Mission Matters

Nehemiah 6 1. now it happened when Saint ballet tobiah geisham the Arab the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall that there were no more breaks left in it so at that time I had not hung the doors in the gates the same ballad and geisham sent to me saying come let us meet together among the villages in the plain of oh no that's how you say it in the Hebrew oh no but they thought to do me harm so I sent Messengers to them saying I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down why should I why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you Nehemiah was a man motivated by a mission and the knowledge of the mission God called him to mattered in his life and I want to speak to you on that theme today that mission matters God bless you please be seated when I see the condition of our culture I see a generation of people who have nearly everything to live on but nothing to live for the absence of meaning of mission has led to cavernous void in the hearts of people who live and die to themselves today I want to offer you a better life a reason to live a cause worthy of your best effort from the story of Nehemiah I hope to show you that mission matters Nehemiah was among the the Jewish people that were deported away from Jerusalem and taken to Babylon later Babylon conquered by Persia we don't know how old Nehemiah was or when he entered the scene but Nehemiah had earned trust and respect and he served in the role as cup bearer of the king of art King artaxerxy of Persia the ruling Empire of the entire world he was that guy who had no small honor in his life he had the duty of tasting what the King was going to taste to make sure that it wasn't poison that's a pretty important job but a pretty dangerous job I would think Nehemiah was allowed to be in the king's presence when the queen was there which was saying something about his level of position and Trust from All Points Nehemiah lived a life of luxury and privilege in the palace in Persia the empire was at its Zenith and the signs of prosperity were everywhere that Nehemiah looked he lacked nothing you could say that Nehemiah was really blessed of God because he was important prospered favored he had everything to live on his boss the King was an understanding man he was reasonable in his relationship with Nehemiah Nehemiah was set for life for Nehemiah it was better to be in Persia in the palace in Comfort than to be back in Judea with poverty a place that had experienced a brain drain even the Craftsmen were deported to Babylon and now it's Persia and there was a dark cloud of depression that hung heavy over the atmosphere of Jerusalem for decades no one lifted their finger to try to rebuild the walls and restore the city of Jerusalem for Nehemiah what about Jerusalem it was a far away place a thousand miles away a world away from him and you didn't hear much from Jerusalem and Judea that province in which Jerusalem was house very often you know no newspapers no cell phones no email no text messages no 24-hour news cycle Nehemiah couldn't grab his phone and check it several times a day there was no breaking news for Nehemiah you didn't hear much from back home and when you did hear something it was stale news maybe a caravan passing through somebody that wandered by and would give their perception or perspective on what was going on in the city of Jerusalem and back in that wonderful place that was now in shambles Nehemiah had escaped the devastation of Jerusalem but he couldn't escape the feeling of concern that he had for home Nehemiah did care he wasn't really living out that concern for a while maybe Nehemiah could just kind of lose himself in his Good Fortune but you know how it is if things are good for me and things are good for everybody someone said that a headache for me is worse than a famine in Somalia if I'm doing good it really doesn't matter how the rest of you are feeling it's the longest things are good for me that's how it feels when you live and die to yourself but there was a day that nehemiah's world changed his brother maybe his blood brother hananiah came with some other men from Jerusalem and there is this Mission kind of working in nehemiah's heart but he doesn't have a lot to go on Nehemiah 1 and 2 he asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped who had survived the Captivity and concerning Jerusalem in other words he said how's things back home in Jerusalem he's just curious it's an innocent question there's no harm in asking it doesn't really affect me but I'd like to know a thousand miles of desert away now when Nehemiah asked this they responded to him and they told him the survivors who were left from the Captivity in the province are there in great distress and repressed the wall of Jerusalem is also broken down and its gates are burned with fire the answer from hananiah and the others was sobering for Nehemiah his people were Afflicted distressed reproached the walls of a city and ancient city where its only hope of survival if the walls are broken down any marauding band or enemy Army can come in and destroy the city so no walls no protection Nehemiah is processing all of this and he's thinking about the poor people back in Jerusalem that he had left far behind in every way imaginable but cities and ruins this sad story is unfolding we don't know exactly the emotional reaction that Nehemiah felt but you felt this before Nehemiah feels this lump coming up in his throat getting choked up with tears it's a knot forming in his stomach the Bible says that when Nehemiah heard these words he sat down and he wept it was the birth of a mission he mourned for many days he fasted and prayed before the god of Heaven I love it that this is the way nehemiah's life mission began it didn't begin with him doing something it became with him becoming something his fasting and prayer shaped him amen Nehemiah 1-4 so it was again when I heard these words that I sat down and wept and more many days I was fasting and praying before the god of Heaven now if you would have been a contemporary of Nehemiah maybe you lived in shushan in the palace you would have told Nehemiah get a hold of yourself there's something wrong with you what's going on with you it seems that you can't quit crying you don't stop praying you're wasting away from all of this fasting you see nehemiah's job was to be