The Challenge of Staying on Course

Driving to West Virginia

My dad an I went white water rafting several summers when I was young.

It was a little over 4 hour drive and we would usually leave in the late afternoon.

Though it wasn’t a hard drive, and we did it 3-4 times over the years, I believe every time we went we got lost at some point and would drive way off course for miles.

One time we were so far off we went to a gas station, bought a map, and asked the cashier how to get back.

A rough-looking fella overheard us asking for directions and offered to lead us to the hwy that would get us back on course.

We started following this guy through a number of small, curvy roads through the mountains of WV for like 30 min.

At one point my dad said “if he pulls off this road onto some gravel road then we are going to keep driving.”

Eventually we get to a big road and he motions us on back on course.

Regardless of how many times we went, we always seemed to get lost along the way.

There is a steady pull that we are all battle, that we are battling together, that pulls us away from the journey. How do we stay on course when we are being pulled away.

Staying the Course

Nehemiah 6:1–4 ESV

1 Now when Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it (although up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do me harm. 3 And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” 4 And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner.

Stay ANCHORED to our VALUES, don’t get DISTRACTED.

Nehemiah knew the intentions of Sanballat and Geshem, “they intended to do me harm.”

They wanted either to physically hurt Nehemiah or, at least, keep him from accomplishing the thing they had set out to do.

Nehemiah’s response is powerful:

Nehemiah 6:3 ESV

3 And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?”

He understood his work on the wall to be a “Great work”. He doesn’t say that just to get rid of Sanballat and Geshem, he believed in the work he was doing.

He wasn’t doing anything spectacular when you think about it.

Considering Nehemiah was Cupbearer to the king before coming to Jerusalem.

He is now on a wall, rebuilding a broken down city, leading a ragtag bunch, having to deal with opposition from outside and conflict from within.

Yet Nehemiah says “I am doing a great work.”

There is a profound challenge in Nehemiah’s declaration.

Are we able to see what really is a “Great Work” even when it doesn’t look all that great in worldly standards?

It might not seem like parenting is a “great work” or seeking to lead your family as a Godly Husband is a “Great Work”

It might not seem like working hard in your job or in school is a “Great Work”, but FAITHFULNESS to what God values is GREAT WORK.

In the context of church, this has been a challenging season that just seems like it doesn’t want to go away.

But we have to see the things God has given us as “Great Work” if we are to keep from be distracted.

I am not going to try and sell to you some picture that this season has been amazing but we just don’t see it.

It has been hard, continues to be hard, but the “Great Work” we must stay focused on is staying faithful to who God has called us to be.

We can’t live in community as we would like to, but by God’s grace we have phones, internet, and social distancing that can keep us connected.

We can’t learn more about Jesus like we would like, but we can gather here and online to hear God’s Word and then take advantage of the opportunities we do have to gather in groups throughout the week to dive deeper.

We can’t serve like we would like to, but we have opportunities to love on our neighbors and coworkers in tangible ways.

We can’t do mission like we would like to, leading other to Him, but we can be attentive to the opportunities we do have to invite, to speak hope, and to pray for those that we are connected with.

Faithfulness is a GREAT WORK, we must stay anchored to our values and not be distracted by discouragement or by the allure of something that seems more flashy.

Be GROUNDED in our MISSION, not letting other DEFINE it.

Nehemiah 6:5–9 ESV

5 In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand. 6 In it was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Geshem also says it, that you and the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall. And according to these reports you wish to become their king. 7 And you have also set up prophets to proclaim concerning you in Jerusalem, ‘There is a king in Judah.’ And now the king will hear of these reports. So now come and let us take counsel together.” 8 Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say have been done, for you are inventing them out of your own mind.” 9 For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands.

When distraction didn’t work, Sanballat and Geshem sent an “Open Letter”.

This was an attempt at a smear campaign because an open letter in that day was one that anyone and everyone could read openly.

It would have been read aloud, passed around, and open for anyone to hear as it was brought to the recipient.

The letter accused Nehemiah of seeking to start a rebellion and become the king in Judah.

It was not Nehemiah’s agenda to start a political rebellion, he wanted to rebuild the walls.

But it was his intention to make the path straight for the kingdom of God to be reestablished in Jerusalem.

