Scripture: Nehemiah 1:1-11
Sermon Series: Nehemiah: Making a Difference for God – Sermon 02

Do you ever feel like Sisyphus? Unless you’re a student of Greek mythology, you’re asking WHO? Sisyphus was a character from Greek mythology who ticked off the gods. Not a bright move. So, the gods sentenced him to Hades where he’d have to roll a huge boulder up a hill only to have it roll back down every time it got near the top. His punishment? He had to repeat this futile action…for all of eternity. It’s a bit like the bumper sticker, I owe. I owe. So, off to work I go.

Every day we wake up, make coffee, commute to work, stare at a computer or machine for hours, get yelled at by the boss, stare at a computer or machine some more, travel home, binge on Netflix or YouTube while eating dinner, go to bed and wake up to do it all over again. Like Sisyphus, we seem condemned to repeat the same meaningless tasks over and over.

Most do this every day, almost like we’re sleepwalking. But maybe one day we’re getting ready for work, and we’re struck by the thought that life seems to have no purpose. You look around and ask: Why is everyone in a hurry? What’s the point? Why am I alive? Does my life have any significance?

We long for a life of significance, to know that we matter, that our life matters. The dictionary defines significance as the quality of being worthy of attention. Significance means we matter. And God designed us with an innate desire for significance. It can’t be satisfied though with this world’s stuff. It’s only satisfied through a restored relationship with God. Longing for meaning is a soul thirst.

Last Sunday we began a study of the Old Testament book of Nehemiah: Making a Difference for God by sharing a foundation of the book’s background. Today we’re beginning our study in the text itself.

Much of Nehemiah is about leadership. He’s a great model, but there’s so much more here than being a leader. You can be a leader and sense life lacks significance. Check out corporate America. Millionaires commit suicide too, like Texas Roadhouse founder, Kent Taylor.

I struggled with a title for today’s sermon. True Significance seems to fit.Nehemiah is a model of what it means to have significance. Significance can only from God. He’s the only One who can give us True Significance.

The book of Nehemiah teaches us that if you’re faithful to God, your life will be filled with His grace and glory. It will be filled with grace because it’s a life transformed by God’s love and power. It’s filled with glory because the imprint of His purpose is unfading and everlasting. In this first chapter we find True Significance lived out by Nehemiah. If you’re taking notes…

1. True Significance means caring for others, vss. 1-4. 

It’s been a century since the Jews returned home in “the second exodus.” Nehemiah is the author of this book. His name means the Lord comforts. Please don’t miss this. Nehemiah isn’t extraordinary. He’s not a preacher or a king. He could be sitting here this morning. God loves to use the ordinary.

As Martin Luther observed, God created the world out of nothing. When I realize that I am nothing, perhaps God can create something out of me, too!” Or as Paul wrote: “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). It’s a pattern we find throughout Scripture. If you think you’re a nobody, you’re in a great place to be used by God.

Nehemia lives in Persia, in Susa, in the palace, in what today is the western side of Iran. It’s November or December of 444 B.C. He’s at King Artaxerxes’ winter capital in Susa, just going about his daily work.

The Persian court has been described as magnificent. King Artaxerxes was surrounded by hundreds of personal attendants. Within his winter palace as many as 15,000 were fed daily. But he rarely dined with guests. He was served alone by his cupbearer. Cupbearer is important for our study.

Many of you know your ancestry. My mom, whose maiden name was “Wallace,” was a descendant of the British General, Cornwallis. But I don’t pay much attention to what’s going on in Britain.

That’s not Nehemiah. He’s a Jew. It’s his homeland. Though he’s probably never been to Jerusalem, like many Jews, his heart is in Jerusalem.

People cry about a lot of things. They cry at weddings. Parents cry when children leave home. Sometimes they cry at the birth of their children or grandchildren. They cry at sad movies. Nehemiah cries about a broken wall.

Sheldon Yellen cared. It’s a tradition that started in 1985 when this Belfor Holdings CEO had a 19-person staff, and he started writing birthday cards for each employee. His company grew to over 12,000 in 34 countries and Sheldon Yellen still writes personal birthday cards for each one. Someone asked him why? I love his answer. It lets people know and understand that they matter. Caring let’s others know that they matter.

Even as Christ-followers we focus on the wrong things and wrong people. Maybe you’ve kept up with the Green Packers Draft or that Ariana Grande has a new album, Petal. Maybe you’ve been caught up with the media storm of Jimmy Kimmel’s crass joke about Melania Trump. While those things have some importance. Do you think that as Christ-followers, they should be our focus?

