1 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:11,080 Would you open your Bible, please, to the book of Nehemiah? 2 00:00:11,440 --> 00:00:15,200 In the Old Testament? We take ourselves back in 3 00:00:15,200 --> 00:00:19,000 history to about 450 BC in the Persian Empire. 4 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:24,120 Maybe you've read the book of Nehemiah, maybe you've not. 5 00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:29,600 But for the next at least 13 weeks, we'll explore it through. 6 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:33,080 We'll have a few breaks because of Christmas and New Year. 7 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:35,840 You can be certainly reading ahead tonight. 8 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:39,960 The title of the message is When the bad news breaks you. 9 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:43,160 When we read from the MI, I'll be reading out of the new King 10 00:00:43,160 --> 00:00:44,720 James Version. But I want to pose some 11 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:46,920 questions to commence with tonight. 12 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:50,520 And that is firstly, what do you feel? 13 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:57,200 Do you feel when you walk past a trolley of of meagre belongings 14 00:00:57,200 --> 00:01:03,160 of a homeless person, perhaps in Perth, Fremantle, maybe around 15 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:07,960 parts of Rockingham or Mandra? What do you feel when you hear 16 00:01:07,960 --> 00:01:12,880 another tragic story of a teenager loss to addiction? 17 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:19,240 What do you feel when you scroll past the news and you again read 18 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:22,600 an account of more corruption in our governments? 19 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:29,680 I think most of us probably feel very little because we've seen 20 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:31,280 it. We've heard it so many times 21 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:34,400 before that our hearts have maybe gone quiet. 22 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:38,400 We've been numbed or dulled to some of these situations. 23 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:43,640 But every now and then, every now and then, something breaks 24 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:48,800 through. A phone call, a conversation, 25 00:01:49,720 --> 00:01:52,800 maybe even a single sentence. And you're standing in the 26 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:56,680 kitchen, phone in hand and the doctor reveals and says it's 27 00:01:56,680 --> 00:02:01,240 cancerous. You open that email and the 28 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:04,280 message has we're letting you go. 29 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:08,000 You get that late night text message. 30 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:12,720 Mum has had a stroke and the world tilt. 31 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:15,320 It shifts and your stomach it drops. 32 00:02:15,920 --> 00:02:20,640 Everything that felt solid suddenly just falls like rubble 33 00:02:20,640 --> 00:02:23,800 into a heap. Well, I say all of that because 34 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:29,960 that is exactly what happened to a man named Nehemiah in the 35 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:34,440 Winter Palace of Susa. It's the year 445 BC. 36 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:40,200 He had the ultimate cushy job. He was cup bearer to King 37 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:43,200 Artaxerx. He's a powerful man, the leader 38 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:44,920 of the Persian Empire at the time. 39 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:49,320 His role was to taste the King's wine before the king did in 40 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:51,080 order to avoid him being poisoned. 41 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:53,520 And it sounds like, well, that's a pretty terrible job, thank 42 00:02:53,520 --> 00:02:55,600 you. But it was actually a privileged 43 00:02:55,600 --> 00:02:57,480 position. It meant that he had the ear of 44 00:02:57,480 --> 00:03:00,960 the king. It came with quite prestige and 45 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:04,280 and money and possessions as a consequence and it was also a 46 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:08,840 position that was one that the king Artaxerxes would utilise 47 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:12,360 the ear of that individual and seek counsel and wisdom from. 48 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:17,200 So what we introduced to in Nehemiah is a very privileged 49 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:22,120 individual, a person who is trusted, a man of power. 50 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:25,160 And we're introduced to his story here. 51 00:03:25,720 --> 00:03:29,160 And Susa, you could think of it as kind of the, the Bondi Beach 52 00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:31,840 of the Persian Empire. It was the place where the 53 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:35,160 Persian kings would go and winter out. 54 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:38,520 It was warmer. It was, you know, filled with 55 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:41,360 pools and palaces and endless comfort. 56 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:46,320 Well, one afternoon we'll read in a moment 1 of Nehemiah's 57 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:50,400 brothers fellow called Hananiah walks in with a a few men fresh 58 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:54,640 from a visit to Jerusalem. You see what had happened was 59 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:58,960 that those of the exile of Judea, many had returned to 60 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:03,360 Jerusalem and he is seeking after a recount of what? 61 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:05,920 What's it like there? He asks and poses the question 62 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:09,120 Nehemiah, I think in this asked probably one of the most 63 00:04:09,120 --> 00:04:14,080 dangerous questions that a comfortable person can ask, how 64 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:17,680 are the people doing? How is the city Jerusalem? 