#1 “Book of Nehemiah”
Series
"IT TAKES GUTS!"
TEXT: Nehemiah
1:1-2:10
INTRO: One of the
more difficult aspects of God's will is not so much knowing as much as it is
DOING it! How does one accomplish God's will?
What is it that makes a man or woman a
great man or woman of God?
You will never know God's great rewards
unless you have also known about the great risks involved in doing God's
will.
Look in history, those we know today
were men and women who took such great risks, but they were calculated risks,
not foolish ones. Such great
courage had great payoffs:
Man's voyage to the
moon.
The Apostle Paul's ministry brought the
Gospel to the west and the world.
The ministry and life of
Jesus.
Gideon's call to fight with only 300
men against a huge army!
etc.
ILLUS: Why not go
out on a limb? Isn't that where the
fruit is? -- Frank
Scully -- Edythe Draper, Draper's Book of Quotations for the Christian World
(Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1992). Entry 1940.
PROP.
SENT: You will never do anything for God if you
don't have courage and take some risks! It
takes guts to do God's will ... sissies can't make it in the kingdom or they
will just remain fruitless in their walk with God!
I. CONCERN Neh.
1:1-4
A. Partnership 1:1-2
1. "One of my
brothers and some other men came..."
a. Nehemiah's concern for his home
territory was not alone!
b. He questioned the men about
2. Prior to Nehemiah had been Ezra ...
and before Ezra the beginning of
a. Haggai and Zechariah had ministered
during this time period, and the story of Esther had
happened.
b. Finally a group had gone back to
c. When the foundation had been laid
opposition had grown and they ceased from building until Haggai and Zechariah
encouraged them onward.
d. Finally the temple was rebuilt ...
but no major return to
3. As the Israelites returned Ezra
shows up and preaches to them the right way to worship and corrects them by the
Law of Moses.
4. Following Ezra and the passing of
the prophets
5. This sets the stage for Nehemiah
who requests from his brothers who had just returned from
a. Nehemiah finds out that all is
not well in
b. There was still a remnant living
there while most of
6. This captivity had destroyed their
independent pride; now humble and needing one another God sets the stage for a
new chapter in restoration!
B. Pain
1:3-4
1. Upon learning that all was not well
in
2. This is the kind of man God can
use!
3. The first part of courage is starting to reveal itself
here: BROKENNESS is the foundation to build
COURAGE upon!
ILLUS: A ship in
harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are for. -- John A. Shedd -- James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited
(Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 130.
4. Nehemiah is so broken over the news
that he begins to weep and fast ... a Biblical fast!
a. He was fasting because the burden
was so great food was unimportant!
b. He was not fasting to pressure God
or manipulate Him, this is not the purpose of a Biblical
fast!
5. There are always 2 reactions to
pain!
a. Bitterness and anger; a feeling
like God cheated you – this kind of reaction goes on to produce
bitterness!
b. Burden and prayerfulness; a feeling
that one must take on the burden in prayer – this goes on to produce a
courageous saint!
c. One must choose which response is theirs
when pain happens!
6. Pain CAN BE the first stage toward
great blessing!
a. READ PSALM 126
b. Note verses 5-6
II. CONFESSION 1:5-11
A. Personal
1:5-7
1. This pain generates a personal
prayer, but not for the release of pain, but for forgiveness for
himself!
a. This accounts for the second great quality of courage: HUMILITY!
b. This is humility born in
prayerfulness!
2. Nehemiah could have blamed his
brethren for all the misery, if only they had not been so stubborn of heart we
wouldn't be here now!
a. But he starts with himself ... he
does not blame others!
b. This was no quirky prayer ... the
burden was too great, he would pray until he felt resolve within his own
spirit!
3. He doesn't have an answer to the
problem, YET, but he is on the right track!
a. Sometimes
praying is NOT for an answer but to prepare us to BE THE ANSWER!
b. How would God solve this major
problem with
4. Nehemiah in his prayer for
B. Promise
1:8-9
1. Fortunately Nehemiah knows God's
Word and knows the faithfulness of God!
