Vision 4 – Finishing the Vision

Sunday Morning Bible Study

January 18, 2004

Introduction

Have you been writing down your “visions”?

We’ve been following the example of Nehemiah. Nehemiah had a position within the Persian government. He also found himself with a burden to have the walls of his hometown rebuilt. It seemed like an impossible thing, but Nehemiah was the man to bring it about.

Here’s a review of what we’ve looked at so far:

Pray for the how – You may have an idea of what God wants you to do, but you don’t know how to do it. Don’t be discouraged, just ask God to provide the “how”.

Cultivate faithfulness – God is looking for faithfulness. Learning to be faithful and dependable today will influence how your vision plays out tomorrow.

Begin to make your plans – you may not have all the answers or all the abilities, but begin to think about what your vision is going to require.

Check before building – make sure your idea is God’s idea.

Share the vision – you probably aren’t going to be able to do it alone. Learn how to bring others along with you.

Handle criticism with prayer

Keep revising – your plans may need to change. Don’t confuse the vision with the plans. Just because the plan may be wrong doesn’t mean the vision was wrong.

Encouragement – we all need people who will encourage us to keep going. We also need to encourage others.

Dying to Self – we need to be careful that we don’t become like those leaders in Nehemiah’s day who were only out for their own personal gain. Their selfishness caused the overall work to suffer.

The influence of example – Nehemiah was able to influence people because his life was an example of what he asked others to do. His walk matched his talk.

Say “no” to distractions – we need to learn to keep our priorities straight. Nehemiah learned to say, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down”.

Week #4 – Finishing the Vision

(Neh 6:10-14 KJV) Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee. {11} And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in. {12} And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he pronounced this prophecy against me: for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. {13} Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me. {14} My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear.

Lesson #1

Fear

Sometimes fear is the very thing that keeps us from getting out of the gate to begin with. We’re afraid to try anything.

Fear of failure

Not asking that girl out on a date – she might say “no”.

Not trying out for a part in a play because you might get rejected.

Not applying for that promotion because what if you can’t do the job and get fired.

Fear of the unknown

It’s one of the things that has kept me from doing things like going to Russia.

I remember twenty years ago talking to Dave Rolph at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa about becoming a Calvary Chapel pastor. He said, “Why don’t you just start with a home Bible Study and then start a church?” I didn’t because I was afraid of failure. I wanted something handed to me. What did I end up doing ten years later? Starting a church.

Some people say, “I’m waiting for the courage to do it”.

What they mean is they’re waiting until they’re not afraid.

Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is simply learning to not let fear stop you.

Peter was afraid

When the disciples were out on the sea in the storm, they were afraid (Mat. 14:22-33). When they saw Jesus walking to them on the water, they were still afraid.

Peter was afraid. Peter sank. Peter was reminded of his lack of faith.

But he at least got out of the boat. He was the only disciple to have walked on water.

Gideon was a fearful fellow.

Gideon was called a “mighty man of valour”.

(Judg 6:11-12 KJV) And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. {12} And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.

Yet he was hiding from the Midianites.

Gideon was asked by the Lord to tear down an altar of Baal.

(Judg 6:27 KJV) Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night.

He was afraid.

When he was told to gather an army to defeat the Midianites, Gideon asked God to confirm this message with a “fleece”. He asked that the next morning God would dew be on the ground, but not on the fleece, just as a “sign”. That’s what happened. He then asked God to switch things around and the following morning for the fleece to have dew on it but no dew to be on the ground. That happened as well.

Why did Gideon ask for these signs? To be sure he was doing God’s will? Perhaps. I wonder if he just wasn’t afraid.

We know that God then asked Gideon to send most of his army home. God didn’t want Gideon to win a battle outnumbered just 5 to one. Those weren’t good enough odds. God wanted to make sure that the whole world knew that the victory only came because of God. Gideon would face 150,000 Midianites with only 300 men.

An interesting thing to ask a fearful man to do.

Lastly, just before the battle, God said to Gideon,

(Judg 7:9-11 KJV) …Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand. {10} But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host: {11} And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host.

If Gideon was still afraid, he was to go spy on the enemy and check things out. Do you think Gideon went? He did. He was still afraid. He went and found out that God had already been working in the enemy camp and he began to realize that God was really going to give Israel a great victory.

What happened to Gideon?

His 300 men surrounded the Midianite army. Each man had a trumpet in one hand and a clay pot with a burning torch in the other hand. At the signal, each man broke his pot revealing the light of the torch. Then the trumpets were blown and they shouted “The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon”. The Midianites freaked out. Many of them killed each other. The rest were chased by the Israelites and God won an incredible victory.

Can God use a fearful person? Absolutely. Just don’t let the fear stop you from acting.

(Neh 6:16 KJV) So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days.

Lesson #2

Don’t quit.

Nehemiah and the people kept at the work for nearly two months. They kept at it until it was finished.

Keep your eye on the right thing in the race.

