What’s easier to deal with success or failure?
no one likes failure, but success is more dangerous
52 days
Nehemiah is wildly successful
What happens when you’re successful?
It might look differently you imagined… but let’s expect that you’re efforts will have an impact for good in the world… or at least in one person’s world. That’s called success.
How will you handle it?
What if more blessings come your way?
If you do the right things in the right ways that benefit other people… eventually, you’ll be rewarded for your efforts…
not your timing
God’s timing
You’ll reap what you sow.
Then what?
Nehemiah is appointed Governor…
What if he felt entitled…
“I earned this… I sacrificed… now I’ll reap the benefits and get fat and lazy”
Beware of the dangers of success
What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Matthew 16:26
According to Jesus, it’s very possible to gain good things and lose the most important things.
Success is relative… thinking:
any promotion, opportunity
raise, or financial benefit
privilege or perk
Here is a principle to learn now, before you’re you’re successful (any more successful):
Just because you can doesn’t mean you should
I know you can justify it… but should you?
I realize you’ve worked hard… and rest and rewards are part of it… but don't take that too far…
This has always been a mission from God:
Not for me…through me, for them
Nehemiah’s example:
For the entire twelve years that I was governor of Judah—from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of the reign of King Artaxerxes—neither I nor my officials drew on our official food allowance. 15 The former governors, in contrast, had laid heavy burdens on the people, demanding a daily ration of food and wine, besides forty pieces of silver. Even their assistants took advantage of the people. But because I feared God, I did not act that way.
Nehemiah: decision—I can justify it, but I’m not going to do it
Privileges and perks
Integrity drift
“Everyone else is doing it!”
Just because you can doesn’t mean you should
16 I also devoted myself to working on the wall and refused to acquire any land. And I required all my servants to spend time working on the wall. 17 I asked for nothing, even though I regularly fed 150 Jewish officials at my table, besides all the visitors from other lands! 18 The provisions I paid for each day included one ox, six choice sheep or goats, and a large number of poultry. And every ten days we needed a large supply of all kinds of wine. Yet I refused to claim the governor’s food allowance because the people already carried a heavy burden. Nehemiah 5:14-18 (NLT)
I could have… easily justify… but it would have been painful for the people, so I didn’t
Because the project is about the people—not about me
Protect your integrity/character
Integrity: alignment between what you say and what do
People outside the church don’t have a problem with Jesus
They have a problem with Christians who say one thing and do the opposite
To protect your integrity and influence…
Pass blessings through
Always have something you’re passing through… think about something now:
a gift
an opportunity
a blessing that you can bless someone else
an experience that would a lot to someone
Nehemiah coaching us to protect our hearts from the dangers of success, might say:
Receive gratefully
Pass on generously
Just because you can doesn’t mean you should
Notice the words
“gratefully”
“generously”
Those words matter because…
be careful that your heart doesn’t go bad in the middle of your sacrificing.
It’s possible to give away and deny yourself and to have a cold dark heart.
Can’t…
think you’re better
grow bitter
You can do the right thing with a bad attitude and be worse off…
Here’s Nehemiah’s secret to sacrificing and keeping his heart healthy:
Remember me with favor, my God, for all I have done for these people. Nehemiah 5:19 (NIV)
so subtle… but do you see it?
He trusts God…and he was always serving God to begin with.
We love God by caring about other people!
Jesus: Love God… Love others as yourself
you want to love God… love people
mercy, not religious rituals
You might think you understand this truth in your mind, but think about your life…
How often are you disappointed in people? How often are you hurt by people?
How often do people let you down?
Nehemiah sacrificed MUCH for the people, but…
He’s not looking for the people to repay him.
He’s not looking for at himself as better than the people.
He trusts that God sees… God cares… God will satisfy his soul
money cannot
status cannot
pride cannot
If you find yourself hurt by people… irritated by people… let down by people…
PAUSE:
Ask yourself, “Why am I sacrificing?”
to get credit
to be paid back
to be appreciated
…Or because I realize that I’m on a mission from God… I’m loving God by loving people.
“God, you continue to give me favor… you protect my heart as I try to love your people”
“I’ll gratefully receive your blessings… and I’ll pass a lot of them through… because it’s better this way… it’s better for them… it’s better for me…”
Don’t grow bitter… and don’t think you’re better than them.
Nehemiah goes one step further.
This is the icing on the cake. In fact, the famous leadership guru Jim Collins would consider this to be sign of “Level 5 leadership”—making Nehemiah one of the most impressive leaders in scriptures.
Nehemiah teaches us that when the project is working… when there are people rallying and stepping up… it’s time for Nehemiah (and you) to…
Empower capable people
After the wall was finished… I gave the responsibility of governing Jerusalem to my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah, the commander of the fortress, for he was a faithful man who feared God more than most. 3 I said to them…Appoint the residents of Jerusalem to act as guards, everyone on a regular watch. Some will serve at sentry posts and some in front of their own homes.” —Nehemiah 7:1–3
He appoints people… those people appoint other people…
Empowering vs empire-building
Ex: Eric Boles
Kindercare—I sat and sweated
Duncan Donuts—I contributed
Exec who told employed who lost $10M, “Fired you? I just spent $10M training you. Why would I fire you?”
