WEBVTT 00:00:04.006 --> 00:00:11.630 Well, I'm glad to be here, glad you guys are online, and I'm just so thankful to get to share the Word of God and open up the series that we're going to be doing in Nehemiah. 00:00:11.630 --> 00:00:13.166 Hope you're ready for it, are you? 00:00:13.166 --> 00:00:14.444 It's going to be good. 00:00:14.444 --> 00:00:15.608 I believe we're excited. 00:00:15.608 --> 00:00:26.830 You know, a number of years ago, in our sort of our parenting teens to drive years, which was an experience our kids also had friends who were learning to drive. 00:00:26.830 --> 00:00:46.511 And you know, if you're a wise parent, you are and this is for parents who are in this season if you're a wise parent, you will pick out a car that is safe but has all kinds of it's not a very nice looking car, maybe it's because you're expected to have some scrapes and bumps and scratches on your car. 00:00:46.511 --> 00:00:57.868 But, as I said, our kids they had friends who were learning to drive too, and at our house, getting in and out of the driveway, it was a pretty straightforward process. 00:00:57.868 --> 00:01:13.727 We live at the top of a hill but right in between our house and the house down below us it is a massive wall, a concrete block wall that runs from the front of our house to the back, and in one day, after the kids' friends were leaving. 00:01:13.727 --> 00:01:18.055 They went out of the house, got in the car and they drove out of the driveway. 00:01:18.055 --> 00:01:31.430 And I walked out the door just in time in horror to see that person hit the wall and they knocked out a few of the concrete blocks out of the wall. 00:01:31.430 --> 00:01:32.152 And I was just like what? 00:01:32.152 --> 00:01:45.295 Because it would not have been good if that wall had fallen down, and so I didn't do too much with the wall in terms of repairs that day, but I was thinking, boy, this could be bad. 00:01:45.295 --> 00:01:51.691 And a couple of months later it happened again, and this time with a different teenage friend. 00:01:51.691 --> 00:01:59.661 He backs out of the driveway and this time three more feet of that wall got knocked over into the neighbor's yard. 00:01:59.661 --> 00:02:05.593 And I went out and picked up the box and I thought, oh my, I can't wait anymore, I've got to fix this wall. 00:02:05.593 --> 00:02:09.770 And you know how they say, there's that saying bad things happen in threes. 00:02:09.770 --> 00:02:28.162 Yeah, before I could do the repair, another friend had come over, a different friend, and I watched in horror as this friend backed out and knocking eight more feet of that stupid wall out of place. 00:02:28.162 --> 00:02:42.463 And this time the car had actually turned sideways and part of it was the front part was up on our driveway, the rear of the car was in the neighbor's yard and the car itself was sitting on top of the block wall. 00:02:42.463 --> 00:02:54.122 Well, the tow truck driver comes in with his tow truck and he's scratching his head and he's looking at me and he says I really don't know what to do to get this car off here. 00:02:54.122 --> 00:02:55.544 I've never seen this before. 00:02:55.544 --> 00:03:06.552 Well, eventually the car gets removed and I spent the whole summer rebuilding the wall in the blazing sun. 00:03:06.552 --> 00:03:13.481 So this kind of leads us into our series this morning, because this morning we begin this new series. 00:03:13.562 --> 00:03:23.622 In the message in the Old Testament book of Nehemiah, nehemiah is the story of rebuilding of the walls in Jerusalem which took place in the fifth century before Christ. 00:03:23.622 --> 00:03:27.306 And you're maybe sitting there thinking very exciting stuff the walls in Jerusalem which took place in the fifth century before Christ. 00:03:27.306 --> 00:03:32.633 And you're maybe sitting there thinking very exciting stuff what in the world does this have to do with my life, where I am right now? 00:03:32.633 --> 00:03:59.210 Well, I want to sort of convince you it's worth your time and encourage you to be a part of this series, because Nehemiah also, he speaks to an ongoing reality in our own lives and that reality is that all of us have seasons in our lives where we need to rebuild what's been broken and what's fallen apart, and I know many of you are going through something even today. 00:03:59.210 --> 00:04:06.627 Something has been broken in your life, something that has fallen apart, something you expected to be different than it is right now. 00:04:06.627 --> 00:04:19.966 And so, as we walk through this book together, my hope is that you will find hope and you'll be encouraged in what God can do and what God wants to do in your life to rebuild what is maybe the enemy has taken from you. 00:04:19.966 --> 00:04:27.002 And so we want to do this, so that we can not only be strong as believers, we want to advance the kingdom in the world. 00:04:27.002 --> 00:04:30.704 And so let want to do this, so that we can not only be strong as believers, we want to advance the kingdom in the world. 00:04:30.704 --> 00:04:33.607 And so let's pray that God would open up our minds and hearts this morning, and just pray with me. 00:04:33.607 --> 00:04:35.487 Father, we're so grateful for the time today. 00:04:35.487 --> 00:05:00.980 We know your word is powerful, it speaks to us and changes us, and what you send out, it doesn't return void, lord, it has power to transform us, and so we pray, spirit of God, that you would blow on your word today, open our hearts and our ears and our minds that we'd understand what you have to say to us today and just change us, transform us. 00:05:00.980 --> 00:05:03.129 In the name of Jesus, amen. 00:05:03.129 --> 00:05:07.355 So I was just thinking about this title what is passion? 00:05:07.355 --> 00:05:09.343 Our series is called the Passion Project. 00:05:09.863 --> 00:05:10.625 What is passion? 00:05:10.625 --> 00:05:19.574 Passion is what you desire the most and are willing to do with your whole being, whatever it is, to get it done, to get it in place. 00:05:19.574 --> 00:05:25.812 Passion is directly tied to what you love, directly tied to what you love. 00:05:25.812 --> 00:05:35.646 Passion, you see, was the impetus for 12 ordinary men to turn the world upside down to share the gospel of Jesus. 