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So you’ve got your Bibles this morning. I’d encourage you to turn to the book of Nehemiah. But Nehemiah was an extraordinary leader. And the reason that Nehemiah was an extraordinary leader is because he wasn’t a very charismatic individual. He was kind of placed in an opportune time and an opportune moment to do something to help the nation of Israel. And God gave him the heart to desire what he wanted for the nation of Israel. Nehemiah was a simple leader. Leadership really has two sort of principles with it. The first would be an individual who’s kind of charismatic, who kind of demands and commands the attention of a room when he walks in, and so naturally develops just a leadership position. And the second would be someone similar to the life of Nehemiah. He wasn’t a very charismatic individual. He wasn’t the number one go to guy, but he he rose to a position of power within the the nation of Persia Because what Nehemiah was, was a man of integrity. He was a man of faithfulness, and he was a man who knew how to get the job done. That’s really the second kind of leader. Some of us in life are placed in positions because of our character, and expected to lead in particular situations due to the character that we display. And that is the life of Nehemiah. Nehemiah comes before God. And we saw in chapter one and as he learned about the condition of his nation, Jerusalem, his, his, his people, the Jews in the city of Jerusalem and learning about the nation, Nehemiah’s heart literally broke.
And what we find, though, in in the book of Nehemiah in chapter one, is that Nehemiah didn’t learn any new information concerning the nation of Israel. The information that Nehemiah learned was over 140 years old, that the nation of Israel had been destroyed. And yet 140 years later, here we find Nehemiah with his heart breaking over the circumstance. Nehemiah was completely understood the situation of of the Jewish people and their nation, which God had called them to live. Because Nehemiah was living in Persia as a slave serving the king, his people had been conquered. But his heart, 140 years later, after this conquering took place, begin to break, because God was developing within Nehemiah the conviction to do something for the nation of Israel. That way the the nation of Israel could once again stand in the glory of God and be a representation of who God was through those people. After all, we’re 400 years, over 400 years before the coming of the Messiah and the Messiah was prophesied to come and do ministry in Jerusalem and be born in Bethlehem. And without a nation to do that, the promises of the Messiah couldn’t be fulfilled. Nehemiah literally means the comfort of Jehovah. Nehemiah stands in a place in history at a particular moment in which the people needed the comfort of Jehovah, the comfort of Jesus.
What I’m going to look at this morning is, is very simplistic for us as we begin to study in the scriptures what the book of Nehemiah is about. Nehemiah is interested in rebuilding the city of Jerusalem, but not just the city of Jerusalem, the hearts of the people that made up the city. His desire and his conviction was to see that city live for what God had called them to be. And as that conviction was carried within Nehemiah, he knew that that conviction needed to be expressed on behalf of the nation of Israel. And the Jewish people desired to go back to, to, to Jerusalem and rebuild that city. As his heart burns, so must the people within Jerusalem to rebuild. And so Nehemiah expresses to us the desire of leadership. Today, we’re going to be simply looking at what simple leadership is all about within the book of Nehemiah. What does it mean to lead, and how can we do that in the most simplistic form, as we see within in the life of Nehemiah? The first thing that we see in the life of Nehemiah is simply that Nehemiah took a stand. The idea of complacency is what crept into the nation of Israel for 140 years. The nation and the city of Jerusalem lie desolate. And Nehemiah now in this, in his position and his living, gets the conviction from God to rebuild the city. But the nation of Israel in itself was in a place of complacency, not designed for this nation to be rebuilt.
And so Nehemiah in his position and his power and his authority, his desire to take a stand, to make a difference for what God has called the Jewish people to do. And it says in verse one, in the month of Nissan, in the 20th year of the king of Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him to the king, I took the wine and gave it to the king. Here we find in verse one that that Nehemiah is going before the King in the month of Nissan. We saw in chapter one and verse four that when Nehemiah went before the Lord, it was in the month of prayed before the Lord, and he received this conviction. It was in the month of Kislev in our calendar. It would run between the month of November to December, and now in the month of Nissan, which is between March and April. Nehemiah comes before the king in chapter one and verse four. In the book of Nehemiah it tells us that Nehemiah fasted and he prayed. So based on this, this chapter of the Bible, excuse me, in Nissan, what we find is that Nehemiah for four months has been on his knees. He’s been fasting and praying to go before the King as an opportunity to share with the king the conviction that Nehemiah has had placed upon his heart. Nehemiah is about to take a stand.
