Choose God's Way
Nehemiah • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 1 viewNehemiah models godly stewardship in 3 specific areas: Authority, Influence, and Resources
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14 Moreover, from the day that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, for twelve years, neither I nor my kinsmen have eaten the governor’s food allowance.
15 But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people and took from them bread and wine besides forty shekels of silver; even their servants domineered the people. But I did not do so because of the fear of God.
16 I also applied myself to the work on this wall; we did not buy any land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work.
17 Moreover, there were at my table one hundred and fifty Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us.
18 Now that which was prepared for each day was one ox and six choice sheep, also birds were prepared for me; and once in ten days all sorts of wine were furnished in abundance. Yet for all this I did not demand the governor’s food allowance, because the servitude was heavy on this people.
19 Remember me, O my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.
INTRO: Have you ever sat around with friends and daydreamed about being a celebrity? Maybe a movie star or pro athlete… maybe the president?!? What would you do? How would you spend your millions? What would you do with your time? Would you have a butler named Jeeves?
These folks live in a different reality than most: multi-million dollar homes, private yachts and jets, etc. Crazy thing is, most of these folks have lots of fans and people who listen to their opinions, look up to them as role models, etc.
Well, the reality is, while that ain’t me and maybe not you, as Christians we all are given the responsibility to live in such a way that we honor God. The word for that is STEWARDSHIP.
You know, everything we have belongs to God and everything we do will be judged by him. This has been true for all of history.
In Genesis 1, God commissioned Adam and Eve to steward the earth. They were made in the image of God, just as we are, and were called to reflect His image to all of creation. They were to take dominion of the earth- working to ensure that they took care of God’s creation and wielded its resources for God’s glory and for the flourishing of humanity.
Even as sin entered the world, we still have the responsibility to be good stewards of what God has given us. This is true in the church, in your homes, and in public. Nehemiah understood this stewardship.
In last week’s study, we looked at how Nehemiah rebuked the nobles who were taking advantage of the situation and of the poorer Jews. His rebuke was successful largely in part because Nehemiah lived out the message he was calling the nobles to live.
In the second part of chapter 5, Nehemiah takes a step back to explain his stewardship mentality in the 12 years that he was governor over Jerusalem. I believe that he did this so that whoever read his journal could see that such bold actions of leadership only take place when one has earned the credibility that Nehemiah had earned.
In these few short verses, there is a lesson for us in stewardship. As has been the case for many of the messages from Nehemiah, this is a practical sermon with huge spiritual implications. I pray that as we examine the text together today, you will be encouraged to Choose God’s Way. That’s the title of the message. You can use the sermon guide in your bulletin to follow along as we learn together.
Let us begin.
To Choose God’s Way means that we responsibly:
Steward Authority (14-15)
Steward Authority (14-15)
Nehemiah was the governor of Jerusalem. This is kind of an ‘easter egg’ if you will- additional insight into the narrative. Evidently, part of the deal of Nehemiah being able to come to Jerusalem to help restore the city in the first place meant that he would be governor.
Nehemiah’s position as governor afforded him a certain positional authority over the people. Some folks will only follow people when that person has an official title. But Nehemiah was not the first governor of Jerusalem under the Persian rule.
How he chose to steward this responsibility speaks a great deal about his true belief in who God is. Let’s read v. 14-15 again and examine his stewardship of authority. (READ 14-15)
So, first off, this is a step back- Nehemiah does not simply tell what he has done in the short time that we have observed thus far, but refers to his entire time in office - 12 years. Now, in this time, there was an allowance for his provisions - a budget if you will, but he chose not to use it because the people were already struggling financially.
This stands in stark contrast to the former governors who not only used the food allowance, but threw their weight around at every turn, oppressing and abusing the people for their own personal benefit.
So, here’s the thing: if Nehemiah had used the food allowance, the people would not have balked or even batted an eye- they expected him to use it. In fact, they likely expected that he would be just like every other governor they had previous.
ILL: We can relate to the people here, right? We kind of expect that politicians will abuse their position: They will misuse tax dollars - they’ll take unnecessary trips at the taxpayer’s expense, buy lavish furnishings for their office, and pretty much live a celebrity lifestyle while hard working Americans pick up the tab. We may not like it, but if we are honest, we expect it because that’s what we’ve witnessed time and again.
But this is man’s way, not God’s.
Nehemiah said, “But I did not do so because of the fear of God.”
You see, Nehemiah understood that he would give an account to God based upon God’s expectations, not man’s. Jesus taught this as well. In Mark 10:42-43
42 Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them.
43 “But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant;
As we consider the authority that God has given us- as parents, leaders in the workplace and community, and as leaders in the church, we ought to reflect upon Nehemiah’s model. Folks, to choose God’s way means that we steward authority well.
Next, we can see that to choose God’s way also means that we responsibly:
Steward Influence (16)
Steward Influence (16)
This is pretty straight forward. Nehemiah knew that people would be watching his actions. He lived in the proverbial glass house. In fact, people were likely watching not only what he did in public, but how he conducted his affairs in private.
