FA Admin: Welcome to the Faith Alive Sermon Podcast. This is a replay of a past sermon from Faith Alive Church. Whether you missed it, want to hear it again, or share it with someone you know, we're glad you're here. This sermon is by Fred Bellinger. So the message I'm going to bring today ⁓ is a message I call Dealing with Difficult Situations. And it's a message that I pulled from lessons from Nehemiah. This ⁓ message here I've done a couple times and it's based on ⁓ a book. I used to we used to do Bible studies in Inner Varsity. And there's a really good book, if you ever feel the urge to lead a home group by Charles Swindahl. Chuck Swat Chuck Swindah wrote a book ⁓ called Hand Me Another Brick. ⁓ it came out in 1978. And it uses ⁓ leadership it talks about leadership ⁓ based on Nehemiah. It's a really good book. On Christian leadership. It's a good blueprint for teaching this. But the reason this came along is ⁓ we all have difficult situations. We all have periods in our lives when we have to deal with difficult situations. Or am I the only one? Right? We have events that get in our lives, situations. ⁓ it seems impossible to deal with them, too. And Nehemiah was given such an opportunity, and he made it through. And yeah, I said opportunity. Because as we walk through this and some of these lessons that we can learn from Nehemiah, once we get through these situations and we look back, just like everything in our lives, you notice that God kind of gives us things and He grows us in our walk of sanctification. And as we look back and we see the steady hand that God had guiding us, we realize that we had a great, great opportunity for growth. And we actually grew through these. seemingly impossible difficult situations. And so Nehemiah was given this opportunity and he made it through. He even succeeded. These observations that I'm going to discuss, I'm not going to read the whole scriptures, but I'm going to reference from Nehemiah chapter 1, verse 1 to chapter 2, verse 8. And this ⁓ can give us an insight on how to how we can approach our impossible, difficult situations. So to start with the background, in Nehemiah 1. One through three. Nehemiah tells it tells us that Nehemiah received a report on the condition of Jerusalem from his brother Hanani and others from Judah. So to set the background, Nehemiah is one of the exiled Israelites. They're now ⁓ in the citadel of Susa. And this is getting to be near the end of the Jewish, the Israelite exile. It's getting to be the time to come home. And Nehemiah he's in the citadel of Susa, and it says in Nehemiah one verse three, and they said to me, The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire. Nehemiah here sees his brother, some other friends from Judah. Now, before this, ⁓ there has been a journey of a number of Israelites back to Jerusalem under Ezra. So there's going back and forth. We're in the Persian Empire time right now, and they're under King Artaxerxes. And if you didn't know, this isn't in the Bible. Artaxerxes nickname was Long Armed. So you can impress everybody with that. Because in the history of Persian kings, ⁓ Artaxerxes was known to have a right hand that was longer than his left. So he was known as the ⁓ long-armed king. Not in the Bible, I'll just let you know. ⁓ but so Nehemiah gets this report. He says, Jerusalem and Israel, it's those that survived the captivity, things aren't going well. The walls of Jerusalem are broken, the gates are burned. This really bothered Nehemiah. And that that news that Nehemiah got from his brother, it created that little itch that Nehemiah felt to scratch. Have you ever gotten that? And that's a question I have for myself and to challenge you. Is there something in your life that gets your attention? Maybe something that God is tugging on your heart. And it just keeps bubbling to the surface. You just think about that. And you kind of suppress it. No, it's not for me, not for this time. But it keeps coming back. Here I am. And you got that itch. And you're like, no, no, no, that's not me. And then it comes back. And it just never goes away. There's that like that itch you can't scratch. And my question and encouragement to you is what impossible or difficult situation are you perceiving? Everyone has a different field, everyone has been called to a different theater, but maybe there's a situation that you're perceiving. Somebody has to do it. That somebody might be you. And I'm encouraging you to ask God about that. That itch will keep coming back. Because if you're f if God, if you are following the God and the steps of a righteous man are ordered of God, and that itch keeps coming, maybe there's something you should probably do about that. Just saying. So, what are some of Nehemiah's challenges that he has in this? Well, Nehemiah has a few. One, he's a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. He's a cupbearer. That's a high position. One of the duties of the cupbearer. Is he's the taste tester. So he gets to taste the wine to make sure nobody's wanting to kill the king. So he's sort of like the canary, right? If they want to have some wine before the king drinks it, I'll give it to you first. Did he die? No. Good. Hey, we're good. Okay. Let's all have some wine. But he was more than the cupbearer. If you