A Faithful Man Who Feared God
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Thanks to those who helped while I got new eyelids.
It also was the beginning of a new school year.
I have to make what we call procedures.
Structure means procedures, over and over.
Familiar Habits are so good for all of us.
Familiar Habits are so good for all of us.
How many of you get up everyday the same way, or go to sleep the same way.
But when you begin something new, and we know that all of us love familarity
If you think though how you are going to do the structure of your new activity, you’ll likely do it close to the same way every single time. A Habit.
If you think though how you are going to do the structure of your new activity, you’ll likely do it close to the same way every single time. A Habit.
Wake up, bathroom, shower, teeth, whatever.
Go to work, starbucks, Turn left, stop by the office, whatever your routine is, if you think it through, you can begin to allow Jesus into your life.
See down with Oatmeal, open up Bible app, read plan for today.
Text encouragement to the first person I point to in my new phone.
Thinking through the new is essential to all that God allowed us to go through to get to this point.
Thinking through the new is essential to all that God allowed us to go through to get to this point.
Today, Sheryll begins something new. You began something new. You committed to Sheryl in raising her in the Lord, what is called to discipleship.
We have been looking in the Bible for how faith works in real world and now we come upon the time of accomplishment.
Nehemiah - heart broke when he heard his home had no wall.
2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came to visit me with some other men who had just arrived from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had returned there from captivity and about how things were going in Jerusalem.
3 They said to me, “Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.”
4 When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.
Nehemiah as we have studied over these past couple of months, began with prayer, and with a step of faith from risking his life with the King of Persia by asking of him, all the way to risking his life against enemies of Jerusalem, from betrayal of his own people, to the evils of slavery, Nehemiah goes step by step walking with God, leading and building a wall
because if its not one thing, it’s another and God is … in the another. And
God is in the done. Are we still looking to God?
God is in the done. Are we still looking to God?
Nehemiah shows us what that looks like.
But last time I spoke the walls were up, the doors were installed. The city was officially protected by walls.
The project was over, it was a new beginning.
Nehemiah does something that I only recently focused on. A truth of God vital for our lives. It will help us in every relationship.
It will help all of us celebrating birthdays this month. From Arielle just starting out, to Jennifer and I who also are just starting out, well starting out the back half, an even some of you who know that you are wise in years. All of us have life changes that begin something new, from a new school year to a new doctor to visit and a new truth of God’s word. This will help us.
It will also help us to determine the person we need to be in following Jesus.
So the walls are built and this is what Nehemiah writes.
1 When the wall had been rebuilt and I had the doors installed, the gatekeepers, singers, and Levites were appointed.
2 Then I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem, along with Hananiah, commander of the fortress, because he was a faithful man who feared God more than most.
3 I said to them, “Do not open the gates of Jerusalem until the sun is hot, and let the doors be shut and securely fastened while the guards are on duty. Station the citizens of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some at their homes.”
Nehemiah gives a procedure. He thinks through his new normal.
Nehemiah gives a procedure. He thinks through his new normal.
When to open
Because there are few people in Jerusalem, walls suck if the doors are open
Great wall - 4 incursions
Faith doesn’t mean stupid. God didn’t tell them to do anything dangerous and say trust me. The dangerous was building the wall.
In your own faith life, wisdom (Thinking) is good.
In your own faith life, wisdom (Thinking) is good.
Nehemiah knows that the city would be in danger if very few were awake.
You know that while doctors are scary because they can say things we don’t want to hear, not hearing them is dangerous. It is unwise to say I have faith so I pray and don’t see a doctor. It is wise to get second opinions.
It is unwise to try and save someone we care about. It is wise to pray and ask God how we can be part of leading people to him. That is a small difference, what I and many others call a nuance.
Following Jesus means more thinking, more wisdom.
7 Jesus said again, “Truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.
8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them.
9 I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture.
10 A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.
Jesus describes himself as our gate. A gate is the opening to walls, right? See what I did there?
