Faith Or Fantasy
4/14/2004 Nehemiah 2:10-20 1 Peter 5:6-11 Text Chapters 2-4
When was the last time you heard some one say "I’ve got faith this is going to work?" Faith is not determined by how much of a feeling you have about something, but rather by what it is you are putting your faith in. If you have to cross a bridge over a raging river, would you rather have great faith in a weak rickety bridge or would you prefer to have a little faith in a strong concrete bridge that is not about to budge.
Biblical faith is not rooted in our feelings, but in our confidence in God and what God Has revealed to us in the Scriptures. Far too often people confuse fantasy with faith and end up sorely disappointed. Fantasy says, “I want a comfortable life. I’m counting on God sending down a blessing from heaven or on winning the lottery.” Faith says, "if I obey your word, go back to school, study hard, and commit my ways to you Lord" I will get a good job."
Fantasy says, "we’re in love, and we’ve got God on our side. That’s all we will need to stay together. We were made for each other.” Faith says, "If we submit ourselves to each other and constantly repent and forgive each other, we will have a loving and lasting relationship. Because marriage is going to show both of us just how selfish we can be. It’s going to be hard work to find the joy we want in the relationship.”
Fantasy says, "my kids are going to be good kids and behave themselves because they’re my kids." Faith says, "Lord, I don’t know how to be the parent you want me to be, but I know you can provide me with the strength and wisdom to train up my child."
Fantasy says, " I’m trusting in the Lord to take of my needs, but I will not trust God with my money. There is no way I can afford to give 10% of my money to the Lord and make it on what I make.” Faith says, "Lord, I’m trusting in you and demonstrating it by giving you a full tithe of 10%." I know you can do more with my 90% than I can with my 100%.”
Fantasy says, "I can handle temptation and what I see or hear does not bother me. As long as I love Jesus, I do not have to worry about falling into sin." Faith says, "Lord my heart can very easily choose to disobey your word, keep me from all that will hurt my testimony and my relationship to You."
When it comes to growing in the Lord, we will always have the opportunity of choosing to walk in the realm of fantasy or of faith. Yesterday we looked at the difference between having a dream and having a vision. Together we looked at Nehemiah who was a cupbearer to King Artaxeres. Nehemiah was a person of God who was heart broken over the city of Jerusalem, which bore God’s name and the city was in ruins and disgrace. The walls around the city were destroyed . This meant enemies could come and attack it as they pleased. Nehemiah knew that something needed to be done.
To give a brief history once again, God’s people had turned away from serving God. God begged and pleaded with them for years to turn away from the wrong they were doing so that He could be their protector. The people refused to change. God told them a fierce nation would come to destroy them and the city, and the new gods they had chosen for themselves could not help them, because they were not Gods at all.
The people would not buy it. They laughed in God’s face. God told them, “ the Babylonians will come and they will destroy this city and take you away as captives. But because I still love you, in 70 years I’m going to bring you back to this land and restore the nation once again.” God has a heart for His people. Even when God see us living in our fantasy lands of disobedience, God does not give upon us.
After the 70 years were over God touched the heart of Nehemiah to go and rebuild the walls of the city of Jerusalem. Nehemiah was a cupbearer to the king. He got to taste the king’s drink to make sure no poison was in it. We ended the message with Nehemiah praying the prayer, “Lord give me favor with this man.”
Now if Nehemiah had been living in fantasy, he would have gone to the King and said, “now king, God has told me to go rebuild the walls, so you’ve got to let me go and do it.” Sometimes the most dangerous thing we can have is a word from God. Every word that comes from God does not mean it will happen by the end of the week.
God told Noah it would rain and a flood would destroy the world. It did, 120 years later. God told Abraham he would have a son that would become his heir. He had Isaac about 25 years later. We can become so convinced that God’s word is for right now that we screw up our lives and the plans God has for us.
I can remember back when I became a Christian in 1973, I almost decided not to go to college. I had read Hal Lindsey’s book “The Late Great Planet Earth”, and became convinced that Jesus had to come back by the year 1988, forty years after Israel became a nation. I figured, why should I waste time in college, when Jesus would probably be back before I finished. I needed to get started in ministry. I would have missed out on so much.
