2024-08-18- Sunday School The People Had a Mind To Work

Nehemiah, an Israelite cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, learns that the walls of Jerusalem are still destroyed and his brethren are being afflicted. He becomes sad and weeps for four months, but continues to pray and fast. The king notices his sadness and questions him about it, leading Nehemiah to fear for his life. Nehemiah's sadness is seen as a sign of disrespect to the king. The transcription emphasizes the importance of prayer and not losing faith in difficult times. It also mentions the story of Elijah, who experienced depression despite his great feats as a prophet. Good morning, everybody. If anybody has any letters, you can give them to Christy. She's got a little basket over there, and I think some of them is going to bring some tonight. We'll do that at the end or whatever the team wants to do. We will move along to the next Lesson 12. I don't think we'll read the introduction this morning just because I'm a little bit off track. Lesson 12 in Nehemiah. We'll be back in Nehemiah Chapter 2. We'll pick up where we left off. Lesson 12 is titled, The People Had a Mind to Work. The theme this morning says, God's work is important, even more important than our own ambitions. God uses people to do his work, but too many are not interested in participating. Our golden text this morning, if I really like it, says, So built we the wall, and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof. For the people had a mind to work. That's what we need this morning. That's out in Nehemiah 4 and 6, and that's probably projected where we'll get to this morning. Hopefully, if I've timed things out right, I hope I did. So where we left off last Sunday in Nehemiah, just to catch up the ones that wasn't here or maybe had forgotten, we'll refresh your minds. Nehemiah, he was an Israelite born in Babylon or in captivity. The Persians had actually overtaken that by the end, it seems. So Nehemiah has never been to Jerusalem, as far as we know, but he is an Israelite. He is a Jewish person born out of the city of Jerusalem. We learned that he was a cupbearer in King Artaxerxes' palace, to King Artaxerxes. I can say these names in my bedroom. I can't say them when I get up here. There's a difference for whatever reason. But he asks at some point in chapter 1 of Nehemiah, very quickly, some of his brethren that has been to Jerusalem and is making a visit or whatever, he asks about the welfare of his brethren and learns that they are being afflicted, that the walls are still down, the gates are still burned and need to be rebuilt. They're unprotected, Brother Quentin. And this puts him in a very sad state and he weeps for certain days. It says the sadness led him to weep and that weeping led him to do something about it, to fast and pray. And he could not even control his sadness, even around the king. And we had discussed that and we made a couple of points that maybe he loved his job. He was in a palace. God had provided him a very good job even outside of Jerusalem. But he had a mind to work for the Lord and he loved his brethren and his roots there in Jerusalem very much. But there's another point that I'd like to make this morning on that, that it was possibly wrong or definitely wrong to even show sadness in front of the king. Let's read verses 1 and 2 of Nehemiah chapter 2, verses 1 and 2. If you'll turn there this morning if you haven't already. It says, And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him. And I took up the wine and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been before time sad in his presence. We read this last week. Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? This is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid. So why would this make Nehemiah sad? I kind of gave a spoiler there. Wasn't the king showing compassion by checking on his welfare? We know that Jewish history tells us and commentaries and most Bible scholars believe that a cupbearer and a king a lot of times had a very good relationship. A cupbearer would have to be trustworthy and of impeccable character. And once again we find that one of God's children is in a great place even outside of Jerusalem to help his brethren in the coming days. But this king is asking, What is wrong with you? And as we stated last week, historically a great way to assassinate a king is to poison his food through the cupbearer. One of the cupbearer's main job was to taste the food first, as I understand it. Sometimes we'll joke, Well, you try that. And if it makes you sick, then I won't eat it. We'll say things like that, but there's a lot of truth to it here. But King Artaxerxes took a good look at Nehemiah and said, You aren't even sick. This could only be sorrow of the heart. So basically you aren't sick. The only reason you could be sad is that you're unhappy. And being unhappy would be a great insult to the king and the king's palace. And like I said, a man could face execution simply for being sad in the king's presence. You were to act in a certain way around a king. You should show him honor by being happy to be in his presence. And if you wasn't, you could be executed. And the way I understand it, many was. So it's no wonder why Nehemiah might be afraid when the king looks at him and says, Hey, what's wrong with you? You're sad. What's going on here? First he might think, You're sick. But he decided very quickly