Introduction: John Hus Illustration
Background: Hard work is almost finished
Purpose Statement: Being a Committed Christian Means…
I. Never Letting Your Guard Down (v. 1, 8-9)
A. The Work is all but finished
1. The enemies make a concession speech
2. They were appealing to his pride
B. Never fall for the trap that your work is done
1. Paul’s warning in 1 Corinthians 10:12
2. Some of you never put your guard up, never use your armor
3. Ephesians 6:13-18
II. Always Using Discerning (v. 2)
A. Nehemiah’s potential failing
1. You like me, you really like me
2. Proverbs 16:18
B. A discerning heart listens for the voice of God
1. Indian Cricket Illustration
2. What’s important to you?
III. Being Relentless (vs. 3-4)
A. Repeatedly he is tempted, repeatedly he overcomes
1. He had work to do and no time for tricks or appeals to vanity
B. Never Give up
1. Winston Churchill quote
2. Never give up on God
IV. Not Being a Rumor Monger (vs. 5-7)
A. Evil lies spread quickly – Marivaux quote
1. Not one bit of truth in their accusations
2. Danger to Nehe if this gets back to the king
B. Don’t become a part of such evil
1. The Anonymous letter
2. There is a biblical way to settle differences [Matthew 18:15-17]
V. Live a Blameless Life (vs. 8-9)
A. Because Nehemiah was blameless he could refute the accusations
1. Young evangelist illustration
2. He was able to explain what these evil men were doing
B. Who are you REALLY?
1. Are there skeletons in your closet?
2. Remember my prayer a couple of weeks ago?
3. Philippians 2:14-15
VI. Ultimately Depending Upon God For the First Five (v. 9)
A. Once again look at the awesome prayer life of Nehemiah
1. He was intimately focused upon God
2. He was successful because he was faithful
B. This is not some passive role on our part
1. In other words don’t just sit there do something
2. D.L. Moody quote
Conclusion: There is work involved in following Christ…
JOHN HUS ILLUSTRATION
John - Jan in Czech - was born in 1374 to a humble family. He spent much of his career teaching at the Charles University in Prague, Bohemia (in what is now Czechoslovakia). He was also the preacher at the Bethlehem Chapel in Prague. (Don’t let "chapel" mislead you. Three thousand people packed in to hear his sermons.)
Hus was highly influenced by Wyclif. Hus emphasized personal piety and purity of life. He stressed the role of the Bible as authority in the church, and consequently, he lifted biblical preaching to an important status in church services.
The archbishop of Prague told Hus to stop preaching and asked the university to burn Wycliffe’s writings. Hus refused to comply, and the archbishop condemned him. Meanwhile, Hus preached against the sale of indulgences, which were being used to finance the pope’s expedition against the king of Naples. The pope excommunicated Hus and placed Prague under an interdict-roughly meaning that the entire city was excommunicated and could not receive the sacraments. To relieve this situation, Hus left Prague, but he continued to preach in various churches and in the open air. And, like Jesus, "the common people heard him gladly."
Hus could only meet with trouble for such teachings. In 1415 he was summoned to the Council of Constance to defend his teachings. In being conducted there he was victim of one of the dirtiest tricks ever played on a Christian. He was promised safe conduct by the Emperor Sigismund. And he had the papal assurance: "Even if he had killed my own brother . . . he must be safe while he is at Constance." Yet, Hus was arrested soon after he arrived.
Hus, sick and physically wasted by long imprisonment, illness, and lack of sleep, protested his innocence and refused to renounce his alleged errors unless he could be shown otherwise from Scripture. To the council he said, "I would not, for a chapel full of gold, recede from the truth." Formally condemned, he was handed over to the secular authorities to be burned at the stake on July 6, 1415.
CONCESSION SPEECH
And so they make what Boice suggests looks like a political concession speech: “Nehemiah, it’s no use pretending that we haven’t been opposed to your project—we have. But you have succeeded in spite of us, and now there is no use to carry on our opposition. For better or for worse, we’ll have to live together. Let’s meet for a summit conference to figure out how.” Might have sounded reasonable—but Nehemiah saw through it all. He understood what their intent was: “to harm me!”