00:05:35.646 --> 00:05:41.312 Passion was what brought Paul to allow himself to go through what he did. 00:05:41.312 --> 00:05:46.622 He went through shipwrecks and storms and beatings and imprisonments for the gospel's sake. 00:05:46.622 --> 00:05:54.988 Passion is what took Jesus to the cross, for your sake and my sake, and it's what made him love us to the end. 00:05:56.132 --> 00:05:57.154 Passion is important. 00:05:57.154 --> 00:06:07.615 Passion can turn mediocrity into greatness, darkness into light, emptiness into creative vision, failure into success, and apathy and indifference into productive power. 00:06:07.615 --> 00:06:12.271 Passion is greater than talent, more vital than education. 00:06:12.271 --> 00:06:16.271 Our passions expose our eternal trajectory. 00:06:16.271 --> 00:06:22.425 When our heart is broken or misaligned with God's purposes, we sometimes say don't we. 00:06:22.425 --> 00:06:26.761 I've lost my passion, but passion isn't tied to your emotions. 00:06:26.761 --> 00:06:31.850 Really, Passion is the divine spark that remains when your wood is wet. 00:06:31.850 --> 00:06:41.843 It keeps us going, and what we're going to see in this series is how God-given passion can result in accomplishing great things for God. 00:06:41.843 --> 00:06:48.625 God wants to do something great in all of us, and he's going to do that as we allow Jesus to do His work in us. 00:06:49.187 --> 00:07:00.370 Before we look into the book, though, I want to just kind of observe this kind of step back and look some kind of the whole thing a little bit and kind of give us some context before we go forward. 00:07:00.370 --> 00:07:19.810 And we'll get into chapter one today, but it'll kind of be at the end, and so first let's just set the scene in terms of the background and in some context and, by the way, there's a whole lot to absorb here in terms of the history but I'm going to try to kind of corral this all for us so we can kind of get a good idea of what's going on here. 00:07:19.810 --> 00:07:20.781 Let's set the scene. 00:07:20.781 --> 00:07:30.588 The Bible tells us that, leading up to this period and for at least 150 years, god's people had rebelled against God. 00:07:30.588 --> 00:07:34.827 They had done what God had told them not to do, and they had refused to listen to Him. 00:07:34.827 --> 00:07:47.610 They had rebelled, they had been involved in idolatry, and God sent prophet after prophet after prophet to warn them to return to Him, but to no avail. 00:07:47.670 --> 00:08:04.048 And so in 586, god, his patience ends and he uses a pagan nation and a pagan king named Nebuchadnezzar to come in and bring essentially, judgment on the nation, god's people, for their sins. 00:08:04.048 --> 00:08:21.944 And so King Nebuchadnezzar and his army, they come in and they literally burn the city of Jerusalem to the ground, and the result is that they take and carry away God's people into captivity and exile to Babylon, modern day Iran, or Iran, if you pronounce it that way. 00:08:21.944 --> 00:08:38.964 But what's interesting, prior to their departure and this is the heart of God, I think, and you think about their discouragement in this prior to their departure, jeremiah the prophet he sort of predicts the outcome of this sad period in the life of this nation. 00:08:38.964 --> 00:08:44.333 And in Jeremiah 29, 10, and 11, he holds out this promise of hope. 00:08:44.333 --> 00:08:51.111 And you know, this is what God does Whenever you're in a bad place, god always holds out a promise of hope to you. 00:08:51.111 --> 00:08:55.279 And here's what Jeremiah says in Jeremiah 29, 10, and 11. 00:08:55.279 --> 00:09:18.534 For thus says the Lord, when 70 years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring youben quoted this morning, for I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 00:09:18.534 --> 00:09:24.592 You know, when you see these things Eben quoting what he quoted and what God, I think God's doing something. 00:09:24.592 --> 00:09:26.147 He wants us to hear it this morning. 00:09:26.147 --> 00:09:48.548 You know, in one of the most amazing I guess a miracle, amazing turn of events stories in the Old Testament though, god moves upon the heart of a different pagan king 70, well, not quite 70 years, but a number of decades later, a man named Cyrus, cyrus the Great Cyrus, the Second who had come to power after Nebuchadnezzar. 00:09:48.548 --> 00:09:57.975 King Cyrus issues this royal decree to allow the Jews the freedom to come back to their homeland, to come back home. 00:09:57.975 --> 00:10:01.399 And so the biblical text is so significant. 00:10:01.399 --> 00:10:06.312 I just want to read it to you because I think it's really encouraging what he says here. 00:10:06.879 --> 00:10:10.490 Cyrus speaks this in Ezra 1, verses 1-4. 00:10:10.490 --> 00:10:29.066 In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order to fulfill the Lord's message spoken through Jeremiah, the Lord stirred the mind of King Cyrus of Persia Remember, he's a pagan king stirred the mind of King Cyrus of Persia Remember, he's a pagan king. 00:10:29.066 --> 00:10:39.495 He disseminated a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom, announcing in a written edict the following thus says the king Cyrus of Persia the Lord, god of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. 00:10:39.495 --> 00:10:45.491 He has instructed me to build a temple for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 00:10:45.491 --> 00:10:55.679 Anyone from his people among you may his God be with him may go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and may build the temple of the Lord, god of Israel. 00:10:55.679 --> 00:10:58.629 He is the God who is in Jerusalem. 00:10:58.629 --> 00:11:09.706 Anyone who survives in any of those places where he is a resident foreigner must be helped by his neighbors with silver to go back home, and he even pays for it. 00:11:09.706 --> 00:11:23.150 What a miracle, so amazing. 00:11:23.150 --> 00:11:23.701 You know. 00:11:23.701 --> 00:11:28.072 In that passage, cyrus calls these people survivors. 00:11:28.072 --> 00:11:30.827 Are you a survivor this morning? 