Message 3: “Partnering with the Holy Spirit”
Neh. 2:11-18
Introduction
eg. story of Nathan and I building wood shed…(picture)
…God has given me a few gifts, but one of them is not being a handyman…can’t see it in my mind…overwhelming…
-that is what the work of the HS is like in the life of the believer who is asking God to rebuild their life…He comes along and takes charge of the rebuilding project…with us as His partner and co-worker…
Welcome back to week 3 in our series in the book of Neh, looking at a wall rebuilding project under the leadership of Neh
-making the connection that our lives are like the walls of Jer…there is some degree of brokenness...damage...parts of our life are crumbling, in need of repair...doesn’t mean that we’re completely ruined...for some it’s just a little area.....for others there’s lots of rubble…
....but for all of us there is a need for restoration and rebuilding
Which Walls?
-reminder of what kind of walls we’re talking about in this series…not walls that keep people out…rather walls that keep us safe…that protect us spiritually, that do not allow the enemy access…
...we began two weeks ago by an honest admission of our brokenness which invites us to cry out to God with honest, humble, confessional prayer.....
Last week we were reminded of who we are in Christ (approval, authority, angel army), which is meant to empower us to go forward in this journey to restoration and wholeness…
Today, God wants to speak to us about the key role the HS plays in rebuilding the protective walls around our lives…wants to show us a partnership with the HS we can have so that we are not left to ourselves in the work of restoration…
-We can see the ministry of the HS pictured in Neh. 2:11-18 as we observe the activity of Neh....
(it’s significant that the name Nehemiah means “the consoling breath of God”....definite picture of the Holy Spirit who, in the NT, is called the comforter, and is referred to as breath and wind…)
Prayer…read vv.11-16...
I God’s Work In The Dark vv.11-16
-as Neh. is describing his exploratory tour of the ruined walls, three times he mentions the phrase “by night”, which got my attention… he did his inspection of the walls under the cover of darkness…
-the insight God gave me was that He is at work in the dark, hidden places of our lives…even in the dark, the HS is moving about through the brokenness and rubble of our lives, examining, planning, determining a restoration process, seeing where we need to be healed and rebuilt…
-when we can’t see what God is doing, and it appears He is doing nothing, the opposite is in fact, the truth…
-for in the dark, deep, unseen places of our lives God’s Spirit is stirring, reviving, bringing life, health, healing and deliverance…He is bringing new life where there is destruction…hope where there is despair…
Daniel 2:22 “He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.”
Think about this: throughout the Bible, God did some of His greatest work in the dark…
• began creation in the formless, empty dark – Gen. 1:1
• Jacob wrestled with God all night and prevailed – Gen. 32
• the Passover deliverance took place at night – Ex. 12
• Gideon’s victory took place at night – Judges 7
• Jesus’ death on the cross was during a midday blackout – Luke 23
God does some of His best work in the dark. God is at work in you right now, whether you see it or not, to restore, heal, deliver and make you strong again…
a. Dung Gate v.13
-the title alone tells you the purpose of this gate in the ancient city of Jer.…clearly, this was where the city’s garbage was removed, including human excrement…
-let me make the clear connection that God is reminding us of the importance of cleansing and getting rid of the impurities and waste that constantly build up in our life…
-just like the people of ancient Jer. took their garbage outside the Dung Gate and burned it, so God reminds us to regularly receive His cleansing through confession, repentance and asking for His forgiveness…
1 Jn. 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
eg. Lil Geddes…blood gas count…build up of carbon dioxide…can happen to us spiritually…need to constantly let God breathe into our life a fresh, clean flow of His life and love
b. Fountain Gate v.14 (picture?)
