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if you would, very quickly tonight
to the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah chapter number 2. Nehemiah chapter
number 2. And I guess we're going to treat
this message sort of like loaf bread. We'll just slice it off
and come back. How about that? And we'll probably
have a part 3 to this one then. We're in the book of Nehemiah.
Nehemiah is a cupbearer to the king, king Artaxerxes. He's in Shushan the palace. Word
comes through Hanani, his brother, and some other Jewish brethren,
I believe which was his brother in the flesh, his physical brother.
as well as Jewish brethren that had traveled back from Jerusalem. They had been about 800-1,000
miles. They had traveled there where
the remnant had returned after the Babylonian exile. The temple
had been rebuilt, but the walls were still broken down. The gates
thereof had been burned with fire. The people, the children
of Israel, the inhabitants of Jerusalem were at the mercy of
their enemy. They were being plundered, they
were being attacked and plundered, and their lives were just in
disarray. And it impacted Nehemiah's life
so much that it stunned him. He sat down in his seat and he
mourned and he wept and he prayed, and the Bible said, certain days. We know that there was a season
of prayer. And God, through that season
of prayer, began to crystallize in Nehemiah's heart a purpose. Look, if you would, please, chapter
2 and verse number 1. And it came to pass in the month
Nisan, this is probably March-April in the Persian calendar, in the
twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before
him. And I took up the wine and gave
it unto the king. Now I had not been before time
sad in his presence. Wherefore the king said unto
me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? This
is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid,
and said unto the king, Let the king live for ever. Why should
not my countenance be sad when the city, the place of my father's
sepulcher's life, waste, and the gates thereof are consumed
with fire? Then the king said unto me, For
what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven,
and I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy
servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest
send me unto Judah, and to the city of my father's sepulchres,
that I may build it. And the king said unto me, the
queen also sitting by him, For how long shall thy journey be,
and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send
me, and I set him a time. Moreover I said unto the king,
If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors
beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into
Judah. and a letter unto Asaph, the
keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to
make beams for the gates of the palace which appertain to the
house and for the wall of the city, and for the house that
I shall enter into. And the king granted me according
to the good hand of my God upon me." What a wonderful, wonderful
passage of Scripture. I began to look and notice that
Nehemiah was a man who lived his life with purpose. So many people go through life,
even Christians go through life, and they wander aimlessly. They
never really have a purpose for their lives. Others have purpose,
but it's worldly purpose. It comes of their own selfish
dreams and desires and pursuits and aspirations. and ambitions
in life and they come to the end of life and they're filled
with regret and disappointment and emptiness because they've
lived for something that will not last. You see, everything
about this world is passing, but I'm glad there's a world
coming that's lasting. Amen? And that we don't have
to live for that which is going to pass, we can live for that
which will last. I don't believe there's anything
sweeter in the life of a Christian than living with a godly purpose. of finding God's purpose, God's
plan for my life. You say, preacher, you don't
understand. I've already lived much of my life. I'm in the sunset
years. God can't possibly have anything
for me. Listen, I'm convinced of this.
If you are living and breathing as one of His children on planet
Earth, God has purpose for your life. God wants you to make a
difference. God wants to use you. God wants your life to have influence
and meaning for Him. And if I'm going to have a purpose,
young person listen to me tonight, young adult, if I'm going to
have to have purpose, if I'm going to have purpose, a God-given
purpose in my life, then it's going to come through a season
of prayer. Notice we're in chapter 2 and it's the month Nisan, but
when Nehemiah hears these words, it's in the month Kislu, it's
in December. We see that in chapter 2 verse
1 that four months have went by. that there's been a season
of prayer in the life of Nehemiah where Nehemiah has gotten alone
with God. He sought God's mind. He sought
God's heart. There is a people and a city
on his heart. And God began to form a purpose
in Nehemiah's heart of Nehemiah, why don't you do something about
this? Nehemiah, why don't you take care of it? Nehemiah, in
somebody else building the walls, why don't you build the walls?
