September 28, 2025 • 37 mins
Jason Sterling September 28, 2025 Faith Presbyterian Church Birmingham, AL Bulletin
Thank you for listening! Please visit us at www.faith-pca.org.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:23):
If you have a copy of God's Word, turn with me to
the book of Nehemiah.
It'll be also printed in yourbulletin there.
You'll also see it on the screenbehind me in just a moment.
We are in a study this fall inthe books of Ezra and Nehemiah.
We at our church are in themiddle of a generational
building program.
(00:45):
And we've been saying throughoutthis process that let's not
forget, in the midst of physicalconstruction outside of us, all
around us, that the mostimportant construction project
is not out there.
It's actually the one takingplace in our hearts.
More important than the physicalfoundations are the spiritual
(01:11):
foundations that we need as achurch as we move forward into
this next season of ministry inthe life of our church.
So we've been going through Ezraand Nehemiah looking at these
foundations.
And last week in Nehemiah 1, heshowed us the foundation of
prayer.
Remember, Nehemiah got news thatthe walls were in ruins around
(01:33):
Jerusalem.
His heart broke, and that ledhim to months of prayer.
And now we get to Nehemiahchapter 2.
He actually steps out in faithin Acts.
(01:55):
This morning we're going to seethrough this passage what it
looks like for us to build afoundation of faith.
This is a long passage.
I'm not going to read the entirepassage.
I'll read portions and I'llinstruct you along the way.
This is the word of God.
We'll start by reading Nehemiah2, 1 through 5, and then we'll
(02:15):
skip down to the end of thepassage.
This is the word of the Lord.
In the month of Nisan, in the20th year of King Artaxerxes,
when wine was before him, I tookup the wine and gave it to the
king.
Now I had not been sad in hispresence, and the king said to
(02:36):
me, Why is your face sad, seeingyou are not sick?
There is nothing but sadness.
This is nothing but sadness ofheart.
Then I was very much afraid.
I said to the king, Let the kinglive forever.
Why should not my face be sadwhen the city, the place of my
father's graves, lies in ruinsand its gates have been
(02:58):
destroyed by fire?
Then the king said to me, Whatare you requesting?
And so I prayed to the God ofheaven, and I said to the king,
If it pleases the king, and ifyour servant has found favor in
your sight, that you sh you sendme to Judah, to the city of my
father's graves, that I mayrebuild it.
(03:21):
Now skip down to verse 17, andin verses six through sixteen,
Nehemiah goes to Jerusalem.
He gets everything that the kinghas provided, and instead of
announcing his plans, he spendsthree nights surveying the
broken walls and inspecting theruins and getting a full
(03:42):
assessment of the damage of thewalls.
Pick up verse 17.
Then I said to them, You see thetrouble we are in, how Jerusalem
lies in ruins with its gatesburned.
Come, let us build the wall ofJerusalem, that we may no longer
suffer derision.
And I told them of the hand ofmy God that had been upon me for
(04:06):
good, and also of the words thatthe king had spoken to me, and
they said, Let us rise up andbuild, so that so they
strengthened their hands for thegood work.
But when Sanbal the Horonite andTobiah the Ammonite servant, and
Geshem the Arab heard of it,they jeered at us and despised
(04:27):
us and said, What is this thingthat you are doing?
Are you rebelling against theking?
Then I replied to them, the Godof heaven will make us prosper,
and we are his servants.
We his servants will arise andbuild, but you have no portion
or right or claim in Jerusalem.
(04:48):
This is God's word.
Let's pray together, ask for theSpirit to help us.
Father, we bring lots in thisroom.
There's lots of heartache andpain and joy and sorrow and
anxiety and struggles andaddictions and everything in
between.
(05:09):
And we need you.
You've brought us here and youhave a word for us.
And so would you come give usthat word?
That's nothing I can makehappen.
We can't make that happen.
Only you can come through yourspirit, through the preaching of
the word, can come and changeus.
And that's exactly what we'reasking.
Please come, Lord.
(05:31):
Give us ears to hear and heartsto receive.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
On January the 15th, 2009,Captain Sullenberger, known as
Captain Soley, had three and ahalf minutes, around
(05:51):
approximately three and a halfminutes, to save 155 lives.
U.S.
Airways Flight 1549 ran into aflock of geese, destroyed both
engines, and the cockpit alarmswere going crazy, screaming at
(06:13):
him.
Solely knew the manuals.
He had had 40 years of flyingexperience.
He knew all the emergencyprotocols.
And in that moment, he isstaring at the Hudson River
below.
And he faced a gap in thatmoment between what he knew in
(06:35):
all of his training and what hehad to do in that moment.
And so he made the decision thatat the time seemed impossible.
He said, We're going into theHudson.
He trusted all of his trainingand he took action and did
something that he had never donebefore.
(06:57):
And it felt overwhelming and itfelt risky and it felt
terrifying.
In that moment, he had to closethe gap between what he knew was
right and what he had to do, andactually doing it under immense
pressure.
Every one of us have facedthings like that, or maybe
(07:20):
you're facing it now.
Maybe it's not life and deathlike Sully.
But there have been times whenwe know what God wants us to do,
and yet doing it seemsoverwhelming and seems risky and
scary.
Maybe it's God wanting you, andyou know He wants you to have a
(07:41):
difficult conversation with aloved one, but you're afraid
because you know that it mightlead to more conflict and might
be very difficult.
Or you know there's an unhealthypattern and something going on
in your life that's not healthy,and you never address it because
(08:05):
change, if you're honest, feelsvery overwhelming.
Or you know that you should stepout and serve in an area or
ministry of the church, but youfeel unqualified and you feel
like you will fail, and so youdo nothing.
We live in the gap between whatwe know what God is calling us
to do and wants us to do, andour willingness to step out in
(08:28):
faith and actually do it.
That's where Nehemiah is.
Nehemiah was the cupbearer tothe king.
