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Trinity Community Church
Trinity Community Church
The Passion Project - A Plea for Divine Help
Pastor Kelly Kinder launches The Passion Project by bringing the book of Nehemiah into vivid focus. In a down-to-earth way, Kelly starts with a humorous story about teaching teenagers to drive—an experience that reveals how unexpected mishaps can shift our perspective. This becomes a springboard into Nehemiah’s remarkable task of rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls after decades of exile. At a time when God’s people felt broken and ashamed, Nehemiah chose prayer and unwavering trust in God’s promises to guide his actions.
Kelly underscores that Nehemiah’s path teaches several core lessons. Leadership matters, not as a quest for personal glory but as a means to rally others toward God’s purposes. Unity among God’s people carries remarkable strength—something clearly displayed when Jerusalem’s ruined walls were restored in a mere 52 days. Facing opposition is inevitable; Nehemiah encountered skeptics and enemies committed to thwarting his progress. Nevertheless, his resolve never wavered because he continually sought God’s guidance. Through it all, the pursuit of holiness remains essential: true restoration cannot happen without acknowledging sin and aligning life with God’s standards.
A highlight of Nehemiah’s journey is his poignant prayer in the first chapter. Kelly draws attention to seven distinct elements within it, each one underscoring an aspect of dependence on the Lord. Nehemiah starts by acknowledging God’s greatness, then pleads for a listening ear, confesses wrongdoing, and leans on divine promises. He recognizes that the people belong to God, asks boldly for favor, and stays watchful for the door God might open to act on his burden. Kelly shows how this prayer resonates for modern believers: even if the context differs, the same principles of humility, confession, and hope in God’s faithfulness apply.
The message also challenges us to remember that prayer is not passive. Nehemiah’s reverence for God ignites him to rebuild and rally those around him. Kelly relates this ancient example to present-day faith struggles, suggesting that God remains ready to heal broken walls—whether in relationships, communities, or within our own hearts. As The Passion Project kicks off, the call is clear: combine steadfast prayer with passionate dedication to see God transform ruins into places of renewed life. By looking to Nehemiah’s story, we glean practical wisdom for confronting challenges, trusting in God’s power, and stepping boldly into divine opportunities.
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Well, I'm glad to be here, glad you guys are online, and I'm just so thankful to get to share the Word of God and open up the series that we're going to be doing in Nehemiah. Hope you're ready for it, are you? It's going to be good. I believe we're excited. You know, a number of years ago, in our sort of our parenting teens to drive years, which was an experience our kids also had friends who were learning to drive. And you know, if you're a wise parent, you are and this is for parents who are in this season if you're a wise parent, you will pick out a car that is safe but has all kinds of it's not a very nice looking car, maybe it's because you're expected to have some scrapes and bumps and scratches on your car. But, as I said, our kids they had friends who were learning to drive too, and at our house, getting in and out of the driveway, it was a pretty straightforward process. We live at the top of a hill but right in between our house and the house down below us it is a massive wall, a concrete block wall that runs from the front of our house to the back, and in one day, after the kids' friends were leaving. They went out of the house, got in the car and they drove out of the driveway. And I walked out the door just in time in horror to see that person hit the wall and they knocked out a few of the concrete blocks out of the wall. And I was just like what? Because it would not have been good if that wall had fallen down, and so I didn't do too much with the wall in terms of repairs that day, but I was thinking, boy, this could be bad. And a couple of months later it happened again, and this time with a different teenage friend. He backs out of the driveway and this time three more feet of that wall got knocked over into the neighbor's yard. And I went out and picked up the box and I thought, oh my, I can't wait anymore, I've got to fix this wall. And you know how they say, there's that saying bad things happen in threes. Yeah, before I could do the repair, another friend had come over, a different friend, and I watched in horror as this friend backed out and knocking eight more feet of that stupid wall out of place. And this time the car had actually turned sideways and part of it was the front part was up on our driveway, the rear of the car was in the neighbor's yard and the car itself was sitting on top of the block wall. Well, the tow truck driver comes in with his tow truck and he's scratching his head and he's looking at me and he says I really don't know what to do to get this car off here. I've never seen this before. Well, eventually the car gets removed and I spent the whole summer rebuilding the wall in the blazing sun. So this kind of leads us into our series this morning, because this morning we begin this new series.
