Text: Nehemiah 2:17-18, Title: New Riverlutions: Finding Motivation, Date/Place: NRBC, 1/16/11, AM
A. Opening illustration: Sense of Urgency video, On October 16, 1555, Hugh Latimer and Nicolas Ridley were tied to the stake to be burned for their Protestant teaching and preaching and their treasonous support of a Protestant queen. Latimer turned to his fellow pastor and, as legend has it, he said, “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.” “The number one reason why change doesn’t happen is the lack of a sense of urgency,” –John Kotter, Leading Change.
B. Background to passage: Neh, being burdened and allowed, surveyed the walls, and rallied the troops
C. Main thought: like Neh we face a moment of decision that will determine much for NRBC
A. A Foundation of History
1. It had been about 500 years since the “golden age” of Israel. David had expanded the kingdom to it’s greatest size, now Solomon had taken the reigns, asking for wisdom, God granting wisdom, power, and riches. Peace came, the land rested from war. The temple was built in all it’s glory, so that the whole world would know how glorious the One True God was. Years of history, independence, witnessing to the miraculous work of Yahweh among them, had given them a deep seated sense of solidarity, and pride in their nation. And even though it had been 140 years since the destruction of the city, that pride was still there, and it was the reason that they would/could weep over Jerusalem.
2. Josh 1:1-9, John 14:12,
3. Illustration: 800-1000 people saved since the beginning, five buildings, 2 burned, 1 tornadoed, 2 still standing, It’s been through the flood, it’s been through the fire,
4. God had great plans for NRBC when it began in the 1870’s! Thousands through the door, 10 of thousands of gospel-laden sermons and teaching, hours of worship, fellowship, discipleship, lasting impacts in Tifton, Baxley, Alaska, WV, KY, TN, worldwide through the CP and LMCO, and in person in Peru! Can you imagine how many prayers have gone up from this place? How many times has God delivered souls and bodies and missionaries interceded for by the WMU based on those prayers! How many seeds have been sown and planted? Godly men (that occasionally disagreed) to lead, and strong women to support, have been the backbone of this congregation. Faithful pastors (at least 46 of them) and deacons have served the body of Christ here. And there will be crowns and rewards heaped upon the faithful who sat where you sit this morning for days, months, and years. Tradition is not all bad, we have tradition, we have legacy, we have a heritage not just in the Lord, but in this church!
B. An Assessment of the Present
1. Nehemiah had just come from his little survey of the city, and his burden is further increased. He had a burden, and now after seeing it, he had a huge burden. And he used this as a motivating factor as he began to rally the troops. He doesn’t spend much time on it, wallow in it, or beat people down with it. But his words are clear. He says that they are in a bad situation, distress, trouble. Then he describes it: Jerusalem is a mess (MSG trans), desolate, ruined, wasted; the gates/walls are burned down. Then he says what everyone else knows, Israel is disgraced because of the condition of their city.
2. 1 John 2:18,
3. Illustration: a Dr shares the bad news first, “Dissatisfaction with the way things are is probably the single most powerful motivator for a commitment to change.”
4. Burden’s developed by seeing clearly and experiencing. Don’t hear “gloom and doom,” nor am I pointing any fingers, but we must wake up, take the scales off, and realize what the stakes are and what the situation is…we must! Reflect with me over the last year and a half at NR: attendance is down in the worship services from the 120’s in early ’09, to about 90. Sun nights and We nights are worse. Here’s part of the reason: 7 funerals, we are losing our precious faithful; 10 falling unable to sickness, 7 that used to be regular and now aren’t, ~10 more that have left for various reasons, 4-5 more who are chronically sick. Financially we cut the budget $30K in Jan of ’10, and another $10 in Dec ’10. The reserve account has been depleted from $52K to $15K. Several ministries and committees have ceased to exist (Wed night dinners, youth, men’s, etc.) Baptisms are down, new members are down. It would be easy to be depressed. And don’t think that it is all bad, several bright spots, (elaborate). But my point is that we cannot sustain this pace.
C. An Urgency about the Future
1. Nehemiah does not let them bask in condemnation (remember he doesn’t place any blame), but moves on to two important pieces of information—the hand of God upon him and the words of the king. He doesn’t want their focus to be on the past (even if it is the glorious past), but look toward the good days ahead. And not just the next 53 days, but to think and to build something that will function for the next 53 years, in fact for hundreds of years past that. He turns their eyes toward God. He lets them know that God is at work in Nehemiah’s life, calling him, leading him, etc. And the king has given approval and funding. It was a huge project that would require lots of time, money, and effort from the men of Israel, but God was in it, and the king was allowing it. Basically he was saying that the time was now! And the people were convinced, and they said, “Let’s go and build!” Dora, vamonos.
2. Ex 14:11-14, Num 14:6-9,
3. Illustration: “We don’t want our church to die. We’ll do what it takes,” p. 17 Comeback Churches, “The visualization of a better future combined with a sense of resolve can bring about powerful results.” Coaching 101, Mack Wilder, in some obvious pain following his surgery this week asked how I was, and I told him, “better than you. I know that you have had better days.” And with his usual confidence, he said that he would have better days to come.
4. Yes, we reminisce on the glory of bygone days; yes, we groan and worry about the present; but knowing our God, His love for the church and the world, and His power to do whatever He wants, we have confidence that better days lie ahead. Let the current hiccup, stir our hearts, and motivate us toward the future. We must depend on Him completely, and this is one of the side benefits (and maybe heaven’s primary goal), that we feel a sense of desperation and determination. We must bathe ourselves in His character and our church in prayer as we look toward next week, and toward next year, and toward 2030 (that’s only 19 years away!). We must think further into the future! SPLOST/TEA Party. God is in this, His hand will be upon us! I believe! Red Sox curse. We can do it! Let’s come together and do the work necessary to build the walls up so that future generations!
A. Closing illustration: Darrin Patrick video on dying churches, Ravenhill said, “This is an hour (1959) in need of burning hearts, bursting lips, and brimming eyes!
B. Recap
C. Do you realize the situation?
D. Do you want to see the increase, improvement, and impact?
E. Do you believe that the time is now?
F. Are you willing to believe?
G. Are you willing to work? DON’T ANSWER YET…but know that the decisions you make in the next few weeks and the fruit that comes from them will determine much for NRBC’s future
Tis the old ship of zion,
It’s the hope for the lost and dying,
It’s a soul saving station,
It’s the tower of salvation,
It’s the Church triumphant oh Lord,
And it’s built by the hand of the Lord.
I’m talking about church in the book of Revelations,
It’s built on the rock, it’s got a firm foundation,
It’s been through the flood, it’s been through the fire,
But one of these days this church is gonna move up higher,
It’s the church triumphant oh Lord,
And it’s built by the hand of the Lord
It’s been through the storm (Oh yes)
But the wind couldn’t turn it (Oh no)
It’s been through the fire (Oh yes)
But the fir couldn’t burn it (Oh no)
Been feed to the lions (Oh yes)
But the lions couldn’t eat it (Oh no)
Fought many a wars (Oh yes)
But never defeated (Oh no)
