BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE NEHEMIAH 2:1-5 JANUARY 3, 2016
What will Westport Christian Church become in 2016? What are we going to do? How are we going to impact our community? Are we going to continue to grow in numbers as well as spiritual growth? Will our youth group get bigger? Will our income increase? Will we be able to increase our family life groups? Will we continue to be a godly influence in our community? How can we impact out community for the cause of Christ? How can we as a body of believers help the kingdom of God to grow right here in Westport Indiana? These are just a few questions that we must ask. This year will brings new questions and new challenges. Some of those questions and challenges we should be able to handle with no trouble. Others will cause us to dig deep in the Scriptures and in our faith. I believe this year will bring new excitement and greater opportunities to share the Gospel of Christ with others. I see 2016 as an incredible opportunity for this body of believer to make a huge impact for the cause of Christ! And it came about in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, that wine was before him, and I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. So the king said to me, "Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart." Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, "Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?" Then the king said to me, "What would you request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven. I said to the king, "If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I may rebuild it." (Neh. 2:1-5NASU) Now, you may think the passage I selected for today s message doesn t apply. I mean after all we are not rebuilding a wall, and we are not building a building, however we are going to work ferociously to build the kingdom.
Who was Nehemiah? Simply put he was a servant, and his title was a cupbearer to the king. He had heard some bad news about what had taken place in Jerusalem, and had a strong desire to serve God. We could say he was not really anyone special, just an ordinary man, a servant to the king. However, he was willing to be use by God and with this desire to do something for God he had to react. Something that we must understand and never forget, God doesn t always call the prepared, but He always prepares the one He calls! Nehemiah had a burden on his heart, to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem to give protection to God s people. Yet he had never done anything like this in his life, he was a cupbearer to the king. Yet, he knew with God s help he would be capable of doing it. In chapter 1 Nehemiah prayed a dangerous prayer. He prayed that God would use him. His intent was not just to restore the wall, but to restore the nation of Israel. He knew there would be challenges and obstacles to overcome and he knew that just because he had a desire to do this doesn t mean that things were going to be easy. Yet he demonstrated for us an important need in helping us to build for the future in the fact he had a I. VISION Nehemiah was able to look ahead to see what was laying before him. In other words we could say he was proactive and not reactive. Like Nehemiah, we must be able to anticipate the need before it arises. We cannot be what I call fire fighters waiting for something to come up and then pounce on it. We need to be proactive, thinking preparing having a vision for the things of God. Now, I know that none of us can see into the future and that s okay because that's not what I am talking about. I m talking about thinking about what are we going to when we have 75 kids for Sunday School. What are we going to do when we are running around 250-300 every Sunday morning? What are we going to do about parking? What are we going to do when we need more class rooms? What are we going to do when we need hire more staff?
What are we going to do if someone has a need? What are we going to do? Have you thought about those things? Do you understand that with every one of those questions comes opportunities? Yes, there may be some things we have to overcome, but I see each one as an opportunity not a problem. Sure they may appear as obstacle but they are not road blocks! A while back there was a program on TV about a group of people from around the world that was going to compete in a race. Now, this was not some ordinary race. They all started in the same location but they had to ride a bike for 100 miles, then they had to canoe for so many miles, followed by a run then finish up with a hike over these mountains. But, here is what impressed me the most. Before the race even began the teams were putting together a plan. They had their maps out and was establishing a vision for how they were going to do in each section of the race. They came up with a plan as to who was the strongest or best to put in a certain position. Sure there were things which came along they were not prepared for, but they were just obstacles, not road blocks, because they had a vision as to how they were going to accomplish each task. Our vision must be broad. If we just focused on what s happening now, our vision will be very limited if we have any at all. When we think and talk about our church, it needs to be big. Now I m not saying stretch the truth, but what I am saying is think big! Missionary Henrietta Mears said, There is no magic in small plans. When I consider my ministry, I think of the world. Anything less than that would not be worthy of Christ nor His will for my life. (Source unknown) The size of your vision is often determined by the size of your God. The question is not, what can I do. The question is, what can God do through us? Jesus said, "The things that are impossible with people are possible with God." (Luke 18:27NASB) Our vision must begin with the understanding that with God, anything is possible. Our attitude must not be we can t. It must be when can we get started? We must also have the right understanding of...
II. UNITY Nehemiah didn t build that wall by himself did he? No, he had many good and wonderful people working together for the common good of all. If we want to build up this body of believers then we must have unity. Working together for the common goal, to build up the Kingdom of God in Westport. Working together is the concept God desires. When the Church began on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2. Those believers bonded together in unity. In verse 46, it says, Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. Have you ever been involved in a church that didn t work together? It s terrible! You have so many people that think they are at Burger King and they want it their way. We must never allow ourselves to think that we are the ones who is in control. Jesus is the Head! He is the one that must be in control. When there is no unity in a family then it breaks down and all you have is chaos. When Jesus prayed in John 17, He prayed the apostles would be as one, bonded in unity. That understanding of unity applies to us as well. You see Jesus prayer was so that the world would be won. That every person would come to a saving knowledge of God s grace. When people work together than all of their energy is focused for the common good. To win souls for Christ. This is done by having an understanding as to who is in charge. It s not the preacher, the elders or deacons. It s not the women nor the children in charge. It is Christ Himself that is in charge. We join together in the bond of unity under His love to accomplish the task before us. Col 3:14-15 Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. When we join together in unity under the Lordship of Christ, then nothing, absolutely nothing can stop it. In building for the future we must understand there will be...
III. Change Now, I know that many of you are getting tired of hearing me say that, but that is part of the process in building for the future. If we are going to grow and develop into what God wants us to be, then there must be a changing that takes place. Change comes become we all grow in our faith, it is part of the growing process. Those that refuse to change never grow. There is a huge difference between a living church and a dying church. Allow me to list just a few. Live churches' expenses are always more than their income; dead churches don't need much money! Live churches have parking problems; Dead churches have empty spaces! Live churches may have some noisy children; Dead churches are quiet as a cemetery. Live churches keep changing their ways of doing things; Dead churches see no need for change! Live churches grow so fast you can't keep up with people's names; In dead churches everybody always knows everybody's name. Live churches move ahead on prayer and faith; Dead churches work only on sight! Live churches outgrow their Sunday School facilities; Dead churches have room to spare! Live churches welcome all classes of people; Dead churches stick to their own kind! Live churches' members read their Bibles and bring them to church; Dead churches' members seldom do! Live churches' members enthusiastically support the ministries; Dead churches have no ministries--only functions! Live churches' members look for someone they can help; Dead churches' members look for something to complain about! (Source unknown) My friends, live churches work together! Col 1:9-12 For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all
steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. Does that passage sound to you like we should be compliance and not yearning to be transformed into what God would have us to be? As we move ahead in this year, we must go into it with the willingness to do whatever God would have us to do! Nehemiah had the burning desire to do all he could, to serve God. Because of that he had to change. He went from being the cupbearer to the king, to a servant to the King of kings. Changing means taking on the mind of Christ. If we don t change then we will never become more like Jesus. Change is important in building for the future. Conclusion; in building for the future we must have vision. Vision includes planning and making preparation for growth now, not waiting for something to happen. Building for the future will take each and every one of us working together with the common goal of reaching lost people with the cause for Christ. We must have the understanding this year will bring about changes. We must realize that it s OK to change how we deliver the message as long as the message is never changed. Building for the future can be exciting as well as perhaps fearful. Corrie Ten Boom once said, Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. Building for the future begins right now. Are you building toward a future in God s Kingdom? If not, you can begin right now. Amen!