Only the owner opens the gate. Anyone else who opens that gate is a thief.
Look to God with what we allow into our lives
Look to God with what we allow into our lives
All of us in this room are still learning what this actually means.
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.
Last year I was doing that when I joined Mazimized Manhood.
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I was seeking even after seminary, leading the church for years, reading through the Bible, to learn from the greater church including other men what it means to follow Jesus, to let in what Jesus wants into my life. We all need to be continuously seeking the Kingdom of God to better hear the direction of God.
In Mazimized Manhood I learned a very important principle that we see Nehemiah live out right here. Did you catch it?
2 Then I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem, along with Hananiah, commander of the fortress, because he was a faithful man who feared God more than most.
This is amazing, after all the work, all the military might, the people put in charge of the city … has just two attributes.
The best builder? No
The one who everyone liked? No
The one with the best ideas? No
The one who complained the most? No
The one who was
Faithful and God was First (Fear of God)
Faithful and God was First (Fear of God)
I said it like “God was first” because Fear of God is not like a horror movie.
A healthy respect.
I fear my mother and some of you are feared by your children, even though your children take care of you
It is respect. It is valuing how you honor someone.
These men were not described as the most talented.
2 Then I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem, along with Hananiah, commander of the fortress, because he was a faithful man who feared God more than most.
In the Bible there are people with talent, there are people who look good, but more often than not they are passed over, as God is looking for people who are Emet,
When I say Emet I usually think who was the main character in the Lego movie. However I did some digging and while people did point out that Emmet is also close to truth, in old cornish it means Ant, In Slovenian it means Sausage, and in Cantonese it means Puppet, so who knows what they meant in the movie, but in Hebrew, Emet means
faithful.
What is faithful
It is someone who comes through. Someone who when they say they will show up, shows up. It is someone who does what they are supposed to do.
God is described as faithful
22 Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for his mercies never end.
23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness!
It is the second faithfulness in verse 23 that is from Emet. When Thomas Chilsom meditated on these words he wrote a poem, desiring to create more praise to God that came from scripture he wrote a poem based on these verses. He then sent the poem to William Runyan in Kansas who published the work back in the 1850s but it inspired Billy Graham’s ministry whose team played it often because it tells you about what faithfulness is and who God is:
Great is Thy faithfulness,” O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be. “Great is Thy faithfulness!” “Great is Thy faithfulness!”
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—
“Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord, unto me!
God is there, God was there, and God will be there. He is faithful.
He is the one who we can count on to forgive, to bless, to correct, to inviting us to be part of God’s work in this world.
This attribute of God, faithfulness, is possible for us, it should describe us:
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.
Do you realize that the fruit of the spirit should be the description of all of us who follow the Lord. It isn’t a personality test. This isn’t a special gifting, these are the ways that people who follow Jesus live.
When someone asks how are you doing spiritually, answer with the way you are showing the fruits of the spirit.
When someone asks how are you doing spiritually, answer with the way you are showing the fruits of the spirit.
Are you a faithful person?
Nehemiah shows that here is the most important trait in putting people in leadership in your life, are they a faithful person?
17 Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
18 I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, “Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I’ll handle the works department.” Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.
19 Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That’s just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them?
Faithfulness is coming through, just as Faith is really trusting in something to the point that you act on it. Faithfulness is being as reliable as the chair you sit in.
Kenny as a leader in Maximized Manhood and he will tell you that we are to pick leaders as Nehemiah picked leaders look to their character first, God will provide the ability.
My friends I have to look at the relationships that I have control over and ask who am I letting in as a leader or powerful voice in my life? Are they faithful?
Do you want more in your life? Than I ask you are you faithful?
Some of you may say, I don’t have anything to be faithful with. I say you have your life, your body, your mind, your time, your ability.
Jesus said,
10 Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and whoever is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much.
Be faithful in seeking after Jesus. Be faithful to God with what you have now. SEEK God and be faithful to others.