| Introduction In the ancient world, honest government officials were the rare exception. They usually viewed their government post as a means for their own enrichment. The people they governed were seen as source of wealth to be trained as thoroughly and as often as they could. We see that reality in attitude of the Jewish people Jesus's day toward the tax collectors. They despised the tax collectors since they were agent of the government that often worked to impoverish them. We see this concept of in our text today in what Nehemiah says in v. 14 concerning previous governors. It seems like Nehemiah was accused of following in the footsteps of the governors who had gone before him. Our text this morning is a private apology, or defense, of Nehemiah's conduct as governor. He characterizes himself as a generous, self-giving governor. We can learn a lot from his self-giving generosity. I. Nehemiah's Private Apology: I Lead Selflessly. A. What we read in these verses was not written down till at least 11 years after the events of the previous verses. 1. Most of the book of Nehemiah is the compilation of Nehemiah's private diary, what scholars call the Nehemiah Memoir. 2. I don't think Nehemiah meant most of what we read here in this book for public consumption, though the Holy Spirit had other plans for it. 3. It appears that Nehemiah was being accused of being a selfish governor like others who had gone before him and that accusation hurt him deeply. 4. But it doesn't seem like he sought public vindication – this passage is written in the context of a prayer to God, 19. B. Nehemiah did not demand what was legally his right to have, 14. 1. This is the first time that we are explicitly told that Nehemiah was the official governor of Judea. a. His first term as governor lasted 12 years. b. He also had a second term of undetermined length late on, 13:6. c. The 32nd year of Artaxerxes I was 433 B.C. 2. During the entire 12 years he served as governor, he did not claim the allowance that he was entitled to as governor. a. The governor was in charge of collecting taxes for the Persian king. b. He was had a franchise from the king to collect his own support from the people, 15. 1) They took provisions from the people – bread and wine. 2) They took cash from the people – 40 shekels. a) If this was done daily, weekly, etc. no one knows. b) What we know is that the context indicates that 40 shekels was a great burden on the people. c. Not only did the governor create extra burdens for the people, but also his minions collected moneys for themselves. 3. Nehemiah did none of that, 15b-16. a. He did not collect any more money than what was necessary to pay the Persian tax. b. He did not take a paycheck. c. Instead of having his officials enrich themselves at the people's expense, he had them build the wall. C. Nehemiah fulfilled all the duties expected of a governor while working really hard not to burden the people, 17-18. 1. The governor was expected to feed all the government officials plus any foreign dignitary that may be passing through Jerusalem and any less favored distant relative on a daily basis. 2. Edwin Yamauchi estimates that this amount of food could feed 600 people. 3. And Nehemiah is doing all that out of his own pocket, from his own wealth. a. It is really easy to be generous with other people's money. b. But true generosity only happens at a personal cost. D. Nehemiah lists three motivating factors that led him to govern the way he did. 1. Claiming what was rightfully his in this situation was not consistent with fearing God, 15b – sometimes God is served better by our letting go of our rights. 2. The people whom he loved were already under great burden, 18b. 3. He wanted the blessings of God more than exercising his rights, 19. "If God do but think upon me for good, I have enough…. If men forget me, let my God think on me, and I desire no more." Mathew Henry in Matthew Henry's Commentary II. Self-Giving Generosity Is a Pattern of Life We Are ALL Called to Follow. Phil. 2:5-8 – Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. A. Nehemiah illustrates a principal that the apostle Paul clearly teaches in the NT. B. Paul teaches us that the motivation for letting our rights go, for self-giving generosity is the Gospel. 1 Cor. 9:23 – Now this I do for the gospel's sake, that I may be partaker of it with you. 1. In order to love the brethren selflessly we need compassion for people, conviction that sin, heaven, and hell are real, and conviction that the Gospel is true. 2. The Gospel frees us to renounce our rights. 2 Cor. 3:17-4:6 – Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservantsfor Jesus' sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to givethe light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. "In life, no house, no home
my Lord on earth might have;
In death, no friendly tomb
But what a stranger gave,
What may I say? Heav'n was his home
But mine the tomb wherein he lay. Here might I stay and sing,
No story so divine;
Never was love, dear King!
Never was grief like Thine.
This is my Friend, in Whose sweet praise
I all my days could gladly spend." Samuel Crossman Hymn # 182 3. The Gospel frees us to serve others, 9:19. 1 Cor. 9:19 – For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more…. a. Paul was free, that is, independent from all men because he worked hard to support himself. b. Yet, he placed himself willingly under all men so that he might win them to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 1) Paul loved people and Paul loved his Savior. 2) Paul knew the beauty of the Gospel of grace in Jesus Christ and he knew how immeasurably hopeless life with Christ was. 3) So, he bathed himself in the grace of God and did whatever he could to win people to Christ. a) Nothing was too precious to him that the grace of God couldn't free him from. b) No one was out of reach. "I preached as never sure to preach again and as a dying man to dying men." Richard Baxter C. Paul's self-giving generosity had as its end goal the salvation of the nations. 1 Cor. 9:22 – … to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. D. Paul was able to give up his rights in order to serve others because he was completely convinced that Christ was sufficient for him. Phil 3:7-10 –But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which isthrough faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death…. 1. He had learned from Christ to be able to give up his rights. Phil 4:12-13 – I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 2. Paul was more concerned that others be built up than that he got his fair share. "… the totality of the Christian life is to 'build up' others in mature understanding, motivated by love." Paul Barnett 3. So, having a clear, godly, Christ-exalting, Gospel-inspired, people-loving testimony was of the utmost importance to Paul. E. Putting Paul's motivation for self-giving generosity with Nehemiah's motivations, we are presented with plenty of motivation to serve God and his church in this way. 2. Love (compassion) for people. 3. Desire for God's blessings. 4. Satisfaction with Christ. 5. Desire to see the nations saved · How about us? Do the realities of the Gospel manifest themselves in the way that we live? · The realities of the Gospel: ü Jesus died for our sins; ü the eternal punishment that ALL our sins deserve was laid upon him – when he cried "My God, My God" every last one of our sins was laid upon him; ü thus, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus; ü not only that, he also lived a perfect life of obedience to the law of God and that perfection is now ours through faith in him; ü we who believe are accepted into the family of God and are children of God. · Are we living these realities? · Let me go back to the question I asked in the beginning of this sermon – if the people who know you well, those who are around you more often than not, felt safe enough to honestly right down 5 things that characterize you what would they be? Would they show self-giving generosity? · How often we deny the giving nature of the Gospel by the way we live! ü By the way we use our time; ü By the way we use our computers; ü By the way we abuse our liberties; ü By the way we treat our spouse; ü By the way we treat our children; ü By the way we relate to our siblings; ü By the way we approach worship; ü By the way we relate to friends; ü By the way we spend money; · Is your life an acknowledgment that Jesus Christ is infinitely more valuable, lovelier, more treasured, more beautiful, more desirable than anything else? · Or, is he an addition to your life just to be brought out at certain times when you might need something?
May the Lord work in us so that we may confidently pray what Nehemiah prayed for himself: remember us, our God, for good, according to all that we have done for your people.
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