that you're not sick. This is something wrong with your heart. You are unhappy. And notice in verse 1 it mentions that this came to pass in the month of Nisan. And Nisan is not on our calendar. This is the Jewish calendar, Nisan. I didn't go into great detail, and maybe I need to someday. But Pope Gregory VIII in 1582 introduced the Gregorian calendar that we go by, and he modified it for leap years to keep the rotating schedule 365 days in a year, the way I understand it. Like I said, I didn't go too deep into it. But at this time, we're in the Jewish calendar, Brother Quentin. But we know Nisan now is April on our calendar. And I printed out a little calendar here. Y'all can pass that around if you'd like. Nisan is right here in the first month of the year. And notice as you're passing that around, look at the other highlight there. Was it Kislev or Chislew? You can pronounce it a couple different ways. And the difference there between those months. And that's going to make a point here in just a minute. Nisan is referred to, as a side note, the month of miracles, Brother Austin, and the month of redemption. That's the month that God redeemed Israel from slavery in Egypt. And we're getting ready to see that this is the beginning of a decree from Artaxerxes to build protection around Jerusalem here. And when Nehemiah first inquires about his brethren in chapter 1, verse 1, it was the month of Chislew or Kislev. That is roughly four months or about 120 days of weeping, fasting, and praying. When he finds out about his brethren's state, to this point here, is about four months. And you can see that on that calendar there. We find Nehemiah praying in chapter 1, verse 1, and pleading with God. Or verse 11, chapter 1, verse 11. He says, That was the end of his prayer to God. And he's using verbiage like now or this day, praying in desperation and in urgency. But four months pass before God provides an opportunity to Nehemiah. Four months of weeping. This world would call that depression. And it was. By all means, he was depressed. He was sad. He was weeping for four months. That is a very sad state to be in for a very long time, a depression. But it wasn't a depression without action. He fasted and prayed for those four months. And I know that we need to move along, but I think God wants us to realize something here. Have you ever found yourself depressed or sad or bitter in a season of life where you're just stuck in a rut? Maybe you're like Nehemiah and you have a loved one that you just want in the protection of the Lord. And that's what Nehemiah is doing here. He's worried about his brethren. Maybe someone has hurt you and you just can't get past that thing. Or you have an illness and you don't understand why God hasn't moved on it. You've asked him several times and you don't know why he hasn't moved. You're in a season of your life that's stuck and seems like it's not going anywhere. And you get down and discouraged and maybe depressed. But let me encourage you, don't just stay there without prayer. Your life will show your relationship with God. If you've been hurt, don't blame God. Don't stop praying. Don't stop reading your Word. Don't stop going to church. And if you do go to church, don't just sit there on God because God has given you a work to do. Depression or sadness is not a sign that you are out of God's will, but it is a tool that Satan will use to get you outside of God's will. And it will start with a lack of prayer, a separation from God and that relationship. And I want to say if someone is sitting on God at church, they aren't burning up their prayer closet. You can't convince me that they're doing everything they should do outside of church, but when they come to church, it's, leave me alone, I don't want to be bothered. That's just not the way it works. And it's a dangerous place to be because God's answer to your situation will most likely be found in your prayer closet. You spend, hopefully, much more time in your prayer closet than you do at the house of God. I thought Elijah was a great prophet. Nevertheless, he bought with depression in a certain point. Turn with me to 1 Kings 19 and 1. We'll see how this great prophet had a bout of depression. Remember, the prophet Elijah raised the widow's son from death. He boldly rebuked King Ahab about the idolatry in Israel. And the most curious thing is he had a contest with the prophets of Baal to call fire down from heaven. And he said, you know, you build an altar to your God and you call it your God. If fire comes down, then we'll serve your God. But if it don't, and I call fire down upon this altar and make a sacrifice, and fire comes down, then we'll serve my God. It was kind of like a contest. And, of course, we know how that panned out. It came in his favor. But after all those great things, we see a strange turn of events in chapter 19. And it's a little out of character for Elijah. Verse 1 starts, Verse 2 starts, And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat, forty days and forty nights into whore of the mount of God. And he came thither unto a cave and lodged there. And, behold, the word of the Lord came to him. And he said unto him, What doest thou hear, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts, that children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword. And I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life to take it away. And he said, Go forth