Accessing the Situation - The Grief of Nehemiah

Well take your Bible tonight, go ahead and turn to Nehemiah if you've not done Saul already. Most of you probably have because of our scripture reading. Should be easy for you to find Nehemiah right after the book of Ezra. Like I have said before, if you get the first, second, king, first and second Kings, first second chronicles, keep going on. Then you've got Ezra and Nehemiah and then Esther and Job. But all of that's right there together. Ezra and Nehemiah. Like I said earlier, we'll be in verses 1, 2, and 3, although I will make mention of verse 4. Next week we will cover the remaining verses of the chapter. They all go together.

Now usually when we start a new book, my habit usually is to take one message and give you an overview of the book. It is very important for us to understand the background and the overview of a book. If you don't know the big picture, if you don't know much of the information in an overview or the background, sometimes the truths that we look at might not have as much punch if I can use that language. This does help us immensely when we're trying to understand the message of the book but also those individual messages within the book. Always remember a book like this.

There is a message, a total message in the book but then there are other little messages within the book. I've used this example before but when we understand Paul's relationship to Timothy, Paul's relationship to Titus, then we will understand why he is writing certain things to Timothy, certain things to Titus. I've run across this through the years. Timothy struggled with certain things that Titus didn't struggle with. Timothy struggled with being timid. Timothy struggled with his youthfulness.

That's why Paul gives specific instruction to him concerning his struggles but yet Titus was a little different but yet we see they were under him, he had mentored them and he placed them in their respective ministry positions but when we understand that background then we understand why he is saying what he is saying. The Lord would have never inspired Paul to talk to Timothy about being timid if he was a timid. So those things matter. The background, the context, all of that does matter.

Now in our study of the book of Nehemiah, I'm not going to give an entire message to background and we will not be verse by verse just like we we're gonna have the same approach that we had in Ezra. With Ezra we took portions verse by verse and then we took certain portions I kind of call it chunk by chunk. Some of it we covered in a different manner. There is much that would be laborious and really to a great degree meaningless if we were to go verse by verse. You don't necessarily have to turn back but if we go back to the book of Ezra it's right there in front of you.

If we look at the end of chapter 10, if we look at that long list of the offenders, those who had offended God by sinning against God, taking those foreign wives, if we took verses 18 all the way down to the end of the chapter just listing and going through those names it would be laborious. So that's why we are taking that approach. Now with this background information I'm going to take it in first, second, third. I'm going to break it down for you so it'll be easy for you to hear and if you need my notes, if you're having a hard time writing this down, don't feel like you have to. I can get you this information.

But first I want to mention some basic information about the book itself, the book of Nehemiah. The book is named after a man Nehemiah, you probably know that by now, he was the key figure in the book although there were other prominent figures in the book. Nehemiah is famous for being a cup bearer to King Artax Erxes of Persia. We see that in detail in chapter 2 starting in verse 1 but he's probably more famous for being the wall builder in Jerusalem. You might have heard or remember that he did both of those things or you might have heard or remembered that he did one of those things.

Maybe in vacation Bible school you learned about him being a wall builder and you didn't know he was a cup bearer. I'm not sure how much information you have but it is important for you to know that he was noted for those two things. He was the key figure in helping rebuild the walls around Jerusalem which was an extremely part of the rebuilding of Israel as a nation and Jerusalem as their capital. The book itself is closely tied to the book of Ezra. I've said this numerous times and you need to know this.

Not only because it was a part of the same story of God's people returning to rebuild the nation but because the Hebrew Old Testament had the book of Ezra and Nehemiah as one book under the title of Ezra. It was under the title of Ezra. Now our English versions title the book as Nehemiah. Most Bible commentators believe that it was Ezra who wrote this book. Now there's some debate here and whatever position you might fall on it really does not matter. We know it's inspired of God. There's some evidence that Ezra did write the book.

