Sermon Brief
Date Written: January 19, 2013
Date Preached: January 20, 2013
Where Preached: OPBC (AM)
Sermon Details:
Series Title: Building with God
Sermon Title: Acting On God’s Plan - Pt 1
Sermon Text: Nehemiah 2:1-8 [ESV]
Introduction:
Over the past 2 weeks we have seen how Nehemiah has been presented with a problem and how Nehemiah responded to that problem.
We saw how he went to God in prayer and then God led him to assess the situation, convicted him of the sin in his life resulting in a prayer of confession and then God reminded Nehemiah of His faithful presence, even when they may not see Him… HE is always there!
We learned how Nehemiah travailed in prayer over this issue for over 3 months, and finally one day while at work the anguish in his heart overflowed onto his face… he could no longer hide the pain in his heart!
The King questioned him about his sadness and we found how Nehemiah revealed his pain to the king and the king asked him what he could do…
Then Nehemiah, after prayer to God, revealed both his purpose and his plan to the king and the king liked the plan and then equipped Nehemiah to complete this plan…
Nehemiah he saw a problem that seemed FAR too big to tackle… and prayed and God led him and now was comforting Nehemiah with the provision of the king’s help…
We have also looked at how this situation that we read about in Nehemiah is similar to what our church has been dealing with for a long time…
We have learned that we can look at how Nehemiah dealt with his problem and it gives us a template on how we can deal with our problem! BUT preacher, what is our problem? We have a sweet fellowship here…
Well we do have a sweet fellowship, but we also DO have a problem that seems almost impossible to conquer! I have described this problem or issue to you over the past 2 weeks as the ‘elephant’ in the room! What is this elephant? Well, I invite you to look around your seat this morning? I want ALL of you to look at all the ‘empty seats’ in our sanctuary!
These ‘empty seats’ are our problem! This issue is the NEHEMIAH moment of our time! The question is “What are we going to do about it?” We have seen these past 2 wks that we must do some foundational and preparatory things before we can actually attack the problem.
Nehemiah shows us that we must assess the problem, go to God in prayer, confess our sin and have faith that God is there and will not abandon us! Have you done that? I pray we have all come to this point in dealing with this issue…
Nehemiah also showed us that revealing our pain about the situation was ok to do… but then LIKE NEHEMIAH we must move PAST the pain of the situation and look at the purpose and plan that God has for us as a community of believers!
I KNOW that there are those in our fellowship who have expressed their pain and anguish over our situation, but now we have to move PAST that pain… past that anguish… past the disappointment and move FORWARD with a purpose and a plan to remedy the situation at hand.
This plan and purpose is one that God has laid on our hearts… this plan and purpose comes from God, just like we saw in Nehemiah’s situation last week…
Today we are going to see the initial part of Nehemiah’s plan and how Nehemiah begins to flesh out God’s purpose for his visit to Jerusalem. God gave Nehemiah a plan and a purpose today we are going to look and see the beginnings of how he put both into place…
Turn with me to Nehemiah 2:9-20 [ESV] it will also be on the screen. Let’s go to God’s word at this time:
9Then I came to the governors of the province Beyond the River and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. 10But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel. 11So I went to Jerusalem and was there three days. 12Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me but the one on which I rode. 13I went out by night by the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire. 14Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool, but there was no room for the animal that was under me to pass. 15Then I went up in the night by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. 16And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who were to do the work. 17Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” 18And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work. 19But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” 20Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.”
Nehemiah STARTS in Obedience to God’s Plan – v9-11:
9Then I came to the governors of the province Beyond the River and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. 10But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel. 11So I went to Jerusalem and was there three days.
Now what I want to say here is as simple as it gets… the last time we saw Nehemiah earlier in ch2 he was in the King’s court and asking to be allowed to go and do what God wanted him to do.
Here in v.9 we see Nehemiah taking the first actual steps toward fulfilling the purpose and plan that God has set forth for him. Nehemiah takes the king’s letters of passage and uses them to get from Susa to Jerusalem safely. But here is something I don’t want us to miss…
Nehemiah had asked for the king to equip them with letters of passage AND with supplies once they had gotten there, but the king had gone a step further to ensure Nehemiah’s safety, look at the last part of v9: “…Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen…”
This tells us a great deal about the God we serve and what HE will do when we are obedient to His calling! I can only imagine the JOY in Nehemiah’s heart when he was getting set up to leave to go to Jerusalem… he had his letters of passage and the letter for his supplies.
However, when those troops showed up… troops the king himself authorized… this must have been a real encouragement to Nehemiah!