What about religious news from India last week that if Christians are honest about their faith in the new census, they risk persecution? Or the courage of believers in Cuba in spite of the risk of arrest, continue to call for freedom? Or those in our church family dealing with medical issues, emotional struggles or a family crisis? Shouldn’t we care more about those? Nehemiah didn’t just care, he cared about the right things. George Bernard Shaw, “The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that’s the essence of inhumanity.

Nehemiah wants to know how his homeland is doing and gets bad news.

Recently, an old friend, Rob Selby stayed with us. Rob is from the church Jane and I served decades ago. We have many mutual friends. We stayed up until midnight reminiscing as I asked him about friend after friend.

We never know God’s plans, so we must keep our hearts open to His leading. When Moses was out caring for sheep, God met him at the burning bush. David was doing an Uber Eats run for his brothers and saw Goliath.

Nehemiah runs into his brother, Hanani, and other Jews back from Jerusalem. It’s been said a Jew never forgets Jerusalem.

Apparently, this bad news caught him off guard. He knew a remnant returned to rebuild the Temple. I think he was anticipating good news and part of it was. The Temple had been rebuilt but the city of Jerusalem was a sitting duck. In ancient days a city without walls was like a house in Detroit without doors. Solomon used a wall-less city as a metaphor for someone who couldn’t control his temper. A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls (Proverbs 25:28).

The Hebrew word for “great trouble” means calamity or misery. Those in Jerusalem were in a dangerous situation. We know the armies of Babylon had destroyed the walls. There had been an attempt to rebuild them, but their enemies kept it from happening. Not only were they vulnerable, but it was unsolvable. The Jews were sitting ducks for their enemies.

We’re desensitized to tragedy today. 24-hour news channels and the Internet have contributed to it. We’re so blitzed with bad news, we’re numb.  

This is vital. Nehemiah asked questions and then listened. What would happen if we’d listen? The difference between hearing and listening is attention. Hearing is easy; listening takes skill. It’s a skill we’re in danger of losing in a world of digital distraction and information overload. It’s an epidemic in a culture exchanging convenience for meaning.

Christians must care. It takes work and a sensitive spirit to sense God’s moving in our hearts. But it can be overwhelming. We can’t do everything, but we can do something. Nehemiah models for us proactive steps of care.

What’s burdening your heart today? I hope it’s not just politics or sports. When we look at those suffering in our church, the condition of our communities, or the spiritual needs around us, do we feel a burden like Nehemiah? Do we mourn over things that grieve the heart of God?

Nehemiah’s example challenges us to check out our own hearts. He challenges us to be people so in tune with God’s love, we can’t ignore the needs around us. His burden was the start of a vision—a vision that would motivate him to action. Before that vision could take shape, he needed to align his heart with God’s heart through lamenting, prayer and fasting.

Nehemiah responds with a broken heart. 

As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven (Nehemiah 1:4).

When was the last time you cried about someone else’s pain and problems? Have you ever wept for someone else’s hurts? For days like Nehemiah?  

His mourning is like mourning for the dead. Personally, I’m continually shocked at my jaundiced heart. We rarely cry about our broken world. When was the last time you wept over evil? Our usual response is judgementalism or anger. Faced with a crisis, Nehemiah’s first response is to pray. Too often it’s our last one. May God give us all the heart of a Nehemiah.

When we look at the calendar of these events when Nehemiah first got the news and then went to the king, it’s a chunk of time. Do you know how long it was? Obviously, he kept up his normal responsibilities but in his time with the Lord for prayer and mourning – it was four months. He was persistent in prayer. We American Christians are people of action. Prayer is tacked on. Nehemiah is our model. We must pray first, pray persistently and then act.

Are you having problems with your marriage? When Jane was a teen her parents went through a crisis and my dear wife as a teen continually prayed, Lord, help my parents love each other. Are you praying for your marriage? A friend’s marriage? Are your children away from the Lord? Are you praying for them? Are you praying for a lost friend or neighbor?

Do you pray for our church? Do you pray for me? Are you praying that we’ll reach this community for Christ? Are you praying we’ll move forward?

I wonder what God would do if every Christ-follower would just pray for the lost around them, their inner circle. Will you do that? Please start today!

John Knox, the Scottish Reformer and preacher would weep and pray in the royal gardens of Bloody Mary, the Queen who hated Christians. One day she said that she feared the prayers of John Knox more than anything on earth. Knox would pray in her gardens, loud enough for her to hear, Oh God, give me Scotland, or I die.

2. True Significance means praying for others, vss. 5-11. 

So, how does prayer work? I don’t know. I do know that prayer is work and those who work at prayer discover that prayer works.

