One pt. 1

This is another sermon series given by Christ Fellowship. I really didn't have time to jazz it up to my style till the end so I hope that you enjoy reading it.

In my last post we talked about how the bible was kind of like an instruction manual. This week we begin a series called “ONE” and may take a break halfway for another speaker. Here is the intro to the series listen to the words.  One spark can start a fire, one smile can begin a friendship, one person can impact the world, one event can change history, one vote can change a nation, one touch can give hope, one candle can light a room, one laugh can brighten a day, one step can start a journey, and one life CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! "ONE"

In many of our own lives are defenses are down, our doors you could say are unlocked. The worst part is we aren’t even aware of the ways that the enemy has access to us and our families. Now there is a story in the Bible that speaks of a time in which the walls around Jerusalem were destroyed and the gates burned. The city lay in ruin the citizens were defenseless against the enemies attack. Even the very dwelling place of God the cities temple was destroyed. But there was a man named Nehemiah who did something about it. Now he wasn’t a man of great power or influence. In fact he was a slave in captivity, but he stepped up and stepped out, and God used him to make a difference to call the people back to God, to rebuild the walls of the city and to make Gods presence his power known. Now that same call he brings out today. God is calling us to step up and to step out, to rebuild the walls of biblical truth in our lives and in the world. To bring hope to broken people and the story of restoration begins with you and me. What does God need to do in us so that his truth and power can flow through us and into the world?  

Today we launch a new series called Nehemiah or if you want to shorten it for your friends we can call it “one”. Nehemiah is a story in the Old Testament about the walls of Jerusalem being rebuilt about 600 years before Christ. Now some of you may be thinking OK what is so special about rebuilding walls. This story is really much more than that. It’s about the restoration of lives. It’s about God rebuilding hope and rebuilding purpose in the people’s lives that have been ruined and destroyed. Imagine if you will what Haiti looked liked after the earthquake that took place last year. Still today buildings lay in ruin, walls being torn down and piles of trash and ruble just lining the streets. Lives destroyed. That’s really just a physical picture of what is taking place in the spiritual realm of people’s lives, and the emotional realm of people’s lives. Marriages ripped apart, families just messed up. Depression and anxiety just drowning the human heart it’s not what God intended. It’s not how he wants us to live and this story of Nehemiah shows a way of recovery. It shows us how to build back hope, purpose and peace and how to bring God back into our lives and back into the lives of others. We must know the principles of this story for ourselves, for our families, and for the people that God is bringing into our lives. It’s a story of hope.

A little history for you, the people of Israel have been defeated, most have been carried off into exile into Babylon and this story takes place about 150 years after that exile. Nehemiah is a descendant of those that had been carried off in exile/captivity.  He was raised in the palace to serve the King as his cup bearer. The cup bearer’s job was to sample the wine and the food of the King. It’s kind of a nice job if you think about it all you have to do is eat and drink wine. Unless someone is trying to poison the king and then it’s not so cool of a job. At the beginning of the chapter we see Nehemiah asking those that have just returned from Jerusalem about the “status” of what was going on there. In verse 3 they respond with “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." Then in verse 4 “When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.” Now some of you may be thinking what? He cried over a wall? What up with that? That would be like somebody running into your garage door, and then you freaking out and saying how you can’t eat and and then you start crying. You would need medication if you’re really worried about a garage door. Physical walls protect a city, probably most important for the city of Jerusalem was that the walls provided a place for God. The temple was there but a temple with no walls around the city was just asking for the temple to be destroyed, and for it constantly to be ransacked and the contents stolen and ripped apart. So there was no place for God to dwell among his people. When our spiritual walls in our lives, when those are strong, when we understand the truth of God words and we’re living those out in our lives, and our homes and with our families. Man we are spiritually strong against the attack of the enemy. But when those walls begin to get cracks in them and they crumble and fall we become vulnerable, and were weak when we don’t know God’s truth. Then we can’t build our lives upon his truth, then we’re open to the attack of the enemy. But when we know the truth of God then when the enemy begins to whisper in our ear and begins to tell us lies we can quote the truth of God we can wield the sword of truth. When you buy something say a watch it comes with a manual right. Now who honestly would read the manual for a watch? I mean really we’re smart people, who needs to read a manual? And we don’t bother reading it until we find out that we can’t turn the watch on. Now the same is truth for life. God made a manual for us. So often we think nah I got this figured out God I know what I’m doing I don’t need to read all of this. Some of us we know what the manual says but we’re not doing it. The Bible says we’re not to be just hearers of the word but we’re to be doers of the word. When we do what the word of God says then we begin to build up strong walls.

Nehemiah then begins a prayer. Through the end of chapter 1 he calls to God to bring his people back. The very last line in chapter one reads “In those days I was the king's cup-bearer.” Now I read that over and over again and I know that was his job but it wasn’t his “destiny” It might have been his career but it wasn’t his calling. God had so much more in store for him. God was getting ready to write a new chapter in his life. Nehemiah goes back to Jerusalem and rallies his people against overwhelming odds and against attacks from his enemies to rebuild the walls around their home. He ends up completing this task in 52 days! God used Nehemiah to step out and in 52 days hope, peace, and security were all restored. God was restored in people’s lives. Here’s the message for today God wants to do the same through you and me. He wants to use us in ways you never thought or imagined.

In 10 years how are you going to end your chapter one? I’m a doctor, I’m a teacher, I’m a engineer, I’m an accountant, I’m a researcher. That may be your career but that’s not necessarily your calling. See God wants us to step out and to follow his destiny for us he wants us to be part of the Kingdom of God and wants us to do great things for him. Nehemiah did three things to put himself in a place where he could be used by God. Three things we need to do so that we can be used by God. #1 CARE about the things that God cares about. When Nehemiah was crying over the wall he was really crying about the people and how far away from God they had drifted. #2 Repent from sin and return to God. Repent doesn’t mean I’m sorry God repentance actually means you’re walking in one direction and you stop, do a complete 180 degree turn and you walk in the opposite direction. That is what repentance means. #3 STEP UP and STEP OUT. That’s the same thing we have to do. Nehemiah had to step up and step out of his comfort zone. I’m sure he was thinking God can I even do this? I am calling every one of you this year to step up and to step out of your comfort zone. Maybe for you it’s to go help a family across the street that needs help. Maybe you know a person that doesn’t know God and you could bring them to church or your youth group. See you may not think that you could make a difference. When in reality it only takes one. It only takes that one spark to start a fire. It only takes that one vote to change a nation. Just look at Sudan. If everything stays on track it will be split into two countries by July. One person is all it takes to change the world. It only TAKES ONE! So today remember to STEP UP and STEP OUT!

~Remember there is only 1Way2Live and that's for Christ!~