He had a great, comfortablelife, and he could have, when he
heard the news about the wallsin Jerusalem, it would have been
very easy for him to just say,someone else can figure that
out.
(08:49):
And he could have simply movedon.
But Nehemiah doesn't do that.
He steps out in faith and doeswhat God calls him to do.
This morning, we're going tolook at what it looks like to
build a foundation of faith thatcloses the gap between knowing
God's will and actually movingforward by faith.
(09:12):
A foundation of faith involvesthree things this morning.
If you're a note taker, here'sthe outline.
A foundation of faith involvesprayer, planning, and
perseverance.
Prayer, planning, andperseverance.
Let's look at those in turn thismorning.
Our first heading prayer.
(09:33):
Look at verses one throughthree.
Nehemiah is doing his thing asthe cupbearer, and the king
notices something's wrong withhim.
He looks sad.
And so the king confronts him onthe sadness of face, and it
says, Nehemiah says, I got veryafraid.
(09:55):
Now we need to understand what'shappening here in the
background.
Showing sadness in front of aking was not something that was
normal or that was acceptable.
Court etiquette required thatthose who were near the king,
they were to be smiling.
They were to be joyful.
They were to have a cheerfuldemeanor.
(10:20):
So he goes forward, Nehemiah,and tells the king about the
walls.
Look at verses four throughfive.
We'll just walk through thispassage like we always do.
The king says, What are youasking?
And let me get at it here.
Here's what Nehemiah isessentially asking for a total
reversal.
(10:40):
This was took tremendousboldness and courage.
A total reversal of his previouspolicies that sought to stifle
the rebuilding of Jerusalem.
Ezra chapter 4, verses 21 andfollowing.
This took courage, which is whyNehemiah doesn't speak first.
What does Nehemiah do firstbefore he speaks?
(11:04):
And this is where I want tospend our time.
Look at the end of verse 4.
What does he do first?
He prays.
(11:27):
This didn't come out of theblue.
Nehemiah had been praying formonths, and it teaches us
something really important thatthese uh we can call it instant
prayer, uh spontaneous prayer,on the spot prayer that we see
here doesn't come out of theblue.
(11:47):
It actually flows from ongoingprayer in a person's life.
So that when he was faced withthis really hard conversation
with the king, the knee-jerkreaction for Nehemiah was about
to bow the knee in his heart andask God for help.
(12:11):
Don't miss the balance here,don't miss the order here
between dependence and boldness.
You see it.
I prayed to God, dependence, andthen I said to the king,
boldness.
(12:32):
Don't miss the order.
He prayed, then he responded.
The point, prayer does not makeyou passive.
Prayer makes you very bold.
When we rely on God in prayer,the more we rely on God in
prayer, the more courage andcourageous and bold you become.
(12:59):
He calls it the chief exerciseof faith.
And so the number one way yourfaith expresses itself is what
he's saying.
The chief way is throughpraying.
Faith creates a lifestyle, amoment-by-moment dependence upon
God that shapes your identityaround the fundamental truth
(13:24):
that you are in desperate needof God for every single thing in
your life, every conversation,every challenge, every decision.
You need the grace of God andGod's strength and wisdom in
your life.
It's the same thing the ApostlePaul says in the New Testament
when he says to theThessalonians to pray without
(13:47):
ceasing or to pray continually.
It doesn't mean that you aretalking and moving your mouth
for 24-7 out of the day.
No, it means, though, that younever stop depending on God.
It is a posture of the heartthat recognizes God in all of
(14:07):
life.
It is your heart bowing the kneeand saying in every moment,
Lord, I need help.
Under your breath, even, in thecar, walking into the meeting,
Lord, please help me.
I can't do this on my own.
(14:28):
And so at the heart of faith,and at the heart of prayer is
humility.
It is dependence.
It is recognizing your need forGod.
And so here's what this meansthat the enemy of prayer, and
let's say the enemy of faith isself-sufficiency.
(14:51):
And that's hard in our culturein Over the Mountain Birmingham.
Because our first instinct, meincluded, is we turn to power
rather than prayer.
Our first instinct is, hey, I'vegot some connections.
(15:12):
I'll make a couple of calls andI'll make this happen and we'll
get this thing done.
You see, underneathself-sufficiency is pride.
It is us thinking way too highlyof ourselves.
It is us forgetting that we areneedy, dependent children who
(15:33):
need our Father every moment ofevery day.
We need his wisdom and hisstrength.
And here's what this means forus.
If you struggle to pray thismorning, if you struggle with
this idea of continual prayermoment by moment, this idea of
dependence, where we often wantto go is I need a book.
(15:59):
Somebody give me a technique.
Do you know any good techniquesthat will help me with this?
Or I need to get up earlier andI've got to be more disciplined.
All those things are helpful.
The problem, though, is theydon't go near deep enough.
The problem's not those things.
The problem's your heart.
(16:22):
The problem is theself-sufficiency inside of our
heart.
The problem is we have a heartthat says, God, I don't need
you.
I can do this on my own.
That's what's got to be dealtwith if you're ever going to
move into this idea of alifestyle of prayer.
(16:43):
You must deal with the realityof your heart.
Faith leads to a posture ofdependence.
And to get dependent, we mustget in touch with our weakness.
And when we get in touch withour weakness and knowing that
we've got a heart ofself-sufficiency that says, no,
God, I got this, that leads torepentance of God, forgive me,
(17:08):
help me.
And we throw ourselves on themercy of God in the person of
Jesus Christ, and we see andsavor Jesus.
And that leads to a posturenaturally where we overflow with
prayer, trusting God's wisdomand strength every step we take.
(17:30):
Secondly, planning.
A foundation of faith involvesprayer.
It involves planning.
Look at verses 6 through 11.
Notice Nehemiah doesn't say,well, I've prayed about it, and
so let's just see what happens.
That's not what he does.
Nehemiah gets very strategic andhe gets very specific.
(17:56):
He walks, he had been thinkingabout this for months, the text
indicates.
