When Opportunity Knocks

Nehemiah 2:1–10 NASB95

1 And it came about in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, that wine was before him, and I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. 2 So the king said to me, “Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart.” Then I was very much afraid. 3 I said to the king, “Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?” 4 Then the king said to me, “What would you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 I said to the king, “If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.” 6 Then the king said to me, the queen sitting beside him, “How long will your journey be, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I gave him a definite time. 7 And I said to the king, “If it please the king, let letters be given me for the governors of the provinces beyond the River, that they may allow me to pass through until I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress which is by the temple, for the wall of the city and for the house to which I will go.” And the king granted them to me because the good hand of my God was on me. 9 Then I came to the governors of the provinces beyond the River and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. 10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about it, it was very displeasing to them that someone had come to seek the welfare of the sons of Israel.

INTRO: Do you recognize an opportunity when it presents itself? How many times do we let opportunities pass?

How many opportunities have come for you to be promoted at work, but you missed them because you didn’t adequately prepare? So and so got the job because they got more certifications or took initiative.

OR, how many times have we said, “I wish I would have thought of that!” when we hear that someone invented a simple solution to an everyday problem?

How many opportunities have you had to share the Gospel, but you chose your personal comfort instead?

I believe that we miss more opportunities than we recognize and many of the ones we recognize, we often refuse to take them.

Even so, we know that to look back on missed opportunities and live in regret is not the answer. The past is past, and we cannot change it. Instead, we must look forward, for tomorrow has not yet come.

This morning, as we begin the second chapter of Nehemiah, we get to see a good model in seizing the opportunity. Before we begin, I want to first acknowledge that not all opportunities are created equal.. not all opportunities are from God. Secondly, a warning: seizing the right opportunity is not the easy path. It’s often uncomfortable and even risky.

So, I first want to step back and ask: What opportunities are worth it?

Many of us at some point seized the opportunity to buy a home, even though it meant the discomfort of a mortgage, the responsibility of home maintenance, and the risk that something might happen that would cause us to lose it all. But, most folks believe that the benefits outweigh the risks and discomforts.

What about the opportunities where the benefits are not easily measured? What about the opportunities where, in fact, we will encounter personal loss, but others will benefit? What about the opportunities that challenge our traditions, but if seized, could change eternity for thousands of people.

What if I told you that LRBC has the opportunity to bring thousands of people to follow Jesus. 70 % of our neighbors are lost and going to hell. What if God wants to use us to flip the script on that number? Wouldn’t that be something!

I’ll tell you this: It’ll cost us. Financially. Personally.

But, wouldn’t it be worth it? Well, let’s look to Nehemiah, and consider what we must do in order to seize the opportunity. The message is entitled, “When Opportunity Knocks”.

If you picked up a bulletin, I encourage you to use the enclosed sermon guide to take notes as we go along. Let us begin.

The first thing we must do when opportunity knocks is:

Be Courageous (1-3)

(READ)

I want you to picture the scene described here. I do not know if Nehemiah woke up that morning thinking: “Today is the day! I’m gonna ask the king to give me everything I need to go to Jerusalem and help restore the city...”

I believe that Nehemiah knew that was what God was calling him to do, but to approach the king was a huge risk, especially uninvited and to ask something that would not benefit the kingdom personally at that!

But look here- I think that this tension was part of what caused Nehemiah to have sad look on his face (2). Perhaps he was trying to figure out how he’d approach the king… like how do you break the ice on this kind of conversation?

‘Hey, King Artaxerxes… Art...sup. So, I was thinking I’d like to take some of your resources and go rebuild the city of my people… would that be ok?’

But, listen, God took care of that. God, in His sovereignty, brought the opportunity to Nehemiah. Now, this probably didn’t sound like the opportunity because it sounded more like a problem.

Look again at v.2 (READ)

How would you respond? Now, he could have chosen to respond in any number of ways. He could have played it off- Oh, I was just lost in thought. Everything is just fine. (How many of you have ever done that?)

This was going to be uncomfortable. Nehemiah could have easily chosen the easy way. But instead, he was courageous, answering the king with the conviction that God had placed upon his heart.

And listen, it’s not to say that he didn’t fear- he did! But instead of running to what he might be comfortable with, he prayed- trusting in the Lord for his courage.

Folks, comfort is the enemy of courageous. You cannot have both- we can be comfortable or we can be courageous. If we are going to seize the opportunity, we must choose courage.

As we consider the opportunities before us as a church, we are going to have to choose between the comfort of our preferences, traditions, and methods and the courage of accepting the call that God has given us.

Jesus told us that if we are going to follow Him, we must die to ourselves. He told us that is was going to cost us. But he also promised that He would be with us. And if God be for us, who can stand against us?

Do you have the courage to do what it takes to reach the lost in our community?

Folks, opportunity is knocking- raise your hand if you are brave enough to answer the door?