Kelly Kinder:In the message in the Old Testament book of Nehemiah, nehemiah is the story of rebuilding of the walls in Jerusalem which took place in the fifth century before Christ. And you're maybe sitting there thinking very exciting stuff the walls in Jerusalem which took place in the fifth century before Christ. And you're maybe sitting there thinking very exciting stuff what in the world does this have to do with my life, where I am right now? Well, I want to sort of convince you it's worth your time and encourage you to be a part of this series, because Nehemiah also, he speaks to an ongoing reality in our own lives and that reality is that all of us have seasons in our lives where we need to rebuild what's been broken and what's fallen apart, and I know many of you are going through something even today. Something has been broken in your life, something that has fallen apart, something you expected to be different than it is right now. And so, as we walk through this book together, my hope is that you will find hope and you'll be encouraged in what God can do and what God wants to do in your life to rebuild what is maybe the enemy has taken from you. And so we want to do this, so that we can not only be strong as believers, we want to advance the kingdom in the world. And so let want to do this, so that we can not only be strong as believers, we want to advance the kingdom in the world. And so let's pray that God would open up our minds and hearts this morning, and just pray with me. Father, we're so grateful for the time today. We know your word is powerful, it speaks to us and changes us, and what you send out, it doesn't return void, lord, it has power to transform us, and so we pray, spirit of God, that you would blow on your word today, open our hearts and our ears and our minds that we'd understand what you have to say to us today and just change us, transform us. In the name of Jesus, amen. So I was just thinking about this title what is passion? Our series is called the Passion Project.
Kelly Kinder:What is passion? Passion is what you desire the most and are willing to do with your whole being, whatever it is, to get it done, to get it in place. Passion is directly tied to what you love, directly tied to what you love. Passion, you see, was the impetus for 12 ordinary men to turn the world upside down to share the gospel of Jesus. Passion was what brought Paul to allow himself to go through what he did. He went through shipwrecks and storms and beatings and imprisonments for the gospel's sake. Passion is what took Jesus to the cross, for your sake and my sake, and it's what made him love us to the end.
Kelly Kinder:Passion is important. Passion can turn mediocrity into greatness, darkness into light, emptiness into creative vision, failure into success, and apathy and indifference into productive power. Passion is greater than talent, more vital than education. Our passions expose our eternal trajectory. When our heart is broken or misaligned with God's purposes, we sometimes say don't we. I've lost my passion, but passion isn't tied to your emotions. Really, Passion is the divine spark that remains when your wood is wet. It keeps us going, and what we're going to see in this series is how God-given passion can result in accomplishing great things for God. God wants to do something great in all of us, and he's going to do that as we allow Jesus to do His work in us.
Kelly Kinder:Before we look into the book, though, I want to just kind of observe this kind of step back and look some kind of the whole thing a little bit and kind of give us some context before we go forward. And we'll get into chapter one today, but it'll kind of be at the end, and so first let's just set the scene in terms of the background and in some context and, by the way, there's a whole lot to absorb here in terms of the history but I'm going to try to kind of corral this all for us so we can kind of get a good idea of what's going on here. Let's set the scene. The Bible tells us that, leading up to this period and for at least 150 years, god's people had rebelled against God. They had done what God had told them not to do, and they had refused to listen to Him. They had rebelled, they had been involved in idolatry, and God sent prophet after prophet after prophet to warn them to return to Him, but to no avail.
Kelly Kinder:And so in 586, god, his patience ends and he uses a pagan nation and a pagan king named Nebuchadnezzar to come in and bring essentially, judgment on the nation, god's people, for their sins. And so King Nebuchadnezzar and his army, they come in and they literally burn the city of Jerusalem to the ground, and the result is that they take and carry away God's people into captivity and exile to Babylon, modern day Iran, or Iran, if you pronounce it that way. But what's interesting, prior to their departure and this is the heart of God, I think, and you think about their discouragement in this prior to their departure, jeremiah the prophet he sort of predicts the outcome of this sad period in the life of this nation. And in Jeremiah 29, 10, and 11, he holds out this promise of hope. And you know, this is what God does Whenever you're in a bad place, god always holds out a promise of hope to you. And here's what Jeremiah says in Jeremiah 29, 10, and 11. For thus says the Lord, when 70 years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring youben quoted this morning, for I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. You know, when you see these things Eben quoting what he quoted and what God, I think God's doing something. He wants us to hear it this morning. You know, in one of the most amazing I guess a miracle, amazing turn of events stories in the Old Testament though, god moves upon the heart of a different pagan king 70, well, not quite 70 years, but a number of decades later, a man named Cyrus, cyrus the Great Cyrus, the Second who had come to power after Nebuchadnezzar. King Cyrus issues this royal decree to allow the Jews the freedom to come back to their homeland, to come back home. And so the biblical text is so significant. I just want to read it to you because I think it's really encouraging what he says here.
