Song of Songs Series Introduction

Posted on February 5, 2022 by dkoop

Series: Love of Loves in the Song of Songs

Description: God knew what He was doing when He created love, marriage and sex. In fact, He wrote the book on it! God has given us a divine manual on romantic relationships in the Song of Solomon, taking us from a couple’s initial attraction through courtship, marriage, honeymoon, conflict, and deepening intimacy. These scriptures are insightful and (at times) explicit, but offer guidance toward the emotionally-satisfying relationships and marriage that God desires for you.

 

Dates           Titles                                Scripture                          Events  

2/6                Attraction & Dating            Song of Solomon 1-2:7

2/13              Healthy Marriage               Song of Solomon 2:8-3:11          Vow Renewal

2/20              Passionate Sex                  Song of Solomon 4

2/27              Handling Conflict                Song of Solomon 5-6

3/6                Lasting Love                      Song of Solomon 8

Book Overview:   SATURATED with stories of sexual escapades, secret rendezvous, and extramarital affairs, today’s media teach that immorality means freedom, perversion is natural, and commitment is old-fashioned. Sex, created by God and pronounced good in Eden, has been twisted, exploited, and turned into an urgent, illicit, casual, and self-gratifying activity. Love has turned into lust, giving into getting, and lasting commitment into “no strings attached.”

In reality, sexual intercourse, the physical and emotional union of male and female, should be a holy means of celebrating love, producing children, and experiencing pleasure, protected by the commitment of marriage.

God thinks sex is important, and Scripture contains numerous guidelines for its use and warnings about its misuse. And sex is always mentioned in the context of a loving relationship between husband and wife. Perhaps the highlight of this is Song of Songs, the intimate story of a man and a woman, their love, courtship, and marriage. Solomon probably wrote this “song” in his youth, before being overtaken by his own obsession with women, sex, and pleasure.

A moving story, drama, and poem, Song of Songs features the love dialogue between a simple Jewish maiden (the young woman) and her lover (Solomon, the king). They describe in intimate detail their feelings for each other and their longings to be together. Throughout the dialogue, sex and marriage are put in their proper, God-given perspective.

Much debate has raged over the meaning of this song. Some say it is an allegory of God’s love for Israel or for the church. Others say it is a literal story about married love. In reality, it is both—a historical story with two layers of meaning. On one level, we learn about love, marriage, and sex; and on the other level, we see God’s overwhelming love for his people. As you read Song of Songs, remember that you are loved by God, and commit yourself to seeing life, sex, and marriage from his point of view.

Vital Statistics

Purpose: To tell of the love between a bridegroom (King Solomon) and his bride, to affirm the sanctity of marriage, and to picture God’s love for his people

Author: Solomon

Date Written: Probably early in Solomon’s reign

Setting: Israel—the Shulammite woman’s garden and the king’s palace

Key People: King Solomon, the young woman of Shulam, and friends

The Blueprint

  1. The wedding day (1:1-2:7)
  2. Memories of courtship (2:8-3:5)
  3. Memories of engagement (3:6-5:1)
  4. A troubling dream (5:2-6:3)
  5. Praising the bride’s beauty (6:4-7:9)
  6. The bride’s tender appeal (7:10-8:4)
  7. The power of love (8:5-14)

Song of Songs is a wedding song honoring marriage. The most explicit statements on sex in the Bible can be found in this book. It has often been criticized down through the centuries because of its sensuous language. The purity and sacredness of love represented here, however, are greatly needed in our day in which distorted attitudes about love and marriage are commonplace. God created sex and intimacy, and they are holy and good when enjoyed within marriage. A husband and wife honor God when they love and enjoy each other.

MEGATHEMES
THEME EXPLANATION IMPORTANCE
Sex Sex is God’s gift to his creatures. He endorses sex but restricts its expression to a man and a woman who are committed to each other in marriage. God wants sex to be motivated by love and commitment, not lust. It is for mutual pleasure, not selfish enjoyment.

I hope you can join us.

Darrell

www.Upwards.Church

Watch Messages: YouTube-Upwards Church

Facebook: Upwards Church

Sources: Life Application Study Bible , (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1988), WORD
search CROSS e-book, 1075-1074.
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Building God’s Way – Nehemiah 7

Posted on February 4, 2022 by dkoop

We are wrapping up our series, Rise & Build. When we left Nehemiah last week, he had just finished building the wall.  He accomplished in 52 days what other people could not accomplish in 70 years.

