TEXT: Nehemiah 4
TITLE: What to do with Discouragement - Nehemiah
SERIES: When Life Gets Messy
TOPIC: Discouragement
OCCASION: Burnside Christian Church, November 15, 2009
PROP.:
INTRODUCTION: Good morning! As you probably remember, we are in a sermon series called When Life Gets Messy.
Because…when life gets messy…it becomes difficult.
So far in this series, we have addressed three messes that causes life to become difficult.
1. Stress
2. Failure
And
3. Negativity
Today, we will look at the mess of Discouragement. What exactly is discouragement? Despair. Hopelessness is how Webster’s defines it! It’s that feeling of “What’s the use????”
TODAY WE LEARN FROM NEHEMIAH’S STORY.
You may recall that the man Nehemiah was a leader of the Jewish group that had returned to Israel from Babylon to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem.
Usually, we associate Nehemiah with vision and with purpose. Because he undertakes a building project of enormous proportions and casts his vision to his people!
I mean this wasn’t a gate or fence around Jerusalem to keep the dog inside. These were WALLS to keep enemies at bay! Tall, thick walls!
And so Nehemiah oversees the important task of rebuilding these walls.
And when the project started, it was met with excitement, fervor, and zeal. But after working for a while, they became discouraged.
In chapter 4 of the book of Nehemiah, the people start out on a high note:
(vs. 6) “so we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half it’s height, for the people worked with all their heart.”
But as the story continues, the mood changes:
(vs. 10-12):
10 Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, "The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall."
11 Also our enemies said, "Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work."
12 Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, "Wherever you turn, they will attack us."
And that’s usually when discouragement hits, isn‘t it? When you’re in the middle of it. It? What do you mean, ‘it’? WHATEVER OBSTACLE YOU ARE FACING…
The Israelites were ½ done with their project! But they looked around and thought, I still have so much work left to do! We’ve been working this long and have only gotten this much done…man…this is NEVER going to get finished!
You see, that’s what causes discouragement - Obstacles. And discouragement is: The overwhelming sense that what you are facing or about to face is too much for you to handle.
Some here today are discouraged by finances. You are in so much debt and you are stressed because you have collectors calling you trying to collect on the money that is owed. Your debt is bigger than you.
Some here today are discouraged by weight. They have tried to lose weight on their own. They’ve tried everything and nothing is working.
Some here today are discouraged by health problems. The disease you have is one that you have been battling a long time. Medicine no longer helps. Doctors are all out of answers. You don’t know what to do now, and so you are discouraged.
Some are discouraged by their job - their marital relationship - what they hear on the news…there are a LOT of things to be discouraged about.
T.S.: and so we need to learn about discouragement. What causes it. What cures it. In Nehemiah’s story, there are specifically THREE CAUSES of DISCOURAGEMEN and THREE CURES for discouragement.
First, the three causes of discouragement…
First cause of discouragement…
I. Depression caused by FATIGUE (vs. 6)
The people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out.” in other words, they had worked themselves to exhaustion. They were just plain worn out - physically, mentally, and emotionally - they were drained dry!
It’s no wonder. As we read verse 22, we learn of their grueling schedule -
(vs. 22) “At that time I also said to the people, ‘Have every man an his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and workmen by day.’”
When exactly were they supposed to rest? Have you noticed that a LOT of life’s messes are caused when we are tired and not well rested?
We are more prone to be stressed, to fail and to have a bad attitude when we are not well rested. And guess what, you are more prone to be discouraged when you are not properly rested as well!
ILLUSTRATION: Counseling
In the past, I’ve had people come to me for counseling who are feeling discouraged and incorrectly think it is a spiritual problem. They say, “Maybe I just need to recommit my life to the Lord.” But the real problem is that they are just burned out.
The flame for serving Jesus - the passion for helping others and serving God - has been dowsed. And what they REALLY need is rest, relaxation and renewal.
Listen to me - SOMETIMES the most spiritual thing you can do is just go to bed and relax or take an affordable two-week vacation.
ILLUSTRATION: Sabbatical. It’s becoming more popular these days for churches to give their ministers a sabbatical. After serving so long for a period of time, churches have noticed a ‘burn-out’ factor happening among ministers and so they give them a period of time away. Away from responsibilities, away from cell phone calls, away from ministering others. And this is different than a vacation because during that time of sabbatical, the ministers are to go to other churches and meet with other pastors and learn from them and get encouraged by them.
So be aware that discouragement happens right about the mid-point. That is why so many people lave so many things unfinished and undone.
Second cause of discouragement…
II. FRUSTRATION (vs. 10b)
In verse 10, you can sense the frustration of the workers.
(vs. 10b) - “…and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall."
That’s frustration. The rubbish was so consuming that it was all they could focus on. They couldn’t see the progress because they were frustrated by the trash that lay at their feet!
What frustrates you in life? As I was preparing this week’s message; three came to my mind…
1. The frustration caused by Sin
Hebrews 12:1b “…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
A sinful habit is one of the most frustrating things a Christian can face - especially when they WANT to stop!
The apostle Paul knew all too well about this frustration -
Romans 7:19
19For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.”
Sin can cause you to be discouraged in your Spiritual journey to GROW and ask, “What’s the use?”
Then there’s…
2. The frustration caused by lack of visible progress
When the amount of work still left to do outweighs what has been accomplished, it can be discouraging!
