Good morning.
My name is Matthew Capone, and I'm the pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church,
and it's my joy to bring God's word to you today.
Special welcome if you are new or visiting with us.
We're glad you're here, and we're glad you're here not because we are trying to fill seats,
but because we are following after Jesus together as one community.
And as we follow after Jesus, we are so convinced that there's no one so good that they don't need God's grace,
and no one so bad that they can't have it.
And so we look into God's word because we're convinced that everyone needs to hear what God has to say in his word,
and God has something to say to every single one of us.
If you were with us last week, you know that we just started the book of Nehemiah.
The book of Nehemiah is in the Old Testament.
The Old Testament is everything that happened in God's plan before Jesus' first coming.
And we're at a specific point in the Old Testament.
We're at the point where God's chosen people of Israel had been given the promised land,
but they had failed to do what God had called them to do.
They'd failed to be a people of justice and mercy and goodness.
And so instead of allowing them to live in the land, God had to punish them,
and he allowed them to go into exile instead.
And after they were in exile for almost around 70 years,
they came back partially in 538 B.C.
They began to return to their home city of Jerusalem,
and yet not everyone returned.
And even those who returned did not do everything that they needed to do
to restore the city that God had given them.
And so while they began to return in 538 B.C.,
we are now in the year 445 B.C., almost 100 years later.
And even 100 years after God had allowed his people to return,
we met a man named Nehemiah who saw and heard that the walls
that were supposed to protect the city of Jerusalem had still not been rebuilt.
And so we asked this big question of what does it look like to stay close to God?
What does it look like to return to God or to know him for the first time?
And as we watched the story of Nehemiah last week,
we saw that first it involves seeing the ruin that is caused by sin.
Nehemiah sees the fact that the walls around Jerusalem have been broken down
and that Jerusalem is, instead of being a light to the nations,
it's a disgrace and a shame.
But after seeing the ruin, he doesn't despair.
Instead, he repents.
And finally, after repenting, we saw that Nehemiah understands
and sees the great hope that God offers to everyone who returns to him.
In fact, when we left off last week,
we had this cliffhanger verse at the very end of chapter 1
because we find out that this man who sees the ruin, who repents,
also happens to be one of the most powerful people in the Persian Empire.
We find out at the very end of chapter 1, he tells us,
Now, I was cupbearer to the king.
And if you're familiar at all with ancient history,
you know that the cupbearer was, first of all, a practical role.
This was someone who would show up and taste food that was given to the king
to make sure it wasn't poison, to make sure that he was safe.
But it was more than that,
because someone who was tasting the king's food
is someone who would be in constant contact with him.
Now, we don't know for sure in this situation,
but often the cupbearer had political power as well.
They had influence.
They were someone who had a relationship and access to the king
that few people had.
We might even think of it as something similar to a president's body man.
They're with him all the time, making sure he knows what he needs to know
and he has the information he needs.
In some places we know in the ancient Near East,
this person would have been someone who functioned
almost like a chief of staff for the king.
And so as he turns towards God in repentance,
God has already begun to provide a way for Nehemiah.
He's brought the right man at the right place at the right time
to begin to turn God's people back to him.
As we begin chapter 2, then,
we talked earlier this morning about
what is repentance unto life,
repentance that leads to life.
And last week we discussed the turning away from sin,
the seeing of the ruin and the repentance.
And this week we're going to, as we read chapter 2,
we're going to turn to the other half of repentance.
Not just the turning away from sin,
but the turning back to God and his mission.
And so the question of chapter 2 is,
what does returning to God's mission look like?
If we've truly turned away from sin,
we're not just going to turn away,
but we're going to turn to.
We're going to turn towards everything
that God has called us to do and be.
Now there's lots of different ways
we could define God's mission.
There's lots of...
...about God's mission.
God's mission to his people
and ultimately to the world
is that his kingdom would come on earth
as it is in heaven.
The purpose of Jerusalem,
the purpose of Israel, was this.
