Sermon Tone Analysis
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Welcome
Good Morning!
I’m Pastor Wayne and I’d like to welcome you all to the gathering of Ephesus Baptist Church.
Why did you choose to gather today?
We believe we are a called people!
Called to worship and exalt our God among the nations in order that His glory may be spread over all the earth!
If you are visiting with us this morning, we want you to know that ...
We are all one family of faith: “giving our all to love God, love people, proclaim Jesus, and make disciples in our generation.”
We have a connect card in the pew in front of you.
I invite you to take one and fill it out!
If you have prayer needs, you can let us know about those as well.
I promise, our prayer team will lift you up soon.
You can place those cards in the offering plate when it comes around.
Scripture Memory
Opening Scripture Reading
Prayer of Invocation
Introduction
“NEHEMIAH: How God Uses the Ordinary to Revitalize the Kingdom!”;
Rise Up and Build!
Part 3,
When we began our mini series of sermons titled “Rise Up and Build” earlier this month, we opened with a reading of the speech that Winston Churchill gave on May 13th, 1940.
In that speech he said many great things, but I want to key in on three short quotes from his speech that are directly applicable to our passage this morning.
,
“I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.”
“You ask, what is our aim?
I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.”
“I feel sure that our cause will not be suffered to fail among men.
At this time I feel entitled to claim the aid of all, and I say, “come then, let us go forward together with our united strength.”
Winston Churchill was the leader Great Britain needed during one of their darkest hours.
As you will see today, Nehemiah was the leader Israel needed during on of their darkest hours as well.
Let’s quickly review the principles we have learned from our previous two sermons from Nehemiah Chapter 2.
REVIEW
1.
Like Nehemiah, we must be ready to give our all for the cause of Christ.
2. Like Nehemiah, we must anticipate opposition and ridicule when we seek the welfare of God’s Kingdom.
3. Like Nehemiah, we must be wise and rest as we seek to glorify God!
4. God lays things on our hearts to accomplish for His glory according to His will.
5. Our responsibility is to learn and labor in response to the things God puts into our hearts.
Are you ready to learn more wisdom from the God-Inspired memoirs of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah?
Join me in Nehemiah Chapter 2, we will begin reading in verse 9.
Prayer for Blessing
Two Principles for Kingdom Work:
1.
Like Nehemiah, our faith must always move us to action rather than complacency.
Remember verse 16,
While Nehemiah was surveying the damage and devising a plan of restoration, he told no one what God had put into his heart to do for Jerusalem.
If you will remember, he waited until he knew he could talk to the people in a way that they would allow them to hear him and get on board with the revitalization project.
A little time passes between verse 16 and verse 17, Nehemiah is ready.
He takes to center stage and begins to lay out his case before them.
He is not complacent but active in seeking God’s glory.
He has a plan that was believable and achievable.
He is ready to share it with all of Jerusalem.
But, what about his hearers, the natives of Jerusalem.
Are they ready to hear it?
Not just yet!
Nehemiah realizes that the people need to change their attitudes about their current existence and their call to be God’s people.
In his short speech, Nehemiah calls the Israelites to embrace three attitudes that will result in moving them from a complacent faith to an active faith.
All three attitude shifts are found in verses 17-18.
A. Own up to our current reality.
“You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned.”
The remnant of Jews had been looking at the reality of their situation for a long, long time.
Everyday they saw the broken walls around the city.
Everyday they passed by the charcoal’d remains of the city gates.
It no longer disturbed them.
The truth is the Israelites had given up hope.
They had grown so accustomed to their history of failure and defeat that they could no longer even conceive of anyone trying to build their walls again.
Nehemiah revealed a precise portrait of what he had discovered.
Nehemiah was upfront and honest about the need at hand.
It took someone coming from somewhere else to see their current reality for what it really was: a dishonoring of God by allowing His Holy City to remain in such a state of ruin.
Isn’t ironic that it often takes someone with a fresh perspective to get us to face up and see the things that exist right under our noses.
Years of familiarity and neglect have a way of allowing us to look at certain things without really seeing them.
What are things you look at week after week that are dishonoring to God, yet they have been around us for so long they have lost their shock value.
As I have stressed before, we too need to be honest with the current reality we face.
We can pretend that all is well and the needs are minimal, but in doing so we deceive ourselves and those around us.
We need to be honest about the needs of our day and see them as they are.
We will never overcome until we accept reality!
We will never rebuild our own broken walls until we, too, face up to the reality of our situation.
The task we face is difficult as well.
Years of neglect and complacency have created an array of problems and challenges.
We have been quiet and inactive far too long.
It is time for the redeemed of the Lord to rise and face these challenges.
Much of the adversity we face can be attributed to our own complacency and refusal to stand for truth.
We serve the King of glory and have nothing to be ashamed of or apologize about.
We need to get back on track, we need to seek the Lord to restore the church to her former influence for His glory!
We need to own up to our current reality in all areas of life!
B. Team up to change our current reality.
Next, Nehemiah addresses the peoples attitude toward teamwork and unity.
“Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.”
This mess they were in wasn’t one person’s mess!
It was the whole lot of them, including Nehemiah himself who had never stepped foot on Israeli soil until a few days ago.
They were all suffering derision and ridicule together.
Notice the repetition of plural personal pronouns throughout his speech to the Israelites, “we - us - we - us”
By Nehemiah’s repeated use of “we” and “us,” he was saying, “Let’s team up to change our current reality.”
How might our parenting be better if we said “we” more than “you”?
How many marriages might have been saved if spouses had owned up to their current realities and teamed up?
How many pastors have failed at revitalizing because they used their pulpits to berate and bully instead of using “we” a little more and building a team spirit?
Nehemiah didn’t say, “Man, are you in a bad situation!
What you need to do is to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that you will no longer be a reproach.”
No, he used “we” and “us.”
If you want to discourage someone whose life is in ruins, just say, “Man, are you a mess; you really ought to do something about that.”
Yeah, that will work every time.
NOT!
On the other hand, if you want to encourage them, begin by saying, “This situation is a mess.
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