Moments in the life of a Pastor

Walking with God

Author Archives: Giles


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1. The Power of Prayer – Part 1

Nehemiah 1:1-4

In late autumn, in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign, I was at the fortress of Susa. 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came to visit me with some other men who had just arrived from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had returned there from captivity and about how things were going in Jerusalem. 3 They said to me, “Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.”4 When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.

Today as we begin a new series in the book of Nehemiah titled “Building in the Battle” we meet a man called by God named Nehemiah. God not only used Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem but to restore worship of the One true God. As we go through this book, we need to understand that it wasn’t just about rebuilding walls but about restoring worship. We also need to see that the building happened in the midst of the battle. Our struggle is that we want to work on the wall we just don’t want to have to deal with the war. But Nehemiah reminds us that even though there will be obstacles and enemies God’s people can still build in the mist of the battle. To give you a little background God’s people had walked away from God, they chose the path of rebellion and ended up reaping its ruin. In 586 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army captured the Jews, and Jerusalem was destroyed, the walls were knocked down, and the temple was burned. The people were deported and were forced into slavery and Jerusalem was left in ruins. But God did not forsake His people. He moved King Cyrus to make a decree to let some of the Jews return. And in three stages, over about a hundred years, they were allowed to migrate back to Jerusalem, only to discover the city was still demolished and desolate. They started to rebuild but they got discouraged and quit and it’s here that we meet Nehemiah. The book falls into several divisions. The first six chapters cover the rebuilding of the wall, while chapters 7 through 10 deal with the renewing of Jerusalem’s worship, while the final chapters deal with the repopulation and revival of God’s people. As we start in chapter one, we discover that it begins with Nehemiah’s:

  1. Concern

The story appears to start with the condition of the city but in actually starts with Nehemiah’s concern for the city. Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the king, which provided him with intimate access to royalty, political standing, and a place to live in the palace. In some respects, it was a comfortable job that provided everything he needed. You see he could have insulated himself in his comfortable life, but a heart of compassion compels us to care. And so, Nehemiah inquires as to the condition of Jerusalem because he cares. It’s here that we see Leadership principle number one, without love you will never lead effectively. Leading starts with loving. When leadership flows out of love the focus is on the people not just the project. But leadership without love leads to lording, it becomes about me not the mission. Do you have a loving leadership or a lording leadership? Your kids don’t need a dictator they need a dad. Nehemiah learned about the condition of Jerusalem because he cared enough to ask. Do you care about the condition of your kids’ hearts? Do you care that their walls have been broken down and their gates have been burned? That their hearts are unprotected and open to attack? Do you know the condition of your kids? Proverbs 27:23 says: “know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds”Are we like Nehemiah concerned enough to take the time to find out what is really going on in the heart of our home? Because Nehemiah leads with love, because he cares he discovers the real condition of Jerusalem. And as he learns about the devastation, he becomes broken and starts to cry over the complacency of the people of Jerusalem. You see the real tragedy was that they were living in ruins and they had accepted it. They were willing to walk around the devastation instead of being concerned enough to do something about their situation. Nothing is ever going to change in your life or in this nation until we become concerned about the problem. Some of you have become complacent about the way your life is going. You’re living in the rubble and the mess and it doesn’t even bother you anymore. A building hand starts with a broken heart. You will never carry out God’s call if you don’t first care. Do you have a caring heart or a calloused one? Like Nehemiah we need to learn to first focus on the person of God not the problem.

 

 

 


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39. The Myth of More – Part 3

Philippians 4:10-20

10 How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. 11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.14 Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty. 15 As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. 16 Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once. 17 I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness. 18 At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God. 19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. 20 Now all glory to God our Father forever and ever! Amen.