The fact that the Old Testament Hebrews titled both of these books as Ezra combining them that's evidence that Ezra wrote it. There's a certain phrase that's found in both of the books that we know Ezra wrote in the book of Ezra. That is the hand of the Lord. It runs through all of these books or both of these books and also the fact that there was so much information given from the royal archives of the Empire of Persia. Very few individuals would have had access to this information but it is a scribe because that's what Ezra did in Persia. He would have had access to these documents.

We see that in Ezra chapter 1 verses 2 and 4, 2 through 4. Ezra 4 verses 9 through 22 chapter 5 and chapter 6. So many Bible scholars believe that Ezra would have been the one writing but they believe that Ezra would have leaned on or had access to Nehemiah's firsthand accounts. That's why some of it is in the first-hand perspective. Now if you happen to study and you believe that it was Nehemiah that wrote the book, I don't have a problem with that. We don't have a problem with that because we know whether it was Ezra or Nehemiah it was inspired by God. So that's some basic background information.

Second, I want to mention the context or the background, the context of the book. As I've said many times Nehemiah is part of a larger story in which numerous books are drawn from. Historically we do understand this is a historical book. Historically Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther are from the same time period. Now prophetically the book of Hagia and Zechariah are from the same time period. You need to understand that. Those are prophetical books whereas Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther are historical.

But the background of Nehemiah just as it was for Ezra is God calling his people back from judgment, back from captivity to Jerusalem to rebuild as a people and a nation. God used the Assyrians in 722 BC to judge the ten northern tribes of Israel and later in 606 or 605 BC God used the Babylonians to overrun and take Judah into captivity. So thus the judgment of God which we have studied. We should be familiar with this study from our study in Ezra. Now I want to do something I haven't done so far. I want to weave these historical books Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther into a timeline that might help you understand more in depth the background.

And this is big picture but it will help you. The book of Ezra begins with King Cyrus. Remember he was a Persian king. He issued a decree for the return of God's people to rebuild the temple. Zerubbabel and Yeshua led the first wave and rebuilt the temple. That was in Ezra chapters 1 through 6. Now far as a timeline the book of Esther fits historically after Ezra 6 and the book of Esther gives the details of life for Jews who were left in Persia. Esther tells us that they were in great distress because of Haman's attempt to destroy the Jewish people.

Then in Ezra chapter 7 verses chapter 7 through chapter 10 we see the second wave led by Ezra. That was a smaller delegation and there were spiritual reforms that were led by Ezra. That's all familiar to us. Then after this second wave we see Nehemiah's return. With Nehemiah there was a third wave in which they returned to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem and there was renewal and revival in Nehemiah's work as well. So you should have a good grasp historically of the timeline. Now third I want to mention some basics that will help us get started in the book. First I want to name the key people of the book. Obviously there is Nehemiah.

His name in Hebrew means Jehovah comforts to the Jewish audience. That would have been very prominent in their understanding of who Nehemiah was. Like I said earlier he was famous as a cupbearer and a wall builder. Next there's Ezra because he is in this account as well. He led that second wave of exiles back to Jerusalem and he worked with Nehemiah during this work and we see him come on the scene in chapter 8. Now next in Nehemiah we'll see two other individuals and they were part of that group. They were a discouragement to the Jews. Sanbalak was a governor of Samaria and he attempted to hinder the rebuilding of the walls around the city.

We see that in chapter 2 verse 10 and on through chapter 13. Tabiah is mentioned. He was an Ammonite official who ridiculed the rebuilding of the walls around the city and like Sanbalak he discouraged the people. So those names will come up and I wanted you to have an understanding of who they were. Now last this is still part of this information. This basic information that will help us get started. Last are the themes and the key doctrine of the book. Just like in Ezra there will be the themes of rebuilding, revival and renewal. We will continue those themes.

