Date:   02/10/08

Text:   Nehemiah 2:9-20

Title:   A Skillful Servant

Theme: God uses human responsibility to build and strengthen His dwelling place.

Introduction:

  Today is Super Bowl Sunday. Two days later it will be Super Tuesday for this Election year. The challenge for every citizen of this country is to listen beyond the rhetoric and to know the candidates' character and ability to serve as the president of this country. Rhetoric will come and go, but the candidates' ability to lead will affect this country and the world we live in.

In the book of Nehemiah, we recognize him as an effective leader in the rebuilding of Jerusalem 's city walls and gates. He was a man of patience, transparency, tact, prayer and careful planning. Today, we want to identify some of his leadership skills.

In chapters 1 and 2, we were repeatedly reminded of the condition of Jerusalem . It was a city with ruined walls and burned gates. Because of this condition, its citizens lived in desolate conditions. It was disgraceful. Even though he had grown up in a foreign land, he knew that Jerusalem was the city of God , God's dwelling place. It was the city of the great king, joy of all the earth (ps.48:2). But now, it lay in ruins and its people were harassed and living in disgrace. It's not supposed to be like this. Facing this travesty, Nehemiah was also certain of his mission/calling to rebuild this city.

When we see Jerusalem as God's dwelling place, we recognize that in the NT, the church has now become God's dwelling place. Moreover, when we come to know Christ, our body has become his dwelling place. Isn't this true that as we look around us, in this and many other countries, we often notice the broken walls and burnt gates in God's churches. It is more and more difficult to clearly see the distinction between the church and the society, between the believers and non believers. Some of our lives are like cities without walls, we are vulnerable and easily affected and manipulated by others.

This morning we want to use Nehemiah as a mirror to see how we are to build God's dwelling place, both in his church and also in our personal lives.

I.   A servant knows that God is the builder of His house.

  In 2:8, “….. And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.” After his arrival at Jerusalem , he told the leaders: 2:18, “ 18 And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me.” Nehemiah recognized the king's help, but he knew that hand of God was upon him. Yes, he knew his mission was to rebuild the city, but he also knew that ultimately God was the builder. He was familiar with 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.” He knew it was God who would rebuild the city, and he also knew his mission, his calling. Here we see a perfect balance of divine sovereignty and human responsibility. I would like to share two observations regarding God's work and human responsibility. What happens when God's hand is on us?

1 •  Conviction affirmed by others.

Many of us have this experience. We feel strongly about a certain project or ministry at church. We worked hard and tried hard to solicit other's help and there was no response. We then quit with great disappointment. How about Nehemiah? Nehemiah had the strong sense of mission to rebuild the city walls and its gates. He prayed about it and the king gave him wholehearted support. When he later explained to the people living in Judah , in vs.18, “….And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.”; it was an unified response. He had the support of the king and the people. When God moved Nehemiah, he also moved the king and the people's hearts.

A principle that I have held onto for many years is this: if God gave me a certain idea/thought for the good of this church, he will also touch others' hearts so they, too, will agree that it is the right thing to do. Yes, I will do my best to explain but I will resist any effort on my part to impose my thoughts and ideas on you. If it is from God, he will also work in your heart. If I am the only one with such an idea or even the conviction that it is from the lord, but no one else feels this way, then I better watch out. If I think God has moved me, I'll pray that God will also move others' hearts.

2 •  Courage to face opposition.

There is more to this. The second observation is this: When it is from God, he will also give us the courage to face opposition. Even before Nehemiah started this project, he had to face the possibility of offending the king. His request to rebuild the city walls was an attempt to ask the king to reverse a previous order. In those days, such a request could result in death. And then in Vs.10, “ 10 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah, the Ammonite servant, heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel .” Before Nehemiah arrived at Jerusalem , Sanballat and Tobiah were unhappy about such a project. After arrival, vs.19, “ 19 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” Now, besides, Sanballat, Tobiah, there is now a third person, Geshem. From history, we learn that Sanballat was from the North, Tobiah from the East and Geshem, south. So, Nehemiah faced enemies on 3 sides. These individuals would continue to appear in Nehemiah's rebuilding effort. He was not shaken or intimidated by them. He boldly responded to them, vs.20, “ 20 Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem .” Some 400 years later, apostle Paul wrote, Phil 1:6, “ 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” It is God who started the work and he will also make sure it is completed. Nehemiah stood firm before his enemies for he knew God was behind all this.