But Nehemiah empowers capable people—not just anyone…
People who are faithful—have integrity
look for people with a track record of consistency, trustworthiness
give a little of your influence away… see what they do with it
give away more
Don’t wait until your old
Give away influence
There’s probably more you for you do… God might give you a new idea… new opportunity… you might need to stay as an overseer, managing the involvement of others…
Who knows?
What what we do know is that other people have a role to play
Your mission will go farther if you can mobilize more people to the cause
You can do that by…
Giving away the blessings and elevate good people who will care for more people…
…because this project has always been about the PEOPLE
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There are several more chapters in the book of Nehemiah, but the this is end of the story about rebuilding the wall. And you know how he ends it? He names all the people—families—who were living in Jerusalem…
Here is the list of the Jewish exiles of the provinces who returned from their captivity. King Nebuchadnezzar had deported them to Babylon, but now they returned to Jerusalem and the other towns in Judah where they originally lived….
Numbers matter, because every number represents a name… and every name represents a soul… and every soul will live for eternity… and God created those souls to live life to the full—here and now with HIM, and forever with him in paradise. That’s God’s desire. And YOU have a role to play!!
Stand on the shoulders of the people from the past
Dead Poets Society moment… we can’t look at their faces but I want you to look at their names…
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Nehemiah 7:7-68
Their leaders were Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.
This is the number of the men of Israel who returned from exile:
8 The family of Parosh 2,172
9 The family of Shephatiah 372
10 The family of Arah 652
11 The family of Pahath-moab (descendants of Jeshua and Joab) 2,818
12 The family of Elam 1,254
13 The family of Zattu 845
14 The family of Zaccai 760
15 The family of Bani[f] 648
16 The family of Bebai 628
17 The family of Azgad 2,322
18 The family of Adonikam 667
19 The family of Bigvai 2,067
20 The family of Adin 655
21 The family of Ater (descendants of Hezekiah) 98
22 The family of Hashum 328
23 The family of Bezai 324
24 The family of Jorah 112
25 The family of Gibbar 95
26 The people of Bethlehem and Netophah 188
27 The people of Anathoth 128
28 The people of Beth-azmaveth 42
29 The people of Kiriath-jearim, Kephirah, and Beeroth 743
30 The people of Ramah and Geba 621
31 The people of Micmash 122
32 The people of Bethel and Ai 123
33 The people of West Nebo 52
34 The citizens of West Elam 1,254
35 The citizens of Harim 320
36 The citizens of Jericho 345
37 The citizens of Lod, Hadid, and Ono 721
38 The citizens of Senaah 3,930
39 These are the priests who returned from exile:
The family of Jedaiah (through the line of Jeshua) 973
40 The family of Immer 1,052
41 The family of Pashhur 1,247
42 The family of Harim 1,017
43 These are the Levites who returned from exile:
The families of Jeshua and Kadmiel (descendants of Hodaviah[k]) 74
44 The singers of the family of Asaph 148
45 The gatekeepers of the families of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai 138
46 The descendants of the following Temple servants returned from exile:
Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,
47 Keros, Siaha, Padon,
48 Lebanah, Hagabah, Shalmai,
49 Hanan, Giddel, Gahar,
50 Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda,
51 Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah,
52 Besai, Meunim, Nephusim,
53 Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,
54 Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,
55 Barkos, Sisera, Temah,
56 Neziah, and Hatipha.
57 The descendants of these servants of King Solomon returned from exile:
Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda,
58 Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel,
59 Shephatiah, Hattil, Pokereth-hazzebaim, and Ami.
60 In all, the Temple servants and the descendants of Solomon’s servants numbered 392…
So a total of 42,360 people returned to Judah, in addition to 7,337 servants and 245 singers, both men and women. They took with them 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
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Why the detail?
Every person counts so he counts every person
Every number is a name…every name is soul…every soul is significant
Numbers matter, because every number represents a name… and every name represents a soul… and every soul will live for eternity… and God created those souls to live life to the full—here and now with HIM, and forever with him. That’s God’s desire.
God is a God of details
Details help us to look and see how far God has brought us
Think of all the people
All of them have a name
All of them need someone to know them, care for them, meet practical needs
That means we needs lots of people influencing lots of people for good
passing blessings through
empowering capable people
Vision
Mariners 2020: 2 million people impacted by our ministry through the Rooted Network
2040: 20 million people impacted
Mariners HB: We’re changing this town… this county… but a country… and the impact goes global.
The wall is just a wall
The project was a people and a new way of being human and followers of Jesus
And YOU have a role to play!!
Don’t keep your blessings for yourself
Receive them gratefully… and pass some of them along generously.
And pass along the influence you have… the hope you have…. the faith you have…
Live a life that inspires the people around you to rally to the cause…
Don’t give up
You’re doing a great work
It’s worth it
You’re on a mission from God that motivates you and matters to someone else.
We need you… and we’re just getting started…
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