Date:   01/13/07

Text:   Nehemiah 2:1-8

Title:   A Servant's Traits

Theme: Since it is God who builds up and strengthens His Church, we are to develop special character traits as we take part in the building of this community.

Introduction:

  In 2005, Walter Scheib, an 11 year chief chef at White house was replaced by Ms. Cristeta Comerford. Walter was replaced because his cooking style differed greatly from Mrs. Bush. There was increasing tension between the two over cooking style and ingredients. Skill is certainly not the issue with Mr. Scheib; instead it appeared to be unresolved conflicts between the boss and the employee. Working for someone, and being a servant is not easy, especially if your boss is the first lady of the country.

Most of us know what it's like to work for someone else. Some bosses require absolute obedience, no questions asked. If he tells you to jump, you don't ask why, but how high. Some would give you total freedom, others do micro-management. Some bosses ask you to you're your emotions to yourself; others want you to be more expressive. It's like a Deaconess would tell me, whenever she has the opportunity, that I should smile more. When the elderly see me, they want me to take care of my health. One wants smile more, others want me to take better care of my health. I guess, there must be some co-relationship between the two J .

Ministers are also called God's servants. We are here to serve God by serving you. Sometimes ministers may feel that they have 500 to 600 bosses, not knowing whom to listen to. On the other hand, isn't it true that we are all servants of God, serving each other? Being a servant is so against our upbringing. We don't like to serve; but to be served. So, what is our understanding of a servant? Usually we turn to Nehemiah to learn how to be a leader. But a careful reading of this book, especially the first two chapters, we learn that Nehemiah was really foremost, a servant. He was a servant in the Persian King's court. This morning we want to learn what some traits of a servant are. As we serve God and each other, what are some of our characteristics?

I.   A servant with Patience.

  In Chapter 1, we saw Nehemiah's sorrow when he heard the news from his homeland. Jerusalem 's walls were broken and the gates were burned. The people of Israel were constantly harassed by her enemies. By the time we come to Chapter 2, it was 4 months later. Nehemiah upon hearing the news of Jerusalem , did not take things into his own hands, instead he was quietly waiting for the proper moment to talk to the king about this matter. A servant learns to wait. The scripture is full of incidents where individuals waited for God's timing.

  Sarah, Abraham's wife, waited almost her entire life before she gave birth to Isaac at 91. Her daughter in law, Rebecca, waited 20 years before she gave birth to Esau and Jacob. Later in the NT, Jesus told his disciples not to leave Jerusalem , but to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Waiting requires patience.

  It is easy for us to be impulsive, wanting to respond to situations right away. I am learning that what is urgent is not necessarily important. Telephone rings often give us a sense of urgency; we have to answer it right away, even if we're in the middle of a conversation. Yes, it appears to be urgent, we have to answer it now, but it's not necessarily important. Certainly, when it's a matter of life and death, then it is different. Important things can wait. During waiting, we learn to pray and think through the issues before us.

  While Nehemiah was waiting, he continued his work as a cup bearer (2:1b). Some of us are praying for a job, a career change. Some are seeking God's will if he wants you to go into full time ministry. You have been praying and waiting for 1 or 2 years, and still not sure what to do. While you are waiting, continue what you are doing. I have seen individuals while waiting for God, to show them clearly the next steps; they literally put their lives on hold. I don't think this is right. While waiting for a clear direction from the Lord, continue with what you are doing now. I always tell people, don't worry that you'll miss his call. When he wants to show you a different path, he will make sure you see it. Meanwhile, be faithful at what you have been called to do.

II.   A servant who is true to himself.

  Vs.1c, “…Now I had not been sad in his presence.” But now, from vs.2, “And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid.” One day, the King noticed Nehemiah's sad face. He knew Nehemiah was not sick, so he asked why. Why was Nehemiah afraid? There are probably two reasons.