We read about it this morning from 1 Peter,
that it would be a people
who would point the world to God.
Not just for our good,
but for God's glory as well.
And so what does returning to God's mission look like?
We're going to be in Nehemiah 2,
starting at verse 1.
Remember that this is God's word.
And God tells us that his word
is a lamp to our feet
and a light to our feet.
In other words,
God has not left us alone
to stumble in the dark.
He gives us his word
so that we know the way to walk.
So read with me now as we're in the sea.
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.
And I said,
let me pass through
until I come to Judah
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.
And I gave them the king's letters.
Now the king had sent with me
officers of the army and horsemen.
But when Sanballat the Horonite
and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this,
it displeased them greatly
that someone had come to seek
the welfare of the people of Israel.
Verse 11.
So I went to Jerusalem
and was there three days.
Then I arose in the night,
I and a few men with me.
And I told no one
what my God had put into my heart
to do for Jerusalem.
There was no animal with me
but the one on which I rode.
I went out by night
by the valley gate
to the dragon spring
and to the dung gate.
And I inspected the walls of Jerusalem
that were broken down
and its gates
that had been destroyed by fire.
Verse 14.
Then I went on
to the fountain gate
into the king's pool
but there was no room
for the animal
that was under me to pass.
Then I went up in the night
by the valley
and inspected the wall
and I turned back
and entered by the valley gate
and so returned.
And the officials did not know
where I had gone
or what I was doing.
And I had not yet told the Jews,
the priests,
the nobles,
the officials
and the rest
who were to do the work.
Then I said to them,
you see the trouble we are in
how Jerusalem lies in ruins
with its gates burned.
Come, let us build
the wall of Jerusalem
and no longer suffer derision.
And I told them
of the hand of my God
that had been upon me for good
and also of the words
that the king had spoken to me.
And they said,
let us rise up and build.
So they strengthened their hands
for the good work.
But when Sanballat the horror night
and Tobiah the Ammonite servant
and Geshem the Arab
heard of it,
they jeered at us
and despised us
and said,
what is this thing
that you are doing?
Are you rebelling
against the king?
Then I replied to them,
the God of heaven
will make us prosper
and we his servants
will arise and build.
But you have no portion
or right or claim
in Jerusalem.
Please pray with me
as we come to this portion
of God's word.
Dear Father in heaven,
we thank you
that you do not just call us
to repent of our sins,
but you also call us
into your plans
for the world.
You call us to be
a part of your mission.
And so we ask
that you would help us
this morning to do that,
that you would show us
everything that you have
for us in your word.
We ask this
not because we have earned it
or deserve it,
but because Jesus
has earned it
and deserved it for us.
And so we ask it
in his name.
Amen.
If you have been
following the news
the last few weeks,
you know that we've had
a couple important dates pass.
Now it's debate
as to whether it's
January the 12th
or January the 17th,
but there is an official
ditch New Year's
resolution day.
And I believe it's based
on some sort of polls
or data about
when people are most likely
to drop their
New Year's resolutions.
So there's some debate
about which week
in January it is,
but there comes a point
at which people decide
or maybe don't even decide,
but they finally drop off
everything that they've
resolved to do
in the new year.
Now this is bad news
for people who set goals.
It's amazing news
for all the gyms
in the world.
That was a joke.
You can laugh.
It's okay.
But the reality is
that it's one thing
to set a goal
and it's another thing
to see it through.
It's another thing
to carry it out.
Nehemiah in chapter 1
repented of the sins
of himself
and the people of Israel
on the one hand.
But now he actually
has to do all the work
that it requires
to come back.
All the work
to restore years
and years
of neglect
of Jerusalem.
It's been hundreds
of years leading up
to this point.
It's been almost
a hundred years
since the return
from exile.
It was decades
in exile
and it was hundreds
of years before that
as Jerusalem fell
and Israel fell
little by little
into sin
and rebellion
against God.
