NEHEMIAH 2:11-20 Firstly

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1 NEHEMIAH 2:11-20 Nehemiah is changing hats. He is no longer the cupbearer, he is now becoming the construction engineer. He has arrived in Jerusalem, and what do you think was the first thing he did? Remember, he was the man with such a tremendous burden for this city, what did he do? Many another one would have got the trowel out rightaway and would have been making up the cement, and collecting all the bricks, conscripting help from sub-contractors, hanging the plumbline. What a job Nehemiah had on his hands! How would he have felt? He s not in the king s court now in Babylon, - he is there in Jerusalem, the place he yearned to be. It would entail hard work, long hours, all types of difficulty, but more than anywhere else, that was where he wanted to be and where he knew he should be. There were two real temptations, - both of them had the potential to become counter-productive. Firstly, he could have jumped in and got started. And one of the dangers in the Lord s work is just that. There is so much to do, so few doing it, and so little time to complete it. In the Lord s work it is so easy to get caught up with an enthusiasm that often lacks reality, - or more importantly, - the Lord s guiding and leading. We can say to ourselves, We re going to do this and we re going to do that, and then when it all flops we fall into a deep depression because we are not able to cope with the workload we set for ourselves. And what suffers? The work of God suffers. I ve been guilty of it myself. God has had to teach me that the best speed to work at is God s speed, and the best direction to take is God s directing. He doesn t work in with my plans, - it is my responsibility to work in with His plan! and it s my responsibility to seek His face regarding His will. Nehemiah wasn t the type to jump on his horse in Suza, ride 600 miles, arrive in Jerusalem, and immediately start cementing bricks together just to be seen to be busy.

2 D.G. 2 The second temptation was this: there was so much to do one man couldn t possibly do it all! Where would you start? How would you start? Such an unrealistic task to fulfil, why bother even trying to start! Nehemiah was preparing for a tough/serious job. He sought the hand of God, and he was determined to do God s work God s way. For four months he literally cried before God in Suza; He came to know the meaning of the word patience ; He understood the words of the Psalmist, 6: 6 I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears. And for those first few days in Jerusalem what did he do? I think the Word gives us a strong indication as to what Nehemiah did, for we see that God had given him A TREMENDOUS PASSION 12 And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon. Yes, he had a tremendous passion for his country before, back there in Suza, but he is out in the field now, - he is in Jerusalem! It is not academical anymore! It s not theoretical ( what would you do if? ). He is dealing with reality now! It s so easy to tell the Lord, I want to do so much for you. I want to be involved in seeing people saved, in seeing their lives changed, in seeing our church grow and we run before we can walk. But the reality is this, Jer. 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked Prov. 1: 31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. And the sum total is this, Rom. 3:10 There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, ; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

3 D.G. 3 People aren t interested in the Gospel of Saving Grace. Any gospel they are interested in is one they have concocted for themselves: Be a good person, live a good life, go to church every now and again, God will let you into Heaven, (and they speak about Him in a patronising way) He s a God of love. But that is man s righteousness, not God s righteousness; the Bible says Is. 64: 6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. Paul spoke about the true understanding of the righteousness of God, he said, Rom. 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. 21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. And this is the only way people can be saved, No other way, no other way No other way to get to Heaven, One way God says to get to Heaven, - Jesus is the only way! Do you have a passion for souls like what Nehemiah had for the city of Jerusalem? The walls of that city were only for a time, the business of the souls of men, women, boys and girls is for eternity! Do you know one of the most overwhelming experiences you can have? It is when you stand at the front of a new congregation at an induction service and promise to serve God along with them for the glory of His Name. On each occasion I have done that I have always been struck with the terrible responsibility before God. Yes, I m trained (whatever that means). I ve gone to College and University, but when we have ever anything to do for God we don t do it on the basis of our university degrees, we do it because of the tremendous passion God has laid upon our hearts.

4 D.G. 4 Yes, look at those words again, neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem. This man Nehemiah knew the personal God and the reality of having a burden for his land, and it was at the place of prayer where this burden grew heavier, Is that why, - I wonder, - so few believers nowadays have no burden for souls, because they neglect the place of prayer and it is costing the Church dearly? Nehemiah didn t start the work until God had begun the work in his own heart. Do you have a burden/passion for the souls of Kirkcaldy who without Christ are heading towards an everlasting punishment in the tormenting fires of hell? Believer, do you have a tremendous passion for those who are not yet saved? Paul put it like this, Rom. 10:1 my heart s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. The tremendous passion Nehemiah had, THE TERRIBLE PREDICAMENT 17 Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach. This was the reality, - Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. Yes, there was a work to be done in Jerusalem, - a great work, a back-breaking work. He hadn t to go and look far before he saw it, and he saw it in the darkness of night! He could have tripped over the stones and the rubble. He could see that from the very outset of the work it promised to be difficult, Limited resources and manpower, working to what end? The enemy still surrounded them. It was going to be a slog, hard work that demanded perseverance and wisdom. How do you get across to your friends and loved ones that they need to be saved?

5 D.G. 5 You go to them and quote them Scripture and more likely than not you will turn them off. How then do you get across to them? It s difficult, - it s hard work, - it requires giving of your best, it demands that you often have to make your way over and through the great boulders of opposition and the little stones that surround ruined lives. It s not easy, - spiritual apathy, outright hostility, manmade obstinacy and pride, But when Hanani came to Nehemiah and told him about the state of the city of Jerusalem Nehemiah sought God s face because he knew he couldn t get the strength anywhere else to fulfil the desire of his heart. And he believed that in the hands of God he could make a difference to that pile of rubble that was called Jerusalem. The tremendous passion, the terrible predicament, THE TRIUMPH PROMISED 20 Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem. Nehemiah was prepared for the work; he had proved the grace of God and the abiding and sustaining presence of God, v.18 Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me He hadn t rushed in and only had half the picture; no, he had carried out the necessary preparations of his heart, soul and mind before God, and he was sure of triumph. He had done the groundwork. He was confident in his God and he was convinced that God would bring those people of Israel success. Then the opposition raised their head, - you can always be sure of the opposition being close by when God is at work; the opposition raised their head and Nehemiah recorded, v.19 they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? The enemy doesn t know the ways of God or the will of God, - it is a waste of time explaining it to them.

6 D.G. 6 Look at 2:10, - there was Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, - and here in 2:19 their numbers have been swelled by Geshem the Arabian. Nevertheless, Nehemiah would not be moved, or put off, - as he looked to the triumph promised and rebuked the enemy, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem. Brilliant! Fantastic! Appropriate words even for us to remember in these modern times of apostasy. CONCLUSION. The tremendous passion, the terrible predicament, the triumph promised. Many years before, Moses was on Mt. Sinai. The people thought he was taking his time about coming back to them so they decided to make themselves a god out of their gold, - just like the people in Egypt did. When Moses came down the mountain after having been with God and he saw all this, the Bible tells us, Ex. 32:26 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord s side? let him come unto me. That is a question needs to be asked today. It was a question that needed to be asked in Nehemiah s day too. Nehemiah had a task to do for God, he was concerned that only those who had a heart after the will of God would join with him in the building of the walls of the city of Jerusalem. Those are the type of people God requires today also in the building up of the Church. This Book of Nehemiah has so much to say to us, and I hope and pray that we are listening and that we shall apply its message in our own situation to His Glory.