Don’t Understimate what God can do through you | Nehemiah 2:1-20

 INTRODUCTION

God has great plans and purposes for your life. Many times we say, “Lord I am not talented. I do not have any gifts. Others are better than me.” It is not about you. If you truly commit yourself to God, God will use you. Don’t underestimate what God can do through you.

Today, want to talk to you about a wall builder called Nehemiah. He is in the palace of the Persian king serving as a cupbearer. His brother comes to visit him and informs Nehemiah that his city of Jerusalem was destroyed and its walls remain in ruins.

BACKGROUND

Ezra 4:17-24

¹⁷The king sent this reply:

To Rehum the commanding officer, Shimshai the secretary and the rest of their associates living in Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates:

Greetings.

¹⁸The letter you sent us has been read and translated in my presence. ¹⁹I issued an order and a search was made, and it was found that this city has a long history of revolt against kings and has been a place of rebellion and sedition. ²⁰Jerusalem has had powerful kings ruling over the whole of Trans-Euphrates, and taxes, tribute and duty were paid to them. ²¹Now issue an order to these men to stop work, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order. ²²Be careful not to neglect this matter. Why let this threat grow, to the detriment of the royal interests?

²³As soon as the copy of the letter of King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum and Shimshai the secretary and their associates, they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and compelled them by force to stop.

²⁴Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Nehemiah 1:1-4

1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. 3 They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” 4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.

What follows is a wonderful prayer of Nehemiah which we saw last week.

Nehemiah 2:1-6

1 In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, 2 so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.” I was very much afraid, ³but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” ⁴The king said to me, “What is it you want?” Then I prayed to the God of heaven,

⁵and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.” ⁶Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.

Wall of Jerusalem

If you look around us a lot of walls are broken down around us. The moral walls of our society is broken. There is adultery in our society. Live-in relationships and gay relationships are on the rise which is against the moral fabric according to the scripture. Do you know that countries around the world are trying to legalize these things. God is looking for people who can stand in the gap and live for God’s purposes.

I have heard many people telling me pastor, “I know God has called me for such and such ministry. I have a burden for this and I am very clear that I have this gift and I want to do this for the Lord. But I am not sure how to begin this whole process.”  Well today I want to tell you how:

We are going to see from Nehemiah’s life how he did what God had called him to do.

Now we go back to around 440 years before Christ. Nehemiah is in a palace in Persia. He meets his brother who comes to visit him. He asks his brother, “How is the city of Jerusalem?” The brother said, “They city is in ruin, the walls are broken.” They had a hope of Jerusalem security that it will be untouched by enemies. They thought Jerusalem would be protected where the temple of the Lord stood.

Isaiah 49:15-16

15“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! 16See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.

The wall was a symbol of God’s protection upon Jerusalem. But the rulers of Israel led them away from God. After David the three kings were wicked in a row. Solomon, Rehoboam, and Jeroboam. The leaders led them astray one after another. In any civilization and culture, when you see a city in moral decay, look towards the leadership and see what kind of leadership they have, what has brought us to this point where adultery is okay, drugs are available everywhere.

Nehemiah sees the broken walls as the sin that has been committed by his leaders. How does Nehemiah deal with it?

1. Realize You Have A Responsibility

Nehemiah realizes he has a responsibility. He wants to play a role. He believed he had a part.

In the book ‘Nehemiah God’s Builder’ Richard Sumi the author quotes Richard Elsworth Day’s comment.

“It would be no surprise, if a study of secret causes were undertaken, to find that every golden era in human history proceeds from the devotion and passion of one single individual…there are no bona fide mass movements, it just looks that way! At the center column there is always one man who knows God, and knows where God is going!” -Richard Ellsworth Day (Filled With The Spirit, p.20).

At the center of column there is a person, like Ezekiel who is standing in the gap. Here there is a person who is the builder of walls. The biggest mistake we make in life in the task that God has called us for is that we assume that we cannot do very much. God has used children to do his work. God has used ordinary people. Don’t underestimate what God can do through you.

“God buries his workmen but carries on his work.” Charles Wesley

That work goes on through you and through me.

ILLUSTRATION

When Billy Graham the great evangelist the world has seen was questioned by someone in the press the question, “I have heard many preachers better than you Billy Graham, but why has God chosen you to be the evangelist of the world? With a smile Billy Graham said, “When I get to heaven that is going to be my first question.”

God uses ordinary people. Don’t underestimate what God can do through you.

Nehemiah was a construction worker but look where God placed him. He was serving in Babylon as a cupbearer to the king who is enemy to Israel. He would taste the food and wine before the king tasted it. That is the kind of integrity that Nehemiah had.