The work of rebuilding Jerusalem was still incomplete so rebuilding is a major theme in the book of Nehemiah. Another theme throughout the book is obedience. Obedience. Nehemiah's obedience is referenced throughout the book through his first-hand accounts. Also just as in Ezra there is the theme of opposition. Ezra faced opposition and they in Nehemiah and those others will face opposition. Enemies of God's work like Sanbalak and Tabiah were hard at work to discourage and to hinder Nehemiah and others as they worked to rebuild the walls around the city. And then lastly woven all throughout the book is God's sovereignty. Remember that.

All through this story Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther through the whole thing God's sovereignty. God sovereignly called his people to his work and he protected them all throughout the book. So always remember that they are working under God's sovereignty. That's why the song that we sang earlier applies. They could sing had the Lord not been on our side. They were on God's side operating under God's sovereignty and that's why those enemies could not overwhelm them. They could discourage them but they could not overwhelm them. Now if I could assign a theme to chapter one.

If I could assign a theme to chapter one within this book it would be the grief of Nehemiah for the Jewish exiles. We see starting right in verse four there is grief that seizes Nehemiah. Let's look at verse four together. Now it came about when I heard these words. This is Nehemiah. He hears a report from his brother. There is a delegation with his brother and what happens? He hears the condition and it says he sat down and he wept and he mourned for days and he goes on to say and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. See there's the grief of Nehemiah for the Jewish exiles. Now this verse is the high point of the chapter.

Verse four is the high point of the chapter but really it is the low point for Nehemiah. The high point of the chapter because the whole chapter turns right here in verse four but the low point or a low point for Nehemiah in the life of Nehemiah. But before Nehemiah can be grieved and broken and come to this low point he had to receive a report about the situation and that's what we're going to look at. Now but I want to pause for a minute. I'm going to make a little application here. True spiritual low points are always brought on by God in God's people for God's purposes. Now we know big story, big picture, we know the whole story.

This low point which was really a high point was brought on for God's purposes. So hold on to that. When we enter a low point, when we enter the bottom, when we go into the valley, if we understand it in light of God's sovereignty and his lordship over our life, we know and we should know that God brings those circumstances on for his purposes. So when a low point comes we should look up. So let's look at the title of the message. I want us to see this title of just these few verses that we're going to look at. I'm calling it assessing the situation but I'm tying it to verse 4 although we will not get into verse 4, the grief of Nehemiah.

Assessing the situation, the grief of Nehemiah. Giving us enough background and context that we can get started in the book and we're going to look at verses 1 through 3 and we're going to focus on two observations out of these verses, the setting in Persia and the setting in Jerusalem and there is much for us to learn more so than you probably have noticed before. The setting in Persia and the setting in Jerusalem. Let me go back and read these verses. The words of Nehemiah, the son of Hekaliah, those words are important. Nehemiah is giving us who his father is, proving who he was.

Now it happened in the month of Chislev in the 20th year while I was in Susa the capital that had an eye one of my brothers, some men from Judah came, there was a delegation and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped and had survived the captivity and about Jerusalem and they said to me, "The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire." Here comes the low point. Now it came about when I heard these words, I sat down on a weft and I mourned for days and I fasted and I prayed before the God of heaven.

Now let's look at main truth number one, the setting there in Persia. You see where that's coming from, verse one in the first part of verse two. Now here we find that Nehemiah, this key figure in the book, is in Persia or he is still in captivity. Far, verse one states that he is in Susa. Now Susa was one of the Persian cities, one of the stronghold cities. Interestingly, this city is the setting for the book of Esther. So when you're studying Esther in your own time, you will run across this town, this city, this stronghold Susa. But here we have Nehemiah.

He's in the king's capital, he's in the king's palace and he's serving as a cup-brier and his brother comes to the city. His brother, who had gone back with the second wave of exile, seems to have been back in Persia possibly on some official business and he gives a report to Nehemiah concerning the situation. Bible commentators believe he was there with a delegation on behalf of official business. Now two observations concerning Nehemiah and his setting there in the king's palace as a cup-bearer. First of all, Nehemiah remained in Persia.

