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Now, here's today's message from Pastor Skip Heitzik. Based on what I know of Nehemiah so far, I'm going to make another guess. He was praying. He was praying about this enormous task that is ahead of him. And he was doing it in solitude.
Problem solvers know The value of solitude. Thinking before acting, looking and assessing before doing. Then After three days. I'm guessing under a full moon, he took a ride at night. And since he arrived in Jerusalem from the north, His night ride began on the western side, and we have a map so you can kind of get the idea.
If you look to the left is where he started. he would have gone down the valley called the Tyropian Valley. to where it ends at the Hinnom Valley. and then over to the Kidron Valley, all looking at the walls and the structures of the city. Why at night?
so he wouldn't be spotted.
So the enemies wouldn't know what's going on yet, they will soon enough, but so as not to invite attention. He inspects it at night. And look at this phrase. It's one of my favorite ones in this book, verse 12. I told no one.
What my God had put in my heart To do At Jerusalem. I love that. I think that before God can do any significant work through you, He has to do His work in you. He's got to work on the heart. I think that began months before.
It began when he first heard about the problem in Jerusalem and he discovered in that moment, this is my purpose in life. This is what I was born for. I'm going to commit myself to this when he was still back in Persia. But now he is here and he is looking and he is developing what we typically call vision. You've heard that term.
That person is a visionary. He's a manner. She's a woman of vision. That means somebody with foresight.
Somebody with great dreams. The ability to envision what no one else can envision. I've always loved Michelangelo's description of his work. Michelangelo would look at a block of marble and he would say, I saw an angel in the marble and I carved it until I set it free. He said, every block of stone has a statue inside it.
and it's the task of the sculptor to discover it. I think that's what Nehemiah is doing. He is discovering by assessing, by looking at those walls and these broken-down structures, what. He's going to do in building it. He's assessing and making careful.
prayerful investigation. In verse 13 and verse 15, there's the little word viewed. I viewed. the walls. And then again, I viewed The walls.
Some of your translations might say examined. It was a medical term. or probing a wound. To see the extent of the damage. before the doctor would apply the cure.
A problem solver knows how to do this, will gather the facts, get a lay of the land. Before you start building, you need to see the extent of the damage. It's only when you see what is broken that you can make a plan to fix. What is broken? A.W.
Tozer said, aimless activity is beneath the worth and dignity of a human being. Activity that does not result in progress toward a goal is wasted, yet most Christians have no clear end toward which they are striving. There's nothing worse than active ignorance. Just getting in there. I'm going to fix this.
Well, do you even know what the problem is yet? Before you start making too many movements, Find out what you need to do. Before you can fix a problem, you got to answer the question: what is the problem?
So he finds that out.
So we have two Two ingredients to problem solving. Go the distance, assess the need. Here's the third. Get a group. Don't do it alone, get a group.
Now you'll notice in this Little story here. Nehemiah gets two groups. One small and then one large, larger. The first smaller group is in verse 12. I arose in the night, I and a few.
Men With me. He found a group of men he could confide in to go with him to assess the need to make sure that he is seeing. What he thinks he's seeing. To make sure we have witnesses for what needs to be done. I don't know who these men were.
They could have been locals. My guess is they were part of the entourage that came with him from Persia. Just a few. Then he draws a larger circle. Go down to verse 16.
And the officials did not know where I had gone. or what I had done. I have not told the Jews. That's the inhabitants of the city. The priests.
The nobles The officials Or the others who did the work.
Sounds like a pretty large group, but he didn't tell them. Until verse 17. Then I said to them, You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste and its gates are burned with fire. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem. that we may no longer be a reproach.
At the right time, He communicated the vision. to the right people. Get a group. If you want to fix a problem, surround yourself with the right people, like-minded people.
Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 4, two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor. If one falls down, his companion can help him up. Woe to him who is alone when he falls. He has no one to help him. It's always good to have Two Or more, because the text goes on to say a threefold chord is not quickly broken.
So get a group. Studies, and I mean many studies. Have shown that people cannot function effectively without making meaningful connections with other people.
So, if you are a lone wolf, if you are a loner, I don't tell anybody anything ever. You won't get very far. Think of a soldier without a platoon. Think of a football player without a team. Think of a Tuba player without an orchestra.
No, thank you. Don't want to hear it. Think of a student without a class. Each one needs a group.
Now, something else I want to draw your attention to with this group thing, verse 17. Look how he does this. Then I said to them, You see the distress that we are in? See how he includes himself in this group? He doesn't say, Do you see the distress you are in?
But we are in. How Jerusalem lies waste, its gates are burned with fire. Come and let. Us build the wall of Jerusalem that we may no longer be a Reproach.
