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Nehemiah - A Man with a Cause
Rebuilding the Walls
by
Lieut. Colonel Raymond Finger
Officer Training College – Spiritual Day
When Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Prize for her work in
the slums of Calcutta, she declined an invitation to travel to
Geneva to be presented with the prestigious honour. Her reason
being that, ‘she did not have the time as it would detract
from her work!”
That my friends, is a
LEADER WITH A CAUSE
Some one who will not allow anything to get in the way of them
achieving their God given task.
Our worlds are filled with distractions and these do not
necessarily come from outside the Army, but can come from
within.
One of the most significant moments in the life of a Salvation
Army officer takes place in the privacy of the Training
College Lecture Hall, when the Officer’s Covenant is signed in
the presence of the Territorial Commander, Training Principal
and Staff and Cadets.
“I will live to win souls and will not allow anything to turn
me aside from seeking their salvation as the first great
purpose of my life.”
This is ‘LEADERSHIP WITH A CAUSE’
This morning I spoke of Nehemiah, a Man With A Mission, and
that mission was to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Now I speak to you about, Nehemiah, A Man With A Cause, and
the cause was the, ‘rebuilding a nation of God’s people’.
“ When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite
official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that
some one had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.”
Nehemiah 2:10
An effective leader will have only one cause, but will engage
in many missions in order to achieve his purpose.
Go back to Nehemiah chapter 1
v.2 Hanani, Nehemiah’s brother came to him and told him about
the people and the condition of the City.
“3 They said to me, ‘those who survived the exile and are
back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The
wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been
burned with fire.”
v.4 Nehemiah wept and he prayed -
But in his prayer, was his concern for the broken walls and
burnt gates, or was his passion for the people?
NEHEMIAH 1:5-11
The nation had lost sight of God, their disobedience and
neglect meant that the very land God had given the nation
which was called the ‘Promised Land’ had become the Plundered
Land. They were a people financially, spiritually, morally and
relationally, impoverished and bereft.
The one time, proud, dignified, strong, wealthy, independent
nation was nothing more than a remnant of nomads - troubled
and disgraced!
This is the picture that burnt deep into the heart of Nehemiah
and he could not escape the inward compulsion to - do
something about it!
The walls and the gates of Jerusalem were once a symbol of
strength, of dominance and power...... Nehemiah saw the
potential to build the nation from the outside in. Rebuild the
walls; restore the magnificent gates and the pride the nation
will begin to rise up out of the rubble with the walls.
And as the Book of Nehemiah unfolds you find the nation
returning, a people unified in purpose, determined to live
again and the continual theme of Nehemiah being spoken;
REMEMBER, THE INSTRUCTIONS
REMEMBER THE LORD
THE SPIRITUAL HEART RESTORED
By rebuilding the magnificent Temple, Zerubbabel and Ezra
restored the spiritual heart of the nation. The people turned
back to God and away from their sinful disobedience and
disregard. People began to come home to their city of their
forefathers and home to God.
REBUILD THE WALLS
But you know, restoring the spiritual heart is only the
beginning, because there are things you have to do, you also
have to rebuild the walls.
The walls in your life and mine are the inward strengths and
determinations that are repelling temptations each and every
day.
It includes our powers of reason, character, sensibilities
that prevail against illogical thoughts and irrational
persuasions.
Each one of us has values and conscience that stands in the
face of subtle suggestion and galvanises us in times of
potential compromise.
Elsewhere in the Bible these walls are described as the armour of God.
Ephesians 6:10-18
“10 Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power..”
“13 Therefore put on the whole armour of God, so that when the
day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and
after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm……”
Illust. In the movie ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ staring Orlando
Bloom, set in the time of the medieval crusades in the holy
land, Jerusalem is surrounded and under siege by the Islamic
King Saladin. After days of horrific fighting that included
the city walls being pounded by catapulted boulders. It is
reported to Saladin that the wall has been weakened by one of
the gates, with the comment, “this will be our entrance into
Jerusalem.”
