What Book Will You Author?

1-24-21Sermon Notes“What Book Will You Author?”
Have you ever asked someone, “How’s it going?” And then they told you… And maybe you were sorry you had asked… I can imagine Nehemiah feeling that way when he asked how things were going in Jerusalem. Nehemiah had been living in exile and serving in the court of the Persian king. When he saw some fellow Jews, he inquired about Jerusalem. And the news was bad. Although some exiles had been returned to Jerusalem, the walls of the city were in disrepair. The gates had been “burned with fire.” And Nehemiah sat down, wept, and prayed.
The story didn’t end there (or it would have been a really sad one). Nehemiah asked King Artaxerxes for permission to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the fallen-down walls. And the king not only gave permission, but also royal letters of passage and all the supplies Nehemiah would need. After going to Jerusalem and inspecting the damage for himself, Nehemiah made an appeal, and got both support and opposition.
17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we may no longer suffer disgrace.” 18 I told them that the hand of my God had been gracious upon me, and also the words that the king had spoken to me. Then they said, “Let us start building!” So they committed themselves to the common good. 19 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they mocked and ridiculed us, saying, “What is this that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” 20 Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven is the one who will give us success, and we his servants are going to start building; but you have no share or claim or historic right in Jerusalem.” (Neh. 2: 17-20 NRSV)
Nehemiah and those who worked to rebuild what was broken down were going to leave a legacy. Those who were indifferent or who opposed and mocked and ridiculed the good work of God were also going to leave a legacy…just not one to be proud of.
What kind of story will we write with our lives? That’s what Pastor Tony Jones will ask us this coming Sunday – Sumatanga Sunday.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Sam