You might say, "Pastor, you've already said that." I want to ask us a question and I want to explore this. The question is, in light of a context, why did Nehemiah not return to Jerusalem like so many of us other countrymen? We know the context. Thousands had already returned. So much had been done back home, but why did Nehemiah, who was obviously a godly man, not return? Earlier in 536 some 50,000 had returned. Also in 437, Ezra went back and it was a small delegation but a successful delegation.

His own brother had returned during the second wave, so why had Nehemiah remain in captivity in Persia even when so many had returned to engage in such an important work? No doubt God had a plan. God had a purposeful plan in Nehemiah not returning. No doubt Nehemiah must have been following the leadership of the Lord. No doubt Nehemiah heard the voice of God not to return, or maybe he did not hear God speak to him and say to return. So however God worked in his life, he was under the lordship of Christ, if I can use that New Testament terminology. He was serving God although so many had gone back. So he remained there in Persia.

Second Nehemiah had taken a secular job. It seems as if he took a secular job in a pagan country serving a pagan king. That's exactly what happened. But what was this job? A cupbearer. The cupbearer was one who tasted all of the king's beverages for poisons. Kings in those days were always looking out for coups and overthrow attempts. They were looking out for those who wanted to kill them and take power. So the kings were always fearful of being poisoned. Simply the cupbearer put his life on the line for the king.

And also since the cupbearer was so close to the king, many times they would have a close relationship to the king and many times the cupbearer would become a very close confidant to the king and their families. So Nehemiah had a very secular job in a very pagan country serving a very pagan king. So we see here the setting in Persia. Nehemiah had not returned to Jerusalem along with so many of the other Jews. He had stayed behind in Persia and he had ascended or some Jews might have thought he descended.

We know in the economy of God he ascended to that position but maybe some of those Jews who returned looked back and thought Nehemiah descended. In other words, how could he take that position? But that's where he was serving. Now what can we learn here? How can we apply this to our lives? For us, we need to understand that God put certain people in seeming strange circumstances to accomplish his purposes many times at the confusion of God's people. I'll give you an example. Many times people ask Brother Keith, how in the world can he teach such a secular subject, a psychology, on a college campus?

But if you listen to him and his testimony of how God's worked in his life, you will see that God has placed him there in that classroom teaching that subject and through that opportunity that opened door he is able to witness and share. I can't tell you how many times through the week he talks about witnessing to college students and faculty members. So what some see is a contradiction. God has an open door. We know, you know, that we are praying for our own Jonah Henderson who is in the Marine Corps.

We've been enjoying and we've been rejoicing in the Lord of how God's using him there and no doubt there were certain people that said, "Son, do you realize you're going into a very evil environment? You're going into an anti-God, anti-Christ, anti-Christian environment? How can you go into that environment?" But he professes that God led him there and all through boot camp and some of in his deployment he's been he has been being used by God. So what I'm showing you is with those two examples, sometimes God puts his people in circumstances that might seem strange but it is for his purposes. I can relate to this from my own personal life.

When I left full-time ministry I had to get a job. When you have a seminary degree there are not many options outside of church work and long story short I ended up working in construction, full-time construction and I had minister friends who didn't understand that. I'll never forget a minister friend one day asked me, he said, "Chris, when are you ever going to go back into ministry?" Well I didn't see myself as out of the ministry but vocationally I was.

My friend was basically in a nice way saying, "I don't understand why you're in that position." But God had led me there and God was working in my life and there was a purpose and many purposes in me working in that environment at that particular time. So what am I trying to show you? Nehemiah no doubt looked like he was in a strange position. Why didn't he go back with Ezra? Why didn't he go back with the first delegation?

It was because God had a purpose for him in Persia and I said it earlier he ascended to where God wanted him to be but it could have been that there were Jews who thought he descended and we must learn that God does put people, his people in circumstances that might seem strange at times but yet they are for his purposes. One more thing I want to say before we move on. We have to be careful here because I have seen some people who profess to be Christians and they make decisions that are ungodly and they say that they're following the leadership of Christ. That is not what I'm saying.