A stand that will make a difference not only in his life, but in the hearts of the nation of Israel, is his is his hope. And he says, I took the wine before the king. Nehemiah had a position that was referred to as cupbearer. Nehemiah was cupbearer to the king of Persia. Could you imagine being a cupbearer to a king who was conquering nations around him? Literally people angry over the loss of their loved ones, and many would desire to see a king like that come to an end. And Nehemiah had the position of drinking the wine that contained poison, that could contain poison before the king would allow the wine to touch his lips, to discover whether or not it was going to kill his cupbearer. I mean, what a stressful job to have. What an easy job to have, but what a stressful job to have to come before the King and be in charge of taking this wine. But it tells us in verse two something specific about the situation in Nehemiah, as he is getting ready to present to the King. Four months later, his desire to go back to Jerusalem, it says so the king asked me, why does your face look so sad when you’re not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart. And Nehemiah makes this remark, I was very much afraid. It was custom during the time, especially before the king, that you were not supposed to be sad in his presence.
See, the king carries a lot of burden and responsibility on behalf of the nation upon his shoulders, and anyone who carries any sadness before him might take away from the king’s demeanor and his desire to carry the burden for the nation. A sad face before the King might show a sort of disloyalty to the King. It’s as if they’re saying to the king, King, I don’t trust in your rulership and your leading. I’m not satisfied with it. And so my my look of distaste towards you is, is an accusation against who you are. It can also bring death to be sad before the King. The punishment could oftentimes be lose your life at the very least before the king. It might give somewhat of a suspicion. Have you ever been in a point in your life that you carried such a degree of sadness that it couldn’t help but be expressed outwardly from your heart. Nehemiah carries this just like Jesus in Luke chapter 19. And verse 41, it tells us that when Jesus enters into Jerusalem for the last time, his heart literally breaks for the people of Jerusalem. And Jesus wept because they were sheep without a shepherd. And Nehemiah, preparing to take a stand on behalf of his nation before a king that holds his life within his hand is going before this king, and he’s carrying the heart of Jesus to the point that the sadness and sorrow within his heart is being expressed on his outward countenance.
Nehemiah is broken for God’s will in his life. And so Nehemiah says in this passage of Scripture, his sore afraid he’s in a position of responsibility. Have you ever been placed in a position in life that only your countenance of the heart brings sadness exteriorly that people can see. But the the weight of the pressure of decisions that you’re about to make make you sleepless to the point of of maybe you don’t even eat. Makes you sick to the point that you desire not to even have food as Nehemiah fasted and prayed over the circumstance. Nehemiah carried the conviction of God, and in so doing he desired to take a stand on behalf of God. And so he is so afraid. Have you ever prayed over something that carried the magnitude of life within its hands? Nehemiah desires for the people of God to get back to Israel, to follow after the Lord, but not only for those people to follow after the Lord, but God’s glory to reign within the city, so that the nations around may see the evidence of who God is. And so literally, the spiritual condition of people, the eternal life of people, the weight of God’s glory being understood in the lives of the people weighs and rests upon the heart and shoulders of Nehemiah as he carries this conviction and this burden. And Nehemiah desires to take a stand.
Ever prayed over someone holding terminal sickness? You ever prayed for someone needing spiritual life? You ever prayed? Realizing that the position that God has placed you in is going to call you to go before a King who holds his life within your hand, and your sadness and conviction and sorrow could be looked at as treachery to the King by desiring to go and create and rebuild another nation whose teaching and philosophy and religion and beliefs will be contradictory to what the King wants to teach. God has called Nehemiah to take a stand. Stands aren’t always easy, but it is what God calls us to do. The truth is confrontational in the lives of people, no matter where you are. And just as Nehemiah desired to rebuild the city and see the nation come back to know him and grow in God’s favor and glory. So it was God’s call for the church. We looked at last week where God called us a city on a hill. Your glory and your light is to be displayed to all nations, and there is no compromise in the truth that God has given us to display. We are people who take a stand. Nehemiah, though, was afraid. But Matthew chapter ten and verse 28 says, do not fear those who can kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul, but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body. It’s a common place in ministry that Nehemiah found himself wrestling between his position with the king and his position before God.
