As Nehemiah has entered into the land opposition begins. This week Pastor Derek teaches us that "Doing a great work requires wise preparation, skillful motivation, and a God-centered confidence".
For more information join us at www.pgfirst.com
As Nehemiah has entered into the land opposition begins. This week Pastor Derek teaches us that "Doing a great work requires wise preparation, skillful motivation, and a God-centered confidence".
For more information join us at www.pgfirst.com
Doing a Great Work, Nehemiah 2:9-20
Intro- When John Paton left for the New Hebrides Islands in 1858 at the age of 33, he was convinced that he was squarely in the will of the Lord. However, within six months his conviction would be tested as his wife and newborn son died. He spent nights sleeping on their graves to protect their bodies from local cannibals. He pressed on alone in grief, and over the next four years he faced unbelievable trouble. He struggled with life- and death sickness many times, and he was in constant danger from the natives. In his autobiography, he explains how he was able to endure his suffering.
“My enemies seldom slackened their hateful designs against my life, however calmed or baffled for the moment...A wild chief followed me around for four hours with his loadedmusket, and, though often directed towards me, God restrained his hand. I spoke kindly to him, and attended to my work as if he had not been there, fully persuaded that my God had placed me there, and would protect me till my allotted task was finished. Looking up in unceasing prayer to our dear Lord Jesus, I left all in his hands, and felt immortal till my work was done. Trials and hairbreadth escapes strengthened my faith, and seemed only to nerve me for more to follow; and they did tread swiftly upon each other’s heels.”
Bridge- John Paton understood that it is entirely possible to be squarely in the will of God and yet suffer tremendously. Despite all that he encountered, he was fully persuaded that God had placed him there, and that he was immortal until his work was done. I wonder if we share the same convictions? Or is the opposite true? Initially, we think we are in the Lord’s will, but when we encounter troubles and obstacles, we question whether we got it wrong. Have you ever been convinced of the Lord’s will, but frustrations and hardships called you to question what the Lord’s will really is? How could something be the Lord’s will and yet be so slow and so hard? We’ve all been there at some point.
Nehemiah is a man who did a great work for the Lord. Because he had a heart for God, he had a prayerful concern for the people of God, so much so that at great personal risk to himself, he left his position of honor and authority and went to Jerusalem to lead God’speople to rebuild the city walls and gates. He was broken over the state of God’s people(1:3), but most importantly, he was concerned about the reputation of God’s name. And after months of prayer, fasting and pre-planning, God providentially opened up the opportunity for Nehemiah to make the hard ask of the king-to ask him to reverse his previous decree and allow Nehemiah to go back and rebuild the city (2:1-8).
We would think that it would be smooth sailing from here. When God places something on our hearts and His hand is on us to do good, how hard can it be going forward? The answer for Nehemiah- the challenge was just beginning. He would face constant opposition from the enemies of God, and he would have to skillfully lead the disillusioned people of God. Likewise, we have to be realistic. Just because it is the Lord’s work and He is on our side does not mean that everything will work out smoothly and flawlessly. There will be major hurdles to overcome. Here we learn that...
1
Doing a great work
requires wise preparation, skillful motivation, and a God-centered confidence.
Between verses 8-9 Nehemiah made the 850-mile journey from Susa to Jerusalem. The trip would have taken approximately four months. Talk about being travel weary! Verse nine picks up with his arrival in Jerusalem, and Nehemiah’s actions give us three requirements for doing a great work for the Lord.
First...Doing a great work requires wise preparation done in humility (9-16). Bracketing this section is Nehemiah’s interaction with the enemies of God. When he first arrived, he met with the governors and gave them the letters from the king. He needed to establish before them that his work had been sanctioned, and that Artaxerxes had reversed his previous decree to halt the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Ezra 4:21). I’m not sure what Nehemiah expected at this point, but the encounter did not go well (10b).
But then he does something unexpected (11). After he arrived, he did nothing for three days. Why the delay? Probably because he was tired, and he knew that tired people don’t make great decisions. And he also needed to establish his own lodging. I can’t prove this conclusively, but it’s safe to assume that he continued his pattern of prayer and fasting before he stepped into action (1:4).
From there, his actions continue to be anti-climactic (12-16). He goes out at night to assess the situation, and he doesn’t even bother to tell anybody who he is and what he was doing (12,16). Without making a scene at all, he gathers the necessary information. Modern leadership gurus would object. “Come on Nehemiah, this isn’t how great leaders act! Everybody knows you have to immediately announce your presence, establish your authority, and quickly rally the troops to action. Time is of the essence Nehemiah, and you’re losing your chance to make a great first impression.”
Nehemiah is demonstrating humility before man. He knew that he wasn’t Jerusalem’s savior. Nehemiah knew who God was (1:5), and who he was (servant- 1:11) and he never confused the two. He always exalted God and avoided exalting himself. Neither can we function as anyone’s savior. Zach Eswine writes. “You were never meant to repent because you can’t fix everything. You are meant to repent because you’ve tried. Even if we could be god for people and fix it all, the fact remains that Jesus often does not have the kind of fixing in mind that you and I want.”
