Overcoming Obstacles

Nehemiah 2:11–20 NASB95

11 So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. 12 And I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anyone what my God was putting into my mind to do for Jerusalem and there was no animal with me except the animal on which I was riding. 13 So I went out at night by the Valley Gate in the direction of the Dragon’s Well and on to the Refuse Gate, inspecting the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were consumed by fire. 14 Then I passed on to the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was no place for my mount to pass. 15 So I went up at night by the ravine and inspected the wall. Then I entered the Valley Gate again and returned. 16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; nor had I as yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials or the rest who did the work. 17 Then I said to them, “You see the bad situation we are in, that Jerusalem is desolate and its gates burned by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that we will no longer be a reproach.” 18 I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king’s words which he had spoken to me. Then they said, “Let us arise and build.” So they put their hands to the good work. 19 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard it, they mocked us and despised us and said, “What is this thing you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” 20 So I answered them and said to them, “The God of heaven will give us success; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no portion, right or memorial in Jerusalem.”

INTRO: When you hear the word ‘obstacle,’ what comes to mind?

There are generally two types of responses: one is discouragement, the other is a sense of adventure.

Perhaps you have been at some point to an obstacle course, where you are challenged by different barriers - mud pits, climbing walls, balance beams, etc. As a kids, I always enjoyed a good obstacle course.

But I think our mental response to obstacles is formed by our history of success or failure. So, if you tend to overcome and prove yourself, you get kind of excited about new obstacles. On the other hand, if you have tried to do something over and over and have failed, it’s likely that the thought of this obstacle stirs feelings of discouragement and maybe even shame.

ILL: Have you ever seen the show “Wipe Out”? This show is essentially a giant obstacle course designed to make people look like fools as they fail in spectacular fashion. Sometimes we might feel like our life is like this show…

The reality is that there are obstacles in life. And even when we find ourselves discouraged, God often uses these obstacles to help us grow and mature in our faith.

One clear biblical example of this is Joseph, the son of Jacob in the OT. In the life of Joseph, his obstacles - like being sold into slavery, cast into prison, etc. all were part of God’s plan to develop him and position him for greatness, to the glory of God.

In the life of the NT church, we see how the obstacles of physical persecution beginning with Stephen, catapulted the movement of Christians out of Jerusalem to spread the Gospel to the nations.

As we look at the church today, we face obstacles that might seem insurmountable. And we can choose to be discouraged and apathetic regarding any movement to overcome them, or we can choose to step out in faith towards adventure and, ultimately success.

A similar situation faced the Israelites in our passage today. A group of folks had been in Jerusalem for nearly 100 years attempting to rebuild the walls and restore the city. But, time after time opposition rose up and derailed them. I wonder how many times the gates had actually been rebuilt only to be burned again… talk about demoralizing.

We know from our study over the past couple weeks that God placed a call upon the life of Nehemiah so that he would come and lead the people in this restoration. So far, he has overcome his own obstacles- moving from a life of comfort to a life of courageous obedience to God. But, that was just to get to Jerusalem.

Now comes the really hard part. How do you get a people who are discouraged and truly stuck in both their thinking and their actions to take on this task... again? What must be done?

Well, Nehemiah seems to have the answer. Of course, we recognize this is from God, not Nehemiah, but I believe we see a model here that can inform us as we consider the obstacles that LRBC faces today. We will see that this most pragmatic section of the Bible is still spiritual truth as well.

And folks, I am preaching this message primarily to me. I have been convicted by this and pray that God will help me to apply what He has shown me. But I pray that you too will be moved by the Holy Spirit in our time of study.

So, let us learn together and seek to apply God’s Word to our lives as we study this morning. The sermon is titled “Overcoming Obstacles”. We will look at three steps to turn adversity into adventure.

Let’s begin. If you picked up a bulletin, you can use the enclosed sermon guide to follow along.