Have you ever noticed how that in a season of prayer some burden
is on our heart like it was Nehemiah? And God will come along and tap
us on the shoulder and say, well, why don't you do something about
it? No doubt more than one person sitting in this room, you had
a burden during a missions revival or a missions conference, and
you were praying for the billions that have yet to hear, and God
tapped you on the shoulder and said, why don't you do something
about it? Why don't you go? By the way, can I tell you, God's
still calling, and God's still looking, and God's still desiring
men and women that will give their lives, young people who
will give their lives for a godly purpose. Now we learned this
morning, you don't have to be a missionary or evangelist or
a pastor to make a difference for God. Your godly purpose might
be being the husband, the wife, the grandparent that God wants
you to be. It may be that God has called you to a group of
children in our church, and you minister there, or maybe in an
RU, or maybe on care outreach, or any myriad of ways that we
serve through this local church. God's called you to your place
of work. Nobody's where they are by accident. God has sent us, I'm getting
ahead of myself, into that place. God's giving us purpose. We represent
Him. We're His salt, His light in
the world in which we live. Whether it's a homeschool mom,
whether it's a Christian school teacher, whether it's a nurse
caring for a patient or a construction worker building, God is giving
you a circle of people to influence and impact for His glory. It's called purpose. It comes
through a season of prayer. You'll never discover God's purpose
for your life if you're not willing to spend time with Him. Number
two, I want you to get it tonight. Purpose always comes with a cost.
It always comes with a cost. You see, any time that we set
out to do something for God, there's a cost involved in that. And Nehemiah, during the four
months of seeking the Lord, praying, fasting, weeping, I believe he
counted the cost. Notice, if you would, the risk
that he took. Let's pick up in our text in
verse number 1. We're in the palace there in
Shushan. It's in the month, Persian month,
Nisan, our April. Nehemiah is performing his royal
duties. He's not just a butler. He's
a man of high position. He's on the cabinet of Artaxerxes.
He's a very trusted man. It was his job to ensure the
safety of the king to taste the wine. the food before it went
to the king. I'm just telling you, being a
king in Persia was hazardous business. There was some occupational
hazard there. There was somebody always wanting
to get you out of the way and take your place. And so, you
trusted those people around you. And so, Nehemiah is doing his
duty before the king. Notice verse 1, last phrase,
I took up the wine, gave it unto the king. Now, I had not been
before time sad in his presence. Have you noticed the burden starting
to show through? I mean, he can't hold it in any longer. This thing's
been pressing on his heart for so long. It's beginning to show
up on there. You know how somebody has godly
purpose? You can see it. I mean, you can
hear it. It's going to come out in their
life. And here it's getting ready to
come out in Nehemiah's life. But it's a dangerous, there's
a risk here. Notice, look, verse 2, Wherefore the king said unto
me, Why is thy countenance sad? Seeing you're not sick. Now if
you're sick, Nehemiah, I'd understand it, but you're not sick. But
you have a sad, grievous countenance. Now you know what? If you're
a king, you're suspicious. And the thought that Nehemiah
may be sad or troubled looking in his presence may have been
an indication that something was wrong with that wine and
there may be something going on and Nehemiah might have been
a part of a coup or something to take his life. And so the
king, he wanted everybody happy in his presence. He wanted to
know everything's okay. He didn't want any inclination
that something bad was getting ready to happen to him. And so,
if you're sad in the King's presence, man, He can take your life for
that. It's not just losing your job.
It's not just going into the cheese line. Oh no, friend, let
me just tell you, he was going to lose his life. Because Nehemiah,
excuse me, Artaxerxes would have suspected that Nehemiah was guilty
in a part of a coup that was getting ready to overthrow his
government and somebody replace him as king. Notice, if you would,
verse number two, that Nehemiah understood this. He said, this
is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid. He was willing to risk his life
to fulfill God's purpose. Look at verse number 3, and said
to the king, let the king live forever. I would have said the
same thing if I thought the king was getting ready to take my
head off, wouldn't you? I'd want the king to live forever too.
He was willing to settle his heart. King, I just want you
to know, there's not a problem with you, there's not a problem
with me, there's not a problem with the wine, there's not a
problem with the food, everything's okay, I'm just upset. I'm just
broken inside. King, I'm burdened. There's something
pressing heavy on my heart. And out it begins to come. Look,
look what he says. He said, Why should not my countenance
be sad when the city, the place of my father's sepulcher, lieth
waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? Now I
want you to notice something. Did you notice he never mentioned
Jerusalem? You know why? Because Artaxerxes had shut down
a building project in Jerusalem about 20 years before this. And
he didn't want to raise any suspicion. So he began to play on the king's
heart strings. Because in that Persian culture
and in that pagan culture, they set great store by the sepulchers
of their fathers. They would even worship their
ancestors and they would build monuments to them and they would
pray to them. And so it was a big deal. And
he said, wait a minute. You're building monuments to
your ancestors and my father's sepulchers, their gravesites.
