Pastor Dave Martin ~ Cross Creek Community Church ~ Sept 18, 2005

“Building and Battling”

The Burden Neh 1-2 (Pew Bible #342)

Part 1 of 4

·         Over the next 4 weeks we’re going to look at Nehemiah as he rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem.

·         Today we’re going to look at his call – the vision or the burden God placed upon his heart.

·         Subsequent weeks we’re going to look Teamwork, Attitude and Leadership.

·         Does it ever seem to you that in your life, you take three steps forward and get knocked back two?

·         Anything worthwhile takes effort...  New house, buying property, nice yard, raising family, new life. 

1.   Our Entire Life Consists of Building and Battling.

Building:  Marriages, Families, Churches, Lives, etc.

Acts 20:32 "Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.   (1Pet 2:5, Eph 5:29, Rom 15:2, 1Co 14:12, 1Thes 5:11, Jude 20, 2Co 10:8, etc)

·         Your life – once you get saved there will be many spiritual battles to fight in order to grow spiritually.

·         We are built up spiritually by God’s grace as we’re in His Word.  Are you growing?

·         An Auto-pilot is a wonderful invention – punch in where you want to go and it’ll get you there.

·         Our lives & marriages, families, or our churches do not run on autopilot... needs constant attention.

·         You must make constant corrections to remain on course to build a Christ centered life.

·         If you’re building a house there will be many, many decisions, battles, obstacles, to overcome.

Battling: The World, The Flesh, The Devil 

2 Cor. 10:4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  (1Sam 17:47, 2Chron 20:15, Eph 6:10-18, Heb 12:4, Col 1:29, Gal 5:16-17, 1Jn 2:15, Jn 15:19, etc)

Romans 7:23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.

1 Peter 2:11 Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.

1 Peter 5:8-9 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

·         As long as you have breath you will be battling.  Spiritual warfare is being waged against you.

·         A battle to keep you blinded from truth, keeping you in spiritual poverty, walking in defeat.

·         We must utilize God’s divine power when we do battle... to crush the enemy’s beachhead.

·         The true story of Nehemiah gives us a glimpse of the daily battles that come our way & God’s remedy in overcoming the obstacles that come into our lives.

·         Neh was a cupbearer for King Artaxerxes 420 years before Christ... It was a very influential and trusted position, he literally protected the King from being poisoned... he hears that the walls of Jerusalem has not been rebuilt, the people were discouraged, God’s name is being disgraced... God “laid” it upon his heart to do something about the situation.  (It’s neat how God works!)

Battle... Problem

2. We must be in Position to “See” Broken Walls.

Neh. 1:2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. Neh. 1:3 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."

·         Neh saw with his mind and heart the condition Jerusalem was in, a mess – the walls flattened / gates burned

·         The thousands of Jews living there didn’t seem to care – woe is me, yet for maybe 80 years did nothing.

·         Neh living in Persia (Iran) was spiritually in position to see the broken walls.  Are we in position to see?

·         Can we see the battle that is raging?  The Battle for the mind... The strongholds of the enemy in your life?

·         Discerning what is going on in our children, our marriage, our church, our country... we must be in position.

·         In position to see requires walking in the truth... truth will always trump error and the deception of the enemy

·         The battle is broken walls, problems, messed up marriages, strained relationships, unforgiveness, bitterness..

·         The battle lies in the bad attitudes, lazy lifestyle, sinful habits, God help us to see our broken walls – our battle

Ephes. 1:18-19 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength,

·         Pray the “eyes” of your heart to be opened that we may see things the way Jesus would.  Look...

·         Ministries at Cross Creek – A/V, Computer, Music, Building & Grounds, teaching, serving, helping...

·         Uncle Sam wants You – The Lord wants You – Cross Creek needs You!

·         Open the eyes of our heart Lord – To truly see you!  When my heart is yearning for more of God...

Burden... Prompting

3. “Seeing” Spiritually Produces a Burden / Vision.

Neh. 1:4a “When I heard these things, I sat down and wept...”

·         When Neh heard these things, he was deeply touched.  Who touched him?  Who prompted him?

·         God did.  Being obedient to the Word allows us to be spiritually attuned to God’s activity around us.

·         God “moves” our hearts, He prompts us, He speaks to us, He burdens us, He gives us vision!

Ezra 1:1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing:

Ezra 1:5 Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites--everyone whose heart God had moved--prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem.

·         God speaks... He sat down and wept.  God truly started to stir Neh heart. 

·         God planted the vision / burden to “see” Jerusalem not broken but back together and made whole

When God Stirs my Heart...

·         My Motives are Purified – Testing whether its of the flesh or of God

·         My Thoughts are Focused – Overwhelming sense that God is uniquely speaking to you

·         My Convictions are Cemented – Bringing us to conviction and not personal preference

Over the years, hearing various Pastors say... this area is spiritually cold and dead, God can’t work here... God’s call / burden / vision came to me in starting Cross Creek...  Why can’t God build a great church? Why can’t God change lives today?  Why can’t God work in awesome ways?  Why can’t God bring revival in our area?  Why can’t God save precious souls today?  Why can’t God heal our marriages?  He can and He is!