65 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:21,839 And the answer in one sentence effectively shatters him. 66 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:28,240 He hears the remnant there is in great trouble, and shame is upon 67 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:31,720 them. The wall of Jerusalem is broken 68 00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:35,440 down, and its gates are destroyed by fire. 69 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:41,880 This is Jerusalem, this city that was on a hill, Jerusalem 70 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:46,080 that once was so dazzling under Solomon that it indicates in the 71 00:04:46,080 --> 00:04:48,960 Scriptures that silver was as common as stones. 72 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:53,200 And Queens travelled from afar just to hear the King's wisdom. 73 00:04:53,520 --> 00:04:57,720 That Jerusalem, its massive walls that once stood proud, its 74 00:04:57,720 --> 00:05:00,560 Golden Temple had been the dwelling place of God. 75 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:04,960 But 150 years before our story that we get into now in 76 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:09,280 Nehemiah, Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar had marched in, 77 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:13,600 burned the temple, torn down the walls, and dragged the people of 78 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:17,200 God some 1400 kilometres into Exxon. 79 00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:19,440 We've been reading of it as we've been studying through the 80 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:21,720 book of Daniel on Sunday mornings. 81 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:28,000 Some, as I mentioned, had returned some 75 years ago now, 82 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:31,840 but the the city was still very much a wasteland. 83 00:05:33,080 --> 00:05:35,560 And Nehemiah, upon hearing these words, collapses. 84 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:43,440 He weeps, Scripture tells us, he mourns for days, he fasts for a 85 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:46,200 period of four months as he prays. 86 00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:49,960 And his story is before us over the coming weeks as we study 87 00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:51,000 this book. Nehemiah. 88 00:05:52,440 --> 00:05:58,280 Now tonight for many of us, if the bad news about our nation, 89 00:05:58,280 --> 00:06:02,160 if bad news perhaps about our people, the people of Australia 90 00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:06,440 or our cities, think of the city of Perth or our suburbs here in 91 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:10,760 Secret harbour, our friends, our family, if if the news about 92 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:15,440 them has not broken you yet, it will, it will. 93 00:06:16,480 --> 00:06:19,920 So the question is what will you do when it does? 94 00:06:20,760 --> 00:06:25,440 Or if you are feeling in a state of brokenness much like Nehemiah 95 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:29,920 here, then you want to learn from Nehemiah what he does in 96 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:32,120 such moments. You see, Nehemiah shows us the 97 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:37,720 pathway that turns heartbreak into holy action and gives us 98 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:43,880 effectively A blueprint for how God rebuilds a city, yes, but 99 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:46,480 how God can rebuild human brokenness. 100 00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:52,480 So tonight we're going to watch a man move from devastation to 101 00:06:52,480 --> 00:06:57,240 determination through prayer. And there's three movements in 102 00:06:57,240 --> 00:07:00,600 our text before us in these 11 verses of chapter one that I 103 00:07:00,600 --> 00:07:03,480 pray God works in every one of us this evening. 104 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:07,560 We're going to consider #1 the burden that breaks us in verses 105 00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:10,800 one to four. And then with that burden, what 106 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:12,520 do we do? Well, secondly, we'll see that 107 00:07:12,520 --> 00:07:17,760 the believing prayer then builds us in verses 5 to 10. 108 00:07:17,760 --> 00:07:22,240 And then lastly, in verse 11, the bold availability that sends 109 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:24,720 us. So let's consider the first as 110 00:07:24,720 --> 00:07:28,400 we look at the 1st 4 verses the words of Nehemiah the son of 111 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:31,680 Hakaliah. It came to pass in the month of 112 00:07:31,680 --> 00:07:36,120 Chislev, in the 20th year, as I was in Shushan, the citadel, 113 00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:40,040 that Han and I, one of my brethren, came with men from 114 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:43,320 Judah. And I asked them concerning the 115 00:07:43,320 --> 00:07:47,320 Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and 116 00:07:47,320 --> 00:07:51,200 concerning Jerusalem. And they said to me, the 117 00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:54,880 survivors who were left from the captivity in the province are 118 00:07:54,880 --> 00:07:57,720 there in great distress and reproach. 119 00:07:58,880 --> 00:08:03,160 The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are 120 00:08:03,160 --> 00:08:07,440 burned with fire. And so it was when I heard these 121 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:13,480 words that I sat down and wept and mourned many days. 122 00:08:14,520 --> 00:08:17,680 I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 123 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:22,600 So first, the burden as we stop and consider these verses, 124 00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:27,800 Nehemiah consider has never been to Jerusalem that we know of 125 00:08:27,800 --> 00:08:31,920 prior to this as we're reading here, never seen it with his own 126 00:08:31,920 --> 00:08:35,559 eyes. He grew up in exile in the 127 00:08:35,559 --> 00:08:40,080 Persian Empire, knowing only Persia, only the Babylonian 128 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:43,600 influence before that, but hearing no doubt, stories of 129 00:08:43,600 --> 00:08:47,520 Jerusalem's former glory, perhaps instructed by his 130 00:08:47,520 --> 00:08:51,200 parents or relatives, or maybe even meeting at synagogue. 