Kelly Kinder:Cyrus speaks this in Ezra 1, verses 1-4. In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order to fulfill the Lord's message spoken through Jeremiah, the Lord stirred the mind of King Cyrus of Persia Remember, he's a pagan king stirred the mind of King Cyrus of Persia Remember, he's a pagan king. He disseminated a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom, announcing in a written edict the following thus says the king Cyrus of Persia the Lord, god of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has instructed me to build a temple for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Anyone from his people among you may his God be with him may go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and may build the temple of the Lord, god of Israel. He is the God who is in Jerusalem. Anyone who survives in any of those places where he is a resident foreigner must be helped by his neighbors with silver to go back home, and he even pays for it. What a miracle, so amazing. You know. In that passage, cyrus calls these people survivors. Are you a survivor this morning?
Kelly Kinder:See, only a remnant, though, would end up taking Cyrus up on his offer to come back home, to return, and so, over the next 100 years or so, this remnant, god's survivors, would come back and settle in the land again, and this happened in three waves, if you might say over 100 years. The first return is under a guy named Zerubbabel and Joshua, the high priest. It resulted in what? In the rebuilding of the temple itself. That's found, if you want to read it, in Ezra 1, verses 1-6, chapter 6, verse 22. A second way comes back about 50 years later and this time under Ezra. Ezra was a priest and scribe and he is a leader in that restoration back to the land 50 years later, and you can read about that in Ezra 7 through 10. He is a restorer of the word of God to the people because they had lost the law and the word of God.
Kelly Kinder:And the final return that we're talking about here in this book it occurs under Nehemiah, about a decade later, and Nehemiah is called for this purpose to rebuild the city walls and the city gates. You say, why is that important? Because ultimately, ezra and Nehemiah together would lead efforts to bring God's people back to a revival, a spiritual restoration, by doing what God had called them to do. And let me just say, if you're reading this, I would just encourage you to read both Ezra and Nehemiah, because in the original, ezra and Nehemiah was actually one single book in the Hebrew. It wasn't until the Middle Ages that they split them, and so you get a lot of context by reading the book of Ezra, just to help you there. Well, let's meet the governor.
Kelly Kinder:The governor, the man behind the wall, nehemiah, eventually takes that position, but it says in chapter 1, verse 1, the words of this book, he says, are the words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Say that three times fast Hacaliah, hacaliah. The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Say that three times fast Hakaliah, hakaliah. The words of Nehemiah the son of Hakaliah. Nehemiah's name means what it means God comforts, and it's appropriate because these people were needing comforting, because they lost a lot. He helps restore for them this remnant that has been lost in the exile. And, by the way, when you think of exile, the exile was, of course, in that period. But exile really has to do in symbolic way about being separated from God. We all can at times in our life become separated from God. He was a son of Hakalia, which means wait on God. So this name also sheds light on this book, as he consistently, they consistently, look to God to fulfill their calling Nehemiah as well.
Kelly Kinder:So much of this book from Nehemiah is really his personal memoir. It's like a, if you want to say, a prayer diary, spiritual diary of sorts. It's his own words in many places, but he is an amazingly capable leader. This is a great book for leadership. He's a person we could say who was and I just put a few of these humble, visionary, bold, courageous, faithful, selfless and resilient. As one commentator said, he is willing to give up the luxury and ease of the palace to help his people. He is a man who has the right priorities and is concerned for God's work, who is able to encourage and rebuke at the right times, who is strong in prayer and who gives all glory and credit to God. Sounds a little bit like someone else and his name is Jesus. Jesus. We see him in his ministry of restoration, in Nehemiah, because Nehemiah comes with a specific mission. He finished the work he came to do, and he all the while being totally dependent on God. That's our Lord.
Kelly Kinder:So let's go on now to let me point out to you four what I could just say, four lessons. I pulled these from the book. Four lessons, key lessons from the book that I want to share with you. Number one is leadership is crucial. Leadership is crucial. You know, everything rises and falls on leadership, and so this book, as many people have. They've used it as a leadership book because it has so many great principles on how to lead. And you know leadership, if you think about a definition, for the best one I've ever heard is leadership is influence. Leadership is influence, and so that makes every one of us leaders, because, guess what? You influence someone else, whether you're a parent, whether you're a student, whether you're a teacher, whether you're an employer or employee. You influence someone because God gives you the ability and capability to influence people. For the kingdom, leadership is crucial. And so here's the thing about Nehemiah though he didn't do this by himself. Great and godly leaders don't work alone, and we find this in Nehemiah in a very real sense. He is this great leader, and so anyone who follows him can learn these lessons. It's a book about leadership.
