Strategy for Success Nehemiah 1 : 1-4 & 2: ll-18
In his book The Purpose Driven Church.
Rick Warren tells a story about his father being the best fisherman he ever met.
He would always catch more fish than anyone else.
The reason for his success Warren believed was that his dad "caught the fish.... on their terms."
Rick Warren says "While my dad would crawl through brush or get wet up to his waist in order to get to where the fish were, my fishing spots were usually determined by what was most comfortable to me.
I had no STRATEGY, and my results showed it."
We need to understand that
I. Success in carrying out our mission for God requires a Strategy.
Now Strategy includes things such as
Objectives
Goals
and Action Plans
Strategies will allow us to be intentional about those things we decide are most important.
The scofferers and the skeptics might say
"well why can’t we just trust the Holy Spirit to lead us as we are spontaneous." Leaving room for the Holy Spirit to lead us is what we must do...However if we are honest we will find that PLANNING a strategy to complete the mission God places before us is completely Biblical.
In Jeremiah 29:11 God says
For I know the plans that I have for you,’.... declares the LORD, ’plans for welfare and not for calamity... to give you a future and a hope.’"
The Apostle Paul told us in 1 Corinthians 14:40 to let all things be done properly and in an orderly manner."
Our major text for this evening comes from the book named after a man that God used to bring great leadership and great organization to God’s people.
We find this man named Nehemiah serving as cupbearer to the king in Susa.
We can notice first of all that Nehemiah had a burden for the current condition things were in.
Look at Nehemiah’s BURDEN in SUSA.
Neh 1
1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah:
In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa,
2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
3 They said to me, "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace.
The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire."
4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
Nehemiah’s ability to DO something about changing the current situation began first with his sincere and deep heart felt desire to see restoration come about.
We can do nothing for God unless we first are serious and sincere and truly moved from the depth of our heart to bring the mission about.
You can do all the ear bending and arm pulling in the world and say let’s do something....If the people’s heart is not in it....It will fail.
Nehemiah was burdened enough to seek God’s mission for him and for the people.
He prayed for success. We are talking about a matter of the heart. What do most people do when something is troubling there heart or breaking their heart?
They pray about it don’t they.
When can talk it up, chalk it up on a game board planning book ....but if we are not moved to prayer ...then God will not move among us in accomplishing the mission.
Remember that in recent Sundays I talked about the importance of vision?
God gave to Nehemiah a vision or restoring Jerusalem and so Nehemiah would follow that vision.
Nehemiah traveled to Jerusalem
So what happens when Nehemiah moves out and goes to Jerusalem.
Turn over to chapter 2 and
Let’s begin reading in verse 11 of chapter 2.
11 I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days
12 I set out during the night with a few men. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.
13 By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire.
14 Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through;
15 so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate.
Notice what Nehemiah did here
He explored the situation
He was surveying the territory
What did he find?
Well...he found the wall in shambles
Nehemiah did a thorough job of exploration.
Now notice what Nehemiah does next. He can’t solve this problem alone. Certainly he needs God’s help but also God revealed to Nehemiah to rally others to the mission of restoration.
Let’s read v 16
16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.
17 Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace."
18 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me.
They replied, "Let us start rebuilding." So they began this good work.
Nehemiah expressed the findings of his exploration with others in v. 17.
Now Nehemiah was willing to take one of the most important first steps.
Facing the problem openly and honestly.
If anyone has ever been to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting what is the first step an alcoholic must take to recovery ....
Face the reality of the problem.
TO say....I have a problem and the problem is real.
That is the first step.
As a matter of fact If I am correct most A.A. meetings begin with people going all around the room and introducing themselves by saying
"Hi my name is John and I am an alcoholic."
Nehemiah faced the reality of a really bad situation
Now I want you to notice what Nehemiah did NOT do.
HE DID NOT blame others.
He did not say
"well all this is your fault...if you had not changed the Sunday School Classes around."
He DID NOT SAY
" Well if we hadn’t changed the time worship service begins we would not have this problem.
He faced the problem but he faced it ....listen to me....
He faced it POSITIVELY!
WE CAN!
I am going to offer you two phrases you tell me which one sounds better?
WE CAN!.....now the other one.......WE CAN’T.
