July 24, 2005
“Our God Gives Us Courage”
Nehemiah 2
A Call to Be Boldly Aggressive
A. The first two verses of Nehemiah 2 are startling. Early the following spring, during the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign, I was serving the king his wine. I had never appeared sad in his presence before this time. 2 So the king asked me, “Why are you so sad? You aren’t sick, are you? You look like a man with deep troubles.” Then I was badly frightened…. There was a good reason Nehemiah had never appeared sad in the king’s presence. The general rule for all of the king’s officials was to maintain happy, pleasant moods in his presence. And, generally speaking, if someone acted sad around the king without his prior permission, that person would be immediately executed. That’s why Nehemiah was so badly frightened. It was a tremendous risk for him to reveal his real mood to the king. The same thing is true for us. As we saw last time, God gives us a burden that we weep and mourn and pray over, and then He gives us a plan. But the hardest thing for us to do is to get started with God’s plan. Why? When we start out enacting God’s plan, we feel most vulnerable. We have our own doubts about our ability to see it happen, and we even have those fears that maybe, just maybe, we didn’t hear God quite right. Plus there are always those who will try to shoot down God’s plan because it reveals to their hearts their own reluctance to take risks for God. Bruce Wilkinson calls those folks “Border Bullies” in his book The Dream Giver. They’re not bad people, they’re just running scared, whether they realize it or not. Nehemiah took a big risk in beginning to walk in God’s plan, and when he was scared and had the chance to pull back and play it safe, he pressed ahead.
B. Verse 3 - but I replied, “Long live the king! Why shouldn’t I be sad? For the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and the gates have been burned down.” That’s what I call having guts – the courage to press ahead in spite of fear. Actor John Wayne said, “Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway” (as cited on PreachingToday.com). Nehemiah’s life was on the line, and he knew it. But he also knew that, if it was really God’s plan, God would make it happen. The same is true for us. God will make his plan happen through us if we just press forward in spite of our fears. God is calling us to be boldly aggressive in pushing forward with His plan for our lives. As we learned last time, all of us have a grand call of God, a plan that He has for us to live according to, that will transform our corner of the world, and maybe beyond. We’ve got to have the courage to boldly declare God’s plan, not only so that others will come alongside us to see the plan come to fruition, but so that others will be encouraged to go after God’s plan for them. And it will often call on others to make a choice: either for God and His plan or against Him and His plan – it will be test the true intentions of their heart. We’ve got to press ahead in spite of our fears to get God’s plan off the ground.
C. There’s something interesting I’ve noticed throughout the course of my life. When we step boldly forward in beginning the process of fulfilling God’s plan for us, we find that He’s already prepared the road for us to get started. Verse 4 - Then the king asked, “Well, how can I help you?” With a prayer to the God of heaven, 5 I replied, “If it please Your Majesty and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.” 6 The king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked, “How long will you be gone? When will you return?” So the king agreed, and I set a date for departure. Incredible, isn’t it? Not only does the king not have Nehemiah executed, but Artaxerxes is actually eager to help Nehemiah accomplish God’s plan. What a powerful moment! That pagan, idol-worshipping king was used by God in a mighty way to help accomplish God’s plan. So many times in our lives we find God speaking to us and helping us using unexpected sources. If we’d all take a minute to look back, we’d remember some of those times quite vividly. They stick in our minds because they surprise us. When we boldly step forward to begin fulfilling God’s plan, we will find help and encouragement from unexpected sources. About seven-and-a-half years ago, I had come to know that it was God’s time for me to boldly step forward, quit my teaching job (I loved teaching the high schoolers and had some great musical groups), sell our house, and go to seminary. The interesting thing is that our greatest encouragement did not come from folks in our church; although some there were very supportive, many told us we were crazy, even though they’d known for some time about God’s calling on my life to be a pastor. The greatest encouragement we received was from our unchurched and non-Christian friends. They thought it was great that we were pursuing our dreams, while the church folks felt their faith threatened by our step of faith. We were scared, but we moved forward anyway and received help from unexpected sources. The same thing happened with Nehemiah, and it will happen with you when you boldly take that first step toward fulfilling God’s dream for you.