look at some of the history, especially in the Persian, I Kind of did some studies of some of the Persian kingdoms and the and the lineage. Some of these duties also included keeping the signet ring and handling the business affairs of the king. The signet ring was the seal. And if there was an official decree, you know, it'd be on paper, and then they'd put a wax seal down, and that signet ring would be the mark of the king. Now it's official, an official document. And then some cupbearers were given that authority. And some cup bearers were also given the authority to handle business affairs, handle the money in the treasury, be the accountant for the king. So it just amazes me how God puts people in the right place at the right time. He has Nehemiah as this cupbearer, but he also was a man that the king had the utmost trust in this position. I have my life in your hands, literally. But that's the challenge, too. Another challenge that Nehemiah had is he was required to keep a cheerful countenance. The etiquette in the Persian courts decreed it was a capital offense should a member in the royal court not appear happy or content according to the king. So if I'm the king, I say, Jim, you don't look happy. Off with his head. That was it. Are you happy? ⁓ I'm real happy. I'm real happy. Good. We're all good. We're all good. But ⁓ the king's court was ⁓ full of everybody thinks of like full of joy and happiness. There's a lot of political play and maneuvering and chess games going on in the pl in the king's court. I mean, if you think of Arta Xerxes, he became king because he ended up killing killing the guy that killed his his father, and he killed his brother. And it's it's a big mess. But he anyway, he ended up being the king. And everyone is supposed to appear happy and content in the king's court. And that's a challenge. Another challenge is again, he's an exiled Israelite in a foreign land. He's in Sousa. So at the time when they're in Sousa, that is on the ⁓ border of Iran and Iraq. Another ⁓ challenge is His homeland, even though its gates are burned and the walls are broken down, are controlled by the Persian Empire. And at that time, the Persian Empire controlled all the way to Egypt. And as a matter of fact, they have just finished a ten year ⁓ quelling a ten year rebellion of the Egyptians that were being supported by the Libyan king. But with all these challenges, Nehemiah chose to address this call. To a difficult situation. And he had four steps. And this is the steps that we can use. It's a good template for our impossible and difficult situations. So, what are some of the things that Nehemiah did? Well, the first thing you can see he did is when he heard these words and it really distressed him, he went to prayer. Throughout the Bible, Old Testament, New Testament, the reigning theme, and all Situations is communication with our living God. You can see throughout the Bible, men of God, what is the first one of the first things that they do? They seek God's face. They go to prayer. They communicate with God. Nehemiah is no different. This prayer in Nehemiah, if you look at this, is found in chapter one, four through eleven. But he chose to start his journey through this situation by applying the most reliable method known to man. And it's true, and I'll testify to that. And every ⁓ everyone can tell you talking to God first does make a difference. And who created the heavens and the earth? Nothing is impossible for God. We just sing about we trust in God. And if you read this, and I'm not going to read the whole thing through, but the things that Nehemiah did in this. First, in his prayer, he acknowledged God's sovereignty in verse five. And I said, I beseech thee, O God of heaven, the great and awesome God who preserves the covenant and loving kindness for those who love him and keep his commandments. And he progresses in his prayer. And then he confesses his sins in verse seven We have acted corruptly against thee. And have not kept the commandments nor the statutes nor the ordinances which thou dost command thy servant Moses. And he continues with this prayer, and in verse eleven is a petition. O Lord, I beseech thee, may thine ear be attentive to thy prayer of thy servant, and the prayer of thy servants who delight to revere thy name and make thy servant successful today, and grant him compassion before this man. This prayer seems to align very well if you look at Matthew chapter six, when Jesus tells you, this is how we're going to pray. He acknowledged God first, our Father, heart in heaven. You know, ⁓ forgive us our sins as we forgive others, confession of sins, give us this day our daily bread. And when I did, when I looked at this and I and I looked at this prayer here, this is one of those testaments that when we talk about. The Bible is the living word of God. From the beginning to the end, there is an author called the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is alive, and the Holy Spirit is breathing, and the Holy Spirit is moving. And you can see these threads, can't you? From the Old Testament to the New. Well, hmm, I wonder why. Because it's got the author, different writer. Same author. In his prayer, And that's so my question for to you is, and for me, and I ask myself a lot of this, because