They lay waste and the gates are consumed with fire and the
walls are broken down. My place, my heritage, where
my fathers are, it's in ruins, King. He's pulling on his heart
strings. He knew exactly where to, out
of a moment of prayer, no doubt God had given him a plan of how
to speak to the King. By the way, you never notice
that whenever you talk to somebody, it's always good to talk to God
first sometimes. And that's what he's going to
do here. And then look, the king, look at verse number 4, his interest
is piqued. He understands, his heart is
moved. Look at verse 4. Then the king
said to me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to
the God of heaven. You see, it was in that moment,
before he ever said anything to an earthly king, that Nehemiah
went one more time to a heavenly king. It was a telegraph prayer. It was a crisis moment. It was
a moment where his heart... I don't believe there's any words
coming out of his mouth. I believe he is talking to Artaxerxes,
but in his heart and his spirit, he is talking to the God of heaven,
because he knew the heart of the king was in the Lord's hand.
And if anybody was going to move the heart of this king, God was
going to have to do it. And Christian, I want you to
understand that we have a heavenly king that can work on earth.
Hey, there's nothing impossible with our God. Don't let a purpose
in your heart set undone because you think it can't be done. Because
with God, nothing is impossible. Amen. Romans 12, 14 says we're
to continue instant in prayer. In that instant, he calls on
the Lord and he reveals his purpose to the king. Look at verse 5.
And I said to the king, if it please the king, he's got to
have the king's favor. He already had God's mind on
the matter. Now he needed an earthly king's mind on the matter.
Permission to go. He knew God could move the heart
of that king. If thy servant had found favor in thy sight,
that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my father's
sepulchers, that I may build it. He said, I want to go and
build my monuments. I want to build my graves. I
want to restore the city of God and the people of God. And you
know what? I believe this. Here's Nehemiah,
willing to put his life on the line to fulfill what God had
put in his heart to do. See, there was a cost involved.
And I believe the reason a lot of Christians never step out
by faith and do what God puts in their heart to do is because
they're afraid of the risk. They're just unwilling to take
the risk that's necessary. Preacher, I can't sing in that
choir. Oh no, I might sing in the shower
but not in the choir. Oh, I could never get up and
speak in front of people. Oh, I could never play my instrument. Oh, I could never. Friend, you
know what? You're right. You can't. But with Him, you
can. Because we can do all things
through Christ which strengthens us. Here's what we need to do.
We need to get outside of ourselves. We need to be willing to pay
the cost to do whatever it is that God puts in our heart because
the heavenly King has given us a purpose. I remember when God called me
full-time in the ministry in Lenore, I was bivocational. By
the way, let me just say something. There's nothing wrong with being
a bivocational preacher. Thank God for men that are willing
to work full-time and pastor full-time and carry that burden. But I knew that wasn't God's
will for me. I knew that for a period of time that I would
have to work a bivocational job, and I'd have to work a job to
help support my family while I pastored the church. But I
knew there would come a time, and I just believed God, there
would come a time that I could take that step to becoming a
full-time pastor. And by the way, there in Lenore,
that church had existed for over 50 years and never had a pastor
that ministered to it full-time. I was the very first one. I was
the very first one. I knew that there was a cost,
there was a risk involved. I knew there was no way the church
could pay me what I was making with both salaries. I knew that. I knew that I was going to have
to take probably, in that day, a $300 cut in pay, which was
a big deal. And I knew that it was going to be difficult. And
I knew it wasn't going to be easy. But I knew that that was
God's will for my life. And Lori and I had spent time
praying that thing through, and we just knew this was God's will
for our family. And no doubt, listen, you know
what? Thank God for bivocational preachers, but now watch this.
I believe there's many that'll never take the step, they'll
never take the risk of going full-time with their church,
because you know what? I'm making a pretty good salary
here, and I've got benefits and a 401K. and I've got a pretty
good little part-time job over here that's bringing in some
income, and I'm living pretty good right here, so why do I
want to mess that up? And that church will never take
the next step. And I knew for Temple Baptist
Church to take the next step where it needed to go that I
was going to have to take a risk. And I was going to have to trust
God to meet my needs and God to fill in the gap. Because you
know what? There was a $300 gap there that somebody had to make
up. There was insurance needs. There was this. There was that.
There was school. All of these things that were
involved. But I knew what God had in my heart. And I said,
God, I'm well. Listen, can I just help you understand?