Don't we also face this from time to time? We want to start a project or ministry. The moment we share it with the group, we hear comments such as: no, there is no way we can do this; it is too complicated; it is too costly; we don't have the people or resources to do this. I often feel that we are all good at analyzing projects and proposals, and often by the time we're done with analysis, we become paralyzed into doing nothing. Whenever we do God's work, there will be oppositions. However, since it is God's work, plus God is the one who is at work, thus we don't have to be intimidated by the oppositions. Because God is at work, therefore we can be certain of people's affirmation, standing firm before oppositions.

II.    A servant knows the importance of assessing needs.

  Vs.11-16, “ 11 So I went to Jerusalem and was there three days. 12 Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem . There was no animal with me but the one on which I rode. 13 I went out by night by the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire. 14 Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool, but there was no room for the animal that was under me to pass. 15 Then I went up in the night by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. 16 And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who were to do the work.” What is happening here? Nehemiah was a careful planner. In vs.12 and 16 we learn that he did not rush to action or talk about what was in his heart. The first thing he did was to get up at night and tour the city wall. Most likely this was the trip he took, anywhere from 1 ½ to 2 ½ miles. In any planning, the first thing is to assess the needs of the situation.

  It is easy for us to just notice things that are of interest. If I am to ask you what some of this church's needs are? I probably will get 20 or more different answers and each person will think his/her concern is the most important thing on this side of heaven. Sometimes I feel that this and other churches are full of special interest groups, each claiming theirs is the key to the church's survival. Its like the government in Washington . Each senator may have his or her pet project. For example: the Big Dig in Boston , Massachusetts . The Big Dig was a project to take a pre-existing 3.5 mile interstate highway and relocate it underground. It ended up costing $14.6 billion or over $4 billion per mile .

  Not Nehemiah. Instead he took a trip to take a look at the whole picture. This is something we certainly can learn from. At the back of the outline is a listing of some of the needs we have at HCC. Definitely this is not a complete list, but this gives us a picture of where we are.

  Some of us may also need to assess where we are personally. We can seek the help of counselors or in recent years, there are many assessment tools available that will help us take a more objective view of self. One tool I have used for many years is called Taylor Johnson Temperament Analysis. This gives us a fairly balanced perspective of some of our strengths and weaknesses in our temperaments.

  Once we see the entire picture, then we can decide on what to focus on.

III.   A servant knows how to motivate the people.

  After assessing the need, Nehemiah proceeded to share this mission with the leaders. He needed to bring them on board. There is something here we can learn about how to motivate people in ministry. Without proper motivation, ministries and projects will not last long. We may begin with a big bang, but finish with a whim. Let's see how Nehemiah motivated the people in that land. Vs.17, “ 17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem , that we may no longer suffer derision.” We notice first,

1 •  Clear Objectives

Nehemiah told them clearly about the condition of the walls and gates. Then he called them to action: let us build the wall of Jerusalem . He had a crystal clear objective. We learn that every objective must be Simple, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time. In ministry planning I often remind myself and the staff to have clear objectives. Clear objectives will yield clear results. Fuzzy objectives will take us nowhere.

One example of fuzzy objective: “I want this church to be more loving.” A clear objective will be: “I want this church to reach out to those with special needs.” Or “I want to see this church help relieve the poverty and AIDS crisis in Africa . Or to offer help to those affected in recent snow storm in China .”

2 •  Clear results.