I get caught up in my own world. Is this how I start addressing my difficulties in life? Isn't it really easy to say, well, I'll take care of this. I got this. But if you got a situation, this would probably be a really good thing to start with. Nehemiah had a good idea, just like a lot of other men of God. Start addressing the difficulties of your life as going to the one who. Created the world. The second thing that Nehemiah did in this, in this template, is he gave it time. If you look at Nehemiah 1, verse 2, it said, Now it happened in the month of Chislev, the 20th year, while I was in Susa, the capital. This is when Nehemiah received the news from his brother and the other members from Judah. This is when he started to get distressed. This is when he started to get that itch. Like something's got to be done. I I this is really bug bugging me. Well, that period of time is November and December in the Jewish calendar. Okay. When this ball started rolling and the Lord finally opened the doors and he started moving Nehemiah into the next chapter of his life. It comes in chapter two, verse one, and it said, And it came about in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes. This is when God answers Nehemiah answered Nehemiah's itch. And put the plan in motion. Well, Nisan is the period of March and April in the Jewish calendar. Four months. Four months of prayer. Now, I would most likely give up after four days. ⁓ we're not very patient. You know, ⁓ four months of petitioning, prayer, going before God. One of the problems we have in our society is that we're cursed with a culture of immediate return. We want it when we want it, and we want it now. And that's sometimes a curse. We everything's at our fingertips if you think about it. Four months to me, I'd be, I don't know, I'm like I told you, I'm not a good prayer warrior. Sometimes I fall asleep and I'll wake up half an hour later. ⁓ but four months. Nehemiah chose to stay steadfast during this four-month period, trusting God, just like our song. And he started, he continued to prepare in those four months. Many of us abandoned the vision. If we had a vision or God put something in us, I have done this. We abandon that vision or we try to push it along at our pace. Per our demands. I got things to do. I got to get this over with. Let's just move it along. If you're a type A person, you know what I'm talking about. Type B people, I don't know how you do it. But type A, we we have a plan. This is how it's going to be done, when it's going to be done. And then you start thinking after a while, maybe God doesn't understand how important this issue is to me. You start rationalizing, right? Maybe God is too busy to deal with my problems. Maybe that's it. Well, that doesn't make sense because doesn't the Bible say that a sparrow can't fall to the ground without God's knowledge? Well, that that doesn't hold water. And then we digress into this rationale. I guess I'll have to do it myself. And then all of a sudden we're into the we're not using God's strength, we're using ours. Well how does that work out for us? Sometimes we try to help God along and we make a bigger mess than we're supposed to. But I want to assure you that no matter what happens, if our heart is pressing towards the Lord and we kind of put too much seasoning in the soup, we kind of mess it up. Remember in Romans eight twenty-eight, it says, and we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose. And I and I bring that up as as work in the sermon because I look at this spectrum of activity. And sometimes there's there's time, but there's some people that just rush right off and I've got to do this right now, no matter what. But then there's another side of the spectrum where people are like, I'm just gonna sit here until God tells me to physically move and I'm not gonna do anything. And you kind of get paralyzed with this inactivity. Well, you're not meant to do that either, are you? The Christian is meant to move forward. The Christian faith is meant to move forward. You are meant to move forward in Christ. If you look at where it says in Ephesians, the Roman soldier, all of his armor is where? It's in the front. A soldier was never meant to turn and run backwards. He was only meant to move forward and press forward with the armor that was given him. Same as our faith and our walk with Christ. Debat no matter the challenges that you have, you are to press forward in Christ. The third temp thing in the template Is continued service. There's this time period. You've you've you've petitioned God. You've got this time period. You got, you know, when is this going to happen? I've really got this thing that's bugging me. I've got this itch. What do you do with that in between time? You're praying, of course. This four-month period, Nehemiah, Nehemiah stayed within the confines of his present calling. It says in Nehemiah chapter two, verse one. It says, It came about in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, that wine was before him. I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. I like how he adds that. But Nehemiah, he demonstrates his trust that God would answer in good time. He trusted God, just as we sung that song. And how did he trust God? He trusted God by continuing to show honor