The Power Of Purpose Series

Proverbs states, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18 KJV). Bill Hybels, in his book Courageous Leadership, tells us, “When a leader is casting a vision publicly the goal is to help people know, understand, and remember the ‘main thing’.”(1) Purpose is all about keeping the “main thing” the “main thing.” We have already identified the primary vision at BLANK Church, which is found in the five purposes of the church as set forth in the New Testament. Allow me to re-share them. They are 1) worship, 2) evangelism, 3) fellowship, 4) discipleship, and 5) ministry.

Ed Stetzer emphasizes that people must envision the core values of the congregation before they can ever become part of the vision.(2) Without knowing the church’s purpose a congregation will be deprived of direction, leading to confusion, shattered enthusiasm, and the abandonment of the calling and mission. Hybels says that “a clear vision provides a compelling picture of the future that enables us to say, ‘We know our destination. Nothing will lure us off the path from here to there. We will not be distracted’.”(3)

Since the communication of vision is so important in keeping a church moving in the right direction, our message this morning will address “the power of purpose.” We will gain our understanding about the significance of purpose by examining the account of how Nehemiah stated – and even restated – Jerusalem’s purpose to the returning captives after the Babylonian exile.

Stating the Immediate Problem (2:17)

17 Then I said to them, “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.”

Back in Nehemiah 1:1-4, we read how a man named Hanani delivered a message to Nehemiah while in Babylon, reporting how the survivors of the captivity in Jerusalem were in great distress, and that the wall of Jerusalem had been broken down and the gates burned with fire. Therefore, Nehemiah sought the Lord in prayer. Afterwards, he approached King Artaxerxes with his concern, and he was then granted permission to return home to address his people in Judah (Nehemiah 2:1-11).

In the first part of verse 17, we can see the immediate problem of which Nehemiah brought awareness. He pointed out to the people the exact same thing that Hanani had told him; that Jerusalem laid in ruins, its gates had been burned, and that its wall had been torn down. If you know the history, then you understand why the city found itself in such a terrible state. The Jews had rejected God’s leadership and coveted after foreign gods and idols; therefore, the Lord allowed them to be taken captive by Babylon; and during the siege the city was overrun and destroyed.

Because Nehemiah stated the immediate problem, the people could do something about it; and if you’ll look back in Nehemiah 1:5-11, you’ll be able to see that the first step to national renewal is repentance. Listen closely as I share specifically what Nehemiah declared to the Lord back in chapter 1:

I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned (Nehemiah 1:5-6).

In the last part of verse 17, Nehemiah identified their present vision and purpose: their immediate purpose was to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. And our immediate purpose is to begin rebuilding this church and realigning with God’s plan for the strategic location in which He has planted this congregation; and a good place to start is with repentance. We need to turn away from the wall-crumbling direction that we’ve been travelling, do a “180,” and run back to what is right and true.

Communicating a Clear Purpose (2:18)

18 And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they set their hands to this good work.

In verse 18, Nehemiah motivated the people with news that God had been guiding him, and that King Artaxerxes had given him permission to rebuild Jerusalem (cf. Nehemiah 1:1-6). Back in Nehemiah 1:7-9, we learn a few more details of what the king had done for him, which was information that he most likely passed along to the people. The king had sent Nehemiah to Jerusalem with letters of passage, and a letter of instruction to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give the Jewish people timber to rebuild the city wall and the temple citadel. This news was surely encouraging!