We read last week: “So the wall was completed… in fifty-two days.”  Nehemiah 6:15. When I read that I have two emotions:  one that I want to breathe a sigh of relief for the guy and say, “Congratulations Nehemiah, you made it!  You finished!  You did what you came to do!  Way to go!” Two, I naturally say, “Now what?”

After completing your project what would you do?  Sit back, relax, enjoy your victory, coast along?  How we handle achievement tells us a lot about ourselves, our character and our values.  When you finish a project, when you’ve reached your goal it becomes a dangerous time in your life. When you’ve accomplished one goal and you don’t have another goal to follow it there is danger. You’re in real trouble.  Success tends to ruin a lot of people.  We become satisfied, complacent, we let down our guard and get comfortable in our lazy boy.  As a result we loose all the momentum.  I’ve seen this happen with a lot of churches.  Lets say they finished a building. The moment the building is erected, the people breathe a sigh of relief “We’ve arrived! We’re in the promised land!”  They let up the intensity that they had and think they are finished.

“After the wall had been rebuilt…”  (vs. 1) Now what?

When I Achieve One Goal, Set Another

 You can loose what you’ve gained if you don’t watch out!  We could all probably name somebody who achieved some tremendous success early in life.  You’d think they would be set for the rest of their life, have one achievement after another, but they became complacent, settled down, and never went any further.  If you don’t set another goal you could loose what you’ve already gained.

Have you ever worked real hard to loose weight?  Only to be comfortable and not set another goal? What happens? You gain back all the weight back and maybe at a faster rate! You’ve wasted all that effort. Right?  Just because you’ve achieved a certain goal is no guarantee you’re going to have that same level of achievement next week.  You must set other goals.

We often make spiritual gains in our life in different areas only to loose those gains in a relatively short period of time because we were neglectful or forgetful. when I talk to people who have backslidden spiritually from the Lord I find that it’s not a matter of suddenly going from loving the Lord, to hating the Lord.  They’ve went from loving the Lord to just forgetting the Lord, neglecting the Lord, the Bible and church.  It’s not a matter of love turning to hate, it’s a matter of love turning to neglect.

How many people have made a lot of money and then lost it in a short period of time? Neglect, complacency.

Nehemiah is a very wise person. We’re going to see how he ensured what he accomplished would last.

Chapter 7 is the dividing line in this Old Testament book.  We need to see that there are two phases in Nehemiah’s life.  Number one is building the wall, number two is building the future, building lives. Chapters 1-6 is the building of the wall which we looked at. Chapters 7-13 is the building of the people and the future. These are two distinct phases.  When the wall is complete Nehemiah has to shift hats, shift his focus, change his roll.

What we’re going to look at today is one of the main reasons businesses go bankrupt, why churches die, why organizations fail.

As I read leadership books and learn from my mentors I have found that like Nehemiah, when a project is complete a transition must take place. I must transition and grow with the organization. A church or the business can get strangled by the very one who started it if they fail to transition.  I know this is something that I must do but its not easy.

In chapter 7 Nehemiah demonstrates this important shift.  If you want to build what lasts then the shift must be made. If we are to continue to grow as a church we must continue to make this shift.

To Continue to Build…

·      We Must Have People Involved

“After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers and singers and Levites were appointed.” v. 1

Notice the people involved here. Gatekeepers — these were guards, watchmen, the police of the city.  They were to protect and keep the peace.  Singers — these were in the band.  Worship was important to Israel.  Levites — these were assistants to the priests.

People got involved according to their interests, talents and abilities. Notice also that leaders were appointed. We must have godly leaders.

2 “I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah, the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most men do.”

Nehemiah makes his brother, Hanani, a civil leader, in charge of Jerusalem.  Today, we’d call this guy the mayor.  Then he makes Hananiah, the commander of the citadel, which is a military leader.  He is like the chief of police.  So he’s got gatekeepers singers, Levites, a mayor and a chief of police and Nehemiah himself was the governor of the province.  Nehemiah is demonstrating one of the important tasks of leadership as any organization grows and that is the task of involving others or delegation.   This is getting beyond his control so he’s giving up responsibility, spreading it around.

The point here is that he knew no organization can ever grow long term if it’s built on one person.  A church, business, government cannot grow long term if it’s going to be built on one person.  This is the shift that must be made: from one person doing it all to having others involved.