He didn’t know what that would look like or when it would happen, but he knew the work he was doing was a step in that direction.

God calls us to be weird in the world’s eyes.

How we raise our kids. How we work our jobs. How we act in school. How we treat other people. How we use our time, talents, and treasures.

We will be scrutinized and accused of having ulterior motives or hateful intentions.

We will be tempted to give up, to give in, and/or to compromise in order to fit in.

Nehemiah defends himself and calls out their intention

Nehemiah 6:8–9 ESV

8 Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say have been done, for you are inventing them out of your own mind.” 9 For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands.

He knows his intentions and he knows who he is in God’s eyes.

Accusations are the evil one’s weapon that leads us to doubt and fear.

Doubt and fear cause us to “drop from the work”, to give up and give in.

The road ahead of us is not an easy one.

What will 2021 be like?

How will your family fair in the months to come?

What will our country look like?

What will our church look like?

Who will be with us and when will this end?

All those are real questions, but we cannot let those questions lead us into fear and doubt.

Listen to Paul’s message to us in Ephesians 2

Ephesians 2:10 ESV

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

We are created in Christ Jesus for good works as He defines them that we should walk in them.

Regardless of the trials we face, regardless of the questions and the frustrations, and the hard times, and the trials… we are His workmanship, created for GOOD WORKS (GREAT WORK)

Our job is to walk in them.

Seek Godly DISCERNMENT, not FOOLISH ADVICE.

Verse 9 ends with a simple, but profound prayer: “But now, my God, strengthen my hands.”

Then Nehemiah goes to a prophet for help.

But he discerns quickly that the prophet is not speaking the words of God.

Discernment is such a key discipline for us to develop.

We hear all kinds of messages throughout our day, whether through social media, the news, advertisements, or just conversations at work or school.

How are we to decipher which of those messages are true and which are selfish, destructive, misinformed, or sinful?

Discernment comes from being in close proximity to the Lord and His Word.

When Nehemiah faced a tough, confusing, frustrating, or complicated situation we see him reflexively go to the Lord.

He prays in 9 and again in 14, he had been driven to prayer and fasting in Chapter 1 led the people to pray.

When he goes to Shemaiah for help he recognizes right away that his words are not inline with the words of God and the calling God has given Nehemiah.

He knew God’s voice (John 10:27) and he knew when what he was hearing was in opposition to God’s voice.

How will we stay the course through this season? By staying close to God and listening intently to His direction.

Using wise and Godly discernment to navigate the steady stream of advice, ideas, concepts, and information.

One thing this season is forcing us to do is to stop relying on our activity as a measure of our effectiveness.

We as church people think the busier we are the more we are accomplishing for the Kingdom of God.

But oftentimes our busyness is only a tool for making ourselves feel better.

God doesn’t want us to be busy, he want’s us to be attentive and active doing the things He leads us to do.

Perhaps the most effective thing we can do as a church in this season is to pray more diligently, gathering faithfully, and take advantage of the simple, everyday opportunities He gives us to serve others and put His goodness on display.

PERSEVERE to the END, do not GIVE UP.

Nehemiah 6:15 ESV

15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days.

The declaration of victory, they persevered through obstacles, opposition, and strife.

To overcome those challenges and for them to stay the course speaks of just how powerful and in-control God is:

Nehemiah 6:16 ESV

16 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.

The surrounding nations we “intimidated and lost their confidence.”

That sounds negative, but Nehemiah was saying that the surrounding nations were humbled by the fact that the people of God had been successful.

Their perseverance spoke to the greatness and power of God as they (Nehemiah specifically) continually gave the glory to God for accomplishing the work.

The greatest accomplishments in life often come after hard work and challenging circumstances.

Perseverance requires firm faith, focused attention, diligent work, and dedicated unity.

When the work is most challenging and the temptation to give in or give up is growing stronger and stronger, we have to have a community around us to challenge us, encourage us, and remind us of the importance of the work and the greatness of the one who will accomplish it through us.

Chapter 7 is a call from Nehemiah for unity and a renewed commitment to be about the work of God, especially in their success.

They were done building the wall, now it is time to protect it and to let it be a testimony to God’s goodness and His ability to accomplish all He sets out to do.

Closing