I'm talking about born-again people who are following the Lord and walking with God not leading a contradictory lifestyle. I think you understand what I'm trying to say. So this is the setting in Persia and so much that we can learn and you might find yourself one day at a set of circumstances that you do not understand and Christians around you would quiz you and not understand and you might be just like Nehemiah somewhere seemingly strange but for his purpose. Number two I want us to see the setting in Jerusalem. The setting in Jerusalem. What do we see here?

Verse two, the second part of verse two, his brothers came and what is Nehemiah say? I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped. In other words, his brother comes to the capital there, comes to Susa. He says how are our brothers doing? Verse three, they said to me the remnant there in the province who survived the captivity or in great distress and her approach and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and his gates are burned with fire. Here we see that Nehemiah asked his brothers, he asked the delegation. It wasn't just one. I asked about the situation if I can use this language back home, back in Jerusalem.

So this was not a report from one man, this was from a delegation. I think that's very important. Was it just one man telling? Now his brother was a godly man because if we study on through the book he was later an official there back home in chapter seven in verse two. So this was a truthful report from back home. Now three observations I want to make here. First Nehemiah asked them about the situation back in Jerusalem. Now this question would indicate two important truths about Nehemiah. First, he knew of the circumstances, again I'm going to use this language, back home.

He knew of the circumstances back in Jerusalem although he did not know the current events. He knew the two waves had gone back, he knew that there was work that had gone on, but he did not know the current events, the current news. He knew of the groups who had returned, his brother was part of that second wave. Then second, Nehemiah had a deep and genuine concern for the Jews back home as a whole. He did not ask about his immediate family, he did not ask about friends. No doubt Nehemiah had to have known people who went back. He didn't ask about friends by name, but he asked about the nation. He asked about the people.

So he asked about the situation. He wanted a current report about his own countrymen and what was going on back in Jerusalem. Second, the exiles were in great distress. This is the report. The New American reads great distress and reproach. The English Standard reads great trouble and shame. Now what is what the meaning of this distress, shame or affliction, the King James reads, what's the meaning? We really can't answer that question until we finish dividing the verse. So what does this language reproach and shame and affliction mean? We got to continue. Third observation, the walls of the city were in ruin. The gates were burned.

Isn't that what he says? He says they were in distress and reproach. The walls of Jerusalem were broken down and the gates were burned with fire. Now there is some debate as to when the walls and the gates were destroyed. We really don't know. Some say this refers to the destruction brought on by Nebuchadnezzar. That's described in 2 Kings 25 verse 10. That was part of that original judgment that we studied about in Ezra. If that was the case, no repairs would have been made during the time of rebuilding found in Ezra.

Now some say that the walls and the gates were repaired during the time found in Ezra and that this destruction was more recent, being from those who opposed the work that was going on. Now you can study commentators and theologians and get all types of opinions. We really don't know. But my opinion is that the walls and the gates were never repaired. My opinion is that this destruction was part of that original judgment that was brought on by Nebuchadnezzar. So here we see that Nehemiah gets a report and that the report we see is the setting. This setting, this report that the walls, the gates were destroyed. Now remember our question.

Why was this so shameful? Why were they in such distress and affliction? We see that the people of God, because the walls were destroyed and the gates were burned, they were open and vulnerable to attack from those outside of the city. There was no protection from the pagans around them. If I can use our language, there was no protection from them from the world. They were not completely separate and unique. The Jews were supposed to be a unique and separate people from the world and that division was deteriorated because of the walls and the gates.

The fact that the walls and the gates were not repaired meant that they were in a state of defeat. So that's why they were in shame and affliction. I guess if I can go back and look at big picture, those who opposed the work could literally walk right into the city and oppose the work that was going on. No separation. I like what Matthew Henry says here. He is an old Puritan commentator, very accurate, respected through the generations.

