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Let Us Rebuild the Wall of  Jerusalem

Nehemiah 1, 2

Key Verse:  2:17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” 

The wall of Jerusalem was broken down when Judah was destroyed in BC 586. By the grace of God the temple was rebuilt by Zerubbabel in BC 516. However, the wall remained in ruins for 140 years. The Israelites had tried to build the wall. But the enemies broke and burned it several times. Satan had worked hard to prevent them from rebuilding it. The wall of Jerusalem was like a shield that protected the lives and faith of the Israelites. With the collapse of this wall, the pride of the Israelites as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation collapsed along with it. The glory of God among the people also collapsed. However, no one dared to rebuild the wall. But Nehemiah challenged and ignited the rebuilding spirit in the hearts of his people. God blessed his faith, and the wall of Jerusalem was rebuilt within 52 days. The wall had remained in ruins for 140 years. But it was rebuilt within only 52 days. If we have faith in God and challenge by faith, God will bless us to make things impossible possible. Amen! 

Today, we are living in the troubled world. Postmodernism has influenced people to lose faith in God. There are so many antiChrist groups around us. Even the believers are losing their spiritual identity. They are vulnerable to the sinful culture and temptations. A few years ago, Pastor Billy Graham commented.  “Today, the world is on fire.  The human beings are running rapidly toward a cliff as though they are crazy.  The roof of the world is on the verge of being collapsed.”  What should we do in this generation that is on the brink of collapse? We can learn many spiritual lessons from this passage. May God grant us revival spirit like Nehemiah.  

First, Nehemiah’s prayer

Let’s look at verse 3. Nehemiah heard from his brother, Hanani that the survivors of his people were in great trouble, and disgrace and the wall of Jerusalem had broken down, and its gates had been burned with fire. Hearing of this, what did Nehemiah do?  Did he say “I am OK as long as my big house is safe.” No!   

Let’s read 1:4-5.  

“When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days, I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Then I said: ‘O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands.’”  

Nehemiah fasted and mourned with many tears. He did not cry because his salary had been reduced. He cried because his people were in trouble and disgrace and the wall of Jerusalem were burnt down to the ground. He mourned because God’s name was blasphemed and his lovely brothers and sisters suffered a lot. He knelt down before God and started to pray. He prayed every day and night.  He prayed with fasting.

Nehemiah was born to a father who was taken as a slave. He was a son of a slave. However, he rose to the position of a cupbearer to the king. In today’s term, it is like a 2nd gen becoming a White House staff. Wow. What a success story! But he did not seek for his own glory. He sought the glory of God. He wept with his people and suffered with his people. He had the passion for God and compassion for his people. He was a good servant of God and a good shepherd for his people. 

Let’s look at verses 6 and 7.  

“Let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house,  have committed against you.”  

Nehemiah did not blame his ancestors. Rather, he accepted his ancestor’s sins as his own.  He took the nation’s disgrace as his own. He repented and prayed.  “O LORD, I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's house, have committed against you.” He included himself in repenting of sins. He carried the sins of his people on his shoulder. 

His prayer resembles the prayer of Jesus.  On the cross, Jesus prayed to the Lord, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing(Luke 22:34).” Jesus did not blame us. Rather Jesus carried all our sins onto the Cross. He earnestly prayed on the cross to save us. He was crucified on our behalf. Jesus’ atoning prayer moved the heart of God. We could be saved due to his life-giving prayer. May God help us to learn Jesus’ prayer. 

When Nehemiah prayed, he depended on God’s mercy.  

Let’s read verses 8 and 9.  

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

Nehemiah held on to the covenant given through Moses in Deuteronomy 30 and prayed. He knew that his people were scattered because they had sinned against God.  He repented of their sins and prayed that God might bring restoration to the land of Israel.  His prayer was truly based on God’s  covenant. 

Verse 10 says, “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand.” He emphasized that Israelites were God’s own people, and they were redeemed by God’s almighty power. He tried hard to recover the broken relationship between God and his people.  

Look at verse 11.  

“O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” 

Nehemiah prayed that God might show his mercy upon his people and move the heart of  the King. Nehemiah was a man of prayer. The work of revival ministry starts with prayer. The book of Nehemiah begins with the prayer in chapter 1 and ends with the prayer in chapter 13. There are 12 prayer narratives in this book. A prayer is a key to the success of revival ministry. 

The father of China mission, Hudson Taylor said, “I only moved the hearts of Chinese only through prayer.” Martin Luther said, “There is nothing which can replace prayer. Dear friends, please honor God through your prayer.” Jesus also said in Mark 9:29, “This kind can come out only by prayer.” Prayer is the key to solving all kinds of problems. Prayer is the pipeline through which we can have spiritual power from God. 