Kelly Kinder:Number two unity is powerful. Unity is powerful. This book shows us how important it is for us all to work together for the sake of the kingdom to accomplish God's purposes. Nehemiah he really just challenges his countrymen to arise and rebuild what's been shattered. Don't you look around in our nation and see all the stuff that's kind of been broken? So we can look at this on a broader scale, and then we can look at this in our own personal lives of things that's been broken and, what's amazing, he does this task of rebuilding the wall in 52 days. 52 days A feat. Even the remnant of Israel. They look around and they have to attribute this work to God. Only God could do that. By contrast, the task of getting the people back to where they needed to be it took well, really beyond the whole book of Nehemiah. Because we're a work in progress, aren't we folks? We're a work in progress and it demands the best of Nehemiah and the people he led.
Kelly Kinder:Number three opposition is certain. Everywhere, from Ezra, all through the book of Nehemiah. They don't do this without, just like it's a breeze. All through the book, we see opposition occurring. Nothing is easy when we attempt to do things for God to advance God's kingdom. That's because, why? Because we have the forces of darkness arrayed against us, the invisible warfare that we experience because we have an enemy of darkness arrayed against us. The invisible warfare that we experience because we have an enemy who wants to do in and destroy what God wants to do in God's people and, ultimately, against God. And so Nehemiah and the people experience this great opposition, just like we will. Nothing is easy. When we do it for God, we always have pushback. When the Apostle Paul came to minister in Ephesus he said there's a wide door for a great work here, although many oppose me. And I believe there's kind of a direct correlation between the level of threat we pose to that enemy and maybe the pushback that we get. So it makes you wonder, with all the stuff going on, maybe God's doing something really good. We're invading maybe the enemy's kingdom and we should just keep going. We should just keep going. You know it makes me.
Kelly Kinder:I was watching a video a few a number of weeks ago and I was. You know, it makes me. I was watching a video a few a number of weeks ago and I was. You know. I don't know why I like bees. Well, I could tell you another story about that.
Kelly Kinder:But I was watching this pest control guy who had come out at a request of a neighbor to the house and there was this massive I mean it was like three or four foot long hornet's nest on the side of the building there, and so this pest control guy got up on the ladder and he had his smoker machine. Of course he's all decked out, head to toe covered so he would not get stung. And he starts pulling out his smoker and poking this hornet's nest and, as you would imagine, man, those hornets came out of their house just like crazy. And in this way it's the same thing when we poke the enemy's place of domain, his domain you can guarantee we're going to get some pushback.
Kelly Kinder:But that's not always a bad thing, because God is with us. We're not alone, just like was shared this morning. God is with us, god is with us. We're not alone, just like was shared this morning. God is with us, god is with us. Let's keep on. Jesus reminds us that a servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too. But take heart, I've overcome the world, he says.
Kelly Kinder:Well, the last lesson here I see in this book holiness is essential. Holiness is essential. Hebrews 12, 14 says "strive for peace with everyone and for the holiness, without which no one will see the Lord". Jesus himself taught blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. And you hear that both of those lines have seen God.
Kelly Kinder:To see the Lord in Scripture is really to me. It's not just literally seeing Him, it's to really to know His tangible presence. This is what Moses asked. Let me see you, god and God. Let him see His glory. This is what Moses asked. Let me see you, god and God, let him see his glory. So we desire so often to see God's presence, his moving in our midst, to see his glory. But you know what we're often unwilling to do. We're unwilling to see our sin, to look at ourself, and without repentance or brokenness, guess what? We cannot know God's presence. All you have to do is look at the example in Isaiah, chapter 6, and just point you to that scripture to see that whole process of how that works.
Kelly Kinder:And one of the key lessons of Nehemiah is really to correct this faulty assumption I think we have, as God's people, that if we just rebuild these things that are important to us, like our financial situation or our social situation or our security situation, that all will be well and those are all good things. But it won't get us there. It won't get us there because really, there are two walls that have to be rebuilt, and the second one is the wall of the human heart, and that's the only place that Jesus can do his work. It's the thing that will change everything when your heart is changed by the Lord Jesus, it will change everything for you. And if you're here this morning and you don't know him yet, I would just challenge you to check him out, because Jesus never goes back on who he is and his promises.