and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by in a great and strong wind, rent the mountains and breaking pieces the rocks before the Lord. But the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire a still small voice. So, after all these mighty things that Elijah had done, Jezebel, a little old woman, has put Elijah on the run and put him in this state. And you may be sitting here and gotten to a place that seems out of character for you. God has used you many times, but something seemingly small that normally wouldn't have got to you, has. And you don't even know how really you've gotten to this place. But God wants you back in His service. He wants you back in the service of the Lord, doing the job that you promised Him that you would do. Everybody take a moment, everybody, and ask yourself, Am I where I need to be? Is my relationship with God like it one time was? If somebody walked through those doors and God wanted to use you, are you ready to be used? If this can happen to a great prophet like Elijah, surely we aren't exempt from being in this state. He wanted to die. I feel like he kind of got tired and weary with well-doing. God, I tried and I tried, and things still haven't changed. He said, even with my best effort, and I'm paraphrasing, I'm not even better than my father's. I'm useless. I may as well give up. Have you ever been there? Are you there this morning? And on the heels of some great miracles, I thought about my own struggles with addiction and different things. Many times I'd get help from God and He'd do a work in my life. I would go to church by the pleading of my family, thankfully, and I'd go up and get help, and God would do a work in my life, and I'd start testifying, Brother Quentin, and it just seemed like things were up and I was on a mountaintop. But after that, after a great move of God in my life, it seemed like clockwork. Over and over, around the corner, I'd fail Him. And I thought long and hard about what that might be. It was like I'd worked to do everything right, and God would use me in a service, and I'd be praying and fasting, and all of a sudden the bottom would just fall out of it, and I'd be left exhausted and sitting under a juniper tree, and Satan would seize his opportunity. And it's true that you can't live on a mountaintop because that is draining. It is. And you don't even really realize it. Once the spirit subsides a bit, we start realizing how tired our bodies are, and we feel empty. And I've learned in those times, that's really what makes the difference, to keep praying. Don't give up. Even when you don't feel, God, like you did a week ago or a month ago or a year ago, keep doing what you know to do because right around the corner, God will be there again. It will happen again. I remember Brother Tim going through something one time, and I don't remember how long it was, but he said his prayer closet seemed a little cold, but he kept going in there, and then one morning he said, he stepped in there and he said, And that's lingered with me, and I trust in that, and it's happened to me before, but sometimes it takes a little bit more effort on your part. You're not going to go in your prayer closet some morning and just be on fire right at the beginning. And you may go through a spell like that, and it may be a test for you, but don't give up. Don't stop praying. Don't stop working for the Lord in service. And why? Because God wasn't in the wind. He wasn't in the earthquake. He wasn't in the fire. It doesn't take much for an earthquake to get our attention. It doesn't take much for the wind to get our attention. It doesn't take much for a fire to get our attention. But it's that still, small voice that we have to be listening for, that we have to make a calculated effort to hear, to go and pursue sometimes, and that will be in your prayer closet, not in some mighty work. We talked about it the other day. Brother Beaver is saying that he fasted for, I think, this boy and didn't get the answer he wanted, and it hurt him. And he talked to God about it, and God told him, I'm not looking for one great effort. I'm looking for consistency. And I want to be consistent in my prayer closet. When people aren't watching, when there's no mighty great wind, when there's no earthquake, when there's no fire, I want to be consistent in my prayer closet. Where was it that had that big revival at that college and it stayed for just maybe last year? Was it Asbury or something like that? And I'm not talking bad about that. If one soul was saved, it's awesome. I'm happy anytime somebody is serving the Lord. But somebody I know that never goes to church, hasn't went to church since, went down there, drove down to that college, and stood in line forever, and came back and told me that I needed to go down there, that that's where God is, that they felt a mighty move of God, and they never went back to church again as far as I know. But God's not looking for some great effort. He's looking for consistency, for you to come here and do your work, and to pray for this church, and listen for that still, small voice, and to be consistent. But pray in the valley. I thought a mountain climber doesn't sit in the valley without boots and ropes and all the things that he needs to get back up to the mountaintop. And prayer is what gets you back to the top, so don't stop doing that. I'm trying to get us to the building of the walls this morning, but our lesson