D. Verses seven and eight - I also said to the king, “If it please Your Majesty, give me letters to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, instructing them to let me travel safely through their territories on my way to Judah. 8 And please send a letter to Asaph, the manager of the king’s forest, instructing him to give me timber. I will need it to make beams for the gates of the Temple fortress, for the city walls, and for a house for myself.” And the king granted these requests, because the gracious hand of God was on me. Not only did God provide encouragement for Nehemiah from an unexpected source, He also provided the resources Nehemiah needed to get the job done. When we boldly step forward toward fulfilling God’s plan, He will provide the resources we need to accomplish His plan. God will provide exactly what we need, not what we think we may need, but what we need. Again going back about seven years, we were living in Maupin in a house that was structurally sound but, shall we say, aesthetically and functionally challenged on the inside. Basically about the whole interior needed to be gutted and rebuilt. So how were we going to sell a house like that? You know what’s funny? God had begun working the miracle over a year earlier. The school superintendent was a friend of mine, and I had told him that we would eventually be selling our house so I could go to seminary. He told me to contact him first before we even saw a realtor. His father-in-law was a semi-retired contractor who was looking for a project house in the area that they could fix up and move into. So I told Tom, and Tom told Don, and miraculously their loan went through on that dive. Kim and I made enough on that house to pay off the contract on the house, pay off all our bills, buy the Geo, get me a computer for school, buy some badly needed new furniture, and pay for my year of seminary. On top of that, we were able to get into the only rental house available in Maupin, and a pretty good one at that. Then when our cash was running out, the conference opened the school of ministry. God will provide the resources if we will only take that first step forward toward fulfilling His plan for us. It is an exercise in faith, believing that God will provide the resources for what He has planned. The same principle holds true in our individual lives as well as in every area of ministry in the church. Most of us hold back from doing what we really feel God calling us to do because we don’t think that the necessary finances or personnel or other resources will come through. Nehemiah’s life shows unequivocally that God will always provide the resources we need to fulfill His plan for us once we take that first step. And He will continue to provide those resources exactly when we need them throughout our journey toward seeing His dreams come true. Praise God!
E.One word of warning: There will always be enemies who will oppose you. Verse 10 - But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard of my arrival, they were very angry that someone had come who was interested in helping Israel. Sanballat was from a town called Horonaim in Moab, so the two who were opposing Nehemiah were from countries that were ancient enemies of Israel. They were enjoying seeing the Jews suffer, and especially so from their positions in the Babylonian government. Whenever we’re stepping forward in faith to fulfill God’s plan we will be opposed by our ancient enemy, Satan, and his servants, be they human or demonic. But don’t worry – just as Artaxerxes provided protection for Nehemiah because he recognized the threat to Nehemiah, God will protect us. That doesn’t mean we won’t struggle or problems won’t arise. God allows those things into our lives and into our ministries to develop our character and to help us mature in Him. But with His angels standing guard around us and His Spirit within us, nothing that God does not choose to permit will happen to us. It’s not the bad things that happen to us that cause us problems, it’s how we choose to react to them. We will be attacked, but God will defend us.
