Victory - This morning on the overhead screen you can see the New
Zealand Athlete of the century winning a victory in a running race.
Victory is something that is greatly sought after in so many fields of
human endevour.
Recently the American Political machinery has almost ground to a halt
because of the lack of a decisive victory -
Victory is important - but it is important as to who wins.
It mattered that Adolf Hitler was victorious initially in World war 2
it cost millions of lives-
It mattered that he was eventually defeated - just as it mattered that a
despot like Pol Pot was victorious in Cambodia - at least it mattered to
the three million people who died at his hands.
Victory is important.
Not so much the winning of some race but there are certain times in life
where victory is absolutely essential. In 1 John chapter 5 verse 4 we
read these words -
for everyone born of God overcomes the world. this is the victory that
has overcome the world even our faith. Who is it who overcomes the
world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
What is victory for you?
What is it you most desire in your heart of hearts?
Forget about your dreams of lying in some beach somewhere with an iced
drink by your side - what is it that lies at your heart of hearts - what
is it that you would really like?
What is your God given vision?
Last week missionary Brian Woodford shared with us how he had dreamed
since ten years of age of being a missionary - He had victory over all
the presenting obstacles to that dream and eventually became a
missionary.
Victory is achieving God’s dream for your life.
According to what we have just read in 1 John chapter 5 - Victory for
the christian is inevitable -
with God on your side - you are undefeatable - you will win through.
But if you think that means a five star - easy ride to paradise you may
need to do some re-evaluation.
Some weeks ago we looked at the book of Nehemiah - the first five
chapters in fact.
This Sunday I would like to take you forward to chapter six where -
well don’t let me just tell you let’s read it together.
read verse 15 and 16.
So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two
days. When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations
were afraid and lost their self confidence, because they realised that
this work had been done with the help of God.
This was a major victory for Nehemiah - it was only nine months earlier
that Nehemiah was basically a wine steward back in Susa to the King.
Probably if someone told him what he was about to achieve he would have
laughed and said that is a far off unachievable dream - but as it says
in 1 John and chapter 5 - for everyone born of God overcomes the world.
this is the victory that has overcome the world even our faith.
Nehemiah had overcome the world - he had won Jerusalem back for the Jews
- let’s put that into todays perspective - today as we worship there is
a terrible battle going on for Jerusalem - the same spiritual forces
arrayed against Nehemiah today are at work around Jerusalem - many are
dying both Jew and Palesinian - No-one seems to be able to win - there
may be different players and different cultures and weapons but it is
the same city and the same kind of battles are being fought - but
Nehemiah won the day.
I can’t comment on the dynamics of modern day Israel but we can learn
important lessons from Nehemiah that show how we can win mighty
victories here in this parish and for our own lives.
What was it that bought Nehemiah to victory - the wall might have been
built in 52 days but he had to negotiate seemingly insurmountable
obstacles in order to achieve the victory.
If we were to make a list of just some of the obstacles that he faced
from his days of being a wine steward - we would come up with:
He had to convince the King of the most powerful army on earth in it’s
day to come on his side.
He had to leave Susa with his head still on it’s shoulders and to travel
back to Jerusalem.
He had to have materials - timber rocks tools etc.
He had to convince the Jews that they were to rebuild the wall.
He had to face laziness by some.
He had to face violent and evil opposition.
he faced threats day and night.
he faced treachery - treachery from Israel’s enemies and treachery from
some of his own people.
He had to face sleeplessness and physical hardship.
These are only some of the big things that Nehemiah had to face.
By comparison most of the problems we face this week will fade into
insignificance.
But the same Principles that Nehemiah used to rebuild the wall are the
same principles that we must use to overcome the obstacles that we face
in our own lives.
! John chapter 5 said :- for everyone born of God overcomes the world.
this is the victory that has overcome the world even our faith. Who is
it who overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son
Nehemiah overcame the world - for Israel
If we had to isolate one word that summed up what Nehemiah exercised in
this grand enterprise - it would have to be faith -
So what you need to exercise next week when you face temptations -
oipposition and various dilemnas is faith -
But that is not a good enough word to go home on.