In Ephesians chapter six and verse five, it tells you slaves have fear towards your masters. It’s a position of respect, not difficult to respect someone who can literally take your life. Nehemiah valued his life very much and so had a reverential respect for his king. But but the the reverential respect that he carried his for his king wasn’t any greater than the respect that he carried for his God. And Nehemiah was placed in a position of where he could either compromise with his convictions and and stay with the king, or share with the king what God desired for his life and for the nation of Israel. And so he wrestled. Nehemiah worked for this king who was as a slave. He was well cared for. But in acts chapter 17 and verse 26, it tells us that God determines the time and the place in which all of us are to live, and so creating the time and the place in which we are to live. God gives us the purpose and the design for his will in which we are to conduct in that time and place that God desires for us to live in. Nehemiah understood according to God’s appointed time, that God had a plan for Nehemiah, that a conviction that he couldn’t shake, in his desire to share with the King to go to Israel and rebuild this nation.
Nehemiah knows that his king is big, but that his God is bigger. And sharing a like mindedness, as Nehemiah, the apostle Paul wrote in Philippians chapter four and verse 11, for I have learned to be content in whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether I’m well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. In verse three, the passage goes on and explains to us as Nehemiah sits before the king, and he’s afraid. But it says, but I said to the king, May the king live forever. He’s saying to the king, yes, king, I am sad in the position that I am, but it has nothing to do with your leadership. It has nothing to do with your rolling. Please don’t kill me. King. Live forever. That’s Nehemiah’s statement. Why should my face not look sad? He says. When the city where my fathers are buried lives in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire. Nehemiah doesn’t mention the nation of Israel or the city of Jerusalem in his and this passage of Scripture for a particular purpose. One is that Nehemiah understands that the the people of Persia have a particular respect for the dead. And so Nehemiah mentions the ruins of his father’s.
But also, if you were to read the Old Testament, if you were to own a copy of the Jewish Old Testament, what you would find is the book of Ezra. And Nehemiah is one book within their Bible. It’s a continuous story. In chapter four, verse six of Ezra, the the nation of Israel had made a journey back to Israel for the purpose of rebuilding the nation. It tells us in the Book of Ezra that Zerubbabel literally led about 50,000 people out of a few million. Zerubbabel gets 50,000 people to go back to the nation of Israel, to rebuild it. And he builds the temple. And there’s a gap within the story of Ezra, beginning in chapter six, unless you have the story of Esther, Queen Esther, who comes to power, who saves the nation of Israel from destruction. Chapter seven Ezra comes into leadership, and he leads a second wave of people from the Persian rule into Jerusalem again. And Ezra takes with him the spiritual leaders of the nation of Israel, 2000 people, 52,000 people now back in Jerusalem, trying to work as a nation and serve their God. But it tells us in Ezra chapter four and verse six says, as Ezra desired to rebuild the city of Jerusalem within that he desired to rebuild the walls. And as they were rebuilding the walls, King Artaxerxes wrote an order to the nation of Israel saying, stop your building. And now Nehemiah is coming before the king to request again to do the very thing that the king, just 12 years earlier ordered the nation to stop doing.
And so, instead of mentioning the nation of Jerusalem. He simply says, my people, my, the city of my fathers are buried where they’re buried at, lies in ruins. And he says, and its gates have been destroyed by fire in verse three. And the time in which Nehemiah lived and Ezra lived, the the gates of the city and the the walls of the city really were the, the splendor of a city. You think as a person, especially if you have young kids and you decide to live in a particular town, one of the first things you ask for your children is, is it safe for my kids to live there? Is it safe for my kids to play there? In order for a city in the time of Nehemiah to be able to answer that question, that question was answered by asking this does the city have gates? Does the city have a wall? So the nation of Israel was never going to be able to rebuild what God had called them to build without a wall around the city. And understanding this, Nehemiah says to the king, the place of my father is in the city in which I used to live, lies desolate. In the walls have crumbled down its glory and its power is absence. What is the nation of Israel without the glory of God to be displayed? And the way that God’s glory is displayed is displayed in the New Testament, is changed from the Old Testament and the Old Testament.
