The Power of Negative Thinking (Part 1 of 2)

Most of us don't like having to say no. But today on Truth for Life, we'll find out how and when and why saying no may be the best response when we are doing God's work, God's way. Alistair Begg is continuing our study in the book of Nehemiah with the message he's titled The Power of Negative Thinking. Heavenly Father, our need of you is great. In fact, it's total because it's total futility for us to think of spending this next period of time simply listening to a man's voice, expounding views and news. So we ask that in and through and beyond that voice and in and through and beyond the pages of Scripture which we open now, we may hear you speak, and in speaking we might be given grace to respond in faith and in obedience to the glory of Jesus.

Amen. We resume our studies this morning where we left off last time, namely at the 14th verse of chapter 5. We've been trying to go all the way through chapter 5 and were unsuccessful, and so we need to pick it up at that point.

Having dealt with chapter 5 and its fullness in preparation for last time and then coming back to chapter 6 to start afresh for this time, I really wasn't sure of how to go at the whole procedure, how possibly to try and tie it all together. And what I want to do this morning is to focus on the importance of the correct usage of one of the most employed words of the English language, a word which tiny children learn to say quickly in defiance and most of us as grown-up children find difficult to say in discipline, and the word is no. No. What we have in these verses before us this morning, as we're going to see, is a lesson in how and when and why to say no. When Paul writes to Titus, he reminds Titus that one of the distinguishing marks of having come to faith in Jesus Christ is that the individual will, having encountered God's grace in all of its fullness, which has appeared to all men, they will be taught to say no.

They will be taught to live out a no statement to certain things he mentions ungodliness and worldly passions. The Bible also makes it very clear that one of the distinguishing marks of the genuine believer is that they have learned to use the words yes and no properly. They say yes at the right time and mean it. They say no at the right time and they mean it. They let their yes be yes and their no be no. So it is very, very important.

It may seem almost trivial to think of it in these terms, but I don't think so. Witness, for example, when we fail to say no when we should, for example, in the realm of temptation. Or listen to mothers or fathers, for that matter, exclaiming to their friends as they are out in the store, in the department store or in the coffee shop or something, as their children just create absolute mayhem all around them, and you hear the mother saying, I just can't say no to my kids. And when you can say no when you should say no, you're in trouble. So learning to say no at the right time is very, very important, and no less so in the matter of leadership as we see concerning Nehemiah here. If you want a succinct title, I'm going to dig it out of verse 2 of chapter 6, and we'll call it Saying No to Ono. Saying No to Ono. Because it was this location of Ono which represented the distinct challenge to what Nehemiah was doing, and so he said no to Ono.

He said Ono to Ono, actually. But that's by the way. You see, if God's work is going to be done in God's way, which is the prevailing emphasis of these studies, then leadership needs to be principled enough to rule out other options. Not because the options are always wrong, many times they're not, but sometimes just because they are the wrong options.

In other words, they're not best. And when we look into the life of this fellow Nehemiah, we have a tremendous example of somebody who, having put his hand to the plow, didn't look back. If you asked him, what are you doing, he knew what he was doing. Every day of the week, every hour of the day, he knew what he was on.

He knew why he was saying yes, he knew why he was saying no. Terrific illustration of all manner of avenues of life. It is an illustration to a schoolboy or a schoolgirl as they set their course towards a successful completion of their journey. It is a lesson to the businessman, to the salesman. It is a lesson to the mother as she awakes in the morning, to the multiple challenges of her task that week.

She needs to know what she's going to say yes to and what she will say no to, to apply it just in a few ways. Now, I want to suggest this morning that there are five areas in which we see Nehemiah saying no, and hopefully we can learn from them. First of all, in verses 14 to the end of the fifth chapter, we see Nehemiah saying no to undue privilege. Saying no to undue privilege. It is clear, as you read these verses—and you may read them as I speak to refresh your memory—that there were obvious advantages to the position in which Nehemiah had been in Susa and now found himself in Jerusalem.

