The Right Mindset
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Introduction
Introduction
Last week I presented unto you the theme that will dominate our church this year.
I believe 2023 to be a pivotal year for our church.
I believe it will be a year that defines us moving forward.
I believe this time next year our church will look different
It will be a year that we will look back and either bless God for the building that He’s done in our lives and our church, OR we’ll look back and lament our hard-heartedness that prevented the moving & blessing of the Holy Ghost of God
This is not a year to be stagnant. Not a year to ‘tread-water’. But a year to build! That’s the vision! That’s what we’re aspiring for this year.
But as I stressed last week, it can’t be only me that has that vision. I can’t be the only one with that aspiration. WE must all embrace the vision to RISE UP AND BUILD our CHURCH!
Today’s subject is where it all starts - in the mind. Henry Ford made a statement many years ago that I believe holds a lot of truth for the Christian. He said “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.”
We as Christians know that God is Omnipotent - THE All powerful God right?
We Christians believe the Bible, right?
Php. 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
This church can be the catalyst for revival - not only in our community, but in our country!
We will never accomplish great things for God unless we have a great Godly mindset.
We will never be the Godly example that our spouse, children, family, community need without the right mindset.
I believe that what we see in Nehemiah in the first chapter of the book gives us an example of a Godly mindset. A mindset that is the precursor needed to accomplish Great Godly things.
Church, you will never carry out God’s Will without God’s mind
You will never accomplish Godly things with a Carnal mind
That being said, we must cultivate the right mindset BEFORE we carry out God’s Will
So Nehemiah begins during the 20th year of Artaxerxes King of Persia’s reign.
By this point in time, the COI had been back in the land for apx. 80 years; Ezra about 13.
And we see at the beginning of the book, one of Nehemiah’s brethren named Hanani had information regarding those that had made the journey to go and resettle the land that God had given them.
With that, we’ll begin this message by noticing first Nehemiah’s regard
I. Nehemiah’s Regard
I. Nehemiah’s Regard
The Inquiry (v2)
The first thing that we see is Nehemiah’s Inquiry. He asked about the state of his brethren and that of God’s Holy city.
This I think says a lot about Nehemiah’s character, and certainly a trait that we need to adopt. That is Nehemiah cared enough to ask. He cared enough to enquire what was going on.
We live in a world where everyone is enamored with themselves. Everyone is concerned about themselves, and for many that’s where their concern ends.
This truth has not only effected the lost, but the church as well. We are more concerned with our comfort, our cares, our thoughts, our desires, our end - and we have little to no care about others. Do you know why I say that?
Because if most Christians cared about the lost, they’d tell them about Jesus
If most Christians cared about the lost, they’d invest time in knocking on doors & sharing the Gospel
If most Christians cared about the lost, they’d be more careful with their testimony
If more Christians cared about their brethren, they’d spend more time at the House of God instead of the house of self
Jesus was asked a question in Mat. 22:36-40 “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Nehemiah inquired about the state of God’s People and God’s Holy City because he regarded it. He cared.
If we’re going to do great things for God this year, we need to get our minds off ourselves and get it on others.
We see Nehemiah’s Inquiry
The Information (v3)
So Nehemiah speaks unto Hanani & those men of Judah, asks them about the promised land and their brethren, and what he hears is unexpected and earth shaking.
They tell him that his brethren are in great affliction and reproach
They tell him that the wall of Jerusalem has been broken down & the gates are burned with fire
I say that this was unexpected news because the first thing that Nehemiah did when he heard it was he sat down. The new literally took him off his feet. He was STUNNED at the state of his homeland and his people
As we look upon our country today, what do you see?
I see a country that is so lost, they don’t know which way is up
I see a country that is so confused, they don’t what the definition of gender is
I see a country that is so corrupt that killing a child within the womb is acceptable, but capital punishment for a murderer is not
I see a country so divided that it’s falling apart at the seams
I see a country so morally bankrupt that we have drag queens not only reading library books to children they are performing to children in libraries
I see a country so void of understanding that we are applauded for encouraging children to change their gender and castigated for telling them not to
I see a country that is so unwell that we are in essence sacrificing our children at the altar of political correctness!
I see a country church, that is on the verge of the Judgment - and rightly so - by a Holy and Just God!
That’s what I see church, what about you?
As we look upon the church today, what do you see?
I see a church that has forgotten it’s purpose
I see a church that has given into fleshly desires
I see a church that is shuns holiness and embraces worldliness
I see a church ‘tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men’
I see a church that can’t draw division between what is of God and what is not
I see a church that is more concerned with living how THEY want instead of how Jesus wants
I see a church that even the majority of those who have not been seduced by contemporary ways are themselves lukewarm and stench in the nostrils of God instead of a sweet savour
I see the church today that fulfills Paul’s words 2,000 years ago in 2Tim. 4:3-4 “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
I see the church much like Jesus saw the multitudes in Mat. 9:36 “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.”
The majority of prominent ‘Christian’ leaders are leading people astray!
In these two entities, we see what troubled Nehemiah so in that day. The people were in great affliction and the walls were tore down. The people is our country and the walls are the church! The church is supposed to bring safety, stability and sustainability unto our country, but the walls have been torn down and the people perish!
This is what I see church, what about you? What do you see? Do you not see what I see? If you don’t, which one of us is right? Are you blinded or am I?
