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8 Nov 2009   Nehemiah's prayer

Pastor Jeff

First and foremost, we must put God where He belongs. We are to reflect on what God has done to our lives and our families. Even in times of defeat and grief, we should not lose heart because  God is going to change the situation.

God has raised up great spiritual leaders and some of these are Ezra to encourage the people, and Nehemiah whose experience of holding on to God in the face of persecution is a good model for us.

The wall

It is very important to have joy  because sadness shows in our countenance. Nehemiah was so burdened when he heard about the plight of his people back home and that the walls of Jerusalem has broken down. It symbolizes the loss of hope- how can Jerusalem protects itself without the wall. Jerusalem is vulnerable without the walls – just like our laptops / PC  is  vulnerable if the firewall is down.  In our Christian walk and in today’s church, the wall speaks of wall of prayers, wall of God’s will. “How is your spiritual life”, that is what my mum asked me after Sunday sermons. Is our spiritual bucket filled or if not we need to fill it - as  things of this world tends to drain it. How do you react ? An empty person tend to react negatively to things, gossiping..etc . We need to be refill all the time, even for me as a preacher, because the devil is also listening.  We need to fill the bucket and build the wall to defend ourselves. We also need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit because right thing may not be at the right time. If we fall short, we confess and God forgives. Then we move on to trust him and talk to him whatever happens in our heart, and experience His blessings and also become  a blessing to our family,workplace and neighbourhood.

Nehemiah 2:2

2 so the king asked me, "Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart."

In spite of all this, Nehemiah understood God- he understood the promise and faithfulness of God according to the Word of God. It gives him strength for it was written that God has make a covenant with Israel- even as Israel live in disgrace God ‘s covenant remains.

Nehemiah starts his prayer by putting God in his place- recogniseing that we have a great and awesome God whilst he is just a simple man feeling the burden and standing on behalf of Jerusalem confessing  and praying to God.

Nehemiah 1:1-4

Nehemiah's Prayer

 ¹ The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah:
      In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, ² Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.

 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."

 ⁴ When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. ⁵ Then I said:
       "O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, ⁶ let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's house, have committed against you. ⁷ We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.

 ⁸ "Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, ⁹ but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.'

During the walk with the Lord, we are also learning and experiencing- from experience to experience- as our faith grows. Trusting God when you have nothing and when hope has dwindled, and when the looking forward time has passed- we still need to press on and continue to serve Him.  Remember my 22 cents story and how stranger provides food and also the stranded story which provide an opportunity to serve Him.

We have seen God ‘s intervention of  what He has done in the past, and what He will do again. Miracles will happen again if we continue to believe. So hold on to your hammer and spear- continue to build and defend. We can do this by reading God’s word and praying without ceasing. Tell God everything – be a person who walk with God. Nothing shall stand  between us and God. If God is with us who can be against us.

As a parting note, in the recent tsunami, God intervene to save Fiji (2 hours from Samoa)  even as it stood in the pathway of potential destruction – this is a reminder  that nothing is impossible with God.

Luke 1:37

³⁷For nothing is impossible with God."

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15 Nov 2009  Be extraordinary       

How to be extra-ordinary – even in times of severe trails and persecution, we can rise above the expectations,  and move from ordinary to extraordinary. The way to do it is to have the spirit of understanding of  Love of God and the Grace of God. Keep our  focus on  the reward in heaven.  God’s love and grace  brings us joy and gladness. This same joy of the Lord is our strength- 3 times  Jesus wept but  on 4 occasions  Jesus is full of joy. Without the love of God and God’s grace, through the Holy spirit, it is impossible to experience overflowing joy- to love one another, to love those who persecute you, to love your enemies, to feed your enemies ..etc. We also need to embrace the divine principle of forgiveness – within our family, home, workplace and in this world.  This world need greater goodness  than hatred.  We need to serve with gladness, to sacrifice with gladness even to suffer with joy and to supplicate / pray with joy and be extraordinary.

 Matt 5:11-12

11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

2 Corinthians 8:1-2

Generosity Encouraged

 1And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.

1 John 4:7-12

7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son[b] into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for[c] our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

Luke 10:21

21At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.

Heb 1:9

9You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;

      therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions

      by anointing you with the oil of joy."

Heb 12:2

2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jude 1: 24

24To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—

Matt 5:44

4But I tell you: Love your enemies[i] and pray for those who persecute you,

Rm 12:20

20On the contrary:

   "If your enemy is hungry, feed him;

      if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.

   In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."

Luke 23:34

34Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."[e] And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

Ph 1:4

4In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy

Isaiah 56:7

7 these I will bring to my holy mountain

       and give them joy in my house of prayer.

       Their burnt offerings and sacrifices

       will be accepted on my altar;

       for my house will be called

       a house of prayer for all nations."

Psalms 100:2

2 Worship the LORD with gladness;

       come before him with joyful songs.

Psalms 27:6

6 Then my head will be exalted

       above the enemies who surround me;

       at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;

       I will sing and make music to the LORD.

1 Thess 1:6

6You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.

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