48) * THE PRAYERS & SERMONS OF OUR STANDING MINISTERS FOR PEOPLE TO READ - 26

Daniel Pasaribu

“HOW TO BE A SERVANT OF GOD AND PRAYER WARRIOR”, (Nehemiah 1:1-10)

Monday Sermon for LJUSC, February 13, 2012

Dear Precious Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The Prayers of the Christian Believers during the perilous time in these Last Days are very important to overcome the world and to defeat our enemies from the Kingdom of Darkness, for this is the lifeline and strength of a soldier fighting for our Lord Jesus and His Kingdom. We must remember where we find this passage putting on armor and fighting the schemes of the devil. God tells us where we are to concentrate our efforts as Prayer Warrior which are individuals or groups dedicated to praying and fasting for others through intercessory prayer, or in other words, praying on someone else's behalf.

The term 'Prayer Warrior' refers to the act of taking up a defense (proactive or reactive) for another in prayer. Similar to how a solider takes up the defense of their country for the good of others, without asking anything in return.

Many Prayer Warriors believe they are called or lead to pray for others; that by praying for others they intercede with God on behalf of the person or group they are praying for. There are dedicated individuals and groups of Prayer Warriors that pray for many people around the world to individuals and groups that pray for a changes in their loved ones, neighborhoods, communities, or even families and we may praise the Lord that God has raised up 5(five) Prayer Warriors who are now constantly standing in prayers for the congregation of LJUSC until this day.

Christian Prayer Warriors also typically pray for the salvation, being forgiven of sins through the sacrifice of Christ's death and resurrection whereby through the grace of God eternal life is given, of others who do not profess to be Christian's.

Our sermon today is about “How To Be A Servant and Prayer Warrior” to pray for our loved ones, families, friends, leaders, nations, and others as we may learn from the life of Nehemiah as a good model of a Servant and Prayer Warrior who was one of the greatest characters in the old testament for the rebuilding of the City of Jerusalem which is written in Nehemiah 1:1-10.

I would like to say something about Nehemiah, the man of prayer and the man of action, but first a little about his history. He was one of the Jewish nation who found himself a captive in the land of Babylon , but nevertheless one who had risen to a position of some importance in the court of King Artaxerxes. He was in fact the King's cupbearer.
In about the year 550 BC a large number of the captive Jews, by the decree of King Cyrus had returned to Jerusalem under Zerubbabel for the purpose of rebuilding the temple. About 90 years later Nehemiah was permitted to return with a smaller company to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem , he at that time being about 80 years of age.

“Nehemiah was an energetic leader who combined a deep trust in the Lord with precise planning, careful organization, and discreet but energetic action.”(1)

“He stood like an anvil, till the hammers of opposition wore themselves out vainly beating against him.”(2)

“As a self-contained man. A man of his own counsel. A man with the counsel of God alone in his mind and in his heart. A reserved and resolute man. A man to take command of other men. A man who will see things with his own eyes, and without all eyes seeing him. A man in no haste or hurry. He will not begin till he has counted the cost. And then he will not stop till he has finished the work.”(3)

He is a “loyal layman.”(4)

Our journey through the Nehemiah Journal must begin with a bit of background, so that we may fully appreciate what God did with this man. What we have is Nehemiah’s personal account, or journal, set against the backdrop of history.
In the 8th Century B.C. Assyria conquered the northern kingdom of Israel. The prophets foresaw it; the Lord brought it to pass. The people had become backslidden. Instead of worshipping the Lord God, they had fallen-in with the pagan nations surrounding them. It isn’t much different in American society which we can see all these things are now happening so serious today.

A few centuries later the southern kingdom followed suit, as Jerusalem fell to the Babylonian empire. Later it was the Persians whose dominance in the ancient world replaced Babylon. We are talking here not only about ancient history. The regions extend from Afghanistan to Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia. The problems we face today internationally, as we stand on the brink of war, frame just another chapter in the ongoing saga of strife in the Middle East. Jacob and Esau have never ceased their struggle.

