Sue and I like to hike when we go on vacation. About ten years ago, we decided to check out the beautiful scenery along Lake Superior.
We walked along the sandy beach in the icy cold water and viewed the rocks on the floor of the lake. We walked through the woods and saw scenic geological formations. The area was truly a place of natural beauty, a reminder of God’s creative power.
The thing we remember most, though, was the flies - big, black deer flies. Oh, could they bite. Even though we sprayed with OFF they kept coming ON. They were a terrible distraction. So we’d take a swat and keep on movin’, take a swat and keep on movin’, .Finally we gave up hiking. We were paying more attention to the flies than to the scenery.
Are distractions ever a problem for you? I hope I’m not the only one who gets distracted when I’m working. It’s bad enough when you are doing your homework or cleaning the house and something interrupts you, but it is especially troubling when distractions keep you from doing the work God wants you to do.
As followers of Christ, we have a project. God has called us to join him in saving the world. That is why he sent Jesus. That is why he established the church. God is a missionary God and he has called us to join him in his mission.
• In Matthew Jesus said that we are the light of the world and the salt of the earth.
• In Mark he said to go into all the world.
• In Luke he sent out seventy messengers.
• In John, he said, “As the father has sent me, so I send you.”
• In Acts he established the church.
So here we are in 2006, serving as a band of Elm Street missionaries with a job to do and we dare not get distracted. Our scripture lesson today shows us how to take a swat and keep on movin’.
Nehemiah knew how to brush off distractions. After 70 years of exile, his people, the Jews, were given permission to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and the city. Nehemiah was in charge of getting that work done. They had rebuilt the temple and now they were rebuilding the city walls. But it hadn’t been easy.
In Nehemiah 4, we learn that the nations around them opposed their progress. In Chapter 5 internal strife threatened to destroy the unity of the people. And in Chapter 6 Nehemiah himself came under attack. These distractions could have kept him from finishing his work, but Nehemiah had learned to take a swat and keep on movin’. Today we want to examine the way Nehemiah cut through his distractions to carry out his mission.
But before we go there, take a look at how this story ends. In verse 15 we read that the wall was finished in 52 days. That sounds like a record. The people working on it were not stone cutters by trade, but Neh. 4:6 says, “The people had a mind to work.” Archeologists have dug up that wall and have found that it was not perfect. It was crooked in some places and the stones didn’t fit together well. But the fact that they got it done at all was a miracle. How did they get it done? With God’s help. Verse 16 says that even the surrounding nations “perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.” And that is the only way we can accomplish our mission -- with the help of God.
If you have been at Elm Street for awhile you know what Nehemiah is talking about. Where have you seen God at work in this congregation? What has happened here that could only happen with the help of God?
Now let’s turn to this scripture to see how to handle distractions.
1. Keep your Focus. In 6:1-4 we see that the rebuilding project was nearly complete. The walls were finished, but the doors still needed to be hung. Just a little more time and everything would be done. And that is when the first distraction came. You kids know what it is like when you are almost done with your homework and your mom calls you for supper. You’d much rather keep working, right?
Nehemiah had a different kind of distraction. Three guys were trying to derail the project. They had it in for Nehemiah. These guys had opposed him already in the 2nd chapter. Now they were asking to meet with him. That might sound reasonable, except that they wanted to meet at a place 25 miles away. That request was not only distracting, it was dangerous. How long do you think it would take to walk 25 miles? Two days? That would be four days away from his work. Would he be safe traveling that far? Probably not.
Nehemiah sent a messenger to say. “I have a big job here. I cannot leave all my responsibilities.” Four times they asked him to come. Four times he rejected their offer. Take a swat and keep on movin’.
I’ll be the first to admit that it is hard to stay focused. And it is not because anyone has it in for me. Maybe you think that when we prepare sermons, we sit down and work non-stop until we are finished. Guess again. I begin work on my sermon and the phone rings or I get thirsty or the mail comes or I remember to send an e-mail. These aren’t bad things, but it is hard to stay focused sometimes.
If you are a follower of Christ, your first priority is to please him and not be distracted by all the allurements around you. When Paul wrote to Timothy he said, “No one serving in the army gets entangled in everyday affairs.” If we are sold out to Jesus, we have to make choices about how we live in light of God’s calling. There are lots of good activities to choose from. But we need to ask ourselves, what purpose does this activity have? Does it help me get closer to my goal of serving God? Staying focused will mean saying NO to things that distract us from carrying out God’s purpose for us.