00:11:32.900 --> 00:11:55.322 See, only a remnant, though, would end up taking Cyrus up on his offer to come back home, to return, and so, over the next 100 years or so, this remnant, god's survivors, would come back and settle in the land again, and this happened in three waves, if you might say over 100 years. 00:11:55.322 --> 00:12:00.594 The first return is under a guy named Zerubbabel and Joshua, the high priest. 00:12:00.594 --> 00:12:01.760 It resulted in what? 00:12:01.760 --> 00:12:04.125 In the rebuilding of the temple itself. 00:12:04.125 --> 00:12:11.835 That's found, if you want to read it, in Ezra 1, verses 1-6, chapter 6, verse 22. 00:12:11.835 --> 00:12:18.744 A second way comes back about 50 years later and this time under Ezra. 00:12:18.744 --> 00:12:27.980 Ezra was a priest and scribe and he is a leader in that restoration back to the land 50 years later, and you can read about that in Ezra 7 through 10. 00:12:27.980 --> 00:12:34.514 He is a restorer of the word of God to the people because they had lost the law and the word of God. 00:12:35.360 --> 00:12:47.974 And the final return that we're talking about here in this book it occurs under Nehemiah, about a decade later, and Nehemiah is called for this purpose to rebuild the city walls and the city gates. 00:12:47.974 --> 00:12:50.023 You say, why is that important? 00:12:50.023 --> 00:13:04.559 Because ultimately, ezra and Nehemiah together would lead efforts to bring God's people back to a revival, a spiritual restoration, by doing what God had called them to do. 00:13:04.559 --> 00:13:16.754 And let me just say, if you're reading this, I would just encourage you to read both Ezra and Nehemiah, because in the original, ezra and Nehemiah was actually one single book in the Hebrew. 00:13:16.754 --> 00:13:24.131 It wasn't until the Middle Ages that they split them, and so you get a lot of context by reading the book of Ezra, just to help you there. 00:13:24.131 --> 00:13:25.620 Well, let's meet the governor. 00:13:25.799 --> 00:13:40.350 The governor, the man behind the wall, nehemiah, eventually takes that position, but it says in chapter 1, verse 1, the words of this book, he says, are the words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. 00:13:40.350 --> 00:13:43.100 Say that three times fast Hacaliah, hacaliah. 00:13:43.100 --> 00:13:45.462 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. 00:13:45.462 --> 00:13:47.043 Say that three times fast Hakaliah, hakaliah. 00:13:47.043 --> 00:13:47.964 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hakaliah. 00:13:47.964 --> 00:13:57.149 Nehemiah's name means what it means God comforts, and it's appropriate because these people were needing comforting, because they lost a lot. 00:13:57.149 --> 00:14:01.552 He helps restore for them this remnant that has been lost in the exile. 00:14:01.552 --> 00:14:05.615 And, by the way, when you think of exile, the exile was, of course, in that period. 00:14:05.615 --> 00:14:10.837 But exile really has to do in symbolic way about being separated from God. 00:14:10.837 --> 00:14:20.023 We all can at times in our life become separated from God. 00:14:20.023 --> 00:14:21.546 He was a son of Hakalia, which means wait on God. 00:14:21.546 --> 00:14:29.368 So this name also sheds light on this book, as he consistently, they consistently, look to God to fulfill their calling Nehemiah as well. 00:14:29.528 --> 00:14:34.280 So much of this book from Nehemiah is really his personal memoir. 00:14:34.280 --> 00:14:39.431 It's like a, if you want to say, a prayer diary, spiritual diary of sorts. 00:14:39.431 --> 00:14:44.990 It's his own words in many places, but he is an amazingly capable leader. 00:14:44.990 --> 00:14:48.524 This is a great book for leadership. 00:14:48.524 --> 00:14:57.452 He's a person we could say who was and I just put a few of these humble, visionary, bold, courageous, faithful, selfless and resilient. 00:14:57.452 --> 00:15:03.692 As one commentator said, he is willing to give up the luxury and ease of the palace to help his people. 00:15:03.692 --> 00:15:17.212 He is a man who has the right priorities and is concerned for God's work, who is able to encourage and rebuke at the right times, who is strong in prayer and who gives all glory and credit to God. 00:15:17.212 --> 00:15:22.787 Sounds a little bit like someone else and his name is Jesus. 00:15:22.787 --> 00:15:23.441 Jesus. 00:15:23.441 --> 00:15:31.326 We see him in his ministry of restoration, in Nehemiah, because Nehemiah comes with a specific mission. 00:15:31.326 --> 00:15:38.543 He finished the work he came to do, and he all the while being totally dependent on God. 00:15:38.543 --> 00:15:40.027 That's our Lord. 00:15:40.969 --> 00:15:45.905 So let's go on now to let me point out to you four what I could just say, four lessons. 00:15:45.905 --> 00:15:46.982 I pulled these from the book. 00:15:46.982 --> 00:15:50.532 Four lessons, key lessons from the book that I want to share with you. 00:15:50.532 --> 00:15:53.850 Number one is leadership is crucial. 00:15:53.850 --> 00:15:55.504 Leadership is crucial. 00:15:55.504 --> 00:16:00.885 You know, everything rises and falls on leadership, and so this book, as many people have. 00:16:00.885 --> 00:16:05.607 They've used it as a leadership book because it has so many great principles on how to lead. 00:16:05.607 --> 00:16:12.547 And you know leadership, if you think about a definition, for the best one I've ever heard is leadership is influence. 00:16:12.547 --> 00:16:17.846 Leadership is influence, and so that makes every one of us leaders, because, guess what? 00:16:17.846 --> 00:16:24.621 You influence someone else, whether you're a parent, whether you're a student, whether you're a teacher, whether you're an employer or employee. 00:16:24.621 --> 00:16:30.592 You influence someone because God gives you the ability and capability to influence people. 00:16:30.592 --> 00:16:33.086 For the kingdom, leadership is crucial. 00:16:33.086 --> 00:16:38.047 And so here's the thing about Nehemiah though he didn't do this by himself. 00:16:38.047 --> 00:16:44.791 Great and godly leaders don't work alone, and we find this in Nehemiah in a very real sense. 00:16:44.791 --> 00:16:49.369 He is this great leader, and so anyone who follows him can learn these lessons. 