In the 5th century, seven decades after being conquered and deported, the Persian rulers began allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem. It happened in stages.
First a man named Zerubbabel led a group to begin the rebuilding process. The city had been destroyed, and lay in rubble. But, Zerubbabel’s efforts only partially restored things.

Fifty years later Ezra, a priest, returned to rebuild the temple.
Then, fifteen years after Ezra the story we are about to investigate begins to unfold in Susa, the capital city of the Persian Empire.

Nehemiah was a Jew, probably born in exile. He was a sharp pencil, trained in the art of business and administration. He was also the man God would use to change history’s map and the courage of a nation he called “home” – even though his eyes had never seen the place.

Some of Nehemiah’s accomplishments include rebuilding the walls and military defenses of Jerusalem. Later he also instituted reforms among God’s people. He helped restore purity in worship, and integrity in family relationships.

Dear Precious Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

So, what is so profitable about the book of Nehemiah is that he accomplished all that in the face of great adversity. Among the obstacles he faced were these several:

a. He was not a “ruler”, but part of the conquered exiles, outnumbered and with little “moving and shaking” ability.
b. There was a widespread laziness among God’s people to overcome.
c. There were plots from his own people, attempting to cause his efforts to fail.
d. Misunderstandings and lack of faith abounded.

All of Nehemiah’s mountains to climb are present today in the Christian experience. We need to explore this. Today we also see the same problems Nehemiah encountered...
The walls are broken down. American life and culture is obsessed with self, sex and little direction for family life, community in America, even in the church is anemic, if not comatose.

The typical approach that most Christians have when trying to address problems, or just living life in general, center on the worldly model rather than the Biblical model. We can shake our heads and cluck our tongues all we wish…but when God’s people do things the worldly way, and then celebrate our cleverness, or gush over how wonderful we are, we are standing in the midst of crumbling walls. That’s the trouble with rubble!

Nehemiah demonstrates the opposite. Notice the reaction of a servant and prayer warrior as he hears the news of broken walls and disgraceful conditions in his homeland :

These are the memoirs of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah. In late autumn of the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign, I was at the fortress of Susa. Hanani, one of my brothers, came to visit me with some other men who had just arrived from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had survived the captivity and about how things were going in Jerusalem. They said to me, “Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been burned.” When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. Nehemiah 1: 1-4 (TNLT)

With a heart blazing alive for God, Nehemiah hears of the distress and disgrace of Jerusalem, and he immediately wept. It started him mourning, fasting and praying for days. At the end of those days of praying and fasting, Nehemiah did not get up and get on with life as usual…something altogether different occurred…
Nehemiah got on with doing something. And in that we find our prayer model for servant warriors.

"STUDYING THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH MAY LEAD TO DOING THINGS GOD’S WAY. YOU WILL FIND THE WORLD WILL MARVEL, WORLDLY CHRISTIANS WILL SNIPE AND CRITICIZE, AND...GOD WILL BE PLEASED".

Now, let’s look at the model prayer of Nehemiah, a servant prayer warrior. First of all he expresses :

I. ADORATION

Then I said, “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, Nehemiah 1.5 (TNLT)

To “adore” the Lord in prayer is to recognize Who He is, and respond accordingly. Nehemiah recognizes the Lord as great and awesome the powerful God who is in control of all.

The Hebrew word “CHESED” is translated here as the “covenant of unfailing love”. The covenant of God is one of mercy and implies “A PERSONAL INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP”. The one thing about cults and world religions and “isms” galore is the lack of a personal relationship with God.

To adore the Lord means to respond to Him as He has laid it down…love Him and obey His commands. This is just common sense when you recognize that He is God and we are not! Common sense doesn’t always come into play when it comes to people giving God His due.

Nehemiah’s head wasn’t empty. He started his prayer with adoration. One of the reasons we don’t always see that in prayers is because our minds are so full of adoration for ourselves. It is impossible to recognize the sovereignty of God when you are having someone else occupy that position.

