West Pines Community Church

03-20-16 Palm Sunday by West Pines Community Church

It’s the great fish story of the Bible. We know it as Jonah and the Whale. No doubt a memorable episode in scripture. When hearing the story, it’s only natural to wonder what it would be like to be in the stomach of a whale. Jonah cries out describing how terrible his situation is. But even in midst of it, he believes and hopes that it will turn out ok. While most likely none of us will experience being in the belly of a “great fish,” we have all been through excruciating experiences that we hope will be redeemed somehow. Our natural instinct is to believe that these bad circumstances will be turned around for good. But on what basis is this hope? Is it based on an expectancy that fate or destiny or karma will right the wrong? Maybe we just have an empty belief? But the story of Jonah reveals more for us. It points to another story that is profound enough to hang all our hope on. It is the greatest redemption story in history.

There are few things more inspiring than being immersed in a story that depicts someone’s untamed passion, unmatched ingenuity and unconquerable will to build something. We are wired to build. We are instinctively driven to create and craft and cultivate. This is why stories that display that kind of plotline are adventures that inescapably draw us in. This is the story of Nehemiah. It is known to be one of the most profound leadership texts in history. It is a story of tears and blood and especially sweat. We intend to immerse ourselves in Nehemiah’s story. And in doing so, we will learn how to approach whatever it is God is calling each of us to arise and build. It is a call to pick up our shovels and swords, and be ready for anything.

Nehemiah had heard the bad news that things were not good in Jerusalem. There was no wall. There were no gates. The remnant of people there were in danger. When he heard this news he wept and mourned and fasted and prayed. But what could Nehemiah do about it? He lived in Susa. He had a job in the king’s palace. He was a cupbearer. Last week we talked about our call to build something. We believe God wants us to be a part of building what He is building. The danger is that often we think being used by God will require us to be repositioned. We think we have to leave where we are and do something else. But we can learn from Nehemiah’s example. We should start with where we are. God didn’t make a mistake. He placed us where we are for a reason.

The walls of Jerusalem were reduced to rubble. The gates had been torched. Because of this, the people living there were living in perpetual danger. But maybe God had a plan. It just so happened that the cupbearer to the most powerful man in the world was a godly Jewish man, named Nehemiah. Is it possible that this servant could somehow have influence on this situation hundreds of miles away? If he ever got the opportunity with the king, he would certainly only have one shot. That day did come. Was Nehemiah ready? He had prayed. But had he planned?

It was a life or death risk. One conversation could have labeled him a traitor. He could have been tortured and executed. But God’s mission was on the line. Nehemiah needed to be wise and he needed to be bold. Have you ever had a situation that made you wonder where the line was between wisdom and overly conservative? Maybe you wondered when boldness becomes foolishness. Sometimes we can cover up our cowardice by calling it “wisdom.” And sometimes we can cover up our recklessness by calling it “boldness.” But a leader cannot succeed without both of those qualities. The story of Nehemiah calls each of us to be Wise and Bold.

There is one thing common to every great movement or endeavor or effort. One thing that is always present. Sometimes a movement is planned, and sometimes it’s spontaneous. Sometimes it’s rallied around a leader, and other times it’s around an idea. Sometimes there’s a strong surging majority, and sometimes it’s the underdog that wins. But one thing is always the same. If what is being built is of any enduring value, there will be opposition! When it comes to building something worthwhile, we won’t just need shovels… we’ll need swords.

Everyone knows that you have to “look before you leap.” Before someone jumps into something it is critical that they know what they are getting into. But the same logic is true in most of our interactions. It takes discipline to listen before we speak. It takes great maturity to seek to understand before we challenge something. Nehemiah demonstrates his expertise in this area as he arrives in Jerusalem. He cannot single handedly build an entire wall. He must rally the people. And once again we can learn a lot from his superior leadership abilities. Do we investigate before we instigate?

In a chapter that would seem to contain little other than irrelevant details, there are two major lessons to be learned that can shape our understanding of God’s specific instructions for our lives and our leadership. Sometimes, we make the idea of seeking God’s direction more complicated than it has to be. Sometimes it is as simple as doing what is right in front of us, like the various inhabitants of the city who took it upon themselves to work on the section of the wall that was right in front of their homes instead of coming up with a more complicated construction plan. Another nugget that we find buried in this chapter is the idea that the nobles would not “stoop” to help with the construction even though the leader of the initiative, Nehemiah, was in there getting his hands dirty with everyone else. Leadership requires that we be willing to do what we are asking those we lead to do.

We can face many obstacles when attempting to climb the mountains in our lives. We can fight weariness. We can face self-doubt and insecurity. We can experience set-backs. We can even be ready for threats from enemies. But the maybe the greatest back-breaker is when a friend tells you to “turn back.” How do we deal with discouragement? How do we push through? Maybe we should just remember the goal and mentally visualize the glory of reaching the summit. Maybe we dig down deep inside of ourselves. We remember what we’re made of and channel our own inner strength. When Nehemiah faced opposition, he did none of those things. And when we adopt Nehemiah’s strategy for beating discouragement we can tap into strength we didn’t know we had access to.

Opposition can be tricky. Sometimes it’s external, coming from an enemy or an outsider. There is no shortage of people in this world who (somehow) find enjoyment in opposing, ridiculing, and discouraging others. Other times opposition can be internal. In this case, the opponent is the person you least expected--a close friend, a family member, someone on the inside who knows the real you. There is another form of opposition, however, and this is where it gets tricky. It’s the opponent inside us. It’s when we are the ones stacking the odds against ourselves. So how can we win in the face of opposition, when we’re the opposition?