cheerful and positive to walk into the presence of the king with the up Spirit to check the drink taste it and then present it to the king so he could drink it himself any negative emotion on nehemiah's part could have risked his job and it really could have risked his life just kill that Hebrew boy there's someone else ready to take his place for Nehemiah when he heard that news it would have been better for him to give an offering to move the mission or make a commitment to Faith promise but don't get involved I'm not putting down giving your money we've all done that but there is a way you can just give and stay detached but it wasn't working like that for Nehemiah something is working in him that will change him forever more than a sacrificial offering personal involvement was what God was calling Nehemiah to and he could not Escape his concern months later Nehemiah it's got to go before the king and Nehemiah is feeling this burden Nehemiah doesn't know how to act but after months fasting and prayer one day he walks in before the king it's the following spring he walks into Earth or the Xerxes Nehemiah says in chapter two I I had never been sat in his presence me and Maya walked in and he was overcome with sadness the King asks him why are you looking so sad you don't look sick he just looks sad you're deeply troubled Nehemiah writes about this he said I was terrified Nehemiah knew that all artist Xerxes had to do was saying I don't need this in my presence I don't need anybody working for me with that attitude no wonder Nehemiah was terrified when his emotions got the best of him Nehemiah said Lord live the king how can I not be sad for the city where my ancestors are buried is in Ruins and the gates have been destroyed by fire and then the king asked him how can I help you and Nehemiah Nehemiah 2 and 4 the Bible says with a prayer to the god of Heaven some paraphrases say with the quick prayer have you ever prayed a quick prayer I mean this prayer is based on months of prayer and fasting but standing there in front of our desert sees Nehemiah just kind of said Jesus help me except he doesn't say Jesus because that name has not been revealed that's what we say help me now Lord Nehemiah prayed a quick prayer and then he said if it would please the king and if you're pleased with me send me to Judah so I can rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried when you ask something like that it should really be built on weeks of prayer and fasting the king says what can I do how long are you going to be gone what do you need Nehemiah says I need letters uh protection I need some soldiers to go with me I need the promise of provision that you will let me get Timbers out of the forest to build the walls I need you to Resource me so I can do this and when he said it then King artist Xerxes said yes incredible Pagan King tells Nehemiah I'm giving you everything you need to go back and restore the city that is an enemy City that they have been warned if you rebuild that City those people will rebel against you but God moved on the heart of a pagan King out of the response of a man with a mission [Applause] incredible and go back and build the walls and Nehemiah said in the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me here is what I've learned and just something I want to say on the way to my main messages message that God's resources flow to the mission if you sit around doing nothing nothing is going to happen if you're like the four lepers they get up and try something you're gonna find God operating miraculously on your behalf and when Nehemiah makes up his mind I'm gonna do something then God says I'm gonna do something for you amen it's like military resources that flow to the tip of the spear Nehemiah is on his way what an incredible it's not because it's just one sermon I need to fast forward to the heart of what I want to talk about today Nehemiah is motivated by this mission Persian king artist Xerxes authorizes and resources him to rebuild the gates and walls of Jerusalem Nehemiah was convinced that his mission was worth his life that it was essential not optional now the walls engaged in Jerusalem have been raised by the Babylonians Dave Lay in Ruins and there's some evidence that some attempts have been made but in nehemiah's account nothing much had happened 70 years possibly as many as 90 years have gone by and there's no one else that has ever risen up to make a difference in Jerusalem Nehemiah gets there and late at night when no one knows he rides on a donkey and he goes around the rubble and the walls of Jerusalem he gets to a place where the passage is so tight he has to Dismount and walk through just by himself that's how much Rubble was in Jerusalem it was a deplorable condition when Nehemiah got there but he did that secret reconnaissance mission to assess the damage and then he began to Rally the people he secured the required resources and they began to build and the Bible says that Nehemiah motivated the people so he built the wall and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height for the people had a mind to work people that had never done anything for decades now a man with a mission walks on the scene and says we can't do this God is in this our desserts he says provided for this let's go and the people said we've got a mind to work let's rise up and build I love it that's what happens when you're a person with a mission in your life well but God's mission because it has an eternal impact it's always opposed nehemiah's adversaries try to get him to stop they use various tactics including letters of intimidation four letters then a fifth letter trying to undermine him they're guys sent ballot other enemies tobiah and geisham and they they said that the wall was built but only the doors and Gates were not yet finished nehemiah's work is progressing beyond their expectations at the beginning they mocked him and said even a little fox can run up on those walls and the walls are going to fall down and well Nehemiah revived the stones that have been burned and they just ridiculed him but now they realize that this guy is for Real that this rebuilding effort is taking place and so they make urgent plans to stop it trying to figure out and they decide you know nobody here was motivated till Nehemiah got here so let's get rid of Nehemiah and things will go back to