Kelly Kinder:Well, what's the big idea of this book? Because there are these major lessons that we see, but ultimately, what's the big idea? It's really the only thing we get from this book. I guess, if we think about this, if the only thing we get from this book is that we see a bunch of people go out and build a wall, then we'll just get a sort of an interesting history lesson. But I want you to see there's so much more in this book. Instead, our task is to take what we see really happened with these people in history and see and transfer the truth that is learned in the principles and precepts that are in this book and see these vital spiritual truths that apply to us today. That's what we're doing we're taking 5th century BC stuff and transferring it to the 21st century, and there's so many lessons for us here.
Kelly Kinder:Here's what Paul said about that when we look at Old Testament stories like this and many times it's like what in the world does that have to do with me? There's no connect here. Well, here's what Paul said. He said these things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us to live at the end of the age. It's really important. So the book's major message, then, is this Only with God's help can we actually change ourselves and recover from the damage and ruin of the past. Say that again Only with God's help can we actually change ourselves and recover from the damage and ruin of the past. See, jesus will help you do that. You may be here and feel hopeless and helpless and discouraged today, but if you, I just promise you, jesus will not let you stay the way you are. If you ask him to help, he will help you. So this is really the goal behind the series the Passion Project. It sits us down and it makes us observe this group of unwilling people led by a passionate leader, to bring about a passionate spiritual transformation in God's people, and that would include us.
Kelly Kinder:You know perhaps the most frequently attributed line to the famous 19th century evangelist and pastor, dl Moody. Remember DL Moody? It was this line that goes like this the world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to him. By God's help, I aim to be that man. That's passion. But in fact this line didn't originate with Moody Henry Varley, who was a British minister. He had befriended this American evangelist and he recalled that in 1873, moody had asked him to recall those words that they had spoken. That Varley had spoken in private, in a private conversation a year earlier, before Moody went back to the United States, and so Varley provides this account about that conversation. I want to read it to you. He says During the afternoon of the day of the conference, mr Moody asked me to join him in the vestry of the Baptist church.
Kelly Kinder:We were alone, and he recalled the night's meeting at Willow Park in our conversation the following morning. Do you remember your words, he said. I replied I well remember our interview, but I don't recall anything special that I said. Don't you remember saying, moody, the world has yet to see what God will do with a man fully consecrated to him. Well, not the actual sins, I said. I said, mr Moody, those were the words that were sent to my soul through you from the living God as I crossed the wide Atlantic. The boards of the deck of the vessel were engraved with them, and when I reached Chicago, the very paving stones seemed marked with moody. The world has yet to see what God will do with a man fully consecrated to him. Under the power of those words, I have come back to England and I felt that I must not let more time pass until I let you know how God has used your words to my inmost soul.
Kelly Kinder:You ever had somebody ignite the passion for you? Years ago we attended a church back named Calvary and a group of college students, and out of that time alone, and with the Sundays when the words of God were preached and we were experiencing what I would say was real, genuine revival, our hearts, those college students and myself, we were challenged and changed by what God's Word said. And many times we'd find ourselves lost in the time when those Scripture was being taught just us and God and we were doing things. And out of that group, out of that time, there were probably 15 or 20 different college students that went to seminary, that were called to missions, that were called to full-time ministry, because it stirred something in us, and I just can guarantee you that God does that in every believer. It just might be different for you.
Kelly Kinder:God is at work in you, and we're going to see that here in just a second as we ask this question where does this passion come from? Listen, here's what Paul said in Philippians. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence, but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. And here's what Nehemiah said in chapter 2. We find him with this passion, and he says this, and this is prior to him beginning to work, as he's working through the people and then walking through the land. He says I told no one what God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. Has God put something in your heart that you're just letting lie dormant? See, you can't just stay there. You can't just stay there. God wants you to take steps of faith to do something with the passion he's put in your heart.
Kelly Kinder:Hebrews tells us something else, because the thing I have to address is what if you've lost your passion? What if you just don't have it, as we say, anymore? Hebrews 12, 12 and 13 gives us this advice, and it might seem a little harsh, but I think it's encouraging. Lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees and make straight paths for your feet so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed Just off the cuff. It reminds me of Jesus talking to that man who laid at the pool for 38 years and he said do you want to be well? We talked and we prayed for healing today.