(READ)
Let’s look here: Nehemiah rolled up his sleeves and took part in the physical work of rebuilding the wall. He didn’t just point and bark orders, he got his hands dirty. Why? Because he was setting an example. Nehemiah was not asking the people of Jerusalem to do things that he himself was unwilling to do. He led by example.
ILL: I used to work in a hotel. One of the most memorable lessons I learned was from a supervisor. We would walk through the property, checking in on things and, without fail, if there was a piece of trash in the hallway or in the parking lot, he’d pick it up. He expected me to take ownership and pride in cleanliness and so he modeled what he expected.
Nehemiah not only worked on the wall, but all his servants did as well. So, he influenced his servants as well as the people in Jerusalem to work. Contrast this to previous governors who not only oppressed the people, but their servants abused them as well. It’s easy to see that a leader’s personal influence can have a ripple effect in either direction.
We also see that Nehemiah did not buy land. This might seem an odd statement, but the point is that Nehemiah did not come to Jerusalem to live like a celebrity. He didn’t buy up property and fortify it only to look down upon the people who lived there.
The actions that Nehemiah took as governor were more than “Do as I say” - Rather, he understood that to lead people well, he needed to steward his influence so that he would be above reproach.
The apostle Paul had a similar take, exhorting the Corinthians to “Imitate me as I imitate Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1)
The best way to enforce an exhortation is to set an example; but we must let that example be of the best kind, or we may lead others to do the work in a limping manner.
Charles Spurgeon
As we think about the influence we have- over family (dad’s listen up!), friends, co-workers, and fellow Christians, we must consider how to steward that influence for God’s glory. We can instruct and encourage, but stewarding influence means that we lead by example. To Choose God’s Way, we must steward our authority and our influence well.
Finally, Nehemiah demonstrates that to Choose God’s Way, we must responsibly:
Steward Resources (17-18)
Steward Resources (17-18)
(READ)
Nehemiah was a wealthy man- after all, he had been the cupbearer to the king. He came to Jerusalem with servants, his own secret service agents, and undoubtedly a bunch of cash and supplies.
But he didn’t hoard these resources. Now, mind you, there was a famine in the land. It would have been real easy to go out and buy up all the supplies so that you could outlast everyone if things got really bad.
ILL: Think about what happens every time there is a predicted snow storm- all the bread and milk get gone. If there’s a rumor of a gas shortage, people go and fill up every can they have and create a problem for everybody else. Do you remember the great toilet paper shortage during COVID?
Nehemiah had resources and instead of being selfish, he fed 150 people every single day PLUS the foreigners who had come from surrounding nations. (17)
I want to give you some numbers here based on v. 18:
1 ox / day (that’s 4380 over 12 years)
6 sheep / day (that’s 2190/ yr - 26,280 over 12 years)
In today’s market, an ox cost about $2500 and a sheep is about $250. So, that’s $4000/ day plus birds (chickens, doves, etc.) and wine. Y’all, that’s about $1.5 million / year in today’s money.
Now, he had the resources, but this is still nothing to sneeze at. Nehemiah was not stingy and selfish, but was generous with his resources. That’s not to say that he was frivolous. I think that he would have loved to feed the whole city, but he was limited to a couple hundred people a day due to resources.
Tell me, could you look at Nehemiah in this and say that he has no regard for the people? I don’t think so.
Now, as we consider how we can steward our resources, we too must be wise and generous. The need in Jerusalem was food, and Nehemiah had the resources to meet some of that need. We have to ask the question of need here as well. What resources has God given you that you can leverage for His glory?
Perhaps God has given you a craft- carpentry skills, mechanic skills, etc.
Maybe you have nursing skills or an empathetic ear
Maybe you have financial resources to support a good work.
Jesus taught in Luke 12:48
Luke 12:48 (NASB95)
“...From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”
Here’s the bottom line. Everything we have been given is from God. And one day we will stand before Him and give account for how we stewarded it.
Perhaps you are here this morning as a visitor (Or online) and you are not a Christian. You might think that this does not apply to you, but friend, Scripture is clear that ALL will stand before Christ to be judged.
11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.
12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.
14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
You see, if your name is not recorded in the book of life, as one redeemed by Christ, your situation is dire this morning.
The first step you need to take is to turn from your sin and trust in Jesus Christ so that you can be saved from your sins.
In the closing verse, Nehemiah prays (READ)
IOW- let my life’s testimony be recorded as ‘good’ in your eyes Lord.
Consider all that God has given you. How are you stewarding your authority, influence, and resources? Jesus said that all power & authority was given to Him, and he gives that to us in the Holy Spirit so that we may GO make disciples…. In what ways are you leveraging your life for the gospel?
Church, I encourage you Choose God’s Way so that when this life is over, you too can say, “Remember me, O my God for good, according to all that I have done...”
[PRAY]
Discuss: Think about the opportunities you have to steward your authority and influence. How does your experience align with Mark 10:42-43?
Discuss: Leading by example means acknowledging that others are watching. Describe times of your life when you are most aware of this.
Discuss: Are you more prone to leverage your resources or hoard them? What steps can you take to choose God’s way?