This is understandable to me since I started our church twenty years ago.  When we first started I did almost everything, between Niki and I, we did it all.  I printed the bulletins, I set up the chairs, I took down the chairs, I planned the service, I did the message, I took the offering to a bookkeeper.  I put out signs and banners, mailed mailers, I wrote letters to everyone, I answered the phone. I did it all that.  But my goal all along has been to grow the church and share the ministry. Most pastors are ministry hogs. They do it all and keep doing it all! That’s not the biblical model.  Jesus had 12 disciples and gave them the ministry. The point is, the church should raise up other leadership and other people, other staff, other workers and share the ministry.   Basically after five years, the only thing I was holding on to that other people were not doing were the messages. Then in 2005 I began to share that too, first with Brian Shanklin, now with 3 other guys!  If I were the only hired holy man in this church then we’d not be effective or grow without involvement of others.  There is a limit to one person’s ability, time, effort, energy, talent, knowledge.

I care so much about our leaders because they get it.  They want to make a difference for Christ.  We often talk about being an effective church. We often talk about growing.  We often talk about reaching our community.

And first key to building your dreams is to get others involved, like we have done with our leaders.  Maybe you want to be involved here at Upwards Church. We welcome that!

Something else that is important…

·      We Must Keep On Organizing Our Efforts

We record just about everything we can: attendance, offering, small groups, guests, decisions for Christ, baptisms, and even more. We have all our Connection cards in a database, Bonnie and Tessa keeps records of all that and more.  Why?

So we can keep on organizing for effectiveness. In a growing organization you need to keep track of the people.  The second thing that Nehemiah did in this chapter is take a census.  Not only does he find out how many there are but he finds out who they are.  There are three complete lists of people.  They don’t mean a lot to you or me but they meant a lot to Nehemiah.  People were important to Nehemiah.

4 Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt. 5 So my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the common people for registration by families. I found the genealogical record of those who had been the first to return.

He had an accounting of the people.  An important part of management is to keep good records.  One of the characteristics of a good church, a good organization, is they know who’s in it.  A church with two locations and with new people all the time, it’s pretty difficult to keep on top of it all.  Fortunately we have Bonnie, Tessa and a several databases!

We have every Connection card ever filled out in a database. If you’ve filled out a Membership card, it has more information that helps us organize even more.

Also we have re-organized the best way for people to grow spiritually.  What is best is this based on our purpose:   Love God (Great Commandment) worship service weekly, Love People, get in a Connect Group to build meaningful relationships, be known and be prayed for.  Then, Share Jesus (Great Commission) get involved in a ministry team, or mission team or community outreach.  That is a healthier way to grow spiritually.   So if you are wondering what your next step is after attending church on Sundays?  It’s a Connect Group!   See the pictures on the wall with the days and times, mens, womens, youth, couples.

We’re also getting organized in how we present the scriptures.  We’re going through the entire bible in 5 years.  We want to cover each book, and try to cover all the major characters and all the major doctrines of the bible over a five year period!   This will give us traction, direction and a clear plan for entire church.  For too many years, I was guilty of choosing topics I wanted or the congregation wanted and we leave some books and topics untouched.   When is the last time you heard a message from Haggi or Zephaniah?  You will in the next five years! What if you get to heaven and Hagii walks up to you and says, “how did you like my book?”

Each Connect Group and ministry team will talk about that week’s subject in group.  Just give us 5 years & see if you don’t grow closer to Christ & your family as we go through the bible together.

There’s a third emphasis that Nehemiah focused on.  It’s something that some people don’t like to talk about but it’s an emphasis of a growing business or a growing church.

·      We Must Give Financially to God’s Work

Isn’t interesting that the God who does so many miracles for his people doesn’t just build the temple and furnish it miraculously?  No he gets his people to give in order to build, furnish and maintain the temple.   The third thing Nehemiah did was raise the money needed for restoring the Temple.

Some of the heads of the families contributed to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 drachmas of gold, 50 bowls and 530 garments for priests. 71 Some of the heads of the families gave to the treasury for the work 20,000 drachmas of gold and 2,200 minas of silver. 72 The total given by the rest of the people was 20,000 drachmas of gold, 2,000 minas of silver and 67 garments for priests.  Nehemiah 7:70-72

Notice the order of the giving.  First the leaders set the example. I can tell you here that our key leaders and staff are faithful givers and set this example.  Second, the heads of families gave their gifts.  Third, everybody else gave. If you were to add this all up it’s more than five million dollars in our terms of money.  It takes money to do God’s work!  We are a member supported church, which means we don’t get money from the church of England or a denomination, from Dell or Disney we get money from our members.  Look around and that is who does the giving.

