Iliff and Saltillo UM Churches
August 11, 2002
“Don’t Let Discouragers Frustrate God’s Plan for Your Life”
Ezra 3:10-12
Ezra 4:1-5
INTRODUCTION: It is easy to become discouraged. Right? Discouragement comes in many ways to all of us. It comes through circumstances of daily life that happen to us all and it comes through people. Sometimes we allow these things to stop us right in our tracks. Sometimes it doesn’t take much to give up on our goals and dreams completely. We say, “I can’t do this. Might as well just quit. Maybe this idea was foolish. No way can I accomplish this dream. It’s impossible.” Right along with our negative self talk comes people who say, “ I don’t think you should attempt that. You will never succeed. I think you should quit while you’re ahead.” Can you think of a dream you have given up on because discouragers came and frustrated God’s plan in your life? I think we all can. It is not something that only happens to us.
In today’s scripture in the Book of Ezra in 539 B. C. God moved upon the heart of Cyrus the king to help the exiles to return and rebuild the temple that had been destroyed over 50 years before. Anyone who wanted to return to Jerusalem in Judah was free to return and Cyrus had given them not only the authority to rebuild but they also had the resources --the timber, the gold and silver and the cash to do it as well as human resources. They had the green light, and they were “good to go.” They started out full steam ahead and were rebuilding on the original foundation of Solomon’s temple.
When the builders had completed the foundation, they took time out to have a dedication ceremony. The priests came out with trumpets and the Levites with cymbals and led the people in praise and worship. They said, “God is good. His love for Israel endures forever.” The younger people shouted and praised the Lord, but many from the older generation wept because they remembered the glory and splendor of the old temple, and they felt this one did not come up to it. (See Haggai 2:3, 9). But Haggai prophesied that “the glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house.”
It was so far so good, but then things began to change for them. Everyone was not happy about their successful progress in rebuilding and set out to stop the work. There were four methods discouragers used to frustrate God’s work. These same methods are used on us today.
1. DECEPTION: Chapter 4 begins by saying, “when the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the Lord..., they came to Zerubbabal saying, “Let us help you build, because, like you, we seek your God...” (v. 2).
You might think, “That’s great! The more the merrier. Two hands are better than one. We could sure use your help.”
But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the families said, “No way. You have no part with us in building the temple to our God. We alone will build it for the Lord.”
I wondered who these enemies were and why the people outright rejected their offer. I found out that they in part DID worship God, but right along with all of their other gods.
II Kings 17:24, 41 tells us that “the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon and a number of other places and settled them into Samaria to replace the Israelites. When they lived there they did not worship the Lord. They PERSISTED in their former practices. Even WHILE THEY WERE WORSHIPING THE LORD, they were serving their idols.”
These people would have been nothing but trouble and therefore the builders didn’t take them up on their offer to help. They didn’t say, “This is a definite maybe.” They just said “No,” to their offer because they perceived that they were trying to DECEIVE them by becoming a part of the group and then working against them.
One of the ways that discouragers will frustrate God’s plan in our life is also through DECEPTION. How many times when things look too good to be true we find out that they WERE “too good to be true” and we get sidetracked. We become the loser instead. Can you think of times that discouragers came to you in the form of deception and you found out too late to do anything about it?
When the offer to help was rejected, the enemies became HOSTILE and MORE OPPOSITION began.
2. DISCOURAGEMENT: In 1798 in the Scottish manufacturing town of Newcastle, a young woman began teaching a Sunday school class of poverty-stricken boys. The most unpromising teenager was Robert, a boy who ran with the wrong crowd. After three Sundays he did not return.
So the teacher went to look for him. Although the superintendent had given Robert some new clothes, they were already shabby and dirty when the teacher found him. He was given another new suit and he came back to Sunday school. But Robert’s friends again discouraged him from going and he quit again.
The teacher went out once more to find him. When she did, she discovered that the second set of clothes had been torn. “I am completely discouraged about Robert,” she told the superintendent. “I guess we must give up on him.”