Instead of a coveting heart God wants us to have a:

  1. Controlled Heart

In Luke 12:15 a man told Jesus to tell his brother to divide up their inheritance, seeing what was really going on Jesus called him out for coveting: “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”It is here that we see Jesus confronting the covetous heart and clearly contradicting the values of our American consumer culture based on coveting. When we have a covetous character, no matter what we have, it is never enough. The key to killing coveting is to cultivate:

A. Contentment

It’s here in Philippians 4:10-20 that we discover how to cultivate contentment and live in a coveting culture without giving in to the destructive desire for more. Paul learned and teaches us that contentment is not found in our circumstance but in Christ. Here in America we have amassed more materially than most, controlling much of the world’s wealth and yet it has not made us more contented, only more covetous. Peace is not found in a covetous heart but a contented heart. So how do we cultivate contentment in a culture that constantly demands bigger and better, more and more? First realize that:

  • Contentment comes from resting in Christ’s provision not constant consuming.

Philippians 4:19 says: “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”When we rely on self instead of the Savior, we fall into the trap of continual trying. We need to rest in Christ and then resist the urge to compare ourselves to others. 2 Corinthians 10:12 says “For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.”We compare careers, clothes, cars, just about anything and everything. Why do we compare, because that’s the way our society keeps score. We count points by possessions, but your possessions have nothing to do with your significance or importance. In Luke 12:15 Jesus reminds us how covetousness can consume us, taking over to the point where our real trust lies in our treasurers:“And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”You can have all the possessions and amass all the points and still live a pointless life. You can be a millionaire and be miserable or you can be poor and live a purposeful life. It’s not about what you have but who you have in Christ. We need to learn to admire without having to acquire. Next find your:

  • Satisfaction in the Savior not stuff

Success doesn’t come through acquiring stuff but through serving the Savior. Many of us are trying to find our joy in junk instead of in Jesus. While the world finds its power in possessions, we find it in a person, Jesus. It’s not what we possess but who we possess. Are you looking to substitutes or the Savior to fill your heart?

  • Rejoice in what you do have

Notice that Paul’s rejoicing in verse 10 revolved around who he had not what he had. His praise was focused on the people in his life not the possessions of this life. If we are not careful, we will base our praise on riches instead of relationships. We will make it about money instead of what matters. So, let me ask you, are you problem focused or praise focused? If we are not careful, we can fall into the trap of “When and Then” thinking: When I get married, then I’ll be happy or when I get divorced, then I’ll be happy. When we have kids, then we’ll be happy or when I get another job, then I’ll be happy. We need to remember that happiness is not getting whatever you want it’s enjoying whatever you have. The problem is that many of us are so busy buying into the belief that we have to have more that we never enjoy what we have. There is a story about a rich man that finds a man lazily man sitting by his boat. “Why aren’t you fishing?” asks the rich man. “Because I’ve caught enough fish for today.” “Why don’t you catch more fish than you need?” the rich man asks. “What would I do with them?” replied the fisherman. “You could sell them for money, buy a better boat, go into deeper water, catch even more fish and make lots more money. Soon you could have a fleet of fishing boats and be rich like me.” So, the fisherman asked, “Then what would I do?” “You could sit down and enjoy life.” To which he replied, “What do you think I’m doing now?”

  • Learn to base your contentment on Christ not your circumstances

Paul says in VS 11-12 “for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything.”Satisfaction is not based on our stuff or our situation but on the Savior.

  • Look to give not to get

In verse 17 we see that Paul wanted to be a blessing not a burden. Are you focused on your burden or on being a blessing?

  • Give glory to God not greed

In verse 20 Paul gives the glory to God. Do you spend more time talking about stuff or the Savior? If you were to look at where you spend your time, treasures and talents would it point to glorifying God or getting things. Your credit card, checkbook and calendar reveal what you celebrate, is it Christ or consuming? The story is told of young Charles Darwin that one day he was eagerly holding one rare beetle in his right fist, another in his left and then suddenly he caught sight of a third beetle that he simply knew he must have for his collection. What to do? In a flash he put one of the beetles in his mouth for safekeeping and reached for the third beetle with his now free hand. But the mouth-imprisoned beetle squirted acid down Darwin’s throat, so that in a fit of coughing he lost all the beetles.Contentment kills coveting in the same way coveting kills contentment!Are you trying to find your contentment in Christ or in the culture?