There are 7 ways you can give today.

  1. You can give by cash or check – Using the Giving Envelope found in your program place cash or a check in an offering box. Offering boxes are located through the double doors as you exit the auditorium and throughout the building.
  2. To give by Debit Card, Mastercard or VISA, or you can complete the credit card section of the offering envelope and place in an offering box.
  3. Or you can use a credit or debit card at the Kiosk just outside the auditorium.
  4. You can also complete the giving section of the offering envelope, insert your check, cash or credit card information & mail it. No postage is necessary.
  5. Another way to give is Bill Pay. Log into your own banking website, add Upwards Church as a payee and your bank will send your offering to Upwards Church as a check directly from your bank account.
  6. To give Online, go to Upwards Church website and click “Giving”. Choose the type of giving and complete the form with your credit card information.
  7. Plus my favorite and fastest way to give is through the Tithely giving app. Just go the Google or Apple app stores, type in Tithely, find Upwards Church and follow the instructions.

Thank you for your faithful giving.  Every dollar helps to change lives!

Prayer:

We have talked about Building God’s Way, did you know that God wants to build your life?  It’s to have purpose, significance and meaning.  It comes through knowing Christ and serving him. Today you can say, “I know God you have plans for my life, I will give my life to Christ.”  Today you can say, “I am ready to be involved.  Today you can say, “I need to help financially. It takes money to build God’s kingdom, I will do my part.”  Thank you Lord for this church, for the lives that are changing, for the vision you have given us.  Help us be all we can for your sake, in Jesus Name.

Darrell

www.Upwards.Church

Watch Messages: YouTube-Upwards Church

Facebook: Upwards Church

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Facing Fear and Intimidation – Nehemiah 6: 5-16

Posted on January 26, 2022 by dkoop

Fear and intimidation are effective tactics an enemy will use to discourage people. Can you recognize these tactics?

When Sanballat and Co. see that Nehemiah won’t negotiate, they go to plan B: fear and intimidation. He sends a letter to Nehemiah, accusing him and his workers of rebelling against the king, and promising that if Nehemiah doesn’t meet with him, he will report this rebellion to the king.

  • Say No to Intimidation

 5 Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter
6 in which was written: “It is reported among the nations–and Geshem says it is true–that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king
7 and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: ‘There is a king in Judah!’ Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us confer together.” Vs 5-7

This was a serious threat. Only a few years earlier, the Persian king had stopped reconstruction on the walls of Jerusalem for this very same reason. Sanballat’s letter could not only hinder the work of God, but could stop the work completely. How can Nehemiah respond to this hindrance of intimidation? He sends back a response: Dear Sanballat- your losing your marbles! Everybody knows what’s going on here in Jerusalem! The king knows we’re not trying to start a rebellion! He’s the one who sent me here! Put a sock in it! You can’t scare me into quitting my work for the Lord! I like Nehemiah’s courage and boldness. He refuses to be intimidated these threats.  How about you? Can you be hindered with intimidation?

If someone says, “You can’t do this for the Lord! You’re not smart enough/talented enough/strong enough/good enough! If you try to serve the Lord, you’re just going to fall flat on your face and make a fool of yourself! Do you really want to risk losing your friends by doing what God says to do? You’ll never be able to do what God is asking you to do—it’s too hard for someone as weak as you are.”
How do you keep from being intimidated? Quote the words of Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

Don’t ever let the enemy hinder you with intimidation. 1 John 4:4 (He) who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

  • Say No to Fear

 10 …Shemaiah…said, “Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you…13 He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me. Vs 10-13

Notice how the conspiracy to hinder Nehemiah begins to widen, now including Shemaiah, who was probably a priest. He pretends to be on Nehemiah’s side, and tell him he is marked out for assassination. A fear tactic! Also he was hired!

Be careful of people who are getting money to get you to go against your convictions. Shemaiah suggests Nehemiah hide in the Temple to escape this plot. There is only one problem with this plan: by God’s law, only the priests are allowed in the Temple, and Nehemiah is not a priest. Once again Nehemiah realizes their plan is to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me. (v. 13.) They want to discredit Nehemiah before his own people, and before God by tripping him up in sin, and eliminating him from the scene.

