Ephesians 3:20
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us...
“Fresh Starts” is what all of us want, it’s the plea in our hearts to God. That we would get a chance to start fresh. That we would be able to turn around those areas of our lives that have kept us bound, that we would be able to treat people differently, that we would be able to love God differently
- The first series was about ‘Fresh Starts Begin With New Hearts’ another words in order to have a really fresh start in the things that matter to God you have to have a new heart and the only person that can give you a new heart is God. All real change only happens when our hearts are changed, this can only happen when God is part of that change.
- The second series was about ‘Accepting Change is an Opportunity to Gain Maturity and to Shape Destiny’ that when we are willing to accept that going from what might be good to better you have to be willing to accept change, and that is hard for us because we are people that unless there is pressure/friction there is no motion.
- The third series is about the power of change, ‘The Love of God Unleashes The Power To Do The Things of God’ in order to change, that change has to have power behind it. It’s the power of God’s love that brings about the change of our lives.
It’s easy to sit down and come up with all sorts of ideas, plans and checklist on how to change but the hard part is to start to check off the check list. Making it happen and getting it done. It’s labor to do it and without hard work and without labor life doesn’t go well. we are either pushing forward and working hard to have the life God wants us to have or to make a difference that God wants us to make or we end up just running from all the troubles coming our way.
this sermon is about what it means to change, to put into action.
Action Is When Determination Faces Opposition And Chooses Vision
We are great with our checklist with our visions with our plans and action is something we are great at starting until we meet some sort of resistance/opposition and that’s where we crumble. Real action is when there is a determination that says I don’t care whatever happens, whatever opposition I choose my vision. It’s hard to stay with your vision when you hit opposition because that is when most people crumble.
If I’m going to be the man/woman that God wants me to be I have to change, I can no longer live this way, words will no longer suffice, that means we have to do a whole lot of work and that is what scares us, we will have to endure and suffer some pain, make sacrifices, and stay focus and stay in the direction we are heading when there are easier paths.
The book of Nehemiah is a powerful book about ‘bringing about hard change’
Nehemiah was the cup bearer to the king of Persia, the Jews have been subdued between the Syrians and the Babylonians and later the Persians took over everyone and the Jews have been scattered but they were allowed to come back to Jerusalem, their homeland.
When Nehemiah was ministering he had a life changing experience when his brother (Hanani) came to him and he asked him, how things were in Jerusalem? He was given bad news, he was told that the city was still a mess. That the wall around the city that protected the integrity of the city that brought people a sense of security and protected God’s temple was still in rubble.
Nehemiah was heart broken because he was a man of God and his people and he literally wept for days.
then finally he went to the king and he sought permission to go back and to help the people rebuild the wall around the city. This wasn’t the first time that someone brought this to the king, but this time Nehemiah brought something different to the table. He brought a resolution, a conviction to push forward in a new direction and saw to it that his people would be given a fresh start.
In this chapter of Nehemiah we see Nehemiah making things happen in the most difficult of times when neighboring countries who did not want the Jews to ever come back to be a people with their own land began to surround and criticize
Nehemiah 4:1-18
1 When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews,
Sanballat was one of the neighbors of the people of Israel who didn’t want to see Israel come back to be a nation again
2 and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble - burned as they are?”
What is he doing? Sanballat is mocking them, he is looking at them and saying you can’t change. Do you think you are going to take an old broken down dream/life and make it into something new?
3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “ What they are building-even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”
Tobiah is like a weasel hanging around who hangs out with the big dog. Here is a guy who has not had an original thought in a lifetime. All Tobiah can see is what is negative and what can’t be done.
4 Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. 5 Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders.
What does Nehemiah do? He turns to God. If your not praying hard on something you need to do in your life. Your not really plan on doing it.
What is Nehemiah doing now? He is asking God to remove the opposition in front of them, he is asking God to block the ears of his people who need to do the work with encouragement. What do you ask God for? anything and everything you need. What prayer is too small? none...
6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.
How do you put into action/plan into reality? With all your heart.
7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. 8 They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.
Understand this, just because you have good intention with something does not mean the world will honor it. Doesn’t mean that the people around us will support us. No matter how angry people get with us character demands that we do the right thing. When we become too afraid to stand for something or to speak out for something our character can’t grow. To grow in character you will bump up against opposition.
9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.
10 Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”
11 Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”
All of a sudden they have come to that point and change where it looks hopeless.
12 Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”
13 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. 14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the peoples, “Don’t be afraid of them.
What does he do? he looks at the weak points of his life and the weak points of the walls, he looks at the most precious things that have to be protected and he protects them. Change means that we look at what it is in our lives that have to be changed and we look at anything that could impact that change. There are some things we have to say goodbye. or some people because they, or it is our opposition to change.
Remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
Fight for your family, whatever you need to do, even if it is fight yourselves. Internal or external because you have a responsibility, they count on you. If your willing to fight for them and whats right before God you will make all the difference in the world.
15 When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work.
16 From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah 17 who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, 18 and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked...
Where do you want a fresh start in your own life? One area you know this has got to change. I can’t live with being in debt, being negative all the time, critical, hopeless, treating my family the way I do. What is the area of your life?
Do Diligence:
Take some time and look ask God, what is it that I need to change?
Do What Ever It Takes
Do Pray:
Because if you don’t pray you don’t mean it.
Don’t Listen To Skeptics:
Don’t listen to people who will have you do what they will do because they don't want to be alone
Don’t Make Excuses:
There are all sorts of excuses but they mean nothing if you mess up then you take responsibility for it and then you turn it around
Don’t Hedge Hedging:
Don’t look for reasons to say “I know I should but right now I can’t” I do it later...
Don’t Whine:
Never once do you hear Nehemiah whine, this is a man who has incredible leadership and focus and he doesn't’ whine because he is already determined on what he is going to do, it’s when action faces opposition and chooses vision.
Notes taken by: lorelllawrence@comcast.net
the notes is for you to have for review in the series, also to reflect on during the week.
God Bless,
Sermon by: Pastor Frederick Williams