NEHEMIAH SERMON FOR Sunday
Sept. 6th, 2015
By Col. Robert Knapp (Ret.), CCQF Pastoral Intern
Today’s
sermon is based upon lessons learned from the rebuilding of the walls of
Jerusalem by the Israelites in 445BC while the Israelites were under exile in
Persia. In the 20th year of Artaxerxes, king of Persia, Nehemiah was cup-bearer to
the king. Learning that the
remnant in Judah were in distress and that the walls of Jerusalem were broken
down, Nehemia asked the king for permission to return and rebuild the
city. Artaxerxes sent him to Judah as
governor of the province with a mission to rebuild, letters explaining his
support for the venture, and provision for timber from the king's forest. Once there, Nehemiah defied the opposition of
Judah's enemies on all sides—Samaritans, Ammonites, Arabs and Philistines—and
the Lord enabled Nehemiah to rebuild the walls within 52 days.
Nehemiah
faced incredible opposition from both within the Jewish community (many were
nay sayers) and from many external enemies as well. What was it that made Nehemiah so successful
against all odds? It was his faith,
prayers and perseverance which allowed him to undertake God’s work in God’s way
and not his own work in his own way.
Nehemiah 1:8-9 says: “Remember the instruction you gave your servant
Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations,
but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people
are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to
the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.”
We
too often face opposition to our plans, and this is particularly frustrating
when we are trying to do something we think is good for our family, for our
Church, or for our community. We often
become vexed and disappointed when our good intentions, good ideas and
initiatives are rejected or fall short of our definition of success. So why do our good intentions fall short
where Nehemiah’s very difficult mission met with success? It is usually as simple as this - our plans,
our timing, our location or our team just did not fit in with God’s plan, God’s
timing, God’s location or God’s team.
Given the incredible (but not always obvious) importance of seeking God
Almighty’s purpose and direction, should we really be surprised when plans we
put together on our own just do not bear the kind of fruit for which we were
hoping? Is it wise to make plans without
seeking God’s counsel and direction? Do
we set ourselves up for failure or disappointment when we try to make plans
without our Heavenly Father’s direction, advice, counsel and blessing? In spite of all difficulties there is good
news – through faith, hope and prayer God can and will guide us along His good
path – the only truly good path there is in this world.
Now
I’d like to share a personal story where I tried to do good, where my efforts
were rejected, and how God helped me overcome that rejection and move on. A couple years ago I prepared a class on
business ethics for a privately held company that was seeking military officers
with experience in the field of ethics.
When I presented the class the manager reviewing it asked me to take any
reference to obedience out of the presentation in favor of the generic phrase
“following rules.” I found this
requirement disturbing because the obedience we learn from and want to give to
God edifies us
with faith, love and humility, helps us meet God’s moral and spiritual
expectations and disciplines our energies and creativity – obedience is one of
the cornerstones of our relationship with God.
I was also told that, once the class was
accepted, I could not present the class to anyone outside a specific circle of
business clientele, and that I could not even present the class at Church. When I declined to comply with these
restrictions the manager told me that I could not work for their company. I was quite disappointed as I had hoped to
supplement our family’s income by working part time for this company presenting
the class. Little did I know that, once
again, I was about to learn that God works in ways we cannot foresee, and He
often uses disappointments to teach us lessons in humility, patience,
perseverance and obedience.
Shortly
after this disappointment I received a call from the Rev. and Mrs. George
Brower asking me if I would be interested in the new ordination process that
the Episcopal Church in CT is now undertaking.
I prayed about this call to serve God, and to serve God in His way, and
I am now walking down this new path. I
do not yet know the Godly destinations or all the Godly purposes for which the
Father is now preparing and directing me, but I do know I am making a walk of
faith, and it brings me new joys and new spiritual discoveries every day. Our plans quite often do not line up with
God’s plan, yet God is constantly pursuing a loving relationship with us that
is real and personal – a relationship where we trust, believe and obey Him, and
where He can then lead us in His loving ways and in His loving work. God has invited me into His work. I am confident that if I listen carefully to
His word, and measure it against scripture, He will then lead me further into
His good work and good blessings.
How
is God inviting you into His work? God’s
invitation to you will be totally unique.
His relationship with you will be totally unique. God never changes, but because He is not
limited by time or space, neither are His relationships limited in design,
scope or variety. He will call you in
ways that only you will hear or recognize.
You must then measure these callings against God’s word and seek God’s
will. What does Isaiah 55:11 say about
God’s word? “So is my word that goes out
from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I
desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
When
God calls us we are to respond immediately to His call. His call may require immediate action or a
lifetime of preparation for some future action, but we are to respond to Him
just the same. If we do not respond He
may invite someone else into His work, but He will not stop seeking our love
and our fellowship. Jonah found this
truth out the hard way, for it is by knowing God’s word and responding
obediently to His invitations that we come to know, love, believe, trust and
obey God – and like Nehemiah, King David and Jesus Christ flourish beyond human
expectations.
So
who among us obeys God? As we come to
know God’s word better, and obey his commands, we show God that we love
Him. God will then reveal Himself to us
in new ways and invite us into His work in new ways. He will protect us and keep us and guide us
just as a herdsman cares for his flock.
John 10: 14-16 says: “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my
sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I
lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this
sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there
shall be one flock and one shepherd.”
Let us therefore join the Lord’s flock and be of one body, one mind and
one heart in Christ Jesus. Amen. And just a quick announcement regarding our
Ministry Fair next Sunday, Sept. 13th - where everyone is invited to
have lunch with us after Church and hear from five or six of our CCQF ministry
leaders about a wide variety of opportunities to serve Jesus Christ at CCQF and
beyond. Thank you.
