Calvary Baptist Church - Canyon Texas - David Crump, Pastor

If you want to hear from God more clearly; if you want to understand his will better than you have before, you must seek him like never before.

I am praying for a desperation for God in our midst.

Greater desperation leads to greater seeking of God.

I am praying for an urgency in seeking The Lord among us.

Often in the scriptures - and in our own lives - Gods people develop an urgency to seek him when things go wrong in their lives.

What if, though, we were so desperate to see God at work in our midst and desperate for greater revelation of His will that we sough Him with greater urgency?

How much time do we spend in prayer?

Are we praying with urgency?

Are we praying with desperation for God?

If you want to hear from God in an extraordinary way, you cannot seek him as you ordinarily do.

Acts 4:1-31

The first church believers were praying not, "God, do my will," but,

"God, help us do your will."

They knew they were called to share their faith.

All of us are.

When things got tough, they knew they would be tempted to shrink back.

They knew they needed God's power to give them boldness.

They were intimidated.

They were afraid. Just like we are.

So they prayed for boldness.

We need the Holy Spirit to give us the words and the courage to speak.

We can get intimidated.

We can become afraid.

We need the Lords help to accomplish His will.

They did not pray for relief from their trouble.

They prayed for God's help to do His will.

Give us boldness to speak your word.

They prayed for God to heal and to do signs and wonders in the name of Jesus.

Sometimes we get scared to death that God might do something that God has done with very few interruptions in all the scriptures: work miraculously among his people.

Give us boldness - courage - to do your will and do your work to intervene and change lives.

And in response - God shook the place they were meeting.

He gave them boldness and filled them with His Spirit to continue to speak about Him.

What if this week, every day, you prayed, "Lord, today show me your will and help me do it?"

What if in every encounter with friends, acquaintances, this week, you thought, "Lord, what is your will here? Help me be a part of what you are doing."

What would God do if you had regular times of seeking Him?

What if you fasted and prayed?

Not for the mechanics of it, but because you are desperate for His presence?

What if we prayed with urgency - both at home and here together?

What if we sought God like never before?

What would He do?

I believe He'll answer like never before.

God’s Presence, Our Hope

When Nehemiah heard about the condition of Jerusalem and was undone. He fasted and prayed for four months. It seems that during that time, God gave him a vision, a calling and inspiration to rebuild the wall. If our lives lack vision, it’s probably from a lack of wholehearted seeking the Lord.

While they worked to rebuild the wall, they faced constant threats from their enemies. God uses adversity to strengthen faith. By it, He showed the Jews and their enemies that He was with them and by His power the wall was rebuilt.

When they completed the work on the wall, Ezra read the book of the Law to them and they wept. But Nehemiah told them it was a time of joy – the Lord showed his favor to them and helped them. He said, The joy of the Lord is your strength.

Last week in Ezra we read that Cyrus the Persian king sent out a decree to allow the Jews to rebuild the temple. This fulfilled a prophecy written 120 years before when God spoke to Isaiah and said he would use “Cyrus” to rebuild Jerusalem. Cyrus was not a Jew, but God used him to accomplish His will. Don’t pray small prayers; remember God can accomplish anything He desires.

Ezra 3:10-13

vv. 10-11 – When you worship God through music, you are a part of the continual praise of God from his people that began 3,000 years ago and will continue through all eternity.

No one took credit for this work. They knew God had helped them do it.

vv. 12-13 – The young people shouted for joy – they had not seen the first temple. The temple was destroyed 66 years before by Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar.

The old men wept because they knew it would never be as glorious as the first.

During this time, God sent 2 prophets to encourage the Jews who returned to Jerusalem: Haggai and Zechariah.

We know that during this time Haggai addressed the people and encouraged them to continue.

Haggai 2:1-9

vv. 1-2 – On October, 17, 520 B.C., God sent Haggai to speak to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah; and Joshua, the high priest, and the remnant of people God returned to Jerusalem.

v. 3 – “Who saw the former temple” – 66 years prior, some saw it as children.

“How does it look now?” The previous temple was built from the wealth of the united kingdom under Solomon. He had large stores of gold, skilled craftsmen, imports of the finest wood. It was one of the wonders of the ancient world.

These residents of Jerusalem were poor. This temple could never be as extravagant.

This new temple was inferior to the old one – and it discouraged the people from going on.