Now, how many days has he been there? Three days. Three days he's been there, and he includes himself. in being a reproach. As being in this problem, that he, you know, what if he would have said, you know, you guys really have made a mess of things.
And you need to get out there and get to work, and you need to fix this thing. And if you need me, I'll be in my office. That wouldn't have helped. Criticism squelches motivation. When you identify with people in the problem, that stimulates motivation.
And then in verse 18. I told them. Of the hand of my God. Which had been good upon me, and also of the king's word that he had spoken to me.
So he is informing them. Hey, I went before King Artaxerxes. I got him to reverse his policy concerning Jerusalem. That's God, you guys. God did that for us.
And He's telling them the story. And by doing that, He is turning despair into hope. Watch the result. Verse 18 continues.
So they said. Let us rise up and build. Then they set their hands to this good work. Man, they're ready to follow him anywhere at this point. If you really want to check somebody's leadership.
See if anybody's following them. He felt called to do this. He came there and at the right time conveyed his vision to them, and they are all in. They are ready to follow him. Dwight Moody said, I would rather get 10 men to do the work.
than to do the work of ten men. Nehemiah knew this was a sizable project. He could never do it alone. A few men with him could never do it alone. In fact, all the men he communicated the vision to were only a start.
He needed even more than that.
So he is getting more and more and more. as you will see to do the work.
So we have three ingredients so far dissolving Problems? Go the distance, assess the need, and get a group. Let me give you a fourth. Expect a fight. If you do all of those things to fix a problem somewhere along the line.
You're going to get resistance. Expect a fight. Verse 19, but Not a good word to begin after all that good stuff, but. When Sanbalat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official, remember those? Nuts from last time.
And now here's the third, Gisham the Arab. He hasn't been mentioned yet. When they 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?
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Now, here's more from Pastor Skip. Last time we were together, I told you, I gave you a little biography of who These people were the first two. A Sanbalat the Horonite. He was the governor of Samaria. Tobiah the Ammonite, I said he was sort of like a mob boss, you know, a godfather type.
This third guy, I should tell you about because you're going to see him again, and I don't want to have to explain him who he is later on, so I'll do it now. Gishem the Arab, it is thought, was even more powerful and adversary than the first two that are mentioned. There is evidence from other sources that Geshem and his son Ruled a group of Arabian tribes that controlled both Edom and Moab, both of those countries to the east of Israel. That he controlled Moab, Edom, part of Arabia, and the entrance on the way to Egypt. All of that territory.
he was in control of. And these were like These were like tribal warriors. These were, he was like a gang lord. He was like, if I can. Use this analogy.
He was like the trend de Aragua of the ancient Middle East. Just sort of running roughshah, doing his own thing. Um In that part of the world.
So these three are the enemies. They get together and it says they laughed at us, they despised us, and they said, What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king? Now, what they don't know is Nehemiah has the papers from the king that gives him permission. Will you rebel against the king?
And they laugh, they scorn. The very first Car When it was put on the road. A horse and buggy could pass the first car as if it were standing still. And so people, when they saw the car, they laughed at it. The first electric bulb.
Was so dim that you needed a gas lamp in order to see it. People laughed. The first airplane. Came down 59 seconds after it took off. People laughed.
Nehemiah shows up in Jerusalem to do what God told him to do, put in his heart to do, and people laughed. Expect a fight. Expect a fight. You've heard of Murphy's Law? Anybody heard of Murphy's Law?
Tell me what it is.
Some people If anything can go wrong, it will go wrong. That's Murphy's law. Have you heard of Lucifer's Law?
Well It's a biblical directive, you might say. Anything you ever try to do for God is going to be attacked. You know? Nehemiah sitting in Persia saying, I'm going to go to Jerusalem and build it. Stirred hell.
against him. I'm convinced that Nehemiah could have gone anywhere else in the empire. and he would not have gotten the hassle that he got. For being in Jerusalem. You know why?
Because Jerusalem happens to be the center of God's activity on earth. And he's there building God's city.
So Go the distance, assess the need, get a group. Expect a fight. Let me give you the fifth and final little sentence. Take a stand. Take a stand.
Now I love verse 20. Watch this, listen to this.
So I answered. them and i said to them The God of Heaven. I'm glad he started out like that. The God of heaven himself, not, I come here in the name of King Artaxerxes Langemanus. And said, the God of heaven, I'm going to one up the king.
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. Come on. That's a great response. Like in your face.
I love it. He refused to let discouragement have the last word. He's essentially saying, uh-uh, God's going to have the last word. It's like the old saying: when Satan comes knocking at your door. Let Jesus answer it.
There's hide behind him. When you when you are dealing with the enemy. But I love Nehemiah because it shows me some things are worth. Fighting for.