God worked within the people of Israel, and He and he built the temple. And it says within the temple the Shekinah glory of God dwelt. The presence of God was there. And so through this nation God’s glory was shown. And today as, as a church, the the temple is no longer where we need to go to worship. The temple has become you. If you’ve accepted Christ as your Savior, it literally says, The Spirit of God dwells within you. And so wherever you are as an individual, the presence of God is there. But for God’s glory to be displayed to the nation of Israel, they needed a city to protect this town so that people could come in and and worship God and not have to worry about any outside influence attacking them, and gather around the temple and praise the Lord. It’s interesting to look as you study world religion in the history of religion, what you find within this nation of Israel as they’re carried off into captivity for 70 years, and they begin their exodus back out of what was Babylon when they captured Medo-persia, then conquered Babylon. So they’re coming back to Jerusalem under Persian rule. But during those years of silence, where Israel wasn’t present, there was no temple to worship.
You had world religions began to develop. During this time. Confucius was in China sharing his beliefs. Buddha was beginning to share his beliefs, and Socrates, for the first time was starting to teach within Greece. You see the significance in the in the importance of the people of God to take a stand and to follow after the Lord with their lives, without the presence of God’s glory being displayed within the city. God’s glory wasn’t captured among the hearts and the peoples and the nations that surrounded Israel, and in so doing they sought to find their own religions. Nehemiah took a stand. And what we’re going to find is Nehemiah takes a stand. Oftentimes, as Nehemiah takes a stand, he also becomes a person of prayer. Nehemiah was a prayer. To be a simple leader simply qualifies as this. Don’t compromise your position in which God has called you to live. Take a stand. I want to be clear in saying take a stand. I don’t mean be mean to other people. It’s possible to take a stand without losing integrity and love towards others. If you need an example, look at Nehemiah’s demeanor before King Nehemiah is going to go before a king who asked the walls to be stopped being built in Jerusalem. He’s going to request these walls to be built again, but he does it in such a such a humble demeanor as a leader that that the king gives in to Nehemiah’s request, but in his own conviction, that conviction that God had placed on his heart.
Nehemiah takes a stand, but in taking a stand, he prays. I love this leadership position of Nehemiah. I mean, you can tell when real ministry is taking place, when you can find nothing other than to be driven to your knees on behalf of the situation, to ask God for help. Here he is before the king. The king already knows this. He said the king could take his life at this moment. He knows his request before the king is going to be huge. And the king could could take his life. And it tells us in verse three he says, May the king live forever. But here he is in verse four, the king said, what is it you want? And then I prayed to God in heaven. This wasn’t a long prayer. There’s not even the the type of prayer, the specifics of his prayer mentioned. But I can imagine the situation, what it is to sit before this king and fear hold your life in his hand and just say, okay, God help! Please don’t let the King kill me. Get me to Jerusalem. God, help me to carry out the conviction that you’ve placed here in my life. It’s not a it’s not a question in Nehemiah’s mind of what God wants him to do, because Nehemiah already understands what God wants him to do. It’s the strength and the help to carry him through the circumstance in which he finds himself faced.