Nehemiah also demonstrated wise preparation. “Wisdom,” says T.J. Betts “is knowing the right thing, doing the right thing, and doing it at the right time, in the right way, to the rightextent.” Nehemiah needed firsthand knowledge of the situation, not just what came from his brother. It is wise to personally get our eyes on situations before moving forward. Nehemiah is also demonstrating wisdom in that he knew he needed a plan. Even though God’s hand was upon him for good, he still needed a wise plan.
Sometimes it’s posited that faith and planning are in opposition to one another. It goessomething like this. “If you’re walking by faith then you don’t need to plan. In fact, planning may negate your faith.” This is simply not true. Faith and planning are not in contradiction to each other, they are complimentary to each other. God never commands
2
us to fly by the seat of our pants. Evil, godless planning is prohibited (Pr. 15:26; Js. 4:13- 17). But the type of planning, which keeps God at the center of our lives, is encouraged (Pr. 16:3). Yes, our plans should be fluid, because as Proverbs 16:9 says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” Even so, God will frequently use the wise planning of His servants to bring to fruition His providential plan.
What is your wise plan for doing a great work for the Lord? According to Jesus, any work done with a humble servant’s heart is great in His eyes (Mk. 10:43-44). This means that parents, your work of raising your children in the ways of the Lord is doing a great work.What’s your wise plan? This means that husbands and wives, your work in having a healthy Christ-centered marriage, is great in God’s eyes. What’s your plan? This means that retirees, finishing out your years for the glory of God and the good of His people is a great work. So, what’s your plan? Because Jesus blows the definition of greatness wide open, we must wisely plan out our lives before Him.
The second requirement for doing a great work for the Lord is this. Doing a great work for the Lord requires skillful motivation of the people of God (17-18). Since God is a good God who cares about His image bearers, the Lord’s work always involves people. Whether we are doing the work of evangelism, discipling one another, raising a family, or serving one another, we will always have to work with people. And this requires great skill and patience, because working with people can be very challenging. This is why many pastors jokingly say, “ministry would be great if it wasn’t for the people.”
Nehemiah not only had to deal with an unbelieving king, he also had to motivate demoralized believers. At this point God’s people had become disillusioned. God had promised to restore and bless them after the exile if they repented, and they were still awaiting the fulfillment of God’s promises. They were living in great trouble and shame (1:3; 2:3), and they were openly mocked because of the dilapidated state of the city (17). Frustration was high and morale was low. You don’t have to serve the Lord for very long to encounter much of the same. As God’s people, we find ourselves frustrated and demoralized as we await the fulfillment of God’s promises.
So, how did Nehemiah motivate God’s demoralized people? He began by stating the problem very plainly (17). He didn’t seek to shame them, but he didn’t gloss over the problem either. Sometimes people can get so used to poor conditions that they barely notice them after a while. People do this with their homes, churches do this with their buildings, and sometimes people get used to living in spiritual squaller. Then, as he did previously (1:6b), Nehemiah identified himself with them in the problem (we are in). He’s saying, “Yes this is an intolerable mess, but this is my mess too.” Then, he appealed to a felt need, “then we may no longer suffer derision.” Deep down, God’s people didn’t want to be the laughingstock of the nations, and neither do we. Finally, he explained how God had providentially worked to bring about the king’s favor (18). The responded with restored hope: “Let us arise and build,” and they strengthened their hands for the work.
3
Leading and encouraging the people of God requires wise preparation and humility. It requires a steadfast commitment to prayer, and a willingness to both identify with people in their struggles and a willingness to help them in their great work. This is why Paul writes, “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.” (1 Thess. 5:11,14)
We need to have wise preparation, and we need to be able to skillfully motivate the people of God. The final requirement is this.
Doing a great work for the Lord will stir up opposition from the enemies of God. It just will. Some, if not most, won’t share
your excitement of what the Lord is doing in you and through you. And some, like here, will openly mock and actively oppose you. J Sidlow Baxter writes, “There is no winning without working and warring. There is no opportunity without opposition.”
There’s a time for ignoring the enemies of God, and there’s a time to meet them head on. This requires Spirit-filled wisdom. At this moment, Nehemiah courageously confronted them, drawing the line between the people of God and His enemies. He had already given them the king’s letters, and now, he reminds them of who is ultimately in charge- the God of heaven. He boldly let them know that God’s plans could not be frustrated.
In the face of ever-present opposition, Nehemiah had a God-centered confidence. His faith is so strong. There is no reason to back down, no reason to come to the table and try to work out a compromise. He has what T.J. Betts calls, a “holy stubbornness.” He writes. “There is such a thing as a “holy stubbornness.” It is a resolve to obey God and seek his glory regardless of the cost and regardless of the difficulties that may come. Being a faithful follower of Christ is a call to have a stiff backbone in the face of opposition. The church needs to be full of believers with the same kind of dogged determination Nehemiah has. Whenever the opposition puts up stiff resistance, it is time for the people of God to overcome it with a strong-willed persistence.” Do you have this God-centered confidence in the face of ever-present opposition?
Doing a great work requires a God-centered
confidence against ever-present opposition (9-10, 19-20).
Doing a great work requires wise preparation, skillful motivation, and a God-centered
confidence.
4