INTRO: A man joined a monastery, and to join this monastery you can only say two words in ten years. After ten years was up he came in the monsignor’s office and said, “Bed hard.” He went back and served another ten years of silence and came to the monsignor’s office and said, “Food cold.” Went back to the monsignor’s office after 30 years and said, “I quit.” Monsignor said, “Good, you’ve done nothing but complain since you got here.”
-Ever feel like saying, “I quit, I’m giving up, I’ve had enough”?
I’m going to talk this morning on discouragement (the leukemia of the soul).
-Definition: to deprive of courage or confidence.
Q: Anyone feel like this? It’s a universal disease, it can be a recurring thing.
-It’s also highly contagious. If you get around discouraged people you can get it. The good news – it’s curable.
TITLE: How to Deal with the Giant of Discouragement
TEXT: Nehemiah 4:10-12
I. Background. The nation of Israel had fallen from its glory days under the rule of Solomon.
A. Kingdom divided after his death, northern kingdom and southern kingdom.
1. Northern kingdom – destroyed by the Assyrians and the ten tribes of Israel taken away captive never to be seen again.
2. Southern kingdom – the last two remaining tribes were taken over around 130 years later by the Babylonian Empire. The great temple was destroyed, everything laid waste, people taken captive.
B. While in captivity God begins to stir hearts to go back to their homeland.
1. Called the Second Exodus, Jews went back to Jerusalem under the leadership of three men.
-Company A left first with their commanding officer, Zerubbabel, about 8 years later.
-Company B left Babylon with Ezra as commander.
a. Company A and B rebuilt the temple of God.
-Company C was led by Nehemiah 90 years later, meaning the temple of God was without protection for 90 years until God led Nehemiah to undertake the task of rebuilding the walls.
b. So Nehemiah leads the people in rebuilding of the walls because without walls around the city and temple they would be open to attack.
-There was great enthusiasm at the beginning but as they reached the halfway point discouragement set in.
Look at this morning reasons for discouragement and how to take on this giant of discouragement.
II. Causes of discouragement – the 4 F’s of discouragement.
A. Fatigue. V. 10, the strength of the laborers is giving out.
1. The laborers were at the halfway point in rebuilding of the wall (v. 6).
2. You ever begin a project and you’re extremely excited and you begin then about halfway you feel like giving up because you have nothing left.
3. Society has come up with a term called mid-life crisis.
a. The professionals tell us most everyone goes through it.
b. When you’re in your mid-life crisis you start to believe all the statistical evidence. It goes something like this.
-200 million people in America
84 million are over 60 years old
leaves 116 million to do the work
-75 million are under 20 years old
leaves 41 million to do the work
-22 million are employed by the federal government
leaves 19 million to do the work
-4 million are in armed forces
leaves 15 million to do the work
-14.8 million are state and city employees
leaves 200 thousand to do the work
-188 thousand are in hospitals/mental institutions
leaves 12 thousand to do the work
-11,998 are in jails or prisons
leaves 2 people to do the work
-And you are not pulling your weight
so that leaves me to do all the work
Point: Fatigue can give you a false view and will lead to giant of discouragement if you’re not careful.
B. 2nd thing that lead you to discouragement – frustration.
1. In spite of all their hard work what was there to show for it? A puny wall and there is still all this rubble.
-All they could really see was this rubble.
2. It was all those little insignificant things that we focus on when we are frustrated.
-It’s not the height of the mountain that stopped the climber, it was the pebble in his shoe.
3. It’s amazing how those little stones can cause so many problems if we allow them.
Ex. Our first major fight when we were first married was where the TV was going to sit.
C. 3rd thing that will cause discouragement is – failure. V. 10, “We cannot rebuild the wall.”
1. You start something you can’t finish. How does that make you feel? Like a failure.
Q: How do you see your setbacks, do you see them as obstacles you can’t overcome, or do you see them as opportunities?
a. A stepping stone to draw closer to God.
2. Successful people use their setbacks as stepping stones. They see failure in a different light.
Ex. A young boy brought home his report card with a lot of low marks. His mother asked, “What do you have to say about this, young man?” The boy replied, “One thing for sure, you know I ain’t cheating.”
-This young man could see positive even through failure.
3. Temporary failures are not defeats but mere delays.
Ex. Thomas Edison, in trying to invent the light bulb, had several thousand attempts. His colleagues urged him to give up, that it was not going to happen because he had so many failures.
-Thomas Edison replied, “Failures not at all, we’ve just discovered several thousand things that won’t work.
-Booker T. Washington: A measure of a man’s success is not what he achieves, but what he overcomes.
Q How do you handle your set backs, your failures?
-You’re not a failure until you give up.
D. 4th thing will cause discouragement – fear. Vv. 11-12
1. Jews were frightened by their enemies so much that it threatened them.
-Have you ever seen someone so afraid that they give up? Fear causes people to quit.
2. Nehemiah’s people were getting caught up in fear. They were getting discouraged and it was spreading.
-Nehemiah’s people were doing themselves in (they were stoking the fires of fear).
TS: Talked enough on what causes discouragement. I want to turn to how to slay the giant of discouragement.
III. Defeating discouragement.
A. 1st thing to do – remember the Lord. V. 14 (Read)
1. Why most of us get discouraged is we get focused on ourselves/circumstances.
2. Corrie Ten Boom: -Look at the world, you get distressed.
-Look at within, you get depressed.
-Look at Christ, you’ll be at rest.
3. Nehemiah focused on the Lord.
-Remember the Lord’s closeness in his presence. The Bible tells us the Lord will never leave us or forsake us (even when we don’t feel him).
-Remember his power. I can do all things through Christ Jesus. If God be for us, who can be against us. Be strong in the Lord and in his might power.
B. Reorganize your life. Don’t give up on your goals. Just get a new plan (try a new approach).
1. Maybe you’re doing the right thing the wrong way.
-V. 13 (Read) Nehemiah evaluated what needed to be done, and he did it.
2. Where are you most vulnerable? Do you have a problem in your marriage? If so, don’t bail out on your spouse. Change your approach. Adopt a new attitude. Get some help. Is there junk going on at your job? Don’t give up. Change your priorities. Are you going wayward in your walk with God? Don’t stop following Jesus. Reorganize your schedule so you can meet with him on a regular basis. Plug into a small group. Don’t be overcome by discouragement.
C. 3rd thing to do that’ll help you defeat discouragement – resist it, stand against it. V. 14 (Read)
1. Get into the fight.
-James 4:7, “Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
2. R.G. Lee: If you don’t get up and meet the devil in the morning head-on, you’re going in the wrong direction.
3. Do what Nehemiah did – stand, get ready. You’re not fighting for brick and mortar, but you’re fighting for everything you hold dear (your building lives).
4. John Knox (brought reformation to Scotland) at a low point in his life, discouraged and opposition was great, wrote in his diary, “I shall hold the ground that God has given me, and perhaps by his grace, he will ignite me again; but ignite me or not, I shall hold the ground.”
In Conclusion
This morning are you facing the giant of discouragement? It’s important to recognize the things that help bring on this giant.
1. Fatigue
2. Frustration
3. Failure
4. Fear
But it’s more important to understand how to overcome and defeat.
1. Remember the Lord
2. Reorganize your life
3. Resist it, stand against it
One I didn’t talk about – get some rest. (4th Commandment – remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.)