And so while it's easy
to at times
feel sorry
or regret
the things
that we've done
it's on the other hand
much more challenging
to begin
to walk the path
away.
To walk the path
back to what God
has for us.
And yet we had
that great cliffhanger
last week
that great hint
that there were
wonderful things
in store for Nehemiah
and we're not
disappointed at all.
We find out
at the very beginning
of chapter 2
that Nehemiah
has been praying
for four months.
It's the month
of Nisan.
So we've gone
from November
and December
of one year
to April
of the next year.
Remember I told you
that this prayer
that we saw
in chapter 1
was a summary prayer
of everything
that Nehemiah
had been praying
for months.
And as he's been praying
he's also been planning
because we're going
to see the brilliance
of everything
that he's thought through.
He's waited
four months.
Now we would assume
at this point
that he's had
many chances
to bring food
before the king.
There's many times
that the king
is going to eat.
We can assume
he hasn't been fasting
for the last four months.
Right?
And so Nehemiah comes
he's been waiting
and finally
he has the right opportunity.
Everything that he does here
it seems to be strategic.
First of all
he's coming before the king
when there's wine
to be had.
If there's any time
that the king
is going to be
most friendly
and receptive
to what Nehemiah
has to say to him
it's going to be
when he's feeling good.
Now Old Testament scholars
have a debate here
about whether this was
a Pinot Noir
or a Cabernet
but the type of wine
that is here
is not important.
The point is that
Nehemiah is using
everything at his disposal.
He's using all the
intelligence and faculties
that God has given him.
He picks the right time.
Then he also does
something else
that's strategic.
He tells us in verse 1
he had not been sad
in the king's presence before.
Now we know that
this isn't because
Nehemiah had not been
feeling sad
he had been fasting
and weeping
in chapter 1.
But instead
it's more likely
that Nehemiah
strategically decides
this is going to be
the day that he finally
lets the king see
everything that he's
been feeling.
So he picks the right time.
He sets the right mood.
And the plan begins
to work because
the king notices
that something is wrong
with Nehemiah
and he asks him
this question.
Nehemiah continues
in his brilliance there
because he doesn't even
make a request
at this point.
Verse 2
the king asks him
why he's sad.
And Nehemiah
doesn't say
here's what I want
you to do
and says
instead he says
let the king
live forever.
Verse 3
why should not
my face be sad
when the city
the place of
my father's graves
lies in ruins
and its gates
have been destroyed
by fire.
Here Nehemiah's
strategy continues
because instead
of talking about
his regret
over sin
his repentance
he speaks in words
that the king
can understand.
And at this time
in history
there is few
things worse
than your father's
graves being destroyed.
And so Nehemiah
chooses the right time.
He chooses
the right mood.
He chooses
the right words
that he knows
will be most
effective to the king.
And it leads
to the result
that he wants.
In verse 4
the king says to him
what are you requesting?
What does Nehemiah do?
After he's laid out
this brilliant strategy
after he's decided
for the perfect moment
at the perfect time
to speak to the king
he prays.
He does
again
what he's been doing
for the last
four months.
He continues
and we can see
that he has
planned out everything.
The king continues
to ask him questions
and Nehemiah
has thought
through every contingency
every need
that he has.
He strikes
when the moment
is right.
He asks for the
permission that he needs
the letters
that he requires
to be able to do
everything that is required.
Even so much so
that he gets
the king to pay
for the resources
that he needs.
You see in verse 8
he asks for a letter
so that he could use
wood from the king's forest.
And so Nehemiah
does two things here.
He acts
decisively
and boldly
and intelligently
with everything
that God has given him.
but he also
prays
and relies
on God
to give him
the favor
that he needs
in the eyes
of the king.
And so what does it
look like for
us
to return
to God's mission?
What does
returning to God's
mission look like?
It means that we
act
and we pray.
We act
and we pray.
Now some of us
are going to
fall more
on the side
of acting
others of us
more on the side
of praying.
we don't just
invite our
neighbors
over to our
house
or invite
them to church.