Who is on the throne of your life? Is it You? Or is it God?
If it is you, then you won’t adore God…you don’t even recognize who He is! That’s why the next part of the model is so important for our prayers.

II. CONFESSION

Listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, laws, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses. Nehemiah 1.6-7 (TNLT)
Nehemiah’s confession isn’t popular today. Today, if anything has gone wrong it is always the other guy’s fault. Nobody accepts responsibility for anything any more.

If CEO like AT&T, Ford Motors & etc. sell his company down the tubes, he leaves with $40 million or more than that in golden parachute separation funds.
If a high-profile preacher lives a scandalous life of sexual sins, he thumbs his nose at his denomination and is back on the air in no time at all.
If a prominent person lies, he has merely “mis-spoken” himself and doesn’t skip a beat.

By contrast, Nehemiah, born a thousand miles from Jerusalem, having never been there, included himself in the national sin of Israel. You say, You see, Nehemiah is wise enough to know that, had he been there, he also would have sinned.
He understood that he was no stronger than any of his fellow Israelites. He was under the same commands of the Lord to live ethically and morally, and obediently to the law of God. Nehemiah knew his own heart.

In our text Nehemiah says “we have sinned terribly”. Literally, the word means “offended”. He is admitting the actions of God’s children, including himself, are offensive to the God of Heaven.
So, that is what confession is all about. It is recognizing that our sins do, indeed offend God. In the cultural/political climate of our day, there are regulations against offending everyone BUT God! Him we kick out of our schools, courts and council rooms. God help us to confess our sins against the Holy One!

If you want a model for being a servant prayer warrior, there is adoration, confession, and the next is..

III. THANKSGIVING

“Please remember what you told your servant Moses: ‘If you sin, I will scatter you among the nations. But if you return to me and obey my commands, even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’ “We are your servants, the people you rescued by your great power and might. Nehemiah 1.8-10 (TNLT)

Usually we associate “thanksgiving” with smiling to God for our blessings. It is one thing to say “thanks” when someone gives us a gift we like. It is quite another thing to say “bless you” (even to God) for hauling us out to the woodshed.

Yet, that is exactly what Nehemiah has in mind here. Basically, he is rehearsing the fact that God said, “You sin, and I’ll get you! I’ll hunt you down, and I’ll bring you back and we can do it all over again!” Then Nehemiah says, “That was our rescue! Thank you, Lord!”

In acknowledging God’s goodness over the chastisement, it is reasserting the nature of God to be faithful to His other promises of blessing and joy. Some of the wording here reminds us of God’s promises in Deuteronomy. God had told them He knew they would go astray, and He was prepared to do whatever necessary to bring them back under His wing:

“In the future, when you have children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time, do not corrupt yourselves by making idols of any kind. This is evil in the sight of the LORD your God and will arouse his anger.
“Today I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you. If you disobey me, you will quickly disappear from the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy. You will live there only a short time; then you will be utterly destroyed. For the LORD will scatter you among the nations, where only a few of you will survive. There, in a foreign land, you will worship idols made from wood and stone, gods that neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. From there you will search again for the LORD your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him”.
“When those bitter days have come upon you far in the future, you will finally return to the LORD your God and listen to what he tells you. For the LORD your God is merciful—he will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the solemn covenant he made with your ancestors”. Deuteronomy 4: 25 - 31 (NLT)

God predicted just exactly how they would sin, and how big the sin would be. And yet He was prepared to offer them forgiveness, based upon his loving covenant. Do you know what that tells you and me about God?

If that isn’t something for which we can be thankful, I cannot imagine there is anything!
There is adoration to acknowledge God as deserving worship;
there is confession to recognize our sinfulness and need of his forgiveness;
and there is thanksgiving to realize He extends his love no matter how big we have sinned, if we will just repent and be ready to follow Him; and then Nehemiah moves another level of spiritual process.

