The Oscar for Best Set Design
The Oscar Goes to... • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 4 viewsWhat are you building and who are you building for?
Notes
Transcript
Bonus Award:
Hook: Set up Award for Best Set Design
Nominees for Set Design:
Noah for the Ark
Solomon for the Temple
Moses and Bezalel for the Ark of the Covenant
Nehemiah for the Wall
The Oscar goes to… Nehemiah for the Wall.
Intro: We spend our lives building things for a variety of reasons, most often that reason is ourselves. When we put our efforts to build up something for Him, those are the things that will last, and be blessed no matter the opposition.
Let’s look at some highlights from
I. Burden Brought Purpose
So I went to Jerusalem and was there three days. Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me but the one on which I rode.
Nehemiah had a dream that led to a deep burden. He was heartbroken that there were people in Jerusalem, with no protection. He asked for permission from Artaxerxes to go and fix this problem. He went there and first assessed the problem. He was doing what a good leader should do, he was inspecting everything and finding the problems that needed to be addressed.
We have to ask when approaching any problem in our life: “Am I contributing to this problem? Am I doing what God wants, or what I want?”
When was the last time you examined the problems in your life carefully, and approached God on what He would have you do?
Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
Nehemiah sees the problem and plans the solution. Then he gets others on board. We need to fix this wall. He tells them that God is with them, and the king approves. He inspires the people to work alongside him.
When God gives you a burden, there is going to be the resources and the team to accomplish it. Whether it’s a friend group, a recurring sin, the spiritual condition of your school. If the hand of God is pressing that burden on you, He also has the plan, team and resources to accomplish the good work.
Who can be with you? Who do you need to rally? What can you use? What has God already given you? What is available to you that you haven’t taken yet?
(Illustration)
II. Opposition Brought Strength
So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.
But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.
The minds and the hearts of the people were willing to persevere. We often walk around with a mindset of defeat. “This is never going to happen” “I can’t do this” “My school will never know Jesus”
Often the greatest task that God has in people’s lives is changing our mindsets to trust that He can do it.
Yet, while everyone was rallying, the work was being done, people were inspired—there were Opps.
Nehemiah led the people to pray. That’s important we should pray. But he also stationed a guard. The action’s of the people are a reminder that the way you know you prayed in faith is by what you do after taking a matter to God. Prayer should lead to action. You don’t pray for a job, and then never apply for one!
This is an example of how we are to exercise faith. The bible asks for little faith in a big God. Not Big faith in a little God. When you pray, have faith that our God can do it!
When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work. From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other.
The people follow this up, after their enemies were frustrated, by building and being on guard. They had half building and half standing guard. On top of that the ones building were still carrying a weapon!
Prayer must be balanced with prudence. They were dependent on God, but God also gave them weapons! They trusted that God could use the weapons he’d provided to do whatever fighting needed to be done.
To use what we have without prayer, is being self-sufficient. To pray and not use what we have available is irresponsible. The balance of the two is that Go has given us resources to maximize our ability to do what God has called us to do.
God says he feeds the birds, but birds never sit with their mouths open to heaven waiting for a worm, they go get the worms that God provided.
We are fully equipped with whatever God has put on our hearts to accomplish—you just might need to go get it and utilize it.
(Illustration)
III. Accomplishment Brought Glory (to God)
So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.
You won’t arrive at the completion of God’s plan for your life without facing your own enemies, without being tempted to fear, without encountering moments in which you can sense that the enemy is trying to destroy you.
We have to submit to God’s plan, knowing Satan will try to intimidate. Don’t fear him. When you finally achieve success, you’ll be able to proclaim like Nehemiah—this task was accomplished by God.
(Illustration)
Close:
Be sensitive to the burdens God is putting in your life.
Don’t fill your mind with defeat before the task has began or while the task is going. Persevere and put faith in Him, using everything He has made available to you.
When you succeed—give glory to Him, knowing it was only through Him that it happened.