2. This is the third phase of courage, knowing God's character and TRUSTING HIM!
ILLUS: My
son-in-law, Alan Jones, told me a story of a Hassidic rabbi, renowned for his
piety. He was unexpectedly
confronted one day by one of his devoted youthful disciples. In a burst of feeling, the young
disciple exclaimed, "My master, I love you!" The ancient teacher looked up from his
books and asked his fervent disciple, "Do you know what hurts me, my
son?"
The young man was puzzled. Composing himself, he stuttered, "I
don't understand your question, Rabbi.
I am trying to tell you how much you mean to me, and you confuse me with
irrelevant questions." "My question is neither confusing nor irrelevant,"
rejoined the rabbi. "For if you do
not know what hurts me, how can you truly love me?" --
Madeleine L'Engle in Walking on Water.
Christianity Today, Vol. 30, no. 14.
3. Nehemiah was not so much reminding
God of His promise as he was reminding Himself of God's character to restore a
remnant of His people!
4. In other words he was counting God
as FAITHFUL!
5. This gives us the FOURTH characteristic of COURAGE: HOPE!
C. Petition
1:10-11
1. Now he does petition God, after
reminding himself of God's faithfulness he feels enough courage to ask of God
for an answer, BUT NOTICE HIS REQUEST OF GOD INCLUDES HIS OWN WILLINGNESS TO BE
THE CHANNEL USED BY GOD, the fifth step of COURAGE: Availability!
2. While he is asking God for help he
is preparing himself to be used if needed!
3. It is not enough to ask God for
help if you are unwilling to be used if He calls you.
4. The final sentence of chapter one
finally reveals the emerging courage Nehemiah really has: "I WAS CUPBEARER
TO THE KING."
a. He was actually a nobody, but he
was ready to get involved anyway!
b. A simple servant is all he was ...
WAIT! perhaps that is the secret!
c. Where WERE ALL THE KINGDOM AUTHORITY
TEACHERS NOW!?
(1. Why didn't he just shout at the
king and state: "I AM GOD'S SERVANT, AND I TAKE AUTHORITY OVER
YOU!"
(2. NOT NEHEMIAH ... he understood
REAL KINGDOM AUTHORITY!
5. NOTICE carefully the wording of
this last verse:
a. Nehemiah was a servant to the REAL
KING ... he states he “DELIGHTS IN REVERING GOD'S
NAME!”
b. His real king is GOD ... and He is
but a servant!
6. NOTICE his perspective of the
earthly king -- CALLS HIM BUT A "MAN!"
7. But he is not disrespectful of the
position of the earthly king!
8. His request was for God to give him
favor as A SIMPLE CUPBEARER to an earthly king.
a. After all what could happen ...
only the possibility of having his head removed or something
similar!
b. In those days you did not SPEAK TO
AN earthly king ever unless he spoke to you first!
c. Aren't you glad God is
different!
d. How would Nehemiah get this king to
ask him about his concern for
9. We now have revealed the SIXTH characteristic of COURAGE: Creative
solutions!
ILLUS: Give me a
hundred men who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I will
shake the world. I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; and
such alone will overthrow the
III. COURAGE! 2:1-10
A. Position!
2:1-2a
1. When God calls you to minister He
often uses you right where you are already, including the skills you already
have!
a. Nehemiah couldn't ask the king
outright ... he was but a servant.
b. However, the king had to look him
in the eye every time he served him his cup ... and one can look very concerned
and sad and it would be noticed because this would be the UNUSUAL look of
Nehemiah!
2. Had Nehemiah been like many
Christians today who walk around more like the Devil has won most of the time
the king might not of noticed his sadness and said to
himself,
a. “WELL I SEE OLD NEHEMIAH IS HAVING ANOTHER
ONE OF THOSE POUTING SPELLS!”
b. The reason the king would notice is
because this sad look was NOT common for
Nehemiah!