  First, you are not supposed to have a sad face before the King and Queen. Can you imagine serving the president with a long and depressed face? You are supposed to be happy and smiling all the time, right? It doesn't seem that Nehemiah was acting out after 4 months. It might have taken the king 4 months to notice Nehemiah's sad face.

  The second reason was that Nehemiah knew the risk involved in what he was about to tell the king. You see, about 14 years ago, there was an attempt to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem . But it faced opposition from the local governors. They sent a letter to the king saying that if Jerusalem was rebuilt, it would become a threat to the Persian Empire . A fortified Jerusalem is not in the best interest for the Persian Empire . So the king issued an order to stop the rebuilding process. And now, in essence, Nehemiah was about to ask the king to reverse the previous order. Nehemiah, being a cup bearer, a servant, was in no position to offer any political advice to the King. He could lose his life over this request. So, he was very much afraid.

  What do we see in this simple narrative? Nehemiah did not hide his emotions of sadness and fear. He was true to himself.

  This is something we can certainly learn. Our children, growing up in this country, from a very early age, are taught to express how they feel about things. But those of us growing up in Asia , are quite different. We are often taught the opposite: Don't easily let out your feelings. For this reason, many of us, especially men, don't know how express to our emotions. We bottled up our feeling until we can't bear it anymore, then it become explosive. This is not right either. For proper and healthy communication in relationships, whether at home, at work and at church, it is important to express how we feel. Having said this, we also need to remember not to go the other extreme. We are to remember that being sinful persons, many of our emotions can be ugly. When such strong and negative emotions are expressed, it can hurt others. Let's move on.

III.   A servant who is tactful.

  The king inquired of Nehemiah why he was sad. What was Nehemiah's response? Or, before we look at Nehemiah, how would we respond? I probably will say, now, I need to be true to my emotions, so I need to tell you like it is. We may say this to the Persian king, you remember how my home land was ravaged by the Babylonian kingdom. The Babylonians came and destroyed Jerusalem and the temple within. Then came the Persian Empire . You stopped the rebuilding of the city, fearing that it would threaten your own security. Look at what happened to my people now. It's all your fault. No, this was not what Nehemiah said. If he would have said this, the king would become very defensive. Instead, Nehemiah simply said, 2:3, “ Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” It was the “I message”. You are the great king. I am sad, because my city was in ruin and the gates burned. Nehemiah was not blaming anyone. He was very tactful in his response to the king. He knew how to express his feelings in a positive, non blaming manner.

  Yes, we need to be true to ourselves, telling like it is, but also remember how we say it is as important as what we want to communicate. In a survey done some years ago, it was found out that in order to succeed in a company, technical skill is about 30%, but 70% is social skills, the ability to relate to others. From time to time I have said this, “what you said was right, but it could be said in a different way.” A servant learns how and when to say the right words.

IV.   A servant who prays.

  The king asked Nehemiah what was his request. What was Nehemiah's response? If you were Nehemiah, what would you have done? I probably will tell him right away what I want. Yet here we read, 2:4, “…So I prayed to the God of heaven.” He prayed. In chapter one we read that after Nehemiah heard the news about Judah , he was sad and he also fasted and prayed. Here we see him praying again. It could be a very short prayer, or it could have taken him several days before he responded to the king.

  As I said before, it is easy, almost like 2 nd nature for me to react to situations. When I hear about something, I want to do it or talk about it right away. But I am also learning to stop and pray first. Sometimes when an individual approached me and wanted to get my permission to do something or deal with a certain situation, I am learning to ask, “have you prayed about this? Or how long have you been praying over this matter?” It's easy for us to be impulsive, wanting to have things under our control. Yet, equally important is to pause and pray. Prayer is an expression of our trust and dependent upon on God. A servants trusts and depends on God, his master.

V.   A servant is one who plans.

  When asked, “What are you requesting?” Nehemiah responded in a very specific manner. Vs.5, “ 5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' graves, that I may rebuild it.” Vs.7-8, “ 7 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” His request was very specific: First, to go and rebuild the city walls. Second, several letters to different governors along the way for safe passage. Third, he asked for timber to be used on the walls, gates and his personal residence. This reflected very careful planning on Nehemiah's part.