title is, The People Had a Mind to Work, and that's where it starts, having a mind to work. You have to have the mind to work before the walls can go up. And I'll give you a spoiler alert. Let's turn to Nehemiah 6 and 15, just one short verse, but I'd like for us to read it. Skipping ahead to Nehemiah 6 and 15. It says, So the wall was finished in the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. When I read that, I thought one thing. It took only a month and a half to accomplish what Nehemiah prayed and fasted for for four months. The prayer was the most important part. The prayer was the biggest part of the process, and often we feel like that's not part of the process at all. We feel like that's not even part of it, like we need to get to that. But prayer was the biggest part. If you're praying this morning for something or someone, things are getting done. The process is in motion. It may seem pointless. You may not be feeling a whole lot. You may feel like giving up at times, but don't give up. God is going to answer the prayer. This is a very necessary part of the process. Nehemiah prayed for his loved ones that were not protected. Yes, they had a church. Yes, they claimed to be doing right. They had a temple. But it's been a hundred years and still no protection, Brother Quentin. No walls around the city of Jerusalem. Remember, Nehemiah means God's comfort. Don't kid yourself. Yes, the temple was built, but these people are still vulnerable. They are still under Persian authority. They may be claiming that they are okay, but our exercise could pull them back at any time. He could change things any time that he wanted to. And how many loved ones do we have that go to church or at least claim they have a relationship with God, but it's obvious they aren't in God's protection? And we pray, God, I love them. You love them. They are not safely in your fold. What can I do to help ensure their safety? Send me, God. Let's build these walls back up. They are still held captive by the enemy. I thought when I went to that Methodist church the other day for Benny Lou Hammond's funeral, I'd just seen a bunch of people that want to go to heaven just like you and me do. They was building a church. They was cooking meals for the hurting. They just want to go to heaven like us. They are not, as Brother Tim put it, they are not the enemy. They just want to go to heaven too. And I pray, God, protect these people. Build a wall around them. Teach them. Make sure that they make it. My mom, my brother, my mamaw, my nephews, put your loved ones in there. God, build a wall around them. A wall pleasing unto you that the devil cannot penetrate. We feel like all we can do is pray. Often we just feel that way. But that's the most important part. The walls will go up fast once we get them in here. We just have to have a mind to work. I thought Oswald Chambers, a Scottish evangelist years ago, he wrote My Utmost for His Highest. I think he actually, that was a sermon. And after he died, his wife rewrote his works, some of his sermons, if I'm not mistaken. They don't really matter. But he said, we tend to use prayer as a last resort. But God wants it to be our first line of defense. We pray when there's nothing else we can do. But God wants us to pray before we do anything at all. Turn back to Nehemiah 2 and 3. Keep on praying. Keep on in the Lord. Even when you don't feel Him, He's there. He's listening. It's part of the process. Nehemiah 2 and 3 says, And said unto the king, Let the king live forever. Why should not my countenance be sad when the city, the place of my father's sepulchers, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? Nehemiah is talking back to the king here. And he's in an extremely vulnerable position. Notice how he blesses the king first, which would be expected probably for anything. He would probably say that before he said anything, I'm sure. But next he admits, Yes, I'm sad, and here's the reason. He was boldly ready for this opportunity. He'd been praying and fasting for four months and knew the opportunity when it arrived, Brother Austin. He was prepared for this moment. If he hadn't been spiritually ready, he would have handled it wrong, and the king would have been put off by it or killed him. Or he may even cowardly say, Oh, no, it's just my allergies. I'm not really upset, or my back hurts. You know how we do. But Nehemiah knew exactly what to say and how to say it, even to the point that he didn't even blurt out the name Jerusalem yet. That city was known by the Persians to be a rebellious city. Remember Jesus' words in Luke 21 and 15, He will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. Through prayer, fasting, and the knowledge of God's words, these are the keys to being prepared for any moment. And it was for Nehemiah, and it's still for us today. Nehemiah 2 and 4 says, Then the king said unto me, the first part, For what dost thou make request? Nehemiah was ready, and he's got the king's attention. And it says, So I prayed to the God of heaven. Nehemiah says, So I prayed. He's standing before the king. So I prayed to the God of heaven. Preparation has met opportunity, and Nehemiah recognizes it. And a moment later, verse 5 starts, And I said unto the king. Didn't miss a beat. Nehemiah didn't go to his prayer closet. He didn't have time to go off in a corner somewhere and ask God, Hey, how should I put this? What should I ask for? What do I need