00:16:49.369 --> 00:16:50.432 It's a book about leadership. 00:16:50.519 --> 00:16:52.047 Number two unity is powerful. 00:16:52.047 --> 00:16:53.779 Unity is powerful. 00:16:53.779 --> 00:17:02.408 This book shows us how important it is for us all to work together for the sake of the kingdom to accomplish God's purposes. 00:17:02.408 --> 00:17:09.845 Nehemiah he really just challenges his countrymen to arise and rebuild what's been shattered. 00:17:09.845 --> 00:17:15.243 Don't you look around in our nation and see all the stuff that's kind of been broken? 00:17:15.243 --> 00:17:30.508 So we can look at this on a broader scale, and then we can look at this in our own personal lives of things that's been broken and, what's amazing, he does this task of rebuilding the wall in 52 days. 00:17:30.508 --> 00:17:33.255 52 days A feat. 00:17:33.255 --> 00:17:34.678 Even the remnant of Israel. 00:17:34.678 --> 00:17:38.566 They look around and they have to attribute this work to God. 00:17:38.566 --> 00:17:39.968 Only God could do that. 00:17:39.968 --> 00:17:49.729 By contrast, the task of getting the people back to where they needed to be it took well, really beyond the whole book of Nehemiah. 00:17:49.729 --> 00:17:53.270 Because we're a work in progress, aren't we folks? 00:17:53.270 --> 00:17:58.332 We're a work in progress and it demands the best of Nehemiah and the people he led. 00:17:59.460 --> 00:18:01.468 Number three opposition is certain. 00:18:01.468 --> 00:18:05.527 Everywhere, from Ezra, all through the book of Nehemiah. 00:18:05.527 --> 00:18:10.166 They don't do this without, just like it's a breeze. 00:18:10.166 --> 00:18:13.867 All through the book, we see opposition occurring. 00:18:13.867 --> 00:18:18.666 Nothing is easy when we attempt to do things for God to advance God's kingdom. 00:18:18.666 --> 00:18:19.690 That's because, why? 00:18:19.690 --> 00:18:25.481 Because we have the forces of darkness arrayed against us, the invisible warfare that we experience because we have an enemy of darkness arrayed against us. 00:18:25.481 --> 00:18:34.126 The invisible warfare that we experience because we have an enemy who wants to do in and destroy what God wants to do in God's people and, ultimately, against God. 00:18:34.126 --> 00:18:39.141 And so Nehemiah and the people experience this great opposition, just like we will. 00:18:39.141 --> 00:18:41.545 Nothing is easy. 00:18:41.545 --> 00:18:44.269 When we do it for God, we always have pushback. 00:18:44.269 --> 00:18:53.573 When the Apostle Paul came to minister in Ephesus he said there's a wide door for a great work here, although many oppose me. 00:18:53.573 --> 00:19:05.049 And I believe there's kind of a direct correlation between the level of threat we pose to that enemy and maybe the pushback that we get. 00:19:05.049 --> 00:19:11.471 So it makes you wonder, with all the stuff going on, maybe God's doing something really good. 00:19:11.471 --> 00:19:18.388 We're invading maybe the enemy's kingdom and we should just keep going. 00:19:18.388 --> 00:19:19.991 We should just keep going. 00:19:19.991 --> 00:19:21.561 You know it makes me. 00:19:21.803 --> 00:19:24.951 I was watching a video a few a number of weeks ago and I was. 00:19:24.951 --> 00:19:25.432 You know, it makes me. 00:19:25.432 --> 00:19:26.797 I was watching a video a few a number of weeks ago and I was. 00:19:26.797 --> 00:19:26.978 You know. 00:19:26.978 --> 00:19:27.720 I don't know why I like bees. 00:19:27.720 --> 00:19:30.327 Well, I could tell you another story about that. 00:19:30.420 --> 00:19:48.507 But I was watching this pest control guy who had come out at a request of a neighbor to the house and there was this massive I mean it was like three or four foot long hornet's nest on the side of the building there, and so this pest control guy got up on the ladder and he had his smoker machine. 00:19:48.507 --> 00:19:52.243 Of course he's all decked out, head to toe covered so he would not get stung. 00:19:52.243 --> 00:20:03.432 And he starts pulling out his smoker and poking this hornet's nest and, as you would imagine, man, those hornets came out of their house just like crazy. 00:20:03.432 --> 00:20:16.849 And in this way it's the same thing when we poke the enemy's place of domain, his domain you can guarantee we're going to get some pushback. 00:20:17.921 --> 00:20:20.690 But that's not always a bad thing, because God is with us. 00:20:20.690 --> 00:20:22.525 We're not alone, just like was shared this morning. 00:20:22.525 --> 00:20:23.125 God is with us, god is with us. 00:20:23.125 --> 00:20:24.529 We're not alone, just like was shared this morning. 00:20:24.529 --> 00:20:26.255 God is with us, god is with us. 00:20:26.255 --> 00:20:27.057 Let's keep on. 00:20:27.057 --> 00:20:30.799 Jesus reminds us that a servant is not greater than his master. 00:20:30.799 --> 00:20:34.808 If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too. 00:20:34.808 --> 00:20:38.047 But take heart, I've overcome the world, he says. 00:20:39.140 --> 00:20:42.329 Well, the last lesson here I see in this book holiness is essential. 00:20:42.329 --> 00:20:44.807 Holiness is essential. 00:20:44.807 --> 00:20:53.403 Hebrews 12, 14 says "strive for peace with everyone and for the holiness, without which no one will see the Lord". 00:20:53.403 --> 00:21:01.199 Jesus himself taught blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 00:21:01.199 --> 00:21:05.155 And you hear that both of those lines have seen God. 00:21:06.105 --> 00:21:08.497 To see the Lord in Scripture is really to me. 00:21:08.497 --> 00:21:12.994 It's not just literally seeing Him, it's to really to know His tangible presence. 00:21:12.994 --> 00:21:16.032 This is what Moses asked. 00:21:16.032 --> 00:21:17.339 Let me see you, god and God. 00:21:17.339 --> 00:21:17.781 Let him see His glory. 00:21:17.781 --> 00:21:18.305 This is what Moses asked. 00:21:18.305 --> 00:21:21.148 Let me see you, god and God, let him see his glory. 00:21:21.148 --> 00:21:27.680 So we desire so often to see God's presence, his moving in our midst, to see his glory. 