The point is that God is going to equip and protect us to do His will… We may think we only have THESE resources and then BAMM!! Out of the blue God provides something we NEVER saw coming, something we could have never expected!
The point here is that God blesses those who act on His behalf! The blessing may not come in a form we know or understand at the time, but He will bless those who are obedient.
There is another part to this section what we need to see and understand as well. It is revealed in v10: “…10But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel…”
This verse lets us know that when we are doing the work of God, there are ALWAYS going to be those who oppose what you are doing! It doesn’t matter what you are trying to do… there will always be opposition to God’s plan and purpose!
Sanballat and Tobiah in this passage were two leaders of people who had gain power in the region during the absence of the Jews, and with the Jews returning and rebuilding the wall… that power was going to be taken away!
They were against the Jews for selfish reasons, but they were being used by the enemy in the attempt to stymie God’s plan.
People when we begin to move forward with the plan and purpose God has given to us, there IS going to be opposition! There WILL be those who will step up and say, I don’t like this, or I don’t like that… or you can’t do this or you can’t do that…
Unfortunately for many churches that opposition comes from within the body of believers itself… we KNOW we can expect opposition from the outside world, but when we are opposed from within it is somewhat harder to deal with and accept! BUT the fact of the matter is that it happens and we must deal with it.
When we begin to move forward there is GOING TO BE opposition… the question is are we ready for that opposition and are we will to stand firm in the plan and purpose God has given us?
Finally in this section we can see an attitude that we ALL must take when embarking on a journey with God… in v11 Nehemiah displays an attitude of heart that reveals he is going to follow God’s plan REGARDLESS of who comes against him.
v11 tells us: “…11So I went to Jerusalem and was there three days…” Here we find that Nehemiah… KNOWING that there is opposition, pressed forward anyway, knowing that this is what God wanted from him!
We must seek to display that same attitude and heart when it comes to serving God. We must be willing to go forward with God’s plans even when opposition rears its head in protest and demands us to stop… if this is what God has called us to do, then we cannot stop when HUMANITY tells us to stop! Nehemiah did NOT stop… we cannot stop either!
Another aspect to this is the patience of Nehemiah. He was not going to jump ahead of God in this process. Nehemiah was a patient man. He had waited for 3 months to speak with the King and now when he arrived in Jerusalem he waited 3 days before moving forward.
Just as we now know that during those 3 months between finding out about Jerusalem and his encounter with the King… we know that Nehemiah was in prayer about the situation.
I believe that we can presume that during these three days in Jerusalem BEFORE beginning what God had sent him there for… that Nehemiah would have been in prayer about the plan! Scripture does not tell us that is what He was doing BUT we can presume that this is what was going through his mind…
So Nehemiah begins… takes those first steps and finds out that there are those who are unhappy with what he is doing! BUT he knows that if this is of God it doesn’t matter who is unhappy with it, he is going to press forward because he is going to remain obedient to God.
In the 2nd section this morning we will be looking at v12-15 and we will see once again Nehemiah taking stock of the situation… assessing the damage and the needs to repair that damage.
Nehemiah STUDIES the Situation – v12-15:
12Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me but the one on which I rode. 13I went out by night by the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire. 14Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool, but there was no room for the animal that was under me to pass. 15Then I went up in the night by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. 16And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who were to do the work.
Here is where God’s plan begins to be unveiled, but there is an element that we need to see and understand in this verse… it reveals a lot about how God works when it comes to getting His plan and purpose accomplished…
v12 says that Nehemiah got up at night and took a few men with him! This lets us know that Nehemiah felt that this purpose and plan that God had given to him was important enough that he needed to get to work…
But it also reveals that there is a time of planning and a time of discovery when a leader is by himself or in the company of a few confidential associates. The planning and strategy of a plan must be worked out within the leadership before it is taken to the people. Here Nehemiah was beginning that very process!
We also learn in v12 AND in v17 that Nehemiah had told NO ONE about God’s plan to this point. I believe it was that Nehemiah wanted to get his boots on the ground and see things from a personal perspective before he began to address the problems at hand and the plan God had given him to rebuild the city.
I am sure that Nehemiah THOUGHT he knew the extent of the issues when he was TOLD about what had happened in Jerusalem, but when he arrived he saw it firsthand!
After Katrina there were pictures and videos sent out all over the world about our decimated city, but if I have heard it one time, I have heard it 1000 times… people would tell me, that they had seen the pictures but until they came and saw it with their own eyes, they could NEVER have imagined the devastation!