Kelly Kinder:But there's also, just like there's physical healing, there's spiritual healing to be had as well. You know, if you have physically weak knees, you know you can do exercise for that. You can do lunges, you can do step-ups, you can do side bends. I mean, you can do lots of things to strengthen your weak knees. But to heal spiritually weak knees you have to do other things. You need regular spiritual exercise, just like what you're doing right now, by being in the Word, by spending time alone with God in prayer and devotions, by intimate worship with God in your secret place and being with God's people. Those are spiritual exercises and they will strengthen your spiritual life. As I say, you can be healed, but you can't stay where you are.
Kelly Kinder:So when taken into exile, god's people and one of the things I saw in this is that God's people, when they first were taken into exile, god's people, and one of the things I saw in this is that God's people, when they first were taken into exile, it's just they hung their harps on the willows and if you know that story, basically out of limitations and so on, as they get into the land of Babylon, in exile the people, one of them, they said sing us the songs, sing us those songs of Zion. It's just saying we want to hear that. They said sing us the songs, sing us those songs of Zion that you sang. We want to hear that. And the people's kind of like are you kidding me? I don't feel like singing. I don't feel like singing.
Kelly Kinder:And it took 70 years for really God to heal their broken hearts and their hopes and their dreams and bring a new vision for a better future. Psalm 137 reflects this. It says, literally upon the willows in the midst of it, literally in the Hebrew in the midst of it, we hung our harps. Are you in the midst of it? We hung our harps. Are you in the midst of it today? God will help you restore what's been broken.
Kelly Kinder:Well, let's look now at the beginning of this book, in chapter 1. And I just called the title of this, I know it's late, but we'll move through it pretty quickly A plea for divine help, a plea for divine help, a plea for divine help, and it's the first and greatest work. Nehemiah, the man behind the wall. He's not like the Wizard of Oz, he's not pulling levers and switches and he's not trying to pull the wool over anybody's eyes and fool anybody. He's a real person and what we find at his core is the one thing with which we have to begin.
Kelly Kinder:I can't say this enough If we miss it, if we miss this in all the work that God is doing in the church, in our nation, in our personal lives, in building God's kingdom, it will fail. But see, here it's the secret of Nehemiah's success. He said what in the world, what are you talking about? Prayer, prayer. See, our passion will be revealed by our attention to this one thing called prayer, and it's the one thing. Guess what the church ignores the most, neglects the most? It's seen as being maybe less important than other things that we could just fix this ourselves, put in place something that I know with my brain, I can figure out. But what prayer does is it makes us totally dependent on God. Nehemiah was a man of constant prayer. So we'll see, as we can see 14 places in this book, 14 prayers that are recorded in this book Before he begins the project.
Kelly Kinder:Nehemiah prays when he reaches and approaches the king, he prayed. When he is in trouble, he prayed. You know, we usually get serious about prayer when we have a problem. Amen, and Nehemiah had a problem. He's still in Babylon when he gets some disturbing news about the spiritual condition of God's people back in his homeland. And let's just look into this. It's in Nehemiah, chapter 1. And let's just say this is the burden. We see the burden that sparked his prayer in verses 1 through 4. Nehemiah's burden, the words of Nehemiah, the son of Hacaliah.
Kelly Kinder:Now, it happened in the month of Chislev in the 20th year, as I was in Susa, the citadel, that Hannah and I, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah and I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said to me the remnant there in the province, who had survived the exile, is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are destroyed by fire. As soon as I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. And it seems that Nehemiah had already been wondering how are things back in the homeland, in the home area where I came from? How are things going back there with the remnant of God's people who had made their way back over these years and settled down there?
Kelly Kinder:And on this occasion, nehemiah, along with his brother literally probably his little brother, hanani, and a group of his friends, they come and they ask for a special time, a special meeting with Nehemiah, as he's at the palace in Susa serving the king, and presumably to tell Nehemiah what's going on. It's kind of like some people will tell you the truth and other people say, oh, everything's fine, but this little group says, no, everything is not fine. Let me tell you how things really are. And at that meeting, nehemiah asked them two, really a two-part question. The first thing he asked them was about their spiritual condition of the remnant there, and the response was what the survivors? Well, they're in trouble, great trouble and shame Verse 3. And the sense is that God's people are struggling because why they're living in disobedience to the revealed will of God. In fact, if you're honest, nehemiah, let me tell you, you really can't tell the difference between them and the people, the pagan people, that are living among them. They look just the same, just about Sound familiar.