We can be discouraged because God is not doing things like he did before.

We can be discouraged by the loss of respect of God by our society.

We can be discouraged by the loss of influence of the church in our world.

We can be discouraged that God isn’t doing things like he used to.

Discouragement is one of the most powerful weapons of our enemy to halt the work of God.

If Satan can discourage you, He can get you to give up, to lose hope and stop you from fulfilling God’s calling on your life.

That’s what happened to the Jews. They were discouraged and stopped building the temple.

vv. 4-5 – Haggai’s message:

1. Be strong

2. Work

3. For I am with you

4. Do not fear

There was discouragement that no matter what they did, it would not matter.

There was fear that God had abandoned them and that no amount of prayer could help.

But God reminded them: I am with you. My presence is with you. I am here as I promised.

vv. 6-9 – God’s presence would make this temple glorious

We can become discouraged. Our attitudes can become bad.

The enemy will work to demoralize you.

He will lie to you and tell you it’s hopeless, it’s pointless, give up.

But God would say to you and me, “I am with you. So be strong, do my work, do not fear.”

The work we do may look different today than it did years ago.

Our society has changed.

People have changed.

God does not change. He still does extraordinary things through ordinary people.

Ordinary People, Extraordinary Calling – Faith-Filled and Ready

More than 120 years before the events recorded in Ezra, Isaiah spoke of a leader who would rebuild Jerusalem.

Isaiah 44:24-28

More than 120 years later, Cyrus rises as the king of Persia.

Ezra 1:1-11 Cyrus helps the exiles return to Jerusalem

v. 1 – “to fill the word of the Lord” – Cyrus may have known the prophecy from Isaiah that bore his name.

“the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus” – Cyrus was not a Jew. Jehovah was not his God.

Yet, God moved him and would use him to keep his promise to restore Jerusalem.

He used several Persian kings to fulfill his will.

We often think that God’s work is limited to our resources.

God’s resources have no limits.

He can use anyone to accomplish all that He desires.

“The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.” – Proverbs 21:1

We often limit our prayers to things that we think we can accomplish.

That is not God-honoring prayer.

Romans 4:17-21 Abraham believed in God

We serve “the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.”

When you pray, pray with faith.

You are praying to the God Who can accomplish anything and everything He desires.

vv. 2-4 the decree went out all over the Medo-Persian empire.

This decree went out to all the area to which the Israelites had been scattered.

vv. 5-8 – Only people from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin and priests and Levites returned. – What about the other tribes

They did not return. Why?

Perhaps God did not move them to.

Perhaps they were too fractured – the northern kingdom had been deported by the Assyrians in 722 B.C. (160 years prior), then ruled by the Babylonians, now Persians.

Perhaps they were too comfortable where they were living – we know many became successful where they were deported to.

Perhaps they were afraid.

For whatever reason, there are always people who do not move when God calls.

We have all had times when God was calling us to something, but we were unsure or too comfortable or afraid.

But what they missed – God moving to fulfill prophecies he had made even 900 years before to Moses, specific prophecies he had made to Isaiah and Jeremiah.

He would use Cyrus and other Persian kings to help rebuild the temple – the temple that Jesus would come to 500 years later to teach and worship.

God was building a remnant of people back in Jerusalem who would witness Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.

God brought Jews back to Jerusalem, building a remnant to fulfill his promise to bring the Messiah to them.

He would use kings and ordinary people to accomplish his extraordinary calling.

But not everyone wanted to be a part of it.

When God calls, will you answer?

What are you called to?

What has he gifted you with?

Are there things that he has called you to already that you have been reluctant to do?

Don’t wait.

The stories of Nehemiah and Ezra are a perfect metaphor for the church.

The way the body functions is for every member to respond to God’s calling.

The body functions when every member utilizes the gifts God has given and works to fulfill his work.

If he’s called you to serve someone, serve.

If he’s called you to love someone, love them.

If he’s called you to lead, lead.

If he’s called you to encourage someone, encourage them.

Don’t wait, be faith-filled and do it.

And let’s pray to the God who “calls things that are not as though they were.”

He can accomplish his extraordinary calling through ordinary people.

Nehemiah 6:15-16

After 140 years since the walls of Jerusalem had been destroyed by the enemies of Israel, the walls were rebuilt in just 52 days.

Nehemiah led the people to do something they never thought they could – neither did their enemies.

But they worked together, as one body.