God help. Nehemiah is before the king who he doesn’t have time to play games. He just simply speaks directly. Nehemiah, give me what you need. And Nehemiah relies on the antidote for anyone who’s anxious in any particular situation. It says, cast all your cares upon him because he cares for you in first Peter five. And so Nehemiah naturally, as a leader who’s followed after God, goes to prayer. Not only does Nehemiah pray to God, but he also plans. Nehemiah takes a plan before the king. He says in verse five, and 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 fathers are buried, so that I can rebuild it. He says, send me where my fathers are buried. You know, sometimes in in our lives we’re not always in the position of Nehemiah. And we’re looking at the story from the perspective of Nehemiah and in this passage of Scripture. But sometimes we’re in the position of the king. Sometimes we already have the resources that God needs for a particular task to be conducted. And all we need is to do is make those resources available to God’s people. And I was thinking about the way that this church was established, similar to the life of Nehemiah. Stacey and I, before coming to Utah, had a conviction to see two years ago, or only two years old, to see a church built in the city of Lehi.
And so with the conviction that God placed upon our heart, we went to kings Or pastors of churches in positions of opportunity to help us. And we shared that conviction and sharing that conviction. They got behind the vision of seeing a church established here in Lehi. But not just them. You did too. It starts with a conviction that leads us to a stain that takes us to a place that says, God, we are not big enough. And Lord, we are just praying that you help us in this situation. God, you’ve put this burden on our heart to see this established. God fulfill this work in us. And then we make the plans by going to the people of position who have the authority to be able to help us. And the King says in verse six, he asks Nehemiah. Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked, how long will your journey take and when will you get back? And it pleased the king to send me, so I set a time. How long will your journey take to the king? Try this with your boss. Okay. When you go to work, according to Nehemiah chapter five and verse 14, Nehemiah’s request was 12 years, boss. I need a 12 year vacation. And he’ll say, there’s the door. And Nehemiah comes before the king.
And he’s not only saying, I need a 12 year conviction. Just think about it for a minute. If we just use the president of the United States as an illustration, all of a sudden the president of the United States is ruling and governing politically this nation. And all of a sudden, a security guard or maybe one of the janitorial services is within the the presidential suite. And he’s listening to the king with his politics. And he says to the king, you know, King, I don’t agree with your Middle Eastern policies. I need a 12 year vacation. I need you to give me a job promotion. I need you to make me an ambassador to the city. I want to go and rebuild this city. And what I want to do when I rebuild this city is I want to become its ruler. Then I’m going to teach the people how to follow God. And it’s a God contrary to the one that you believe in. So they’re going to teach contrary to what you believe in. But as this nation begins to rebuild, what I want this nation to do is then come to your nation and teach your nation how to follow after our God. And by the way, I want you to fund it all. And the King asks, 12 years. You want to go to a city that doesn’t have any walls, that isn’t protected with your family, and take the nation of Israel that could be destroyed and crushed by nations surrounding them and live there.
And it says in this verse, so it pleased the King to send me. So Nehemiah set a date for 12 years. Nehemiah went upon this journey, and I like the way it tells us in verse six. Now this is this is just a rule for any guy sitting next to his lady. The king was sitting with his queen. Okay, this is saying to us, don’t embarrass the man in front of his woman. And Nehemiah, in this position, adding to the fear, shows us that the king is sitting with his queen. And Nehemiah still has in the conviction of God to take a stand not only before the King, but also maybe even embarrassed his king by saying he doesn’t agree with the way the nation of Israel is being governed and ruled. Asking that the people may be free to rebuild the city again. Nehemiah had a plan. It goes on to tell us in verse seven that Nehemiah’s plan continued. Nehemiah really understands he’s only going to get one shot at this, so he’s really thought this through. Nehemiah didn’t just pray about it. You know, sometimes in life we we pray without planning. These are the kind of people that say, well, let’s just pray about it. Or, you know, wherever the Lord leads. But what they really mean is, I have no idea. I’m going to pray and hope God just kind of sends down a magical answer for me.
I like it when I graduated college, I would ask my friends after we got finished where, you know, where are you going to work now when you’re out of college? I’m praying about it. They had no idea. You talked to him? Three years later, you got a degree. Where are you going to? I’m just praying about it. You don’t know? You want to pray and you want to plan. Nehemiah has been in prayer for for months over this for for months over this. He’s only get one opportunity for months later to come before the King. And when he comes before the king, he wants to be ready. Nehemiah had already asked the people what was the condition of the nation of Israel, and they told him, it’s desolate. Nehemiah knew, according to Ezra, that the the walls hadn’t been rebuilt, and so the nation of Israel was vulnerable to any outside attacks. And Nehemiah was prepared with a plan to go before the king. It wasn’t just a conviction. It wasn’t just a prayer. He had a plan. Last week we shared, sometimes as people, we can look as if we’re busy by being busybodies in our conversation, but not in our conduct. If something upsets me, I just share that with somebody else. I gossip about it, or I blog about it on the internet, but I don’t ever really do anything. And that was the nation of Israel for 140 years, until the conviction of Nehemiah brought him to a position to make a plan.