Kelly Kinder:Number two he also asked about the actual city of Jerusalem, the city of God, the holy city, and the answer he gets from this contingent, his brother and their friends, is that the city is in ruins and they've been back there for almost 90 years. What in the world is going on? He says the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are destroyed by fire. But here's what I want you to see. I want you to see that this name, jerusalem, the city of God, is an object lesson of our life or our nation in spiritual ruin. I don't want to over-spiritualize this, but this is the idea that we can get at the walls and the gates are broken down as a picture of a life that has lost its defenses against the attack of an enemy, and are really those lies that we believe are open to repeated hurt and misery. This is what this speaks of, these specific problems mentioned by Nehemiah. You know what, if we go through the book.
Kelly Kinder:I want to just give you these three things I want you to pay attention to as you go through the book that are faced by every generation, including that generation. Number one is identity. These people don't really know who they are. These are God's people and they've forgotten they're God's people. God's people are in great trouble because they don't know who they are. And we can be in trouble because we don't know who we are in Christ, and the enemy can walk all over us, could make us discouraged and depressed and ready to give up.
Kelly Kinder:Here's a second one conformity or compromise. God's people are in great shame. Why are they in great shame? Because they're not really living up to what God has called them to do. Obedience matters. And then, third thing, apathy. God's city is in significant ruin, so we can be safe and okay in this place in the moment and just be comfortable where we are. We have to move out of that comfort zone because we'll never achieve the goal, the mission will never get done, the gospel will never be preached if we're comfortable.
Kelly Kinder:Well, listen, nehemiah's reaction is immediate. He says as soon as I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven, verse 4. And Nehemiah's despair is really due to the fact that the restoration it hadn't been completed. It was just sitting there waiting to get done. And it just makes me think the church is a powerful force. We have more resources and ways to share the gospel now than we ever have in history, and yet the gospel, at least in America.
Kelly Kinder:What's going on with that? Things are not as they should be Now. Notice. This all happened, and it may seem like an inconsequential comment. It happened in the month of Chislev, in the 20th year. Say, what does that have to do with anything?
Kelly Kinder:Well, based on chapter 2, verse 1, we can calculate that Nehemiah is mourning and praying and fasting for a whole solid four months, four months of prayer. You say, what did he pray about? I don't know, but he's talking to God about what the problem is. And I anticipate that during this time, nehemiah is also asking for a supernatural intervention to sway the heart and challenge and change the mind of his boss, king Artaxerxes, who's over him at this time and is over the whole book. King Artaxerxes, that's because King Artaxerxes and Ezra IV, while they had started the work back under Ezra and before and Zerubbabel built the temple, artaxerxes shut it down and so nothing had been done since that time. And Nehemiah knew that. And he's praying now, having made all of this in prayer for four whole months, to sway the heart and the mind of this king, who'd shut the work of God down to get him to, and the mind of this king who'd shut the work of God down to get him to change his mind. And so, on the day he gets ready to go and talk to the king, he's decided he's going to now, he knows what to do, he's going to talk to the king about it, and on this day he goes to talk to the king.
Kelly Kinder:We see this prayer in verses five through 11. Let's read it. And says and I said O Lord, god of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel, your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father's house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes and the rules that you have commanded your servant Moses. Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses saying if you're faithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though, your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven. From there, I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen to make my name dwell there. They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. Oh Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name and give success to your servant today and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. And we won't spend a whole lot of time on this, but I just want to quickly give you something I think is practical, that I think don't disvalue this, because we're only talking about it pretty quickly, but I want you to quickly see seven aspects of this prayer that we should be all praying during this hour.
Kelly Kinder:This pattern for prayer was used in many respects by Moses, by Solomon, by Daniel, and we even see it in the prayer that Jesus gave as the pattern for prayer. And so the first one that I want you to see is To you, god of heaven. He says, and I said O Lord, god of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments. Nehemiah begins by appealing to God's character as a great and loving God. And so, listen, you can't pray effectively to God not knowing the God you're praying to. You have to know who God is to pray effectively, and so he's praying that way. He's appealing to what we hear, and Jesus said your kingdom come, your will be done. How do you know his will if you don't know his character? And that's what Nehemiah goes to first.
Kelly Kinder:Second thing please listen to my prayer. You ever prayed that to God. Would you just listen, god? Why aren't you doing anything? God, would you just please listen? He says here let your ear be attentive and your eyes be open to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you, day and night for the people of your servants. If you want God to hear you, we want God to hear us we have to live in obedience. That's what servants do, right. Where are we missing what God has told us? Is there something God has told you to do that you haven't done or that you're doing that you need to stop? Notice also that Nehemiah is praying persistently, day and night, and unselfishly, for the people.