3. And so Nehemiah uses his lowly
position as servant to try and save his own nation ... THESE ARE ALWAYS THE BEST
FIGHTERS, THE ONES WHO ARE ALREADY SERVANTS AND
HUMBLE!
4. He was already in the position he
needed to be in to be used of God in a great way ... humble and a FAITHFUL
SERVANT!
B. Panic!
2:2b-3
1. It is also nice to know however
that he is also very much like us! What is his reaction to being able to
present his petition to the king? PANIC 2:2b
2. This helps us to understand
biblical courage, it is ok to be scared and be honest about it! ... BUT DON'T
QUIT!
3. Nehemiah was at the crucial point,
would COURAGE hold out?
a. Nehemiah is first of all polite,
courage doesn't mean demanding!
b. Secondly, he explains the honesty
of his sadness, his concern over the brokenness of
c. It is noteworthy that he faced his
fear honestly, but didn't give in to it!
4. Thus the SEVENTH characteristic of COURAGE, Honesty with
durability!
ILLUS: When a
storm comes at sea, a ship turns to face the tempest. If the vessel allows the storm to hit
its side, it will capsize. If it
turns its back to the storm, the storm will drive it wherever the wind
blows. Only in facing the storm is
the ship safe. -- Robert C. Shannon, 1000 Windows, (Cincinnati, Ohio:
Standard Publishing Company, 1997).
C. Prepared!
2:4-9
1. It is interesting that when the
king asks Nehemiah what it was that he wanted from the king that he had already
PLANNED a response!
2. THE
EIGHTH characteristic of COURAGE, PREPAREDNESS!
a. Nehemiah was planning for
success, not failure ... even though he was
afraid!
b. He wasn't
NEGATIVE!
3. He had not been idle from prayer
time to request time ... he had a plan ready in the hopes that the king would be
favorable to letting him speak!
4. Having courage to do something for God does
not mean just sitting back and waiting for God to let you know what to do, some
people would say this is so much more spiritual, but it can also be very
foolish!
5. Nehemiah had made plans, specific
requests, note how the king continues to question him about specifics and how
quickly he responds! VERSES
4-8
a. He had thought of everything
humanly possible ... good plans.
b. He didn't just respond, "Well, however
the lord leads me" … this can be proper as a response at some times,
but not always!
6. With success notice WHO Nehemiah
gives the credit ... this is the NINTH
characteristic of COURAGE: Acknowledging God in the
process, not patting yourself on the back! 2:8
7. The cupbearer is promoted to
governor! Promotion to
leadership comes best through servanthood!
D. Problems! 2:10
1. It would have been a wonderful
ending here, but courage is not enough for just start-ups, it is needed for the
whole process!
2. Courage had only gotten Nehemiah
past the first stage, he would need to have a great deal of it to finish the
course God had called him too!
3. When you set out to do the will of
God in your life don't be shocked by problems, they will be right there with
you!
4. If you lose courage you'll
quit.
a. Nehemiah finds 2 politically
powerful guys who are going to fight against him all the
way!
b. One of these guys is SANBALLAT --
governor of
c. The other man, TOBIAH was a fellow
Jew or at least one who believed in the God of
(1. This man was bothered probably out
of political concerns, he had sold his soul for
politics!
(2. Only God can knows how many still
do this today, even in the church!
(3. But there are those like Nehemiah
who will stay the course and fight no matter what, they will take the challenge,
nothing will dissuade them!
ILLUS: When
Napoleon was an artillery officer at the siege of
5. The bottom line: If you are going
to do anything for God you are going to NEED COURAGE! No one finds GREAT REWARDS that didn't
take COURAGE over GREAT RISKS! The
first stage of accomplishing the will of God in your life is
COURAGE!
CONCLUSION: The first step in
accomplishing God's will for your life will be large doses of COURAGE! Anyone who has ever accomplished great
things for God has had to overcome their fears and move with courage ... it takes GUTS to
do God's will!