131 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:59,760 And then this news comes. He's living in marble halls. 132 00:08:59,760 --> 00:09:02,120 Yes, he's eating at the King's table. 133 00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:04,640 Yes, he's wearing the royal uniform. 134 00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:08,560 Very important man. And when this news comes, he 135 00:09:08,560 --> 00:09:13,800 could have changed the subject. Most exiles did, most of us do. 136 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:18,960 But he asks, he enquires, he seeks the truth and when it 137 00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:22,600 comes, it feels like a spear in the chest for Nehemiah. 138 00:09:23,240 --> 00:09:25,680 He has to sit down so much as it impacted him. 139 00:09:25,680 --> 00:09:29,800 Picture this high ranking official in the Persian Empire 140 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:32,040 effectively collapsing into a chair. 141 00:09:33,320 --> 00:09:37,920 And he wept, it says, and these aren't polite tears, but the 142 00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:40,040 kind that burn and leave you gasping. 143 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:46,600 Ever, ever cried like that? Guttural, intense, convulsive. 144 00:09:47,480 --> 00:09:49,440 It then tells us that he mourned for days. 145 00:09:49,440 --> 00:09:52,280 And the Hebrew words here for all of this speak of this deep, 146 00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:55,080 very visible grief that has come upon Nehemiah. 147 00:09:55,080 --> 00:09:58,080 When hearing this, he fasted then. 148 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:01,920 And so for months he's pushed away the royal feast that were 149 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:05,360 his daily privilege. Why such agony? 150 00:10:05,920 --> 00:10:08,640 Why such a response when hearing of this news? 151 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:15,080 Because the walls you see, for Jerusalem and for Nehemiah, this 152 00:10:15,080 --> 00:10:20,600 isn't just a construction issue. These left the people residing 153 00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:26,000 in Jerusalem vulnerable, poor and ashamed. 154 00:10:27,440 --> 00:10:30,560 The report coming back said that the reproach was upon them. 155 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:34,560 Every bandit could walk in, every neighbour could mock and 156 00:10:34,560 --> 00:10:37,920 say these words. Where is your God, the great God 157 00:10:37,920 --> 00:10:40,840 of Israel? The glory of God lay in the dust 158 00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:43,600 and Nehemiah felt it like a very personal wound. 159 00:10:43,640 --> 00:10:47,200 We'll see. So you feeling this with me as I 160 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:50,920 as I read as I explained this. Are you sensing the strain and 161 00:10:50,920 --> 00:10:55,520 the pressure on Nehemiah in this and again, this was not new 162 00:10:55,520 --> 00:11:00,200 information for Nehemiah. He was aware of Jerusalem state 163 00:11:01,080 --> 00:11:04,000 the fact he'd known about the destruction for years. 164 00:11:04,320 --> 00:11:07,680 But here's what happened for Nehemiah in this revelation of 165 00:11:07,680 --> 00:11:10,720 news. He he refused to let time 166 00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:14,800 desensitise him to it. It's kind of like a child who 167 00:11:14,800 --> 00:11:19,000 sees for the first time someone sleeping on concrete or on a bus 168 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:22,520 bench and can't believe it. You've had your children ask 169 00:11:22,520 --> 00:11:24,840 that of you when walking out in public. 170 00:11:24,840 --> 00:11:28,880 And they spot and they ask questions, don't they, about how 171 00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:32,080 and, and why and, and where's their parents and why do they 172 00:11:32,080 --> 00:11:35,040 only have this and where's their shoes and why do they look like 173 00:11:35,040 --> 00:11:36,200 that? And they can't comprehend. 174 00:11:36,200 --> 00:11:39,720 They can't fathom it. Well, Nehemiah, effectively, 175 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:43,400 when hearing this news, he sees the ruin and he's shocked all 176 00:11:43,400 --> 00:11:46,960 over again. It's personal. 177 00:11:48,560 --> 00:11:51,040 He asked first about the people, not just the stones. 178 00:11:51,040 --> 00:11:53,800 Did you notice that? And the real tragedy in this 179 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:55,920 story isn't just the rubble on the ground. 180 00:11:55,920 --> 00:11:59,600 It's the rubble in people's hearts, it's the poverty that's 181 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:01,000 there. It's the shame, it's the 182 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:05,080 insecurity that that they would feel constantly, the mockery of 183 00:12:05,080 --> 00:12:08,400 those as we dig into the story, the derision of the people 184 00:12:08,400 --> 00:12:10,800 living around them. But most of all, what breaks 185 00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:14,880 Nehemiah's heart is the spiritual plight of this 186 00:12:14,880 --> 00:12:20,320 returned people in Jerusalem. Now let's let's hit this home 187 00:12:20,320 --> 00:12:23,480 for a little bit here. I don't know about you, but I 188 00:12:23,480 --> 00:12:28,120 love living in WA. I honestly believe that we live 189 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:31,720 in the greatest place on earth and I've travelled a fair bit of 190 00:12:31,720 --> 00:12:33,000 the world. There's parts of the world I've 191 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:37,640 not been to but man, I don't think many can touch WA for what 192 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:42,960 we are privileged to enjoy here. But walk with me for a moment 193 00:12:42,960 --> 00:12:47,960 through some of our streets. Over 1300 people in Perth have 194 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:56,240 no home tonight. 5000 children are in foster care according to 195 00:12:56,400 --> 00:12:59,600 recent wastewater analysis conducted by the Australian 196 00:12:59,600 --> 00:13:01,200 Criminal Intelligence Commission. 