Nehemiah 1 January 7, 2012

1. Church of Christ
Limon, CO
January 7, 2013
Nehemiah: A Worker from the Knees Up
I. INTRODUCTION
A. Nehemiah was 800 miles from Jerusalem… from the situation that concerned his heart.
B. To further complicate matters, Nehemiah answered to an unbeliever: King Artaxerxes.
C. Before he could leave his important position and go to Jerusalem something had to be done
in the heart of Artaxerxes.
D. Today, we see Nehemiah going before God in prayer and trusted in God to open doors and
change the heart of his boss.
II. A HEART FOR GOD
A. As we saw last week, Nehemiah was the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes… a position of
intimacy and trust.
1
1. The account opens in Nehemiah 1:1-4 – The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.
Now it came to pass in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the
palace, 2that Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men out of Judah; and I
asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, that were left of the captivity, and
concerning Jerusalem. 3And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity
there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is
broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. 4And it came to pass, when I
heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days; and I fasted
and prayed before the God of heaven,
th
a. It is winter time, December by our calendar in the 20 year of the King.
i. The timeframe is 445-444 B.C.
ii. Nehemiah lived in the capital of the Medo-Persian Empire: Susa
b. Hanani, apparently one of Nehemiah’s physical brothers and some men from Judah,
came and Nehemiah asks two questions:
i. Concerning the Jews that had escaped
ii. Concerning Jerusalem
c. The report… The remnant was in great affliction and reproach
i. The Hebrew word translated great affliction or distress means misery or
calamity.
ii. The people where in reproach… a word meaning sharp, cutting, penetrating or
piercing.
iii. The idea was one of cutting words
iv. The Jews were being criticized and slandered by people who were enemies of
the Jews
d. And the wall of the city of Jerusalem was broken down and the gates had been
burned
i. There was no protection for the people.
e. Nehemiah was brokenhearted
i. Touched by the need of his people, he sat down and wept… mourned…
fasted… and prayed.
ii. In verses 4-11, four significant factors were revealed that are true about workers
in the body of Christ today.
III. A CLEAR RECOGNITION OF THE NEEDS -- Nehemiah 1:4 – 4And it came to pass, when I
heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days; and I fasted and
1 | Page

2. Church of Christ
Limon, CO
January 7, 2013
prayed before the God of heaven,
A. Nehemiah was not so wrapped up in life… as an important person in the kingdom of the
Medes and Persians… to listen.
B. He heard their words.
C. The reality of their situation was heard and clearly recognized.
IV. A PERSONAL CONCERN WITH THE NEED
A. Nehemiah went a step beyond recognition of the need… he not only heard them, he sat
down and identified them.
B. His response was a strong emotion... it personally affected him to hear of the distress and
reproach of the people and the condition of the city of Jerusalem.
C. Too often, when folks recognize a need, the answer is not personal… instead the normal
response is… “The walls are down! Who fouled up? Who is responsible? Who do I need to
deal with?
D. With a clear recognition of a need and a personal concern with the need… Nehemiah takes
his thoughts to the God of heaven.
E. The more needs we see, the more responsibility we have within the body, the more time we
need for contemplation with the Father.
V. TAKES THE NEED TO GOD
A. In Nehemiah 1:5 we hear Nehemiah say – 5and said, I beseech thee, O Jehovah, the God
of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and lovingkindness with them
that love him and keep his commandments:
1. Again, too often our response to need is: How can I work this out? Nehemiah prayed to
the God of heaven… the great and terrible God that keeps his promises.
2. Look how Nehemiah behaved before the God of heaven
a. First, he praised God.
i. He knew he was not coming to just another man, but rather to the God of
heaven.
ii. He worked intimately with the King… the mightiest king on the earth
iii. But compared to the God of heaven, King Artaxerxes was nothing.
6
B. Next, in Nehemiah 1:6-7 he confessed his part in the problem -- Let thine ear now be
attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer of thy servant,
which I pray before thee at this time, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants
while I confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee. Yea, I
and my father's house have sinned: 7we have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have
not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances, which thou
commandedst thy servant Moses.
1. Notice his use of “I” and “thine” or “we”.
2. His confession was not on behalf of someone else’s failure.
3. Nehemiah considers himself as part of the problem.
4. The need is a result of sin… our sin… I and my Father’s house have sinned … We have
not kept the commandments of the God of heaven.
C. Then in Nehemiah 1:8-10 he claims the promises of God – 8Remember, I beseech thee,
2 | Page

3. Church of Christ
Limon, CO
January 7, 2013
the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye trespass, I will scatter you
abroad among the peoples: 9but if ye return unto me, and keep my commandments and do
them, though your outcasts were in the uttermost part of the heavens, yet will I gather them
from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen, to cause my name to
dwell there. 10Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy
great power, and by thy strong hand.
1. He went to God in prayer, praised the Father, confessed his part in the sin, and now
trusts in the promises of God.
2. He was quoting scripture from both Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 30… the promise
was two-fold:
a. The first part had already come to pass… Judah had disobeyed and they were in
captivity in a foreign land
b. The second part was that when the time of captivity was ended, God would bring
them back to Jerusalem and protect them.
3. Nehemiah calls upon God to remember his promises.
11
D. Finally, in Nehemiah 1:11 he brings his petition or desire before God – O Lord, I beseech
thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy
servants, who delight to fear thy name; and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and
grant him mercy in the sight of this man. Now I was cupbearer to the king.
1. It was a bold prayer… Make me successful in meeting this need.
2. Lord, give me favor with those who have authority over me.
VI. CONCLUSION: THE BENEFITS OF PRAYER
A. Nehemiah 1 is a blend of prayer and action.
B. All who want to accomplish their role in the body of Christ must produce a high priority on
prayer.
1. Prayer makes me wait.
a. Prayer forces me to leave the situation with God
2. Prayer clears my vision.
a. You can see the need through the eyes of God
3. Prayer quiets my heart
a. I cannot worry and pray at the same time.
b. Prayer replaces anxiety with a calm spirit.
4. Prayer activates my faith.
a. After prayer and meditation upon the greatness, the power and the promises of God,
I am more prone to trust God.

3 | Page