Kelly Kinder:Third, I'm confessing our sin against you, god, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father's house have sinned and we've acted very corruptly against you and not kept your commands, statutes, rules that you commanded your servant, moses. See here Nehemiah humbling himself. He's confessing what. He's confessing the corporate sin. Have you prayed for this nation as a whole, corporately? And the reason we do that is because you and I are part of this nation. He prays for his personal sin. I've acted wickedly, god, not done this or that. I did this and that that I shouldn't have. And it says he prays for his family and you can pray for your family because you're part of that family, so something in your family that needs to be prayed about sins confessed, so he's honest before God. We say you know he came clean, and that's really true, because when you pray and ask for forgiveness, god makes you clean. We haven't obeyed you in these things, god.
Kelly Kinder:Number four remember the promises you made, or promise you made. The promise, the word that you commanded your servant, moses. If you're unfaithful, I will scatter you, but if you return to me and do them, I will bring you back to the land. Nehemiah is calling on God to do what Honor his Word, and one of the things that I know is the best thing to pray is to pray Scripture, because I know he's written it and I know he will honor it. And this is good. This is so good because Nehemiah appeals to God's integrity and faithfulness to do what he said he would do his promise. And one of the best ways we can pray is to know the Scripture and pray the Scripture back to him and say God, you wrote this, please honor it. And God will, because he's faithful.
Kelly Kinder:Number five remember the people you have redeemed. They are your servants and your people whom you've redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. Oh Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants. It sounds like these other people are praying this too, isn't it just Nehemiah? They delight to fear your name. Here Nehemiah is appealing to the covenant they had with God, with his people, and essentially Nehemiah is reminding them we belong to you, god. Remember we're your kids, we're your people. You know one of the things I know we have two new granddaughters and we get the privilege of having one of those granddaughters over just about every week and I can guarantee you she'll come in and she'll say we're granddad, we're granddad. She's 18 or 19 months old and I was like, okay, what do you want? I'll do anything for you. I'll do anything for you.
Kelly Kinder:Jesus teaches that idea to us about prayer because we're his kids and I just don't know what the heart of God is, but I know what my heart is toward my granddaughter. How much more would God answer the prayer of his children when we ask him Redeem and remember the people you redeemed. Number six give me success and favor, he says, and give success to your servant today and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. And Nehemiah brings this prayer to bear on the first thing in which he needs help and that's the day he's going in to talk to the king Favor and success, to sway the heart of this king to allow this work to start up again. And I think we can learn so much from this to think that before we take steps to do anything, anything that we just need to stop and ask God for success and favor with whatever and whomever might oppose us. And here's the thing Don't go out the door so quickly that you haven't hit your knees. Number seven, the last one. I will watch and wait for you, god. Because he ends up saying now I was cupbearer to the king.
Kelly Kinder:I think that it's almost like a poignant way of ending this chapter, because it's almost like well, remember, nehemiah was the cupbearer, he was the cupbearer, he's the guy who tasted the food and the wine so that the king wouldn't be poisoning. A great job, great job to have. But what that tells us is that Nehemiah was in a really trusted position by the king. And so you might think well, I can just tell him. I talk to him every day, I taste his food and wine, he really trusts me. So I'm just going to just say drop the edict and let us get back.
Kelly Kinder:No, he doesn't think that way. He doesn't move ahead without God's help, and neither should we. I don't care what it is. You want to restore your family, your dreams, your work, your friendships. Go to God first and say grant me success and favor, because you can change a heart. And you kind of get the sense.
Kelly Kinder:This is the way the chapter ends. It's like Nehemiah is just waiting and watching for God to work. I pray God, now I'm going to sit back, I'm just going to watch what you do, because I know you will, staying alert for every opportunity that God might bring. Watching in prayer is being alert to the opportunities that might come up, and then we can say there's my time. Now is the time.
Kelly Kinder:Proverbs 21 says the king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord. He turns it wherever he will, and very soon the king of kings would promote Nehemiah to governor in order to rebuild the wall. Let's pray. So, father, we just thank you for what you bring to us in your word and Lord, as we begin and lay the foundations for this series, lord, we just pray you'll burn these truths into our minds and that we will cry out to you for help, lord. Whatever it is that we're going through today, where our lives have been broken and disrupted and shattered in so many ways, lord, some of those we may try to fix and then we fail. But, lord, you are the one that can change everything, so do that work. Today, lord, we ask for every one of us, those who know you and those who are coming to know you, lord, that you might glorify yourselves, as we trust in you, lord Jesus, for your own glory and for your own sake. In Jesus' name amen.
