers
[00:24:48] in the Bible
[00:24:48] we see him time and time again
[00:24:51] make a way where there was no way
[00:24:54] and of course
[00:24:55] we don't need to go to the Red Sea
[00:24:58] or the walls of Jericho
[00:25:00] to see this most potently
[00:25:01] we just go to the cross of Jesus Christ
[00:25:04] because there
[00:25:06] there was no way for us to experience God
[00:25:10] there was no way for us
[00:25:12] in our sin and brokenness
[00:25:13] to have fellowship with God
[00:25:15] but where there was no way
[00:25:18] God made a way
[00:25:20] Jesus became one of us
[00:25:22] he fulfilled the law
[00:25:24] that we could not fulfill on our behalf
[00:25:26] he died and took our punishment
[00:25:29] and judgment on our behalf
[00:25:31] and rose from the grave
[00:25:34] and now with God
[00:25:36] because of Jesus
[00:25:37] there is always for God's people
[00:25:40] a way forward for renewal
[00:25:44] we have to believe this
[00:25:47] even when we feel dry
[00:25:49] or empty
[00:25:51] like the same old sins have been taken us out
[00:25:55] over and over again
[00:25:58] or the people in our lives keep hurting us
[00:26:01] time and time again
[00:26:03] or the addiction seems so strong
[00:26:06] we have to believe that God is the one
[00:26:09] who makes a way
[00:26:10] where there seems to be no way
[00:26:12] we have every resource of heaven
[00:26:16] at our disposal
[00:26:17] Paul said it this way
[00:26:18] in Ephesians 1 verse 3
[00:26:20] he said, blessed be
[00:26:21] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
[00:26:24] who has blessed us in Christ
[00:26:29] with every spiritual blessing
[00:26:32] in the heavenly places
[00:26:35] you know walking with Jesus is not like other religions
[00:26:38] walking with Jesus is not like some video game
[00:26:40] where as you go from level to level
[00:26:42] you acquire more weapons
[00:26:44] and more skills
[00:26:45] more things that
[00:26:46] you got to do stuff to get them
[00:26:48] no when you become a Christian
[00:26:50] this text tells us is that
[00:26:51] when you're placed in Christ
[00:26:53] when you come to believe in him
[00:26:55] you get every spiritual blessing
[00:26:59] in the heavenly places
[00:27:01] it's all at your disposal
[00:27:03] on day one
[00:27:04] you can't earn it
[00:27:05] it's bestowed upon you
[00:27:07] by the living God
[00:27:08] because of the precious blood
[00:27:10] of Jesus Christ
[00:27:12] that's our position
[00:27:13] if we're in him
[00:27:14] this means that if we're in him
[00:27:17] we have access to all the permission
[00:27:20] provision and protection we need
[00:27:23] for spiritual renewal to occur in our lives
[00:27:26] and I think that this hope
[00:27:27] that I'm trying to paint for you today
[00:27:29] it's important in our time
[00:27:31] now some of you feel like the world has changed too much
[00:27:35] and that spiritual vitality and life
[00:27:37] cannot come in conditions like these
[00:27:43] if you feel that way
[00:27:44] I'd say to you I think you've forgotten
[00:27:46] who God is
[00:27:48] you've forgotten that this episode
[00:27:50] that we're studying right now
[00:27:51] happened during a time of exile
[00:27:55] you've forgotten that the exodus occurred
[00:27:58] from a slavery in Egypt
[00:28:01] you've forgotten that the church exploded
[00:28:04] during Roman oppression
[00:28:07] God worked through kings like Nebuchadnezzar
[00:28:10] and Herod
[00:28:11] and Arduxerxes and Cyrus and Pharaoh
[00:28:14] Nero, Demetian and others
[00:28:16] to accomplish his work
[00:28:18] and his people
[00:28:19] we have everything we need
[00:28:21] we have the word
[00:28:23] we have one another
[00:28:24] we have prayer
[00:28:24] we have God
[00:28:25] and with him
[00:28:27] we have all we need to experience radical renewal
[00:28:30] no matter the conditions that we face in this world
[00:28:36] but I wanna look at one last way
[00:28:38] that God awakens hope in us
[00:28:41] and it's by revealing his plans
[00:28:43] it's by revealing his plans
[00:28:47] what I mean by that is that as Nehemiah prayed
[00:28:50] a plan began to materialize
[00:28:53] during the months that he prayed
[00:28:56] he began to realize what was needed
[00:28:58] for this project to occur
[00:29:00] notice he's ready with an answer
[00:29:02] when Arduxerxes says what do you need
[00:29:04] what do you want