00:21:27.680 --> 00:21:32.336 But you know what we're often unwilling to do. 00:21:32.336 --> 00:21:37.940 We're unwilling to see our sin, to look at ourself, and without repentance or brokenness, guess what? 00:21:37.940 --> 00:21:40.272 We cannot know God's presence. 00:21:40.272 --> 00:21:48.131 All you have to do is look at the example in Isaiah, chapter 6, and just point you to that scripture to see that whole process of how that works. 00:21:48.932 --> 00:22:13.086 And one of the key lessons of Nehemiah is really to correct this faulty assumption I think we have, as God's people, that if we just rebuild these things that are important to us, like our financial situation or our social situation or our security situation, that all will be well and those are all good things. 00:22:13.086 --> 00:22:16.112 But it won't get us there. 00:22:16.112 --> 00:22:29.757 It won't get us there because really, there are two walls that have to be rebuilt, and the second one is the wall of the human heart, and that's the only place that Jesus can do his work. 00:22:29.757 --> 00:22:37.057 It's the thing that will change everything when your heart is changed by the Lord Jesus, it will change everything for you. 00:22:37.057 --> 00:22:47.645 And if you're here this morning and you don't know him yet, I would just challenge you to check him out, because Jesus never goes back on who he is and his promises. 00:22:47.926 --> 00:22:49.951 Well, what's the big idea of this book? 00:22:49.951 --> 00:22:53.909 Because there are these major lessons that we see, but ultimately, what's the big idea? 00:22:53.909 --> 00:22:56.796 It's really the only thing we get from this book. 00:22:56.796 --> 00:23:08.757 I guess, if we think about this, if the only thing we get from this book is that we see a bunch of people go out and build a wall, then we'll just get a sort of an interesting history lesson. 00:23:08.757 --> 00:23:12.314 But I want you to see there's so much more in this book. 00:23:12.314 --> 00:23:28.314 Instead, our task is to take what we see really happened with these people in history and see and transfer the truth that is learned in the principles and precepts that are in this book and see these vital spiritual truths that apply to us today. 00:23:28.314 --> 00:23:36.413 That's what we're doing we're taking 5th century BC stuff and transferring it to the 21st century, and there's so many lessons for us here. 00:23:36.984 --> 00:23:44.051 Here's what Paul said about that when we look at Old Testament stories like this and many times it's like what in the world does that have to do with me? 00:23:44.051 --> 00:23:45.990 There's no connect here. 00:23:45.990 --> 00:23:47.173 Well, here's what Paul said. 00:23:47.173 --> 00:23:50.816 He said these things happened to them as examples for us. 00:23:50.816 --> 00:23:56.217 They were written down to warn us to live at the end of the age. 00:23:56.217 --> 00:23:58.612 It's really important. 00:23:58.612 --> 00:24:11.000 So the book's major message, then, is this Only with God's help can we actually change ourselves and recover from the damage and ruin of the past. 00:24:11.000 --> 00:24:19.554 Say that again Only with God's help can we actually change ourselves and recover from the damage and ruin of the past. 00:24:19.554 --> 00:24:22.428 See, jesus will help you do that. 00:24:22.428 --> 00:24:32.634 You may be here and feel hopeless and helpless and discouraged today, but if you, I just promise you, jesus will not let you stay the way you are. 00:24:32.634 --> 00:24:35.207 If you ask him to help, he will help you. 00:24:35.207 --> 00:24:38.576 So this is really the goal behind the series the Passion Project. 00:24:38.576 --> 00:24:50.718 It sits us down and it makes us observe this group of unwilling people led by a passionate leader, to bring about a passionate spiritual transformation in God's people, and that would include us. 00:24:52.545 --> 00:25:00.817 You know perhaps the most frequently attributed line to the famous 19th century evangelist and pastor, dl Moody. 00:25:00.817 --> 00:25:01.920 Remember DL Moody? 00:25:01.920 --> 00:25:12.638 It was this line that goes like this the world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to him. 00:25:12.638 --> 00:25:16.013 By God's help, I aim to be that man. 00:25:16.013 --> 00:25:18.009 That's passion. 00:25:18.009 --> 00:25:26.089 But in fact this line didn't originate with Moody Henry Varley, who was a British minister. 00:25:26.089 --> 00:25:37.785 He had befriended this American evangelist and he recalled that in 1873, moody had asked him to recall those words that they had spoken. 00:25:37.785 --> 00:25:48.913 That Varley had spoken in private, in a private conversation a year earlier, before Moody went back to the United States, and so Varley provides this account about that conversation. 00:25:48.913 --> 00:25:49.695 I want to read it to you. 00:25:49.695 --> 00:25:55.978 He says During the afternoon of the day of the conference, mr Moody asked me to join him in the vestry of the Baptist church. 00:25:56.845 --> 00:26:03.770 We were alone, and he recalled the night's meeting at Willow Park in our conversation the following morning. 00:26:03.770 --> 00:26:06.276 Do you remember your words, he said. 00:26:06.276 --> 00:26:11.635 I replied I well remember our interview, but I don't recall anything special that I said. 00:26:11.635 --> 00:26:19.519 Don't you remember saying, moody, the world has yet to see what God will do with a man fully consecrated to him. 00:26:19.519 --> 00:26:22.573 Well, not the actual sins, I said. 00:26:22.573 --> 00:26:33.749 I said, mr Moody, those were the words that were sent to my soul through you from the living God as I crossed the wide Atlantic. 00:26:33.749 --> 00:26:44.038 The boards of the deck of the vessel were engraved with them, and when I reached Chicago, the very paving stones seemed marked with moody. 00:26:44.038 --> 00:26:48.676 The world has yet to see what God will do with a man fully consecrated to him. 00:26:48.676 --> 00:27:01.155 Under the power of those words, I have come back to England and I felt that I must not let more time pass until I let you know how God has used your words to my inmost soul. 00:27:02.224 --> 00:27:05.592 You ever had somebody ignite the passion for you? 00:27:05.592 --> 00:27:29.715 Years ago we attended a church back named Calvary and a group of college students, and out of that time alone, and with the Sundays when the words of God were preached and we were experiencing what I would say was real, genuine revival, our hearts, those college students and myself, we were challenged and changed by what God's Word said. 00:27:29.715 --> 00:27:38.029 And many times we'd find ourselves lost in the time when those Scripture was being taught just us and God and we were doing things. 