June 3, 2005

WITH THE HELP OF OUR GOD

Nehemiah 2:11- 6:19

When I started this series of messages on Ezra and Nehemiah, I told you that one of the reasons I had chosen these books is that they contain the record of two great building projects, and I wanted to study them to see what truths we could learn for our own building project. I am particularly going to focus on that emphasis today, because the passage in front of us (Nehemiah 2:11-Ch. 6) is the record of the second of those great building projects. It is the story of the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem under the leadership of Nehemiah.

It is a fascinating story. We are only going to hit the high points today. I encourage you to read it on your own to get the full flavor of the story. There are a number of different kinds of “glasses” we could put on to study this passage, and a variety of valuable lessons to learn. As I said, we are particularly going to look for lessons for our church and our own building project. But as we do that, I would suggest that these same lessons are equally valuable to us whenever we take on a task for God and his kingdom.

I have condensed the truth of these chapters and of my message this morning into a single sentence. It is simple enough and important enough that I want us all to memorize it together. The truth is this: WHEN WE DO GOD’S WORK, WE CAN RELY ON GOD’S HELP. It’s a simple sentence with a simple structure. There are two parts to it. The first part has 5 words, the second part has 6. WHEN WE DO GOD’S WORK (say it together) WE CAN RELY ON GOD’S HELP (say it together). Repeat several times.

But what exactly is God’s work? How do we define it? There are a number of ways we could define it. I am going to use a definition that is found in the text itself. Here it is: God’s work is the work he has put in our hearts.

Where do we find this? Read Nehemiah 2:11-12.  Did you see that phrase? What my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem…How did Nehemiah know what God wanted him to do? God put it in his heart. Now, I can’t say for sure how and when that happened. If I was going to guess, I would say it probably happened during those days of fasting and prayer back in Susa when he first heard the report about the walls of Jerusalem lying in ruins. But however and whenever God did it, he was the author and the assigner of this particular task.

I believe God has done that same thing for the churches of this center. As the center has filled up and it has become harder and harder to find a place to sit on a Friday, and harder and harder for the churches to schedule a hall or room for their services and activities, God has worked through the leaders of our church and the other churches to agree that it is time to build. God has put it in our hearts to do this task.

I believe this also applies to the individual tasks and ministries to which God calls us. I find it rather fascinating as I have been studying these books of Ezra and Nehemiah, how God picked different men for the different tasks. He chose Zerubbabel to lead the first group of exiles back to rebuild the temple. He chose Haggai and Zechariah to preach and inspire the people to support the work. Then he laid it on Ezra’s heart to return to Jerusalem and to instruct the people in the Laws of God. And now he has put it in Nehemiah’s heart to rebuild the walls. Our individual tasks may vary. But they all have this in common. God’s work for you is what he has put in your heart to do. Do you know what God has put in your heart to do? If you’re not sure, why not try asking him?

With that background then, what is our theme sentence? WHEN WE DO GOD’S WORK, WE CAN RELY ON GOD’S HELP.

When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, as recorded in the second half of Nehemiah 2, he took 3 days to rest and get his thoughts together. Then he did a secret, night time survey of the city walls, to familiarize himself with the scope of the task and to lay his plans. That’s always a good way to start. Take the time to understand the task and lay out a plan.

The next thing he did was to enlist the leaders and the people for the task. (Read 2:17) He presented them with the need. But need is not always enough. He also offered his help. Come, let us rebuild…And he also offered them a hopeful outcome. We will no longer be in disgrace. But the most important thing he did was to offer God’s help. He did this by telling them how God had already helped in changing the heart of the king of Persia. See verse 18: I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me.

He convinced them that this was God’s work and that God was already involved in helping build the walls. As a result, the people enlisted enthusiastically: They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work. (v.18)

Sometimes getting a project started and recruiting the people for a task is the hardest part of the whole project. Sometimes, it’s the easiest and the most difficult part is keeping them motivated and working. But always we can rely on God’s help.

In the course of the project, we find that Nehemiah and the people faced opposition. It was constant, and took on a variety of forms. But it never let up. It began when Nehemiah first arrived back in Jerusalem. (Read 2:10)

As I said, it took a variety of forms. Their enemies mocked and ridiculed their efforts. (Read 2:19, 4:1-3)

They assembled an army and made threats and actually planned attacks against the builders. (Read 4:2, 7-8)

They attempted to lure Nehemiah out of the city so they could attack him personally. (Read 6:2-4)

They made false accusations and reports about his project and his intentions. (Read 6:5-7)

They tried to frighten him into hiding in the temple (which was against the Law). (Read 6:10)

That’s quite a list of opposition strategies, isn’t it? God never promised us that it would be easy when we undertake to do his work. But how did Nehemiah and the people respond? Well, the first thing they did was to remember our key truth. Say it with me: WHEN WE DO GOD’S WORK, WE CAN RELY ON GOD’S HELP.

Let’s look at some examples. Look at 2:20: I answered them (the opposition leaders) by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success.”  Very simply, “God will help us.”

Nehemiah expressed his reliance on God’s help over and over again through prayer. Look at his response to their mocking and ridicule in 4:4: Hear us, O our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Look also at 4:9: But we prayed to our God… And again in 6:9 They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.” But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”

Over and over again he told the people to rely on God’s help. In 4:20: Whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!

Are you beginning to get the picture? WHEN WE DO GOD’S WORK…WE CAN RELY ON GOD’S HELP.

But there is something else to note in the account of this great project. They prayed. They relied on God’s help. But they also worked. And they kept on working. Prayer is not a substitute for work, but rather it is empowerment for our work. Prayer does not make work unnecessary. It makes it effective. We saw the people begin the work in 2:18. The whole of chapter 3 gives the names and various work assignments as different families worked on different sections of the wall. Look also at 4:6: So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.