We also pray
for them.
And we don't
just pray
for our
neighbors
that they would
come to know
Jesus
but we also
act.
We also
invite them
over to our
house
and we
invite them
to join
us at church.
We don't
just pray
that our
children would
come to know
Jesus
and embrace
him.
But we also
model for them
what that looks
like as we
talked about
last week
in repenting.
We don't
just model for
them what it
looks like to
repent but we
also pray.
We don't
just pray about
injustice and
poverty and
homelessness but we
also join with
people in our
city who are
doing that.
We don't just
join with people
who are doing
that though we
also pray.
pray.
Oftentimes for
Christians as
much as God
calls us to
pray prayer can
become a cop
out.
I often hear
people say well
I'm praying about
that and that is
good and right.
God calls us to
pray about things
but he also calls
us to act.
He calls us to
step out like
Nehemiah and to
use the resources
that he has given
us to return to
his mission.
He doesn't just
call us to
repent of our
sin but he
calls us to
fight it as
well.
And so we
don't just pray
that God would
give us victory
and faithfulness
in the things in
our lives that
continue to trip
us up but he
calls us to
take the action
that we need to
put it to death.
It might look
like confessing
not just to God
but to a friend
and asking for
their help.
It might look
like joining an
accountability group
that will help
us move back
away from sin
and towards
righteousness.
When we return
to God and
his mission we
don't just act
but we pray.
And we don't
just pray but we
act.
Nehemiah sets a
model here of
depending entirely
on God.
He prays for
four months
before doing
anything.
but he also
sets us a
model of
being bold
and decisive.
And he
doesn't do it
because he is
a man of
great confidence
and ability.
Did you see
what he said
in verse 2?
Just as his
plan is about
to succeed
just as it's
underway
the king is
asking him
about the
sadness of
his face.
The very end
of verse 2
then I was
very much
afraid.
As Nehemiah
repents
and moves
back towards
God and his
mission he is
not immune
from fear.
He is not
immune from
the challenges
and the
frightening
reality of
living in
this world.
Of pushing
back against
all the
effects of
sin.
Everything
that sin
has ruined.
And yet he
moves forward
not because
Nehemiah is
brilliant.
But he knows
that God's
good hand is
upon him.
That's what he
tells us at the
end here in
verse 8.
The end of
this scene.
The king
granted me
what I
asked for
the good
hand of
my God
was upon
me.
And so
as we
turn back
as we
return to
God and
his mission
as we
want God's
kingdom to
be here on
earth as
it is in
heaven.
We work
and we
pray but
we work
and we
pray because
we know
that God's
good hand
is with
us.
It's on
us.
Because it's
God's
mission.
It's God's
kingdom that
he wants
to return.
And so
God is
going to
bring his
good hand
anywhere and
everywhere that
his people are
returning to
him.
And so
our next
portion as we
return to
God's mission
is this.
First we saw
as we look
to return to
what God has
called us to
do, we act
and we pray.
But we also
have to make
sure that the
mission that
we're on is
God's mission.
In other
words, how do
we know that
the good hand
of our God
is upon us?
When do we
know that God
is with us?
What are the
actions that
result in God's
blessing and
favor here?
God's
mission?
Sometimes it's
tempting when we
talk about God
and the
coincidences that
he provides, the
doors that he's
opened.
Sometimes I hear
people talk about
those things but
it's things that
seem to have
nothing to do
with God and
his mission.
So God's
promised to
us.
His presence
with us is not
a promise that
he's going to
help us with
everything in
every way.
God is not
necessarily going
to help everyone
in this room
become a
multimillionaire.
God is not
going to help
everyone in
this room start
a successful
real estate
business.
God is not
necessarily going
to help everyone
in this room
find what we're
looking for.
And so as we're
praying and acting,
how do we know
that we are on
God's mission?
How are we with
God?
How do we know
that that good
hand of God
is upon us?