  He waited 4 months before it was brought to the attention of the king. During that time he must have given much thoughts to what he needed for this rebuilding project.

  The scripture is full of instructions on the importance of planning. Prov 16:1, 9; “ 1 The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord….. 9 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” Prov.21:31, “ 31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.” These proverbs highlight the importance and necessity of planning. Jesus taught us in Luke 14:28, “ 28 "For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?" Again, it is about planning.

  As I look at this community of the redeemed, I feel that planning is one area of strength. Everything we do, we plan well. Many of us plan well for our family, especially our children's education. We plan well for our retirement. Some, at a fairly young age, plan that you will retire at 50 and then go into ministry. We plan well for our various ministries. We plan very well for many of our weddings. Sometimes when I see the details that you have printed out on your excel spreadsheet, I almost fainted. I remember years ago, the groom to be showed me the complete schedule of his wedding plan. It started several days prior to the wedding date. It was in hours and minutes. That was an eye opener. No one can fault us for not planning enough. We plan and execute them flawlessly.

  However, do we notice there is more to planning here? The king granted Nehemiah's request; vs.8b, “And the king granted me what I asked,” Nehemiah's request was specific, and he was given what he asked for. Nehemiah did not stop here. He also gave the reason:2:8, “….for the good hand of my God was upon me.” He understood the instructions in Proverbs. Man does the planning, but the Lord determines the steps. Man does the preparation, but the Lord decides on the outcome. Then there is this passage in Psalm 127:1, “ 1 Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” Nehemiah understood clearly that yes, he had the responsibility to plan, but it is the Lord's grace, his good hands that make things happen. Yes, we do the planning, but it is the lord who rules and determines our steps. Again, we see the balance between human responsibility and God's sovereignty. We cannot just leave everything to the Lord and do nothing, simply sitting there and waiting. Or to be totally dependent on our own planning and leaving God completely out of the picture.

Conclusion:

   When Nehemiah heard the news about Jerusalem 's desolation, with its walls broken and gates burned, his heart was broken. He was sad. He was sad because he understood that God's dwelling place on earth was in a desolate condition. He was sad for he also felt his responsibility to rebuild the city wall. Nehemiah knew it was not the nation of Israel at stake, for it was already destroyed. Nehemiah was thinking of the city of God , God's dwelling place on earth. It was supposed to be the city of the great King, and joy of all the earth, but now lying in ruins. This was wrong. He keenly felt his responsibility. Nehemiah also knew that it was God who builds His own city. At the same time, he understood the need to wait, to be patient and to prepare properly. In Nehemiah's response to Jerusalem 's desolate condition, there is the balance of God's sovereignty and human responsibility.

  What do we do when we see holes and broken walls in this church? This is God's house, the pillar and foundation of truth. This is God's dwelling place, city of the great King and joy of all nations. This church is to radiate God's love, holiness and grace in this community. When we see ministries that are not fully developed because of insufficient human resources, when we see that we cannot do a better job to minister to the children, youth and adults, shouldn't we also feel a sense of responsibility? It has been said, we have responsibility as citizens of this country. There are also responsibilities in our families. How about responsibility in the church, in the house of the eternal God?

However, before we roll up our sleeves and volunteer for various ministries, there is still one thing we need to pay attention to. Nehemiah knew God's hand was upon him. He knew it was God who would build the city. But for those who came after Nehemiah, some 400 years later, we saw and experience something even greater than what Nehemiah knew. We heard these words of Jesus: “on this rock, I will build my church”. Nehemiah was actually pointing us to the day when Christ would come and build his dwelling place on earth, and this is the church. It was God who had first built this church. Even in our weakness, God has not stopped building and strengthening His church. And you know what is so amazing is the truth that he is inviting you and me to join him in this building process.