He walks into the presence ofthe king.
Think about this the boldness.
And he says to the king, I needtime off.
I need some official lettersfrom you so that every all the
other surrounding nations willunderstand and get this is
coming from you.
(18:18):
I need a place to stay.
And oh yeah, by the way, yourforest, I need some timber so
that we can rebuild these walls.
The audacity and the boldness isastounding.
But yet, you know what happens?
(18:38):
The king grants it all.
And Nehemiah shows up inJerusalem with everything the
king has provided.
He doesn't make a big deal outof this.
He doesn't call a meeting.
He doesn't say, hey, let's gettogether.
No, look at verses 12 through16.
He doesn't do that.
(19:00):
Three times we see the stress onwhat he was doing was at night.
Twice we see he insists on hedid not tell and do not tell.
The officials didn't know whatwas going on and what he was
doing.
And so why the secrecy?
(19:23):
Why is he so under the radar?
Well, scholars agree that it wasat night so that Nehemiah didn't
have interruptions.
He didn't have lots of othervoices coming in.
It was at night so that he couldget an accurate assessment of
the situation and understandevery single section of the
(19:47):
broken walls and the burnedgate.
In other words, this is notdeception.
This is Nehemiah exercisingspiritual wisdom.
And then after carefulassessment, look at what he
does.
Look at verses 17 and 18.
He reveals his plan to theJewish leaders.
Please pay attention to this.
(20:09):
I told them that the hand of Godhad been upon me for good, and
that the words of that of theking had spoken, and the words
the king had spoken to me, andthey said, Let's rise up and
build.
And they strengthened theirhands for the good work.
(20:29):
Nehemiah says, We got thepermission of the king.
The king has granted ourrequest.
Why?
Because God moved.
Because God stirred.
And I think this is soinstructive for us.
(20:50):
Think about this.
Nehemiah's primary appeal is tothe bigness of God.
His appeal is look at what Godhas done.
He's ordered all thecircumstances.
He moved in the heart of theking to change his entire
policy.
(21:11):
And he granted, good to me.
Look at verse eight.
The gracious hand was on me, andthe king granted my request.
And how did the people respond?
You know how they responded?
Let's do this.
(21:32):
We're all in.
Let's go and join the work thatGod is doing.
And so I want to followNehemiah.
Church.
Do you see who God is?
(21:56):
Do you see?
Look around.
Do you see what God is doing andwhat he has done in our midst?
Do you see how good God's handhas been upon us?
Do you see his hand upon us?
(22:17):
Come.
Let's go.
Let's build together.
Let's move the kingdom of Godforward and join the work that
God is doing at Faith Church.
Nehemiah understood that he wasa ministry partner with God, not
(22:40):
a passive recipient of God'sblessing.
And we're going a little deeperright here because I think this
is important.
You see the balance of faith inthis passage.
Complete trust in the provisionof God, and faithfully
stewarding the resources andwisdom that God has given us.
(23:02):
We plan and we act not to gainGod's favor, but because we
already have God's favor.
Faith uses wisdom and resourcesand gifts that God has provided
in response to what God hasalready given us.
Let's go a level deeper.
(23:23):
Then the question often comes upwell, okay, well, if God is
sovereign and he's in control ofall things, why does planning
matter?
And why does prayer matter?
Why do we need to do thosethings?
Here's the paradox of faith.
(23:45):
God's control and sovereigntyover every detail of life
doesn't eliminate humanresponsibility, it actually
enables it.
Nehemiah's meticulouspreparation wasn't competing
with God's sovereignty, it wascooperating with God's
sovereignty.
(24:07):
Because God ordains both theends and the means.
And because of that, we pray andwe plan.
And when we do that, it becomesthe very instrument to which
God's purposes unfold in theworld.
And you see what that does?
It frees us from anxiousstriving of thinking everything
(24:30):
depends on us.
And it frees us from thispassive fatalism that says,
well, God's going to do itanyway.
Faith is actively dependent, itis partnering with God while at
the same time recognizing thatsuccess comes from his gracious
(24:51):
hand.
Think about our buildingprogram.
It didn't start yesterday with apulpit announcement.
This has been going on foryears.
We've been praying.
The leadership has been seekingGod's direction.
And for months, we've beenplanning.
(25:12):
There's been drawings that havegone back and forth.
We've been analyzing the budget.
We've been in contractormeetings.
We've been pulling permits.
And our strategic planning, yes,it honors God, but how does the
project get off the ground?
The gracious hand of God.
(25:32):
What makes this all a reality isGod's gracious hand has been
upon us.
So it's both end.
And as we complete this newbuilding and we new move into
this new season of ministry,this building and completing
this property is not the end.
(25:58):
I want us to continue to dreambig, give big, plan big, love
big, and move the kingdom of Godforward in the world.
That's the goal.
It's that this entire world befilled with the glory of God.
(26:19):
And we want the church to be acentral part of that.
And so let's keep, let's do notget comfortable.
Let's keep planning and prayingand stepping out boldly in
faith, trusting that God'sgracious hand that has guided
this church for the last 50years will guide us for the next
(26:40):
50 years as we advance hiskingdom in this community and
city in the world.
Lastly, faith, a foundation offaith.
It prays, plans, perseveres.
Look at verse 19.
(27:02):
Here it comes.
Anytime God's kingdom's goingforward, guess what else is
coming?
Opposition.
You see it right here.
Sambalat, Tobiah, and Geshemimmediately took efforts and
said, What do you think you'redoing?
(27:23):
Stop this.
Are you rebelling against theking?
These aren't just randomcritics.
These are political leaders, ifyou were to do some research, in
the surrounding territories fromJerusalem that had a vested
interest in keeping Jerusalemweak.
And you see it in verse 10.
(27:43):
It displeased them greatly thatsomeone was trying to seek the
welfare of these people.
The welfare of God's people, theIsraelites, Ralph David, a
commentator, and really theentire Bible says this.