The book of Nehemiah opens and closes with prayer. This particular prayer is the first of twelve instances of prayer in Nehemiah. He was a man of faith who depended on the Lord in prayer. He’s a model for us.

Who do you work for? Who did Nehemiah work for? It wasn’t Artaxerxes the king. Was Artaxerxes powerful? Yes, but compared to God, he’s a wimp. Nehemiah was a servant of the true King. If you’re a Christ-follower, so are you. Colossians 3:23-24, Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

Nehemiah knew he was serving God by serving Artaxerxes. Do you know that? When we realize Jesus is our real boss, it puts things in perspective.

Nehemiah 1:5-11 are one of the great prayers of the Bible. It’s a pattern for prayer and one many believers use. It’s A.C.T.S., an acrostic for prayer:

A – Adoration
C – Confession
T – Thanksgiving
S – Supplication

Each is present in Nehemiah’s prayer.

Adoration is expressed in verses 5 and 6. 

In a short statement, he acknowledges several attributes and great acts of God: His sovereignty, love, faithfulness, and God’s ability to see and hear all that’s going on.

Confession of sin is found in verses 6 and 7. 

Nehemiah knew sin brought the judgement of God and resulted in Jerusalem’s destruction. If Jerusalem was going to be restored, confession of sin must come first, then there would be restoration. Confession is necessary for forgiveness and restoration.

What is most striking about his confession is that Nehemiah includes himself in the confession of these sins.

1. He recognizes the principle of solidarity. Nehemiah is one with his people, so his sins are their sins and theirs his. He doesn’t distance himself from them.

2. Nehemiah recognized that he himself is a sinner. There is no sin of the people that led to the fall of Jerusalem that he’s not guilty of or isn’t capable of having done.  

Today we don’t take sin seriously. Do you want to know how horrible sin is to God? Look back to the Garden. It cost our first parents Paradise and their lives. Death is the judgement for sin. The greatest horror of sin is on a hill called Calvary where the Son of God died on a cross and took Nehemiah’s sin, Israel’s sin, your sin and my sin, so that we could be forgiven and live.

Thanksgiving is found in verses 7-10. 

Nehemiah reviews God’s promises. God had promised Moses that if Israel was unfaithful, He’d scatter them. But if they repented and returned to Him, God would redeem and restore them.

Thanksgiving and praise are vital parts of prayer! Frequently, we pray yet forget to thank and praise God…even when He answers our prayers.

Nehemiah quotes the covenant found in Deuteronomy. The Mosaic Covenant has two sides, blessing and judgment. It was conditional. If Israel obeyed God, He’d bless and establish them in the land. If they disobeyed, He’d scatter them as He’d done with the overthrow of the Northern Kingdom 722 B.C. and the Southern Kingdom in 586 B.C.

Nehemiah reviews this promise because it contains a warning of judgment which the Jews experienced. It also contains a promise of blessing if they repent. By his own repentance, Nehemiah represents the people in the way which will cause God to be merciful and restore them again. 

Supplication ends his prayer in verse 11. 

Nehemiah shares his requests as he end his prayer. Having a knowledge God’s greatness, confessing sin and having reviewed God’s promises, he now lays out His requests before God.

This man is king Artaxerxes. He recognized Artaxerxes as the key to the plan he is developing, and God is the key to changing the king’s heart.

Harry Truman, the 32^nd President, referred to leaders as people who can get other people to do what they do not want to do—and make them like doing it. If you’ve ever tried to get someone to do what he doesn’t want to do and like doing it, you know how difficult it is. Usually, you can’t. But God can, even kings. Proverbs 21:1, The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He will.

Hudson Taylor founder of the China Inland Mission knew the secret. He said, It is possible to move men through God by prayer alone.

We all struggle when it comes to prayer. I’ve read several books on prayer that have helped. Let me suggest one of the best I’ve found, A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World by Paul Miller.

We know we need to pray, yet few do. Cyril Barber wrote, The self-sufficient don’t pray; they merely talk to themselves. The self-satisfied will not pray; they have no knowledge of their need. The self-righteous will not pray; they have no basis on which to approach God. We won’t have true significance if we’re self-sufficient, self-satisfied or self-righteous.

Nehemiah prayed first, then acted. Prayer isn’t the cherry on top of the sundae; prayer is the dish that holds the sundae.

The condition of Jerusalem is terrible. Nehemiah knows he doesn’t have the resources to fix it, but He knows Someone who does. God does. And God placed all those resources into the hands of one particular man. Of all the people on the earth, Nehemiah has the best access to him. With one stroke of the pen, Artaxerxes can authorize the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls.