to do? This is it. This is the moment. He's in front of the king, and the king says, What dost thou make request? And standing right in front of the king, Nehemiah prays to his heavenly king, the king of kings and the Lord of lords. This is that Lord that holds the king's heart in his hands, and he turneth it withersoever he will. All that praying, fasting, weeping, has come down to this defining moment in time. His future depended upon it. Jerusalem depended upon what he would do right here, and he was ready for it. All of his brethren's future depended upon it. I thought we'd been praying at Gospelite for so's, 50 so's, and I hope you have. I know I have. I name our lost loved ones. We all know our lost loved ones, and sometimes I may forget some, but we know some names. We know Bob Dixon, Tom, Todd, Chuck, Memo Sissy, Levi, Whitney. We know these names, and we list them off, and we ask God to touch them. But I've also been praying, God, bring a complete stranger in here, somebody from Clarkson's. I don't even know. There's somebody that you're dealing with, and bring them here. There's someone out there that needs you. I don't know them, but you do. And we've been praying that way for a while, and months goes by. It seems like by and far it was just us regulars. But one night, Shannon North and a couple of her friends walked in and sat right back there. I turned around and saw them, as you all did, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who whispered, right here in this church house, God, this is it. This is the moment. This is the opportunity that we've been praying for. Lord, use us. Let us build a wall of protection around them. I felt God in the song service. I felt Him in the testimonies. I felt Him in the preaching. All the way through, I felt God, and I was thankful that He was here. What a glorious moment. She came up and got saved and gave her heart to God, and it was glorious. A glorious moment. It was a sight to behold. I told you I was praying right there, and I thought, Lord, it's been so long since I've seen somebody. Give her life to you. I just want to come over here and get a glimpse of her. And I love watching that transition as somebody feels God for the first time, and that thing that they've been missing, and those questions answered, and that fulfillment, and just the look on their faces, and the tears come down, and they're like, I wish I'd known about this. And I love watching that, but I also want to be praying for them and praying to God. I just love that. We all love that. We live for that, and that's what we're here for, to see that look and relief and realization that this is real. And what a glorious moment, but it was just a moment. God used this church to minister to a lost soul. But without preparation, it likely wouldn't have happened. Without prayer, fasting, and some tears, weeping, 52 days to build the wall, and I'm sure it was marvelous to look at. I'm sure it felt really good to get that over with. But it's because someone prayed for 120 days. Oh God, let us see the glory in the prayer. Not just in the walls erected, but the prayers before that. The glory in our prayer closet. It's a magnificent thing as well. And let us see the glory in that. You can't build a wall without heading to Menards and getting some lumber. And you can't see a soul saved without first praying for a burden. Let us be praying for another one. We've got friends and family that needs a wall built, a wall of protection around them. The Israelites wasn't getting the job done until a man got worried and burdened for them and got a hold of God on their behalf. Your prayer in your prayer closet is just as vital as the prayer that you'd pray if somebody walked down here and you put your hand on their back and started praying for them personally. It's just as vital that you do that in your prayer closet. It's just as important. Just like the Israelites, they aren't looking to build a wall. Our lost loved ones aren't looking for that. Sure, they know that there's some affliction. They know that they have troubles. They know that they have trials. They know that they don't have answers to life that they need. And they know something's missing. But they don't know the answer. Your concern and your prayer is what can ignite the entire thing. And I believe it will. Nehemiah 2 and 5 says, And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant hath found favor in thy sight, that thou wouldst send me unto Judah, unto the city of my father's sepulchres, that I may build it. And Nehemiah appeals to the king by asking him to send him to Judah. You've got a part in this. His words were very careful. King, please send me. Not that I'm just going to fly the coop. I've got to get out of here. Will you send me? Verse 6 says, And the king said unto me, The queen also sitting by him, For how long shall thy journey be, and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me, and I sent him a time. And moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, Let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah. And a letter unto Asaph, the king of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertain to the house and for the wall of the city and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me according to the good hand of my God upon me. Nehemiah was prepared. He had a plan. He not only prayed for this moment, he thoroughly thought about it in every