So we see the Information
The Impression (v4)
Nehemiah was Broken
As mentioned earlier - Nehemiah had to sit down after hearing this news. You see he was removed from the situation - he had no clue what had transpired, so when he heard it, it floored him. He was broken over the condition of his people and his homeland.
I think this is one of the disadvantages for you and I. (Ill.) I think we suffer from the same type of sensation the frog does when placed in a pot of cool water. We don’t understand the depth of depravity where we currently are in this country!
Let me tell you something - if you want this church to do great things for God, we need to gain the right mindset - and that is we need to get broken for the state of our country and the state of the church! It HAS to make a difference in us! We can’t simply not let it affect us, we need to get broken for our country and God’s Church.
You know, I’m as guilty as anyone. When we see the foolishness going on in our country, we get mad, we get indignant, we shake our heads - church, that’s not going to cut it! That’s not going to make the difference we need! We need to get broken! We must allow the Holy Spirit to prick our hearts! We need to weep and lament over where we are today!
Nehemiah was broken when he heard the news
So now that we see Nehemiah’s Regard, next we’ll look at Nehemiah’s Response
II. Nehemiah’s Response
II. Nehemiah’s Response
So far we’ve examined Nehemiah’s inquiry, the information given and the impression it had on him. Now let’s look at what he did about it.
Thes are all decisions that he made. Decisions that set him on the path to where Nehemiah made a difference for the LORD
He Starved the Flesh (v4)
We see that Nehemiah fasted
Fasting is not spoken of much today. Likely because it goes against everything we are. The process of giving up meals that satisfy our flesh is a foreign thought to most Christians today. But I want you to know that fasting is important.
Fasting puts the flesh into subjection
When we fast, we are putting whatever Spiritual needs that we are seeking above the most basic physical need we have.
When we fast, we are training ourselves to put our flesh into subjection. We control it so it doesn’t control us!
Fasting is the only way some things are accomplished
Matthew tells us a story in Mat. 17:14-21 “And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”
What the church needs is to train their flesh to be in subjection unto the Spirit - so that the Spirit can have free reign in the lives of Christians.
He Starved the Flesh
He Sought God in Prayer
Not only did Nehemiah fast, but he prayed. He called out unto the God of Heaven.
I am convinced that many Christians don’t know how to pray.
All too often they treat prayer like they are a kid sitting on Santa’s lap. ‘I want this and this and this...’ and that’s what their prayer consists of.
I think that our prayer lives will bring more fruit if we have the mind of the disciples in Luk. 11:1 “And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”
Secondly, if we pay close attention to Nehemiah’s prayer
He prayed Continually (v6a)
We notice that Nehemiah prayed ‘day and night’
We need to be either in prayer or a prayerful mindset day and night. Communion with God should be constant.
We must pray Continually
He Confessed their Sins (v6b-7)
Nehemiah didn’t try to white-wash their sins
He didn’t try to excuse their sins
He didn’t try to blame them on others
He confessed their sinfulness. Not only his fathers - but his own!
Church it’s easy for us to sit here and point the fingers at the previous generations. It’s easy to sit and point the finger at the contemporary churches - but if we’re going to get anywhere we must acknowledge our own sin unto God as well!
Church, shut your eyes for a moment and ask yourself this question: Are you in the perfect Will of God right now? If not, what sins are hindering me from living the life of Christ?
Is it the lust of the eyes?
Is it the lust of the flesh?
Is it slothfulness concerning the things of God?
Is it disobedience to God’s Commands?
Is it allowing the things of this world supersede the things of God?
Are you putting your job, family, children before God?
Is it pride? Is it apathy? Is it that you prioritize your time elsewhere? What is it?
Church, you can’t be effectively do God’s Will with sin in your life! You must confess it and forsake it!
He Confessed their Sins
He Claimed God’s Promises (v8-9)
Next we see that Nehemiah rested in the promises of God.
Church, we can rest in the promises of God as well!
Concerning our sins
1Jo. 1:8-9 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Concerning our country
2Ch. 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
In Drawing close to God
Jam. 4:8-10 “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”
Nehemiah just rested in God and trusted in Him. He had faith that God would perform that which He promised!
Nehemiah Claimed God’s Promises
He Coveted Opportunity (v11)
Lastly we notice that Nehemiah desired that God gave him opportunity and prepared the king’s heart for it.
That’s it.
He didn’t ask for outlandish things: He was in constant prayer, he confessed sin, he claimed God’s Promise & Coveted Opportunity to ACT - to act on behalf of his people and his homeland!
Let me ask you something - how does this compare to your prayers?
Are you confessing your sin unto the LORD?
Are you resting in God’s Promises?
Are you Coveting Opportunity to serve others for a cause greater than yourself?
This is the mindset that we must adopt!
He Coveted Opportunity
He Sustained His Resolve (v2:1)
In v1 we’re told that it was in the month of Chisleu which is the 9th month - apx. Nov / Dec. when Nehemiah heard the news. Then in v1 of Ch.2 it was in the month Nisan (Mar. / Apr.) when he approached the King - when gave him his opportunity.
So roughly 4 months between finding out & approaching the King Nehemiah prayed and sought the face of God. Then when opportunity arose, he seized it - with prayer even then (v4)
Church I tell you this because if we’re going to Rise Up and Build, it must be a conscious, sustained decision - not a temporary emotion. It can’t be something fleeting we feel today then tomorrow it’s forgotten. We must resolve to retain this mindset tomorrow & the next day, and the next until either revival or the LORD comes!
He Sustained His Resolve
Conclusion
Conclusion
Where is your mind today?