What Hinders The Good Work
Notes
Transcript
Prayer
Catch up on where we have been.
We expect the enemy to be the enemy. We are often caught off guard when we feel attacked from within.
Internal Conflict
Internal Conflict
Nehemiah 5:1–5 (NIV)
1 Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews. 2 Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.” 3 Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine.” 4 Still others were saying, “We have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards. 5 Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our fellow Jews and though our children are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others.”
What was the internal conflict?
1 Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews.
The fellow Jews were acting unjustly. There was injustice in the house of God. There were things happening that should not have been and it was causing problems. And so the people brought the issues before Nehemiah.
What were the issues that were going on?
What were the issues that were going on?
#1) Famine. There was a food shortage in the land. And I don’t know about you but we don’t have the term hangry for no reason. We don’t know what the reason for the famine was but we do know that the first group of people to complain were the day laborers… The poor of the community who did not own a whole lot and lived paycheck to paycheck.
Their complain… Nehemiah 5:2
2 Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.”
Listen, instead of working in the field, we’ve been working on the wall and that isn’t paying the bills. We have to get grain in order to live.
#2) Greed and Injustice.
The rich were getting richer and the poor were getting poorer.
Selling grain for personal benefit. Sure I’ll sell you some food, first give me your land. Mortgage to me your house. The wealthy were taking advantage of the poor and using the situation to get more for themselves.
#3) Borrowing to pay taxes- To the Persian Government. It’s bad enough that we have to pay crazy taxes today, but we don’t fully understand what they were going through. Just this week I had a conversation with other local pastors about the theological implications of paying taxes to our government though we may not support the way they are spending our money. But the crazy thing about our conversation is that we were still talking about our government…not some far off king who just taxed us because he conquered us. We will not fully understand what they were going through and having to pay crazy taxes without any representation. We still have a government over us that is founded upon that principal of taxation with representation. We may not get our way but at least we get a say.
#4) Slavery - The Jews were being forced to sell their children into slavery. Because they could at least then eat, they could still be alive. Dave Ramsey loves to quote Proverbs 22:7
7 The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.
The borrower is slave to the lender.
And it’s true…debt is a form of slavery. Even today. There are many who work day in and day out, week in and week out, month after month and year after year just to pay interest. Never building their own wealth but helping the rich get richer.
So these were the issues brought before Nehemiah.
Leadership 101- Expect issues. One of the true tests of a good leader is not whether they have good vision and clear communication but how they handle conflict. What do you do when you hear about a problem within your ranks. Do you ignore it, sweep it under the rug, pretend it’s not there… or do you understand that conflict is an inevitable aspect of leadership and therefore you will lead well and deal with it appropriately. Thank God that Nehemiah is a man of character and integrity. He takes the time to not only listen to their complaints but he actually does something about it.
We see another perfect example of this
Response to the Conflict
Response to the Conflict
6 When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry. 7 I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, “You are charging your own people interest!” So I called together a large meeting to deal with them 8 and said: “As far as possible, we have bought back our fellow Jews who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your own people, only for them to be sold back to us!” They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say.
Nehemiah is angry because as a leader he is thinking...
Here we are praying to God on a daily basis. Asking him for protection, mercy, strength and blessing and yet you expect this all even though you are not listening to him.
In other words, you expect God to listen to you and do what you ask of Him but you’re not willing to listen to him and do what He has already asked? That is the very definition of being hypocritical.
Not being willing to do what you are asking of others.
The people were ignoring the covenant they had made with their God and they were then expecting God’s favor.
19 Do not charge a fellow Israelite interest, whether on money or food or anything else that may earn interest. 20 You may charge a foreigner interest, but not a fellow Israelite, so that the Lord your God may bless you in everything you put your hand to in the land you are entering to possess.
Don’t expect the favor of God when you’re not doing things God’s way.
Don’t expect the favor of God when you’re not doing things God’s way.
Are we guilty of this?
Are we guilty of asking for God’s favor, strength and protection yet we are ignoring what God has already said to do.
God, bless my family and my relationship but your life isn’t doing what God has already asked.
17 I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. 18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; 19 but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer.
We can recognize it.
We can turn from it.
But we cannot clean it up.
Only Jesus can clean us from our sin.
A Cry for Repentance
A Cry for Repentance
9 So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies? 10 I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let us stop charging interest! 11 Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the interest you are charging them—one percent of the money, grain, new wine and olive oil.”
First there was a charge of wrongdoing. What you are doing is not right.
Reason… He appealed back to the fear of God. Do you not fear God? Do what is right and forgive these people their debts so that God’s favor will rest upon us and that our enemies might know that God is with us.
Measure of a good leader.
Listened when an issue was brought forth.
Acted upon the accusation.
Personal Integrity.
Boldness to call out wrongdoing.
A Holy Reply
A Holy Reply
12 “We will give it back,” they said. “And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say.” Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised. 13 I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, “In this way may God shake out of their house and possessions anyone who does not keep this promise. So may such a person be shaken out and emptied!” At this the whole assembly said, “Amen,” and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.
So what, Now what?
So what, Now what?
You might not be holding physical debt against your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
Someone most likely has not come to you and borrowed money to which you agreed and charged them interest, I mean that is a possibility but I think the more likely situation is more spiritual than that. Are you holding an emotional debt against them?
Are you exacting interest in your relationships? Trying to punish them for the wrongdoing that they caused you?
Jesus tells an amazing parable about harboring unforgiveness and resentment.
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. 26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. 28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. 29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ 30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. 32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
I would argue that harboring unforgiveness is placing yourself in a prison of debt. Where everytime you cross paths with the person your soul feels the pain of what they have done to you. By keeping them imprisoned you are actually imprisoning yourself.
I know it wasn’t easy for those Israelites to freely forgive the debt that they were owed but they did it. Immediately. The call for repentance was do not wait. Do not put this off. Has God put someone on your mind this morning that you need to forgive. Remember the debt that you have been forgiven of.
Nehemiah called out. “Give it back to them immediately.”
Do it now. Because even if we have the best of intentions, if we don’t deal with it now, we probably will not. And we will go on living with a debt owed.
Prayer for God to search our hearts.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.