1 CORINTHIANS 10:12
12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! (NIV)
EPHESIANS 6:13-18
13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil {one.}
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, (NAS)
PROVERBS 16:18
18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. (NIV)
INDIAN AND THE CRICKET STORY
Daniel Stanley tells the story of a Native American who left the reservation to visit his cousin who lived in the city. One afternoon as the two men were walking along a downtown street, the one who lived on the reservation said, "I hear a cricket." His city cousin was amazed because all he could hear was the noise of traffic, machinery, radios, and people talking.
After a short search, however, the first man located the cricket. Then he took several coins out of his pocket and dropped them on the sidewalk. The noise they made was no louder than the cricket’s chirping, but immediately several pedestrians turned toward the sound. "See," he said, "people hear what’s important to them."
We often get so distracted by the things of the world that we don’t hear the things of eternal significance. If we have the right priorities, we will be better able to hear the "still small voice" of God.
WINSTON CHURCHILL QUOTE
One of the most memorable commencement speeches I’ve ever heard about was delivered at Harrow in England. That’s the school where Winston Churchill nearly flunked out three times. At any rate, after Churchill had become Prime Minister of England, Harrow invited him to give their commencement address. I can only begin to imagine his feelings as he went back to that school where so many years earlier he had had such a hard time. His commencement address was like none that that school had ever heard before-or since! Churchill walked up to the podium and said three words: "Never give up." Then he paused and said: "Never give up." And he paused even longer and said: "Never give up." And then Churchill sat down.
That’s all he needed to say because he had lived it. He hadn’t given up at Harrow and he hadn’t given up what was important to him all along the way afterwards. And you can be sure that he had just as many obstacles as anybody else did.
MARIVAUX QUOTE
Some people will believe anything if it is whispered to them. - Pierre de Marivaux
THE YOUNG EVANGELIST
He was just barely 21, on fire for God, effective in his preaching and evangelism, and in great demand from local churches. He had preached several large crusades and was soon invited to an area-wide effort at which he would be the main speaker. Though he was not yet even out of college, he was a protégé of international evangelist, Sammy Tippit, and was admired and considered wise. Spiritually he was alert and mature. He was, however, naive.
The first night of the crusade he headed up the counseling ministry in a large room near the pastor’s study. A beautiful teen-ager asked if she could speak with him personally. He tried to assign her to someone else, but when she persisted, he agreed for her to wait until he was finished with the others. More than an hour after the meeting had ended, the rest of the counselors and counselees had left, and he was alone with the young girl. A few minutes later she burst from the room, screaming, “He made a pass at me! He wanted to make love to me!”
That very night the pastor of the host church and a small group of the crusade planners confronted the young preacher and demanded an explanation. He denied the girl’s charge but had no witnesses. The girl had seemed an upstanding young woman in the church, and there was no reason to disbelieve her story.
“What did happen in that room?” the pastor demanded.
“To tell you that would to be to make an accusation behind someone’s back,” he said. “Which is what happened to me. I ask only that I be allowed to face my accuser.”
The pastor and the others canceled the rest of the crusade and agreed that the young woman should be asked to face the preacher in their presence. Two nights later she showed up with her parents at a private board meeting. The pastor asked if she would care to speak about her charges against the preacher.
“She has already said all she has to say, “her father said sternly, her mother nodding and glaring at the accused.
“Would you, son, care to share your version of what happened in that room the other night?”
“No, sir,” the evangelist said. “I see no future in that. Only she and I know the truth, and I cannot defend myself. I’d just like to say this to her. Cindy, you know what happened and what didn’t happen in that room. If you don’t tell the truth, I will be branded and may never preach again. This will damage my reputation and that of this church, and even that of God. If I did what you say I did, I deserve no better, but we both know that is not the truth. I’m begging you in the name of Christ to set the record straight.” The silence hung heavy as the board and her parents watched her face contort into a grimace before the tears began to flow.
“I lied,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry. I lied. He didn’t make a pass at me; I made a pass at him. When he turned me down I was so embarrassed and ashamed and angry that I made up that story. I’m so sorry!”
PHILIPPIANS 2:14-15
14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing;
15 that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, (NAS)
DWIGHT L. MOODY QUOTE
“The world has yet to see what God can do through one man that is fully committed to Him.” Another version of that would be “The world has yet to see what God can do through one church that is humbly and fully committed to what God wants to do.”