Nehemiah not only spelled out the objective, but he also said, “……..that we may no longer suffer derision.” Nehemiah clearly explained to the people what would happen when the walls were built. The people will no longer live in disgrace. We not only need to articulate our objectives clearly, but also need to help people see the picture when the objective is accomplished. For example, “we need 2 Sunday school teachers for the 1 st to 3 rd graders.” When you step up to teach, you will help the children develop a closer relationship with Jesus Christ which will last a life time.

When the church reaches out to help the poor and the victims of AIDS in this and other countries, people will know that they are not forgotten by God.

At the personal level, I often say this: I want to help you to be stronger and mature, so that you will make the right decisions. When you take these steps to be strong, you will not be codependent on the other person.

The objectives have to be specific and the end result clearly expressed. The 3 rd ob,

3 •  Identifying with others.

In Vs.17, “…that we may no longer be disgraced.” Vs.20, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build….” What do we have here? We, we. As we have studied, Nehemiah grew up in that foreign land. What happened in Jerusalem was really the least of his concerns. Just like how many of us are really concerned about the snow storm in china that shut down their railroad system, with over 500K people stranded in the Canton station alone? A total of 80 million people were affected. To many of us, it is just a news item, nothing personal. But not so with Nehemiah. The problems at Jerusalem were his problem. He completely identified himself with the people there. In his prayer in the 1 st chapter, we already noticed how he used the term ‘we' when he confessed the sins to God.

What does it mean to us? Often I hear people say, this church needs to do more of this. You should spend more attention on this matter. It's you who have the problem. No, it's God's church, it's our church, it's our fellowship, our small groups. You know what? As long as we say this church needs to be more…… this fellowship or small group needs more …… we are a bystander. Next time when we see a problem, try to say our church, my church needs…. I feel the moment you utter “our church, my church” you will notice an attitude change taking place.

Conclusion:

  As we begin our study of the book of Nehemiah, we recognize that the rebuilding of Jerusalem city walls and gates is foretelling of the building and strengthening of the NT church. And we can take it one step further, it is also about the rebuilding and strengthening of our personal and inner lives. From this book we also learn how God used Nehemiah as the leader to rebuild his dwelling place so that God's people will no longer live in disgrace. Even as we are reading this, it brings to our mind another leader in the history of Israel . Psalm 78:70, “ 70 He chose David his servant and took him from the sheepfolds; 71 from following the nursing ewes he brought him to shepherd Jacob his people, ……. 72 With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand.” David and his son Solomon established Jerusalem as the center of culture and religion. David was the skillful shepherd/leader that led and guided God's people. Yet he failed miserably in his adulterous relationship with Beersheba . After David died, most of the succeeding kings constantly failed to lead and shepherd God's people. Their rebellion against God eventually led to the destruction of the nation and Jerusalem .

  So now, almost 70 years later, God raised Nehemiah to be another skillful shepherd and leader of His people. Nehemiah was skillful in leading the people to rebuild the city walls and the gates. However, even after the completion of the project, the glory of the city was a far cry from what it was in David and Solomon's day. Finally in AD 70, the city of Jerusalem was destroyed.

  Though David and Nehemiah were skillful shepherds leading God's people; their work did not last forever. All this points to the need of another skillful leader. About 400 years after Nehemiah, Jesus Christ came. He claimed that He would build His church. He established his church, his dwelling place on earth. He was the leader who was patient. He knew his objectives and finished well. He was never intimidated by his enemy. He knows our needs and completely identified with us. He established his church 2k years ago, and he is still in the process of building and strengthening his church. This church will not be defeated by her enemy, and it will last into eternity.

In the coming months, we will learn from Nehemiah what it takes to rebuild and strengthen God's dwelling place. We are to remember not to stop at Nehemiah, but through him, to follow our Lord Jesus Christ, as he builds and strengthen this church. So that as we join him in this process of rebuilding, His glory, beauty and grace will radiate from us to the people around us.