How concerned are we for the state of the Church of Jesus Christ and its progress? We discuss and debate the various problems facing the church in our culture today; the sad state of affairs as various trends continue to weaken the impact of the church.
Let’s just mention some of those negative trends:
1) Holiness no longer seems the goal
- we do not discuss behavior problems in terms of sin and repentance
- we have a generation that thinks it is OK to look the other way when you see sin
- we do not exercise discipline in the church – shallow believers
- the distinction between believers and non-believers is blurring
- more concerned with trying to shore up our horizontal relationships
2) our Church Methodology is market driven
3) the Bible is losing traction as the objective authoritative source
We can agree about these trends and others as well; we like to analyze …
But how concerned are we for the state of God’s Program?
How does our concern motivate and energize us to seek revival and commit ourselves to a rebuilding process?
GRIEF OVER THE SHAMEFUL STATE OF GOD’S KINGDOM PROGRAM MOTIVATES SPIRITUAL LEADERS TO PETITION GOD FOR REVIVAL WITH CONFESSIONAL PRAYER
I. (:1-3) THE SHAMEFUL STATE OF GOD’S KINGDOM PROGRAM
A. (:1a) Discernment of Nehemiah –
“The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah” (“wait for Yahweh”)
Name Nehemiah = “the Lord consoles” – God’s people needed strengthening and encouraging
God granted to him special understanding of the time and conditions in which he lived and how he could have a positive impact on God’s Kingdom Program
God gave him a particular vision of specific work he could oversee that would be of strategic importance
B. (:1b-2) Details Surrounding the Background of the Book of Nehemiah
1. Time Reference – Nov / Dec — 446/445 B.C.
“Now it happened in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year”
2. Place Reference
“while I was in Susa the capitol” – of the kingdom of Persia under King
Artaxerxes
3. Occasion: Eyewitness Reporters Returning from Jerusalem
“that Hanani, one of my brothers, and some men from Judah came”
“Yahweh is gracious”
4. Primary Issue of Concern
“and I asked them”
Wiersbe: A century and a half before, the Prophet Jeremiah had given this word from the Lord: “For who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem? Or who will bemoan you? Or who will turn aside to ask how you are doing?” (Jer. 15:5, NKJV). Nehemiah was the man God had chosen to do those very things! Some people prefer not to know what’s going on, because information might bring obligation.
a. Status of the People of God
“concerning the Jews who had escaped and had survived the captivity”
b. Status of the Work of God – centered around the prosperity of Jerusalem
“and about Jerusalem.”
Our lives need to be aligned with God’s purpose for this point in history; what is important to God should be important to us
C. (:3) Distressed State of God’s Kingdom Program
“They said to me” – Report of Devastation and Shame
1. Problem #1 – God’s People Need Reviving / Rebuilding – Chaps. 8-13
“The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great
distress and reproach,”
2. Problem #2 – God’s Work (The Walls / Gates) Needs Reviving / Rebuilding – Chaps. 1-7
a. The Walls of the City of God
“and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down”
b. The Gates of the City of God
“and its gates are burned with fire.”
II. (:4) THE CONCENTRATED GRIEF OF GOD’S CONCERNED SERVANT
A. Emotional Response of Intense Grief – not just analyzing the situation but disconnected
1. Attentive to kingdom priorities
“When I heard these words,”
2. Shocked into interrupting normal activities – takes a lot to interrupt some people
“I sat down” — are we more interested in our own agenda or God’s agenda??
Kidner: Since Nehemiah’s natural bent was for swift, decisive action, his behaviour here is remarkable. It shows where his priorities lay.
Yamauchi: Custom of mourners being seated (cf. Ps. 137:1; Job 2:13)
3. Overcome with intense grief – this should be an emotional message
“and wept and mourned for days;”
James 4:9-10 “Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”
Application: What does God want us to be weeping and mourning about right now?
Are we content to just look the other way and go on about our business??
B. Spiritual Response of Seeking the Lord
1. Concentrated Approach
a. Shutting out Distractions by Fasting – denying normal human appetites
“and I was fasting” (Esth 4:16; Dan 9:3; 10:3; Zech 7:3-7; 8:19)
b. Focusing on God in Prayer
“and praying”
2. Covenant Access to a Sovereign King
“before the God of heaven.”
III. (:5-11) THE REPENTANT PLEA FOR COVENANT RENEWAL
A. (:5-6a) Calling on the Covenant God for Merciful Attention — Invocation
“I said, I beseech You,”
1. Appeal to the Majesty of God
a. Majestic Sovereignty
“O Lord God of heaven,”
b. Majestic Greatness
“the great and awesome God,”
Breneman: God’s awesomeness is the impression his total character and person leaves on all who encounter him.
c. Majestic Covenant Loyalty
“who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him
and keep His commandments,”
2. Appeal to the Privilege of Intercession
let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night,
- God’s servants have access to the throne of grace
- God’s servants have the expectation that God listens and hears
- God’s servants persevere with fervent intercession
3. Appeal to the Covenant Relationship with Israel
“on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants”
Transition: The Covenant needs to be renewed because it has been badly broken
B. (:6b-7) Covenant Breaking — Humble Confession of Sin
1. Confessing Sin as Both Corporate and Individual
a. General — Corporate Sins
“Confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You;”
b. Specific — Personal and Immediate Family Sins
“I and my father’s house have sinned.”
We have lost the discipline of confessing sin; we just want to move on and forget anything happened
Yamauchi: A true sense of the awesomeness of God reveals the depths of our own sinfulness (Isa 6:1-5; Luke 5:8)
2. Confessing Sin as Wickedness against a Holy God
“We have acted very corruptly against You”
3. Confessing Sin as Disobedience = Law Breaking of known requirements
“and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances whichYou commanded Your servant Moses.”
C. (:8-10) Covenant Renewal – Reviewing Conditions for Scattering vs Regathering
1. Covenant Obligations Remembered For Scattering vs Regathering
a. For Scattering
“Remember the word which You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful I will scatter you among the peoples;”
b. For Regathering
“but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though
those of you who have been scattered were in the most remote part of the
heavens, I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place
where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell.’ “
2. Covenant Investment Historically of God’s Sovereign Grace and Power
“They are Your servants and Your people whom You redeemed by Your great
power and by Your strong hand.” (restatement of Deut. 9:29)
D. (:11) Closing Request for Gracious Success
1. Success of God’s Servants is Consistent with Glorifying God’s Name
a. Intercessory Prayer Humbly Offered by God’s Servant Nehemiah
“O Lord, I beseech You, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your
servant”
b. Intercessory Prayer for the Benefit of God’s People Glorifying God’s Name
“and the prayer of Your servants who delight to revere Your name,”
2. Success Only Comes as a Gift of God’s Grace
a. Goal = Quick Success
“and make Your servant successful today”
b. Tactic = Stirring up the compassion of the king
“and grant him compassion before this man.”
Prov. 21:1 “The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes.” (plaque on the wall as you enter our house)
3. Success Involves the Providential Dispensation of our Circumstances
“Now I was the cupbearer to the king.”
Not just a lucky thing that Nehemiah was in such a position of prominence with access to the King of Persia; God had Providentially directed his life journey and prepared him for this crucial moment in history
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