When I went to Kwangju UBF in Korea 15 years ago, Kwangju UBF was in a desperate situation. At first, I did my best to persuade leaders with my word of encouragement. But nothing worked. Their hearts were not moved. I was frustrated. One day God gave me a word of Zechariah 4:6. It says, “So he said to me, ‘This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.’” I made a decision not to persuade people but to pray to the Lord earnestly. Every early morning I, my wife and some shepherds constantly joined in prayer. We had 40 days special prayer meeting several times. Sometimes, we had a conference with fasting.  Every Friday night we had a Nehemiah prayer meeting. The Lord gradually healed the hearts of leaders and blessed us to make a holy vessel. Then the Lord ignited the flame of fishing and 1:1 Bible study in the hearts of leaders.  

Our worst sin is to limit the power of the Almighty God. Our worst  sin is not to pray. Only through prayer, we can experience the great power of God. We see with our own eyes the decline of spirituality on the campus. We feel helpless. However, our God is awesome and Almighty. When we pray with an earnest heart like Nehemiah, God will do great and wonderful work. Let us pray to the Lord wholeheartedly. Let us pray with faith in God and broken shepherd heart. I believe that God will work mightily among us. 

Second, Nehemiah’s faith. 

In verse 5, Nehemiah called to God, “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands.”  What does ‘God of heaven’ mean?  It means God is the Almighty God who lives in heaven and is in control of the universe. “Great and awesome God” means that he is above all the rulers of this world.  In reality, the king of Persia was great and fearful at that time. The Persian king ruled the whole world. The king of Persia seemed to be like an invincible god. All the people trembled in fear at the king’s command. 

However, Nehemiah had the spiritual eyes to see another side. Even if all the rulers of the world were great, he saw that they were no more than a human being.  The kings acted as if he were a god during the day, but during the night, he was a sinner like everyone else. They would often call Nehemiah to bring some wine and sinned with many women. The king appeared to Nehemiah as an ordinary sinner. 

However, all power and authorities belong to God. The God of heaven never changes. The God of heaven, the great and awesome God is still living and turns the wheel of history. This God rescued his people from the hands of Pharaoh a thousand years earlier. He led his people with his mighty hands. Through 10 plagues, God laid waste the nation of Egypt. He dried the Red Sea so that the Israelites could walk as on dry land and he destroyed all the Egyptian soldiers by drowning them. For 40 years, he fed his people with manna and quail. Nehemiah believed that God was still living and could rescue his people from Persia, carrying out the second exodus.  He believed that if God was willing, he could bring all his people together to lead them to the promised land. There was nothing impossible with God. Nehemiah believed that God was still living, and God of heaven could change the heart of the king. 

Who is God we believe? Our God saved us from all our sins with His mighty power. Our God has accepted us as his precious children and as the disciples of Jesus. Our God has blessed Washington UBF for the last 40 years. It started with several women missionaries. They were like five loaves and two fish. However, they were so courageous and sacrificial. God used them to lay the foundation of God’s ministry in Washington area. I am sure there must have been a lot of obstacles to overcome as we heard through a video presentation. But they had faith in God and served 1:1 Bible study very diligently. I think that they are modern day Ms. Nehemiahs. God has blessed this ministry and established so many beautiful house churches. Many young people and two gens are growing who are the hope of this ministry. It is amazing to see God’s work growing like a mustard seed. However, it is too small a thing to God. God will bless Washington UBF as a power station to pioneer Mid-Atlantic campuses and to serve world mission.      

Many people say, the work of God is getting harder and harder as time goes by. They say the work of God was very powerful in the 19th and 20th century, but it is not anymore in the 21st century. Has God been changed? Is God weak and powerless now? No way!! He is the same yesterday and today and forever. He is God Almighty. He is the creator of the heavens and the earth. I believe that God will do more great things through our faith and prayer. Let us believe in the Lord Almighty and pray to him wholeheartedly.    

Third, Nehemiah’s challenging Spirit. 

Nehemiah prayed to God, “Just as you redeemed our forefathers with your great strength and mighty hand; please redeem us now.” His faith was not weakened due to the situations he faced. He did not doubt God’s love and power.  Rather, he challenged the obstacles by faith.  He even challenged the pagan King, risking his own life. Faith is to challenge the impossible. Faith goes beyond our common sense. Faith is to risk our lives. St. Paul challenged to preach the gospel to Rome. He had a great vision of evangelizing Rome. He said in Acts 19:21, “After I have been to Jerusalem, I must visit Rome also” God blessed his faith and challenging spirit. He went to Rome as a criminal and started  1:1 Bible study in a prison. Since then, Roman Empire became a Christian country about 300 years later. May God grant us a challenging spirit like Paul.   

How did Nehemiah challenge? The enemies of God, who lived near Jerusalem, did not want the Jews to build the wall again. Previously, they had written a letter against Jerusalem to the king of Persia. The King read it and issued an order to stop work. It was very dangerous to ask the same king to give approval of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. In spite of this, Nehemiah did not fear the king. He risked his life in challenging the king with a request. 