It is like saying the word recipee is enough to bake a cake on - Of
course it isn’t -
You need some details.
Let’s unpack faith a little so you know what you are to be doing this
week in the real life situation that you are going to face.
But we need to say that an assumption we are making and underpinning all
of this is prayer or relationship with God. - Of the nine months it took
Nehemiah to move from grieving over jeriusalem yto the completion of the
wall - 4 of them were spent mourning - fasting and prayer - and this is
the first prerequisite of faith. Relationship with god is vital if you
are to achieve god’s plan for your life.
Faith says Hebrews 11 verse 1:- Now faith is being sure of what we hope
for.
What was it that Nehemiah hoped for?
He hoped for the restoration of Jerusalem -
Did he realise it in his own life time?
the answer is yes he did.
If you read Nehemiah chapter 7 to the end of the book you will learn how
Nehemiah, having established the city restored the worship and the book
of Ezra covers this as well.
A much less successful man than Nehemiah - a man called Napoleon was
said to have had the word can’t struck out of the dictionary - why
because it is a very powerful and destructive word.
The difference between Napoleon and Nehemiah is that one was inspired by
a God given vision and the other wasn’t - at least not always.
Can’t was used against Nehemiah a lot - in chapter 2 and verse 19 for
example we find Sanballat - Tobiah and Geshem ridiculing Nehemiah - they
said "What is this you are doing? Are you rebelling against the King?"
Negativity will destroy great dreams.
Interestingly negativity will often come with a sense of veiled threat.
- you are rebelling against the King is a direct challenge to the
authority of Nehemiah.
Negativity doesn’t always come from outside of ourselves - Nehemiah
clearly was a man with enormous self belief - He believed in the vision
that he had and he was not afraid to pursue his god given dream.
For you to realise your God given vision you need to overcome the word
Can’t - you need to eliminate it from your dictionary.
However I would add two words of caution.
1. Firstly and foremostly you need to check and double check that your
vision is from God.
We live in a Christian generation that is very confident of what
God is saying. sometimes that confidence is well placed at other
times it is misguided and on other occasions it is simply
dangerous.
2. Secondly you need to make sure that when someone is saying you can’t
do something just as to what lies behind the can’t. If the person saying
it is a christian of real integrity they may be seeing something that
you are not seeing. They may not be saying that the vision is not wrong
but they may have noticed in you some character flaws that if taken into
the pursuit of the vision God has for your life - without being dealt
with they will cripple you and others.
However if these two matters are dealt with - with integrity then can I
encourage you to pursue your dream with all your heart to not accept
can’t as a possibility - as the scripture says - I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens me -
Jesus was like this - he had a God given vision of redemption being
available for all people - he pursued that dream it took him to a cross
- he could have given up - he even said - M atthew chapter 26 verse 53 -
54 Do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put
at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would
the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in thius way?
This is an incredible scripture.
Jesus didn’t know how to give up - he stood facing agonising humiliation
and death - he only needed to push the "get me out of here" button and
he was a free man - but the desire for Victory empowered him - he
didn’t admit can’t even when facing death - and as you know - even death
could not hold him.
The first vital characteristic to achieving God’s victory is
eliminating can’t from your vocabulary. Faith is being sure of that
which you can not see.
The second characteruistic of faith demonstrated by Nehemiah is enduring
love.
Nehemiah has a love for God and his city that is amazing -
Towards the end of world war twoi an American Doctor was with his dying
patients as they were about to be transported off to their death before
the allies could rescue them. A friend came across him as he lovingly
tended to his patients. the friend tried to persuade him to come with
him - he didn’t need to stay with his patients - his work was surely
done. But the doctor just lovingly stayed with his patients - He was
never heard of again - that is a picture of enduring love.
Nehemiah reveals his love for G.od and jerusalem at the very beginning
of the book - as his brother tells him of the broken state of the city
Nehemiah says - When I heard these things, Isat down and wept.
it is this love for God and his Holy city that drive and motivate and
lead nehemiah - all else is trivia to him.
it is a love that allows him to risk everything including his life again
and again and you can read of that in the following chapters. everything
he does seeks to gain god’s approval and love - the very last words of
nehemiah in his book are -
Remember me with favour, O my God.
