When You Feel Like Giving Up

(S1)—SERIES

Experiencing Lent; a wilderness journey; 40 days, we are to reflect on our own faith journey. How is your wilderness journey going? Seeing blessing: give God praise. Struggling; find mercy and forgiveness—Give thanks.

We began by looking at Jesus' baptism...sent into the wilderness— A place of desolation, suffering, and...Temptation

Two wilderness places—Nehemiah and the people of Jerusalem; the remnant of the exile; Trying to restore their relationship with God—Jesus in the garden facing his own death—What we learn from these two wilderness experiences

WANTING to GIVE-UP is part of the landscape

(S2)— It was even for Jesus

MARK 14:32-35

Even though wanting to give-up is part of the landscape, It was a God—Inspired vision that brought the Nehemiah and Jesus through the wilderness—Our SALVATION—May we find the same in this our wilderness called life.

PRAYER—BIBLES

(S3)—

Having returned from exile, only to find their city in ruins. “It had been 140 years since the Babylonians tore it down, ninety years since the Jewish exiles began returning, and seventy years since the temple had been rebuilt. Jerusalem was still unprotected, and at the mercy of surrounding hostile nations—The sad state of his homeland moved Nehemiah to tears.

NEHEMIAH 4:1-4

A massive rebuilding project—Inspired by Nehemiah’s GOD-SIZE vision for his people. With the king’s blessing, he headed to Jerusalem to see the piles of rubble that remained. Why, so they would again, turn to God, rebuild their lives, and worship him alone. Nehemiah’s plan would bring safety and security to the people within the city walls.

—Walls were necessary in keeping out intruders. unlike cities today, an unfortified city was always at risk of losing its sovereignty; vulnerable to attack from its enemies.

The project began with great success

(S4)—

Nehemiah 4:6 (NLT)

6 At last the wall was completed to half its height around the entire city, for the people had worked with enthusiasm.

If you have ever been a part of a vision-building project or idea, this is how most start—With enthusiasm

Vision of youth ministry at FUMC

—Full time jobs–Responsibility—Not always seeing results we hoped for—giving-up was part of the landscape

With the project well under way, the thought of giving-up enters the mind of the the workers and those supporting them.

4:10-12

Nehemiah discovered that being a part of the inception of a God-sized vision, can be both exhilarating and exhausting; filled with unexpected difficulties.

When we feel like Giving up...God is about to do something amazing, if we just hang in there.

CAT PIC—Y.M—Life verse

(S5)—

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Galatians 6:9–10 (NLT)

If you have been part of visioning for a project—Everything seems to be going well, but somewhere along the way, plans fall apart and you begin to wonder, “Is this the right thing?

If it’s a “GOD thing” then it’s a GOOD thing; so, don’t give up!

This year...discovering our God-Sized VISION for the future here at Hardy Church—TEAM—Feeling like giving up will be part of the landscape

The people of Jerusalem experienced this. Just when they felt safe, the wall half built, they heard of their enemies’ anger and plans to rise up against them.

4:7-8

(S6)—

Jaws —1975 Spielberg —A great white terrorizes a New England coastal village—Just when we thought it was safe—Jaws 2

So close to completion of the wall, to feeling secure again; Nehemiah’s vision was threatened. He had already faced many obstacles getting the massive project started.

The kings approval and support from surrounding nations—long and difficult journey—gathering supplies and workers—building enthusiasm in the people—nations who opposed them—enemies who desired o destroy them…….all before the work began.

(S7)—

Just because it’s a God-Inspired vision, doesn’t mean there won’t be a HILL to CLIMB.

Wilderness times are meant to test our faith, to teach us to LOOK UP, more than we look at what’s ahead

—Jesus in the garden—Vulnerable—Filled with Sorrow and Overwhelmed to the point of death

(S8)—

Mark 14:35–36 He went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. 36 “Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me.”

Feeling like giving up is part of the wilderness journey. What can we learn from Jesus in his wilderness moment? What can be learned from Nehemiah’s story? To understand why giving up became an option...

Three pitfalls or reasons giving-up became an option in their wilderness

“10 Then the people of Judah began to complain, “The workers are getting tired, and there is so much rubble to be moved. We will never be able to build the wall by ourselves.””

(S9) —

I. They focused on the AMOUNT of work to be done, MORE than the Vision!

The STRENGTH of the laborers was giving out and all they could see was RUBBLE. Even though they were halfway done, the pile of rock and the work ahead, were all they could see, making their hill harder to climb, and the completion of the project seem like a distant dream.