Nehemiah had a burden. He had burden for the broken walls. You are an individual, there is no replica for you in this entire world. You have unique capacity and God can use you maybe with your life, with your word, with your gift, with your job for his glory if you are totally submitted to God.

2. Prioritize Your Mission By Prayer

Nehemiah Prioritized His Mission By Prayer. Nehemiah was a man of prayer. Eleven times in 13 chapters Nehemiah says, “So I prayed to the God of heaven..”

If God has used anyone in the scripture, they were people of prayer. Jesus had to find the way out of crowds and took time to pray. If the Lord taught us to pray. If the Lord prayed in the most critical moments of his earthly ministry. Prayer is very important. Prayer determines your spiritual life.

Three Things Prayer Does

1. Prayers Recognizes The Sovereignty Of God

When you pray and being your prayer with my heavenly father, that opening phrase recognizes the sovereignty of God. Immediately you recognize that you cannot ultimately depend upon your strength. The reason you are bowed before him is because he is sovereign over the universe.

When you pray you know that you are just a small entity in this world, it is only God who has made you a somebody. When you pray it recognizes the sovereignty of God.

2. Prayer Enables You To See Your Heart As It Really Is

Remember when Jacob was coming from his father-in-law’s house back to see Esau and he is sending all these gifts but he is terrified. He knows that Esau is powerful. Jacob is going over to his land. Jacob has betrayed his brother. He has stolen the blessing. That night he has an encounter with the Lord and is saying to the Lord, “I am not going to leave you until you bless me.”

God turns back to Jacob and asks him, “What is your name?” Someone said, “If God asked him for his name, it is because when he stole the blessing he lied who he was. He pretended to be Esau.” Now he is in front of an all knowing God and God is asking, “Who are you.” He knew God knows everything. He said, “I am Jacob.” God said, “Because you have admitted who you are, I will make a great nation out of you.”

You bow before a great God and you see your own unworthiness. Prayer reminds you of what the true condition of your heart is. Prayer tells you what is true about yourself.

3. Prayer Unfolds God’s Will In Your Life

Prayer it is not so much of what you ask of him but what he does in you. As you pray God starts to unwind his design for you in your life. Ex: The prayer for Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Nehemiah prioritize his mission by prayer,

3. Plan Your Steps In Faith

Even when things are beyond your control it is important that you organize your life by faith. We need to see the changed circumstances in your spiritual eyes and start organizing. Faith and organization goes together. I really like that about Nehemiah.

In chapter 2 the king finds that Nehemiah is sad about something. When he king asks him about it Nehemiah was so organized and planned that Nehemiah tells him exactly he was planning.

I have seen a lot of people who say, “I walk by faith.” “So brother what is your plan for your future?” “No I don’t have any plans, I’m just waiting in faith.” For some people waiting in faith is simple excuse for laziness and sloppy planning.

Can you imagine what the king would have said if Nehemiah had answered, “Well, King, I don’t know when I’ll be back, I’m just walking by faith. Whenever the Lord tells me to go, I’ll go. When the Lord tells me to come back, I’ll come back. I’m not really sure about it at all.” If Nehemiah had said that, Artaxerxes would have said, “You’re not going to Judah. You are going to stay right here.” But because Nehemiah had a definite plan, that wasn’t the case. You see, faith & organization go hand in hand & it is important that we realize that.

Nehemiah 2:7-8

7 I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? 8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests.

You see what Nehemiah was doing? He is making sure that all of the bases are covered. Before he leaves he is making sure that he has everything he needs to carry out the mission before him. He had prepared well in faith over the circumstances which were beyond his control!

4. Investigate Before You Initiate

So Nehemiah leaves Babylon and reaches Jerusalem. It is probably worse than he imagined.

Nehemiah has got a project at hand but even before he begins he is investigating about his project. Nehemiah knew that in order to lead this project, he would need a firsthand picture of what needed to be done. So he sets out in the night. This moonlight journey is one of the most dramatic scenes in this book. Before Nehemiah began, he was determined to know the worst. Sometimes, we are very hasty with our decisions and we do not consider the pros and cons of our action. Nehemiah was never like that. He investigated the situation. He wanted to know exactly what he was up against.

Why do we investigate? We need to get clear in our mind as to what exactly the task is. Only when we investigate and know the task can we set goals – long-term, mid-term, and short-term. While others slept, Nehemiah was wide-awake. He diagnosed the situation and surveyed the walls.

Do not talk about our mission prematurely.

It is important to note that while investigating not to talk to anyone about what you have in mind.