197 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:05,600 Perth has become the new meth capital of Australia, where 198 00:13:05,600 --> 00:13:09,200 wastewater traces of the drugs consumption was discovered to be 199 00:13:09,200 --> 00:13:13,040 the highest per capita among some 20 countries around the 200 00:13:13,040 --> 00:13:15,200 world. You know what? 201 00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:21,080 Worse still is that hundreds of thousands have no idea who Jesus 202 00:13:21,080 --> 00:13:24,680 is. It's the greatest tragedy and 203 00:13:24,680 --> 00:13:28,480 therefore they have no idea who they really are. 204 00:13:29,240 --> 00:13:32,160 They don't know God who who made them and who loves them. 205 00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:34,600 They have no understanding, no revelation of that. 206 00:13:34,600 --> 00:13:38,360 But most terrifying of this reality, I think of all is that 207 00:13:38,520 --> 00:13:44,400 many of them will stand before God one day and without Christ 208 00:13:44,920 --> 00:13:48,960 will be eternally lost. Heaven is real, yes, but hell 209 00:13:48,960 --> 00:13:53,040 also is real. And that that news that should 210 00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:56,880 break us. And if it doesn't, then 211 00:13:56,880 --> 00:13:59,040 something within us is already broken. 212 00:13:59,040 --> 00:14:04,480 I think you see, when Nehemiah hears this report of Jerusalem, 213 00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:08,520 he doesn't criticise. He doesn't say what's Ezra doing 214 00:14:08,520 --> 00:14:10,080 over there? I mean, he's there. 215 00:14:10,080 --> 00:14:13,400 If you know that Nehemiah comes after the book of Ezra and he'll 216 00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:15,800 be a character in this. And what's wrong with Ezra? 217 00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:19,360 And Nehemiah could have criticised what's happening over 218 00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:21,080 there. No. 219 00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:26,520 What does Nehemiah do? He weeps, the burden breaks him, 220 00:14:27,240 --> 00:14:31,560 he collapses into his chair, He mourns for days and fasts for 221 00:14:31,560 --> 00:14:34,440 months. And so, Church tonight. 222 00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:39,800 Do we weep over the brokenness of Australia and of its people, 223 00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:46,560 over WA, over Perth, over our community secret harbour? 224 00:14:46,560 --> 00:14:50,240 Do do we still feel the weight of friends, of neighbours, of of 225 00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:54,120 Co workers who are on a trajectory to spend all of 226 00:14:54,120 --> 00:14:59,160 eternity apart from God? If that does not move us, then I 227 00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:04,040 don't think anything will. And so tonight, maybe as we, we 228 00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:07,360 just stop for a moment, You, you might ask the Holy Spirit right 229 00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:12,480 now to restore holy tears in your life, in your heart, to 230 00:15:12,480 --> 00:15:15,280 pray the dangerous prayer. Lord, do not let me stay 231 00:15:15,280 --> 00:15:20,800 comfortable while Your glory and your people lie in ruins to ask 232 00:15:20,800 --> 00:15:23,600 the Lord tonight. Break my heart for what breaks 233 00:15:23,600 --> 00:15:28,680 yours, Lord God, and don't let comfort numb you dare to ask 234 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:32,240 Lord, how are the people? How is this city? 235 00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:35,680 And when He shows you, let the tears come. 236 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:40,560 Now, Nehemiah, He does not stop at weeping. 237 00:15:40,560 --> 00:15:42,200 And, and many times we can do that. 238 00:15:42,200 --> 00:15:46,200 Oh, we're, we're broken and we see the tragedy of society and 239 00:15:46,200 --> 00:15:50,120 people around us and, and of the spiritual condition of Australia 240 00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:55,680 and of our country and it breaks us and we weep for Nehemiah. 241 00:15:55,680 --> 00:15:59,880 That weeping led him onto some action and in particular led him 242 00:15:59,880 --> 00:16:03,040 straight to prayer. And the rest of the chapter is 1 243 00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:06,400 long beautiful prayer that Nehemiah utters and will be our 244 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:10,520 focus as we read these verses. What we'll notice are four ways 245 00:16:10,840 --> 00:16:14,760 that Nehemiah prays for the city of Jerusalem and and four ways 246 00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:19,400 that you and I must pray too. And so secondly, tonight, the 247 00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:24,160 believing prayer that builds us up, having felt the the weight 248 00:16:24,160 --> 00:16:27,240 and the heaviness of tragedy and the brokenness that comes with 249 00:16:27,240 --> 00:16:30,160 that, what do we need to do? We need to take take it and turn 250 00:16:30,160 --> 00:16:32,960 it to prayer, and prayer should build us up. 251 00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:37,360 We see that in verses 5 to 10. And I said, I pray. 252 00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:41,920 Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, you who keep your 253 00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:44,640 covenant and mercy with those who love you and observe your 254 00:16:44,640 --> 00:16:48,880 commandments, please let your ear be attentive and your eyes 255 00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:51,440 open. You may hear the prayer of your 256 00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:54,600 servant, which I pray before you now day and night. 257 00:16:55,520 --> 00:17:00,200 The children of Israel are your servants and confess the sins of 258 00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:03,360 the children of Israel which we have sinned against you. 259 00:17:04,280 --> 00:17:08,240 Both my father's house and I have sinned. 260 00:17:09,359 --> 00:17:12,319 We've acted very corruptly against you and have not kept 261 00:17:12,319 --> 00:17:15,680 the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which you 262 00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:22,160 commanded your servant Moses. Remember, I pray, the word that 263 00:17:22,160 --> 00:17:25,240 you commanded your servant Moses, saying, If you are 264 00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:28,359 unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations. 