They not only worked but they took defensive measure to respond against the threats of their enemies. (Read 4:9, 4:15-18, 21-23). I think that phrase in 4:9 says it all: But we prayed to our God and we posted a guard…Prayer doesn’t render us passive. It makes us active. But it is activity filled with hope and confidence because we know God is at our side and on our side.

I am not sure if we will face great opposition to our building project, or if we do, where it will come from or what form it will take. But I do know that we can take great confidence in this. WHEN WE DO GOD’S WORK…WE CAN RELY ON GOD’S HELP.

The story of the opposition to Nehemiah’s work may seem to belong to another time and another place, but as I was studying this account this week, I received an e-mail, forwarded to me from Roma and Srimal Ronasinghe. Let me read portions of it, and see if it sounds somewhat familiar.

Thank you for your love, concern and support for the Church of Christ in Sri Lanka. There was another attack on the Foursquare church in Pollonnaruwa a few weeks ago. About 150 monks and others threatening and harassing the believers and the pastor whilst the service was going on Sunday. There were about 80 members in attendance for this service. Pastor Kingsley requests for urgent prayer. His life and the life his family members are in danger. The believers are strong and their lives are also in danger.

 I just heard that Pastor Kinsley has been accused falsely and the Assistant Superintendent of Police has asked him to shut down the church. If anyone is killed that they are not responsible, and that they would charge him for the murder if he does not shut the church down. The police on the instigation of the Buddhist monks have filed a case against this pastor and the first hearing is on Monday. The magistrate is a Buddhist and the only lawyer the pastor was able to retain is also of another religion. Please pray that this pastor will have the victory.

God is using him powerfully there. One entire village of gypsies (of the lowest caste) has accepted the Lord. The Lord is bringing many people to this church and there are many new churches opening there because of this. Miracles of healing and freedom from demonic possession, and many other mighty things are happening every day. In obedience to the Lord he is not leaving the place. Please pray for their protection, strength, comfort and courage. Thank you and thank you again for your prayers.

It kind of brings it home, doesn’t it? WHEN WE DO GOD’S WORK…WE CAN RELY ON GOD’S HELP. Even when the opposition is strong.

Nehemiah not only faced opposition, but in the middle of the project, in part because of the threats, and in part from the sheer difficulty of the task, he faced a crisis of discouragement. The middle of a project can be a perilous time. We start out a task with a flush of strength and enthusiasm. And when we near the end of a project, we get renewed strength when our goal is in sight. But in the middle, it can get very difficult to keep on keeping on. That’s what happened to the builders. Let’s read 4:10-12. (Read)

So what did Nehemiah do? (Read 4:14) He called on them to remember the Lord who is great and awesome… Why did he do that? He’s reminding the people: WHEN WE DO GOD’S WORK… WE CAN RELY ON GOD’S HELP. Whose help? The help of the great and awesome God.

Well, we’re not quite finished. Believe it or not, in the midst of the project, with everything else that was going on, Nehemiah faced a labor strike. That’s right. They had a work stoppage. The story is told in chapter 5. There was dissension among the laborers, because of injustice in their society. The roots of the problem were economic. The land had been undergoing a drought and a resulting famine. Some of the people didn’t have food to eat. Others had mortgaged their fields in order to get food or in order to pay their taxes. Still others had actually had their sons and daughters taken into slavery when they defaulted on their loans. Now here’s the real sore point. The ones doing the money lending and charging high interest were some of the Jewish nobles and officials. Now they are all working together on the wall. But there came a point when those being oppressed could not take it any longer. They laid down their trowels and told Nehemiah, “We can’t go on until this matter is cleared up and we get some relief.”

So what did Nehemiah do? He remembered the key truth: WHEN WE DO GOD’S WORK…WE CAN RELY ON GOD’S HELP. He didn’t flinch. He faced the problem head on. He called the leaders in and confronted them with the matter. And he did so by referring the matter back to God. Look at 5:9: So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies…Let the exacting of usury stop! Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses…

Do you know what happened? God convicted these rulers. Verse 8 says They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say. And when Nehemiah challenged them to act, they responded in verse 12: “We will give it back,” they said. “And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say.”

The problem was resolved and justice was enacted. And the people went back to work. Nehemiah faced the problem with God’s help. And the matter was solved. WHEN WE DO GOD’S WORK…WE CAN RELY ON GOD’S HELP.

What was the final outcome? The conclusion is given in 6:15: So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. That is a remarkable achievement for such a massive task. And they managed to do it in spite of all the opposition and problems.

It happened in such a way that God himself received the credit and the glory. Look at verse 16: When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.

Do you remember the word from the Lord that I challenged us to take for our project several weeks ago? This was taken from the prophet Zechariah’s words to Zerubbabel to challenge him to take up the work of building the temple. It is in Zechariah 4:6: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord Almighty.

God promised his help to Zerubbabel and he completed the rebuilding of the temple. Nehemiah relied on God’s help, and he completed the walls of Jerusalem in 52 days. What does God want to do in and through us? I believe our building project is a work that God has put in our hearts. Therefore it is his work. WHEN WE DO GOD’S WORK…WE CAN RELY ON GOD’S HELP.

Let us remember that truth at every phase of this project. Let us remember that it is his work. Let us continually turn to him, at the beginning, in the middle and when we near the end of the project. Let us trust in him if opposition comes, or discouragement, or even dissension. Let us pray and let us work with all our hearts, relying on God’s help.

And when the work is done, not only we but all who hear of it will say, “This work was done with the help of our God.”