I believe 99% of our churches in existence today fall into one of two categories.
There are the WE CAN churches. That have faith and a willingness to change in order to build the Kingdom.
Then there is the WE CAN’T church.
The we can’t church is defeated already because their worst enemy right behind Satan is themselves.
The We Can church sounds like this:
That is an interesting idea.
With God’s help I believe it could happen.
We could pray about that and see where God leads us.
We need to be willing to step out in faith.
I think we could reach people by doing this.
The Can’t Church sounds like this:
We have never done it like that.
I like the way we have always done it.
That would cost too much.
We could never do that.
That is the craziest thing I have ever heard.
Friends Oh how we need a positive attitude.
I’m not so sure that in this day and age we live in one of the most helpful tings the pastor could do along side reading the Bible to people is to read them The Little Engine that Could.
Positive attitude....
I think every pastors dream is to pastor a church where the people cheer...." WE CAN DO IT"
and perhaps every churches dream is the pastor who loves them and believes in them enough to say
"We Can Do It"
Let’s Think about the Vision Nehemiah had for a moment.
Look at verse 6
6 Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, "How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?" It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.
7 I also said to him, "If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah?
8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?" And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.
Verse 6 shows us a strategy of planning because Nehemiah set a definite time We know that our revitalization process gave us some time frames to work on some certain areas.
Notice with me that Nehemiah recognized not only the need to focus on time but also on specific needs
He mentioned in those verses 6-8 things like
Letters of transport
Obtaining timber for gates and walls
lumber for house building
You see a strategy plan really is Biblical.
Now remember Vision is a pictre of what we believe it will look like when we get there...When the walls are rebuilt.
Nehemiah only had the ability to tell the king of his needs because he had an idea of what it would look like when the job was done.
Having a vision was so crucial to obtaining what was needed.
If we are going to succeed at our mission...
And Ultimately the core of our Mission is The Great Commission.
If we are going to succeed in our mission...then we must have some idea about where we are going and what it will look like when we get there.
So what did Nehemiah do....What’s the rest of the story.
Nehemiah Established and implemented a Plan.
Chapter 3 reveals to us that
Nehemiah and the people
A. Organized many sections of construction including ten gates
B. Enlisted all the people to work. All worked, even the High Priest (v. 1) Look at chapter 3:1
Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set its doors in place...
I think its great to see preachers that aren’t afraid to help set up tables or show up to a church work day.
Then as the work was going forward there was an evaluation of the progress.
If you read the entire book of Nehemiah you would have to agree that Nehemiah would not have had the information to write such a detailed account if he had not continually surveyed the work.
He and others that God had lead the people to put in charge.
Now Nehemiah was not there to criticize the work of otheres but rather if you read the book you find that he continually circulated among the workers to
encourage,
instruct,
and help them solve problems when need.
It was not Nehemiah’s job to do all the work.
A lot of churches think that the Pastor is goping to rebuild the walls.....Wrongo. He certainly can join the work but his role is much like Nehemiah’s to
Encouraged others and provide leadership where needed.
Now here is the comeback question.....
It success easy to obtain for our mission?
I mean will this be a cake walk to fulfill our mission?
Was it a walk in the park for Nehemiah and the people .
NO!
They hit some hills along the pathway.
They Faced opposition... particularly there were two guys
Sanballat and Tobiah who allowed themselves to be the instruments of Satan and did all they could to stop the forward progress of the mission going forward.
I want you to know that God is always bigger then the Sanballats or Tobiahiahs we face.
If the people will focus on God and the mission... and NOT focus on or give place to the ones trying to muck up the whole mission then we shall succeed.
but honestly....Yes...we can count on some opposition.
How do you overcome opposition?
Stay Focused on the Mission....and
Stay Focused on God.
Nehemiah encouraged the people by
reminding them #1 of their purpose and
#2 their provider
Look at Nehemiah 4:14
After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes."
What do i believe the Strategy for Success is for Mt. Pleasant?
Here is the strategy
Explore the situation
Express the findings
Establish and implement a plan
Evaluate the progress
Encourage each other
(I am extremely grateful to Jerry Day for his contribution of the larger portion of the main core outline for this sermon (including the title).
While a good portion of this material was from my own doing much of it should be credited to Jerry. None of it would be possible without God.