The fringe benefits of the job were outstanding. His predecessors, as he tells us here in around verse 15 or so, had established a pattern of taking from the people food and finance to the degree that it had become burdensome to the people. Now when you move into a new job, it's very possible for you just to go with the pattern that has been set by the person who sat in the chair before you. After all, the people have become aware of it, they've become used to it, and they may safely assume, well, this character will just go along the journey the way the previous chap did. It's very, very important if a man is going to be a man of integrity in that business world that he assesses to what degree those individuals have done that which was for the well-being of the firm, the company, the employees, or whatever it might be. And if he is a man of principle, then he will be prepared to step back from that which is burdensome and unhelpful.

And that's exactly what we find Nehemiah doing. In modern parlance, the expense account that Nehemiah had was probably considerably greater than most of the cumulative annual salaries of the people that he was working amongst. So he didn't even need to touch his principal salary, he could just live off his expense account and he'd still be way ahead of where the people were that he was encouraging to be involved with him in the work. That, I suggest, in every context, represents a peculiar challenge to the person who finds himself with such a privilege.

He was justifiably able to eat at five-star restaurants, to live in the best of hotels, always to travel first class, the job was absolutely silver-lined. But he said no. He said no. Now, why did he say no?

Well, the answer is very straightforward. He said no because he didn't want to harm the people. The demands, he says in verse 18, were heavy on the people.

We know from the study last time that these folks were going through famine, they were going through deep difficulty, and if in the midst of all of that their sterling leader was actually going to take gouge them for more and more stuff, then presumably would just push them over the edge. And so he decides to say no to traveling with what is excess baggage. He refuses to allow the craft, the vessel of his life to be weighted down by what was obviously unnecessary and, as he describes it, unhelpful. He's moved, according to verse 15, to say no, first of all, by reverence for God. He says of these predecessors that they used to place a heavy burden on the people.

They took 40 shekels of silver from them, in addition to the food and the wine, and the assistance that they had also lorded over the people. But out of reverence for God, I did not act like that. You see, here's the great challenge. You say you know God, yes. You say that you reverence God, yes.

Okay, show me. Why would I ever believe that you reverence God? Why would I ever know what the phrase I reverence God even means?

Unless it has feet, unless it has hands. Now this is not the only way, but this was a way. And Nehemiah's willingness and ability to say no to what was excess was one of the ways in which he magnified God and he displayed his reverence for him. He was marked by a genuine, heartfelt, life-impacting concern for God's glory. And as we've alluded to in verse 18, he was moved to say no not only by reverence for God but also by compassion for people. Now this explains, you see, why he had all these people over for dinner in verse 17. This is quite a dining room table, you've got to admit. Furthermore, 150 Jews and officials ate at my table.

He said, There's no way you've got 150 people around a table. Oh, yeah, you just need a big enough table. Have you ever gone to some of the palaces in Britain or in Europe and seen some of those dining room tables? Unbelievable! You go to the palace in Holyrood Palace at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, down from the castle, the Queen's residence when she's in Edinburgh, and look at that dining room table.

It's spectacular. It goes forever. And you never need to talk to your brothers or your sisters or anybody for months on end if you just position yourself properly at the table, because it's huge. I mean, you put the king down there and the queen down there, they need a walkie-talkie system just to say, Could you pass me the salt, please?

I mean, you can ask for the salt at breakfast on a Tuesday and not get it till dinner time on a Thursday. That's how big the table is. It's immense. So don't think for a moment that we've got a Nehemiah here who's living one step above dereliction. Some of us are already beginning to apply it here in terms of the sort of, we've got Nehemiah, a child of the 60s. Nehemiah, the peasant. Nehemiah living in a cave. Aha, you see. Nehemiah wasn't a capitalist.

Aha, there you go. Nehemiah was a man of the people. No, Nehemiah was, by all accounts, stinking rich. You're going to have to be rich to have 150 people for dinner every single day and not take the food given to the governor. See, he had a lot of stuff, but the stuff didn't have him. That's the challenge.