But he makes a comment aboutthis opposition.
(28:04):
And he says it goes back to thegarden.
It goes back to Genesis chapter3, the serpent's seed hating the
seed of the woman.
The point, the opposition thatwe see out here, that we see
here, it goes deeper than wethink.
(28:26):
It's not merely just humanopposition, it is spiritual
warfare.
The Bible attests to thiseverywhere.
It is spiritual warfare againstGod's kingdom work.
I have had possibly the hardestyear of my life.
(28:46):
It's been a culmination and anaccumulation of many things over
the past ten years.
But this year I have struggledwith anxiety and depression in
ways that I have not experiencedbefore.
Three weeks ago, my doctor tellsme that I need this foot
(29:10):
procedure.
It's what I've been wheelingaround on a scooter, if you've
seen me the last few weeks, thisfoot procedure, and she looks at
me and says, This could not bein a worse spot.
Like anywhere else on your bodywould be better than where it
is.
(29:31):
And oh, by the way, completehealing will take 15 to 20
weeks.
And I looked and said, that'salmost half a year.
I don't want toover-spiritualize this.
But the timing and all of this,it's pretty interesting, isn't
(29:54):
it?
Opposition, friends, comes inmultiple directions all at once.
Yes, it comes from the outside,external credit, external
critics, but sometimes it'sinternal battles with anxiety
and physical setbacks andcircumstances that feel
(30:14):
overwhelming and make you doubtyour calling.
Why?
Because you are trying to followJesus.
And you're trying to live outwhat God has called you to do.
I don't know how all of thatworks.
I don't know.
(30:35):
But I do know that the ApostlePaul says in Ephesians 6 that
our battle is not against fleshand blood, it's against the
principalities of darkness.
Friends, when you step out infaith, when you try to walk with
Jesus in your marriage, in yourcareer, your ministry, personal
growth, if you start trying todeal with something in your
(30:56):
life, I can promise you,opposition will come.
Jesus says, you will havetrouble in this world, and not
you might be, you will bepersecuted.
People will question yourmotives, doubt your abilities,
and simply prefer the statusquo.
(31:17):
But look at verse 20.
I want you to see how Nehemiahresponds.
Let me summarize.
God will prosper us, he willgive success.
We belong to him.
(31:40):
This is what he's saying.
We belong to him.
We are his servants.
And we will serve him and do hiswill.
And then you, he's talking tothe opposition, you have no say
in this.
Notice a few things.
(32:01):
He doesn't argue with them.
He doesn't get in the knockdowndrag out.
He doesn't even defend theproject and the feasibility of
the project.
And hey, let me show you allthese letters from the king that
we can do this.
Doesn't do that.
(32:22):
And he doesn't even try to winthem over.
What does he do first?
God.
That's what he does first.
The God of heaven.
His confidence is in the God ofheaven, and Nehemiah just stays
(32:44):
focused on mission and on whatGod has called him to do.
And I think that is so helpfulfor us as we think about the
world in which we live, which isviolent and chaotic, and there
is plenty of opposition today tobiblical values.
And I think it's really easy forus to get really fearful or
(33:06):
really angry.
What does it look like to goforward?
Well, I think Nehemiah helps us.
Anchor.
We anchor in our confidence inGod and His control, and we keep
building.
(33:27):
And we keep on mission.
We get up tomorrow, whatever itis God's called you to do in
this world.
You do it to the best of yourability, to the glory of God,
and you try to be faithful andmove the gospel forward wherever
He has called you to be.
That sounds overwhelming.
(33:49):
And so, how do we, how does thatwork?
How do we do this?
How do we live faithfully inthis broken and fallen world?
Well, the temptation here is tojust end the sermon.
Ready?
Go be like Nehemiah.
That would sink you.
(34:09):
Because the passage is not golike be like be like Nehemiah.
The passage points us to thegreater Nehemiah, points us to
the Lord Jesus Christ.
Nehemiah couldn't fully see it.
His rebuilding project points toa greater restoration that God
would accomplish through theperson of Jesus Christ.
(34:30):
Nehemiah restores the physicalwalls in Jerusalem.
Jesus comes to tear down theultimate wall.
The ultimate wall of sin.
Why?
So that our relationship withGod could be rebuilt.
Jesus faced ultimate opposition,betrayal, mockery, and
(34:54):
crucifixion, and he responded.
Think about how he responds,dependence and trust in God.
Remember what Jesus says?
Father, forgive them, for theyknow not what they do.
And then he says, Into yourhands, God, I commit my spirit.
(35:22):
He prayed and then he died.
And before he dies, if youremember, he says, It is
finished.
And by saying, it is finished,it was a way of saying, God's
plan will succeed against everyopposition that comes its way.
The gates of hell will not standagainst the church.
(35:46):
To live faithfully in thisworld, we've got to anchor in
the finished work of JesusChrist.
We pray because Jesus is ourmediator and he gives us access
to God so that we can bring allof our anxieties to him.
We persevere because we have theSpirit of God inside of us, the
(36:08):
Holy Spirit that guides andleads us so that we can plan and
we persevere because Jesus wins.
Our hope is not in this world.
Our hope is that Jesus is comingback, and he is going to defeat
(36:31):
every evil in this world, andJesus is going to renew all
things.
That is our hope.
Prayer, planning, andperseverance are anchored in all
flow from Jesus.
And so let's rise up and let'sbuild together on this
(36:54):
foundation of faith.
Stay focused on Jesus.
Let us stay focused on missionand let us be a church that
continues to step out boldly infaith, asking for God's good
hand to continue to be on us aswe build his kingdom in this
world.
(37:15):
Amen.
Let's pray.
Father, uh, thank you forallowing us to be part of your
work in this world.
That's a tremendous, amazingthing.
Forgive us for beingself-dependent and self
(37:36):
sufficient.
And lastly, Holy Spirit, wouldyou help us to pray and to be
good stewards of the giftsyou've given us and also to
persevere and to walk by faithand to trust in you.