Battle / problem then a Burden / prompting...

Bowing... Praying                      

4. We must Passionately Seek the Lord in Prayer.

Neh. 1:4b “...For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.”

(Persistence - 4 months between months of “Kislev” 1:1 & “Nisan” 2:1)

·         Passionately, persistently seek the Lord in prayer.  Neh sought the Lord for 4 months...

·         Do you ever notice when the Lord burdens you with something how you’re drawn to Him in prayer?

·         Praying in God’s will – energized by His Spirit - Lord hear our prayer, Lord answer our prayer...

·         Let’s look at the prayer Neh prayed... noting a few things that may be helpful in our prayer life.

God, Release Your Power!  God, I need You!

Neh. 1:5-10 Then I said: "O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's house, have committed against you.. 7-9 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses. "Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.' V10 Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man."  I was cupbearer to the king.

What does it take for God to hear and to release His Power?

Then before the King... Neh sought the Lord once again...

Neh. 2:1-5 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; 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, but I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?" The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 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."

James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

·         Why do we pray?  Because God hears & God answers prayer in powerful ways! 

Friday night was a special night... our Leadership Team met at a cabin up on Sorber Mountain for a time together.  We had great food, fellowship... a wonderful time of sharing our hearts, looking at scripture... but a great time on our knees before a Holy, Awesome, Wonderful God!  God we need you!  God we can’t do it without you!  God work in my life!  God work in your church!  God give me a hunger for you!  God give me a passion for you!  God save souls!  God grow your people!  God protect us from the enemy!  God work in our midst!  God raise up laborers! God revive our hearts!  We got up from praying then it turned into a hug fest...

·         We’re planning one for all the men of the church – a cookout, fellowship, sharing, prayer... soul food!

·         Spiritual retreats makes the Devil angry but pleases the Lord!  I want to please God!

·         Notice the pattern, Neh heard the report of broken walls – this is the battle, the obstacle, the problem

·         God burdened him to get engaged in the battle... this is the burden that only God can produce...

·         The burden turned into surrender to God in prayer... dependence, confession, trust, persistence...

·         “Cupbearer” – Neh station in life.  Where do you find yourself in God’s great plan of things?

·         I am a carpenter, I love working with children, I enjoy A/V, Can’t all be cupbearers but all be involved

·         Problem – Prompting – Prayer – Praise for now God answers Neh’s prayer...

Building...

5.  Praise God for His Gracious Enablement.

Neh. 2:8b “...And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.

·         God’s grace was upon Neh... God heard and God answered his prayer.

·         I believe God’s grace is upon Cross Creek... but we must stay clean and obedient to His Word.

·         We’re seeing lives being touched for God’s glory... Answers to prayer to His glory...

·         Praise the Lord – “Mary’s Place” was purchased – trails, pavilion, etc. Sparkies took nature hike!

·         Without God in the equation of your life... there will be little praise and little building.

God’s Pattern:          Battle >>>     Burden >>>    Bowing >>>    Building

                                    Problem –                  Prompting –               Prayer –                      Praise

·         You say, Pastor – I feel like I’m doing a lot of battling but little building, little fruit, little progress...

·         Sometimes our hearts grow cold and hard where we do not sense God’s prompting or burden.

·         Some of you may need to make a clear commitment, stop playing church or get right with God.

What wall needs rebuilding in your life?

            What battle are you struggling with?

                        What burdens are you carrying?

                                    What is God asking you to do?

1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.  (Stay persistent in your prayer life)

Our God is able to do anything He chooses – Trust Him...

Ephes. 3:20-21 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

·         The sooner we realize its not about you or your authority but its all about Christ in you  - the better!

·         Would you bow your heads, bow your hearts, and humbly cry out to God for His help?

Would you pray this prayer...

...As Neh prayed, Father – in the name of Jesus we come to you this morning... I thank you for being a great and awesome God who keeps Your covenant of love... Lord forgive me of my sins, God cleanse me of my evil ways... Father help me to be sensitive to your Spirit’s prompting... Lord grant your servant a spiritual hunger for more of you...  Father teach me to be more faithful in my prayer life and to deepen my commitment to you... Help me to be the man or woman you have called me to be...

If you don’t know the Lord this morning... God is calling you to come to Him.  Very simply would you pray... Lord be merciful to me a sinner... Forgive me, I repent of my sin and fully trust Jesus Christ to come into my life and save me before its eternally too late.

·         I just want more of God in my life... All across this room – if God has spoken to you Saved or unsaved and you prayed from your heart... would you lift your hands and give Him the praise for what He is about to do in your life!

Closing Invitation

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