Sermon Tone Analysis

God At Work in Your Work

God calling us to partner in re-building, then temple, now temple Jesus Christ - Kingdom - Intro - Look outward with compassion; Look upward - prayer; Look inward in confession; Clarrify the need bibliclaly and Come with a promise in your hand to GOd! = What it means to join in God’s work of re-building ie…

But that was all the prep work - How Do We Work for God? WOrking for God - say it my boss is a Jewish carpenter!

Joanna - you are at a critical time of life - launch pad - not just schooling, but economics and agriculture - time of opportunity for world ; seen first hand challenges of Africa, the responsibility of the West… But not just for paid work - launch pad stage of friendships, family… not all our work is paid - volunteer like Mike and the Exeter Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity - work of family; work of rebuilding the other 6 days of the week among God’s people - Council feels - small groups - rebuilding our lives communally and spiritually …

Began 2013 renewing that vow they just made: join with the people of the Lord to do the work of the LORD everywhere!

How can we do that?

HP Seek God’s direction and empowering in your work, so you will find His gracious hand upon you!

I. Seek God’s Gracious Hand by praying about your work!

Drudgery of same old thing.

Modern world, Karl Marx said alienated - workers have no share in the end result the profit, the satisfaction of putting it all together, pride of owning.

Industrial Age.

Today some value work only in terms of dollars, provide for household, more in the bank more for our luxuries.

Stats Can link job satisfaction to stress and depression!

But same issues in areas of unpaid work: in your family - parenting, home-schooling, - don’t see great purpose in it - just muddling through.

And certainly true in the church - great work of re-building lives, and our world through Jesus Christ - but often we’re like chickens with head cut off -loose sight of true goal!

How do you gain a sense of purpose in your work?

So that as Christians we can truly say

Then whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might as unto the the Lord.

It is the Lord Christ you are serving!

How could you get that sense in your job, at school, in doing cadets, or visiting members to encourage in faith, in joining a new small group ministry, having a prayer partner.

How could you get that sense of purpose, and God’s direction in your work?

Vitally important question for young adults, isn’t it Joanna - this time is the launch pad of your life - Christian don’t just get a job - you discover from God a calling!

b

Then whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might as unto the the Lord.

It is the Lrod Christ you are serving!

How could you get that sense in your job, at school, in doing cadets, or visiting members to encourage in faith, in joining a new small group ministry, having a prayer partner.

How could you get that sense of purpose, and God’s direction in your work?

Vitally important question for young adults, isn’t it Joanna - this time is the launch pad of your life - Christian don’t just get a job - you discover from God a calling!

And in v. 12b we have the answer: what My God had put in my heart to do for Jeruslaem.

Could you say you’ve got that sense about your work - service to a neighbour, at your work - whether in hsoptial, field, or asseembling parts.

What about in your work at school, here at church - not just here to patt each other on the back - but God is doing a great work - re-building lives - raising up a generation - bringing new Christians to faith - can you say this is what God has put in my heart to do for _________.

How would you get that certainty?

The answer is in 1:1, 2:1.

The month of Kislev Dec, and the month of Nisan. 100 syad a part, and during that time - 100 days of prayer - clarify, what is your plan God - tested it with Scripture - which revealed God’s going to re-build Jerusalem - resestablish His people - Messiah going to come - then this passion for this part of God’s plan grows!

Need to do that with your work - is it God-approved work - working for a company that’s tricking people, harmful product - but if it’s God-approved work - what’s the purpose, the benefit - and pray for a passion in - feels disgrace of God’s people - pain in his heart, compassion - saddness can’t even hide on the New Years celebration, probably king’s birthday - when could exucted for not being happy in the king’s presence!

Takes time in prayer of guidance - 100 days of waiting.

Ever feel like you’re waiting - William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army felt like that - finished apprenticeship off, but no job to be had - greatest trials of his young life for he had a widowed mother to support - prayed and prayed - couldn’t understand why God wasn’t understanding.

But during this 12 months of poverty such an understanding of poverty, life of the poor, that year became one of clarifying, testing his motivation - to be used by God.

Helped him identify and meet needs of deprived to this day!

We may think, God’s late in answering prayer, but often the answer waits to build our passion, to really gets us to examine and purify our request to get in line with His!

So important for those anticipating change in your work, waiting is never wasted time if waiting on the Lord in prayer for guidance!

But there is a further application for those who are settled into their calling, their work?

Do you still pray about your work and what God is calling you to do their?

In this church?

Someone humorulessly quipped: that so many people stop looking for work once they get a job!

We are to equally look for wokr in our job, the work as unto the Lord!

But then it happens doesn’t it.