Let us read 2:5.

“and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it.” 

Nehemiah directly pleaded with the king to send him to the Jerusalem and rebuild the wall. He risked his life only by trusting God. Wow! Amazing! Surprisingly, the king accepted Nehemiah’s request. After the king’s approval, Nehemiah asked for another request. “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans‐Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe‐conduct until I arrive in Judah? And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king's forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?" 

Wow! Nehemiah did not fear anything. Surprisingly, the king was pleased to grant his request. In verse 8, Nehemiah believed that it was because of the “gracious hand of God” who was upon him. 

When Nehemiah challenged the king only by faith, the Lord moved the heart of the king. God gave Nehemiah a great victory. When we give our hearts fully to God and challenge ourselves by faith, our Heavenly Father can move the hearts of any one, including arrogant kings and stubborn students. Hymn 446 (Encamped along the hills of light) says:  Faith is the victory. Faith is the victory. Oh, glorious victory that overcomes the world. 

If we don’t challenge and fight the spiritual battle, there is no outcome. However, when we trust God’s power and challenge ourselves by faith, God gives us victory. Let us have faith in God and challenge ourselves so that we may experience victory. 

Now, Nehemiah challenged his own people. When he returned to Jerusalem, all the people were in despair. Especially because they had previously tried to rebuild the wall several times and had failed to do so. But what did Nehemiah do? Verse 18 says, “I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me.” Nehemiah testified about the work of God to them. With this, Nehemiah restored and kindled revival among the people in Jerusalem. 

Let’s read 2:17. 

“Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace." 

Nehemiah planted faith and hope in the people’s hearts. “Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem” “Let us never be subjected to disgrace again”; He challenged them to restore their confidence as God’s people.  

Nehemiah’s encouraging words moved the hearts of Israelites. “Who are we? We are God’s chosen people! We are a priestly nation and holy people! Let’s restore our identity as God’s people through rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem” They had been discouraged for a long time. But when they listened to his message, they made a decision to devote themselves to rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem at all cost. As a result, all the Israelites worked together and rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem within 52 days.  Praise God, who blessed Nehemiah’s challenging spirit despite many obstacles. May God grant us challenging and fighting spirit to build the next 40 years of  Washington ministry. 

When we Kwangju coworkers started Nehemiah prayer meeting every Friday night, we held onto Nehemiah 2:17 and prayed like this. “Come, let us rebuild Kwangju Zion UBF so that we may not be mocked.” “ Come, let us rebuild Kwangju so that we may not be ridiculed again.” We believed that the living God would restore our ministry and bring us a revival even though the reality was very tough. We posted the word of Mark 11:22 “Have faith in God,” on the wall of our church. Then, God comforted and revived our leaders. Ten years ago, God blessed us to build a beautiful and spacious center near the campus and to serve the campus ministry actively. For the last 15 years, God has blessed us to send 30 missionaries. Missionary Joon Soon Kim, Sarah Brown’s husband, will join Washington UBF very soon. And Joon Soon Kim’s friend, Asung Lee who came with me is a missionary candidate also.  Four years ago, we built the UBF history museum in the place where UBF movement had started 55 years ago. Through this, we have helped many UBF members who visit the museum to have a spiritual identity. Thank God for restoring Kwangju UBF and using it as the world mission center. I praise and thank God, who has been doing all these great works. 

In conclusion, one person is very critical to building the spiritual temple of God. We should think and believe that as one person if I pray to the Lord with conviction like Nehemiah, our campus can be revived. If I challenge the campus students by fishing and 1:1 Bible study, our generation can be revived. America is a great nation. America was established by spiritual forefathers. They built this country for the glory of God. God has blessed America and sent so many missionaries to many countries including Korea. Mother Barry is one of them. In America, there have been great messengers like Jonathan Edwards, D. L. Moody, and Billy Graham. America has become the most influential country in the world. But now she is losing spiritual influence. When we pray and challenge ourselves by faith and prayer, there will be a great revival in America again. God will bless this Washington UBF for the next 40 years again as the power station to serve America and world mission.  

I think that the revival starts with helping one soul. To raise up one soul as a faithful servant of God is a revival. It takes a lot of time and long suffering. While helping shepherd  Joon Soon Kim, I was frustrated  many times. However, God helped me to learn “Never give up spirit” and a challenging spirit. Now he has become a faithful servant of God. He married shepherdess Sarah Brown in February. It was the most beautiful wedding I witnessed. I believe that God will bless their family to raise up many disciples of Jesus along with many sons and daughters. May God bless each of us to have prayer spirit and challenge spirit to rebuild our spiritual identity as the kingdom of priests and a holy nation. There are 3 elements for revival. ABC. A is to Ask. B is to believe. C is to challenge. Let us ask for God with prayer and believe in almighty God and challenge only by faith.  

Let’s read Key Verse:  2:17  

“Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.”