F. In verses 11-15, we see that Nehemiah, after resting from his journey, took time to survey the situation to see exactly what needed to be done and if he had heard God right. Verse 16 - The city officials did not know I had been out there or what I was doing, for I had not yet said anything to anyone about my plans. I had not yet spoken to the religious and political leaders, the officials, or anyone else in the administration. 17 But now I said to them, “You know full well the tragedy of our city. It lies in ruins, and its gates are burned. Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and rid ourselves of this disgrace!” 18 Then I told them about how the gracious hand of God had been on me, and about my conversation with the king. They replied at once, “Good! Let’s rebuild the wall!” So they began the good work. After we take the time to survey the situation to see exactly what the next step is, then we’re ready to implement the plan. We’re ready to take the second and third and any other steps we need to see the job done. Notice how the officials reacted when Nehemiah shared God’s plan. Did they react with fear? Did they react with jealousy that God hadn’t given the plan to them? Did they react with a sense of resignation and futility that the plan was impossible? No! They reacted with faith and gladness and with an eagerness to see God’s plan accomplished. You see, God had been preparing their hearts. He had been speaking to their minds. God had paved the way for Nehemiah just as He paved the way with the king. The same is true for us. When we boldly share the plan God has placed on our hearts, those God has in mind to help fulfill the plan will respond with eagerness and faith and gladness. God will have been preparing their hearts – in fact, He’s working to prepare them right now! That doesn’t mean that we won’t have opposition – we will, even from some folks in the church. As we’ll see later in the book, not all of the city officials were on board with the plan God gave Nehemiah, and some actively worked to undermine him, but God’s plan was accomplished anyway. God will prepare the hearts of those we need to come alongside us to accomplish His dream so that, when we share God’s dream, they will be ready to help.
G. One last lesson from Nehemiah 2. Verse 19 - But when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab heard of our plan, they scoffed contemptuously. “What are you doing, rebelling against the king like this?” they asked. 20 But I replied, “The God of heaven will help us succeed. We his servants will start rebuilding this wall. But you have no stake or claim in Jerusalem.” Not only did Nehemiah’s enemies keep at it, but they enlisted help from another ancient enemy of Israel – an Arab, also known as an Aramean. Geshem hailed from a country we now call Syria, and there was just as much hatred for Israel by the Arameans then as there is by the Syrians now. Even back then, the feeling was mutual. Those who oppose God’s plan will try to enlist help, trying to make God’s will the subject of a popularity contest. They will sidestep the real issues and throw up a smoke screen. Why? Because if you oppose God’s plan then you oppose God and are His enemy, and therefore Satan’s ally. And Satan will always use sidesteps and smokescreens to try to distract you from fulfilling God’s plan for you, the dream He has given you. Nehemiah brought the whole conversation back to the real issue – doing God’s will. Fulfilling God’s plan. Making God’s dream a reality. Nehemiah didn’t argue, he just pointed out the facts. When we are opposed as we step out in faith to fulfill God’s plan, we’ve got to point everything back to the real issue. We’ve got to call it like it is – a matter of obedience to God’s will for us and for our church. And then move forward by the power of the Holy Spirit to see wonderful things happen because we obeyed God’s leading to fulfill His plan.
H. Illustration – A Chinese proverb says, He who deliberates fully before taking a step will spend his entire life on one leg (as cited on PreachingToday.com). There comes a point where you have to stop cutting bait and start fishing, where you have to step forward in courage to begin fulfilling God’s plan. We’ll never know everything there is to know about His plan before we start. We get a picture of the start and what it will look like when it’s fulfilled, and we’ll get the next step, but we won’t get the whole thing. Otherwise we’d chicken out. We’ve got to be boldly aggressive in stepping forward to fulfill God’s dream for us.
I. Illustration – Revivalist Jonathan Edwards cautions us, There is a false boldness for Christ that only comes from pride. A man may rashly expose himself to the world's dislike and even deliberately provoke its displeasure, and yet do so out of pride. ... True boldness for Christ transcends all, it is indifferent to the displeasure of either friends or foes. Boldness enables Christians to forsake all rather than Christ, and to prefer to offend all rather than to offend Him (as cited on PreachingToday.com). Bold and yet humble just like Jesus. But still bold. As missionary pioneer William Carey wrote, Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God (as cited on PreachingToday.com). God is calling each one of us to step forward boldly and aggressively to fulfill His plan for each one of us. How will we answer?
A. Please bow your heads and close your eyes out of respect for each other’s privacy. What is God speaking to your heart this morning about stepping forward boldly to fulfill His plan. Let’s spend a few quiet moments listening to what the Spirit is saying to us.
B. Again, what’s God been speaking to your heart? What is the dream He has for you? What is the first step He wants you to take? Spend a few moments asking Him what the next step is, and asking His help in being boldly aggressive in fulfilling His plan for you. Then do it. Let’s pray.