Nehemiah; Part 2 - The making of a movement
Nehemiah 2:1–8 (ESV)
1 In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. 2 And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. 3 I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” 4 Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it.” 6 And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. 7 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.
The making of a movement!
When Nehemiah walks into the presence of the king - there is an immediate response:
Something had shifted and God was building something!
4 pieces to the making of a movement
Burden
A burden is the soil that the supernatural grows from!
Burdens are born out of love
A burden cannot develop from a dry prayer life and selfishness!
"Love finds a need and meets it"
Burdens are born when love sees room to get involved
Nehemiah was so burdened, that the people around him noticed!
Calling
Here's the question - how do you know your burden has become a calling?
In Nehemiah's life, I think it was probably a calling the whole time
BUT
Something changes when you begin taking steps to resolve it!
For Nehemiah, I think this point came when He said to the king in verse 5: "send me to Judah, that I may rebuild it."
What if the thing that separates your burden from your calling is your response?
Nehemiah takes a willful step in resolving the burden and God starts moving
When you take OWNERSHIP of the burden... God moves you into a supernatural calling!
Authority
Nehemiah was given sealed letters of authority to pass through the land unharmed
As it is in the physical in this passage, there is a spiritual truth!
We must understand spiritual authority
Ephesians 6:12 (ESV)
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Walking in spiritual authority
We are thermostats not thermometers
Matthew 16:18–19 (ESV) 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
I must learn to walk in the authority that God has given us:
2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV)
7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
1 Corinthians 4:20 (ESV)
20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.
Provision
The resources for the mission come after the response
You cannot wait to have everything you need to finish before you begin.
PROVISION IS AN EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY
We see that Nehemiah is provided with the timber and construction materials that he needs to complete the task.
Philippians 4:19 (ESV) 19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
As we see Paul talking about provision, the context is concerning people who were engaged in the mission of evangelism
Part of the equation of RECEIVING provision is BEING generous
It all starts with a burden
