How to Get Where You're Going and Stay There

Pat McFall

The Good Work • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago

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God’s people dedicate the rebuilt walls of Jerusalem to the Lord with a joyful celebration; however, the conclusion of Nehemiah is somewhat anticlimactic. As we seek to be agents of change and to build the kingdom of God on this earth, struggles and setbacks will occur, even after great victories. This is why we trust in the work of God’s Spirit in us and eagerly anticipate the return of Jesus and the eternal establishment of his kingdom.

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Philippians 1:6 NLT

6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Introduction:

Working with Clients who made incredible strides but then just slipped back into unhealthy behavior

Losing Weight is Temporary — Keeping it off is lifelong

How? Daily Engagement with their process of health

What it takes to get there will look different than what it takes to stay there

What we find in Nehemiah 13:

Nehemiah took some time to go back to the king of Persia

N returns to find that things are not how he left them

Now N is kicking butt and taking names

The end of the chapter ends on a downer....

2 Principles from Nehemiah 13:

1. I never graduate from the basics of my faith

They stopped taking care of the temple (worship/spirit)

tithing so the Levites could do their job — Malachi’s words

Nehemiah 13:7–11 NLT

7 When I arrived back in Jerusalem, I learned about Eliashib’s evil deed in providing Tobiah with a room in the courtyards of the Temple of God. 8 I became very upset and threw all of Tobiah’s belongings out of the room. 9 Then I demanded that the rooms be purified, and I brought back the articles for God’s Temple, the grain offerings, and the frankincense. 10 I also discovered that the Levites had not been given their prescribed portions of food, so they and the singers who were to conduct the worship services had all returned to work their fields. 11 I immediately confronted the leaders and demanded, “Why has the Temple of God been neglected?” Then I called all the Levites back again and restored them to their proper duties.

They stopped listening and responding to God’s Word

Nehemiah 13:17–18 NLT

17 So I confronted the nobles of Judah. “Why are you profaning the Sabbath in this evil way?” I asked. 18 “Wasn’t it just this sort of thing that your ancestors did that caused our God to bring all this trouble upon us and our city? Now you are bringing even more wrath upon Israel by permitting the Sabbath to be desecrated in this way!”

Treating the Sabbath day like a Farmer’s Market

Getting there: They wept — repented — worshipped — Made promises — signed covenants

Staying there: Stopped worshipping — stopped weeping — started embracing the nations with mixed marriages which meant idol worship

STORY: Pursuing my wife looks different now

Getting there: Look fresh — tell her she’s gorgeous — get her some flowers at the discount grocery story — Costco — laugh

Staying there: Put on pants — call a sitter — oh right COVID — find a date spot — make sure we’re on budget — remember to tell her she is beautiful — ASK HER ABOUT HER DAY

We got into a fight recently —

I’m mad b/c we look disorganized

She’s mad b/c it’s not a big deal / I say it is

I start cleaning because i was mean — thinking “this should help” — But that’s not what she wants —

She just wants me to ask her about her day

15 minutes later — “How’s your day?” —immediate application

APPLY: Basics of worship, prayer, Bible and serving

Since Basics matter, what attitudes undermine the Basics?

Attitudes that Undermine the BASICS:

1. Entitlement: I deserve this —worked hard — I don’t have to...

Israel — We built this already — I repented already — I signed the covenant so I can take a foreign wife...

I don’t have time to ask you about your day b/c ....

Apathy…laziness

2. Enlightenment: I know this I don’t have to learn — be humble

We experienced a worship service with 50,000 people so...

I’ve learned this — I’ve experienced this —

3. Disappointment: this isn’t supposed to happen so

I get to react this way — I did all of this for YOU

When he found out about Temple neglect, Sabbath Violation and the Inter-Marriage

Nehemiah’s Prayers Change (Nehemiah 13:14, 22, 29, 31)

God remember me — not ‘we’

Nehemiah’s tactics change

He was collaborative before, now he’s confrontational

He would pray and fast, now (vs.Nehemiah 13:25 — Curses them — beats them — pulls out their hair

Here is one thing we can count on...

2. Whatever Good Work God is doing right now isn’t complete until Jesus returns

Philippians 1:6 NLT

6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

We live in a present and we hope for the future

God restored their land, their temple and their wall — Still they wandered in their hearts “What gets us there....”

It’s not when I get what I want it’s when I surrender to what

Getting what I want is not the

Our greatest hope will not be when our favorite person is in office, it is in the present and future hope of Jesus Christ.

It’s his finished work on the cross

It’s his hope expressed through His church

What would GET God’s people THERE through the law would KEEP them THERE in Christ

What would get God’s people THERE through the Prophets would KEEP them THERE in CHRIST

What it takes to get there will look different than what it takes to stay there

Philippians 1:6 NLT

6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Conclusion: Do you know the origins of the Samaritans?

It’s right here in Nehemiah! — Sanballat

Jews intermarried with Gentiles when Assyria took over

Continued in Ezra and Nehemiah’s time

Jesus brings a picture of reconciliation to an age old enemy

Jesus tells a story about a Samaritan

What is one of the most powerful moments of the New Testament is when Jesus meets a woman at a well (John 4)

She wants to debate Worship — Jesus wants to change her heart

Small Group Questions:

What is one thing that stood out to you from this week’s message?

Share a time when you experienced the blessing of God or a victory through Christ that was followed by some sort of setback.

As followers of Jesus, how should we respond to setbacks?

How can we be more intentional not to neglect specific areas of obedience in our lives?

How does the hope of Jesus’s return influence your outlook on life and the way you live?