Fantasy says, “I’m quitting my job now, the Lord has called me to the ministry and I know He’s going to provide.” “God told me I could quit.” Do you know how many people have quit their jobs, and then expected somebody else to take care of them. God is not nearly in as big a hurry as we sometimes are. Faith says Lord, “I will endure until you provide me with what my next my position will be.” Habakkuk 2:3 (NIV) “For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.”
After Nehemiah heard the news of the tragedy going on in Jerusalem, he knew he was going to have to do something. He knew the Lord was calling him to go to Jerusalem. He didn’t quit his job. He spent the next four months praying to God about the next step he should take. But during that time of prayer, we will later see that Nehemiah was busy doing some research, finding out facts, and putting together a realistic plan for what He needed to do.
It would have been sheer fantasy on his part to have headed to Jersualem with nothing but the belief God had called him to go to Jerusalem. When God calls the church to do something, it is wise to spend time in prayer and study. When you are waiting on the Lord in prayer, you are not wasting your time; you are investing it. God is preparing both you and your circumstances so that His purposes will be accomplished. However, when the right time arrives for us to act by faith, we dare not delay.
The Bible tells us that there is wisdom in a multitude of counselors. True faith in God brings a calmness to the heart that keeps us from rushing about and trying to do in our own strength what only God can do.
Nehemiah had to find a way to get the king’s attention without seeming rude or obnoxious. For the past three months, even though his heart has been heavy, he has been just as eager and energetic in the king’s presence as before. On the day, he was sure, this was the day God was going to go before him, Nehemiah prepared his course of action. As cupbearer to the king, it was his job to taste whatever the king was going to consume. If there was poison in it, Nehemiah would get the affects first.
Now imagine, the servants bringing in the wine. Nehemiah tastes the wine. But this time instead of smiling, he looked kind of sad. Now compound this with the reality that noone was to look sad in the king’s presence. This by itself was a crime punishable by death. At first the king became alarmed at Nehemiah’s appearance because Nehemiah, had never looked sad in his presence before. He may have been waiting to see if Nehemiah was about to get sick and fall out dead from poisoning.
But the king noticed that Nehemiah, kept his balance and set everything down in the right place, and then stood back up straight. The king then asked him, “why does your face look so sad, when you are not ill. This can be nothing but sadness of heart.” Already God is at work in the king. Why on earth would the king be concerned about a servant who was breaking the law right in his presence?
When the king asked the question, If Nehemiah had of had fantasy, he would of expected God to have immediately filled him with faith and made him larger than life so that he would have been full of confidence. But instead Nehemiah was full of faith and his reaction was quite different.
“Nehemiah said at the end of verse 2 “I was very much afraid.” Just because you’ve been praying about something, does not mean you’re not going to be afraid when the time to step out come. It’s really easy to believe the Lord can see somebody through an operation, but it’s a little bit different to believe the Lord when you are the right that’s going to be cut on during the operation. We all believe God can do anything but fail, until it is us who might fail if God does not do anything. Nehemiah admits right out front, “I am scared to death,” but I’m going to go through with it anyways.
Nehemiah says to the king, “May the King live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed with fire.” Do you understand that Nehemiah is actually questioning the law of the land, by making this statement. He’s asking for a personal exemption for looking sad in the king’s presence. But do you also notice the respect he shows for the king in his statement.
Another thing I want us to see here, is how important it is for us to have our lights shining for God in the workplace. Anybody can just about be a Christian for God in church, but God needs some Christians in the workplace.
Look at the king’s response in verse 4, “the king said to me, “what is that you want.” It is obvious Nehemiah was not the kind of person calling in sick when he was not sick. He had not had four funeral days for the same grandfather dying in the last three years. He had not been showing up late for work. He had not been having attitude problems with the supervisors or anybody else on the job. Otherwise the king would have said, “now, what is it that you want this time.”
Fantasy says “that I can do what I want on this job because I know if I leave it, God will find me another one.” Faith says, “whatever job I’m on, I represent the cause of Christ. Somebody is going to look at my work, my attitude, and my behavior and judge all other Christians by what I have done or not done. God, I’m going to build a record to give you something to work with I need some kind of favor on the job.
‘
Don’t just walk in and tell your boss, “I won’t work on Sundays.” Give the person some room by saying, “look, I’ll work on Friday nights, Saturday nights, and on holidays when nobody else wants to work if you’ll let me have Sundays off so that I can go to church.” It is when we establish a track record on the job, that we can see God working in the heart of our supervisors.