3. True Significance means that I may be God’s answer to the needs that I care and pray about. 

Nehemiah faces a crisis. The walls of Jerusalem are broken down. Yet, he’s King Artaxerxes cupbearer. God has placed him in a position with the opportunity of influence and for success.

Ancient cupbearers were not butler’s or dishwashers. Their main job was to taste the food and wine before the king did. Fear of assassination caused monarchs to be cautious. The cupbearer tasted the wine before it ever got to the king. If someone were trying to poison the king, it was adios, cupbearer.

No one was as close to the king as his cupbearer. The king’s life depended upon his competency, his sharp eyes and common sense. So, cupbearers did more than taste test. They were the king’s chief of staff, dictating who would see him. Even princes had to submit to the cupbearer’s authority and power.

God makes us and He places us. King Artaxerxes had halted the rebuilding of the wall at the request of the Jew’s enemies. Now Nehemiah was going to ask the king to rescind that order. It was a huge risk. It was audacious. You didn’t just order kings around, but God was in it.

Verse 11 your servants lets us know he’d enlisted others to pray alongside him. Now Nehemiah trusts God to work, what we call providence. He knows that while God placed him in a place with access to the king. He serves the omnipotent God. King Artaxerxes is only this man (verse 11).

True significance doesn’t play it safe. It trusts God and steps out on faith. If there is any message American Christians need, it’s that the Christian life isn’t safe. It means taking risks in your position…maybe in your relationships or with your abilities or with your finances. It means giving God control of your time. We’re Christians because Christ sacrificed for us and the Lord Jesus has called us to be people of sacrifice. It’s what He meant by telling us to take up our cross (Matthew 16:24).

Once Nehemiah heard about the distress of God’s people and the dishonor to God’s name, he can’t be happy in this great job and its luxurious surroundings. He’s willing to give it all up, make the difficult journey to Jerusalem, and set about the stressful job of mobilizing the people to rebuild the walls so that God’s name would be honored.

Was it a costly sacrifice? Yes and no. Yes, he had to give up all of the comforts he enjoyed and endure lots of hardship. But, no, in that he could no longer be happy doing what he’d been doing. He found his greatest joy in doing what God wanted him to do…and so will we.

If you want to be a person with True Significance, if you try to do anything for the Lord, you’ll face obstacles and opposition. Some of it will come from a pagan world. The most difficult opposition often comes from within the church. You need to realize up front that you’ll encounter problems and then commit yourself to God and His purpose to endure…no matter what.

Conclusion

What are our lessons about True Significance? What are the Take Home Truths?

You can make a difference! 

Fear may tell you that you’re not enough. Nehemiah’s story reminds us that God can do incredible things through anyone, even ordinary people, willing to trust Him with the next right step.  

So, pray the prayer. Ask the questions. Make the call. Why not you?

I don’t know what God is doing in your life right now. I do know that you’re here for a reason this morning. You’re here because God wants to accomplish something in your life for His glory. It’s not about you. You benefit, but you’re part of something so much bigger.

You have a choice to make. 

You have a choice. You can hear God’s calling on your life. You begin to sense that concern. You begin to see through God’s eyes what could and should be – in our lives, our families, our church, in all of our relationships. We can begin to sense what God can and wants to accomplish through us. But we must choose to surrender to God’s plan.

If you haven’t given your life to God, to live according to His agenda, you’re wasting your life. 

You could be living out God’s vision for your life. Instead, you’ve got your own measly agenda. Please trade-up. Start living for something far better. Start living God’s dreams for your life. If you haven’t thanked God for His Son Jesus, who died to give you a second chance, you can start living for Him today and live a life of real purpose.

Make a plan. 

What steps could you take that would start to help you live out God’s vision for your life? That way when the time comes for God to act through us, we’re ready. Pray for opportunities and then plan as if you expect God to answer your prayers.

Be a Nehemiah and commit to praying. 

If God has given you a vision, begin to ask God to work to make it come true. Pour out your heart to God. Ask God to give you success. Without God, your plans are useless.

Can I challenge you to pray a dangerous prayer today? It’s not complicated. You don’t have to write it out. Three words…three words that when we pray them, transform our lives because when they’re answered, God changes the world. What’s the prayer? Lord, use me!

That’s how Nehemiah finished. He started. He gets up off his knees, rolls up his sleeves, and says, “I’ll take whatever you’ve given me so far, and give it all back to you. I’m cupbearer to the king, but I serve the King of kings—So, Lord, use me.”