"The Good _____" (Neh. 2:1-18)

"The Good WORK"

Sadie’s facial expressions: I can tell how she’s feeling because it’s written all over her face.

“NOT A GOOD DAY”

Well the main character in our story today (Nehemiah) was NOT having a good day.

He has just found out that his homeland (Jerusalem) lies in ruins…walls and gates torn down and burned.

Imagine how you’d feel...

Nehemiah 1:4 (NIV)

4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.

Now he has to come before the king...

Nehemiah 2:1–3 (NLT)

1 Early the following spring, in the month of Nisan, during the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign, I was serving the king his wine. I had never before appeared sad in his presence.

2 So the king asked me, “Why are you looking so sad? You don’t look sick to me. You must be deeply troubled.” Then I was terrified,

3 but I replied, “Long live the king! How can I not be sad? For the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.”

“Long live the king!”

The king’s servants were to always look happy in the king’s presence…especially the king’s cup bearer.

He was afraid the king might have gotten the wrong idea.

“You don’t look sick to me...”

“You must be deeply troubled.”

“How can I not be?”

“I see the same look on a lot of your faces.”

There’s something deeply troubling you and you want to do something about it…you're just looking for the next step.

Watch what Nehemiah does:

Nehemiah 2:4 (NLT)

4 The king asked, “Well, how can I help you?” With a prayer to the God of heaven,

“Prayer is always a good place to start.”

“If prayer isn't necessary for you to accomplish your vision, you aren't thinking big enough.”

If you ask God His opinion FIRST…then you won’t be surprised when the devil gives you his.

“Goals are GOOD…Plans are BETTER”

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”

GOD DOESN’T GRANT WISHES…HE ANSWERS PRAYERS

“In other words, it helps to be specific when we ask for His blessing."

Nehemiah 2:5 (NLT)

5 I replied, “If it please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.”

“OK, so when you coming back?”

Notice, Nehemiah doesn’t just shrug and say, “I don’t know…let me go ask Jimmy.”

No, he says,”If it pleases the king, "let me have letters addressed to the governors of the West province.”

Then, "And my I have a letter to Asaph, "manager of the king’s forest, so he'll give me timber "to make the beams for the gates of the Temple, the city walls and for the home I’m gonna live in?"

In other words...I need protection to travel and I need provision to build.

Then he says and because the gracious hand of God was on me, the king granted my requests.

He sought God. He was lead by the Spirit of God.

God was directing his words and directing his step.

He created a plan and said, “Lord willing, this is how I'm going to accomplish it.” You may say, “I want to create a plan but I don't really know how to have a perfect plan.”

I always tell people that the plan doesn't have to be perfect, that I would rather execute a good plan today with passion than a perfect plan months from now without passion.

You just gotta get the ball moving.

My plan is easy (so I can remember it)...

“Do the next right thing.”

You know what my plan is all the time? My plan is do the next right thing.

“If I try to look too far down the road or if I look at a problem from only my limited viewpoint...it can overwhelm me pretty quickly.”

“That’s when I know I’ve missed a step.”

As one pastor put it, “Success is not in achieving some accomplishment out there in the future...

Success is being faithful to do the right thing today.”

So what's the next right thing for you?

Find a mentor.

Ask questions.

Remember, God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason…LISTEN.

(v.17) “You know the trouble we’re in.”

“So what are you gonna do about it?”

What we're gonna see next week is a lot of opposition… Hard core critics and haters.

We're gonna see some really discouraged people that feel like God may not be with us.

They're distracted, they're exhausted, they feel like failures, and we're gonna watch as Nehemiah again and again steps up during times that he probably doesn't even know if he believes it's possible himself.

All things are possible with God.

You gotta continue to stand up with whatever faith you have because that is what inspires people.

I like what John Wesley said,

"Light yourself on fire with passion and people will come from miles to watch you burn."

LET THE FIRE BURN.

Inspire the people around you to believe that God is for what we're doing, that God is with us, He'll never leave us, He'll never forsake us… He's empowering us, He's going before us, He's opening doors that we don't have the power to open.

“GOD DOESN’T CARE ABOUT NUMBERS…

GOD CARES ABOUT PEOPLE.”

People who are hurting…people who are broken.

We're not just building church buildings.

We are filling Heaven with people who need the grace of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Hey, you know someone who needs grace?

Invite them, love them, let some crazy people show them the unconditional love of a Jesus who has changed all of us.

We can rebuild...We can save our people.

Nehemiah 2:18 (NLT)

18 Then I told them about how the gracious hand of God had been on me, and about my conversation with the king. They replied at once, “Yes, let’s rebuild the wall!” So they began the good work.

Brothers and sisters, we’ve got a wall to rebuild…we’ve got a people to save.