the way they were before he showed up so Sam Bala geisham come to Nehemiah they say why don't we kind of we want to have a powwow with you Nehemiah we want to talk about all the good things that God is doing or whatever they said why don't you come down from that wall Nehemiah and meet with us in one of the cities in the plain of oh no and I say that because every time you're tempted to compromise you ought to say oh no I'm not going there oh no I'm not doing that yeah Nehemiah knew what they're trying to do they were really trying to eliminate him to kill him they knew that if they could get rid of him as I said that the work would cease permanently Nehemiah is persuaded that he is doing a great work and I have learned that when people believe that they are doing a great work they will make great sacrifices when you believe what you're doing isn't that big a deal you're probably not going to make a great sacrifice whether it is time Talent OR treasure not worth it but when you know what you are doing is of God that it is a mission that matters that is an eternal mission and it is motivational and you will be willing to sacrifice in a measure that matches the mission it's our tax Nehemiah 6 3. so I sent Messengers to them saying I am doing a great work a great work so that I cannot come down why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you now I told you they they didn't relent they wrote five more letters trying to undermine him but Nehemiah had an inflappable determination to fulfill the mission that God had given him and I have found that when you live with a sense of mission that it matters that it changes you it changes other people it changes everything and it changes eternity yes it does Nehemiah 6 15. so the wall was finished on the 25th day of allure in 52 days it is one of the most amazing feats in the Bible Working Day and Night sleeping in your clothes for a while having a sword in one hand and a tool in the other doing whatever it takes highly motivated by a man on Mission amen and the Bible says when it happened when they finished that the enemies heard of it and all the nations around us saw these things that they were very disheartened in their own eyes for they perceived that this work was done by God that God was working with them and God got it done in 20 and 52 days when you read nehemiah's history he's not a prophet he's not a priest he's not a preacher by calling he was appointed to be a governor but he was a man on a mission and God used him Beyond his Wildest Dreams Beyond his ability because he was willing to say I care and I will do something about it Mission matters I want to say it again Nehemiah said I am doing a great work I am doing a great work and I will not come down mission matters if you're doing something for God that has Eternal value you are doing a great work you may feel like that you serve in obscurity but not to God you may feel like people don't really know what you're giving but God does you may feel underappreciated but if you are serving God with a sense of mission you are doing a great work don't come down don't quit don't compromise amen there might be a concerted effort for you to come down from the wall from your mission but like Nehemiah hang in there stay with it don't quit amen I have become keenly aware that the greater the work the greater the attack I have learned that Revival and resistance occurs simultaneously read through the first nine chapters of the book of Acts as soon as things start going good then they start going bad as soon as there is Victory there is resistance and an attack and you can count on it in your life but I know when the attack is great that the Revival will be great when there is an attack against the mission that God will prevail that no weapon formed against us shall prosper that everything that was meant to destroy us will advance us that their sword will go into their own belly the Bible says and every man's sword was against his fellow the greater the Revival the greater resistance greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world I am doing a great work you are doing a great work let's thank God that we know that we are doing his work and we will not come down [Applause] the mission of the church is the most important mission on Earth I say this factually not with a sense of arrogance or Pride the mission of Atlanta West Pentecostal Church is to lead people into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ and to develop them into fully devoted followers of him our mission will result in the Eternal salvation of Souls those we fail to reach and those who resist and will not respond or spend eternity tormented in the Lake of Fire our mission matters because of what is at stake it doesn't matter because of who we are it matters because of what we're doing and if we allow ourselves to just kind of dwindle down to self-existence we will miss the great mission that God has for us I have learned that your level of personal motivation is dependent upon your awareness of your mission people who are spiritually lethargic people that can't get up and go people that cannot give to make a difference it is typically because they think either they don't matter or the cause does not matter our work because of its effect on eternity is the greatest work in the world and when you know you're doing a great work you're willing to make great sacrifices when you know you're doing a great work you will not come come down from the wall of that work to a place called oh no so the enemy can take you out that was a design when people see their mission is negotiable as negotiable as optional the level of commitment is low our motivation matches our view of our mission we are doing a great work we cannot come down to compromise or negotiate with the Enemy I know we're an exciting church building program but more importantly we're building the church so that it needs a building like that our work is not brick and mortar concrete our work is people that's why we're having a a small group fair today after the altar service I encourage you to go back and find a small group that interests you where you can serve and make a difference and participate and connect small groups do connect people on Common Ground so we can lead them to Holy Ground that is the first goal of small groups but it also provides Fellowship for our members