Nehemiah 1-4
Someone wrote years ago, “Just when I figure out all of the answers in life, they changed the questions!” Too true. More than ever, they’re changing the questions at a dizzying pace.
Life is BIG. It’s fast, confusing, transient. That’s OK. God has called us to be BIG for Him…
• Adam and Eve are put in charge of the whole earth. “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Big job!
• Noah is called to build a big boat, preserve all land animal life, and repopulate the earth. Big job, especially when the forecast had been calling for no rain for 1600 years!
• Abraham was told by God he’d become the father of a Big nation; that every family of the earth would be blessed through him. Big plans!
• Joseph, only one of 12 sons, has big dreams about his family members someday bowing down in front of him. He doesn’t understand it at all at the time. God has big plans for him.
• Moses, a runaway prince of Egypt, is told by God to go up against the superpower of his day, to directly confront Pharaoh, the big boy himself, and then Israel would make a big exit from Egypt
• Joshua – “I’ll use your leadership to overthrow big, powerful, nations, with long names.”
• a Jewish girl named Esther – “I’ll use you to save the whole Jewish nation from annihilation.” That’s awfully big for one young girl.
• God speaks through His prophet to a little, insignificant town called Bethlehem and tells them they have a big future; that even though they’re small, the leader of God’s people will come from there.
• years later an angel delivers the message to a simple carpenter that his wife-to-be will give birth to a son who will “save His people from their sins.” Big expectations for a simple man!
• Jesus will enter the scene, and He calls fisherman to something bigger – to follow Him and learn to become fishermen for the souls of men.
• Jesus teaches that the Kingdom of heaven is Big, even though it’s small: it starts out small – like a mustard seed, but it grows into something huge.
• And at the end of the NT, God gives John and us the big picture of human history and the big, grand finale that’s coming.
History is filled with stories of God taking little people and doing big things through them – that way He gets the credit.
This morning, God calls us to be BIG people, because life is BIG.
The church of today is called to a big task, and we, as a congregation, are a part of that. CCC has some BIG opportunities for rather BIG things to happen through us here. In fact, without even considering the worldwide need, the task we have just before us here, is HUGE.
God has given us a share in reaching over 150,000 in Rockford – and little thinking isn’t going to get it done. We need to be people of BIG ideas for the sake of reaching out and fulfilling the task God to which has called all of us.
You know, God has also prepared ahead of time works for you to walk in, good things for you to do. The Bible shows, and so does experience, that God has bigger plans for us than we have for ourselves. We sell ourselves short (we think), but Who we’re really selling short by little thinking is God, because He has big plans to work through us that depend on us, but we also have the freedom to suppress them by getting in the way.
So today let’s open up a book called Nehemiah. Here’s a book by a guy, just a man. But he leads out in a project of major size and significance. Life was “BIG” in 444 B.C., but God is bigger, and we can learn a lot from the big living of this godly man. When life is big, we need to “big back.” We need big ideas.
The setting of Nehemiah is actually quite depressed. 140 years before, Jerusalem was overrun and destroyed by Babylon. It was 70 years later that Babylon lost their power to the Medo-Persian empire, and the Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem. But they were a defeated, downtrodden bunch of people, and the once glorious city of Jerusalem was now a disgrace.
We know it was still this way by
Nehemiah 1:3 (NIV)
They said to me, "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire."
Nehemiah could have shrugged it off. He was cupbearer to the ruling king of the world power of the day. He had it pretty good. He could have said, “Jerusalem’s a long way from here. I’d rather stay here in the cushy king’s palace. They’re all OK out there, aren’t they? It has been over 140 years ago that all this happened to the city.”
But Nehemiah was a man of Big thinking. He had big ideas that honored God. And those big ideas start with a genuine concern for the BIG need.
I. Start With a Genuine Concern for the Big Need
Nehemiah 1:4-11 (NIV)
4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
Nehemiah had a heart-felt concern – but it wasn’t for superficial things. He saw the real need:
5 Then I said: "O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's house, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses. 8 "Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.' 10 "They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. 11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man." I was cupbearer to the king.
Before he ever visited Jerusalem; before he saw anything, he recalled to God his own failings and God’s promises. That was the real need – to address the spiritual weakness in his people – not just a broken wall, but broken people who had neglected their relationship with God.