265 00:17:28,359 --> 00:17:32,880 But if you return to Me and keep my commandments and do them, 266 00:17:32,880 --> 00:17:35,520 though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the 267 00:17:35,520 --> 00:17:38,960 heavens, yet I will gather them from there and bring them to the 268 00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:41,480 place which I have chosen as a dwelling for my name. 269 00:17:43,120 --> 00:17:46,760 Now these are your servants and your people whom you have 270 00:17:46,760 --> 00:17:49,640 redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 271 00:17:51,120 --> 00:17:53,640 So Nehemiah's prayer is recorded for us here. 272 00:17:53,640 --> 00:17:57,240 And, and 1st, I want us to see that as he prays, it's in 273 00:17:57,240 --> 00:18:02,360 accordance with God's character. You see, what you believe about 274 00:18:02,360 --> 00:18:07,440 God's character will in fact shape your prayer life more than 275 00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:11,160 anything else. You know, if if you believe that 276 00:18:11,160 --> 00:18:14,160 God is out to get you, then you will pray with fear and shame. 277 00:18:15,560 --> 00:18:18,200 If you think that he's a a cosmic killjoy just ready to 278 00:18:18,200 --> 00:18:21,480 destroy and bring ruin to your life, then there will be trepid 279 00:18:21,480 --> 00:18:25,200 fear coming upon you and you'll pray in such a fashion. 280 00:18:26,280 --> 00:18:29,400 If you believe God to be a distant, cold deity, then you'll 281 00:18:29,400 --> 00:18:33,000 pray in a transactional way, just trying to get stuff from 282 00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:36,680 him, almost like a celestial genie in the bottle. 283 00:18:38,120 --> 00:18:41,080 If you believe that God is really nice but not holy, then 284 00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:44,080 you'll pray for what you want, but never confess your sins 285 00:18:45,520 --> 00:18:47,560 again. What you believe about God's 286 00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:50,480 character will shape your prayers. 287 00:18:51,760 --> 00:18:56,040 Nehemiah's prayer as we read, he's praying in accordance with 288 00:18:56,040 --> 00:18:57,920 God's character. He starts, oh, Lord God of 289 00:18:57,920 --> 00:19:03,400 heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and 290 00:19:03,400 --> 00:19:06,640 steadfast love. And he starts with Yahweh, the 291 00:19:06,640 --> 00:19:12,000 very personal, intimate name, Lord God, then great and 292 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:14,400 awesome. This is what Nehemiah is 293 00:19:14,400 --> 00:19:16,280 focusing on. And Nehemiah here is not 294 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:20,240 focusing on the problem yet, but on the greatness and might and 295 00:19:20,240 --> 00:19:23,560 power of God. And so your prayers, my prayers 296 00:19:23,560 --> 00:19:26,680 will only be as big as your view of God tonight. 297 00:19:27,240 --> 00:19:32,080 Small God, small prayers, great God, great prayers. 298 00:19:32,960 --> 00:19:37,160 God I, I pray that they'll have my special oat milk when we get 299 00:19:37,160 --> 00:19:39,920 to the coffee shop and that I can get a parking spot. 300 00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:46,760 Small prayer, God, I pray that all in the coffee shop will know 301 00:19:46,760 --> 00:19:51,240 you will ultimately surrender their lives to you and help me 302 00:19:51,240 --> 00:19:54,840 today to lead someone to a saving knowledge of Jesus as the 303 00:19:54,840 --> 00:19:56,880 Christ. And that's a big prayer. 304 00:19:58,840 --> 00:20:02,160 Nehemiah also prays and mentions that he is the God who keeps 305 00:20:02,160 --> 00:20:04,400 covenant. What this means is that God 306 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:09,880 binds himself to us by grace and never lets go of His promises in 307 00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:11,640 His word. God is faithful to His word. 308 00:20:11,640 --> 00:20:16,360 In fact, indicated in Nehemiah's prayer from verse 8 onwards is 309 00:20:16,640 --> 00:20:19,960 is this that Nehemiah is actually reading the Scripture 310 00:20:20,200 --> 00:20:22,800 as he's praying? This is a direct quote from 311 00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:27,520 Scripture here. Now here's a very practical tip 312 00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:30,360 for you and I. On prayer from this in these 313 00:20:30,360 --> 00:20:37,080 verses, whatever you need, begin by opening God's word and 314 00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:40,400 praising the part of God's character that meets that need. 315 00:20:41,720 --> 00:20:47,080 So if you're hurting tonight, praise God as the comforter. 316 00:20:48,920 --> 00:20:53,040 If you're sick tonight, I praise you God, that you are the 317 00:20:53,040 --> 00:20:57,160 healer. If you're anxious tonight, I 318 00:20:57,160 --> 00:20:59,920 praise you God, that you are the God of peace. 319 00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:02,000 That surpasses all understanding. 320 00:21:04,040 --> 00:21:08,120 Second, in Nehemiah's prayer, he prays in confession of sin. 321 00:21:08,120 --> 00:21:11,440 Did you notice that? Let your ear be attentive, he 322 00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:15,400 says from verses six to seven, confessing the sins we 323 00:21:15,400 --> 00:21:19,360 Israelites have committed. Even I and my father's house, he 324 00:21:19,360 --> 00:21:22,000 mentions, have sinned. We have acted very corruptly. 325 00:21:22,720 --> 00:21:26,400 Was Nehemiah the cause of the reason why the people of Israel 326 00:21:26,400 --> 00:21:31,040 were in exile in Babylon some 150 years ago now and why he's 327 00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:34,680 in exile in Persian? No, but you know in this 328 00:21:34,680 --> 00:21:37,840 Nehemiah, before he asks and seeks God to fix the city, he 329 00:21:37,840 --> 00:21:39,280 admits that he's part of the problem. 330 00:21:40,760 --> 00:21:46,040 There's no finger pointing here. There's the individual I and the 331 00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:49,120 corporate we. And before he can be part of the 332 00:21:49,120 --> 00:21:51,520 solution, he admits he is part of the problem. 333 00:21:52,720 --> 00:21:54,800 There's not a Lord. You need to fix them. 334 00:21:54,800 --> 00:21:57,080 You need to sort them out. It's all their fault this has 335 00:21:57,080 --> 00:22:00,280 happened. He stands in the gap and he owns 336 00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:03,320 it. And you and I, we, we often pray 337 00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:06,280 and we long for revival in our land of Australia. 338 00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:09,640 We maybe know our history and we should pray those prayers. 