We made the mistake of assuming that if someone has the stuff, they've got the problem, when in point of fact, we may not have the stuff and we may have the problem. So he has these big dinner parties. They kill an ox every day, six choice sheep every day, poultry every day, and every 10 days an abundant supply of wine of all kinds. He did this. He told his, whoever it was that went out for the groceries, they went to the sort of Jerusalem finest or whatever it was, not to advertise, but he said, go down there, get an ox, six choice sheep, poultry, and it's the day for the wine and bring it all back. He obviously had big bucks from his job in Susa or certainly from his job in Jerusalem. He was living with success. He was living with popularity.

He was living with prosperity. I would imagine that's jolly difficult. Probably a lot harder than most of us believe. Oh, look at those people. They've got so much. They have so much influence, so much opportunity.

It must be fine for them. In fact, the Bible says to whom much is given, much will be required. And Nehemiah displays his integrity by saying no to privilege. Just because it's there doesn't mean we have to use it. Just because it's there doesn't mean we have to have it. Just because the previous guy did it doesn't mean we have to do it too. It's an immense challenge.

And I don't think it matters how many zeros we're talking about. It's a challenge to us all, all the time. Take the challenge, I certainly must face it. Saying no then to privilege. Secondly, saying no to pride.

Saying no to pride. The completion of the project is described for us here in verse 1 and then in verse 15 of the chapter. Especially in the light of the speed with which this has taken place, we're told in fifty-two days they had put it all together. There's enough in this to pump up the average man's head so large that he'd need a couple of people to walk around with him just to hold his head up because his neck muscles wouldn't be sufficient for the task. There was enough in this to have massaged the ego of Nehemiah to the point of almost absurdity. But you will notice that he consistently avoided the posture. People might justifiably have said to him, you know, tell me about your wall Nehemiah. And he could have waxed eloquent on it all. How he'd been in Susa and he'd come nine hundred miles. He came singing and I could walk nine hundred miles and I could. And he came from Susa walking nine hundred miles just to get there, just to be on the wall, just to do the job. And he could have said, you know, there hasn't been a person in ninety years who was able to tackle this project. I've been able to put it together. It's fantastic.

We did it in fifty two days. I'm really very good at this building stuff. I'm a good guy.

And yeah, let me take you around my wall. He doesn't do any of that. So we learn from the silences of the Bible as well as from the express statements of the Bible. And what we learn from the silence in Nehemiah here is that here was a man that said no to a fat head.

Here was a man who said, no, I will not take the glory to myself. I will not allow anyone to believe that this happened because of Nehemiah, because I know that it was an account of the hand of God upon my life that made it possible for me to have all of this journey, to have all of these provisions, to make this reconnaissance mission work and to encourage all these people to go. It was all God. Nehemiah knew, Psalm 138 2, you have exalted above all things your name and your word.

And he was not about to foul that one up. Now, if we doubted this at all, you only need to look at verse 9 there. They were trying to frighten us, thinking, their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed. Then you've got a little phrase, but I prayed, but I prayed. There's nothing reveals our hearts more than our prayer life or the absence of it. You see, if we think that we're really good at talking, we'll never pray for God to bless the ministry of his word. We'll just rely on our ability to talk.

If we think that we have all the requisite abilities in this church, there's no reason to have a prayer meeting. All we'll do is just mobilize people according to principle. We'll use the management strategies of the world.

We'll employ the latest marketing techniques of the day, and we'll go out and we'll reach the world. But if we know that we can't do that, then we'll pray. And Nehemiah's prayers are the key to the absence of his pride. And the absence of his pride is on the basis of the presence of his prayers.

We'll say more about this tonight. Turn for a moment to 1 Peter chapter 5, if you would. 1 Peter chapter 5, Peter's wrapping it up, this letter that he's written to all these scattered believers. And he says, you know, if you're going to live together in harmony with one another, one of the very important elements is going to be an absence of pride. And so in verse 5, he says, all of you, wear humility towards one another. Don't be going around bristling with pride and preening your feathers and acting smart.