I am sure that this is where Nehemiah was… God had brought him to Jerusalem to see firsthand what the issue was and then he would be able to be clear on the plan and purpose God had for the rebuild of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah got to Jerusalem and he went out at night to inspect the damages, but did not share what God had given him…
I believe this passage clearly reinforces Nehemiah as God’s choice as the leader for this situation and that God had imparted his purpose and plan to Nehemiah.
People God has sent a leader here… You called me as pastor and I am here to lead you. Since I have come, I know that WE have tried many things and I will confess that many of these things we have tried turned out to be what WE thought was best and not what God desired.
I will confess and admit my failure as a leader in that I have not always led you by seeking God and listening to His plan, but there have been times when I have listened to the popular thought and trends…
So preacher if you are confessing that you didn’t listen to God on all you have led us through over the last 5 yrs, then why should we listen to you and follow you now? AND that is a GREAT question and point! I cannot blame some for their doubts about what leadership I have provided or NOT provided over the past 5 yrs… BUT there is a difference here!
HERE is what is different now… This plan I have, is a God-sized and God initiated plan! This is NOT a plan I sat around devising or building! People, you may not believe me, but I pray you do… GOD has a hold of my heart… and this plan is from HIM!
I want you ALL to know that I know my downfall as your leader! I have been on my knees in the prayer closet repenting of my sin of selfish leadership… I have been to the prayer closet confessing all my sin and seeking forgiveness from God and seeking His guidance as your leader!
I want you to know that I am in prayer daily for our church! I want you to know that I am fasting every week… I don’t say this to impress you or to make you think I am ‘so spiritual’ but to let you know where my heart is… and that what I am about to tell you and reveal to you is NOT a Bobby plan, but it is a God given plan!
God has shown me direction and purpose and has revealed to me many things about what we need to do… the efforts we MUST make to see Him begin to move in our church again! And here is a great thing about this process, did you know that God has already begun to provide for our fellowship the resources we will need to be able for us to fulfill the purpose and plan He has in store for our fellowship!
I want you all to know that I have done the midnight ride and I have looked at the areas of devastation within our fellowship!
We speak of ‘empty seats’ as the ‘elephant’ in the room, but know that God has revealed to me that this problem is MORE than empty seats! The ‘empty seats’ are here and remain here a result of deeper problems and troubles that our body has been enduring…
I have done the rounds and I know that God has been dealing with me and revealing to me His direction, purpose and plan for our fellowship! He has also been equipping me with the resources we will need to move forward with His purpose and plan.
Here in these verses we learn that Nehemiah assesses the situation/damages for himself… but it also reveals that Nehemiah was called by God to lead these people to rebuild.
In the final few verses of this chapter we find Nehemiah beginning to reveal the purpose and plan God had laid on his heart! Let’s read these final few verses—
Nehemiah Encourages and Reveals God’s Plan – v17-20:
17Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” 18And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work. 19But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” 20Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.”
Nehemiah reveals to the elders of the city that God has sent him there to rebuild the city! This is a bold and a brave statement!
We need to remember that those Jews who had returned first had tried to begin rebuilding but had been stopped by the enemies that surrounded Jerusalem. They had built some, but had abandoned the task for fear of the enemy!
Now here is this man that says… we are going to rebuild! How are they to react? What are they supposed to say! The difference between Nehemiah and another who may come in and just SAY he is from God… Nehemiah has resources that reveal that God is leading him.
Nehemiah had the letters to cross the land without conflict…
Nehemiah had the letter to gain access to the needed materials to rebuild the city…
Nehemiah had a regiment of the kings soldiers sent BY the King to protect him…
But more than this, Nehemiah had a heart and a passion to see this project through and the people saw this! They heard his speech and hope was instantly restored and their desire was to see the city walls rebuilt!
Well I am here this morning telling you that God is leading me to lead you to rebuild this fellowship! There are no magic plans or get out of jail free cards… this is going to be hard work and it is going to take an extended amount of time AND most of all it is going to require EVERYONE to be involved!
But there is something else here that I pointed out a little earlier in this service… There will ALWAYS be opposition that tries to tear down and discourage believers from following God’s plan!
In these verses we find Sanballat, Tobiah AND Gesham are all leaders of other tribes that have a personal stake in the Jews remaining scattered and unprotected! They see what is about to happen and the mock and jeer at Nehemiah and his plan to rebuild!
They tell him, “What do you think you are doing? I know what you are doing!” is basically what they said… they believed Nehemiah was there and was going to do things to alienate the King and cause an uprising, BUT what we don’t know is why!