Manipulation is one of the most entangling obstacles that we face. It’s tricky because it’s all about reading between the lines, and trying to recognize people’s intentions. People can coerce our actions through all kinds of tactics like guilt, sympathy or even over-spiritualizing something. We know we are not supposed to be naive, but we also don’t want to be paranoid. We don’t want to always think the worst of people, but we don’t want to get taken advantage of. What’s the difference between perceiving someone’s motives and being judgmental? The bottom line is it’s a difficult thing to be discerning. Nehemiah vulnerably shares how he faced this obstacle. And through his example we can learn how to sharpen our discernment for when we will face this too.

Sticks and Stones may break bones, but what about words? They can do far more than that! They can fracture relationships in an instant. They can break someone’s spirit. They can permanently maim someone’s self-esteem. Despite what the old adage says, words are are far more dangerous than sticks and stones. But we have a tendency to underplay the power of words. When we face ridicule, sometimes we make the mistake of just telling ourselves that we are immune. But those words that we think we are ignoring, can haunt us without us knowing. Not appreciating how ridicule works on us, can affect our lives more than we want to admit. We need to know the affects on us, on our kids, and on how we speak to others. We can learn a great deal from one leader, Nehemiah, with how he faces this type of opposition.

We love victory stories. We love seeing stories of great men and women who persevere until they reach their goal, their summit. But one of the saddest things is to see someone or some organization rise to great heights only to not be able to tumble down. Watching neglect destroy a something beautiful is a tragic thing to witness. Unfortunately, this is part of the story of an ancient leader named Nehemiah. When he takes leave from Jerusalem, after rebuilding things physically and spiritually, things spiralled downward. But what happens when he returns, teaches us something about the impact of neglect and what to do when we fall prey to it in our lives.

There are some messy jobs out there. It takes a strong work ethic and an equally strong stomach to do what no one else could handle. But sometimes what makes it so messy is not the work itself, but the spiritual environment. Maybe that’s you. You would say that it is just hard to be a Christian where you work. For others, it’s not just the workplace environment. For many, it’s hard to be a Christian in the family you’ve been placed in, or the school you go to. How do you navigate through all the stuff you’re not sure a Christian should be exposed to? What do you do about the elements of the workplace that you can’t endorse? When do you take a stand? And how? It’s MESSY and it’s not always easy to know how to draw the lines. Especially because retreat is not an option. We know Jesus has called us to go into the world and He told us it would not be easy. The good news is that we can learn from those who went before us. And Daniel is a great place to start...

Imagine you show up for the first day of class, sit down at the desk and pull out your books and your laptop. You are ready to go. Then the professor walks in, and begins his intro lecture. That’s when you realize. You are in the wrong class. You now have to make the walk of shame to the exit. Maybe you’ve been in a place where you feel like you don’t belong. It couldn’t have been worse than what the biblical character Daniel felt. For him it was a spiritual issue. How could he possible be a godly person, in an environment completely opposed to that effort? That’s life in exile. And if you are a Christ-follower, the Bible says you are in exile too. Maybe you’ve felt that before. It’s difficult to live a godly life in an environment that is not set up to promote godliness. That’s Daniel’s story. We can learn a lot from him. Particularly instructive is what he did first… he resolved his allegiance.

Imagine you are in a situation where you have the chance to take a risk and speak up. Maybe it’s a family member that is making some bad decisions and you have the opening to say something to them. Maybe a friend you’ve known for a long time finally cracks open the door to a spiritual conversation. Maybe at work, your boss asks for your input on an ethical decision for the company. How far do you go? What if you say to little? What if you say too much? Maybe as an act of faith we should be reckless. Perhaps we should be seizing those rare opportunities and just trust that God will clean up the mess. Or maybe we should trust our instincts and rely on our own read of the situation. But is that leaning on our own understanding and not trusting God? How are we supposed to handle these delicate moments? We can learn a lot from how Daniel operated. He was in a situation that was so delicate, his life and the lives of his friends were on the line.

Remember that season of your life where you didn’t have to interact with any difficult people? No one does! Difficult people are a part of life. But there is one category of people that can create a particularly messy situation. These are the people that operate from a completely different worldview or faith, and are antagonistic to you yours. It could be a family member that always tries to prove to you why your beliefs are illogical and irrational. It is the co-worker that puts you on the spot every time they read about a noteworthy Christian messing up. How should we engage that type of person. The Bible character, Daniel, was no stranger to this situation. He had a difficult person that he showed incredible love to. There is much we can learn from this incredible story.

Somewhere deep down, each of us wants to make an impact. God’s wired an impulse into our souls that is driven to have a positive influence. Sometimes when we see an extraordinary character in the Bible like Daniel, it is inspiring but also can be discouraging. We look at these incredible opportunities and adventures and wonder how our lives could compare to them. We see what God did through their incredible lives but feel so ordinary. Where do we even start? Daniel instructs us there too. There is something so simple, but more powerful than we realize. And we put it into operation starting tomorrow. Something we can commit to and then watch God work. God calls us to be committed to EXCELLENCE.

One of the most obvious questions that we often don't think to ask is: How can I feel close to God? No matter where we are at in our journey with God, many of us are at a place where we are asking this question. Some might not know what they believe about God, but they see that people they respect seem to have had a genuine encounter with God. They wonder what it would look like for them to feel that. Others may have recently started following Jesus. Maybe they have felt their enthusiasm wane and wonder how they get it back. For seasoned believers, some have felt apathy creep in unnoticed and want to know how to get their fiery passion back. This episode in the story of Nehemiah, outlines the path to renewal that we all need.