How the enemy would like to eliminate you and I using fear. I have had people tell me, “I have to take my clients to this strip club.” “I have to cook the books to make my boss happy.” “I have to lie to my wife or she’ll get really upset.”  All these statements are motivated by fear and greed.

If the enemy can get us to get involved in some questionable business or personal matter, into pornography or substance abuse or into gambling addiction or into major debt, he can cast doubt in our own minds and in the minds of others.

He will try to disqualify you and leave you discouraged and defeated. This is why Nehemiah was very careful in his choices.  We must be too.

How do we overcome Fear and Intimidation?

  • I Need Consistent Prayer

9 They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.” [But I prayed,] “Now strengthen my hands.” Nehemiah 6:9 (NIV)

The entire book of Nehemiah demonstrates that Nehemiah is a praying man. Whenever he needs guidance, he prays; when he is grieving, he prays; when he is facing doubt he prays; when facing distractions he prays and keeps on praying.  Nehemiah 6:9 [But I prayed,] “Now strengthen my hands.” In v. 14 he prays God would deal with the hindrances of his enemies, and frustrate their plans. Nehemiah realizes that he cannot stay focused by his own power he needs God’s help to help him stay focused and on task.

You and I need God’s help to stay focused in our lives, too. We need to consistently pray. That means setting aside times to pray, but it also means shooting up those prayers when we are busy doing something else. Without prayer, you cannot hope to stay focused in your work for the Lord.

  • I Need Courageous Persistence

15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God. Vs 15-16

Look at this.  He finished the wall! People had been saying it couldn’t be done.  For ninety years it lay as an unfinished project. How was he able to build the wall in 52 days?

Don’t quit!  He kept at it until he finished. I am sure that Nehemiah was tempted to quit at every step along the wall building project, but he didn’t. He kept going regardless of what opposition came at him. This is a great picture of courageous persistence.

How many diplomas have been earned because of persistence? How many court battles won, because of persistence? How many addictions conquered because of persistence? How many musical pieces written, how many cures for diseases found, how many marriages built strong because persistence? How many faithful Christians keep growing and serving because of persistence?

Persistence is not very common for most. Many give up and quit. Pollster George Barna says that most New year’s resolutions last only 17 days. We just don’t stick to things very well these days. There is a lack of persistence.

Another reason we often want to give up is when our efforts do not produce the desired effects we were expecting.  Too often we are looking for the perfect body, the perfect marriage, the perfect church, the perfect ministry.

God is not seeking perfection in our efforts, for He knows that is impossible as we have what is called a sin nature. What God is looking for, however, is progress. Progress not perfection.

There is no perfect marriage, for we all struggle! There is no perfect person, no perfect churches, these just do not exist. But what God desires for us all is that we make progress. There is no perfect faith in God, we all struggle and stumble and stammer, but we are hopefully learning more each day, growing more each day and progressing more each day in our pursuit of growing to be like Christ. Progress not perfection!

If you are hoping to find the perfect church, you are going to be disappointed because there is no perfect church. Progress not perfection!

When we find the ministry that God desires for us to be a part of then that ministry or that church is worthy of our best effort and of our best support. Support through attendance and support through giving our resources including time, money and prayer.  It is worthy of us discovering our gifts and abilities so that we can be a blessing to others in the church, those in the community, the world and ultimately to God himself. Progress not perfection!

I still remember when our children were learning to walk, they are grown now, but When they were just learning how to walk and they struggled to climb hand over hand up the coffee table and then take a wobbly step or two and then tumble to the ground, Niki and I didn’t rush up and yell at them or spank them, why? Because we were so tickled and pleased that the attempt is being made.  We knew that someday they would walk, that they would run. Sometimes we wish they could only crawl!! And not talk would be nice at times too!

Why do I say this? God does not condemn us when we try, when we make an effort for him and then stumble. He is not looking for perfection in your life. What He is looking for is the will to walk with Him. He is looking for the will to walk towards Him. He is longing to see you walking for Him!

So what’s the point? Are you going to be persistent even though you may be fearful and stumble from time to time?  Are you determined to hang on despite setbacks and attempts that will intimidate us to quit?  Nehemiah prayed and kept at it and we can too!

Darrell

www.Upwards.Church

Watch Messages: YouTube-Upwards Church

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Staying Focused – Nehemiah 6:1-4

Posted on January 26, 2022 by dkoop

Do you have any unfinished projects lying around collecting dust? Who doesn’t?  It’s so easy to get sidetracked isn’t it? It takes determination to finish what we start because there are always so many competing distractions.