The day of the feast after weeks of having the clear goal and vision for his work in mind, GOd not only put this plan in Nehemiah’s heart, he changes the heart of the King!

And we learn the next lesson:

II.

Seek God’s gracious hand in your work by praying a prayer for faith-filled action!

Nehemiah had waited patiently for God to reveal the right time - and now he gulps.

As the king points out his sad face, and Nehemiah realizes according to the law of the Persian court, her legally he could be executed next!

And yet there is hope, what did Artaxerxes say: v.2 Your not ill, this must be sadness of heart - he knows me he just might care!

Let me ask this do you pray in the middle of your work, in the middle of your decisions?

Very different prayer than a prayer for guidance isn’t it- more concentrated long term.

But when you are faced with decisions, called to act by faith with courage - do you pray short arrow prayers - Whether you do or not may be all the difference in living a life where God is small and people, circumstances are huge; and a life where Your Great and Gracious God is Big and people, and circumstances are comparatively small.

It’s the difference of living out of fear or trust.

So many live out of fear of the past, never change, always hurt, fear of the future - don’t know what’s coming so I’m panicked, paralysed.

Or fear of failing in their own eyes, eyes of other -

But look at Nehemiah - critical decision ask the most outrageous thing - need to know this king had ordered the stop of the rebuilding of Jerusalem because seen to be a rebellious troublesome people just years before!

… The Kings waiting: v.4 What is it you want?

Remarkable instead of answering the earthly king who had the power of life and death for him; Nehemiah stops to talk to the heavenly king whom He knows as My God!

We need to be living daily in these moments of trust!

Do you have trust in a God who answers arrow prayers?

If truly for the welfare of others for God’s glory why wouldn’t we expect God to be at work in such prayers?

Fenelon says we ought to be making use of chance moments in our days like this all the time; and if we don’t then we’ll wait forever to take it God.

Standing in line, stuck in traffic, travelling, waiting for ht computer to boot up; “for at such times it is easy to lift the heart to God and thereby gain fresh strength for the tasks ahead.”

In one moement we can be at the footstool of heaven!

How much more when we face these struggles, decisions - Abraham Lincoln - I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction I had no where else to go; my own wisdom and that of those all around me seemed insufficient for the day.”

I know that is the testimony of some of you going into difficult work situation each day - and does God answer our prayers for faith-filled action?

God guides Nehemiah’s tongue:

The one think He could say that would pull on the heart strings of a Persian King - God puts on his lips.

The Persians took the care of graves, honour of the dead so seriously - he like his cup bearer Nehemiah - so he lets him go on this expedition - Divine Answer to prayer - belief that God of providence arranging every detail of our lives no matter how long we must wait!

But seeking God’s gracious hand upon our work - isnt just about prayer and God’s providential action is it?

In Nehemiah’s answer we get to our action - in seeking God gracious hand not just to direct our work - but to empower us in it!

III.

Seek God’s gracious hand by ‘Planning your work.

Then working your plan’

During those hundred days the cup bearer to the king was not idlely waiting was he? Look how prepared he is to answer his king - not only let me go and rebuild.

Clear Goal, but he’s worked out all the goal-oriented action for the Lord - how to get to that destination!

But

He’s done his homework, he’s got not only a God-given vision - but the detailed plans to work toward it on the ground.

Breaks it down into concrete steps - do you - You want to change jobs - what training, exp , Want to love your neighbours as yourself - share the gospel?

how you are going to get to know neighbours, people in this church, how build deeper relationships - heart for Medical Mission, Haiti - what steps to get there - Going to be plenty of opposition - set a goal for God - bet plenty blocking they way - plan to deal with struggles and disappointment?

We see this principle even clearer when Nehemiah arrives don’t we? V.13-16

He gets on a steady mule, he goes by himself at night “examining the walls of Jersualem, which had been broken down and its gates which had been destroyed by fire.”

He makes a survey of the condition of Jerusalem and he does that alone?

Why? Two answers.

First, he didn’t stop asking God for direction - got a job but didn’t stop looking for work - continuous tense - in

what God had put in my heart, and continued to put in my heart - visitor last week - asked God that day who do you want me to serve!

Doesn’t chatter with others first, but trusts the creative thoughts which the Lord was feeding into His heart.

It’s like He’s making the problems his his own.

Buy a car - kick the tires.

We find out the second reason he didn’t this survey alone and first - in a

He completed the assessment - but why did he do it?

You see the trouble we’re in?

Nehemiah is saying, I didn’t just come from Susa to make a name for myself, tell you what to do?

No I’ve taken on these problems s mine.

I have a part in them - I will own them with you.