[00:29:05] he like knows the name of the guy
[00:29:07] who's in charge of the lumber yard
[00:29:10] thousands of miles away
[00:29:12] you don't just know that information
[00:29:14] it takes planning, plotting, thinking
[00:29:16] he knew how much time he needed
[00:29:18] to do the work
[00:29:20] he knew the military presence
[00:29:22] that would be helpful to him
[00:29:24] on the road how much all of this would cost
[00:29:27] God was stirring things in Nehemiah
[00:29:29] and once he arrived in Jerusalem
[00:29:31] the plan developed even further
[00:29:35] and it was those plans
[00:29:36] that would really awaken hope amongst God's people
[00:29:40] so what can we learn from the plan
[00:29:44] that Nehemiah gathered together
[00:29:46] and unfolded to the people in Judah
[00:29:48] near the end of the chapter
[00:29:50] well first we learned that the plan
[00:29:52] required careful inspection
[00:29:55] you know he arrived in Jerusalem
[00:29:57] and after three days
[00:29:58] he developed the plan further
[00:30:00] by conducting a nighttime investigation
[00:30:03] of the damage
[00:30:04] you know he'd heard about it
[00:30:05] but now he needed to see it with his own eyes
[00:30:08] he didn't want to draw attention to himself
[00:30:10] without having a chance to see
[00:30:12] the scope of the project
[00:30:14] with his own vision
[00:30:15] so only he and a few others
[00:30:18] circled the city that night
[00:30:19] so it takes careful inspection
[00:30:21] sometimes you have to step back and say
[00:30:22] why are things the way they are
[00:30:24] what has gotten me into this situation and mess
[00:30:28] a second thing about the plan
[00:30:30] is that the plan is not about you
[00:30:33] and the plan is not about me
[00:30:35] Nehemiah was very conscious of that
[00:30:37] he's very humble
[00:30:38] he didn't make a big deal
[00:30:41] about the approximately five month journey
[00:30:45] that he had to go through to get from
[00:30:47] the palace in Sousa to
[00:30:50] the city of Jerusalem
[00:30:52] notice how he tells the story
[00:30:53] of his five month journey
[00:30:55] he says I talked to the king
[00:30:57] then verse 11 so I went to Jerusalem
[00:31:01] and was there three days
[00:31:03] he's recounting five months of rigorous travel
[00:31:06] with that little line
[00:31:07] so I went to Jerusalem
[00:31:10] that tells me that Nehemiah
[00:31:11] didn't think it was all about him
[00:31:14] he thought the plan was about God
[00:31:16] what God is doing
[00:31:17] this is God's story
[00:31:20] third the plan is initiated by God
[00:31:24] Nehemiah said as much here in verse 12
[00:31:27] when he said that his desire to rebuild
[00:31:29] was what God had put into his heart
[00:31:32] to do for Jerusalem
[00:31:34] he gave all credit and all glory
[00:31:36] to God it's God who's wanting to do this
[00:31:38] this is not my plan
[00:31:39] this is God's plan
[00:31:40] this is not my initiation
[00:31:41] it's God's initiation
[00:31:44] the plan is often a private affair
[00:31:48] for Nehemiah the plan came together in private
[00:31:50] before he went public with it
[00:31:52] and God will do this to you
[00:31:54] he will stir you in private
[00:31:56] and in quiet
[00:31:57] and in unpublicized ways
[00:31:59] before he'll launch you into
[00:32:02] a period of renewal
[00:32:04] a plan of renewal
[00:32:05] and I can imagine even now
[00:32:07] God is trying to do this
[00:32:09] like Nehemiah the spirit
[00:32:11] is trying to minister to your heart
[00:32:13] to develop a plan for renewal
[00:32:15] in this next year of your life
[00:32:18] but he has to get to your heart
[00:32:19] in the quiet alone
[00:32:21] before the work becomes known
[00:32:23] and finally the plan is secondary to prayer
[00:32:28] Nehemiah came up with a proposal
[00:32:30] but it all happened after he had spent time
[00:32:32] in prayer it was an outflow of prayer
[00:32:35] Nehemiah was a man of prayer
[00:32:37] so a plan formed
[00:32:39] J.I. Packer said it this way
[00:32:41] he said to trust in any form of organization
[00:32:44] or in any spiritual gift
[00:32:46] or configuration of gifts
[00:32:48] or in any gifted person's ministry
[00:32:50] to bring new life to a church
[00:32:53] is indeed spirit quenching
[00:32:56] when hope rests on these factors
[00:32:58] rather than on God prayer fades
[00:33:02] pride blossoms