One thing that clearly emerges from our study in the Book of Nehemiah is that life is a battle from beginning to end. In every chapter there has been opposition, it started in Chapter 2 with smack talk, then it escalated by chapter four to organized opposition with plans of physical harm.  In chapter 4 was the opposition from the outside.  Chapter 5 the opposition is internal.  In Chapter 6 we see even more opposition in the form of distractions, fear and intimidation.

Perhaps the greatest threat to you doing what God is asking you to do is in the form of a distraction.

  • Say No to Some Meetings 

When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it–though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates– 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together…  Vs 1-2a ]

These enemies suddenly become Nehemiah’s friends and invite him to a meeting? He firmly declines, saying, “I am carrying on a great project, and I cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?”

That is a great answer even though it sounds rather blunt. But Nehemiah sees through their scheme by refusing their invitation four different times. You, too, may experience continuing pressure to change your mind and go along with something that is wrong. Some of us give in to repeated pressure. We might decline the first invitation but find our defenses weakened as the enticements continue. Nehemiah is persistent in saying no to these meetings, because he knows what his priorities are: “I am doing a great work. I have a great calling. God has given me a tremendous project. If I leave, it will be threatened.”
Sometimes these distractions come disguised as harmless options or even good things.  Like meetings. I don’t have time for all the meetings that everyone wants me to go to.  Don’t get me wrong some are worthy causes, but we have to learn the difference between good and best. Here’s a partial list of meetings people would like me to attend (I get invitations often, sometimes prodding, sometimes people try to guilt me to attend) :  Pray Austin Meetings, Austin Christian Music Festival, Pregnancy Help Center, Children’s Home, Starry Adoption Agency, Leander Community Club, City Council, Chamber of Commerce, Hill Country Community Ministries.  Those are off the top of my head. Now these are great things, great ministries, but I know what God has called me to do as a pastor.  That means I have to say NO to certain things.

How many of you like meetings? I try to keep them to a minimum.  I tell our leaders, “people only have so much time, would you rather they give their time at meetings or in serving?  Keep meetings to a minimum don’t have training meetings, have on the job training, for people to watch and learn.”  Even with this mentality I still have to attend planning meetings to organize and implement, various leadership meetings with our leaders, my connect group meeting.  I attend various meetings and training opportunities of our Association of likeminded churches.

I read one time about a noted concert violinist who was asked the secret of her mastery of the instrument. This is what she said, “There are many things that used to demand my time. When I went to my room after breakfast, I made my bed, straightened the room, dusted, and did whatever seemed necessary. When I finished my work, I turned to my violin practice. That system prevented me from accomplishing what I should on the violin. So I reversed things. I deliberately planned to neglect everything else until my practice period was complete. And that program of planned neglect is the secret to my success.”

In a similar way, we’ve been called to a great task ­ one that we have to prioritize or we’ll be distracted from it. If we don’t practice some “planned neglect” of other things, even good things, we’ll be distracted from God’s best. That’s what Nehemiah does. He’s involved in a great work, and he’s not going to forsake it for anything less, like a meeting.

  • Say No to Isolation

…in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they were scheming to harm me; Vs 2b

Their invitation to meet was “…in one of the villages on the plain of Ono. This plain, about 20 miles from Jerusalem, was considered more or less “neutral” but it was right next to the border of Samaria…Sanballat’s home.

Nehemiah cannot actually PROVE that this apparent “peace conference” is a trap, but he suspects they are “scheming to harm” him, So Nehemiah said, “Oh, no!” to Ono. Some commentators suggest that they were trying to trick him into leaving Jerusalem, where he had armed support, to come to a conference where they could ambush him. Nehemiah evidently senses this.

The opposition wants Nehemiah to leave the SAFETY of Jerusalem and the PROTECTION of his relationships there.

The enemy wants you on your own, wants you lonely, wants you isolated. CLOSE relationships with other believers (not “hi…how are you?” on Sunday relationships) frustrate him. He will try to draw you OUT of fellowship, giving you pride, giving you options and opportunities that seem “neutral” but will put you on your own and all alone and vulnerable to attack.

