“Ordinary World Changers”
Nehemiah 1:1-2:10
Sermon Series: “Change Your World In 52 Days”
Introduction: God chooses to use ordinary people to change the world. Nehemiah is a great example of this. He was an ordinary person in the sense that he wasn’t royalty or a religious leader, and God used him to solve a 140 year old problem in 52 days. Nehemiah was the cupbearer for King Artaxerxes I. He was obviously a man with character who was trustworthy because the cupbearer was the wine taster for the king who was there to make sure the wine wasn’t poisoned. A cupbearer was often a confidant to the king so this could be a position of great influence. Other than risking his life by tasting the wine, Nehemiah would have had a comfortable life.
However, a simple conversation with his brother changed his life. Nehemiah was in the king’s palace at Susa in the month of Chislev (which is roughly November or December on our calendar) when Hanani came with men from Judah, and Nehemiah asked him about Jerusalem and the remnant of people who had returned there. Hanani told him that the walls were “broken down and its gates are burned with fire.” This was both a dangerous and embarrassing situation. They were in this predicament because of their unfaithfulness to God so they were failing to be a light to the Gentiles and instead bringing reproach on the name of God. In regard to the historical background, the study notes in the Believer’s Study Bible say, “Just as the Israelites were taken into exile in three successive stages (605, 597, 586 B.C.), they returned in three stages. The first stage occurred under the leadership of Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel (538 B.C.). After a long delay, this return resulted in the rebuilding of the temple (520-516 B.C.), encouraged by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. Ezra led the second return in the seventh year of Artaxerxes I (458 B.C.; cf. Ezra 7:1, 8). Nehemiah led the final return n the twentieth year of Artxerxes I.”
Ordinary world changers:
1. Are overcome with a burden (v. 1-4). What do you cry over? What breaks your heart and burdens you? ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________
Our burden is a clue to our assignment.. Our burden is also a limiter of our assignment. We can all do something, but no one can do everything. If nothing burdens us, something is wrong with our heart. Getting a burden can wreck our lives, but that is a good thing.
2. Are driven to pray (v. 4-11). Here are some keys to powerful prayer that we can learn from the example of Nehemiah:
A. We are praying to a powerful and faithful God (v. 5).
B. We can pray as an expression of repentance (v. 6-7).
C. We are to pray according to the Word of God (v. 8-10) [Deuteronomy 4:23-31].
D. We can pray for God to work through us (v. 11).
3. Are compelled to act (1:11-2:10). People who make a difference in the world have an attitude that says, “Somebody’s got to do something, and that somebody is me.”
A. Act obediently (1:11).
B. Act courageously (2:1-3).
C. Act sacrificially (2:1-3).
D. Act prayerfully (2:4). This is an expression of dependence upon God that we see numerous times in this book.
E. Act wisely (2:8). He had obviously thought through things and had a plan in mind before speaking to the king.
Conclusion: Do you think there are a lot of problems in the world? Do you want to see the world change? Well, what are you going to do about it? What is your burden? Are you praying about it? Are you acting on it? Do you need to let Jesus change your internal world? That is the starting place.