In Jesus' name, amen.
If you have a copy of God's Word, turn with me to
the book of Nehemiah.
It'll be also printed in yourbulletin there.
You'll also see it on the screenbehind me in just a moment.
We are in a study this fall inthe books of Ezra and Nehemiah.
We at our church are in themiddle of a generational
building program.
(00:45):
And we've been saying throughoutthis process that let's not
forget, in the midst of physicalconstruction outside of us, all
around us, that the mostimportant construction project
is not out there.
It's actually the one takingplace in our hearts.
More important than the physicalfoundations are the spiritual
(01:11):
foundations that we need as achurch as we move forward into
this next season of ministry inthe life of our church.
So we've been going through Ezraand Nehemiah looking at these
foundations.
And last week in Nehemiah 1, heshowed us the foundation of
prayer.
Remember, Nehemiah got news thatthe walls were in ruins around
(01:33):
Jerusalem.
His heart broke, and that ledhim to months of prayer.
And now we get to Nehemiahchapter 2.
He actually steps out in faithin Acts.
(01:55):
This morning we're going to seethrough this passage what it
looks like for us to build afoundation of faith.
This is a long passage.
I'm not going to read the entirepassage.
I'll read portions and I'llinstruct you along the way.
This is the word of God.
We'll start by reading Nehemiah2, 1 through 5, and then we'll
(02:15):
skip down to the end of thepassage.
This is the word of the Lord.
In the month of Nisan, in the20th year of King Artaxerxes,
when wine was before him, I tookup the wine and gave it to the
king.
Now I had not been sad in hispresence, and the king said to
(02:36):
me, Why is your face sad, seeingyou are not sick?
There is nothing but sadness.
This is nothing but sadness ofheart.
Then I was very much afraid.
I said to the king, Let the kinglive forever.
Why should not my face be sadwhen the city, the place of my
father's graves, lies in ruinsand its gates have been
(02:58):
destroyed by fire?
Then the king said to me, Whatare you requesting?
And so I prayed to the God ofheaven, and I said to the king,
If it pleases the king, and ifyour servant has found favor in
your sight, that you sh you sendme to Judah, to the city of my
father's graves, that I mayrebuild it.
(03:21):
Now skip down to verse 17, andin verses six through sixteen,
Nehemiah goes to Jerusalem.
He gets everything that the kinghas provided, and instead of
announcing his plans, he spendsthree nights surveying the
broken walls and inspecting theruins and getting a full
(03:42):
assessment of the damage of thewalls.
Pick up verse 17.
Then I said to them, You see thetrouble we are in, how Jerusalem
lies in ruins with its gatesburned.
Come, let us build the wall ofJerusalem, that we may no longer
suffer derision.
And I told them of the hand ofmy God that had been upon me for
(04:06):
good, and also of the words thatthe king had spoken to me, and
they said, Let us rise up andbuild, so that so they
strengthened their hands for thegood work.
But when Sanbal the Horonite andTobiah the Ammonite servant, and
Geshem the Arab heard of it,they jeered at us and despised
(04:27):
us and said, What is this thingthat you are doing?
Are you rebelling against theking?
Then I replied to them, the Godof heaven will make us prosper,
and we are his servants.
We his servants will arise andbuild, but you have no portion
or right or claim in Jerusalem.
(04:48):
This is God's word.
Let's pray together, ask for theSpirit to help us.
Father, we bring lots in thisroom.
There's lots of heartache andpain and joy and sorrow and
anxiety and struggles andaddictions and everything in
between.
(05:09):
And we need you.
You've brought us here and youhave a word for us.
And so would you come give usthat word?
That's nothing I can makehappen.
We can't make that happen.
Only you can come through yourspirit, through the preaching of
the word, can come and changeus.
And that's exactly what we'reasking.
Please come, Lord.
(05:31):
Give us ears to hear and heartsto receive.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
On January the 15th, 2009,Captain Sullenberger, known as
Captain Soley, had three and ahalf minutes, around
(05:51):
approximately three and a halfminutes, to save 155 lives.
U.S.
Airways Flight 1549 ran into aflock of geese, destroyed both
engines, and the cockpit alarmswere going crazy, screaming at
(06:13):
him.
Solely knew the manuals.
He had had 40 years of flyingexperience.
He knew all the emergencyprotocols.
And in that moment, he isstaring at the Hudson River
below.
And he faced a gap in thatmoment between what he knew in
(06:35):
all of his training and what hehad to do in that moment.
And so he made the decision thatat the time seemed impossible.
He said, We're going into theHudson.
He trusted all of his trainingand he took action and did
something that he had never donebefore.
(06:57):
And it felt overwhelming and itfelt risky and it felt
terrifying.
In that moment, he had to closethe gap between what he knew was
right and what he had to do, andactually doing it under immense
pressure.
Every one of us have facedthings like that, or maybe
(07:20):
you're facing it now.
Maybe it's not life and deathlike Sully.
But there have been times whenwe know what God wants us to do,
and yet doing it seemsoverwhelming and seems risky and
scary.
Maybe it's God wanting you, andyou know He wants you to have a
(07:41):
difficult conversation with aloved one, but you're afraid
because you know that it mightlead to more conflict and might
be very difficult.
Or you know there's an unhealthypattern and something going on
in your life that's not healthy,and you never address it because
(08:05):
change, if you're honest, feelsvery overwhelming.
Or you know that you should stepout and serve in an area or
ministry of the church, but youfeel unqualified and you feel
like you will fail, and so youdo nothing.
We live in the gap between whatwe know what God is calling us
to do and wants us to do, andour willingness to step out in
(08:28):
faith and actually do it.
That's where Nehemiah is.
Nehemiah was the cupbearer tothe king.
He had a great, comfortablelife, and he could have, when he
heard the news about the wallsin Jerusalem, it would have been
very easy for him to just say,someone else can figure that
out.