to his authority. God might have you in a spot right now in a holding pattern. Be faithful to where you're at. And I just encourage you to be faithful to that. God knows when to move you in his time. But until then, be faithful as he was. He served the wine, he was the cup barrier, did everything you're supposed to be. He put on a happy countenance. He maintained a godly attitude and he is being beyond reproach. It's sort of like finish what's on your plate now. He did not develop a short timer's attitude. Well, I'm almost out of here. I know I'm going back to Jerusalem, so I'm just gonna do everything kind of half baked. No, he didn't do that, did he? He didn't pout. It's very hard to stay on course when you know that there's more on the horizon. You know that there's more for me. Well, I'm not gonna be here. Very long. I got bigger places to be. I'm going to be famous someday. And it's very hard to be dutiful and faithful where you're at when you know that you have more on the horizon and you know that God has things. And yeah, even God says, I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you a future and a hope. And you will find me and you know, find me when you search for me with all of your heart, right? But there's a reason for God's timing. And it's very hard in this time to not burn bridges during this waiting time, getting that attitude. Just remember, like Wilton Misner said, be kind to everyone on the way up. You will meet the same people on the way down. Are you in a waiting period? I've asked myself, am I a waiting period? What's next, Lord? I just want to assure you, know that you're not alone. You're not alone. And God knows his perfect timing. God is the one who opened the door in the next chapter next chapter of Nehemiah's life. And of all people, who did he use to open the next chapter of Nehemiah's life? The very king that Artaxerxes. If you look at Nehemiah 2, 2 through 4, it says here, it says, So the king said to me, Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of your heart. Then I was very much afraid. And I said to the king, Let the king live forever. Because you remember, you know, if we're not having a good time, I can be dead. Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my father's tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire? Then the king said to me, What would you request? So we went back to step one. I prayed to the God of heaven. Who opened the doors? The very king. He opened the doors to that impossible, difficult situation. And that truly speaks in Proverbs. Proverbs speaks to this. Who is really in charge? If you look at Proverbs 21, verse 1, it says, The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord, and he turns it wherever he wishes. Because we trust in the mighty God. And he will provide for us. This idea in Proverbs 21, one. The heart is like channels of water in the hands of the Lord. He turns wherever he wishes. I love this chat this verse because it it gives the idea from the background of agriculture. In an arid land, water is very scarce and life-threatening. So you would have rows of crops, and then you would have channels where water could be introduced along those rows of crops. And you'd only have so much water. And so every one of those channels had like a gate or a dam or something to prevent the water from going down those channels. And you would took that precious water and whoever was in charge, the farmer or whoever was in charge, if you wanted to irrigate that row, he'd lift the gate and the water, that precious water would give the life-sustaining water to that row. And then he could irrigate and manage in his water resources. But That's how those plants grew, he knew which row of crops needed the water at the time. The king's heart was like channels of water in the hand of the Lord. And that's who's really in charge. God turns that king's heart wherever he God wishes. And at this time, God wishes for Nehemiah to go forward. And that's how. Proverbs really speaks to who's in charge. Arta Xerxes actually opened that door for Nehemiah through God. And the fourth thing, finally, is in the template. Plan. Nehemiah planned for this vision. Remember, this took four months to prepare. He's been in prayer. He's been wondering, how am I going to deal with the situation? He's been praying to God. He's been giving it time. He's been dutily do he's dutifully doing his job that he's called to at the time. But in this four months, he wasn't just sitting and stewing. He was actually making a plan. So when the the king opened the door, because God turned that king's heart. He had answers and he was ready. He planned for that vision. In chapter two, verse five. And I said to the king, if it please the king, if your servant found Far before you, send me to Judah to the city of my fathers, that I may rebuild it. And the king said to me, the queen seating the queen sitting beside him, How long will your journey be? And I gave him a definite time. I plan for this. And he was able to answer a query regarding a timeline. And he in verse 7, he actually taught he actually planned for safe passage. How am I going to make this journey with all the resources that I need from the Iran-Iraq border all the way across back to Israel? And he said, if it please