Nehemiah 2:12

I set out during the night with a few others. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 2:16

The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.

Nehemiah surveyed the wall with a few others but he never told anyone the reason for his trip. Before you start something it is very important to keep quiet. Do not share your information to everyone and if at all only share it to the key mentors of your life.

Remember, vision doesn’t always require immediate action. The walls weren’t broken in a day. They won’t be rebuilt in a day. Do some in-depth investigation first. Do your walking before you do your talking. Also some fact-finding. Don’t let yourself be driven by the emotion of the moment. Yes you’re excited about your plans? Great. But keep a level head.

See the phrase about Nehemiah – in the night and at night. Nehemiah was awake when others were sleeping. Leaders are often awake when others are asleep, and working when others are resting. Nehemiah made a careful examination of the walls. Investigate before you initiate.

5. Be Self Motivated, Motivate Others In The Lord.

Finally, the time has come to motivate the people of Jerusalem to rebuild the wall. Nehemiah prayed & listened to God, inspected the damage & planned the work. Now he is ready to stand before the people of Jerusalem and motivate them.

Listen carefully to his speech. It is a masterpiece of motivation.

Nehemiah 2:17-18

¹⁷ Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” ¹⁸ I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me.

Notice the words he used “we” & “us” & “we”. You see, Nehemiah is motivating the people toward work & he is identifying himself with their situation. Nehemiah never said, “Well, folks, you sure got yourselves into a mess. Your wall is a disaster. You need to get busy & rebuild that wall. ” He said, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” He identified himself with the people & he motivated them.

6. Avoid The Paralysis Of Discouragement

When you do the work of the Lord you are going to face opposition. People are going to discourage you. People are going to talk about you. Be bold to face any opposition.

Nehemiah 2:19

“But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official & Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked & ridiculed us. ‘What is this you are doing?’ they asked. ‘Are you rebelling against the king?’”

The moment Nehemiah shared his vision to the people there arose opposition. There were people to mock, ridicule, and question Nehemiah. Nehemiah was never discouraged. He was bold to face any opposition.

Nehemiah 2:20

“I answered them by saying, ‘The God of heaven will give us success. We His servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.’”

Nehemiah does not lose his temper, he never got angry or upset but he said, “”We are servants of God. This is God’s will, & God will see that it is a success no matter what you may say or do.”

Many of you are facing stiff opposition in different areas but if you want success, be bold to face oppositions that are against the will of God. When opposition comes, someone say, “I don’t think it will work, get all worked up and discouraged.” When you have done your homework, you still find people discouraging and opposing you. Be bold to face oppositions.

People will tell you it is hopeless, it is never going to change. Your work will never make a difference. I want to stop this new initiative of the church. They will tell others about you and try suppress you. Avoid the paralysis of discouragement. Avoid the paralysis of optimism.

ILLUSTRATION

A man called Joseph Damien went to the island of Molokai, one of the islands in Hawaii. Joseph went to Molokai from Belgium because all the people with leprosy in the Hawaiian Islands were sent to Molokai. He was to go and minister to them. So he arrives in Molokai and sees this pathetic stage, works with them, embrace them, minister to them, try to find a cure for them. Years passed by and one day as he was putting a cup of boiling water from a kettle into the cup, it swirled out of the cup and fell on his bare foot. It took a moment for him to realize that he did not feel what happened. He took that kettle and out of sheer shock poured some more and he did not feel it.

Every time he address the Moloakian people, he always began his message to his people by saying, “My fellow believers.” That morning he spoke to them, “My fellow lepers.” When he died the people in Molokai wanted to bury him and the Belgian government said, no. He is one of our heroes, send him back. He Hawaiian people with leprosy said, “He came to us and we want him buried here.” Finally the Hawaiian government made a deal with the Belgian government. They said, “Can we cut off his right hand and bury that in Molokai because that is the hand that touched us.”

Even today in Molokai there is a grave there named Joseph Damien, but all that is buried there is his right hand.

CONCLUSION

Don’t underestimate what God can do through you.

You must reach out in your office, in your school, in your place of work. Young people, reach out and touch lives. Let them see Jesus in you and your strong commitment to uphold his truth and his scripture. And when years go by they will remember you if they mock you now.

Don’t Underestimate What God Can Do Through You.

Prioritize Your Mission By Prayer.

Plan Your Steps In Faith.

Investigate Before You Initiate.

Be Self Motivated And Motivate Others In The Lord.

Avoid The Paralysis Of Discouragement Or Pessimism.

Like Nehemiah, God Will Use You To Bring Peace Around Us.