“Oh, don’t do that,” he said. “I believe there is still hope. Try him one more time.”
They gave Robert a third suit and this time he began to attend faithfully. Robert Morrison became a Christian and nine years later he became the first Protestant missionary to China. He translated the Bible into Chinese and brought the Word of God to millions of people.”
3. FEAR: Discouragement continued now in the form of FEAR. Fear comes in many ways to us:
fear of failure
fear that people will get upset at us
fear that we will lose our friends
fear that people might harm us
fear that people will think we are weird
We worry so much about what people will think that it becomes a great tool to discourage us and keep us from seeing God’s plan unfold in our life. When has someone tried to wear you down or scare you out of starting and completing a certain task? Has FEAR kept you from doing what you knew God wanted you to do? Did you continue or quit?
ILLUSTRATION: In the movie The Rookie, Jim Morris, had wanted to play baseball all of his life. His father, a military career person moved around a lot and was not supportive in his son’s life. They ended up moving to a little town in Texas where there was no baseball. Jim was very disappointed but everyone seemed to discourage him over the years about his dream. He became a high school teacher but the vision of playing baseball was still there in spite of a severe injury to his arm. He had promised the doctors he wouldn’t play ball ever again. Not only did his father discourage him by saying this was a crazy dream but others felt the same way. Years went by and he was married and the father of three small children when the opportunity came along. Would he take it or not? It was a tough decision because he had many responsibilities. The other baseball players called him “the old man” and they tried to make him feel guilty for wanting to still play baseball. He had plenty of discouragers, but he finally made the major leagues and reached his dream.
How can you avoid falling into the trap set up by discouragers? One way is to have a clear cut vision like Jim Morris did. A clear cut vision of what God wants you to do can survive under the pressures of discouragers. Do you have a well-defined vision of what God is wanting you to do in your life work, or family, or ministry? If not, you will be tempted to give up and quit. The builders in Ezra’s day were not only excited about rebuilding the temple but they knew that it was God’s will for them to do it.
A second way is to learn how to discern things better. Learn how the Lord is trying to lead you on a daily basis. Learn how to recognize His voice among all of the other distracting voices. Learn to mature in the leading of the Lord. Know the scriptures and allow the Holy Spirit to bring them to your attention when you need them. Keep in touch with the Lord on a daily basis. By doing this you will learn how to recognize the promptings of the Lord in little decisions as well as the big ones.
Don’t fall into the trap of believing that everything will go perfect for you all the time. I Peter 4:12 says, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering as though something strange were happening to you.” Don’t think it strange that people would try to frustrate God’s plan for your life. Discouragement and fear are two of the greatest obstacles to completing God’s work. Discouragement eats away at our MOTIVATION and fear PARALYZES us so we don’t take any action at all.
4. HIRED PEOPLE TO WORK AGAINST THEM: The enemies hired counselors to give advice. They pretended to be advising them for the best but really giving bad advice and frustrating their purpose. They hired these “experts” to intimidate the builders.
What do you do when people try to intimidate you? Move ahead with the work God has planned for you and trust Him to show you how to overcome the obstacles.
Some of these people wrote letters filled with lies and said that the builders had a history of rebellious people who were troublesome to kings. Said, “You better keep an eye on them or you will be left with nothing. You better order the work to be stopped.”
Have you ever had people to tell lies on you in order to cause you problems at your work or to keep you from getting a promotion? This happened to the builders throughout the rebuilding of the temple. But they kept right on going.
These four strategies could have brought the entire plan to a halt but this time it didn’t.
CONCLUSION: What are your weak spots where the enemy can get to you? DECEPTION, DISCOURAGEMENT, FEAR, INTIMIDATION?
Who are you listening to and following: discouraging people or God?
“Pay as little attention to discouragement as possible.” said Maltie Babcock. “Plough ahead as a steamer does, rough or smooth, rain or shine. To carry your cargo and make port is the point.”
God’s word says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
Let us pray:
