Through the Rubbish 1
Note from Pastor Mike: I want to encourage our church family to look deeper into what God speaks to us through the Message.
Here at First United Methodist Church of Saint Cloud we believe that God speaks to us through the Message. One way for all of us to hear from God more clearly is to read the Scripture verses and the Message again during the week.
I would really like to hear your comments and how God is challenging you through the worship service and the Message. It would be great to hear your discussion ideas. Please feel free to send me your discussion points.
Your friend on the journey,
Pastor Mike
Contact Pastor Mike at:
OR
First UMC St. Cloud 1000 Ohio Avenue Saint Cloud, FL 34769
(NIV)Nehemiah 4.1-15–When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews,2and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their1 wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?”
3Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”
4Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity.5Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face ofthe builders.
6So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.
7But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry.8They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.9But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.
10Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”
11Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”
12Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”
13Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows.14After 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 families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
15When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work.
Introduction
1.End of the Old Testament.
2.Temple – last week – Jesus dedicated. Celebrates feasts. Leaders from Temple will see him crucified.
3.Wall around Jerusalem – City of Last Supper. Gates Jesus will walk through carrying cross to Calvary.
The “Big Idea” – God builds up the people's faith and resolve as God walks with them through the rubble of adversity to rebuild the wall.
- The Wall Come to Failure
In our text from the Bible this morning, we find that the people of Israel facing adversityfrom their enemies who want to see God's plan to rebuild the wall come to failure
1.As soon as the leaders of the other nations that surrounded the land of Israel find out that the walls of Jerusalem are being rebuilt, they become angry and incensed. People living in a city with no wall are easy targets and no great threat. On the other hand, a well protected Jerusalem means the people of Israel will not be easy to manipulate. So, Sanballat comes to the worksite and Nehemiah 4.1-2 – 1....he ridiculed the Jews,2....Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?”King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem some hundred years earlier, leveling the walls to piles of rubble. Adding to these insults, which may well have spoken some truth about the state of the walls of Jerusalem, Tobiah, a leader of the Ammonites, shouts out that even a small fox climbing on the wall would bring it crashing down.
2.For these people of Israel, returned from exile, rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem is more than a civil works project. Though the walls protected them from their enemies, the walls also signify that God had redeemed them, had brought them home from captivity and exile. So, in a very real sense, being assailed by these other nations is a direct attack on the work God is doing in them as a people and the work to which God has given them to do in this world.
3.God strengthens the people to push through the literal rubble of the devastated wall and through the rubble of criticism. Nehemiah 4.6– 6So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart. Yet, completing the wall to half its original, attributed to God, only heightens the resolve of the surrounding nations to see the wall come to failure and, really, to ruin God's rebuilding the people of Israel. Sanballat, Tobiah and now others now make open plans to physical harm the people of Israel , threatening that,Nehemiah 4.6– 11....“Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”. These threats combine with the seemingly endless work of rebuilding the wall take their toll on the people. We hear in Nehemiah 4.10– 10Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”
4.At the moment when the people of Israel might have been looking to God, they cannot see beyond the rubble in their lives. Instead of looking to God for faith and strength their eyes and the eyes of their hearts are captivated by the endless piles of rubble to be moved and the words of rubbletheir enemies are piling around them.
- To Wreck Havoc
In a similar way, you and I can find ourselves assailed by affliction, internal and external, that seeks to wreck havoc on God's work in our lives.
1.If you have been redeemed, brought back from sin and death by Jesus the Christ, if you are following after Jesus then you will at some point find yourself facing adversity (sometimes adversity from other Christian). Jesus told us to expect this in (NRSV)John 16.33 − 33.... In the world you face persecution....When you participate with God in bring God's new creation into thisold creation there will be push back. In a more general sense, if you do anything that makes your life and the life of others more complete or healthy, then you can expect adversity to assault you.
a.If you are speaking in ways that show you are trying to love your enemies - expect adversity.
b.If you are remaining sexually pure - expect adversity. When Sanballat says,“Will they offer sacrifices?”he is most likely mocking the people of Israel's dependence on God. To follow after Jesus is so radically against our all-self-sufficient and all-self-centered culture that from a completely human point of view it makes no sense.
c.If you are makingfair and just decisions about the people at work - expect adversity. Sanballat mocks, “What are those feeble Jews doing?” The word translated as “feeble” in the Hebrew would include the idea of being “impotent” and “forlorn.” Adversity often means that not just our actions or beliefs are attacked but our whole person is assailed.
d.If you are making time for life in the church a priority over other pursuits - expect adversity.
e.If you are choosing not to retaliate against your enemies - even then - expect adversity.
2.Like the Nehemiah and people of Israel, facing adversity can become so tired even threatening that we become discouraged and tired. It is in these moments that we want to give up, to stop doing the work God has for our lives or to give up on allowing God to continue doing the work God is doing in our lives. Remember what the people rebuilding the wall moaned in Nehemiah 4.6– “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.” When our critics assail us with words and threats, sometimes all we can see is the rubble that we have to walk through if we are going to work with God or allow God to work in us. When we should be looking for God's grace we are looking at the rubble . When we should be looking up all we seem to be able to do is look down at the rubble around our feet.
- Walk Through the Rubble
In all this though, The “Big Idea” – God builds up the people's faith and resolve as God walks with them through the rubble of adversity to rebuild the wall.
1.Twice Nehemiah and the people of Israel pray to God. Twice God does not astonishingly send a divine wind to disburse their criticizing and menacing enemies. Twice God does not miraculously send the Army Corps of Engineers rebuild the wall. The rubble at their feet remains as does the rubble of intimidationsin their ears. Yet, God builds up the people of Israel so that they can see the wall through the rubble and strive on despite the rubble of the threats from their enemies.
2.They prayed, Nehemiah 4.4– 4Hear us, our God, for we are despised.... and God hears and answers them. They are given an inner strength to move on despite the rubble so Nehemiah 4.7– 7....that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed.... We are not told specifically how God brings this renewed sense of purpose and resolve into the lives of the people. I am of the opinion that in the mere act of praying, God lifts their eyes from staring at the rubble, renewing their vision on God's power to accomplish God's work.
3.Then, when the threats intensify, they pray again. This time God leads them to act. Nehemiah 4.9– 9But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.God's grace in their lives is seen in the wisdom they are given for how to best face the rubble. Here, God gives Nehemiah the wisdom to guard the people from the possibility of physical attack. God acts miraculously in the Bible on many occasions. Our knowledge of God is a miracle in itself. Yet, so often we see God work through the here-and-now lives of people; real people who are faced with real (and frightening) situations. One significant point we see here is that Nehemiah and the people continue to work. It is in this moving forward despite the words and threats of their critics where they experience God's continuedstrength and assurance in the context of refined wisdom. Nehemiah begins by posting guards. God then refines this wisdom, so we read in Nehemiah 4.13– 13Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows.God continues to give the people of Israel the courage and the wisdom they so desperately require to continue to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
4.Finally, God changes the heart of their enemies. Nehemiah 4.15– 15When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work.God builds up the people's faith and resolve as God walks with them through the rubble of adversity to rebuild the wall.
- Building In Us
In our lives, God is building in us a deeper faith and a resilient courage as God walks with you and me through the rubble of adversity.
1.Recall that we said, if you have been redeemed, brought back from sin and death by Jesus the Christ, if you are following after Jesus, then you will at some point find yourself assailed by adversity of one kind or another. We read more about this in (NIV)1 Peter 4.12-13 − 12Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.13But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.In other words, when we find ourselves in the rubble of adversity, especially for our faith in Jesus, we can find comfort, even joy, knowing that we will experience Christ's glory (God's presence and God's power) as God leads you through the rubble.
2.You see, God may use any challenge or affliction towards the ongoing work of increasing the depth of your and my sanctification - our lives being set apart more and more for God. Now, for the most part, I do not believe that God sends evil and suffering our way. Those afflictions are part of a world gone wrong because of sin. Yet, God can use even evil for a good purpose, and in a wonderful way turn perversity to good account.
3.Now, God responds to Nehemiah and the people of Israel when they pray. God also encouraged them, literally I think, gave them courage they formerly did not possess, to act.Nehemiah 4.14– 14After 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 families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”Nehemiah and the people of Israel reveal this balance that often God uses to lead us through the rubble of affliction. God draws us into the life of God through prayer; through honest, heartfelt and trusting prayer. Then, through the power of the Holy Spirit, God gives you and me the courage to face and the wisdom to act that we need to walk through the rubble of affliction. God empowers us to act in ways that allow you and me to keep at the work God has for your life or the work God is doing in your life.
4.So, when we face the rubble of affliction (and we will if you are not already there) God recalls us to have proper vision - vision on God and not the rubble. Nehemiah 4.14– 14....“Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome....
a.Then, in the rubble God draws us into God presence through prayer. (NRSV)Philippians 4.4-7 − 4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.In prayer and thanksgiving God gives us peace in the rubble.
5.Finally, God gives us our church family as a rally point when we are in the rubble of affliction. Like Nehemiah and the people of Israel face the rubble around the wall and the rubble of adversity together, God works through the local church in helping us walk through our rubble of affliction.
Conclusion
1.In the rubble of affliction, allow God to reveal to you how your experience might be deepening your sanctification, deepening your life to be set apart in a greater way for God.(NRSV)James 1.2-4 − 2My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, 3because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; 4and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.“Action Point” – Allow God to sanctify you even in the rubble of affliction.
2.Our surety that God walks with us through the rubble of affliction is seen in the life and death of Jesus. Remember, Jesus tells us (NRSV)John 16.11 − 33I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!’