(08:49):
And he could have simply movedon.
But Nehemiah doesn't do that.
He steps out in faith and doeswhat God calls him to do.
This morning, we're going tolook at what it looks like to
build a foundation of faith thatcloses the gap between knowing
God's will and actually movingforward by faith.
(09:12):
A foundation of faith involvesthree things this morning.
If you're a note taker, here'sthe outline.
A foundation of faith involvesprayer, planning, and
perseverance.
Prayer, planning, andperseverance.
Let's look at those in turn thismorning.
Our first heading prayer.
(09:33):
Look at verses one throughthree.
Nehemiah is doing his thing asthe cupbearer, and the king
notices something's wrong withhim.
He looks sad.
And so the king confronts him onthe sadness of face, and it
says, Nehemiah says, I got veryafraid.
(09:55):
Now we need to understand what'shappening here in the
background.
Showing sadness in front of aking was not something that was
normal or that was acceptable.
Court etiquette required thatthose who were near the king,
they were to be smiling.
They were to be joyful.
They were to have a cheerfuldemeanor.
(10:20):
So he goes forward, Nehemiah,and tells the king about the
walls.
Look at verses four throughfive.
We'll just walk through thispassage like we always do.
The king says, What are youasking?
And let me get at it here.
Here's what Nehemiah isessentially asking for a total
reversal.
(10:40):
This was took tremendousboldness and courage.
A total reversal of his previouspolicies that sought to stifle
the rebuilding of Jerusalem.
Ezra chapter 4, verses 21 andfollowing.
This took courage, which is whyNehemiah doesn't speak first.
What does Nehemiah do firstbefore he speaks?
(11:04):
And this is where I want tospend our time.
Look at the end of verse 4.
What does he do first?
He prays.
(11:27):
This didn't come out of theblue.
Nehemiah had been praying formonths, and it teaches us
something really important thatthese uh we can call it instant
prayer, uh spontaneous prayer,on the spot prayer that we see
here doesn't come out of theblue.
(11:47):
It actually flows from ongoingprayer in a person's life.
So that when he was faced withthis really hard conversation
with the king, the knee-jerkreaction for Nehemiah was about
to bow the knee in his heart andask God for help.
(12:11):
Don't miss the balance here,don't miss the order here
between dependence and boldness.
You see it.
I prayed to God, dependence, andthen I said to the king,
boldness.
(12:32):
Don't miss the order.
He prayed, then he responded.
The point, prayer does not makeyou passive.
Prayer makes you very bold.
When we rely on God in prayer,the more we rely on God in
prayer, the more courage andcourageous and bold you become.
(12:59):
He calls it the chief exerciseof faith.
And so the number one way yourfaith expresses itself is what
he's saying.
The chief way is throughpraying.
Faith creates a lifestyle, amoment-by-moment dependence upon
God that shapes your identityaround the fundamental truth
(13:24):
that you are in desperate needof God for every single thing in
your life, every conversation,every challenge, every decision.
You need the grace of God andGod's strength and wisdom in
your life.
It's the same thing the ApostlePaul says in the New Testament
when he says to theThessalonians to pray without
(13:47):
ceasing or to pray continually.
It doesn't mean that you aretalking and moving your mouth
for 24-7 out of the day.
No, it means, though, that younever stop depending on God.
It is a posture of the heartthat recognizes God in all of
(14:07):
life.
It is your heart bowing the kneeand saying in every moment,
Lord, I need help.
Under your breath, even, in thecar, walking into the meeting,
Lord, please help me.
I can't do this on my own.
(14:28):
And so at the heart of faith,and at the heart of prayer is
humility.
It is dependence.
It is recognizing your need forGod.
And so here's what this meansthat the enemy of prayer, and
let's say the enemy of faith isself-sufficiency.
(14:51):
And that's hard in our culturein Over the Mountain Birmingham.
Because our first instinct, meincluded, is we turn to power
rather than prayer.
Our first instinct is, hey, I'vegot some connections.
(15:12):
I'll make a couple of calls andI'll make this happen and we'll
get this thing done.
You see, underneathself-sufficiency is pride.
It is us thinking way too highlyof ourselves.
It is us forgetting that we areneedy, dependent children who
(15:33):
need our Father every moment ofevery day.
We need his wisdom and hisstrength.
And here's what this means forus.
If you struggle to pray thismorning, if you struggle with
this idea of continual prayermoment by moment, this idea of
dependence, where we often wantto go is I need a book.
(15:59):
Somebody give me a technique.
Do you know any good techniquesthat will help me with this?
Or I need to get up earlier andI've got to be more disciplined.
All those things are helpful.
The problem, though, is theydon't go near deep enough.
The problem's not those things.
The problem's your heart.
(16:22):
The problem is theself-sufficiency inside of our
heart.
The problem is we have a heartthat says, God, I don't need
you.
I can do this on my own.
That's what's got to be dealtwith if you're ever going to
move into this idea of alifestyle of prayer.
(16:43):
You must deal with the realityof your heart.
Faith leads to a posture ofdependence.
And to get dependent, we mustget in touch with our weakness.
And when we get in touch withour weakness and knowing that
we've got a heart ofself-sufficiency that says, no,
God, I got this, that leads torepentance of God, forgive me,
(17:08):
help me.
And we throw ourselves on themercy of God in the person of
Jesus Christ, and we see andsavor Jesus.
And that leads to a posturenaturally where we overflow with
prayer, trusting God's wisdomand strength every step we take.
(17:30):
Secondly, planning.
A foundation of faith involvesprayer.
It involves planning.
Look at verses 6 through 11.
Notice Nehemiah doesn't say,well, I've prayed about it, and
so let's just see what happens.
That's not what he does.
Nehemiah gets very strategic andhe gets very specific.
(17:56):
He walks, he had been thinkingabout this for months, the text
indicates.
He walks into the presence ofthe king.
Think about this the boldness.