Illustration

In the early morning hours of July 4, 1952 a powerful swimmer named Florence Chadwick attempted to become the first woman to swim from Catalina Island to the California coast. The 21-mile swim through shark-infested waters began on a foggy morning. Less than a half-mile from the finish, however, Chadwick had to be pulled from the water. Later she said she hadn’t been defeated by fatigue, but by the fog. “If I could have seen land, I might have made it.” Two months later, she made it! Again, fog limited Chadwick’s vision—but this time she overcame despair by keeping a picture of the coast in her mind.

You might be thinking that I’m going to say you need to keep the end of your vision in mind in order to not quit. That’s important, but there’s a bigger thing to keep in mind:

(Heb 12:1-3 KJV) Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, {2} Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. {3} For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Keep your eye on Jesus. Remember that He endured.

Keep going. Don’t quit too early.

(Neh 6:16 KJV) So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days. {16} And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were much cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God.

When the enemies saw the work was done, they knew that God had done it.

Lesson #3

God’s glory

Who is your vision all about? Is it all about God’s glory and God’s purposes, or yours?

When your vision is complete, who will be up on the stage receiving the gold ribbons? You or God?

You are a light. God wants to use you to draw attention to Himself.

(Mat 5:14-16 KJV) Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. {15} Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. {16} Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

In a sense, our “vision” ought to be aimed at being a light to others around us. The way we conduct our selves ought to provoke people who watch us to say, “Wow, God is cool!”

Sometimes God will use us to do a wonderful thing, and He is honored.

It might be your marriage that is an example to others.

It might be your relationship with your kids that others admire.

It might be a successful business venture that cause people to be drawn to you.

But what if some of your plans fail? Can God still be glorified?

God can use failure, defeat, and suffering.

It kind of depends on your reaction to it.

(2 Cor 4:6-18 KJV) For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. {7} But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. {8} We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; {9} Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; {10} Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. {11} For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. {12} So then death worketh in us, but life in you. {13} We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; {14} Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. {15} For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. {16} For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. {17} For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; {18} While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

We are lights in a dark world, lights trapped inside earthen vessels, just like the clay pots of Gideon’s army. And just like those clay pots, sometimes we need to be broken in order for others to see the light.

Sometimes it isn’t great success or prosperity that people need to see. Sometimes people need to see how God works in a life that is broken and suffering. Sometimes that’s when they see Jesus the best in us.

Sometimes even the best plans get off course.

Nehemiah had finished the walls. There had been a sort of spiritual renewal among the people with a fresh zeal to do the things that were pleasing to God. At that time Nehemiah was called back to Persia for a time to again take on his duties as cupbearer to the Persian Emperor.

When Nehemiah was able to get back to Jerusalem, he expected to find a city that was right on track, honoring God. Instead he found a city that had backslidden. All the promises the people had made to God had been broken.

* The people had allowed pagan influences into the Temple (Neh. 13:4-9), even letting an unbelieving Ammonite have an apartment inside the Temple. Nehemiah had the guy tossed out.

* People were working on the Sabbath again. Merchants showed up on Saturdays and business was booming for them. Nehemiah had the gates closed on Saturday and threatened the merchants with bodily harm if they showed up again. (Neh. 13:15-22)

* The Levites had all left their ministries in order to get secular jobs to support their families.

(Neh 13:10-12 KJV) And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given them: for the Levites and the singers, that did the work, were fled every one to his field. {11} Then contended I with the rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together, and set them in their place. {12} Then brought all Judah the tithe of the corn and the new wine and the oil unto the treasuries.

Before the completion of the Temple, the people had been going through tough financial times because they had put their own needs ahead of God’s tithe.

God teaches His people to tithe, not because He needs the money, but because He wants to teach us to trust Him by putting Him first in our lives.

(Prov 3:9-10 KJV) Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: {10} So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

It’s not an uncommon thought for a person to say, “I’ll give when I can afford it.” Yet if you study the Scriptures, you’ll see that God asks us to give off of the top, the “first fruits”, and God promises to take care of us when we do this.

When Jesus was in the Temple, He pointed out the person who gave the most. It was the widow woman who gave her two pennies, all she had. She didn’t wait until she could afford it.

I wonder if for some of us, our financial difficulties could be tied to the fact that we haven’t learned to honor God by giving to Him first, from the top.

(Mal 3:10 KJV) Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

I’m not talking about giving so you can become rich. I’m talking about giving so you can trust God.

* Men were taking foreign wives again. This had been a major issue, the marrying of foreign unbelieving women. It was one of the core issues of the spiritual fall of Israel. Yet they were at it again.

(Neh 13:25 KJV) And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves.

Lesson #4

Be tough and keep the course

We might say to Nehemiah, “What’s your problem buddy? You’ve got your wall built. Chill!”

But Nehemiah’s vision went way beyond a wall. It was about restoring a nation. It was about honoring God.

Nehemiah saw that things were getting off course. He took harsh steps to make the corrections.

We might think that Nehemiah went over the top. Jesus too was tough at times:

(Mat 21:12-13 KJV) And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, {13} And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Sometimes when we accomplish a goal, we can let down our guard.

I think this is one of the secret challenges to those who went to Russia last September. We worked hard to get ready financially, physically, but most of all spiritually.