339 00:22:09,640 --> 00:22:13,120 But you know, revival always begins here with the House of 340 00:22:13,120 --> 00:22:17,600 God, with God's people getting brutally honest about our own 341 00:22:17,600 --> 00:22:20,800 sin. And there's a wonderful prayer 342 00:22:20,800 --> 00:22:24,240 of confession that the church has prayed from about the 1600s 343 00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:25,800 forward. It's sprung out of the 344 00:22:25,800 --> 00:22:29,120 Westminster Confession of Faith. And it's a, it's an ancient 345 00:22:29,120 --> 00:22:30,960 prayer, yes. And I'm going to read it and I 346 00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:33,560 want you to listen to it. But it's one that I've come to 347 00:22:33,560 --> 00:22:37,280 pray quite regularly as a practise personally in my prayer 348 00:22:37,280 --> 00:22:42,440 life. Most merciful God, we confess 349 00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:47,040 that we have sinned against you in thought, word and deed. 350 00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:53,200 But what we have done and by what we have left undone, we 351 00:22:53,200 --> 00:22:55,200 have not loved You with our whole heart. 352 00:22:55,920 --> 00:22:59,200 We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. 353 00:23:00,080 --> 00:23:05,120 We are truly sorry and we humbly repent for the sake of Your Son 354 00:23:05,120 --> 00:23:08,080 Jesus Christ. Have mercy on us and forgive us 355 00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:12,320 that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the 356 00:23:12,320 --> 00:23:14,640 glory of Your name. Amen. 357 00:23:16,120 --> 00:23:19,320 And you know what happens when we pray such prayers of 358 00:23:19,320 --> 00:23:22,440 confession? It brings freedom to us, brings 359 00:23:22,440 --> 00:23:27,920 liberation into our lives. It lets God wash away the sin in 360 00:23:27,920 --> 00:23:31,880 our own lives and and the sin that we absorb living in this 361 00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:36,520 fallen world that we do. You know what the Bible tells us 362 00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:40,760 is that when we pray prayers of confession that forgiveness is 363 00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:45,320 granted. 1 John 19 is one of my favourite verses. 364 00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:48,920 We hear the good news again and again when we pray. 365 00:23:48,920 --> 00:23:52,160 Pray as a confession. Your sins are forgiven, you're 366 00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:56,160 awash clean, as white as snow, and they are castaway as far as 367 00:23:56,160 --> 00:24:00,680 the east is from the West, so far as he removed them from you, 368 00:24:00,680 --> 00:24:04,680 the Bible declares when Nehemiah confessed in his prayer. 369 00:24:04,680 --> 00:24:11,160 And 3rd he prays by appealing to God's promises in verses 8 to 9. 370 00:24:11,160 --> 00:24:15,000 As I pointed out, he is obviously reading the word, and 371 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:19,520 he says remember the word God? You said that if we would be 372 00:24:19,520 --> 00:24:21,080 unfaithful that you would scatter us. 373 00:24:21,080 --> 00:24:25,240 And that's happened, God. But if you return to me and God, 374 00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:27,440 we're doing that, then I will gather you. 375 00:24:29,320 --> 00:24:33,400 Nehemiah doesn't beg God here for him to do something new, but 376 00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:35,760 he reminds God of what God had already promised. 377 00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:39,440 You know, prayer is not us twisting God's arm. 378 00:24:40,920 --> 00:24:43,600 Prayer is US aligning our hearts with God's will. 379 00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:47,920 And so the problem often I think that when we pray and when I say 380 00:24:47,920 --> 00:24:50,960 we, I, I know that I do this. So I'm thinking that many of you 381 00:24:50,960 --> 00:24:54,720 do the same is that often we insert our own purposes into our 382 00:24:54,720 --> 00:24:56,360 prayers instead of God's promises. 383 00:24:57,160 --> 00:25:01,000 Ever found that? So I want my career to take off. 384 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:03,600 And God, would you use your power for that? 385 00:25:03,880 --> 00:25:08,680 We pray, God, I want to get rid of this particular inconvenience 386 00:25:08,680 --> 00:25:11,360 in my life. God, would you use your power to 387 00:25:11,360 --> 00:25:12,520 do that? We pray. 388 00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:16,600 Now, prayers again are transactional in this way, as if 389 00:25:16,600 --> 00:25:20,120 God is the genie in the bottle. And then when that doesn't 390 00:25:20,120 --> 00:25:23,520 happen, what do we do? We get frustrated, angry with 391 00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:27,360 God, as if prayer doesn't work and God is not powerful. 392 00:25:28,520 --> 00:25:31,040 Can you see what we've done when we approach God through prayer 393 00:25:31,040 --> 00:25:33,520 in that way? We've reduced prayer to a 394 00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:35,800 religious ritual to get what we want from God. 395 00:25:35,800 --> 00:25:42,160 Now listen, prayer is not a blank cheque that we extend unto 396 00:25:42,160 --> 00:25:44,960 God to access His power for our purposes. 397 00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:48,200 Again. It is a means by which our 398 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:50,520 hearts are aligned with the will of God. 399 00:25:51,280 --> 00:25:55,080 Your will be done here on earth as it is in heaven is our 400 00:25:55,120 --> 00:25:59,400 prayer. But here's how we can do this. 401 00:25:59,600 --> 00:26:04,800 Pray as Nehemiah exemplifies for us, for us. 402 00:26:04,800 --> 00:26:08,320 Consider what has God promised? Go to His word. 403 00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:10,760 You know what God has said in His Word. 404 00:26:10,800 --> 00:26:12,680 God has promised to build His church. 405 00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:17,160 And so when we pray, God build your church here on earth, 406 00:26:17,880 --> 00:26:21,080 that's a prayer that we can pray in alignment with His will. 407 00:26:23,800 --> 00:26:25,600 God has promised to grant to us wisdom. 