Strengthen Our Hands

HONOR/GREETING MOMENT:

Hey there, my name is Kyle Popineau and I want to welcome you to our Weekend Worship Experience. I want you to know we are so honored you chose to come and spend time with us this weekend!

To our Online Family, we are grateful and honored to be invited into your home and my hope is this: you leave with a better understanding of who God is and His love for you! Because if you understand that, you’ll live a better and fuller life.

SCRIPTURE:

Nehemiah 2:18 CSB

I told them how the gracious hand of my God had been on me, and what the king had said to me. They said, “Let’s start rebuilding,” and their hands were strengthened to do this good work.

MESSAGE TITLE:

Strengthen Our Hands

PRAYER:

God, if I share my opinion today, it will be close to worthless, and if I share from human wisdom today, it will have a short shelf life, but your word is eternal. So speak now, God. We’re listening. Give us open hearts to receive the things that you desire to say

OPENNING (CONTEXT):

This is the middle of the introductory portion of the book of Nehemiah and it is describing the burden Nehemiah felt for the things of God. He saw a need and asked God and the king for the permission and materials to rebuild the wall. It was a pride thing (not bad pride).

-Nehemiah wanted the things of God to be seen as strong and secure, just like the character of God. Besides, who wants to serve a God who can’t even keep a wall up?

As I was reading in my quiet time a few weeks ago out of Nehemiah chapter two, I read this sentiment from him and began to pray the same thing over myself, our staff, our volunteers and you:

“I told them how the gracious hand of my God had been on me and what the king said to me. They said, “Let’s start rebuilding,” and their hands were strengthened to do this good work”. (Nehemiah 2:18)

I’ve prayed it countless times in the last couple of months, “God, strengthen my hands to do this good work” and I’m praying the same thing over you. You are a meaningful part of the ministry that goes on through Legacy Church and that good work will be strengthened by the One who called us to do it! After all, this is His church!

POINTS:

1. The first thing Nehemiah did was tell some of the great things God had done for him.

-His challenge to the people was positive and encouraging. (When you go through a hard time, encourage others, it builds them up and you build a support system for the next time you’re down).

-It focused on “us” and “we” not “they” and “them”. He identified with the nation, took on its weight and burden.

-He rehearsed the resume of things God had done in the past to encourage himself and those around him. When you feel down, go back and remember what God has done for you in the past. It will encourage you.

-He didn’t let the size of the task overshadow the strength of his God.

2. This was muscle memory for the Jews.

-It wasn’t the first time they tried to rebuild the walls of the city. Ezra 4:1-5

Ezra 4:1–5 CSB

When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the family heads and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we also worship your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time King Esar-haddon of Assyria brought us here.” But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other heads of Israel’s families answered them, “You may have no part with us in building a house for our God, since we alone will build it for the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us.” Then the people who were already in the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build. They also bribed officials to act against them to frustrate their plans throughout the reign of King Cyrus of Persia and until the reign of King Darius of Persia.

-They didn’t make excuses for what needed to be done, “We’ve already tried to rebuild, it won’t work.” And they didn’t let laziness get in the way, they didn’t just accept the way things were and go along with the flow. This time, when Nehemiah shared a vision of city protected by a wall that God would help build, the people got up and started to work!

When I was young, Mom and Dad would make us get up on Saturdays and do chores. Mowing and edging the lawn and sweeping/blowing off the street and sidewalk always made the house look so nice. They taught us at the end of the day, maybe as we were driving off for an event that night, to look at the work we had done and take pride in the place we lived.

-Lazy Christians don’t take pride in what they are building in the Kingdom.

3. Their hands were strengthened as they worked.

-After they made the decision to start rebuilding they got to work and that’s when “their hands were strengthened to do this good work”.

-It’s going to take work to build this church, to build the dream God put in your heart, to build your family. I think it’s healthy and right to pray and ask for God’s blessing and provision over your family and this church, but those things don’t build themselves.

CLOSE/RESPONSE:

Acts 2:37 CSB

When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”

I’m praying this over my life, over your life, over our church, over our families: God, strengthen our hands to do this good work. What is THIS good work? The work that you are doing right now, raising your kids, working at your job, caring for your spouse, loving your friends, inviting them to church not just to be here for a service, but to participate in a life-giving community.

-Make no mistake, this is work! But it is good work.

OFFERING:

My prayer is that what you are doing to further the Kingdom would bring strength to your hands; that the graciousness and goodness of our King would energize you and encourage you to continue to do the good work! We covet your prayers and are so grateful for them and your financial commitment to Legacy Church, we truly could not do this without you.