Not only do we need to rebuild the Temple of our God, but also
the walls that help protect us from the fiery darts of the
evil one that comes in many forms.
When he spoke of the full armour of God, Paul also reminded
the Church.
Ephesians 6:12
“Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the
rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this
dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in the
heavenly realms.”
There is not one of us with eyes to see and powers to know the
rulers and authorities of this dark world.
Neither is there one who has the divine grace to fully
understand the presence or the powers of the forces of evil in
heavenly realms.
God alone knows, sees and understands the dark world and He
has equipped us by the power of His Holy Spirit who lives
within us to enable and empower us to stand, when the day of
evil comes.
That does not imply that we will not take a hit, or a pounding
in our daily pursuit of the cause of Christ, but it does means
that we will be enabled by the grace of God sufficient that
there would be no entrance for the enemy into our Jerusalem.
God restores his Temple in which His Holy presence lives, my
dear friends, the walls belong to us, to ensure they are
safeguarded by the personal disciples of our daily resolve to
be and to live in fellowship with God. To give no foothold,
and at times of weakness when we secom, to repent and
strengthen our resolve.
Let’s understand the subtlety with which the enemy seeks to
destract the cause of Christ and weakness through which he
would seek to find an entrance into Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 2:18-19 Personal Ridicule
“Let us start rebuilding, so they began this good work. 19 But
when Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem heard about it, they mocked
and ridiculed us.”
The ridicule was directed at Nehemiah and his team. Personal
ridicule, who among us wears that with ease and comfort?
Personal ridicule is personal, it is intended to be personal,
because it takes away attention from the work and focuses on
the individual and it hurts, causes self doubt and we question
our purpose.
But it doesn’t stop there.
Nehemiah 4:1 Anger and Public Ridicule
“When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he
became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews 2
and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria,
he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing.”
I get it, if private ridicule doesn’t work and seems to have
no affect on progress, you then start to attack the followers
and try and destabilise them, belittle them and hopefully
undermine the leader who has called them to a task. Confuse
them, call into question what they are doing and it might just
all fall apart.
But it did not!
Nehemiah 6:5-6 Scandalise the ministry
“The, the fifth time Sanballat sent his aide to me with the
same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter in which
was written. “It is reported among the nations and Geshem says
it is true- that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and
therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to
these reports you are about to become their King 7 and have
even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in
Jerusalem.”
Now any public scandal that potentially involves bringing in
the outside authorities is bound to take your attention off
the task while you mount an elaborate defence to justify and
prove your innocence.
Personal ridicule, public ridicule and scandal are boulders
designed to pulverise you, drain your emotional energy, sap
your spiritual resources, immobilise your senses and
eventually lead you to a point of missional and causal
abandonment.
This is the kind of battle that comes frequently to people in
ministry, attacks from satan that has one agenda and that is
to destroy your defences, interrupt your cause, stop your
mission and find a way into your Jerusalem where he seeks to
attack the very Temple of God.
The pathway to spiritual success is strewn with obstacles for
the leader and it is one, which calls for a profound spiritual
commitment.
“I will live to win souls and will not allow anything to turn
me aside from seeking their salvation as the first great
purpose of my life.”
I’LL NOT TURN BACK
If crosses come, if it should cost me dearly,
To be the servant of my servant Lord,
If darkness falls around the path of duty,
And men despise the Saviour I’ve adored.
I’ll not turn back, whatever it may cost,
I’m called to live, to love and save the lost,
I’ll not turn back, whatever it mat cost,
I’m called to live, to love and save the lost.
If door should close then other doors will open,
The word of God can never be contained.
His love cannot be finally frustrated,
By narrow minds or prison bars restrained.
It tears should fall, if I am called to suffer,
If all I love men should deface, defame,
I’ll not deny the One that I have followed,
Nor be ashamed to bear my Master’s name,
John Gowans
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