The first step in overcoming obstacles is to:

Inspect (11-16)

(READ)

We notice here that Nehemiah did not come in, guns blazing, barking orders and assuming that he had it all figured out. No, actually we see that Nehemiah rolled in, perhaps even bringing with him tractor-trailer loads of wood for the repairs, and for three days did nothing.

Likely he rested from his journey and prayed. Up to this point, Nehemiah was working just to get himself in position. Leadership means bringing others along with you, and this doesn’t just happen because we want it to. (trust me on this)

His first act, was to inspect the walls; to see the situation for himself beyond the second-hand reports. Let’s note a couple observations about this step:

Nehemiah inspected BEFORE ever telling anyone what God had put in his heart to do.

Just because I have or you have a good, and godly plan, does not mean that we immediately start sharing that plan.

I’ve made that mistake and scared people who otherwise might have been a supporter before being able to give them a clear picture of what God is doing.

The reality is that there has to be a certain level of trust and vision before people will buy in. Nehemiah needed to know what he was talking about - not just have a plan on paper. Lots of things work on paper, but not in real life… just ask the Cowboys. (too soon?)

He brought a few trusted men to assist in evaluation.

Leadership does not have to be done in isolation… in fact the biblical model for church leadership is a plurality of elders. Listen to Proverbs 15:22 “Without consultation, plans are frustrated, But with many counselors they succeed.”

Everyone has blind spots- we are all fallible people who need one another! Nehemiah needed other perspectives and input as he measured the damage and put together a plan.

He inspected systematically and diligently.

Notice how he traced his movements. From the Valley Gate, down around the refuse gate and fountain gate; it was even necessary for him to go on foot for a portion of his inspection because of the rubble and terrain.

The point? Nehemiah needed to get as clear a picture as possible. He probably didn’t have all the information- it was night, btw! - but he had enough to forge a plan. That’s what leaders do- they gather as much insight as is reasonable, and make a decision.

Here’s the thing: In order to overcome obstacles, we must be able to define reality; to see clearly what our goal is and what stands in our way of accomplishing said goal.

We do this by inspecting, probing, taking note of how things really are, not how things seem or how we might want them to be, but how they really are. This includes taking note of good things and bad things, ultimately for the sake of moving to overcome whatever obstacles might be preventing us from accomplishing our mission.

You and I must do this as we look at our homes and our Christian lives. What is keeping us from accomplishing what God has set before us?

As a church, we have to acknowledge our mission as spiritual in nature with physical implications. We are called to help bring the world to know and follow Jesus. Though this is a spiritual goal, there are physical measurements that help us see how we are doing.

These are things like number of baptisms. Number of people who have grown in spiritual maturity. Percentage of folks serving. Number of Gospel conversations had. Etc.

After inspection, Here is what we know: There are nearly 1500 lost people within 2 miles of LRBC, 5300 within 5 miles. We have baptized 6 people per year the last 3 years, many of them children of church members.

Our current programs and methods are not impacting the community. It’s true that the community is out there, and not in here, but what we do as a church is intended to equip the saints in here to GO out there…

This is the reality- we have some obstacles ahead of us. But, as we humbly INSPECT and acknowledge these obstacles, we can take the next step.

The next step to overcoming obstacles is to :

Invite (17)

This is the point where Nehemiah addresses the people quite candidly. His message is simple: (READ)

There are two pieces of the invitation. The first is a communicating of reality to the people. “You see the bad situation...” (I did that just a minute ago for you)

Now, Nehemiah was not saying something new, but he was saying what perhaps had gone unsaid. He addressed the elephant in the room, so to speak. It was obvious that the walls were broken down and the gates burned. But it was also obvious that the people there had grown complacent in addressing the issues.

This is not so much an indictment against the Israelites, but rather an acknowledgement of their humanity. They had been there for a while and though the walls were down and such, this was their normal. It’s what they had grown used to.

Honestly, we tend to become blind to some of our obvious obstacles.

ILL: I don’t know about your home, but in my home we have a goal to keep a clean home. Some obstacles are un-filed bills in the office. Look, I see them, but I like to pretend that they aren’t there… it’s normal! Maybe you have grown blind to some obstacles too- such as peeling paint or clogged gutters or overgrown bushes.