He says, "I quote the Holy Seed," that's the Jews, "the Holy Seed was miserably trampled on and abused in great affliction and reproach, insulted upon all occasions by their neighbors, and filled with scorny of those who were at ease." So what do we see? They were in a shameful situation because the work was not complete and they were not fortified and they were open. Now, in application, I want us to see that the Jews, Jerusalem and the temple, this work corresponds to the church in our day. I've said it and I'll say it again.

In that day, the center of God's activity was in Jerusalem with the Jews, the rebuilding of the nation and the temple. If you wanted to find out where God was working - yes God was working in Persia with Nehemiah and other. But the very center of God's activity was in Jerusalem and rebuilding the people. But that corresponds today in the Church. The center of God's activity today is the Church.

The local Church, the Church in India, the Church in China, the Church in Southeast Asia, the Church in South America, the Church in North America, the Church right here on Nola Sun Tag Road, and the Church in Lawrence and Lincoln County, the local Church. That's where God is working. Now I thought about more application in relation to our Church. Brother Keith and I have worked hard to - now listen - repair the walls and the gates of the Church. Now they needed walls and gates to separate and to protect.

We don't live like that today, but there are certain walls and gates that are given in Scripture as to how we are to do this thing called the local Church. And Brother Keith and I have sought to erect them and rebuild them. Let me show you what I mean. You know that we do what we do and we do it on what I call the ten pillars of the Church. If you look at the ten pillars of the Church, they function much like the walls. I'll give you an example. The first pillar is conversion. We teach and we preach biblical conversion.

We live in a day and a time when easy believe is in the profession of faith, all those kinds of things, the Roman road, and all of these things have lowered the standard, lowered the wall. There is a breach in the wall in many churches and it is in the area of conversion. And there are lots of people in the Church today. They profess to know Christ, but they do not produce fruit in keeping with repentance. They are not sheep, they're goats, and they are labeled Christian. And there's a breach in the wall with conversion and you fill up the church with goats. And what happens? The world just comes tumbling in.

And what we've done is sought to repair that part of the wall and we preach and teach biblical conversion. We preach the gospel. That's the third pillar. It's the gospel that saves. It's not adhering to a certain theological position. It's not a certain list of things that you might do. No, it's the gospel or the power of the gospel that saves. I can't get you to walk down the aisle and repeat a prayer after me and while all that will save you, no, it's the mysterious work of the gospel. I think about the Word, which is the fifth pillar. We preach the Word. We teach the Word. We're not going to give you self-help. Why?

Because it is the Word that grows you. It's the preaching and the teaching of the Word that forms you. We sin under the Word systematically and it's the Word that renews our minds and changes our thinking. It is what grows us into strong Christians. And when we over a period of years begin to grow in maturity as we walk with the Lord and learn the Word, that just strengthens the work of the church. I'll show you one that's extremely important and that is we believe in godly leadership. The church is governed by elders.

No doubt there are laymen who are a part of leadership in the life of the church, but look we have sought to establish that it is elder led. It's not just anybody, qualified men of God. And there are so many churches that are led by people who are unskilled, unqualified, meaning are unconverted and that part of the wall is destroyed and we've sought to rebuild that. All of these things are to protect you and this work. It's what church discipline is about. It's a difficult issue. We have performed church discipline. Not all church discipline is running someone out of the church.

I can't tell you how many conversations we've had of correction with people and it's not an easy thing. But I've been in churches but that don't practice church discipline and you have a cancer within the life of the church and it should have been dealt with and there should have been church discipline exercise to protect the church. And then there's church membership. That's something in this new year that we've got to really pick back up with. There are some who are desiring the unite with our church. Church membership needs to be constantly being dealt with. Not anybody can just join the church. Why?

The church is for those who are converted and walking with the Lord and they're led of God to be here. It's not people who just want to have their name on the road. That is rebuilding and repairing the walls. You see in all of these things protect the local body. We see this all through the scriptures. So we see the setting there in Jerusalem. He was heartbroken because the work of God was in disrepair. Now let me move on from what we're looking at. Like I said we're only going to look at verses 1, 2, and 3. Setting in Persia, the setting in Jerusalem.