408 00:26:25,600 --> 00:26:28,800 And if you're needing wisdom to discern a situation or a 409 00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:32,000 circumstance, you can pray according to the promise of God. 410 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:38,560 God, I need wisdom right now. We can pray because God has 411 00:26:38,560 --> 00:26:41,800 promised it to work all things together for good for those that 412 00:26:41,800 --> 00:26:44,600 love God and are called according to His purposes, God, 413 00:26:44,600 --> 00:26:46,680 I love you. I'm, I'm desiring to seek you 414 00:26:46,680 --> 00:26:49,680 and to serve you. I pray somehow miraculously that 415 00:26:49,680 --> 00:26:54,160 you would turn this rubble, this destruction into something good 416 00:26:54,600 --> 00:26:58,560 for your glory and my good. He has promised in His Word to 417 00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:01,200 never leave you nor forsake you. God, you've promised that. 418 00:27:01,840 --> 00:27:04,200 You promise that. I pray that now I'm I'm feeling 419 00:27:04,200 --> 00:27:07,160 lonely, I'm feeling abandoned, I'm desperate, I don't know what 420 00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:09,280 to do. But you've said in your word 421 00:27:09,280 --> 00:27:14,160 that you would never leave me. Find those promises and pray 422 00:27:14,160 --> 00:27:17,920 them back to God. There's a wonderful illustration 423 00:27:17,920 --> 00:27:20,560 of this. George Mueller was a 19th 424 00:27:20,560 --> 00:27:24,440 century Christian evangelist known for his faith based 425 00:27:24,440 --> 00:27:28,120 ministry that included running orphanages in Bristol, England. 426 00:27:28,960 --> 00:27:32,600 He's famous for operating large scale orphanages where over 427 00:27:32,600 --> 00:27:38,080 10,000 children went through without ever asking for money, 428 00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:43,000 never holding any fundraising. Instead, you know what he did? 429 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:46,760 He relied solely on prayer and trusting God that God would 430 00:27:46,760 --> 00:27:48,920 provide. Here's what Mueller would do. 431 00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:54,120 He simply would open the Bible, put his finger on a promise and 432 00:27:54,120 --> 00:27:59,800 say do as thou has said. Isn't that cool? 433 00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:04,880 That's Nehemiah's prayer. So I encourage you tonight, this 434 00:28:04,880 --> 00:28:12,040 week, go home, open your Bible, find the promises of God and and 435 00:28:12,040 --> 00:28:14,400 those that fit the burden on your heart. 436 00:28:15,680 --> 00:28:22,120 Pray them, pray them out loud, pray them until something moves, 437 00:28:23,160 --> 00:28:25,920 either your heart or heaven moves. 438 00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:32,960 And then lastly, in His prayer in verse 11, the 4th aspect, we 439 00:28:32,960 --> 00:28:36,480 see the bold availability that sends us. 440 00:28:37,640 --> 00:28:42,880 He says this, Oh Lord, I pray, please let your ear be attentive 441 00:28:42,880 --> 00:28:45,880 to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your 442 00:28:45,880 --> 00:28:49,720 servants who desire to fear your name, and let your servant, 443 00:28:49,720 --> 00:28:52,520 Speaking of himself, prosper this day. 444 00:28:52,520 --> 00:28:55,640 I pray and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. 445 00:28:55,640 --> 00:28:59,680 Speaking of King Ardixxerxes the king, for I was the King's 446 00:28:59,760 --> 00:29:03,400 cupbearer. He said so in Nehemiah's prayer 447 00:29:03,400 --> 00:29:08,760 here after praising God, after confessing sin, corporate and 448 00:29:08,760 --> 00:29:13,120 individual, after claiming the promises of God, Nehemiah now in 449 00:29:13,120 --> 00:29:15,680 his prayer in verse 11, we just read it. 450 00:29:15,920 --> 00:29:25,720 He offers himself, Oh Lord, here I am, send me, use me, help me, 451 00:29:26,200 --> 00:29:28,960 grant me mercy in the sight of this man. 452 00:29:30,560 --> 00:29:33,280 He's about to risk his life. That's that's what's wrapped up 453 00:29:33,280 --> 00:29:36,320 in these words here. You see, showing sadness before 454 00:29:36,320 --> 00:29:40,440 the king was a crime punishable by death under Persian law. 455 00:29:40,960 --> 00:29:43,120 But he realises this as he's praying. 456 00:29:43,680 --> 00:29:47,560 You know, I think God hasn't placed me beside the throne of 457 00:29:47,560 --> 00:29:53,160 Persia by accident. So he's not praying, Lord send 458 00:29:53,160 --> 00:29:58,000 somebody else. He's praying, Lord, send me and 459 00:29:58,000 --> 00:30:01,200 open the door, God, to make the way possible for me to have an 460 00:30:01,200 --> 00:30:03,960 audience before the king and present this issue. 461 00:30:05,400 --> 00:30:10,840 You know, God loves to involve us in answers to our prayers, 462 00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:16,440 just like he used a politician in a fellow called Zerubbabel, 463 00:30:16,840 --> 00:30:21,320 who when the first exiles went back some 75 years prior to this 464 00:30:22,200 --> 00:30:26,480 and then Ezra the priest some 15 years prior in Jerusalem. 465 00:30:26,680 --> 00:30:31,440 And now effectively Nehemiah is a a city planner, a civil 466 00:30:31,440 --> 00:30:34,560 engineer, a cupbearer, it says. But we could see him in the 467 00:30:34,560 --> 00:30:38,440 modern context as that. And in the same fashion God 468 00:30:38,440 --> 00:30:45,320 wants to use today, teachers, baristas, engineers, parents, 469 00:30:45,880 --> 00:30:50,120 students, that's you, that's me, that's us. 470 00:30:50,480 --> 00:30:55,160 In God's work of renewal, in God's work of saving lives. 471 00:30:57,280 --> 00:31:00,360 Notice how the prayer ends. Oh, Lord, give success to your 472 00:31:00,360 --> 00:31:03,560 servant this day. Grant him mercy in the presence 473 00:31:03,560 --> 00:31:06,000 of this man. This man, Artaxyrx, he's the 474 00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:07,920 king, the most powerful man on earth. 475 00:31:09,440 --> 00:31:12,280 Notice the last sentence of the chapter, for I was the King's 476 00:31:12,280 --> 00:31:14,440 cupbearer. I think you could almost see 477 00:31:14,440 --> 00:31:17,960 that as like a mic drop by Nehemiah. 478 00:31:18,480 --> 00:31:22,440 He's not boasting, he's simply saying, Lord, you put me here 479 00:31:22,440 --> 00:31:26,760 for such a time as this, He's making himself available. 480 00:31:29,360 --> 00:31:34,120 Be careful what you pray for. God may put you smack bang in 481 00:31:34,120 --> 00:31:39,000 the middle of the answer. Hudson Taylor, maybe you've 482 00:31:39,000 --> 00:31:41,480 heard his name, was a great missionary to China. 483 00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:48,000 He said God's work done in God's way will never lack God's 484 00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:52,560 supply. But he also said this, the Great 485 00:31:52,560 --> 00:31:56,160 Commission is not go ye into all the world if you feel like it, 486 00:31:57,320 --> 00:32:03,120 but go ye and lo, I am with you always. 