IV. SUPPLICATION

O’ LORD, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success now as I go to ask the king for a great favor. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.” In those days I was the king’s cup-bearer in Nehemiah 1.11 (TNLT)

There is always a decisive moment in life when talking, or thinking becomes insufficient. There is a moment in time when we must have the rubber meet the road; we must act on what we believe. In our culture there is the expression which defines that: Praise the Lord, and pass the ammunition!
There is a time when praying ends and doing begins.

This is the nature of the man Nehemia and all servant/prayer warriors. Nehemiah was committed in his prayer then he got up off his knees and forged ahead.
Now, to say that he only prayed, and that he laid no plans is inaccurate and naïve. He did plan; we see that in his prayer, asking God to move in the heart of Artaxerxes the king. Why? It was Artaxerxes, Nehemiah’s boss who had stopped the previous work in Israel to rebuild the city:

'Therefore, issue orders to have these people stop their work. That city must not be rebuilt except at my express command'. Ezra 4:21 (NLT)

Nehemiah was about to stroll into the throne room and contradict a royal edict. Sharp guy and good servant or not, Nehemiah was about to give the good king Artaxerxes (a man who had killed his own brother to get the throne) all the reason he needed to lop off his head. You KNOW he had to be committed to God’s hand to step into that kind of quicksand.

When’s the last time you stepped out in faith? When’s the last time God put it in your heart to involve yourself in such a way that you knew if He didn’t come through, you were toast? My dear friends , THAT is what supplication is all about. That’s what dependency on God is all about.

APPLICATION

We will see in the coming weeks that the Lord gave Nehemiah success in dealing with Artaxerxes. We will also see that God watched over the entire process, as Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem, overcame constant opposition and rebuilt the city walls and defenses – just exactly as the Lord had put it in his heart at the first.
The lesson, of course, for Christian believers is how to be a servant/prayer warrior for God. Face adversity with faith, humbly depending on God, as you build His kingdom with other believers. It all starts with prayer – as does this book of Nehemiah. It opens with prayer, and the book ends with prayer. It tells us God uses cup-bearers, servants who are truly prayer warriors!
By the way , it is also the pathway to salvation in Christ Jesus. Look once again at the model:

1.Adoration – Recognize God is in charge, and He sent Jesus to purchase our forgiveness on an old rugged cross.

2.Confession – Acknowledge who you are, a sinner who needs the forgiveness Jesus died to extend.

3.Thanksgiving – Acknowledge your gratitude for the cross.

4.Supplication – Ask Him to forgive your sins, and receive Christ and eternal life.

Dear Precious Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Finally, we have come to the conclusion of the sermon that Servant and Prayer Warriors are individuals or groups dedicated to praying and fasting for others through intercessory prayer, or in other words, praying on someone else's behalf It requires that you set aside time each day to pray for those that you feel lead to pray for, discerning what to pray for and for whom. We have come to know that Servant and Prayer Warriors are people who are known for regularly interceding on behalf of others before God. To intercede means to come between, so prayer warriors are, in effect, coming between God and the trouble in another person's life.

To make the prayer more powerful to see the miracles of God then the Servant and Prayer Warriors or Believers may use the combination of praying and fasting which is not a fad or a novelty approach to spiritual discipline. Praying and fasting are not part of a human-engineered method or plan. They are not the means to manipulate a situation or to create a circumstance but praying and fasting are truly Bible-based disciplines that are appropriate for all Prayer Warriors or Believers of all ages throughout all centuries until this day in all parts of the world.

We have come to understand that Servant and Prayer Warriors are like defense attorneys, appealing to the Higher Court on behalf of their defendants. We're all guilty before God, but God is merciful. Prayer warriors recognize that quality of God's personality and call on Him for intervention.

