One person of many possible comes to my mind when I think of a heart in tune with God's heart - a person I mentioned last Sun­day. John Wesley in the person I have in mind, but for him it was not always so. Even though he grew up in the church and as a pastor's kid, he went through years of search­ing before his heart got in tune with God's heart. Many of you may recall Wesley's own account of his conversion; "About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust Christ, Christ alone for my salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death."

Trusting Christ for salvation is abso­lutely necessary for getting our heart in tune with God's heart. This however is supposed to be just the beginning. If we keep in tune with God's heart we should touch others with the life changing Gospel. We should be will­ing for God to use us as He pleases.

Certainly there are others with a heart for God spoken of in the Bible, but today I want us to focus on a man named Nehemiah. As we begin to study this book that bears his name I want us to see the Appeal to Nehemiah, the Approach of Nehemiah, and in conclusion, the Action of Nehemiah. To understand the background for this study, I would suggest that anyone who was not present last Sunday listen to the introduction for this series of messages.

We get better acquainted with him as we focus on:

I. The Appeal to Nehemiah

What does this appeal have to do with his heart being in tune with God's heart?

The Book of Nehemiah begins: "The words of Nehemiah..." New bible Commentary says, "This introduces the 'Nehemiah Memoirs' one of the outstand­ing autobiographical masterpieces of the ancient world."

Our text tells us that Nehemiah was the son of Hacaliah. While we know nothing more about Nehemiah's father from the Scriptures, this does distinguish him from others with his name written of in Nehemiah 3:16 and in Ezra 2:2.

Nehemiah was a Jew who had been living in Susa, the capital of the Persian Empire. As a matter of fact he had a high and trusted position in the Persian Court as cup bearer to the King. (It was his duty to taste the King's wine to make sure the king did not drink poisoned wine.) The King was Artaxeres, the son of Xeres who took Esther as his queen.

Even though Nehemiah was apparently in a comfortable position in the royal court of Persia, he had a heart for God and a heart for God's people. He inquired of Hanani concern­ing the Jews and the City of Jerusalem. In 7:2 Nehemiah tells of the character of Hanani describing him as a faithful man who feared God more than many.. He is spoken of as "my brother," certainly a fellow Jew, and perhaps a blood brother. Regardless, out of compas­sion Nehemiah widely asked Hanani about the welfare of his people and his homeland. He was given the report (v.3) of Jerusalem's wall being reduced to ruble and the people living in great distress and disgrace. Surely god's heart must have been broken, and Nehemiah's also. I believe that we can certainly assume that Hanani intended his report of the devas­tating condition of the people and the city to be an appeal to Nehemiah for help.

II. Approach of Nehemiah

When he heard the sad report, what was his approach. Did he say, "Hanani, I'm sorry, that's too bad, but I can't do anything about it," and then change the subject? Dare we admit that is often the approach of the church, and of we who are the church, when appeal to help come to us?

No, not Nehemiah. Listen to his approach in verse 4. (Read) Then most of the next seven verses are part of his prayer. It is most likely that Nehemiah was indeed a man of prayer. Prayer was his approach when met with an appeal, because he had a heart in tune with God's heart. Later in the book we also see that Nehemiah had great compas­sion for the Word of God.

I suggest that his approach of weeping, mourning for day; fasting and praying to the God of heaven was appropriate for one already in tune with God. Before his prayer moved on to further action that backed up his prayer, he was praying for about four months. I imagine that he continued his usual work as he continued to call upon the Lord.

Of the prayer, Matthew Henry wrote:

Nehemiah's prayer, a prayer that has reference to all the prayers which he had for some time before been putting up to God day and night, while he continued his sorrows for the desola­tions of Jerusalem, and withal to the petition he was now intending to present to the king his master for his favor to Jerusalem.

Nehemiah reverently, humbly addressed God, asked God to be attentive to his prayers, night and day, confessed his sins, the sins of his family and his fellow Jews, and he pleads for mercy for God's people.

What is your approach when an appeal comes to you?

Last week I began a challenge for us to fulfill the Great Commis­sion, the GO of the Gospel. If we are in tune with God and have our eyes and our ears open to appeals; there are appeals all around us. There are appeals that should elicit the approach of Nehemiah - prayer. The approach of sincerely calling upon the Lord and listening to the voice of His Spirit.

Do our hearts break with God's heart at the physical, emotional, and spiritual destruction all around us? What is our approach to the appeal?

III. Action

Our approach should certainly include praying and further action as we listen to God's leading.

Concerning God's Great Commission Strategies Pastor Tillapaugh wrote:

God's Old Testament strategy for fulfilling the Great Commission was different from His strategy in the New Testament. In the New Testament Era, God's strategy is to make Himself known through the witness of an international people called Christians. Christians are commanded to go and make disciples everywhere.

The Old Testament contains no such missionary mandate. God's strategy in the Old Testament was to make Himself known through the nation of Israel. And Israel's capital city had a role to play. The role included the presence of the temple where God resided in a unique way, the results of His rule would be on display to the nations.

As a result of its privileged relationship with their God, Israel was to be a national showcase for righteousness, justice and mercy. Just as the Olympics have become a place for nations to showcase the superiori­ty of their systems and their athletes, so Israel, and Jerusalem in particular, was to showcase the superiority of Israel's God.

In I Kings 10:6-9, we see the Old Testament version of the Great Commission working at its best. Here, the Queen of Sheba, who came to visit Solomon in Jerusalem, was impressed with the righteousness, justice, general welfare and happiness of the City's people. As a result, she exclaimed to Solomon, "Praise be to the Lord, Your God" (v.9). That's what was supposed to happen in Jerusalem. God's rule over His people was to be a powerful testimony to the nations.

All of this was common knowledge to the average Jew, just as the Great Commission to spread the gospel and make disciples everywhere is common knowledge to the average Christian. But unfortunately, knowledge without response is often all it is. For Nehemiah, God's plan for Jerusalem was more than a familiar truth. He had God's agenda "burning deeply in his heart." And when Christians develop hearts that beat with God's heart, His agenda for fulfilling the Great Commission will be far more than mere common knowledge, we will act upon it.

Conclusion.

I agree with Tillapaugh. We need to have hearts in tune with God's heart so we are open to His appeals. We should have an approach that includes prayer that moves us to further action. We need modern day Nehemiahs. What action may God be calling you to do for the spreading of the Gospel beyond the walls of the church?

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