My reasoning is that they were the ones who had the most to lose when it came to restoring the walls and the city of Jerusalem. I am sure it was something they had believed NEVER would happen, but now it was happening and they were threatened by what was going on!
People when we begin to move forward with God’s plan… there are always going to be people who are threatened and do NOT want it to move forward! Many of these people will be RIGHT here in this room… many of these people don’t want to change the status quo!
But here is the issue; God is calling us to be a missional church… a church that actively reaches out to its community! If God is calling us to reach others, why are we NOT doing it?
I have challenged this church to baptize 24 people and this morning we have already saw how God is moving… we baptized the 1st of 24 this calendar year! But this challenge is a GOD sized challenge! God is calling us to follow HIM and His purpose and plan!
He has given Ben and I an outline of what we are going to be doing this year to begin our journey out of this deep dark hole that we have been in for many years!
God has revealed to us that there are four areas of need that MUST be addressed within our fellowship! But before we get to those areas, God also impressed upon our hearts a very basic need…
If you are a member of this church OR if you are attending this church on a regular basis and you are NOT serving in some form of ministry, then God is calling you to step up!
There are many of you who have told me that your age prevents you from serving, but I am here to say that there is a place for you to serve…
God can and will use you REGARDLESS of your age or your health! If you are willing and obedient, God can and will use you! So truly NO ONE here has an excuse for NOT serving somewhere in the church!
Now with that being said God has revealed 4 areas of need and focus for our fellowship. Those areas are:
Outreach
Ministry
Discipleship
Prayer
Under the area of Outreach, there are MANY things you can do to help. This will be an area that is event driven and follow up will be crucial. We are going to need many to work these events and help us with these events!
If you cannot work these events, you CAN do some of the follow up… if you cannot visit the prospects in their houses… you CAN write letters or postcards… you CAN pick up a phone and call them… You can be involved, you just have to be willing!
Under the area of Ministry, currently we have three direct ministries that are functional in our fellowship. That is the ministry of the JoEllen Nursing home, the recently started Food closet and the ARW/ESL ministries that are teaching people to read and how to speak English.
These are ministries that are time intensive and need many bodies to help with all facets of the ministry. We need YOU! God is calling you to get involved with one of these ministries! God may be calling you to start yet ANOTHER ministry… God may be calling you to help out with one of these… the point is that God wants YOU to serve!
The 3rd area of need for our fellowship is in the area of Discipleship! We need 2 things… we need those willing to work in this area to ensure that discipling is being done and we need our members to ALSO be active in participating in the discipleship that is being offered. It furthers your growth as a believer and strengthens your walk so that you are more active in your walk!
We need teachers, but we need teachers who are called by God to be teachers! If God has not called you to be a teacher (and YOU know if he has) you should not be in the teaching ministry. You can serve in other areas. But we need those who God HAS called to step up and be willing to be used to disciple our people…
The 4th area of concern and need is the most NEEDED and the MOST important… it is the area of PRAYER! We need prayer warriors in this battle against the evil we face each day! We need you to be a part of a prayer team… a prayer team that meets regularly OUTSIDE of church to pray for the church and pray for specific things!
We will be forming prayer teams and God has laid several members of our congregation on our heart to lead these teams. I need you to be willing to serve on a prayer team!
If you believe you are too old to serve anywhere else, you can serve on a prayer team! If your health is not good… you can serve on a prayer team! PRAYER is something we are commanded by God to do!
Pray without ceasing is what the Bible tells us… we must ALL be in an attitude of prayer all the time! We need prayer warriors! Ben and I have started a dedicated prayer time and we have also started a time of fasting for our fellowship, and we need you to join us!
Outreach, Ministry, Discipleship, Prayer
These are the four areas that God has shown us… these are the four areas that we will concentrate upon! Until God shows us something different, this is where we will be!
Now just like Nehemiah faced opposition to what God had called him to do… I know that we will face opposition from even those who sit in the seats of this room!
You may be sitting there thinking that you have a better plan or that you don’t believe our plan will work… or that you think that the church needs a new or better leader to lead you…
And if that is the case then you are entitled to your opinion, but I want EVERYONE to hear and understand what I am about to say.
God has called Ben and I here to lead this church and that is what we are going to do… we are going to lead in accordance to the plan GOD has given us! The question now becomes a matter of obedience and followship!
Are you going to be obedient to God? Are you willing to follow the leader God has put in place? I firmly believe God is ready to bless our fellowship with great blessings… if we but surrender to HIS leadership and guidance! Are you ready to surrender to God today?
GIVE EVANGELISTIC INVITATION HERE…