ILLUSTRATION: Like a hamster running on a wheel…there is a lot of activity - just not a lot of progress!
Let me put it in a context you can understand…some of you have been praying and working on improving your marriage relationship - but your spouse seems anything BUT interested in improving or working at it. You are putting the effort in - but you are seeing little to no progress and it’s frustrating and discouraging and you’re beginning to wonder “What’s the use?”
Some of you have reached a plateau to whatever obstacle you are facing and because there hasn’t been a change in your situation for so long, you’re discouraged!
Then there’s…
3. The frustration caused by rubble!
What do I mean by rubble? Rubble is small rock. It was too small to be of any value to the goal at hand. In fact, it was the exact opposite of valuable - it was a nuisance.
So what is the rubble in your life? The trivial things that waste your time and consume your energy and keep you from reaching the goal at hand? Classic interruptions.
So what eats up most of your time? Perhaps it’s time to get rid of the rubble…maybe it’s time to take the trash out!
The 3rd cause of discouragement is
III. FEAR
Listen to the threat found in verse 11:
“11 Also our enemies said, "Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work."
FEAR: The great immobilizer. The great discourager. Fear has been responsible for keeping God’s people from doing what they have been asked to do! Fear has discouraged God’s people from trying something new.
That was true of God’s people trying to faithfully rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Put yourself in their shoes just for a moment.
They remember what it was like to be treated as a slave. To be treated badly. And they were afraid that the freedom they now enjoyed would be brief. It would be better to run and hide than to be attacked and captured - or worse yet - killed!
And notice who it was that was being discouraged by fear. It was the “Jews who lived near” the enemy (vs. 12).
A. FEAR IS CONTAGIOUS
So they themselves were discouraged by their fear and they in turn discouraged others by saying, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us. When you hang around a discouraging person long enough, you know what happens? YOU BECOME DISCOURAGED! Their fears will become your fears!
ILLUSTRATION: it was Franklyn Roosevelt’s 1933 inaugural address to the nation in the height of the great depression where this famous quote is found:
So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”
“The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” Why do we have to be afraid of fear? Because it’s contagious. It’s damaging.
Do you have fears that are preventing you from developing and growing? Do you fear criticism or embarrassment? Are you afraid to take the big step and get the new job? Maybe it’s a fear that you are not capable for the task. Maybe it’s a fear that you can’t hold up under the pressure.
Maybe it’s a fear that you have to be perfect. FEAR ALWAYS DISCOURAGES.
B. So how can I tell…
If my discouragement is caused by fear? Here’s how: You have a deep, intense desire to run! You have an intense desire to escape from life’s demands and pressures. You see, the natural reaction of fear is to always run!
ILLUSTRATION: Scooby-doo. You remember our good buddy, Scooby-Doo, right? Man, I’ve learned so much about life and ministry by watching cartoons. J
For Scooby and Shaggy - when they were afraid they were running away! They would make some excuse as to why they couldn’t hunt for the ghost when in reality, THE CAUSE WAS FEAR!
In life, there are only three ways you can move: Against something in anger. Away from it in fear, or with it in love.
So those are the three causes of discouragement:
1. FATIGUE
2. FRUSTRATION
3. FEAR
And now for the cures: If you are discouraged in life…here’s what you need to do - it’s what Nehemiah did.
CURE #1:
1. REORGANIZE…Find a better way…
vs. 13 -
13 “Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows.”
Nehemiah said in effect, “we’re going to get this thing really organized. We’re going to get a new system here. You people go over there, and you other people stand here, and we’ll get this problem solved.”
When you get discouraged, don’t give up on your goals. Instead, devise a new approach. Just because you are disheartened doesn’t mean that you’re doing the wrong thing; you can be doing the right thing in the wrong way.
Was it wrong for the Jews to be building the wall? Absolutely not. It was the right thing. But they were going about it in the wrong way, and as a result they became discouraged.
Some of you are discouraged because you are under tremendous pressure; your workload is unbelievable; you’re pulled in too many directions - God’s message to you is - “REORGANIZE”
CURE #2:
2. REMEMBER…Remember your lord…
I love what Nehemiah declares to his fellow people. It’s verse 14
(vs. 14) 14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes."
What does it mean to remember the Lord? It means to remember the good things God has given you. Man, I’ve been challenging you to think about the good things God has blessed you with. Have you made your list yet? Not in your mind…but on actual paper?
If God has been faithful to you in the past, and is faithful in the present, then it’s only logical to believe that He will be faithful to you in the future!
REMEMBER YOUR LORD - who is awesome and great!
CURE #3:
3. RESIST…Fight the gloomy outlook…
For the Christian, the heart is where Christ rules…but the mind is where Satan plays. And so what you and I need to constantly do is Fight the discouragement that Satan wants us to feel.
Satan knows that a Christ follower who is discouraged or depressed has limited potential. He knows that when we are down, our effectiveness is neutralized. And so he does everything he can to discourage us.
In the book of James chapter 4 verse 7 we are told, “Resist the devil and he will flee you.” Fight the gloomy outlook! Resist the temptation to be discouraged!
CONCLUSION: As we come to the conclusion of today’s message concerning discouragement,
I want to remind you that you do NOT have to be discouraged. It is your choice. You may choose to give in, but great people simply refuse to be discouraged. They don’t know how to quit! They never give up even when they are fatigued, frustrated, or afraid. Great people are simply ordinary people with extraordinary amounts of persistence. They just hang in there and never give up.