He says in verse seven, 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. And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest. 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. Nehemiah is saying, okay, the nation of Medo-persia was really divided by the Euphrates River, and it was looked upon as really two nations within one. And so when Nehemiah crossed that river, he wanted letters to those governors as well to give him a free pass. The rest of the way Nehemiah had prayed and Nehemiah had planned. It goes on to tell us, as Nehemiah prayed and planned, not only not only that, but he makes another request to the king. He says, the king. Okay, King, you know the the garden that you have that keeps your own forest That you’ve created for your own beauty. Can I chop those trees down? Will you allow me to. To have what I need from from your own garden and supplying for our own physical needs as a nation of Israel? It tells us in verse six that it pleased the King to give to Nehemiah what he desired.
You know, as people, as we think about this for a minute, um, how does God build his church? What does it mean to be a leader? Nehemiah really simply broke this down. Let me just give you a goal for our church 2011. We always want to cast vision here. Um, what’s God’s goal for our church? Here’s here’s my plan. I want the people within our church to grow deeper in their understanding of God. In the life of Nehemiah, the nation of Israel was carried off into Babylon out of disobedience to God, because they never grew in the depth of their relationship with God. You know, we sang a song that says, God, I want to know you more. But as Christians, I think that we can even pray that prayer and we can sing that within our hearts. But when it comes to digging into the truths of God’s Word, we get. We can get lazy sometimes. You think about some of the complex things of God that he’s revealed to us free will and his sovereignty. Calvinism and Arminianism. Or you think about the Trinity of God. Some people look at the Trinity of God, and God definitely explains himself as a triunity within Scripture. But we look at that and think, no way am I going to be able to even tap into the resources of understanding God, that God that way. But God has declared himself three beings, or three persons in one being.
Being one God, we pray that God would know him, but the deeper he reveals himself, the more complex it gets to us. And so we back away and say, God, okay, just stop. My prayer for us as a church is that we begin to understand the depths of who God is because as we understand the depths of who God is, it becomes a conviction in our heart to share that with the world around us. I want God’s people, this church, all churches, but this church to grow deep in its conviction towards God and in relationship. Second, I want to fill up every seat within this building, and we’ve got an opportunity to praise God here in this church family. Nehemiah had an opportunity to see the nation of Israel be rebuilt. He he took a stand for God. We’ve all got to take a stand for God. He prayed before God. We’ve all got to pray in our relationship with God. But we make plans for the Lord. I mean, our plan is we’ve got this building, we pay for the rent. We might as well fill it up. And if we fill it up, the next plan is we move again. We buy one of these places, we knock down this wall, but we put a church building that grows bigger and bigger, that says to the city, God is building a city within a city in northern Utah County.
God is building this place where his glory can be seen. And it’s because God’s people are carrying the conviction of the Lord, and God’s people are taking a stand. They’re not being mean about it, but they’re taking a humble stand and saying, God is doing something within our hearts. And when we get to the road where things look difficult, we can’t make decisions. When it seems hard to take a stand for who God is. When we’re standing before the king or someone’s presenting to us opposition, we take the time we say, God help. I can’t back down from the conviction that you gave me. I won’t turn my back from what you’ve called me to do. I’m taking a stand. And God, I’m saying please help. And as the Apostle Paul said in Philippians, I am content in all things. And we’re pressing on according to his plan, according to the conviction that God has given us, we push forward. Could you imagine what every church in America would look like if we came into the building and we just simply asked this, what can I do for God? A lot of times we come backwards for the church body and we ask, what can the church body do for me? But in the book of Nehemiah, what we see is Nehemiah living with the king as a slave and the best position a slave could hope to live in with all the wealth and everything supplied in his life.