We see here
in this chapter
in the following
section that
Nehemiah is
pursuing the
kingdom of God.
He's looking to
rebuild and
restore Jerusalem,
the place where
God wants his
kingdom to be
modeled on earth.
The point of
Jerusalem was that
all of the
nations would be
able to look and
see what it's
like when God's
people live in
God's ways.
God's mission.
And so we see
here in this
chapter that
Nehemiah is on
God's mission.
We see in verse
10 that he's
come to seek the
welfare of the
people of Israel.
We see in verse
12 that God
had put this in
his heart to do
something for
Jerusalem.
And so Nehemiah
here has a special
mission from God.
And what's difficult
as we ask and
wonder what is
God's mission is
that Nehemiah
doesn't just have
a special mission
from God but he
plays a role in
the Bible that we
do not play.
Not everyone in
the history of
Israel makes it
into the Bible.
Not everyone has
a special mission
from God in
redemptive history.
God has not
called us to
rebuild the walls
of Jerusalem like
he called Nehemiah
to do that.
And yet we do
have God's
commands to us in
the Bible.
God has given
us enough that
we know everything
that God loves.
And so we
experience God's
good hand.
We know that we
are returning to
God in his
mission when we
work for the
things that God
loves.
We know that we're
returning to God's
mission when we
are seeking for
God's kingdom to
be here on earth
just as it is in
heaven.
And so on the
one hand we make
a mistake if we
want everything to
happen to us just
like it happens to
Nehemiah.
We are not an
Old Testament
governor of Judah.
On the other
hand we can be
confident that God's
hand is with us
whenever we turn
back to him and
his mission.
And so what we
see here in
chapter 2 is
similar to what we
saw in the book
of Ruth.
Remember Ruth
goes out trying to
provide for Naomi
and it just so
happens that she
turns out in the
fields of Boaz.
We expect things
to just so happen
not with every
coincidence in our
lives but whenever
we're seeking God
and his ways.
And so how do we
know that we are
with God on his
mission?
One thing we can
do is we can ask
the why test.
We can use the
why test.
In other words,
why is it that we
are pursuing what
we're pursuing?
Why is it that we
want what we want?
How is it that our
lives are seeking
after God and his
mission?
One way that this
shows up is in our
prayers.
Yemiah here has been
praying to God that
Jerusalem would be
destroyed.
Excuse me, not
destroyed.
Jerusalem would be
restored after its
destruction.
And so we can ask
the same question for
ourselves.
How does our life
relate to God and
his mission?
And this is not just
something that involves
building up the church
but all of our lives.
If we are single and
praying for a spouse,
are we praying for a
spouse so that we will
not be lonely?
Or are we saying to
God, please bring me a
spouse and here is how I
see my marriage bringing
you and your kingdom
glory.
I want it to be a place
where people see the
gospel lived out and
acted out.
Do we ask God for a
house?
Because we are
interested in our own
comfort.
Or are we asking God
that he would come and
bring us a place that's
not just for our good
but for his glory.
A place where people are
going to experience the
safety and belonging and
rest and challenge of the
gospel.
If we are asking God for
children, are we asking
him for children so that we
won't be lonely in our old
age?
Or are we asking him that
he would provide us with
children so that we can be
part of raising them to
love God and know God and
that they would play a role
in bringing God's kingdom
here on earth.
That he would raise them up
and give them vocations and
work.
That they would be a part of
restoring this world that God
has given us.
Are we seeking to help those
who are homeless so that we
can feel good about
ourselves?
Or are we praying that God
would use us to help restore
everything that's been
ruined by sin?
In other words, are we
seeking God and his mission?
Are we seeking the things that
God loves?
For the reasons that he loves
them.
God has not called us to build
a wall around Jerusalem.
And yet he has called us, just
like Nehemiah, as we repent of
our sin to turn back to all of
his purposes for this world.
And so whatever we're pursuing,
whatever we're doing, we're
pursuing it with God and his
mission in mind.