Keep in mind, Nehemiah had spent four months in prayer before taking some kind of action to speak to the king. Nehemiah realized that the king was not really the one in control. God was. But he wanted to give God something to work with in the king. Fantasy wants God to work with nothing on our part. Faith just wants God to add something to what we’re already trying to do.
It says in Proverbs 21:1 (NIV) The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases. The image here is the image of a father digging a canal to make the water flow in a specific direction. God has the heart of King Artaxeres in His hand. If God presses in one direction the king will be eager to provide what Nehemiah needs. If God presses in another direction it will close the king’s desire to give him anything. God holds your supervisor’s heart in the same manner. God is in control.
When Nehemiah heard the king’s response, he immediately, stepped out of the king’s presence, stepped into the presence of God, prayed to God and stepped backed into the king’s presence. But it happened so fast that the king never knew that Nehemiah had gone anywhere. When we stay prayed up, it’s not necessary to go into a long prayer when God presents an opportunity to move forward.
Look at Nehemiah’s response. Neh. 2:5 and I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it." God gives Nehemiah just the right words, so that it does not seem that he’s making a demand. He makes it seems as though, the whole thing is based on the king being a wonderful person. “If it pleases the king” in other words, I’m not making any demands and nobody can say I control the king. You see sometimes, we have to make sure we do not put others in a box to be looked down upon the the comments of others later on.
Notice the phrase, and “if I have found favor in your sight.” Nehemiah is giving the king a reason to want to grant him the request and a reason to justify it. It is obvious that Nehemiah knew he had been a good and faithful employee and the king knew it as well. Fantasy thinks we can do anything and still be used greatly the God. Faith knows, what I’m doing today is going to determine how God can use me in the future.
As a church, what you’re doing today is going to determine how God can use you in the future. That is why it is so important to do what you can today and do it well. Jesus said, if we are faithful in the little things, we can be faithful in much. It’s okay to have faith that one day you will make your own cd recording, but have faith today to be in choir rehearsal on time and sing every Sunday in worship as the opening promotion of your CD album.
Notice also in his response, that Nehemiah is making himself available for the task. He said, “king, send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it.” It would have been so much easier for him to ask that a law be made to rebuild the city the the people in the province. But Nehemiah needed to show the king, his own commitment to the project, before asking for help.
Fantasy is quick to inform God of a situation, and we ask God to send His Spirit to make a difference. We’re sending God’s Spirit all over the place, when Jesus said, in John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Faith recognizes, “Lord if I’m not willing to make a sacrifice in this situation, then I am not worthy to ask to do something about it.” Have we committed ourselves to making a change in the very thing we’re asking God to do.
Look at verse 6: Neh. 2:6-9 Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, "How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?" It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time. 7I also said to him, "If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? 8And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?" And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests. 9So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.
Do you know why it took Nehemiah 4 months of prayer. Remember I told you that time spent in prayer is not wasted time but rather an investment. Nehemiah had to go out and gather some facts about the situation. Suppose he had to answer the king, “well I really don’t know how long it will take. I have no idea what I might need. Could you check it out for me and find out who is in charge down there so I’ll know who it I need to talk to once I arrive.”
Prayer means some action on our part. Nehemiah went and checked out the names of the people involved. He knew who was in charge of the lumber division hundreds of miles away. The guy in charge of the lumber was Asaph. He knew the names of the governors. He had a map to show the direction he was going to go. He trusted in God, but he also took along with him the soldiers and calvary the king was willing to send. Now just because somebody else speaks about their faith in God does not mean you have to do it the same way.
When God called Ezra to go back to Jersusalem, Ezra had do boasted about the power of God, he was ashamed to ask the king for troops for protection. Nehemiah had the same calling and the same faith, but he did not mind asking for help. Don’t go out on a limb just because somebody else did. That’s fantasy. Faith will allow you to take along everything God is willing to give.
The king knew Nehemiah had done his homework. Again Nehemiah gave God something to work with. What are you giving God to work with in your situation? It’s not enough to simply ask for a change. Ask God to change you, so that you can give him something to work with. After Nehemiah had done all that he knew how to do, then he was able to say, “and because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my request.”