And he’s ready to give that up by asking, what can I do for God and His church, his people? What can I do? We shared last week the condition of the American church is greatly declining. 80% of all churches are either plateaued or declining 3000 churches every week closing their doors. And I would have to say that one of the reasons that this is happening is because the people of God aren’t asking the question, God, what is it you want me to do? Sometimes we become people who plan without praying, and so we jump into things and we mess it up. And then we ask God to be a part of it, or we kind of come up with our own plans and we tell God, God, I’m going to pray to you, but I’m just going to tell you everything that I want to accomplish. And so I expect you as my genie just to magically make it happen. But the people of God aren’t stopping to ask God, what do you want me to do for your church today? Could you imagine the turnaround that would exist within the American church if people walked in and just began with an eye opener to serve God and to serve others? That’s why, in Nehemiah’s simple leadership in our church’s philosophy, we try to make it very simple. All we have to remember is one word relationships. And then in those relationships, loving God and loving others.
It’s not about me, it’s about him. It’s not about me. It’s about what he wants to accomplish in his church. God has called us and appointed us in acts 1727 to live in this specific time, in this specific place, to do what he desires for us in our lives, because he’s convicting our hearts as we grow deep in our relationship with him. I like what Nehemiah does, and we’ll close with this last point. Nehemiah praises the Lord. A leader stands. A leader prays. A simple leader makes plans, but a simple leader doesn’t forget to praise. This should be point number four. I don’t know why I have three up there. This is point number four. He doesn’t forget to praise, and it tells us in the second half of verse eight. And because the gracious hand of God was upon me, the king granted my request. See, in the end, Nehemiah realized that it was nothing to do with the king. It was everything to do with God. And this is why Nehemiah realized it. The king had already ordered for the building of the walls to be stopped. And now, just 12 years later, no explanation whatsoever. The King desires for the walls to be built in Jerusalem again. It doesn’t make sense unless the gracious hand of God was upon him. You remember four months ago who Nehemiah was as an individual person. He was just the servant of a king, as a cupbearer.
But God had done something within his heart and God had changed that conviction. You know, in my life, I can remember the first time where I desired to take a stand for God. I remember God placed a burden for him in my heart and life. I trusted Jesus as my Savior. God just transformed my night into day, and I had this craving and yearning to go close to him. And so the first thing I did was go before family and friends and say this. And it wasn’t a king, but it sure felt like it. I’m going to follow Jesus with my life and the responses that you get from your family and friends as you share that information. And Nehemiah knew just four months ago what kind of person he was. He really didn’t have a deep conviction for the nation of Israel. And if God hadn’t put that conviction within my heart and in my life, I know what kind of person I would have been. I probably would have been some sort of alcoholic or drunk, desiring to please my own self with the life that I have. You know, the common slogan, whatever makes you happy would have been my my life’s verse and I probably would have wore that don’t worry Be Happy shirt all the time and it would have been all about me. A big smile for everyone who greeted me. But it’s the same for all of us.
We make up our own gods and live life as if we are kings of our own world, and we pay little attention at particular points in our lives for what God desires for us. And who we were before God is a far cry from who we are in God now, though. And as we follow him and the desires that he has placed within our hearts, it is far distant from the person that we used to be. And Nehemiah for months ago realized this for months ago. He knew that all he was about was himself. But God was about to do such a work within him that it was going to transform not only his life. And hopefully, if he can get out of the presence of the King, it was going to transform the lives of the nation of Israel And the Messiah who was to come to the nation of Israel to rule in Jerusalem and be born in Bethlehem would come because Nehemiah’s conviction to go back to Israel and rebuild those walls. And so Nehemiah takes the time to praise God. He praises God for the miracle that he worked with in his life for the last four years, but not just in that moment, but also being able to go before a king and make such a crazy request to ask the kid, the King, to fund such a large adventure from his own forest, and to rebuild these walls that he had previously stated he wanted to have stop building.