It's not that we need to become
frantic and fill our schedules
with more things in our lives.
But that the things that we're
already doing are not more
things, but they become mission
things.
Things that are bringing God and
his goodness and his justice and
his love to bear in the world.
We see in this section, Nehemiah
meets some enemies.
We're going to see a lot of
Nehemiah's enemies and the rest of
Nehemiah, so we're going to save
some of that for later when they
oppose him even more.
But we see throughout all of this,
as he faces the enemies, as
Nehemiah looks around the wall,
that he is interested in God and
his good hand.
It's God and his provision that is
the motivating factor for Nehemiah
as he's leading.
We saw already in verse 12 that God
had put this in his heart.
We see in verse 8 before that the
good hand of God was upon Nehemiah.
In fact, that's a theme here in this
chapter because it shows up again in
verse 18.
Nehemiah is trying to lead and
encourage the people of Jerusalem to
join him in the work.
And so he says,
And I told them, this is verse 18,
of the hand of my God that had been
upon me for good, and also of the
words that the king had spoken to me.
And they said, let us rise up and build.
So they strengthened their hands for the
good work.
In one verse,
we see that God has given his good
hand to his people.
And the result is that they can
strengthen their hands as well.
But then the real kicker comes in
verses 19 and 20.
Nehemiah's enemies and opponents
come to him and they make fun of him.
And they ask him a question that he
doesn't answer.
Do you notice that?
Verse 19.
What is this thing that you are doing?
Are you rebelling against the king?
And Nehemiah doesn't answer whether
he's rebelling against the king.
Because he answers to a different king.
And so in verse 20 he says,
Then I replied to them,
The God of heaven
will make us prosper.
And we his servants will arise and build.
But you have no portion or right or claim
in Jerusalem.
In other words,
Nehemiah knows
that God allows
and calls
and invites his people
to be a part of his mission.
He invites them
not just to repent of sin
but to turn back.
And he does that
not because of our good hand
but because of his.
It's God's good hand
on his people.
It's God's good hand
on his people here
in the Old Testament.
As they look forward
to Jesus coming.
And it's God's good hand
on us as well
as we look back
to Jesus coming.
God doesn't allow us
to be part of restoring
the world
that's been broken by sin
because we
are not a part
of the problem.
He allows us
to be a part of it
even though we are.
Even as we are part
of the brokenness
of this world,
God allows us
and invites us
to join him.
because his good hand
is with us
and it's with us
because of Jesus.
As we talked about
with repentance,
God is bringing
his justice
on the earth.
And yet for those
who follow him
and have faith in him
and trust him,
he allows that justice
to fall on Jesus.
He takes people
who allow the walls
to be torn down
and destroyed
and he invites us
to come back
with him
and rebuild them.
And so because
of everything
that Jesus has done
for us,
God's invitation
to Nehemiah
is his invitation
to us as well.
That we can be
a part of his mission
and we can return
with action
and prayer
joining God
in everything
that he has
that is good
for this world.
And so that's
what we're about
to sing
as we sing
By Faith.
We're going to sing
a verse about
the city
that God has given
of justice
and goodness.
That it's something
that we don't see now
but we walk by faith
knowing that God
comes and joins
and gives us
his good hand
as we choose
to walk with him.
Even when we don't
see and know
everything that lies ahead.
And so let's do that now.
Please pray with me
before we sing
our closing hymn.
Dear Father in Heaven,
we thank you
that even though
we are part
of the problem
of this world,
we've contributed
to its brokenness,
to its destruction.
You allowed Jesus
to be broken
and destroyed for us
so that we could
join with you
in rebuilding
everything that's
been broken and lost.
We ask that you
would encourage us
with that this morning,
that you would remind us
of your love
and your grace.
And we would take that
and it would allow us
to walk forward
in faith,
building and restoring
as you guide us
and lead us.
We ask all these things
in the name of your son.
Amen.
Thank you.