00:27:38.029 --> 00:28:00.278 And out of that group, out of that time, there were probably 15 or 20 different college students that went to seminary, that were called to missions, that were called to full-time ministry, because it stirred something in us, and I just can guarantee you that God does that in every believer. 00:28:00.278 --> 00:28:02.633 It just might be different for you. 00:28:03.424 --> 00:28:10.713 God is at work in you, and we're going to see that here in just a second as we ask this question where does this passion come from? 00:28:10.713 --> 00:28:14.244 Listen, here's what Paul said in Philippians. 00:28:14.244 --> 00:28:31.157 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence, but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 00:28:31.157 --> 00:28:35.292 And here's what Nehemiah said in chapter 2. 00:28:35.292 --> 00:28:46.474 We find him with this passion, and he says this, and this is prior to him beginning to work, as he's working through the people and then walking through the land. 00:28:46.474 --> 00:28:53.318 He says I told no one what God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. 00:28:53.318 --> 00:28:58.217 Has God put something in your heart that you're just letting lie dormant? 00:28:58.217 --> 00:29:00.490 See, you can't just stay there. 00:29:00.490 --> 00:29:02.371 You can't just stay there. 00:29:02.371 --> 00:29:08.069 God wants you to take steps of faith to do something with the passion he's put in your heart. 00:29:08.644 --> 00:29:15.311 Hebrews tells us something else, because the thing I have to address is what if you've lost your passion? 00:29:15.311 --> 00:29:22.794 What if you just don't have it, as we say, anymore? 00:29:22.794 --> 00:29:33.959 Hebrews 12, 12 and 13 gives us this advice, and it might seem a little harsh, but I think it's encouraging. 00:29:33.959 --> 00:29:50.750 Lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees and make straight paths for your feet so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed Just off the cuff. 00:29:50.750 --> 00:29:58.106 It reminds me of Jesus talking to that man who laid at the pool for 38 years and he said do you want to be well? 00:29:58.106 --> 00:29:59.951 We talked and we prayed for healing today. 00:30:01.113 --> 00:30:07.607 But there's also, just like there's physical healing, there's spiritual healing to be had as well. 00:30:07.607 --> 00:30:12.076 You know, if you have physically weak knees, you know you can do exercise for that. 00:30:12.076 --> 00:30:17.811 You can do lunges, you can do step-ups, you can do side bends. 00:30:17.811 --> 00:30:20.505 I mean, you can do lots of things to strengthen your weak knees. 00:30:20.505 --> 00:30:24.977 But to heal spiritually weak knees you have to do other things. 00:30:24.977 --> 00:30:42.673 You need regular spiritual exercise, just like what you're doing right now, by being in the Word, by spending time alone with God in prayer and devotions, by intimate worship with God in your secret place and being with God's people. 00:30:42.673 --> 00:30:48.758 Those are spiritual exercises and they will strengthen your spiritual life. 00:30:48.758 --> 00:30:52.854 As I say, you can be healed, but you can't stay where you are. 00:30:55.665 --> 00:31:18.711 So when taken into exile, god's people and one of the things I saw in this is that God's people, when they first were taken into exile, god's people, and one of the things I saw in this is that God's people, when they first were taken into exile, it's just they hung their harps on the willows and if you know that story, basically out of limitations and so on, as they get into the land of Babylon, in exile the people, one of them, they said sing us the songs, sing us those songs of Zion. 00:31:18.711 --> 00:31:20.659 It's just saying we want to hear that. 00:31:20.659 --> 00:31:22.444 They said sing us the songs, sing us those songs of Zion that you sang. 00:31:22.444 --> 00:31:24.589 We want to hear that. 00:31:24.589 --> 00:31:27.195 And the people's kind of like are you kidding me? 00:31:27.195 --> 00:31:31.825 I don't feel like singing. 00:31:31.825 --> 00:31:36.482 I don't feel like singing. 00:31:43.185 --> 00:31:46.424 And it took 70 years for really God to heal their broken hearts and their hopes and their dreams and bring a new vision for a better future. 00:31:46.424 --> 00:31:49.212 Psalm 137 reflects this. 00:31:49.212 --> 00:31:57.354 It says, literally upon the willows in the midst of it, literally in the Hebrew in the midst of it, we hung our harps. 00:31:57.354 --> 00:31:59.614 Are you in the midst of it? 00:31:59.614 --> 00:32:00.178 We hung our harps. 00:32:00.178 --> 00:32:01.204 Are you in the midst of it today? 00:32:01.204 --> 00:32:05.035 God will help you restore what's been broken. 00:32:07.286 --> 00:32:10.154 Well, let's look now at the beginning of this book, in chapter 1. 00:32:10.154 --> 00:32:21.832 And I just called the title of this, I know it's late, but we'll move through it pretty quickly A plea for divine help, a plea for divine help, a plea for divine help, and it's the first and greatest work. 00:32:21.832 --> 00:32:24.131 Nehemiah, the man behind the wall. 00:32:24.131 --> 00:32:32.115 He's not like the Wizard of Oz, he's not pulling levers and switches and he's not trying to pull the wool over anybody's eyes and fool anybody. 00:32:32.115 --> 00:32:38.478 He's a real person and what we find at his core is the one thing with which we have to begin. 00:32:39.285 --> 00:32:51.657 I can't say this enough If we miss it, if we miss this in all the work that God is doing in the church, in our nation, in our personal lives, in building God's kingdom, it will fail. 00:32:51.657 --> 00:32:58.092 But see, here it's the secret of Nehemiah's success. 