And the King granted his request. And so Nehemiah knew the hand of God was on him. And so Nehemiah gives praise. You know what is interesting to see about the life of Nehemiah? You know, we say as Christians and a cheesy slogan, WWJD, Right. What would Jesus do? We should all go buy the bracelets after this today. Nehemiah, just like Jesus, was in a high position and he took a lowly position to serve others. He gave up a castle to live in a city that was destroyed. Nehemiah served the brokenhearted, and he served a broken people, and he served a broken nation. Just like Jesus. Jesus came to this earth, and he had a specific mission to fulfill and a specific plan that he was to conduct. And Nehemiah has a specific mission in which God desires for him to fulfill. And Nehemiah is characterized as a man who’s placed in a position to live for God because of his integrity and character, and his life is conducted through as a in-scene us, to us, and displayed as a life of prayer. Over half a dozen times within the book of Nehemiah, we’re going to see that Nehemiah is taken to a position where he asks God for direction and guidance. Every day in Utah. And I pray this continues with my life. I wake up with a conviction for northern Utah County. I wake up with a conviction and a prayer and a plan.
But I always wonder myself, why in the world does God want to do this in me and through me? I mean, couldn’t he pick a grown up to do this job? That’s why I feel sometimes. But if we’re honest again with not not just me, but ourselves as well, when God calls us to ministry and to conduct for him and share his love for him and take a stand, oftentimes we find ourselves in a place in a position of saying, God is God. Is there anybody better to do this? Can you just let so-and-so do that? Just let the pastor take care of this. I really don’t want to share what you’ve placed in my heart. It’s scary to take a stand like that and to say something about it. But God in his relationships, not just working on me. He’s also working on you to take that stand for him and to be a leader where God has called you. To take a stand, you need a heart that desires what God desires. To pray and ask for God’s strength. You need to pray that God gives you his desire to be conducted in his will throughout this world. To make plans, you need to pray that God gives you the plans according to his will, but that you’re able to fulfill those plans according to God’s call in your life. But don’t forget to praise.
Because praise reminds us as God carries us through the situation, as God gives us the strength to take a stand and serve him. It reminds us that none of this was done by our own will, but it was all according to what he has done. Israel was a people who were oftentimes blessed with position and favor in the eyes of God because of their obedience to his will. But as people forgot to remain humble in their walks with the Lord and they left the area of praise, it’s as if they grew their butterfly wings and flew away and forgot what God was all about. And so God consistently, consistently reminded them it’s by his grace and strength, and placed them in positions where they could find him once again as slaves to the nation of Babylon and Persia, to be able to serve again. You know what I find that God is the best at doing. My life is just a complete testimony to this. It’s taking the misfits of life and using them to serve his kingdom, because he definitely gets the glory. Amen. I love the miracle that God is doing in my life. Do you love the miracle that God is doing in your life. Do you want to take that miracle and share it with others? It doesn’t require you to be an outspoken, charismatic leader. All it requires you to do is just simply lead. As Nehemiah was put in a position of favor not because he was an amazing leader, but because he was a man of integrity who just followed God.
And so the call to you this morning, church is to lead and lead simply. Let’s pray. God, I thank you for Nehemiah. And God, I thank you as people when we make things complex. God, your ways seem so easy. Lord, we just forget that. We forget that the best that you desire for this world is what you desire for our lives, and the goodness of you is what you desire to offer to your people. God. Sometimes the world looks better to us than anything that you want to give. And so, Lord, I pray that we just carry your conviction and burden for this world. As Nehemiah wept for Jerusalem, as Jesus wept for Jerusalem, that we weep for the people that are around us. And God, you work in our hearts and our lives, and we communicate that love to you. We plan to live for you. And God, we always praise you. Lord, we thank you for this morning. We pray that you bless us this week. And it’s in Jesus name, Amen. Go ahead and dismiss you this morning if you’re interested in being baptized and you haven’t seen me yet. We’re going to do a brief class right after this on baptism, so stick around if you’re interested in that. Other than that, grace and peace with you and you are dismissed. There’s a sign up sheet on the entry table to those who want to bring any side items.