Don't do that. Because, he says, quoting the Old Testament, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. And on the basis of that, he then applies it. He says, humble yourselves, therefore under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. It means learning to keep silent and allow the work which God has chosen to do in you and through you speak for itself. See, Nehemiah lived in the awareness that God was sovereignly involved in his life. He was providentially dealing with him.

And for all of his initiative, he doesn't display the kind of unhealthy self-assertiveness which so often marks those who are successful. There was none, if you like, of the spirit of the Olympics 94 in Nehemiah's response. Oh, what do you mean by that, says somebody?

Well, I don't know if it's just me, but I've picked something up this time around that I don't remember quite before. Nowhere did it come across more forcefully than the other evening while the whole world watched the figure skating. And when the focus of all of America's affections and hopes and dreams finally took her place in front of the camera and was asked, how do you feel? Do you remember her response? I am very proud of myself.

Excuse me? Wasn't there something supposed to be about, I am greatly humbled by the immense privilege, entrusted to me to represent the United States of America in this arena? Again, what do you think about this? I am very pleased with what I have been able to achieve. And all the little girls of America, down there in that place at Shaker Heights where I have to go with my girls, are watching this, are watching this, and they're saying, that's just what I want to be. Now, Nehemiah, we just wanted to have a moment with you to interview you about your wall. How do you feel about your wall?

I am very proud of myself and what I have been able to achieve. It's the spirit of the age. It all spills over from silly psychology manifest in the realm of sports. I would want to say, in defense of the individual to whom I am alluding, that she is speaking out soundbites punked to her by sports psychologists who told her, you've gotta believe in yourself, you've gotta think of yourself, you've gotta think of the next thing, you've gotta believe. And all of that's true, but all of that is not the essence of it. All of that is a means to an end, and all of that obscures the overarching purpose.

We are breathing a generation of brats in a society that has exalted narcissism to the throne, but not Nehemiah. You're listening to Alistair Begg on Truth for Life. We'll hear more from Alistair tomorrow. You may be aware that October is Pastor Appreciation Month and one of the outcomes of our mission at Truth for Life to teach the Bible with clarity and relevance is that local churches will be strengthened. Along these lines, our team has created a resource that is perfect for pastors or those in church leadership to use as a part of your church's evangelism efforts or to help educate new members, new believers. The resource is called The Basics of the Christian Faith. It's a 13-week course that combines mentoring with listening to teaching messages from Alistair on core Christian beliefs. You or any member of your church can use the course to guide a new believer or a group of new church members through essential foundational topics like the doctrine of salvation, the practicalities of becoming a Christian, who is Jesus, what about the sacraments? Those are just a few of the topics that are covered. There's a step-by-step leader's guide, a companion study guide for those who are being discipled.

Each study guide is available at our cost of just $8.00. Search for The Basics of the Christian Faith at truthforlife.org slash store. When your church's new members work through this introductory course, one of the things they'll learn is that salvation is a gift of grace.

It's not the result of works. And that's the topic of a book we're recommending today. It's called The Beauty of Divine Grace. This is a book that explores what the Reformers affirmed at the time of Martin Luther, that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, by way of the Scriptures alone, all for God's glory alone. You'll learn about the complete sufficiency of Jesus' finished work on the cross and our complete dependence on God's grace for our salvation. This is also a terrific resource to share with new believers and new church members. Ask for your copy of The Beauty of Divine Grace today when you give a donation to support the teaching ministry of Truth for Life. You can donate through the mobile app or online at truthforlife.org slash donate.

Or you can purchase extra copies at truthforlife.org slash store. I'm Bob Lapine. We are so glad that you have joined us today. Tomorrow we'll learn why effective leaders who fully trust God also need a healthy dose of skepticism and diligence. The Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life where the Learning is for Living.