00:32:58.092 --> 00:33:00.115 He said what in the world, what are you talking about? 00:33:00.115 --> 00:33:02.880 Prayer, prayer. 00:33:02.880 --> 00:33:11.589 See, our passion will be revealed by our attention to this one thing called prayer, and it's the one thing. 00:33:11.589 --> 00:33:15.174 Guess what the church ignores the most, neglects the most? 00:33:15.174 --> 00:33:25.096 It's seen as being maybe less important than other things that we could just fix this ourselves, put in place something that I know with my brain, I can figure out. 00:33:25.096 --> 00:33:28.749 But what prayer does is it makes us totally dependent on God. 00:33:28.749 --> 00:33:32.896 Nehemiah was a man of constant prayer. 00:33:32.896 --> 00:33:41.217 So we'll see, as we can see 14 places in this book, 14 prayers that are recorded in this book Before he begins the project. 00:33:41.298 --> 00:33:45.595 Nehemiah prays when he reaches and approaches the king, he prayed. 00:33:45.595 --> 00:33:47.752 When he is in trouble, he prayed. 00:33:47.752 --> 00:33:55.094 You know, we usually get serious about prayer when we have a problem. 00:33:55.094 --> 00:33:59.406 Amen, and Nehemiah had a problem. 00:33:59.406 --> 00:34:06.829 He's still in Babylon when he gets some disturbing news about the spiritual condition of God's people back in his homeland. 00:34:06.829 --> 00:34:08.326 And let's just look into this. 00:34:08.326 --> 00:34:09.806 It's in Nehemiah, chapter 1. 00:34:09.806 --> 00:34:14.007 And let's just say this is the burden. 00:34:14.007 --> 00:34:17.509 We see the burden that sparked his prayer in verses 1 through 4. 00:34:17.509 --> 00:34:21.268 Nehemiah's burden, the words of Nehemiah, the son of Hacaliah. 00:34:23.659 --> 00:34:37.164 Now, it happened in the month of Chislev in the 20th year, as I was in Susa, the citadel, that Hannah and I, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah and I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. 00:34:37.164 --> 00:34:43.668 And they said to me the remnant there in the province, who had survived the exile, is in great trouble and shame. 00:34:43.668 --> 00:34:48.771 The wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are destroyed by fire. 00:34:48.771 --> 00:34:59.190 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. 00:34:59.190 --> 00:35:07.351 And it seems that Nehemiah had already been wondering how are things back in the homeland, in the home area where I came from? 00:35:07.351 --> 00:35:14.672 How are things going back there with the remnant of God's people who had made their way back over these years and settled down there? 00:35:16.059 --> 00:35:34.530 And on this occasion, nehemiah, along with his brother literally probably his little brother, hanani, and a group of his friends, they come and they ask for a special time, a special meeting with Nehemiah, as he's at the palace in Susa serving the king, and presumably to tell Nehemiah what's going on. 00:35:34.530 --> 00:35:42.659 It's kind of like some people will tell you the truth and other people say, oh, everything's fine, but this little group says, no, everything is not fine. 00:35:42.659 --> 00:35:44.246 Let me tell you how things really are. 00:35:44.246 --> 00:35:49.340 And at that meeting, nehemiah asked them two, really a two-part question. 00:35:49.340 --> 00:35:59.003 The first thing he asked them was about their spiritual condition of the remnant there, and the response was what the survivors? 00:35:59.003 --> 00:36:03.112 Well, they're in trouble, great trouble and shame Verse 3. 00:36:03.112 --> 00:36:11.670 And the sense is that God's people are struggling because why they're living in disobedience to the revealed will of God. 00:36:11.670 --> 00:36:21.226 In fact, if you're honest, nehemiah, let me tell you, you really can't tell the difference between them and the people, the pagan people, that are living among them. 00:36:21.226 --> 00:36:26.351 They look just the same, just about Sound familiar. 00:36:28.121 --> 00:36:46.028 Number two he also asked about the actual city of Jerusalem, the city of God, the holy city, and the answer he gets from this contingent, his brother and their friends, is that the city is in ruins and they've been back there for almost 90 years. 00:36:46.028 --> 00:36:49.407 What in the world is going on? 00:36:49.407 --> 00:36:54.911 He says the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are destroyed by fire. 00:36:54.911 --> 00:36:57.545 But here's what I want you to see. 00:36:57.545 --> 00:37:10.005 I want you to see that this name, jerusalem, the city of God, is an object lesson of our life or our nation in spiritual ruin. 00:37:10.005 --> 00:37:30.190 I don't want to over-spiritualize this, but this is the idea that we can get at the walls and the gates are broken down as a picture of a life that has lost its defenses against the attack of an enemy, and are really those lies that we believe are open to repeated hurt and misery. 00:37:30.190 --> 00:37:36.177 This is what this speaks of, these specific problems mentioned by Nehemiah. 00:37:36.177 --> 00:37:40.900 You know what, if we go through the book. 00:37:40.920 --> 00:37:45.795 I want to just give you these three things I want you to pay attention to as you go through the book that are faced by every generation, including that generation. 00:37:45.795 --> 00:37:48.307 Number one is identity. 00:37:48.307 --> 00:37:52.547 These people don't really know who they are. 00:37:52.547 --> 00:37:57.931 These are God's people and they've forgotten they're God's people. 00:37:57.931 --> 00:38:02.248 God's people are in great trouble because they don't know who they are. 00:38:02.248 --> 00:38:13.349 And we can be in trouble because we don't know who we are in Christ, and the enemy can walk all over us, could make us discouraged and depressed and ready to give up. 00:38:15.101 --> 00:38:17.650 Here's a second one conformity or compromise. 00:38:17.650 --> 00:38:19.465 God's people are in great shame. 00:38:19.465 --> 00:38:20.545 Why are they in great shame? 00:38:20.545 --> 00:38:26.800 Because they're not really living up to what God has called them to do. 00:38:26.800 --> 00:38:27.905 Obedience matters. 00:38:27.905 --> 00:38:31.487 And then, third thing, apathy. 