Moving Onward

Background:

Perspective church is : the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance, a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view. Perspective is a powerful thing church as perspective guides your mindset and leads to your actions. This is powerful because if you notice in the definition that often times your attitude toward something affects how you look at something. I don’t know about you church but there have been times in my life in which my attitude was jacked up toward something and therefore my productivity in it was null and void. So this defining moment in our spiritual lives right now can either be productive or non-productive based on our attitudes in it! I heard a very successful principle announce every morning to her students that your attitude determines your altitude. In other word your attitude often times determines how high you will go in life. I said all of this because we are looking at a character in the text today in Nehemiah. Now before we get to the wall, let us get to Nehemiah. Nehemiah was a refugee. In this day and time some folks would be trying to build a wall to keep Nehemiah out, however God placed him the palace! Don’t shout to quick because I have to give you some disturbing news. Nehemiah had a horrible job in a great place. Lord have mercy! He was in the palace enjoying all of the palace things, but had a terrible job in that his job was to bring wine every time the King got thirsty. Some of you are saying that’s not so bad Pastor, so why do you say that. I am glad you asked. Remember I said Nehemiah was a refugee? This means Nehemiah was captured and taken away from his home as his home was burnt to the ground and his city was engulfed in flames. In other words God had assigned him to serve his enemy intimately. What I like is that God chose Nehemiah. See Nehemiah was not a noble. Nehemiah was not of royal blood. Nehemiah was not a priest. Nehemiah was not anyone important. That is what I love about God. God is not like man looking for the most popular God is looking for someone who will see and obey the vision! God will also use those who have access! Nehemiah’s job was to drink from the cup first to make sure it wasn’t poisoned. In other words Nehemiah was a pawn in the grand scheme of things, but had access to everything. Although his job was detestable in some ways, Nehemiah did his job with passion and effeciency. So much so that the King notice him not looking his normal happy self. Word had gotten back to Nehemiah of how the city was in ruins and his people lived in destitute. This hurt and saddened him so much that the King noticed. The King then asked if there was anything he could do and Nehemiah said give me leave oh King that I may rebuild the waste places of my people. And just like that one of the lowest people in the Kingdom receives royal authority to rebuild God’s city and God’s people. Some of you don’t have a clue why God has you where he does, but if you have the right perspective and a willing spirit God will use your enemy to bless you! Stop fussing about where you are and understand that where you are and what you are going through is what will bring you to your destiny!

Vision

God gave Nehemiah a vision to rebuild the wall and the city. This vision hit his heart and caused him to move into action. Nehemiah was a real leader although he had not been to leadership school or to one of the highest academic centers, but one thing Nehemiah had was experience with the King. See sometimes even if you don’t have access to certain places of training God can place you were you can learn. He listen to the King make decisions, he watched how the King addressed people, and he saw how the King dealt with situations. So when Nehemiah got there. The Bible says he looked at all of the damage at night. He went at night because everyone is not able to handle your vision. Sometimes God will cover your vision, because he knows that your family, church folks, and even so-called friends sometimes cannot handle what God is doing in your life. The wall and the city was so damaged that he had to get off his mule or camel in order to view it. In other words it was tore up bad church. The city was in ruins, the walls where busted out, the gates were burned the wells were stopped up. It was real bad church! Although it was Bad and although it was lying in destitute he still had the vision that God gave him and that was to rebuild. See when God puts something in your heart it does not matter what it looks like right now it’s about what God is going to do! I am so glad we serve a God of vision, because the truth be told many of us were tore up from the floor up, jacked up, tied up, and tangled up in sinful places and situations. But God could see more in you than what was on you! Somebody say Vision!! There is a difference in sight and vision. Sight and Vision are also a part of our perspective. When Nehemiah surveyed the conditions his sight could see all of the damage. His sight could see that this was going to be very difficult. His sight could see that they didn’t have enough help. His sight allowed him to be real with what he was facing, but his vision said God is able! See your sight is attached to what was and what is, but your vision is the perspective of what can or will be! Let me make this plain. You sight sees a dead end job, but vision sees God moving you into a prosperous career. Your sight sees a broken down house, but vision sees a remodeled beautiful home. Your sight sees a no good spouse, but vision sees a saved sanctified husband or wife that will be your help meet. Your sight says you are broke, but vision says one step at a time brick by brick God is about to build an empire through me! I don’t know who I am talking to, but if you change your perspective God is about to change where you are or change you where you are! Somebody will get that when they get home! God don’t always have to change the place sometimes God will just change YOU! All God wants to know are you going to operate on sight or are you going to operate on His vision?!?!?!?!?!?!

Onward!

Nehemiah looked at the select few that were with him. Be careful church who you surround yourself with. He was real with them. He didn’t hide from their current state. He didn’t fudge on the difficulties ahead. He looked them in the eye and said I know this is going to be hard, but God has already given us the victory and we can rebuild this wall and city with God’s help. Let us rebuild this place and no longer be a disgrace, because God’s hands is on this good work! Their perspective changed and they said let us rebuild the wall. I like their reply, because they did not say ok Nehemiah you rebuild the wall they said let us rebuild the wall. That’s why you have to watch who you roll with because sometimes folks will set you up to take that fall. They will leave you out there all by yourself, but when people catch the vision and change their perspective they from I to we and from you to us! The Bible says and they began this good work!! but hold up wait a minute! Here comes the folks who don’t want things to change! 19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed at us and despised us, and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?” Church when the Devil sees God is using you He will always try to discourage you. Notice what the enemy used. Ridicule and lies. I know a little about that after pastoring a few years. When people begin to see God move they will first try to ridicule you. They will try to get people to separate from you. They will make fun of your worship and laugh at your praise. They will try to make the folks uneasy in order to discourage the work! If that doesn’t work they will start telling lies on you. They’ll misconstrue your words and lie about your intentions. They will go out of the meeting and say exactly opposite of what you really said. They will just balled face lie as my grandaddy would say. Some of them don’t even know that the devil is using them, but they are participating in an evil move attempting to stop the vision of God. They were not just fighting against Nehemiah they were fighting against God!

(NKJV)

But sometimes church no matter what people say and no matter what lies they tell you have to move onward! Nehemiah responded to his enemies in verse 20 So I answered them, and said to them, “The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem.” In other words you can say what you want. You can act how you want, but we are moving Onward! And when we get done you will not have a stake in it because you fought against it!

19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed at us and despised us, and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?”

20 So I answered them, and said to them, “The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem.”