so we can be connected to one another so we can be strengthened maybe you're really strong and you don't need anybody else I fear for your soul and your life there are other ways to connect to people in the body of Christ but make sure you connect up not down make sure you connect to somebody who can strengthen you who will not weaken you living on a relational Island is not living the Christian Life Solomon spoke about a loner he said there was this guy he lived alone he didn't have a child or a brother he worked hard to get as much wealth as he could but then he asks himself who am I working for why am I giving up so much pleasure now it is so meaningless and depressing then Solomon teaches the lesson two are better than one they can help each other succeed if one person falls the other can reach down and help him up if somebody's in a battle alone they could dive at two can fight back to back a three-fold chord is not quickly broken Solomon made the case for being together and in Fellowship to strengthen one another Paul told us in Romans 14 that we don't live for ourselves and we don't die for ourselves the early church didn't just continue in Doctrine which is so vital but they also continued in Fellowship in breaking a bread and prayers so we launched small groups for that but let me ask you what has God called you to be what has God called you to do and I invite you today to answer God's call to a life of mission the call to Mission begins with a call to follow Jesus Christ it will turn you from sin to righteousness to follow Jesus Christ in a relationship with him but then it will always cause you to have a sense of mission and a role to play in the kingdom of God where you can make a difference and today if you've drifted from that mission or if you've never turned from your sins to God today would be a great day to start when you live by a mission Mission matters you will live for and you will be willing to die for that mission you will be consumed with a passion that will help you fulfill your god-given purpose you will find meaning to every day of life like you never dreamed when you find that god-given mission I've learned that mission-minded people discover extraordinary strength mission-minded people live with a great sense of fulfillment Mission motivates because Mission matters and your mission is unique to you it's not limited to be a missionary or a preacher maybe God's calling you to do that but I think we sometimes check out on our mission because we limit it to just being a preacher or a missionary or a calling like that your calling may be to build a business to build the kingdom of God your calling may be to be the best employee in your company so you can be a light in a dark World your mission is to serve God by serving people God gifted you and you will be accountable to God for what you do with that gifting and that calling and that mission today God is calling to the mission of the church to never be the same again to be motivated by that mission it will move you to action it will bring out the best in you it will cause you to quit making excuses and start making decisions it will give you the courage to stand when your faith is challenged it will keep you from sin when you are tempted it will make sense out of sacrifice because Mission matters would you bow your heads right now I pray in the name of Jesus Christ right now I pray Lord the lord of the Harvest that you would call people into the vineyard the Harvest of reaching lost people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ I pray right now Lord for good people who have decided that their life does not make a difference so they are just living in existence but no mission I pray for people right now who have chosen to live a distant spiritual life because every time they dig in in prayer they feel that Nehemiah nagging calling working in them that birth of a mission and I pray God that that person today who is miserable living short of their potential I pray God that you would rekindle that gift that is in them that you would rekindle that passion that is in them that calling you put in them at a private altar at this altar at a youth camp at a conference in a still small voice in a thunder rekindle it today in Jesus name I pray then you make yourself vulnerable unto me so that I can deal with your heart I can give you the plans that I have for your life the plan to prosper you plan to bless you to plan to lead you and to guide you in every aspect of life that you surrender unto me a closed fist can never reach out to me to receive and for allowing me to put in your hands that which I would have you to do I have giftings and callings that I have placed in your life that you have not used because you have been this illusioned you have been LED in places that you should not have gone or walked my spirit calls to you this day lay aside those things take up the cross that I have issued only under you and walk in the Avenue that I have for you today to prosper that my kingdom May prosperous life will be a reflection of my love to a world and is lost and dying and seeking love and seeking a light and seeking help that lies within your court your decision decision today that must be made I would lead you guide you and gift you but you must turn unto me with the whole heart that I may lead you into the paths of righteousness for my sake would you receive what the Lord has spoken to us through tongues and interpretation it is time for us today to respond to what God is saying if you're able please stand on June 11 of this year I preached on the theme commissioned and at the end of that service at the beginning of our summer many of us took home a bottle of oil symbolic of the calling of God the anointing of God in our lives as we launch into this fall I want to remind you that God has commissioned you to go that God has given you a mission today I'm asking you to respond to that call and work of God in your life that call to Mission by coming to this Altar and making yourself available to God would you come right now or just step out come as close as you can get please leave room in the aisles let's come everyone who is able foreign [Music] God is speaking to you God has something better for you the Great Adventure of a mission to make a difference and when you live missing Mission will matter in every dimension of your life