00:38:31.487 --> 00:38:47.690 God's city is in significant ruin, so we can be safe and okay in this place in the moment and just be comfortable where we are. 00:38:47.690 --> 00:39:00.951 We have to move out of that comfort zone because we'll never achieve the goal, the mission will never get done, the gospel will never be preached if we're comfortable. 00:39:04.061 --> 00:39:06.530 Well, listen, nehemiah's reaction is immediate. 00:39:06.530 --> 00:39:15.010 He says 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, verse 4. 00:39:15.010 --> 00:39:21.005 And Nehemiah's despair is really due to the fact that the restoration it hadn't been completed. 00:39:21.005 --> 00:39:23.969 It was just sitting there waiting to get done. 00:39:23.969 --> 00:39:28.869 And it just makes me think the church is a powerful force. 00:39:28.869 --> 00:39:37.405 We have more resources and ways to share the gospel now than we ever have in history, and yet the gospel, at least in America. 00:39:40.251 --> 00:39:41.253 What's going on with that? 00:39:41.253 --> 00:39:46.141 Things are not as they should be Now. 00:39:46.141 --> 00:39:46.501 Notice. 00:39:46.501 --> 00:39:50.753 This all happened, and it may seem like an inconsequential comment. 00:39:50.753 --> 00:39:53.329 It happened in the month of Chislev, in the 20th year. 00:39:53.329 --> 00:39:55.380 Say, what does that have to do with anything? 00:39:55.802 --> 00:40:09.809 Well, based on chapter 2, verse 1, we can calculate that Nehemiah is mourning and praying and fasting for a whole solid four months, four months of prayer. 00:40:09.809 --> 00:40:11.945 You say, what did he pray about? 00:40:11.945 --> 00:40:15.909 I don't know, but he's talking to God about what the problem is. 00:40:15.909 --> 00:40:32.148 And I anticipate that during this time, nehemiah is also asking for a supernatural intervention to sway the heart and challenge and change the mind of his boss, king Artaxerxes, who's over him at this time and is over the whole book. 00:40:32.148 --> 00:40:53.931 King Artaxerxes, that's because King Artaxerxes and Ezra IV, while they had started the work back under Ezra and before and Zerubbabel built the temple, artaxerxes shut it down and so nothing had been done since that time. 00:40:53.931 --> 00:40:55.115 And Nehemiah knew that. 00:40:55.115 --> 00:41:04.168 And he's praying now, having made all of this in prayer for four whole months, to sway the heart and the mind of this king, who'd shut the work of God down to get him to, and the mind of this king who'd shut the work of God down to get him to change his mind. 00:41:04.168 --> 00:41:16.922 And so, on the day he gets ready to go and talk to the king, he's decided he's going to now, he knows what to do, he's going to talk to the king about it, and on this day he goes to talk to the king. 00:41:17.262 --> 00:41:19.226 We see this prayer in verses five through 11. 00:41:19.226 --> 00:41:20.168 Let's read it. 00:41:20.168 --> 00:41:43.750 And says and I said O Lord, god of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel, your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel which we have sinned against you. 00:41:43.750 --> 00:41:46.487 Even I and my father's house have sinned. 00:41:46.487 --> 00:41:55.155 We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes and the rules that you have commanded your servant Moses. 00:41:55.155 --> 00:42:08.862 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses saying if you're faithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though, your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven. 00:42:08.862 --> 00:42:15.289 From there, I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen to make my name dwell there. 00:42:15.289 --> 00:42:22.905 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 00:42:22.905 --> 00:42:36.512 Oh Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name and give success to your servant today and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. 00:42:36.512 --> 00:42:55.572 And we won't spend a whole lot of time on this, but I just want to quickly give you something I think is practical, that I think don't disvalue this, because we're only talking about it pretty quickly, but I want you to quickly see seven aspects of this prayer that we should be all praying during this hour. 00:42:55.880 --> 00:43:05.431 This pattern for prayer was used in many respects by Moses, by Solomon, by Daniel, and we even see it in the prayer that Jesus gave as the pattern for prayer. 00:43:05.431 --> 00:43:10.567 And so the first one that I want you to see is To you, god of heaven. 00:43:10.567 --> 00:43:17.947 He says, and I said O Lord, god of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments. 00:43:17.947 --> 00:43:24.992 Nehemiah begins by appealing to God's character as a great and loving God. 00:43:24.992 --> 00:43:33.273 And so, listen, you can't pray effectively to God not knowing the God you're praying to. 00:43:33.273 --> 00:43:38.286 You have to know who God is to pray effectively, and so he's praying that way. 00:43:38.286 --> 00:43:44.811 He's appealing to what we hear, and Jesus said your kingdom come, your will be done. 00:43:44.811 --> 00:43:48.766 How do you know his will if you don't know his character? 00:43:48.766 --> 00:43:52.974 And that's what Nehemiah goes to first. 00:43:53.159 --> 00:43:56.007 Second thing please listen to my prayer. 00:43:56.007 --> 00:43:57.851 You ever prayed that to God. 00:43:57.851 --> 00:43:59.362 Would you just listen, god? 00:43:59.362 --> 00:44:00.184 Why aren't you doing anything? 00:44:00.184 --> 00:44:01.447 God, would you just please listen? 00:44:01.447 --> 00:44:10.960 He says here let your ear be attentive and your eyes be open to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you, day and night for the people of your servants. 00:44:10.960 --> 00:44:16.248 If you want God to hear you, we want God to hear us we have to live in obedience. 00:44:16.248 --> 00:44:21.429 That's what servants do, right. 00:44:21.429 --> 00:44:26.250 Where are we missing what God has told us? 00:44:26.250 --> 00:44:34.327 Is there something God has told you to do that you haven't done or that you're doing that you need to stop? 00:44:34.327 --> 00:44:43.387