And he says to the king, I needtime off.
I need some official lettersfrom you so that every all the
other surrounding nations willunderstand and get this is
coming from you.
(18:18):
I need a place to stay.
And oh yeah, by the way, yourforest, I need some timber so
that we can rebuild these walls.
The audacity and the boldness isastounding.
But yet, you know what happens?
(18:38):
The king grants it all.
And Nehemiah shows up inJerusalem with everything the
king has provided.
He doesn't make a big deal outof this.
He doesn't call a meeting.
He doesn't say, hey, let's gettogether.
No, look at verses 12 through16.
He doesn't do that.
(19:00):
Three times we see the stress onwhat he was doing was at night.
Twice we see he insists on hedid not tell and do not tell.
The officials didn't know whatwas going on and what he was
doing.
And so why the secrecy?
(19:23):
Why is he so under the radar?
Well, scholars agree that it wasat night so that Nehemiah didn't
have interruptions.
He didn't have lots of othervoices coming in.
It was at night so that he couldget an accurate assessment of
the situation and understandevery single section of the
(19:47):
broken walls and the burnedgate.
In other words, this is notdeception.
This is Nehemiah exercisingspiritual wisdom.
And then after carefulassessment, look at what he
does.
Look at verses 17 and 18.
He reveals his plan to theJewish leaders.
Please pay attention to this.
(20:09):
I told them that the hand of Godhad been upon me for good, and
that the words of that of theking had spoken, and the words
the king had spoken to me, andthey said, Let's rise up and
build.
And they strengthened theirhands for the good work.
(20:29):
Nehemiah says, We got thepermission of the king.
The king has granted ourrequest.
Why?
Because God moved.
Because God stirred.
And I think this is soinstructive for us.
(20:50):
Think about this.
Nehemiah's primary appeal is tothe bigness of God.
His appeal is look at what Godhas done.
He's ordered all thecircumstances.
He moved in the heart of theking to change his entire
policy.
(21:11):
And he granted, good to me.
Look at verse eight.
The gracious hand was on me, andthe king granted my request.
And how did the people respond?
You know how they responded?
Let's do this.
(21:32):
We're all in.
Let's go and join the work thatGod is doing.
And so I want to followNehemiah.
Church.
Do you see who God is?
(21:56):
Do you see?
Look around.
Do you see what God is doing andwhat he has done in our midst?
Do you see how good God's handhas been upon us?
Do you see his hand upon us?
(22:17):
Come.
Let's go.
Let's build together.
Let's move the kingdom of Godforward and join the work that
God is doing at Faith Church.
Nehemiah understood that he wasa ministry partner with God, not
(22:40):
a passive recipient of God'sblessing.
And we're going a little deeperright here because I think this
is important.
You see the balance of faith inthis passage.
Complete trust in the provisionof God, and faithfully
stewarding the resources andwisdom that God has given us.
(23:02):
We plan and we act not to gainGod's favor, but because we
already have God's favor.
Faith uses wisdom and resourcesand gifts that God has provided
in response to what God hasalready given us.
Let's go a level deeper.
(23:23):
Then the question often comes upwell, okay, well, if God is
sovereign and he's in control ofall things, why does planning
matter?
And why does prayer matter?
Why do we need to do thosethings?
Here's the paradox of faith.
(23:45):
God's control and sovereigntyover every detail of life
doesn't eliminate humanresponsibility, it actually
enables it.
Nehemiah's meticulouspreparation wasn't competing
with God's sovereignty, it wascooperating with God's
sovereignty.
(24:07):
Because God ordains both theends and the means.
And because of that, we pray andwe plan.
And when we do that, it becomesthe very instrument to which
God's purposes unfold in theworld.
And you see what that does?
It frees us from anxiousstriving of thinking everything
(24:30):
depends on us.
And it frees us from thispassive fatalism that says,
well, God's going to do itanyway.
Faith is actively dependent, itis partnering with God while at
the same time recognizing thatsuccess comes from his gracious
(24:51):
hand.
Think about our buildingprogram.
It didn't start yesterday with apulpit announcement.
This has been going on foryears.
We've been praying.
The leadership has been seekingGod's direction.
And for months, we've beenplanning.
(25:12):
There's been drawings that havegone back and forth.
We've been analyzing the budget.
We've been in contractormeetings.
We've been pulling permits.
And our strategic planning, yes,it honors God, but how does the
project get off the ground?
The gracious hand of God.
(25:32):
What makes this all a reality isGod's gracious hand has been
upon us.
So it's both end.
And as we complete this newbuilding and we new move into
this new season of ministry,this building and completing
this property is not the end.
(25:58):
I want us to continue to dreambig, give big, plan big, love
big, and move the kingdom of Godforward in the world.
That's the goal.
It's that this entire world befilled with the glory of God.
(26:19):
And we want the church to be acentral part of that.
And so let's keep, let's do notget comfortable.
Let's keep planning and prayingand stepping out boldly in
faith, trusting that God'sgracious hand that has guided
this church for the last 50years will guide us for the next
(26:40):
50 years as we advance hiskingdom in this community and
city in the world.
Lastly, faith, a foundation offaith.
It prays, plans, perseveres.
Look at verse 19.
(27:02):
Here it comes.
Anytime God's kingdom's goingforward, guess what else is
coming?
Opposition.
You see it right here.
Sambalat, Tobiah, and Geshemimmediately took efforts and
said, What do you think you'redoing?
(27:23):
Stop this.
Are you rebelling against theking?
These aren't just randomcritics.
These are political leaders, ifyou were to do some research, in
the surrounding territories fromJerusalem that had a vested
interest in keeping Jerusalemweak.
And you see it in verse 10.
(27:43):
It displeased them greatly thatsomeone was trying to seek the
welfare of these people.
The welfare of God's people, theIsraelites, Ralph David, a
commentator, and really theentire Bible says this.
But he makes a comment aboutthis opposition.
(28:04):
And he says it goes back to thegarden.