In the 90s, when I was teaching at Bluffton, the president invited me to serve as academic dean for a year. I felt honored to be asked, but I knew our calling was in Lima and I knew it would be a distraction to accept the request. So, I wrote the president a letter to explain why I could not do it:
I am in the enviable position of being a part of two great projects: carrying out the mission of Bluffton College to help students understand the world of knowledge from an Anabaptist perspective and the other in fulfilling a mission in Lima. I know that I would have enjoyed being a part of your administrative cabinet. I also realize, however, my own limitations.
Ever since returning from Japan in 1982, Sue and I have felt a call to continue our work as missionaries in the US. After Sue completed seminary and we moved to Lima, we knew there were some things we would be giving up.
We have not regretted our move to Lima. We have seen God work in marvelous ways. The little congregation that had decided to stay in a needy community has welcomed our leadership as Sue and I have worked together with them over the past 11 years. We have seen growth into the 40s, the 50s, and now into the 60s. The congregation now has Sunday school classes where there were none. The congregation has taken on the mission of reaching out to neighbors in Lima. And God has miraculously supplied the financial needs of the congregation, not through rich people, but through committed people.
There is much yet to do. We need to nurture new Christians. We need to develop leadership skills. We need to learn more about reaching out to others and being inviting. We need to help children and teenagers find their way through the confusion they are experiencing.
I hope I have said enough for you to understand why I said no. Thank you for understanding and I continue to pray God’s blessing upon you in your role as president.
Sometimes we just have to say no. I would urge you to take inventory of your own activities. Which ones support the mission of this congregation? Which ones do not? Take a swat and keep on movin’.
2. Hold to the Truth. In 6:5-9 we read about another distraction. Sanballat sent another letter. This time it was an unsealed letter, which means that anyone along the way could read it. Sanballat was probably hoping that other people would read it and start rumors about Nehemiah. The letter had some juicy tidbits in it, accusing Nehemiah of planning to proclaim himself king. Sanballat thought sure that would take Nehemiah’s attention off of his work.
All of us know how distractions like this affect us. Nehemiah must have worried about how many people saw that letter and what they thought. But look at the way Nehemiah handled this one. He held to the truth. Nehemiah trusted in God and believed that truth would overcome falsehood. He knew that God would see him through. Take a swat and keep on movin’...
The other day when we were knocking on doors, we met a man who doesn’t believe the Bible has anything to say for him. He was cold as an icicle. It was tempting to go home and say, “Lord, what’s the use?” But I believe that truth will prevail and that someday this man will wish he had paid attention to God’s call because Philippians says that every knee shall bend and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
When you are distracted by doubts or provocations from your neighbors or relatives, stay focused on God’s will and remember that His truth will win out in the end. Hold to the truth. You will find it in God’s word. After all, God is the author of truth and he is your defender. The psalmist said in Psalm 18:30, This God—his way is perfect; the promise of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
3. Remember your identity. Nehemiah faced one other distraction. Evidently, Shemaiah was hired to tell Nehemiah of a threat on his life. He urged Nehemiah to compromise his character by hiding in the temple so his enemies wouldn’t be able to get to him. Well, why not? First, Nehemiah was not a priest and he had no right to enter the inner part of the temple. That would be sin in the eyes of God. Second, if he hid, what kind of leader would he be? His character was at stake. (v.11).
Nehemiah knew his inner character and he knew that who you are determines what you do. He knew he was one of God’s children and one of God’s appointed leaders. He could swat that distraction because he knew who he was.
Your identity as a child of God is the most precious gift you have. You have limits, yes. Nehemiah knew he was not a priest, he was a governor. You also have a God given-potential. One time a woman who had been distracted by an ungodly desire came and said something like this, “I have sinned. I have let the church down. I have let God down. I felt like staying away from church because I’m no longer worthy.” She knew that her own identity as a child of God was at stake. When we sin it is at those very times that we need the church to help us back to faithfulness. When distractions come, remember who you are and you will be able to swat those spiritual flies that bite.
Recognize God’s work. This chapter ends with the nations around them recognizing that their work depended on God. I wonder if people outside this church would say that about us? Are we attempting anything for God that requires complete dependence on God? Or do we always take the safe road? Currently, we are behind in our budgeted giving. Remember that some of this money goes overseas for missionaries. Some meets needs here in Lima. Some keeps the lights on and takes care of other expenses. When we have a shortfall, does that mean we should cut back or does it mean we depend on God? Our church board is struggling with that question. What do you think God wants us to do?
How have you seen God at work in this congregation? Let’s recognize God’s work.
And as for those distractions, take a swat and keep on moving.
BENEDICTION
As you go out into the world,
Keep your focus on the mission God has given you.
Hold to the truth He has revealed to you.
Remember the identity he has bestowed upon you.
Keep your eyes open to God’s work around you.
And ask Him to strengthen your hands
as you join him in his eternal project.