And I'm thankful for how you take care of my family. But can
I help us understand? It's God that takes care of every
one of us. Every one of us live from hand to mouth, His hand
to our mouth. Everything we have comes from
the good hand of God. Our missionaries step out by
faith. I can't imagine a church without some type of duress financially
missing a monthly support check to a missionary. Do you know
that's their livelihood? Listen, there's been times in
my ministry in Lenore, I told them, I said, you don't pay me,
you pay the missionary. You take care of them, God will take care
of me. And God always met the need. I never went hungry. Of
course, you can tell that. Never went without. But we made
sure our missionaries, because they're out there, and you know
what? Somebody, a church has said, listen, we're going to
back you, we're going to be behind you, we're going to stand with
you. It's not like that when you're in a foreign field that
you can go and get you a part-time job. You can't do that. Only
in America can somebody come and work. You can't go do that
there. And you know what? They don't have a way. And I
can't imagine that check. One of the things I instruct
our financial people, whatever you do, you make sure every month
those missionary checks go out on time. And I tell you what,
when you take care of God's people like that, God will take care
of our church. I couldn't imagine missing my
faith promise or leaving it in my pocket. I couldn't imagine
leaving my tithe in my pocket. I couldn't imagine doing that.
I'm not trying to be unkind. But I couldn't imagine it. That's
the work of God. That's the work of God. My missions
that I give is my part in seeing that the world hears the gospel
through missionaries going where I can't go. And that is my part
in ensuring they get where God wants them to go. My tithe and
offering through my local church that Laurie and I give every
week And that's the first thing that we do is we give to God.
And you say, preacher, why do you do that? Because you're a
preacher? No, because I love God, and I love the work of God,
and I'm willing to pay the cost because I want to see God's work
go forward. And friend, can I tell you, if we honor God, God will
take care of us. God is not subject to an election. God is not subject to an economy. God can take care of us. God
is faithful. The question is, will we be faithful?
There was a risk he took. And then I want you to know there's
a sacrifice he made. Look at verse number 6. It may
be it right here. Look at verse 6. And the king
said unto me, notice his purpose, that I can go and I may build
it. We saw verse number 10, he sought
the welfare of the children of Israel. Look at verse 6, And
the king said unto me, The queen also sitting by, For how long
shalt thou journey be? And when wilt thou return? So
it pleased the king to send me, and I sent him a time. From this
moment on, now watch this, from this moment on for the next 12
years of his life, The overwhelming passion and purpose of Nehemiah
was to seek the welfare of the children of Israel, God's people,
to rebuild the walls and the gates of Jerusalem. Listen, and
more than that, it was more than just about some walls. It was
more than some gates. It was more than some graveyards.
It was more than all of that. It was the worship of Jehovah. It was the reviving of the people
of God. the truth of God going to the
world. Friend, listen, God's name was
at stake in this. Nehemiah understood that and
he was willing to make a sacrifice. You say, preacher, where did
all that purpose come from? It came from seeking the face of
God. Making himself available for God to use. You say, preacher,
I don't know if God will use me. You make yourself available
and you watch. He'll use you. Being willing to take the risk
and the necessary sacrifice. Now you think with me for a moment.
Nehemiah's no less than 800, maybe a thousand miles away.
He could look out there at those folks and say, you know what,
that's their problem. Do you know that... Brother Badgett, I'm going to
take some liberty. Brother Badgett has family in
America. He's got grandkids. They love their grandchildren
as much as you love your grandchildren. They love their family as much
as you love your family. It'd be real easy for Brother
Badgett and Miss Laurie to say, you know, we've done our time. We've got family here. You know,
that's those people's problem over there. I mean, they're thousands
of miles away. You know, it really doesn't affect
me over here. I could just, you know what, somebody else will
do it. But that's not what they're doing.
They're saying, you know, I think we've got another one in us.
I think God's not finished with us. I think God still has something
for us to do. We believe God's drawing us back
over there. And we're going to pay the cost
in relationship and time and willingness to go over and reach
a people that, can I be honest with you, they don't want to
be reached. When they land in South Africa, there's going to
be a group of people, there are churches that are excited. But
can I tell you, the country of South Africa, they're not going
to be standing on the tarmac with bands playing, and people
shouting, and big signs saying, all the badgets are back to evangelize
us and win us to Jesus. That's not going to happen. You
know why? Because they don't want to be
evangelized. But Brother Badgett, we know there's a need that they
don't know they have. They're lost in the dark. They
need somebody to go and let God use them, that they might be
found by God, that they might spend eternity in heaven. They're
willing to pay the cost. Church, hey, listen, we've got
a missions revival coming up. We need to be willing to pay
the cost. Nehemiah is nearly a thousand
miles away from that situation. He's got a cushy job in the palace
of Shushan. He rubs shoulders and talks with
the most powerful man on earth every day of his life. He's got
status. He's got comfort. He lives there
in the palace, and yet he says, King, can I just tell you I'm
going to leave every bit of this behind, and I'm going to travel a thousand
miles, dangerous journey, Because He's going to go under armed
guard to protect Him all the way to Judah. He's going to go
there and we're going to find the moment He gets there, they're
not playing bands and the people shouting and rejoicing and all
the other inhabitants of the land glad that somebody's come
to seek the well. You're going to find that they're
upset and the moment He gets in the land, up pops the devil
and the enemies start showing up and the opposition's going
to come. But yet he is willing to pay
a cost. Everybody's cost isn't equal.
