There is a gap between his world and ours but the characters above will bridge this gap
They need to put their trust in Jesus Christ
Overview:
Pressures
Priorities
Prayers
Pressures
Location - winter residence of the Emperor
Job - the cupbearer (v11)
A trusted advisor and maybe a friend
Not a religious professional - a civil servant to a pagan king
Quote from Mark Green
Distance - he is about 1000 miles from Jerusalem - the centre of worship
The people were banished
Some had returned but they were in great distress and reproach (v3)
It's walls were broken down and its gate burned with fire (v3)
Not a trivial matter - it was more about the people's identification with God
(that goes back to the garden of Eden, before their banishment and the call through Moses to the nation of Israel)
Under King Cyrus a reversal had begun
But the walls and gate were still in ruins
Nehemiah was now in a pressure point - will he centre his life for God's honour and purposes
Priorities
He was a man of action - actions express priorities
He sat down, wept and mourned for many days (v4)
He fasted and prayed (v4)
A deep seated reaction from Nehemiah
Example of John Simpson
God cares profoundly for the vulnerable
His response spoke volumes about his priorities
Quote from book - would you enter that room?
What loves have we prioritised?
Prayer
His first response was to pray
He prayed under pressure
He depended on God under pressure
When was the last time you prayed like Nehemiah?
He begins with God (v5)
We should not start our prayers with ourselves
Quote from A W Tozer
Repetition:
Servant - although a servant of the most powerful man in the world (King Artaxerxes) - he is really a servant of the Most High God
Example of Paul - a bondservant to Christ
Sin (v6) - a confessional prayer
God is holy
Nehemiah recognises that we are sinners
Commandments - this connects to service
God requires obedience
Remember (v8) - a call to God to bless
Specifics:
This man - King Artaxerxes
Closing Remarks
What shapes our world is our dependence on God
Examples of how we might respond to Ben & Betty and Ursula & Norman
v11 - pointed to the greater Nehemiah (to the Lord Jesus Christ)