Groups of people rebuilt gates.

Some people carried materials.

Some stood guard to protect the workers.

Every day, ordinary people built the walls of Jerusalem near their homes.

Ordinary people accomplished an extraordinary task.

The act was so amazing that it caused their enemies to be demoralized.

It was obvious that God had helped the Jews.

Now, with the walls rebuilt, the people came to hear the Word of God.

Nehemiah 8:1-6 Ezra reads the Law

Ezra had returned to Jerusalem 13 years before Nehemiah.

Nehemiah was a layman. He was not a priest or a prophet. He was a cupbearer with a vision from God to restore the city of Jerusalem.

Ezra was a scribe. He would now lead the people in spiritual renewal.

The people stood, raised their hands, bowed to the ground, and shouted "Amen" at the reading of the OT Law.

This generation had not heard it before. Their response is beautiful.

They hear the Word of God for the first time and they are changed.

We hear the Bible so often, we take it for granted.

We become dull to its words and immune from its teachings.

We need to respond like the Jews at Ezra's reading.

The Bible is about God – read it to know him better.

The Bible is for us – read it to know how to respond to Him.

Nehemiah 8:7-18 The people respond to the reading of the Law

As Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Levites taught the people the Law, the people began to weep. Perhaps this is because they understood how far they were from keeping God's law and they were broken about it.

It’s not said here, but the people are standing together after they accomplished something that can only be called an act of God.

They went from being a defeated, defenseless, people; living in a shameful and dangerous situation to being defended and secure by an act of their God.

They must have felt abandoned by God.

They were routed by three different enemies.

There people were carried off in captivity.

Most recently, their leaders and skilled laborers had been taken.

But God had not abandoned them.

This was the first sign in a couple of hundred years that God was still for them.

The Law was read, and they begin to weep.

But their leaders tell them that this is a time for celebration.

v. 10 Nehemiah says something beautiful and profound,

“The joy of The Lord is your strength." What does that mean?

Think about the context.

The people heard the Word of God, many for the very first time.

God had revealed Himself to them – He did still care for them, he provided defense for them.

He chose to reveal Himself to them in a way in which they hadn't understood Him before.

Those glimpses of Him brought them to their knees with adoration for His faithfulness to His people.

When we see God for Who He is and how He loves and favors us, our perspectives change, our countenance lifts, and we are strengthened by His joy.

The time was the seventh month (divinely).

It was time for the Feast of Tabernacles.

The Jews commemorated the time when God had redeemed them from slavery in Egypt and cared for them as they lived in tents in the desert.

They must have been thanking God for rescuing His people again.

He cared for them during their latest exodus from foreign lands, and returned them to Jerusalem.

Notice they were to send food to those who had nothing prepared.

One of the best ways to overcome depression, sadness, or despair is to care for someone else.

When we remember Who God is and what he has done for us.

When we remember that the great and awesome God is for us, favors us, loves us.

It brings joy to our lives that our troubles cannot quench.

Remembering Who God is gives strength us to face our fears and to do His work.

May the joy of The Lord be your strength.

Nehemiah 4:1-14

vv. 1-5 The more success the Jews have rebuilding the wall, the more opposition they receive from the Persian's governors. Sanballat and Tobiah ridicule them in hopes of discouraging them. Nehemiah again looks to God for help. First he prayed for help with the wall, then for help with the king, now for help with their opponents.

vv. 6-9 In spite of the ridicule, the people kept building. Then the ridicule turned to plotting. In response, the Jews post guards and again prayed to God for help. Nehemiah and the people constantly turn to God for help. There is a dedication both to the work and to prayer.

vv. 10-14 Troubling news: the workers are exhausted and their enemies have plotted to infiltrate their ranks and kill them. What would they do? Give up? How do they interpret this trouble? Was God not in this? Was He telling them they were doing something wrong? Were they suffering because they were in sin?

No. They interpret this as adversity that they need to overcome with the Lord's help. Nehemiah posts armed guards at the weak points of the wall and reminds the leaders and the people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember The Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight..."

When we are ready to give up because it seems the work is too hard or the opposition is too strong, we should remember that we have nothing to fear. Our Lord IS great and awesome - greater than our difficulties and more awesome than our opponents. Don't let discouragement keep you from God's work.

Adversity built real unity and community among the Jews.

Adversity proved to the Jews and their enemies that God was behind the rebuilding.