There’s a sense in which the Church is in a position like Nehemiah: We live in the King’s house. It’s not perfect here right now, but it’s quite livable. The news we get about conditions “over there” isn’t good. It’s a situation calling for us to be BIG. ¾ of a world of over 6 bil. doesn’t even claim to accept Jesus. Sounds big to me. The church needs to infiltrate the world with the message of life. Sounds big to me. Thousands who CCC needs to reach with the gospel. Sounds big. To think that we could have any affect on it all is a pretty big idea for such a relatively small group of people.
Those kinds of big ideas are going to start with a “genuine concern for the BIG need.”
Genuine:
like OshKosh B’Gosh clothes: “the genuine article.” It’s hard to fake caring for people. Sooner or later our words or actions betray us. If we’re going to have big ideas about impacting our world, we’re going to have a genuine concern for the BIG need.
for the BIG need:
the real need for people in Rockford…
-isn’t just getting a job that will provide for now – it’s getting life in Jesus forever.
-isn’t just improving education – it’s helping all people to learn that they have a Creator Who has given His Son Jesus to rescue them.
-it isn’t giving young people something to do, it’s giving them a relationship with Jesus that will save them forever
In the midst of all the needs around us, the BIG need that encompasses all of them is this: people need the Lord. And we need the BIG idea of taking Him to them right here in our own home town.
Big ideas
II. Take Planning (Plan the Work)
Nehemiah didn’t just jump into this and fly by the seat of his pants. He did the ground work ahead.
1. He prayed (2nd half of ch 1)
2. He arranged details (2:1-8) – he got all the authorization and supplies the king could provide.
3. He looked it over (2:11-16)
There was no way he could have pulled this off without first planning the work. It was too big.
Again, our big ideas as a Church need to be more than great concepts.
Ill – many of you don’t realize this, but I am actually a great inventor. I have all kinds of ideas for inventions: You remember Clean Shower? – that stuff you just spray in your shower after you shower and you’ll never have to clean it again. I have an idea that would broaden that product. Imagine what you could do: clean toddler; clean dog; clean dishes; clean language… Yep, I have lots of great ideas for inventions, but I have no plan for them to happen. Those kinds of things are usually followed by, “Yeah, someone should do that.” Nothing ever gets done when it’s on just this level. There has to be more than just a good goal in mind. There needs to be a plan for that work to be done.
You need the same as an individual. God uses our plans. Maybe it means education. Maybe it means changes that affect your job or your retirement. Whatever it may be, for big ideas to happen in our lives takes a plan.
But it goes beyond that. Big ideas…
III. Take Working (Work the Plan)
Nehemiah rallied the support of others around him.
Nehemiah 2:17-18 (NIV)
17 Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace." 18 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me. They replied, "Let us start rebuilding." So they began this good work.
(also ch 3)
They didn’t all cheer, turn around and go home. They said, “Let’s do it!” and they did it!
Nehemiah 4:6 (NIV)
So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.
That’s why, as we spend 5 weeks in Nehemiah, we’ll see a huge undertaking that was a huge success
Great leaders of the past haven’t shirked at saying that what was ahead was a lot of work. Winston Churchill promised Great Britain a lot of blood, sweat and tears as WWII engulfed them.
Jesus never sugar-coated the cost of following Him. “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.”
But the people who have been the great workers in the past, the ones who were laboring in the front lines, have been the people who were looking toward the goal and convinced that it was worth the cost; that the trade-off was better.
• Great Britain looked through the eyes of their leader and saw a nation that remained free.
• Abraham lived as a wandering nomad, “For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” (Heb 11) It wasn’t easy to follow God through the desert, but he knew that faithfulness was worth the cost.
• Jn 6:68-69. Several have just left Jesus because of the difficulty of what He has taught them. He asks if they’re going to leave too. It was Peter who was able to see beyond the cost: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." He knew that even though following Jesus might be hard, it was worth it.
• Jesus knew that God’s plan of salvation was more than just a plan – it was work for Him to do, and He “for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, scorning the shame” (Heb 12)
Ill – Olympic athletes are able to get up early in the morning for 3-4 years, enduring all kinds of painful training, because they are able to picture themselves standing on the podium, receiving a medal of honor.