[00:33:04] and God's blessing is withheld
[00:33:07] in other words
[00:33:08] when we think it's about us
[00:33:09] we just plan and plan and plan
[00:33:11] and we don't pray
[00:33:12] prayerlessness is the result of putting credit
[00:33:15] where it is not do yourself
[00:33:18] so we must look to God for the plans for renewal
[00:33:22] and continually trust the God of the plan
[00:33:25] rather than make a God of the plan
[00:33:29] but I say all this about the plan
[00:33:31] or planning because
[00:33:33] I think some of you
[00:33:35] you might need to during this season of your life
[00:33:38] to carefully plan for spiritual renewal
[00:33:43] I think a lot of Christians
[00:33:43] are kind of like lightning bolt Christians
[00:33:46] and that's what they're hoping for
[00:33:47] like I just wanna be kinda cruising along
[00:33:50] and have a lightning bolt strike me
[00:33:52] like God just do a thing
[00:33:54] that shakes me up and wakes me up
[00:33:56] when he's like I got this whole book for you
[00:33:59] I've got these spiritual disciplines for you
[00:34:02] I've got great counselors in the church for you
[00:34:06] I've got service for you to do
[00:34:08] that would help you come to the end of your cell
[00:34:11] I've got generosity for you to enter into
[00:34:13] that would teach you to get mastery over your finances
[00:34:17] I've got all these things
[00:34:18] that could happen in your life at your disposal
[00:34:20] right now if you would just make a plan
[00:34:22] to enter into those things
[00:34:23] but so many of us say
[00:34:24] but I just want God to just strike me
[00:34:27] with an exciting moment for him
[00:34:31] but he's there, he's ready
[00:34:33] and for some of you
[00:34:34] you might need to do that this year in your life
[00:34:37] you might need to plan to build
[00:34:39] the spiritual disciplines into your life
[00:34:43] some people say things like
[00:34:44] oh I wish I knew the word better
[00:34:47] but don't let it stay as a wish
[00:34:49] you can know the word better
[00:34:51] you could plan to take time
[00:34:53] to study the word of God
[00:34:55] there are so many resources at our disposal
[00:34:58] in this modern age
[00:34:59] things like Bible study or prayer
[00:35:01] or service take a plan
[00:35:03] for some of you this will mean
[00:35:05] pursuing a small gathering
[00:35:07] of like-minded believers
[00:35:08] for weekly encouragement and accountability
[00:35:11] like we have in our life groups
[00:35:12] and discipleship groups that takes a plan
[00:35:15] for some of you this will mean
[00:35:16] learning how to become a reader
[00:35:18] or a thinker
[00:35:19] so you can bring solid Christian practices
[00:35:23] into your life today
[00:35:24] for some of you
[00:35:25] it will mean consuming good counsel
[00:35:28] on things like parenting
[00:35:29] so that you can raise your children
[00:35:32] in a biblical way
[00:35:33] but the things of life at some point
[00:35:34] will require planning
[00:35:37] you can't just flow through things like relationships
[00:35:41] or walk with God
[00:35:43] a career, parenting, marriage, friendship
[00:35:45] or church service without a plan for growth
[00:35:49] and God wants to help you
[00:35:52] with that plan
[00:35:56] now after all of this was presented
[00:35:58] Nehemiah presented the plan
[00:36:00] there were two groups of people
[00:36:02] who responded in two different ways
[00:36:04] and we'll wrap up by thinking for a second
[00:36:06] about how they responded
[00:36:08] first of all it says in verse 16 to 18
[00:36:11] that Nehemiah gathered together with the Jews
[00:36:13] the priests, the nobles and the officials
[00:36:15] and the rest who were to do the works
[00:36:16] kind of a good idea
[00:36:18] you guys are gonna be working on this
[00:36:19] for the next 52 days
[00:36:21] I should probably let you in on it
[00:36:23] he said to them you see the trouble we're in
[00:36:25] how Jerusalem lies in ruins
[00:36:27] with its gates burned come
[00:36:28] let us build the wall of Jerusalem
[00:36:30] that we may no longer suffer derision
[00:36:32] and I told them of the hand of my God
[00:36:34] that had been upon me for good
[00:36:36] and also of the words that the king had spoken to me
[00:36:38] and they said in response
[00:36:41] let us rise up and build
[00:36:43] so they strengthened their hands for the good work