In order for Nehemiah to offer a way to overcome the obstacles for Jerusalem, it was necessary to identify them. To help move the people to be part of the solution, he needed them to acknowledge and agree upon these obstacles.

Secondly, Nehemiah called upon the people to join him in rebuilding the walls and gates. You see the problem, now let’s work together to fix it! God accomplishes His work THROUGH people!!

Here’s the thing: Nehemiah could not do this alone. He could not single-handedly fix Jerusalem’s problems. If the people were not on board, his efforts would result in failure.

Now, we don’t have any way of knowing how the people might had attempted this in the past- maybe just a small group had tried to rebuild, while several watched to see what would happen. Perhaps zealous leaders had come before and tried to begin the work, hoping people would join in with the same fervor. But, it doesn’t take an enemy long to thwart this kind of approach.

Leaders are leaders because they are helping others to accomplish the task or goal. Nehemiah understood that this would only happen with the buy in from the people.

BTW, this is true in your job- if you want your team to accomplish a goal, they need to see themselves as integral to the work. It’s true on your sports team, in your family, etc.

And it’s true in the church. I can’t accomplish our mission alone. Our deacons can’t either. I NEED YOU. In fact, Scripture says that my job is to equip you, the saints, for the work of the church. (Ephesians 4:12 ) I need you to buy in to being the church. Otherwise, any effort or vision that I may cast will fail.

Church, if we are going to overcome the obstacles before us, then I need you to respond to the invitation to join in: to learn, serve, teach, evangelize, etc. Will you join the work?

The first two steps to Overcoming obstacles are inspect and invite. But even here we must recognize the difficulty. How can a leader get people respond out of something more that guilt or duty? This brings us to the final step. That final step in overcoming obstacles is:

Inspire (18-20)

(READ 18)

Nehemiah inspired the people, not with clever political slogans, but with his personal testimony of GOD doing the work.

God had even moved the king so that he was in support of Nehemiah’s work here. I can, in my mind, hear him saying something like,

“God has been so good to me because this is His plan. He brought me here and provided us with all we need to rebuild. Imagine! We are not simply building a wall, we are doing the Lord’s work and when we finish- and we will finish- all the discouragement and shame you feel will be replaced with joy and purpose! What do you say, are you with me?”

The Israelites needed to see the divine purpose in this call.

Here is my point: We don’t serve, go on mission trips, teach, gather, etc. just to fill a calendar. We aren’t just keeping ourselves busy. The mission of the church is from God and thus we have a purpose that goes far beyond the activity!

Folks, the mission we have received invites us to join the Holy Son of God in His work! We get to belong to the eternal kingdom of God and act as agents of reconciliation while we live on earth.

And because the work we’ve been invited to is divine, we can withstand the attacks and mocking of the enemy. Look at v. 19-20 (READ)

IOW- Oh there will be those who oppose us. But those who oppose the Lord have no portion in His kingdom. We need not worry about them, because this is God’s mission. And His servants- those who are sold out to Him, will step up and put our hands to the good work!

Friend, I plead with you. See how good God is!! We are here today so that we can be strengthened by God’s Word to do the work set before us. God has provided for us is spectacular ways… let us leverage what He has given us for the mission.

I don’t have all the answers, but I know this: The mission of the church, given by God is to help bring the world to follow Jesus.

70% of our neighbors are lost and going to hell. BUT, if each of you will reach just 2 people a year, the script will be completely flipped in less than 5 years! You can begin today by praying- pray about becoming more committed and equipped so you will be an effective witness. Pray specifically for a lost neighbor or friend.

God is with us.

What do you say? Will you join me on this adventure?

If you will, then I ask you to make that known by standing and declaring “I will.”

Discuss: Read Proverbs 25:28. What would an inspection of your life reveal?

Discuss: What ‘elephant in the room’ do you believe needs to be addressed?

Discuss: How does God’s mission inspire your everyday activities?