‘DOING A GREAT WORK’ Joining Nehemiah in Jerusalem ENQUIRING & PRAYING ABOUT THE WORK.
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‘DOING A GREAT WORK’ Joining Nehemiah in Jerusalem ENQUIRING & PRAYING ABOUT THE WORK
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Transcript of ‘DOING A GREAT WORK’ Joining Nehemiah in Jerusalem ENQUIRING & PRAYING ABOUT THE WORK.
‘DOING A GREAT WORK’
Joining Nehemiah in Jerusalem
ENQUIRING& PRAYINGABOUT THE
WORK
DEATH
OF S
OLOMON
ISRAEL UNITEDSaul, David, Solomon
ISRAEL DIVIDEDit cannot last
‘a kingdom...divided againstitself...cannot stand’ Mk 3.24.
defeated byAssyria
defeated byBabylon
Zedekiah & the Jews were taken captive toBabylon - Jerusalem
was destroyed.70 yrs exile (586-516 BC)
BUT GOD MOVED BEHIND THE SCENES
THE MEDES & PERSIANS UNDER CYRUSDEFEATED THE BABYLONIANS IN 530 BCAfter 70 years the exiles returned from
Babylon to Jerusalem
First exiles returned withZerubbabel & Joshua,
the high priest• worked on the temple
• came to a halt for 14 years• Haggai & Zechariah stirred
them up to work again
Under King Artaxerxes• Ezra led a group back in458 BC – worked with thegroup around the temple
• Nehemiah – born duringexile – returned to Jerusalem
to rebuild the wall & gates
When did you last enquire about the condition of the local assembly and the Lord’s people?
If you don’t want to be disturbed, don’t ask!
NEHEMIAH DARED TO ASK & IT PROVED TO BE A LIFE-
CHANGING EXPERIENCE‘I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, whichwere left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem’, 1.2.
IT ALL BEGAN WITH AN ENQUIRY
‘Like large doors, great life-changing events canswing on very small hinges…you never know what
God has in store, even in commonplaceconversation with a friend or relative; so keep your
heart open to God’s providential leading’. W.Wiersbe
NEHEMIAH’SENQUIRY
REVEALED…
God’sPRECISION
his ownPRIORITY
the Jews’& the city’s
PLIGHT
thevalue ofPRAYER
GOD’S PRECISION‘And it came to pass…’, v.1
it wasnot by
chance thatNehemiah
was…
in Shushan (Susa) the palace
in the month Chisleu-Nov/Dec
in the 20th yr of king Artaxerxes
the king’s cupbearer
God placed him there ‘for such a time as this’
NEHEMIAH’S PRIORITY‘And I asked them…’, v.2
His prioritywas not:• Persia
• the palace• his position
BUT• the people• the place
• God’s gloryHis heart was‘beyond the
river’
‘And seekest thou great things for thyself?seek them not’, Jer 45.5.
It’s possible to rise to prominent positions withoutlosing our love for the Lord, His people and the
local assembly.
THE JEWS’ & THE CITY’S PLIGHT‘And they said unto me…’, v.3.
THE PEOPLE• they were in great affliction & reproach – nothing appealing or attractive about them
THE WALL• the wall (sing.) was broken down = separation & safety THE GATES• they were burned with fire• gates = entry – separation does not mean isolation – there were times when they were open (7.3)
Not very attractive!
When did you last pray about thecondition of the local church/assembly
and the Lord’s people?
THE VALUE OF PRAYER‘When I heard…I…prayed’, v.4.
NEHEMIAHCOULD HAVEARGUED…
‘I wasn’tborn in the
city – I’m notpart of past
failure.’
‘I’m notresponsible for presentconditions’
‘Jerusalemis a poor
exchange forthe palace.’
BUT NO!he identifiedhimself withthe people- do we ?
WHAT DOESEFFECTIVE PRAYER
LOOK LIKE?
Nehemiah:• sat down
• wept/mourned• for several days
• fasted• then prayed
It is impossible tocare for the Lord’s
people & not tomourn/weep
‘For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears…that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you’. 2 Cor 2.4.
there is no set posture for prayer, but our bodylanguage should show reverence for the Lord
WHAT DOESEFFECTIVE PRAYER
SOUND LIKE?
it sounds as if I know towhom I am praying
‘I beseech thee, O Lord Godof heaven, the great andterrible God, that keepethcovenant & mercy’, 1.4,5.
it sounds like confession‘and confess the sins of thechildren of Israel…we havedealt very corruptly againstthee, and have not kept the
commandments’, 1.6,7.
it sounds like intercession
‘we have sinned against thee:both I and my father’s househave sinned. We have dealt very corruptly against thee’
1.6,7
it sounds as if I knowthe Word of God
‘Remember, I beseech thee,the word that thou
commandest thy servant Moses’, 1.8.
WHAT DOESEFFECTIVE PRAYER
‘SOUND’ LIKE?
it sounds as if I ambeing persistent
‘the prayer of thy servant,which I pray before thee now,
day and night’, 1.6it was not a ‘one-off’ prayer
it sounds like a personalrequest - at the end!‘O Lord, I beseech thee…
prosper I pray thee thy servantthis day and grant him mercyin the sight of this man’, 1.11
‘For I was the king’s cupbearer’, 1.11• an advantage - close to the king – held his life in his hands• but vulnerable – he could have been viewed as disloyal• only the Lord could ensure a good outcome to his request – he needed the Lord’s attentive ear (1.11) before he gained the king’s ear (2.3)