That sets up the remaining verses of the chapter but I want to conclude by making one statement and asking two questions. The first statement. Will you get it in your mind, get it in your heart, will it become a part of the fabric of your being that you will bloom spiritually, flourish spiritually no matter where you're planted? Think about Nehemiah in the king's palace. Yes he lived the life of luxury but think about this. He had a heart for kingdom work. He had a heart for the Jews. He had a heart for the rebuilding of the nation. He had a heart for what God had a heart for and that was for Israel.

It must have been a lonely position to be over a thousand miles away from where God was working. Many times in our spiritual journey we will find ourselves in positions that we don't like. And if we let our flesh take over it can be so gloomy and doomy and we can live a defeated life all because we just want our circumstances to change. And brother Keith and I are not free from this. We can battle this as well. If God is sovereign over our lives like he was in Nehemiah's life, he has us in circumstances sometimes that we might not like and we must bloom and flourish where he has planted us.

And sometimes this takes maturity to get us to that point and when he does get us to that point he will let us look back and we will see just how selfish and pitiful and weak we've been. Two questions. First question is do we have a genuine concern for the church like Nehemiah was concerned for Israel? Some of you real quickly will say yes but I will have to correct you there. Hold on with me as I say these things. Nehemiah was broken for the work of God and he had never seen it. We can be broken and burdened and concerned and excited for the work of God here which is good. We can be excited and committed and work hard for the church here.

But what about when we hear about the church there? What about when we hear about another church that's in disrepair, that's in trouble, that's in strife. What about when we hear of our home church or our neighbor's church? You see where I'm going? Nehemiah had never been there. Nehemiah had never seen what Ezra had seen or what his brother had seen. He was broken for the work of God and he never laid his eyes on it. If I can use our language, now listen, Nehemiah's church membership was not in Jerusalem, it was in Persia but he was broken for Jerusalem.

When are we going to be so broken for the church that we are equally broken for our neighbor's church as we would be for our church? I'm not gonna act like that brother Keith and I are there but brother Keith and I God has done a work in us and we are broken for the church. We have friends and family who cannot find a church.

I know people who have told me if I live closer to you I would be where you are at what God is doing there and my heart is broken for those friends but not broken enough because I should be broken about what God is broken about and look don't you think that God is broken for the church around the world when it is sick and the walls are broken, the walls are torn down, the gates are burned. Don't you think God is sick when his church is led by unskilled uncalled men? Don't you think God is sick when bad doctrine runs amok through the church? Don't you think God is sick when conversion is watered down?

It breaks his heart and so my question is do we have a genuine concern for the church like Nehemiah and my answer is this no we do not not like we should. Second question is will you be usable for God in the church today? Somehow someway Nehemiah got to the place where he was usable in Jerusalem. Now get this a layman, a cup bearer. Now what did he do? He went back and rebuilt the walls. He was not an engineer, does not say that he owned a construction company in Persia and when he heard he thought I'll just take my crew to Jerusalem.

He was totally unskilled, he was totally unprepared for the work but it wasn't about his ability it was about his usability and what you might not realize is that God can so work in you that God could use you not just in this church but in other churches and in kingdom work in other places. You might say me? Yes you. Will you be usable for God in the church not just our church in the church? So what are we looking at tonight? We're looking at assessing the situation, the grief of Nehemiah. We've touched on the grief but we must assess the situation. We must see where Nehemiah is and where his heart is.

He is geographically in Persia but his heart is far the ruin in Jerusalem. You see the title of the series? It's much like what we looked at in Ezra. It's rebuilding and revival in God's people. Nehemiah was a man who went back and he rebuilt. He was a rebuilder and we will see he was used in revival in God's people. Lord help us in our church, in your church, in this church. Help us to be such a church where we can be used to impact other churches.