the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the provinces beyond the river, that they may allow me to pass through until I come to Judah. And he even planned for resources. You plan for this vision. That God has given you. You got that itch, it's gonna happen. Take this time and make a plan. Verse eight A letter sent to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams to the gates and the fortresses. So he planned for all this. You can come on up, Trent, please. My question for you and for me, what are we doing during our waiting period? What are we doing for this period when when God finally is going to allow us to scratch that itch? There's something that God's called you to do. I'm a I'm a I'm a big proponent of we're here to feed you. You have such a wonderful church here that feeds you, and we want to teach you and show you the love of Christ. And show you that God has a bigger plan, but we're also sending you forth, go forth. And there's an itch somewhere, and I'm praying that every one of you has an itch, because if not, I'm praying for you because you should be a little bit uncomfortable and want to continue to press forward. But what are we doing in this period when God allows us to finally scratch what has been itching us? And some examples. Are you going back to school? I'm always going back to school. I'm always doing something myself. Are you learning a trade? Maybe you're learning a language because God has pressed on your heart that you're going to go somewhere that doesn't speak English. Maybe in this period of time, you're getting your finances ready. Maybe. Maybe you're getting fit and God's going to call you into an environment that you have to be have stamina. This this list is endless to the particular person. It is it's endless to whoever you are. I you're not me, I'm not you. I don't know where God's calling you. But I pray that God is calling you. I pray that you are somewhat uncomfortable where you're at and that the spirit is just pushing. But take this time and get ready. Don't squander it. In a conclusion, you know, God has a plan for us all. Some plans can seem difficult and impossible to achieve, and they are if God isn't the center, if the Holy Spirit is not leading us, and we do not humble ourselves at the mercy seat of Jesus. Nehemiah applied these steps, and with God's help he succeeded. If you look at verse eight, and I'm sorry I didn't put this on the overhead, the very end. And the king granted them to me, because the good hand of my God was on me. So as an encouragement, these in difficult situations, the good hand of our God is on you, you can succeed as well. And I encourage you in James four ten, it says humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, he will lift you up, and the good hand of God is upon us as well. And I just want to take some a moment here and we pray. I want to get into some prayer. There's some people that have given some needs and brothers and sisters have picked up the cards in the back. And I also want to spend some time just to pray over you and encourage you and myself, you know, what what does God have for us in the future? What what is itching you? And how are we going to respond? I just thank you, Father God, for this wonderful day. The weather doesn't matter. It's all all days are good in the presence of God. All days are good in the presence of Christ. Holidays are good that are led by the Holy Spirit. Brothers and sisters have come with needs and we we just intercede for them. There's there's needs that all of us have. And we are so blessed to have a church of brothers and sisters that will stand alongside each other and intercede. And I just pray for these needs that people have given. And that there's a peace, that peace that surpasses all understanding, that peace that surpasses all difficult challenge. That only comes from knowing Christ. Apostle Paul says that I am content in all things. How can you be content in all things? Because there's that peace. For healing, I just pray that your healing touch, Jehovah Rapha. For those that have a need, ⁓ that you will provide their needs, Jehovah Jirah, my provider. For those that just feel like they're alone, give them the comfort of the Holy Spirit, that paraclete, that who one who stands alongside. And I speak for myself and my brothers and sisters here, Lord God. I would pray that you give us a vision, stir us, that we can't just sit, that there's something that you have for us. I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. And I just speak that to all of my brothers and sisters here tonight. That I pray that the Holy Spirit stirs you and moves you, that there is something. There is something that you are going to do, and you're going to do it wonderfully, and you're going to do it great. And I pray that you would prepare our hearts for the next chapters of our lives. And that we can take this information, these lessons from Nehemiah, apply them, this template, and that we too will be successful in these difficult situations. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening to the Faith Alive podcast. If this message encouraged you, be sure to share it with someone who needs it. And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss a message. We'll see you next time.