This is the way how to start your life as a Servant and Prayer Warrior if you are called by the Lord Jesus to serve Him in His Kingdom on this earth.
Please allow me to pray now as a Prayer Warrior for His Church and His Kingdom of God worldwide:

Lord Jesus, I pray humbly with Your Holy Spirit’s power and anointing as one of the Prayer Warriors among all the true believers around the world for the establishment of Your Kingdom on this earth and acknowledging that now is the time to seek Your Face and turn to the only reality that makes any sense for the significant principles of Your Kingdom on this earth. Everything else pales in comparison to Your truth and Your ways. I am now praising you in thanksgiving for being allowed to get a glimpse of the Body of Christ working together. We are seeking Your ways and we are being forged into one unified fighting force coming together and laying down our differences to focus on the only thing that matters the person of Jesus Christ and His significant kingdom principles.

You have told us to go into the world making disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them to do what You command. You have challenged us to recognize that our faith is an action word as we are to live and breathe in our desire to serve at the pleasure of our King. You have allowed us to find one another, and You are teaching every member of this Wall Church how to work together in the Body of Christ and to focus on Your needs. You are showing us how to love, help and pray and support each other as Your Body, and You are challenging us to become the "Light of the World" which sheds its brightness into the darkness that surrounds us.

Lord Jesus, My prayer today begins with a cry for humility, a servant’s heart with the spirit of Prayer Warrior and surrender for Your leaders. For just such a time like this, You have placed people in their proper places. You have given them kingdom significant power to accomplish whatever it takes to see Your will be done on this earth right now as it is in heaven. If it is needed Lord, I ask You to convict Your leaders of any pride, selfish ambition, ego, or fear of man that could be holding them back from accomplishing the purposes You have laid before them. I acknowledge Satan is running scared right now, and his attacks have become more frequent. To stand in this day and time, Lord, our leaders need Your heart, for they need pure and holy motivations. They need integrity, and they need to be guided by the Holy Spirit and not by their own ambitions.

Lord Jesus, Your leaders and the congregation are vulnerable right now. You have warned us repeatedly that many of us falter, fail, and give up just before our greatest victory. You know for whom I pray, Lord, and You know the desires and needs of their hearts. Help us to be the Godly men and women You have pre--planned us for. Return all of us to the simplicity of devotion to Yourself. We need Your divine supernatural protection so our leaders ad the congregation can glimpse into the spiritual realm where we will receive Your vision. Help us! We are in desperate need of a few good men and women who are unafraid of man, who are humble and gentle in spirit who willingly lay it all down for the cause of Christ.

Lord Jesus, please prevent Your leaders and the congregation from fulfilling the expectations of man. Release them instead to fulfill Your will and accomplish Your purposes. It is Your Wisdom and Revelation Knowledge and Your creativity we need. You are our Head, and You have the authority over Your wall church here and the rest of all churches worldwide, the absolute right to make all the decisions in the Body of Christ. Help our leaders to submit to Your authority and to Your anointing as they attempt to lead and direct wherever You have placed them.

Lord Jesus, place an army of Prayer Warriors around each and every leader worldwide who can pray for the Holy Spirit will pour waters of life into their thirsty souls. May the Word of our Lord and Savior pour out of these Prayer Warriors to nourish and encourage those for whom they are charged to pray.

Release the Holy Fire of Your Presence in the lives of the leaders and our congregation at this wall church to protect and cover us from any kind of attacks sent by the Kingdom of Darkness. Let the power of your anger be released against the powers of darkness and release your powerful angels on every member of this congregation to fight our battles in the heavens. Release the power and authority of the Lord against all demons we encounter in the Name of Jesus to enable us to have supernatural boldness to preach and teach others with demonstration of the anointing and manifestation of the Holy Spirit to bring the lost souls into the Kingdom of God.

Lord Jesus, release your love, joy and peace and the spirit of unity to all my brethren at this wall church to work together in the Body of Christ to enable us to do our part to see Your Kingdom established on this earth and Your magnificent glory manifested on Your people and all other churches worldwide, to the praise, and honor of Jesus Christ, the Lord and the Savior of the world.

To God Be All The Glory And Honor From Now On And Forever, A m e n .

Daniel Pasaribu
End of Sermon