We’ve all had this shared experience: we’ve all been in the doorway of something great: You had a plan to exercise, to have a regular time of Bible study and prayer, to get a certain GPA for the semester, to stop being late for things or overcommitted. It sounded good in the book you read about it. It looked good on paper. You had a good plan to work. But you stopped in the doorway and failed to work the plan.
Big ideas happen when they’re more than just big ideas – they are people looking ahead to a desirable future. They have a place where they’re going, and their ideas are simply the road map for how they’re going to get there. They know it takes working, but that’s OK because they have a goal where they’re headed.
That’s biblical:
Romans 8:18
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
1 Corinthians 9:25
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
2 Corinthians 4:17
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
Big ideas take working. As a congregation, it means continually being challenged to deeper commitment and to more of us carrying the load, and that’s OK! The task is BIG, and we need to “big back” with everyone helping.
Individually, understand that God’s plans for you are not only bigger than your own, but they take working. Are they worth it?
Would it be worth a deeper level of involvement in the church family, maybe a Sunday School class, to be sure you’re doing exactly what God wants? Would it be worth it?
Would it be worth stepping outside your comfort zones or giving up your tastes if someone accepted Jesus because of it? Big ideas. They take work.
IV. Will Be Opposed
As early as the work began, there was opposition.
Nehemiah 2:10 (NIV)
10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.
Nehemiah 2:19 (NIV)
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. "What is this you are doing?" they asked. "Are you rebelling against the king?"
Nehemiah 4:1-3 (NIV)
1 When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, 2 and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, "What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble--burned as they are?" 3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, "What they are building--if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones!"
Nehemiah 4:7 (NIV)
7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem's walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry.
Nehemiah 4:11-12 (NIV)
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."
Big ideas, no matter how great or right they are, will have people against them. In fact, the bigger they are - the more people they’ll affect - the more opposition there will be.
All the big idea people of history had to face resistance.
When we, as a congregation, or as individuals, embark on the journey of big ideas, there will be antagonism. Doing something differently from the way we do it now means change, and that’s not easy.
And when you reach times of decision in your life – times when BIG ideas creep in – ideas about giving up your 3rd car for God, ideas about using your ability to fix things for God, ideas about coming out of spiritual retirement and doing what you can for the sake of the Kingdom, ideas about, for the first time ever making a commitment to Jesus and giving your life to His control – when you start having BIG ideas like that, you’re going to face opposition.
Some will be little; some will be from the heart of Satan himself – you’ll get a list of reasons you should serve yourself, you’ll be told someone else can do it; you’ll get sold lines from commercials that say, “You’re worth it”; you’ll be told what you have isn’t enough to do any good; your body will object to getting up and praying; your broker will object to the expense of giving; your 2-year-old will even join in for the other team
And if you’re one of those people who’s on the brink of accepting Jesus as Lord of your life, Satan’s going to give you every reason not to – up until right now he’s managed to do it. And when we have an invitation to accept Jesus today, he’s going to fill your mind with every excuse, every objection, every bit of creative genius it takes to keep you from a relationship with Jesus!
BIG ideas will be opposed.
But look at what Nehemiah did:
1. Took the problems straight to God. (4:4ff, 4:9)
2. Posted a guard and added a weapon to their tools.
3. Encouraged each other (4:14)
Nehemiah 6:2-4 (NIV)
2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: "Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono." But they were scheming to harm me; 3 so I sent messengers to them with this reply: "I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?" 4 Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.
In other words, opposition didn’t stop the work of a big idea.
V. Can Happen (Conclusion)
I’ll spoil it for you, in case you haven’t ever read it: They did it! They finished the wall!
That’s one of the features of this book that’s so great! It’s a story about success! It’s an account of a group of people, under good leadership, undertaking a BIG task, and God blessing it with success! It shows how, working in cooperation with God’s plans, we’ll live BIG lives for Him.
By saying, “Big ideas can happen” I’m actually saying this: It’s right for this congregation to have big ideas; to look at our neighborhoods, our city, and consider what God will have us be here and now. It’s time for you, individually, to have big ideas, because life is big and it’s time to “Big back.” It’s time to look at what God has done through others and start to make it personal. What life will God touch through you? What ministry will he accomplish? What will He do that brings glory to Himself through you? It’s time to have big ideas because God has bigger ideas for you than you ever even thought. Here’s what I mean: (Ro 5:8) But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