detail. He knew how long it would take. He knew it would need some letters. He knew what kind of timber he would need. And so on and so on. Preparation. It was clear that this was important to Nehemiah. Have you thought about what you would say if you get the opportunity to speak to your lost loved one? Prepare. Proverbs 21 and 5 says, The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness, but of every one that is hasty only to want. God likes a prepared man or woman. Don't get mad at God when he does things differently than how you planned it, but it's always good to have a plan. Proverbs 29 and 18, Where there is no vision, the people perish, but he that keepeth the law happiest he. We need a vision, and we also need to see if that vision lines up with God's holy standard, first and foremost. Don't seek a line of work that's going to pull you out of the house of God all the time. I've got to work tonight. I'm sorry. But don't ask God for something that you know that he wouldn't be pleased with. That's just silly. You may get it. Nehemiah 2 and 9 says, Then I came to the governors beyond the river and gave them the king's letters Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me. Nehemiah puts a plan into action. It's easy to pray, Send me Lord, Send me Lord, and then he actually does, and what are you going to do? Will you spend your Saturday helping a friend move that you've been praying for just so you get that opportunity to witness to him? Are you willing to do something like that? Sometimes that's the way it's going to happen. Verse 10 says, When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the servant and the Ammonite heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel. And these, from what I can gather, these are men from Samaria, but the Hebrew states that Sanballat was a Persian governor, and right on time here comes the adversary. Nehemiah weeps, prays, fasts, plans, makes a request for permission with zero opposition. But now when it goes forth, when the burdened prayer turns to progress and motion, there's a problem with the adversary. Satan could care less if you're burdened. He doesn't even care if you have a plan as long as you don't act on it. Verse 11 says, So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days, and I arose in the night and I and some few men with me, neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem, nor was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon. Spurgeon says concerning this, You often find it best not to commit your plans to others. If you want to serve God, go and do it, and then let other people find it out afterwards. You have no need to tell what you're going to do, and I may add, there is no need for you retelling what you have done, for very, very frequently God withdraws Himself when we boast of what is being done. Godly counsel is good, but Nehemiah had already got a word from God, and that is best. You can't trump that, and Trump would have loved Nehemiah. This probably would be his favorite book. If you truly know it's God, go with it. Getting more feedback after God has said His peace will only often lead to confusion, discouragement, or boastfulness. Other than that, we really ain't told why He kept it a secret, but that would be maybe just my opinion. But verse 13 says, And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon went into the dung port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down, and the gates there were consumed with fire. Here's a little bit of a map. He went counterclockwise. Nehemiah is going around in Jerusalem. This is Jerusalem. And he went counterclockwise if you want to pass it around. Looking at these gates, and that's kind of a rough thing that I found on the Internet there. Then I went on to the gate of the fountain and to the king's pool, but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass. Then went I up in the night by the brook and viewed the wall and turned back and entered by the gate of the valley and so returned. And I want to be careful not to try to teach replacement theology, supersessionalism, or even take things out of context. But notice Nehemiah's careful investigation. As I read this and prayed about this man desiring safety for his brethren, I couldn't help but picture our loved ones and our neighbors and our friends and backsliders. And he went counterclockwise surveying the damage. Verse 15 says he viewed the wall. Strong's Lexicon says the verb in Hebrew describes, viewing describes probing a wound to investigate the damage. And that's the kind of burden we need to keep for our lost loved ones. I thought if we got a phone call that our mom or daughter or brother was dying, we wouldn't be passive about it. We wouldn't be distracted by other problems that we might have. It would immediately take the forefront of our minds. Nothing else would matter. And this is where Nehemiah was for four months. I thought you'd fly to the hospital calling out on God. You'd get there and nothing could hold you back from touching them and seeing what's wrong and surveying the damage. Nehemiah viewed the damage. Verse 16 says and the rulers knew not whether sorry brother Austin knew not whether I went or what I did. Neither had I as yet told it to the Jews nor to the priests nor to the nobles nor to the rulers nor to the rest that did the work. Then said I unto them you see the distress that we're in. How Jerusalem lieth waste and the