Are you basing your life on fantsasy or faith tonight. Do you have a problem and you expect God to solve it? Or do you have a problem and you’re saying here am I Lord, change me to change this situation. We think God needs to change our bosses, we think God needs to change our children, to change our spouses, to change our church. No what we need is the Spirit of Nehemiah who was willing to be changed the God to make a difference in a problem he was facing. The yielding ourselves to God, we allow the gracious hand of God to come upon our lives.
Change
Neh. 2:6-9
Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, "How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?" It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.
7I also said to him, "If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? 8And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?" And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests. 9So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.
1. Four Months Used To Collect The Facts
2. What If He Said, I Don’t Know
3. Prayer Involves Some Action ON Our Part
4. Get Up, Get Out, Get Busy
5. Don’t Try Imitating Others When There Is No Need
6. Ezra And The Military
I. Are We Walking In Faith Or Fantasy
1. Do You Want God To Solve The Problem
2. Are You Praying For The Right Change
3. Are You Willing To Be Used
Sermon Outline Pastor Rick
“Faith Or Fantasy “
Nehemiah 2:10-20 1 Peter 5:6-11
A. Just How Much Faith Will It Take
1. Strong Faith In Weak Bridge
2. Weak Faith In A Strong Bridge
3. Biblical Faith Rooted In God Not Feelings
4. Fantasy—It’s Going To Be Easy
5. Faith—It’s Going To Be Work
6. Fantasy-- Love, Marriage, Kids, Provisions
7. Faith-- Love, Marriage, Kids, Provisions
8. Giving Our Income
9. Handling Our Temptations
B. Nehemiah—The Cupbearer To The King
1. The Exile Of God’s People The The Babylonians
2. The Destruction Of The City & Walls Of The City
3. 70 Years Later God Send Them Back
4. Nehemiah Called To Make A difference
5. Give Me Favor With This Man
C. When You Have A Word From God—Wait On God
1. Remember Noah, 120 Years Abraham 25 Years
2. Pastor Rick Almost Missed College
3. Don’t Quit Right Now—Wait On The Lord
4. God Is Not In The Same Hurry As We Are
Habakkuk 2:3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false.Though it linger, wait for it;it will certainly come and will not delay.
5. Nehemiah Knew He Had To Do Something
6. The Four Month Period Of Prayer
7. Fantasy—I’m Out Of Here To Jerusalem
8. Maybe It’s Time For Some Research
9. Prayer Is Not Wasting But Rather Investing
10. Preparing Us And The Circumstances
11. Wisdom In A Multitude Of Counselors
D. Nehemiah Has To Get The King’s Attention
1. Nehemiah Chooses To Look Sad
2. Crime Punishable The Death
3. King Alarmed At Nehemiah’s Face
4. King Realizes This Is Something Different
5. Why Does Your Face Look Sad When….
6. God At Work
7. Fantasy Expected All Power To Come Down
E. Nehemiah Was Full Of Faith And Scared
1. Verse 2—I Was Very Much Afraid
2. Easier To Believe God For Others Than For You
3. Fear Does Not Have To Stop You.
Neh. 2:3 but I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?"
4. Making A Challenge To The Law
5. Asking For Personal Exemption
F. Giving God Something To Work With In The
Workplace
1. Shining For Jesus On The Job
Neh. 2:4 The king said to me, "What is it you want?"
2. Watched Those Sick Days
3. Grandfather Died Three Times In Three Years
4. Not What Do You Want This Time
5. Fantasy—I Can Always Leave This Job
6. Faith—I Represent Christ & All Christians
7. Boss, I Won’t Work On Sundays, But
8. Give Something To Work With
9. Nehemiah Knows God Is In Control
Proverbs 21:1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD;
he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.
10. A Farmer With Irrigation
11. Their Hears Are In His Hands
G. Nehemiah Had A Very Little Talk With God
Then I prayed to the God of heaven,
1. It’s Important To Be Talking To God
Neh. 2:5 and I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it."
2. Right Words For The Right Moment
3. Gives The King His Due
4. Nehemiah Had Established A Work Track Record
5. What I Do Today, Determines Tomorrow
6. Choosing To Be Faithful In The Small Things
7. You Must Make Yourself Available First
8. Fantasy Informs God And Sends God’s Spirit
9. Faith Here I Am Lord Send Me
John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
H. We Grow When We Take The Lead In Making A