Next we see that in order to seize the opportunity, we must

Be Prepared (4-8a)

Perhaps it’s helpful for us to note that being courageous is not the same as being haphazard. Let’s read (READ)

I want you to notice that prayer is essential to preparation. We looked at this last week as well- Nehemiah prayed for four months before this encounter, no doubt asking God to direct his plans- to give him wisdom and insight.

And because he had prayerfully planned according to the call of God, he was able to answer the king. I mean, imagine if the king asked the question (v.4) and Nehemiah just stood there like, “Uh.... well, IDK- I didn’t expect to get this far... I’m just really bummed out that Jerusalem is destroyed. I feel bad for the people, but I don’t really have any idea what to do about it.”

Do you think the king would have sent him or do you think he would have said something like- “Yeah, well that stinks for them, but you are here and you are kinda ruining the mood, so put a smile on your face and let’s get on with dinner.”

Look, Nehemiah knew that this call that God had impressed upon him was too big. The people had been there for 100 years trying the same old ways to accomplish this and it wasn’t happening. In order for Nehemiah to really answer the call, he would need a plan;

Nehemiah’s plan included certain action steps that he could take. But it was also going to take faith that God would move the heart of the king so that he would be willing to provide the necessary provisions for Nehemiah.

Now, for us, we must look at the opportunity that God has give us and ask the question, “What is it going to take?”

If we are going to reach a community of unbelievers, are we prepared to do bring them to follow Jesus?

I believe it means that we prepare by becoming more equipped ourselves in order to bring the lost into a closer walk with the Lord.

We do this out of the overflow of our own intimacy with God. We need to know the Word of God, we need to lean on God and follow His will.

Perhaps this means that we need to prepare our facility and train volunteers so that we can have childcare, relative for the families who we might reach.

Perhaps it means that we prepare a clear path of next steps so that people can see how they can move closer to Jesus. (More on that in a couple weeks)

Personally, about a year ago, I became convinced that if I was going to lead LRBC into the future, then I needed to grow as a leader. That’s why I have committed to furthering my education to develop the skills and understanding that you need in a leader.

In all of this, however, prayer is essential to preparing. Pray that our hearts be turned, like the king’s. Pray that the pathway forward becomes clear! Pray that we will intentionally prepare to seize the opportunities that God has laid before us.

Opportunity is knocking. Are you courageous enough to answer it? Are you prepared enough to respond?

Finally, Nehemiah demonstrates that in order to seize the opportunity, we must:

Be Obedient (8b-10)

(READ)

God answered Nehemiah’s prayer, and the king gave all that was needed. Why? This was God’s mission and God is faithful to equip and provide His people to accomplish it.

Nehemiah’s response was simply to obey. Verse 9 begins, “Then I came...” He didn’t wait around or back out! He didn’t say “Oh, I really didn’t expect you to say yes… Um, goodness… Maybe someone else can do this and I’ll get the next one..”

Look, I am sure that when Nehemiah told his co-workers in the palace what he was going to do, they probably called him crazy and questioned this move. Why leave the security and stability of this life to risk your life, work harder, be opposed, and all the rest?

Why? Because the mission was not in the palace at Susa, it was in Jerusalem.

In obedience, he immediately took the journey. He boldly approached the leaders of each province and forged ahead. These governors likely didn’t like what was happening… in fact, we see that Sanballat and Horonite certainly did not like that he was coming for the benefit of the Jews.

But the mission trumps all.

Nehemiah’s obedience to God was not thwarted by his own fears nor the opposition that he encountered along the way.

For us, when we think about the mission that God has given us, there are a ton of reasons why not to do it. We like things the way they are. We are comfortable and we feel safe. The mission is hard work. Maybe the people will just come and join us in what we are already doing...

Friends, I love you all very much. But the mission of the church is not to appease the Christians in here, but to take the Gospel to our unsaved neighbors out there. If you do not know Christ as your lord and savior, you are the mission of this church and of Christ, who came to seek and save the lost! The opportunity to respond to Him is now.

The question is are we willing to be obedient?

God will hold us responsible as to how well we fulfil our responsibilities to this age and take advantage of our opportunities.

Billy Graham

What are we willing to do for Christ? What are we willing to do to reach the lost in our community? What will we sacrifice for His cause?

I love what the apostle Pauls says in 1 Cor. 9:22

1 Corinthians 9:22 NASB95

22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.

Paul was willing to pay any price to see the lost come to salvation! He was willing to give up his own rights, what he earned and deserved in this world for the sake of the eternal call of God to bring others to know and follow Jesus!

Folks, opportunity is knocking. What will you do?

[PRAY] -

Challenge before benediction:

Over the next couple weeks, I hope to talk more about some opportunities that I believe God has placed before LRBC. But it all starts, like in Nehemiah’s journey, with prayer.

Practically, I am asking you to courageously say YES to God; to His will, His mission. So as we sing, I ask you: Will you to commit to praying each day this week about our opportunity and our response to it?

Discuss: What opportunities has God placed before you?

Discuss: What would it look like for you to be courageous?

Discuss: What are you willing to give up to be obedient?