Some projects are worth finishing.
Some problems are worth fixing. Satan would have loved to take the wind out of his sails. By using these three enemies, Just like he would love to take the wind out of your sails to stop you from doing God's work. And here's what you have to realize. The Christian life is not a 50-yard dash.
It's a marathon. You're in training your entire life. to run and keep running and keep running and keep moving and keep going and finish well. In Psalm 112, The psalmist writes of a godly man, listen to his description, he will never be shaken. He will not be afraid of evil tidings.
His heart is steadfast, trusting the Lord.
Sounds like Nehemiah. Answer a question. What would it take to make you quit. What would it take to make you quit, to stop serving God? To stop trusting God, to stop praying, to stop reading your Bible, to stop coming to church, to stop staying serious about following Christ in this world.
What would it take to make you stop? Would it be personal struggles? Would it be a diagnosis from a doctor? Would it be the death of a loved one? Would it be the perceived hypocrisy of other believers?
You've just seen too much. I've had enough. I quit. You don't think Satan doesn't strategize over you to that end? To get you to quit?
He does. You know the story of Job. Job was Caught in the middle between a conversation with Satan and God over Job. Satan accused Job of being a mercenary. serving God for only blessings that he would get from God.
God said, no, he's blameless. He's upright. Satan said, Let me add him. Take away the hedge. Let me inflict some things.
Let's test him. And you know his story. Job lost his children. He lost all of his wealth. He even lost his health.
I would even say he lost the support of his wife because she could only say, curse God and die. A lot of help she was. And then he had three friends who didn't really turn out to be good friends because they just accused him of being rotten. That's why God is judging him. But all the way through the book, though, he's very imperfect and he makes a lot of statements that you could find fault with.
He did say at the beginning of his affliction, he said, I came into the world naked, I'm going to leave naked. Blessed be the name of the Lord. And he would not. Curse the Lord. But one of the highlights of the book is when he is at his lowest point, he says, even though God slay me, I will trust.
Do you hear what he's saying? I'm going to trust God even if it kills me. That's what he's saying.
So, if you were to ask Job, Job, what would it take to make you quit? He would say, nothing would make me quit. There are certain things in life worth standing for, fighting for. And so He is here. He is doing it.
We're going to have a wonderful opportunity to stand for our city. I hope you're not one of the people who looks around and goes, Yeah, this is never going to change. This city always is like it's never, okay. Get your hands dirty. Love week is coming up.
Great chance to rise up and build. I'm going to close with this. It's one of my favorite things. I've shared it once before with you. It's the slogan of an African-American church in Kansas City happens to be the best little purpose statement I've ever come across.
This is how they put it. Wake up. Sing up. Pray up. and pay up But never give up.
or let up. or back up or shut up. until the cause of Christ is built up in this world. How's that for a purpose statement?
Now, as I close, I've said that now a couple times.
Sort of like Paul when he writes his letters. Finally, my brethren. Three chapters later. Yeah. But as I was uh Getting ready to come for last evening's message, the first of the.
Weekend. I went through this outline that I shared with you, and I thought, God did all of these things. to fix our problem. What's our biggest problem? Sam.
God knew that problem needed to be fixed, so he was willing to go the distance. Jesus left heaven, came to the earth. For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten Son. He saw the need. He saw the need before he came.
He knew the need. That's why he came. He got a group. The Trinity was involved in the whole event. God sent his Son.
The Son responded to the Father. And the Holy Spirit is the one who does the work in bringing people to the Son. He even got a bigger group. He got his disciples to go out and spread the word of salvation. throughout the world.
And then he expected a fight. Because you can imagine If God is out to save the world, then Satan would be out to destroy anybody who would want that.
So Satan suggested to Jesus that he not go to the cross. In Matthew 4, at his temptation, he inspired the leaders. The Jewish leaders and the political leaders to go against Jesus. But then finally he took a stand. He went to the cross no matter what.
For the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame.
So every one of these things God did in solving our greatest problem. Yeah. We're so glad you joined us today on Connect with Skip Heitzig. Before you go, here's a reminder. When you give $50 or more this month, we'll send you the Expound Nehemiah 7 Message C D series with digital download, along with Pastor Skiff's booklet, Overcoming an Anxious Mind, as our thanks.
These resources offer biblical insight and encouragement to help you trust God in challenging seasons and experience His peace as you follow Him. Your support helps keep this Bible teaching ministry on the air, connecting more people to God's word. Give today at connectwithskift.com slash offer or call 800-922-8888. See you next time. I make a connection.
I shouldn't have a foot of the crossing. Castle burning. Insomnia. Connect with Skip Heitzig is a presentation of connection communications, connecting you to God's never-changing truth in ever-changing times.