God asked some people to make harder sacrifices than others. But if we're going to do anything
for God's church, there's going to be sacrifice. There's going
to be cost. You say, preacher, what made
him do it? He had God's purpose for his life. That's what made
him do it. I mentioned last week the story
of Jim Elliott, the missionary to Ecuador, to the Aka Indians,
a little-known tribal group. Do you realize that sociologists
believe that in the Amazon today there are still people groups
that have not yet made contact with the outside world? That
means they've never heard the name Jesus. They've never heard
the gospel. They've never heard John 3.16.
Can I just tell you pioneer missions work is not over. There's still
work to be done in the world. There is still work to be done
in our community. There are people all around us
that have never one time heard a clear presentation of the gospel.
It used to be that when you would go out into the community or
buses would go out or whatever, most everybody had some kind
of Sunday school background. There would be a Bible on the
table. They may not go to church. They want their kids to go to
church. They want their kids to go to Sunday school. We don't
live in that world anymore. We've got people around us that
they're more familiar with the pagan gods of ancient myth than
they are the person of Jesus Christ. Church, we have a job
to do and we have a purpose and we can't let it pass us by. God's gonna bring little children
into this church. God's gonna bring young people
into this church. God's gonna bring people from all over. God's
gonna give, you say, preacher, all I do is open a door. All
I do is shake hands on Sunday morning. All I do, let me just
tell you something. Those can be God moments in people's
lives where a person's life is forever changed. Let God use
you. Get outside of yourself. Be willing
to pay the cost. You know as well as I do that
Jim Elliott, as I mentioned last week, was martyred by the very
people that he came to reach. He loved them. He was willing
to pay the cost with his life, and he even said it. I told you
of a plaque, and I can't help but say it again. I wish I'd
have put it on the screen. Brother Lane asked me, he said,
anything else you want? I wish I'd have put this up here. It hangs in
my home. He is no fool who gives what
he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. The world would
look at Jim Elliot who died in the flower of his youth as a
young man, and here's what they would say, what a loser. But
can I tell you Jim Elliot's wife and Nate Saint's wife and the
other three men's wife that were part of that group that were
murdered that day by the Aka Indians that were martyred, better
word. They went back into those same
villages with the love of Christ and forgiveness in their heart
and began to win those people to Jesus Christ. And you know
what? When they got to heaven and they went up and they said
to Jim, I just want you to know I didn't understand Jim why you
came. I didn't know you came to tell me about Jesus. I thought
you was a danger to my family. I thought you was a danger to
me. But I'm so glad, Jim, that you were willing to come. And
I'm so glad for your family that was willing to forgive me and
come back and share the gospel because I'm up here with you
because you were willing to pay the cost because of what Jesus
put in your heart to do. Friend, I'm going to tell you,
it may not mean much right now, but one day all of this is going
to be worth it all. I'm just going to tell you, let's
be a people that determines in our heart that we're going to
live with purpose. And we're going to let God use
us. This church for its 55 year history has been a church that's
been sold out to God and willing to count the cost and been willing
to make the sacrifice and been willing to step out by faith.
And Frank, can I tell you this is your day, your hour for God
to use you. Let's continue to be all in like
Nehemiah was for Jesus Christ. And maybe God's spoken to you
about an area of your life. Maybe God's putting something
in your heart. Maybe there's an area of unfaithfulness
in your life that needs to be dealt with. I don't know, but
God knows. And whatever God's doing in your
heart, I'm going to invite you to come tonight and talk to Him
about it. And maybe tonight, God's calling
you to serve Him with your life. Why don't you just go ahead and
say yes to Jesus like Nehemiah did? And mom and dad, one of
the best prayers you'll ever pray is to lay your children
on this altar and say, God, use my child. Use my child. Use my child. How many times
has it been said that I'd rather my child be in Africa in the
will of God than on a bar stool living a wicked lifestyle? in
America right next door to me and their life devastated by
sin. What a joy to have a God-given
purpose in our lives. Father, take the message. Use in every heart and every
life tonight.
Living With Purpose – Part 2
Series All In For God
Living With Purpose – Part 2 | Nehemiah 2:1-10 | Kevin Broyhill
| Sermon ID | 929242123285054 |
| Duration | 30:15 |
| Date | |
| Category | Sunday - PM |
| Bible Text | Nehemiah 2:1-10 |
| Language | English |
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