gates thereof are burned with fire. Come and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem that we be no more reproached. Nehemiah wisely once again asked the help from the rulers once the timing was right. This was a way to limit the opposition and to accomplish such a large task to get everybody on board. He began by saying you see the distress we're in. They lived this way for 100 years and they've likely gotten used to their condition. People are like that sometimes. You have to make them realize that they need God. They've lived in captivity their whole lives and they've gotten used to it. Verse 19 says Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me as also the king's word that he had spoken unto me. So he's provoking them to this good work by proving that God is behind it. It wasn't just him. You can appeal to more people by showing them more of God and less of you. Self-promotion is not what this world needs. They've got plenty of that. And although he didn't self-promote, he didn't back down either. The hand of God is upon me. This is God's work. We need boldness like this. We often feel the need to backpedal or apologize for God's word and we don't need to do that. When it's God's word, it's final and it's strong and it'll stand for itself. If he said it, we need to be confident in it. And they said let us rise up and build so they strengthened their hands for this good work. Nehemiah boldly told his vision, glorifying God, and they couldn't help but to agree. Verse 19, But when Sanballat the Hornite and Tobiah the Servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian heard it, they laughed at us to scorn and despised us and said, What is this thing that you do? Will you rebel against the king? Sanballat and Tobiah are, like I said, Jewish names. They seem like out of Samaria. But those are Jewish names. Sanballat is those names throughout the genealogy are priest. And Tobiah means Yahweh or Jesus is good. And they live in this area, so they obviously have some ties as a brethren to some degree. And I thought opposition is never good, but it's extra hurtful when it comes from within, from a brother. We must be careful to stay prayed up or it will allow bitterness to take root in our lives. Notice the opposition comes in the form of mockery. They laughed at us to scorn. You're going to put a church where? A gas station? I mean, we hear stuff like that. Hold your tongue and guard your heart and let the work speak for itself. Verse 20 says, Then answered I them and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us. Therefore we his servants will rise and build. But ye have no portion, nor rite, nor memorial in Jerusalem. Nehemiah took the high road. Nehemiah uses this phrase, rise and build, that the people responded with him when he appealed unto them. And I like that in a leader. I thought about that and it might not mean much to you, but it shows that he listens to them and it builds confidence in a form of camaraderie when he uses their wordage there. Nehemiah adopted these words from someone else as his theme. There's nothing worse for me than being dismissed. It's my least favorite thing, being dismissed or feeling not heard. And Nehemiah was touched by other people. I think that's his greatest quality and what I'd like to take from his example. If you spoke, Nehemiah listened and was visibly moved. This is one of Paul's greatest qualities, in my opinion. 1 Corinthians 9 and 19 says, For though I be, Paul, for though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain them more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law. To them that are without law, as without law, being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ, that I may gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak. I made all things to all men, that I might be all men means. I'm going to butcher that. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak. I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you. He's saying, no, I don't have to, but I choose to relate to all men. Anytime I get a chance, I relate to people. So I might win some. Ain't that what we're trying to do? Don't you desire to do that? Listen to people when they talk. Be moved by them. Don't just judge them. Most people just want to be heard. Christ came and suffered temptation and death so that he could be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. I'm going to have to wrap it up. Chapter 3 switches from a narrative to just the outline of the working on the walls. And it's important, but we can't look at that for the sake of time. But the major theme of Chapter 3 is teamwork. From the priest to the apothecaries to the goldsmiths were out building and repairing walls and gates. It took everybody. And I thought if perfume makers, apothecaries can build walls, we all can do a work in the house of the Lord. In verse 5 it says, there is one mention of some nobles that was too good for this work, and now those prideful people are forever preserved in the Bible for not helping. You don't want to get the name throughout eternity for the one that refused to help in the service of the Lord. We're going to have to end there. We're going to get a little bit more. But let's use... We didn't get there, but let's use Nehemiah 4 and 6 as our closing verse. It says, So built we the wall, and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof, for the people had a mind to work.