[00:36:46] what this means is that in a moment
[00:36:48] in a flash
[00:36:50] these people who had learned to coexist
[00:36:53] with broken walls and burnt gates
[00:36:56] they were stirred up into action
[00:36:59] God had awakened their hope
[00:37:01] they're like this could actually happen
[00:37:03] Jerusalem doesn't have to be like that
[00:37:05] Nehemiah has given us this plan
[00:37:08] God has provided this can occur
[00:37:10] and they were ready
[00:37:11] so they strengthened themselves to work
[00:37:15] but there was another group
[00:37:17] when Nehemiah first arrived into town
[00:37:19] two governing officials
[00:37:21] one of them named Sanbillet
[00:37:23] and one of them named Tobiah
[00:37:24] from the surrounding region
[00:37:26] they heard that Nehemiah was there checking in on Jerusalem
[00:37:29] and they were it says in verse 10
[00:37:31] greatly displeased that someone had come to seek
[00:37:34] the welfare of the people of Israel
[00:37:37] and at the end of the chapter
[00:37:38] they joined forces with a guy in the south named Geshem
[00:37:40] so they've got Jerusalem surrounded
[00:37:43] a coalition of forces
[00:37:45] that are all against this rebuilding project
[00:37:49] but just as God was I think in the enthusiastic response
[00:37:54] of the Jewish people
[00:37:55] I think God was also in the negative response
[00:37:59] of these enemies of Israel
[00:38:01] these guys had said nothing
[00:38:04] for years, decades about Israel's condition
[00:38:08] they were happy about the broken walls
[00:38:11] and the burnt gates
[00:38:13] but now that God's kids are acting like God's kids
[00:38:16] the insults began to fly
[00:38:18] and Nehemiah is forceful in his response
[00:38:22] he just tells them that God of heaven will make us prosper
[00:38:26] and we his servants will arise and build
[00:38:29] but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem
[00:38:33] but Nehemiah wanted everyone to know
[00:38:35] was that he was not leaning on the king's authority
[00:38:40] but on the God of heaven's authority
[00:38:43] notice he doesn't play the Art Xerxes card
[00:38:45] like Art Xerxes said I could do this
[00:38:48] no he plays the God card
[00:38:50] he says the God of heaven sent me to do this
[00:38:52] and you have nothing to do with it
[00:38:55] this would set the tone for further confrontations
[00:38:58] with these same men
[00:39:00] now it's really encouraging
[00:39:01] when people get their hopes all stirred up
[00:39:03] and they're excited about it
[00:39:05] but it can be discouraging when someone hears a message
[00:39:08] like I've just delivered and says
[00:39:11] well I still don't think God's gonna do it
[00:39:13] I still am against that
[00:39:15] I don't really think that that's possible
[00:39:18] it can be discouraging
[00:39:20] but the reality is sometimes those voices
[00:39:22] are from God as well
[00:39:24] those voices might come from the outside
[00:39:26] they might come from inside the church
[00:39:28] or they might even come from within our own hearts
[00:39:32] but there will always be opposition to renewal
[00:39:36] and Nehemiah gives us a template
[00:39:38] for how to respond to that opposition
[00:39:41] don't engage and just move on
[00:39:44] God is with you
[00:39:45] just keep moving towards his plans for your life
[00:39:50] I wanna close by just saying this
[00:39:51] on this side of the cross you guys
[00:39:53] we have the greatest reason to have a hope
[00:39:57] that is alive
[00:39:59] we've got something better than Nehemiah
[00:40:01] we got Jesus
[00:40:03] from eternity past
[00:40:05] the second person of the triune God
[00:40:07] was interceding for us
[00:40:09] dreaming of the day
[00:40:11] that he would come and rescue us
[00:40:14] from the very beginning
[00:40:15] he was burdened for us
[00:40:17] and volunteered himself to rescue us
[00:40:20] and with the commission of the Father
[00:40:23] and the resources of eternity
[00:40:25] greater than any king on earth could offer
[00:40:28] Jesus came to make the way for us
[00:40:30] to be renewed before God
[00:40:33] and he's got plans
[00:40:35] and purposes
[00:40:36] for each one of our lives
[00:40:37] ways to shape us
[00:40:39] and mold us into his image
[00:40:41] and the question is how will you respond
[00:40:45] with hope or with hostility
[00:40:49] and I pray that you would respond with hope