It goes back to Genesis chapter3, the serpent's seed hating the
seed of the woman.
The point, the opposition thatwe see out here, that we see
here, it goes deeper than wethink.
(28:26):
It's not merely just humanopposition, it is spiritual
warfare.
The Bible attests to thiseverywhere.
It is spiritual warfare againstGod's kingdom work.
I have had possibly the hardestyear of my life.
(28:46):
It's been a culmination and anaccumulation of many things over
the past ten years.
But this year I have struggledwith anxiety and depression in
ways that I have not experiencedbefore.
Three weeks ago, my doctor tellsme that I need this foot
(29:10):
procedure.
It's what I've been wheelingaround on a scooter, if you've
seen me the last few weeks, thisfoot procedure, and she looks at
me and says, This could not bein a worse spot.
Like anywhere else on your bodywould be better than where it
is.
(29:31):
And oh, by the way, completehealing will take 15 to 20
weeks.
And I looked and said, that'salmost half a year.
I don't want toover-spiritualize this.
But the timing and all of this,it's pretty interesting, isn't
(29:54):
it?
Opposition, friends, comes inmultiple directions all at once.
Yes, it comes from the outside,external credit, external
critics, but sometimes it'sinternal battles with anxiety
and physical setbacks andcircumstances that feel
(30:14):
overwhelming and make you doubtyour calling.
Why?
Because you are trying to followJesus.
And you're trying to live outwhat God has called you to do.
I don't know how all of thatworks.
I don't know.
(30:35):
But I do know that the ApostlePaul says in Ephesians 6 that
our battle is not against fleshand blood, it's against the
principalities of darkness.
Friends, when you step out infaith, when you try to walk with
Jesus in your marriage, in yourcareer, your ministry, personal
growth, if you start trying todeal with something in your
(30:56):
life, I can promise you,opposition will come.
Jesus says, you will havetrouble in this world, and not
you might be, you will bepersecuted.
People will question yourmotives, doubt your abilities,
and simply prefer the statusquo.
(31:17):
But look at verse 20.
I want you to see how Nehemiahresponds.
Let me summarize.
God will prosper us, he willgive success.
We belong to him.
(31:40):
This is what he's saying.
We belong to him.
We are his servants.
And we will serve him and do hiswill.
And then you, he's talking tothe opposition, you have no say
in this.
Notice a few things.
(32:01):
He doesn't argue with them.
He doesn't get in the knockdowndrag out.
He doesn't even defend theproject and the feasibility of
the project.
And hey, let me show you allthese letters from the king that
we can do this.
Doesn't do that.
(32:22):
And he doesn't even try to winthem over.
What does he do first?
God.
That's what he does first.
The God of heaven.
His confidence is in the God ofheaven, and Nehemiah just stays
(32:44):
focused on mission and on whatGod has called him to do.
And I think that is so helpfulfor us as we think about the
world in which we live, which isviolent and chaotic, and there
is plenty of opposition today tobiblical values.
And I think it's really easy forus to get really fearful or
(33:06):
really angry.
What does it look like to goforward?
Well, I think Nehemiah helps us.
Anchor.
We anchor in our confidence inGod and His control, and we keep
building.
(33:27):
And we keep on mission.
We get up tomorrow, whatever itis God's called you to do in
this world.
You do it to the best of yourability, to the glory of God,
and you try to be faithful andmove the gospel forward wherever
He has called you to be.
That sounds overwhelming.
(33:49):
And so, how do we, how does thatwork?
How do we do this?
How do we live faithfully inthis broken and fallen world?
Well, the temptation here is tojust end the sermon.
Ready?
Go be like Nehemiah.
That would sink you.
(34:09):
Because the passage is not golike be like be like Nehemiah.
The passage points us to thegreater Nehemiah, points us to
the Lord Jesus Christ.
Nehemiah couldn't fully see it.
His rebuilding project points toa greater restoration that God
would accomplish through theperson of Jesus Christ.
(34:30):
Nehemiah restores the physicalwalls in Jerusalem.
Jesus comes to tear down theultimate wall.
The ultimate wall of sin.
Why?
So that our relationship withGod could be rebuilt.
Jesus faced ultimate opposition,betrayal, mockery, and
(34:54):
crucifixion, and he responded.
Think about how he responds,dependence and trust in God.
Remember what Jesus says?
Father, forgive them, for theyknow not what they do.
And then he says, Into yourhands, God, I commit my spirit.
(35:22):
He prayed and then he died.
And before he dies, if youremember, he says, It is
finished.
And by saying, it is finished,it was a way of saying, God's
plan will succeed against everyopposition that comes its way.
The gates of hell will not standagainst the church.
(35:46):
To live faithfully in thisworld, we've got to anchor in
the finished work of JesusChrist.
We pray because Jesus is ourmediator and he gives us access
to God so that we can bring allof our anxieties to him.
We persevere because we have theSpirit of God inside of us, the
(36:08):
Holy Spirit that guides andleads us so that we can plan and
we persevere because Jesus wins.
Our hope is not in this world.
Our hope is that Jesus is comingback, and he is going to defeat
(36:31):
every evil in this world, andJesus is going to renew all
things.
That is our hope.
Prayer, planning, andperseverance are anchored in all
flow from Jesus.
And so let's rise up and let'sbuild together on this
(36:54):
foundation of faith.
Stay focused on Jesus.
Let us stay focused on missionand let us be a church that
continues to step out boldly infaith, asking for God's good
hand to continue to be on us aswe build his kingdom in this
world.
(37:15):
Amen.
Let's pray.
Father, uh, thank you forallowing us to be part of your
work in this world.
That's a tremendous, amazingthing.
Forgive us for beingself-dependent and self
(37:36):
sufficient.
And lastly, Holy Spirit, wouldyou help us to pray and to be
good stewards of the giftsyou've given us and also to
persevere and to walk by faithand to trust in you.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Bobby Bones Show
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.