Faith is filled with love - look at the life of Jesus - Jesus is full
of love.
Love is not Faith but Faith expressed without love is not christian
faith so love needs to be a characteristic of the expression of faith.
At the very heart of 1 corinthians chapter thirteen we read a definition
of love;-
Love is patient - love is kind, It does not envy, it does not boast it
is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking - love is the oil
that feuls the engine of faith to victory without it you will run a
bearing.
An example of faith fired by love is seen in a member of our own parish
living in Dunedin.
Lyn has left all the normal securities of life for a God given vision of
working with young people.
When you see Lyn with the young people you see that she has a love for
them the love of Jesus.
such faith brings a God given victory.
The third Faith Characteristic that Nehemiah demonstrates is wisdom. it
is not enough in life to achieve the result God desires you also need to
achieve that result in the way that god desires.
the end never justifies the means if it includes unrighteousness or
"unwisdom."
Again and again in Nehemiah you view him acting in wise ways in relation
to the mission he has undertaken.
For example - In chapter 6 Nehemiah visits a man called Shemaiah - who
was shur in at his home Shemaiah said to Nehemiah - "let us meet in the
house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors,
because men are coming to kill you - by night they are coming to kill
you."
But I said. "should a man like me run away? Or should one like me go
into the temple to save his life? I will not go!" I realized that he had
prophesized against me because tobiah and Sanballet had hired him. He
had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing
this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me."
Vewrses 10 - 13.
It is quite a sophistocated scheme really - Shemiah acts and looks like
a spokesman from God - He prophesies with the sound and look of a
Prophet and he seems to have Nehemiah’s best interest at heart - he is -
according to Shemiah trying to protect Nehemiah.
But there is a flaw in his prophesy - he is trying to get Nehemiah to go
where God’s law says he is not allowed to go - by so doing Nehemiah
would be breaking God’s law. if Nehemiah had gone his enemies could
have appealed to the Jews that Nehemiah was insulting God by breaking
the law - to sin against the temple was a serious matter.
But Nehemiah was wise - he knew that prophesy should reflect the
character and the consistency of God - it simply didn’t line up. Wisdom
as a componant of Nehemiah’s faith in God - saved him.
Wisdom leads to victory.
In Proverbs chapter 2 it reads - My son if you accept my words and store
up my commands within you turning your ear to wisdom and applying your
heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud
for understanding and if look for it as for silver snd search for it as
for hjidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the lord and
find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom and from his mouth
come knowledge and understanding.
then it says
He holds VICTORY in store for the upright - he is a shield to those
whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and
protects the way of his faithful ones.
Wisdom is absolutely essential.
There are then three steps you can take towards victory this week to
begin realising God’s call on your life.
There are definite things that you can do to make a difference.
The first is Persist in never saying can’t to your God given vision God
has given you a unique path to ewalk in this life. . It may seem big and
impossible - people may laugh - but live God’s dream for your life. If
you have let God’s dream for you gather dust in the attic of your mind -
dust it off - restore it remember God is into resurrection. Resurrect
your dream - get it back track on centre stage and never say can’t if
you have in the past then repent of that say I can - do all things
through christ who strengthens me.
Secondly - Practise enduring love - if there is a lack of love in your
ministry - stop it and go to God with your lack and begin doing the
loving thing and god will grant you an increase of feelings of love that
follow the action.
Thirdly like Nehemiah - BE WISE - Not worldly wise but bible wise - when
you face a particular situation - see what the bible really says about
what you are facing - Let God be God -
even when it costs.
As you do these things in Faith in God - God will provide you with great
victories.
The world may not see it - you may never rebuild the walls of Jerusalem
- but by walking God’s plan you will see that you are making your
contribution to rebuilding the broken down walls of this world - for
God.
May God make you victorious
Let us pray..
From jgullick@xtra.co.nz