Are you in fellowship with other believers? Are you accountable to anyone for the progress in your walk with Christ? If Satan can convince you that this is “just between you and God…and it’s no one else’s business” he will have you right where he wants you. Those are stubborn and very hard to shake lies. Please hear me, there is power in corporate worship, power in fellowship, and power in small group accountability. You will never grow to be all that you can be alone!  Get into a Connect group, join a serving area and get to know people that will become a support network to you.

A reoccurring theme in this book: I need others. Others will help me and I must help others! I can imagine what it must have been like for the workers to get up every morning and look to their right and look to their left and for as far as the eye could see, they saw workers attacking the wall. I can imagine because it how I often feel as I look around our church and see people serving, teaching, cleaning, and those who help with outreach opportunities. Its inspiring!  The sight of others working for God encourages those who are tired to keep on keeping on for God.

Nehemiah was not trying do what God called him all by himself.  He was not isolated.  He depended on others. They provided a great deal of support, encouragement and strength. To each other and to Nehemiah.

Who is in your life right now, who has God brought to your side to help you through whatever it is that you are facing? Can you picture that special person who came at the right time, with the right way and with the right stuff? They came with just what you needed at just the right time. If so, whisper a silent prayer for that person right now.  Oh yes, one more thing, do they know how much they have helped you? Do they know it? Its saying no to isolation.  It realizing you do need people.

Who do you need to come along side? Who in your life, do you need to put an arm around their shoulder, or a hand on their back, or give a word of encouragement? That is being Christ like.  Have you made a phone call or an email to someone that hasn’t been in church in a while? Or maybe sent a card simply saying I miss you! Or what about going to the hospital when someone is ill, or even preparing a pot of soup for someone who is sick? When was the last time? That is saying no to isolation, in your life and in the lives of others.

In today’s church, we need to remember that we are ALL called to be ministers. We are all called to be servants and to be encouragers.  Don’t isolate yourself. Get involved!

How did Nehemiah respond?   He knew what he was called to do!

3 so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” 4 Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer. Vs 3-4

When they asked Nehemiah to come down and have a meeting he said, no because he was “carrying on a great project.”   Nehemiah was very single minded. He said, “I’m going to do this.  I’m going to stick with it.  I’m going to keep the main thing the main thing.  Here’s what I’m doing, here’s what I’m NOT doing.”

I read about a missionary in China whose abilities were so outstanding that one of the American companies tried to hire him. They offered him an attractive job with a salary to match, but he turned it down. He told them that God had sent him to China as a missionary. He thought that would end the matter, but instead they came back with a better offer and an increase in salary. He turned that down too, but again they came back, doubling the financial package. Finally he said to them, “It’s not your salary that’s too little. It’s the job that’s too small!” 

What’s the big job for you? Is it money or retirement?  Do you have a clear calling or purpose for your marriage? A clear purpose for your family? A clear purpose for your finances?

Let me tell you a purpose that will cause problems, I see this all the time.  If you say, “The purpose for our family is to be happy!”  Sounds good, like the American dream.  But what happens when someone says, “To be happy I have to go to Disney! I have to have this or that! I think happiness is drugs, or an affair?”  You can see that everything can collapse fast. I’ll be real honest I have found that to live for anything BUT Christ it is a let down, happiness comes as a result of honoring Christ.

For Niki and me, the purpose of our marriage is to honor Christ. Its not just about my happiness.  Its not just about Niki’s happiness.  Its about doing what Christ would have us to.  Serving each other, loving each other, we have found that this is the greatest way to BOTH be happy.

The purpose of our finances? “Spend all we get!”  No, that’s not it.  Its to honor Christ with our finances.  So our money is given this church for the continuation of Christ’s ministry on earth, that honors’ Christ, its also to spend, to enjoy and to help others.  See how everything falls into place when Christ is first?

Let me tell you, the most important purpose in life, the greatest cause that you can give your life for is the cause of Christ. There’s nothing greater that you can invest your life in.

We need a clear purpose that is so over arching in our life, like honoring Christ, that we’re not distracted by the trivial.  The game “Trivial Pursuit” describes a lot of people’s lives.  What is it that’s taking up your time in life so that you don’t have time for the things that are really important in life?  What things are important?  Jesus summed up the whole bible into two things, “Loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself.” If you’re too busy to worship, you’re too busy.  If you’re too busy to get involved in serving you’re too busy.  These other things aren’t going to count years from now.  We have limited amount of time. There may be some things we need to cut back so we can make time for things that count, make time for what God wants us to do.

Darrell

www.Upwards.Church

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