They were weakened in their ability to SEE where they were headed, so giving up became an option

—Church Vision—Forgetting the WHY. It’s easy to get discouraged when we became more focused on the wilderness than the vision.

Y.M.—Frustrated, exhausted, lost site of the WHY. I only had to remember HOW I met Jesus…

Youth leader—A caring Christian adult

The WHY in your wilderness has to be bigger than the HOW your going to get through it.

How did Jesus keep going when he knew that only difficulty lied ahead? He knew the why!

(S10) —

John 6:28-29 “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?” 29 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.””

How do we, the church keep moving forward when the work looks overwhelming? We ask the WHY questions to see more clearly God's vision! Otherwise, giving up became an option to consider, when we focus on the amount of work to be done, more than the reason to do it.

Nehemiah helped them to stay focused on the WHY; Gods vision—Safety and security—Thriving people worshipping God

Just because it’s a God-Inspired vision, doesn’t mean there won’t be a HILL to CLIMB.

Second pitfall or reasons giving-up became an option in their wilderness

“11 Meanwhile, our enemies were saying, “Before they know what’s happening, we will swoop down on them and kill them and end their work.””

(S11)—

II. They focused more on the enemies PLANS to stop it, than on God's WILL to achieve it.

The presence of the opposition weakened their ability to see; that nothing is impossible with God—Our circumstances may change, but God never does!

I am not a fan of swimming in the ocean, but I have done it – learned that, if your goanna swim in it, you can’t think about what’s in it!

MANITOU—MELISSA

Their focus was more on the enemy’s threat to put an end to their work, then on God's WILL TO Complete it.

The enemy’s presence is always evident in the wilderness. His goal- to defeat something good with worry; money, time, volunteers….

6 Youth—8 missions trips latter—30 kids attending

It’s easy to focus on how we feel in the wilderness—Jesus could have—The enemy was doing what he could to make him give up

(S12) —

Mark 14:36 “Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.””

Jesus knew that because it was a GOD thing, it was a GOOD thing

Third pitfall or reasons giving-up became an option in their wilderness

12 The Jews who lived near the enemy came and told us again and again, “They will come from all directions and attack us!”

(S13)—

III. They focused on the WORDS of others instead of the WISDOM of God!

There problem; they were their own worst enemy. The voices of their own who were casting doubt—people around them; friends, family, and neighbors, who didn’t agree with Nehemiah's project.

In vision building, the negativity of others, or nay-sayers, can cast doubt —We call them; vision squashers!

Why are you doing such a foolish thing, There everywhere! Certainly, we are weak, they will only overcome us. They were told not once but ten times over- means over and over again…that Nehemiah’s vision was joke

Some believed the words of others— " wherever you turn we will be there." The voices around them replaced the vision Nehemiah had planted within them. Because, in the wilderness, wanting to Give-up is part of the landscape”

Jesus dealt with vision squashers—They were close to him

(S14)—

Mark 14:37 Then he returned and found the disciples asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour?

If the disciples understood the gravity of the situation, they would have been alert and ready in support of Jesus—because giving up is part of the landscape, they focused on the words of the enemy, instead of the word of Jesus and fell to temptation.

Nehemiah showed them hope by teaching them to look up more then looking ahead

Nehemiah 4:19-20 “Then I explained to the nobles and officials and all the people, “The work is very spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. 20 When you hear the blast of the trumpet, rush to wherever it is sounding. Then our God will fight for us!””

God will fight for you in your wilderness.

(S15)—

Jesus too found his way in the wilderness by focusing on God’s VISION—Plan of salvation—God’s WILL—God’s WISDOM

Mark 14:36 “36 “Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you...I want your will to be done, not mine.””

Because he did we too can find our way when we feel like giving up—God-sized vision—SALVATION

Just because it’s a God-Inspired vision, doesn’t mean there won’t be a HILL to CLIMB

The WHY in your wilderness has to be bigger than the HOW your going to get through it.

God will fight for you in your wilderness.

If it’s a GOD thing then its a GOOD thing

(S16)—

So how do you avoid the pitfalls when you feel like giving up, in the wilderness?

1. Focus more on the God’s VISION for you, and less on where you are

2. Focus on God’s WILL to see you through, and less on the enemies plans to keep you there

3. Focus more on the WISDOM of God and less on the words of others

That’s what Nehemiah got the people to do

15 when our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to our work and eventually the wall was completed.

That’s what Jesus did in the garden—so we could see our way through the wilderness of life—If it’s a GOD thing then its a GOOD thing

Next week—There is light in the wilderness