The Jews were encouraged. Their enemies were demoralized.

Our view of adversity has been twisted by a health and wealth mentality that says, "If you are in God's will, you will not have trouble."

This is simply not the case of any person in the Bible.

Certainly sin brings trouble, but punishment is not the only reason we face trouble.

Amos 4:6-11 God used trouble to get Israel to turn to Him

It was in the adversity of exile that the Jews

• Turned from idols

• Realized their need for God

• Wholeheartedly sought The Lord

God uses trouble and adversity in our lives for something better than punishment.

He uses adversity to bring out a wholehearted devotion and a pure faith in His people.

Hosea 2:14-17

c. 700 B.C. Assyrian king besieged Jerusalem

Several Assyrian kings deported thousands of Israelites

Some moved in pagan peoples

c. 600 B.C. Babylonians take captives from Samaria

Destroyed Jerusalem, the temple, and the city wall

Nebuchadnezzar took leaders - including Daniel to Babylon

left the poor without leaders

539 B.C. Persians overthrow the Babylonians (Greece c. 550 B.C., including Athens)

538 B.C. First Jewish exiles return to Jerusalem under Zerubabel

458 B.C. Ezra took back exiles to rebuild the temple

445 B. C. Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem

Nehemiah 1:1-4

v. 3 "great trouble and distress" walls broken down and gates burned

v. 4 "sat down and wept" anything move you like this?

Nehemiah is so distressed by the condition of Jerusalem that he began praying "day and night." He wept and mourned and continued in fasting and praying (all before he took any action on his own). How the news from Jerusalem had moved him! What if all God's children prayed with this much heart? What strongholds of the enemy could be destroyed! What power from His Holy Spirit could be found!

Nehemiah 1:5-11

v. 5 Praise

In the midst of his concern about the troubling news from Jerusalem, he praises the great, awesome and faithful God. What a wonderful reminder that no matter the condition of Jerusalem, God had not changed. If something was to be done to rescue Jerusalem, her awesome and faithful God would have to do it. This is a wonderful reminder that we do not face trouble on our own. We serve the God Who is bigger than and overcomes all our trouble and shame!

v. 6a Approach

Nehemiah asks humbly for God to hear his prayer. He prays with incredible persistence, throughout the day and night (just like Jesus told us to pray in Luke 18:1-8). God give us that kind of persistence in prayer!

vv. 6b-7 Confession

In the midst of his prayer for God to help, Nehemiah confesses his own sin. But he doesn't stop there. He confesses his family's sins and the sins of his people. We tend to think individualistically in our society, but we need to remember that God deals with individuals and nations. Our sins are our nation's sins and vice versa. How can you pray for our nation? What sins need to be confessed?

vv. 8-10 Remembering the Lords Promise

He then recollects God's promise to Moses to gather His people. How great to see that Nehemiah's prayer intersected with God's plan and promise. Praying God's word helps us to pray according to His will.

v. 11 Petition

After remembering who God is and what He had promised, he finally asks for success with the king. How great it is to remember that we are praying to the awesome and faithful God Who has plans for His people before we ask. That kind of prayer will strengthen your faith and encourage your heart to persist in prayer.

What areas of our world need this determination in prayer? Who will seek Nehemiah's God to do something about it? How great is your determination in prayer?

What moves you this much? Shouldn't something?

Have we become like the remnant in Jerusalem? Too comfortable with the status quo.

No, I don't want status quo. I want to be confident of the Lord's direction.

I want to know His specific calling for these people at this time in this community.

Nehemiah 2:1-5

Something happened in those 4 months.

Nehemiah goes from mourning to having a vision and a plan to make it happen.

He began with sorrow, but now he's involved personally and has a vision. He has a view of a rebuilt Jerusalem and a plan to make it happen. Sometimes we view prayer as a passive activity. I hope this story cures you of that way of thinking. God used that time of prayer to burn a vision into Nehemiah's mind and heart and to show him how the vision would be accomplished.

I cannot help but wonder if the reason so many of us struggle to have vision for our lives, ministries, marriages, parenting is due to a lack of persistent prayer. Prayer seems to be where Nehemiah's burden for a rebuilt Jerusalem revealed God's calling and purpose for his life. Has The Lord given you a burden for something that you should be persistently praying about? If not a burden, what things or people in your life deserve this commitment to prayer?