487 00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:08,280 So in other words, we go under the instruction in obedience to 488 00:32:08,280 --> 00:32:12,200 God, but we go with the knowledge that God is with us. 489 00:32:13,440 --> 00:32:15,080 Nehemiah felt the weight, the burden. 490 00:32:15,080 --> 00:32:17,400 Yes, he he believed the promise as we read. 491 00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:22,800 But now, now he steps forward and says maybe God wants to use 492 00:32:22,800 --> 00:32:26,560 me as the answer to this burden, to this problem. 493 00:32:27,840 --> 00:32:33,680 So tonight is there a a broken wall that you feel a neighbour, 494 00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:41,040 A workplace, a child, this city, this town Perhaps tonight's 495 00:32:41,040 --> 00:32:44,480 message from the Holy Spirit to you is stop waiting for somebody 496 00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:48,920 else. Tell the Lord right now, here am 497 00:32:48,920 --> 00:32:56,000 I send me, use me, use, use my job, use my gifts, use my place 498 00:32:56,000 --> 00:32:59,680 in this city. I'm the cup bearer to the king. 499 00:33:01,560 --> 00:33:04,440 Some of you tonight, I don't know, but maybe you walked in 500 00:33:04,440 --> 00:33:08,760 carrying bad news. Maybe you you feel like you're 501 00:33:08,760 --> 00:33:11,160 living inside bad news constantly. 502 00:33:12,280 --> 00:33:18,440 Marriage in ruins, a child distant far from God, a 503 00:33:18,440 --> 00:33:28,480 situation city, a town, a suburb, a household that feels 504 00:33:29,240 --> 00:33:32,800 hopeless. Nehemiah gives us the blueprint. 505 00:33:33,640 --> 00:33:37,920 Weep over the brokenness. Pray with adoration, with 506 00:33:37,920 --> 00:33:41,280 confession, with bold trust in God's promises. 507 00:33:42,040 --> 00:33:46,280 Then make yourself available for God to use. 508 00:33:47,880 --> 00:33:51,800 You know the story as we read Nehemiah, it does not end with 509 00:33:51,800 --> 00:33:54,400 Nehemiah. And often we can read stories, 510 00:33:54,400 --> 00:33:55,760 particularly in the Old Testament. 511 00:33:55,760 --> 00:33:59,440 And we can spiritualize and moralise them and turn them into 512 00:33:59,440 --> 00:34:01,320 Sunday school lessons, and that's good. 513 00:34:01,320 --> 00:34:07,360 Be like Nehemiah, do this, don't do this, do that, don't do that. 514 00:34:08,400 --> 00:34:10,719 And that's part of it. Yes, we'll learn from Nehemiah 515 00:34:10,719 --> 00:34:13,480 in this way. But you know, Nehemiah points to 516 00:34:13,480 --> 00:34:19,760 something far greater, to another builder, the great 517 00:34:19,760 --> 00:34:22,760 builder. Nehemiah has left the palace to 518 00:34:22,760 --> 00:34:25,920 rebuild a broken city. And we'll study this story as we 519 00:34:25,920 --> 00:34:30,880 go through this book. But Jesus left heaven's throne 520 00:34:31,080 --> 00:34:36,360 to step into our broken world, not just to simply repair walls, 521 00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:41,520 but to restore hearts. Nehemiah wept over Jerusalem's 522 00:34:41,520 --> 00:34:44,239 ruins. Jesus, we read in the Gospels, 523 00:34:44,360 --> 00:34:49,840 wept over Jerusalem's lostness. Nehemiah entered the people's 524 00:34:49,840 --> 00:34:52,880 trouble and shame. And Jesus took our shame. 525 00:34:53,120 --> 00:34:56,639 Our sin, when he hung upon the cross, died in our place, but he 526 00:34:56,639 --> 00:35:02,640 rose to conquer sin and death. Nehemiah built walls that would 527 00:35:02,640 --> 00:35:07,200 one day crumble again. But Jesus is building a city 528 00:35:07,200 --> 00:35:10,600 that will last forever, the new Jerusalem, the Bible tells us 529 00:35:10,760 --> 00:35:14,000 where there is no more pain, no more tears, no more 530 00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:19,800 homelessness, no more shame. Tonight, return to him. 531 00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:24,760 And if you've never known him, run to him. 532 00:35:25,000 --> 00:35:29,160 Tonight. If you've strayed, come home. 533 00:35:31,280 --> 00:35:35,040 Let Jesus rebuild your life with himself at the centre. 534 00:35:35,960 --> 00:35:43,520 Let him renew your hope. Let him send you into this city 535 00:35:43,840 --> 00:35:49,440 with a mission, with a purpose. Tonight, if the Holy Spirit has 536 00:35:49,440 --> 00:35:54,360 put a finger on a broken wall, your life, a relationship, this 537 00:35:54,360 --> 00:35:57,880 land, this nation, I'm going to pray in a moment. 538 00:35:59,920 --> 00:36:01,960 I want you to see and understand and know this. 539 00:36:01,960 --> 00:36:06,160 The same God who heard a cupbearer in a Persian palace is 540 00:36:06,160 --> 00:36:10,520 listening right now. He's still in the business of 541 00:36:10,520 --> 00:36:16,440 rebuilding ruined lives, ruined families, ruined cities, and 542 00:36:16,440 --> 00:36:20,600 through broken people, you and I, who dare to weep, who dare to 543 00:36:20,600 --> 00:36:24,640 pray, and who dare to be willing to be used by God. 544 00:36:25,880 --> 00:36:29,120 So let's bow our heads. And with that thought in mind, 545 00:36:29,240 --> 00:36:34,240 let me pray. Lord, thank you for this passage 546 00:36:34,320 --> 00:36:36,800 of Scripture tonight. And I'm so looking forward to 547 00:36:36,800 --> 00:36:41,400 teaching through this very practical book in Nehemiah and 548 00:36:41,400 --> 00:36:44,600 seeing what God you would teach and speak to us about in the 549 00:36:44,600 --> 00:36:48,440 coming weeks ahead. But Lord, tonight my prayer is 550 00:36:48,440 --> 00:36:52,440 that you would break our hearts with what breaks yours. 551 00:36:54,520 --> 00:36:58,840 Help us to feel the ruin like Nehemiah felt it. 552 00:37:01,320 --> 00:37:04,840 But with that, Lord God, help us to praise you as the great and 553 00:37:04,840 --> 00:37:10,480 awesome covenant, keeping God to know and to understand your 554 00:37:10,480 --> 00:37:13,440 character, your attributes, and and your promises. 555 00:37:15,040 --> 00:37:20,320 Lord, we confess our sin. We ask and seek your cleansing. 556 00:37:22,480 --> 00:37:25,800 We desire your forgiveness and Your mercy upon us. 557 00:37:28,240 --> 00:37:31,400 And as we turn to the Scripture, we claim the promises that you 558 00:37:31,400 --> 00:37:37,240 have provided there for us. In them we are simply God. 559 00:37:37,240 --> 00:37:42,520 Please do what you have said, Here am I, here we are. 560 00:37:43,600 --> 00:37:49,320 Send me, send us. Use me, use us in this world. 561 00:37:50,360 --> 00:37:52,960 In Jesus name we pray. Amen. 562 00:37:53,680 --> 00:37:54,000 Amen.