-historians tell us that this was the gate where many people collected their water, as it was fed by the Gihon Spring and collected in a pool which became known as the King’s Pool. This is where people would wash before entering the temple area…eg There Is A Fountain Filled with Blood…
Hezekiah’s Tunnel (picture)
What’s really interesting is that there was an underground tunnel built by King Hezekiah through which water flowed from the Fountain Gate to the Water Gate…
-King Hezekiah built this tunnel to protect the city’s water supply when an enemy was threatening to lay siege…this tunnel was an engineering marvel for it’s day considering it was built in approx. 750 bc…
This is clearly a picture of the flow of living water that God provides to us through His Holy Spirit…an unlimited supply, available to anyone who is thirsty and needs the refreshing life of God to satisfy them…
Jn. 7:38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.
-God wants us to drink so deeply, child of God, that are filled to overflowing with the Spirit of God…all you need to do is ask to be filled, chose to surrender to the HS and let Him take control…don’t let anything block the flow of the river of life…make sure the way is open, unobstructed, clean…
III Three Characteristics of the Holy Spirit (as pictured by Neh) in vv.17-18
A. compassion v.17 “you see the trouble we are in”
-hear the compassion in those words…
-not judgment, condemnation, frustration…
-saying, I am here to help you... with a heart of love…
-HS is called, in John’s gospel, the Comforter, Greek - Paraclete (one who comes alongside to help…)
-we have a compassionate God…the one and only true God, the God of the Bible, is a gracious and compassionate God…
God’s heart for us is one of compassion, kindness and fatherly care…Ps. 103:13-14 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
B. commitment v.17 “come let us rebuild”
-the work of the HS is to help, to do something about our needs, brokenness, not to passively observe…
-Nathan came over and said, “Come on dad, we can do this; let’s get this done…”
-God is committed to our restoration, growth, healing, to forming the life of Christ in us…
…that’s why the HS is given to us… for our growth, restoration, healing, deliverance…
-even when its overwhelming for us…God’s Spirit says, “we can do this…let’s get this done…”
Rm.8:26 “...the Spirit helps us in our weakness...”
-HS is committed to action, to rebuilding...
-not all up to us to fix ourselves…
eg. I was overwhelmed with the woodshed project until Nathan came along and took the lead and showed me what to do… (told me what to do…)
-it’s a partnership that requires a relationship, in which the HS whispers to us, directs us, guides us, tells us what we need to do…a living relationship…and in which we respond willingly, not grudgingly or uncooperatively…
-and all we need to do is simply what He says…
-I could have said no to Nathan, “I’ll do it myself…” I could have argued with Nathan…”I know better…”
C. companionship v.18 “Let us start rebuilding…”
-notice how many times a plural pronoun is used in vv.17-18: “we, us, they” – used 5 times in two short verses…
-speaks of companionship, partnership…that the HS wants to share with us the work of rebuilding our lives…
-that He doesn’t abandon us to fix things on our own, or push us aside and give us no part to play in the process…
-God the HS is unashamed to completely identify with us, even in our brokenness…esp in our brokenness…
-this is what the HS is like…the very HS who wants a relationship with us…who wants to take charge of the rebuilding project…so He can ensure the restoration of our lives moves forward…
Jesus Identifies with Humanity
One final thought: when it comes to God identifying with us in our broken humanity…Jesus is the best example…Jesus is the ultimate expression of how God indentifies with the people He created and loves…He identifies so closely with us that He chose to become one of us…experience all of life as a human being except without sin…knows all the weakness and struggle we endure…completely identifies with us…
…and because He did this, He alone is perfectly qualified to be our One and Only Savior…
Heb. 2:14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death…
-as this verse indicates, the identification of Jesus with you and I goes all the way to the point of Jesus taking our sin upon Himself…to being our Substitute on the cross…
2 Cor 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
That is what we remember as we come to the communion table…
Conclusion
-the HS does want an active partnership with you in the rebuilding of the protective spiritual walls of your life…all you have to do is ask…
-just like I made a phone call to Nathan…it’s a simple matter of reaching out to God…
-and He will come to you and work with you and you will see what God can do to restore, heal, rebuild the broken places…
Prayer…Worship…