Well Happy Fathers Day! Today is one of those occasions when we celebrate how our lives have been enriched by so many good men. Maybe you're thinking about your dad today? I hope you are!
I'm thankful to have a dad who was an amazing provider for our family. He worked in a factory his entire life (a dog food factory of all places)! Every day he got up at dawn, and often didn't return until dusk. He expected us kids to work hard too. There was no cutting corners on yardwork, housework, schoolwork, church-work...
Dad pushed us to develop our abilities, and excel. When I had an interest in being a pilot, he got me up an in airplane, he drove me to airshows, it was awesome. When I had an interest in being a computer engineer, he got me in computer clubs, he bought me a computer, and when I was just an 8th grader... a high end software package for programming. When I abruptly decided to go to LCU to train to be a minister he didn't know what to think, he just shook his head, but he supported it!
Not everybody has had a dad like that. Maybe you're thinking about somebody who stepped into your life that was like a dad. When I was growing up, I developed a friendship with a man across the street named Jim King. Every day Jim would be out in his driveway, washing his cars, or working in his yard. He was someone I could talk to about anything, anytime. He believed in me, pushed me to stand up to jerks, bullies and naysayers. He encouraged me through some of the toughest years of my life to make my life count.
For the past few decades, my Father-In-Law, has been like a Father. Lara is an only child, so Don was happy to get a Son-in-Law. I found out pretty quick that Don was a bruiser in basketball. He'd kick my butt, driving to the hoop! But here's a man who's mentored me through all the high-lows of ministry. He's modeled character, that principled kind of leadership. We push each other academically and professionally. We worked together to get our Doctorates. We're always going back and forth sharing books, thoughts, ideas. I'm sure I wasn't the ideal choice as a son-in-law--but Don and Margaret have always been so gracious and generous to me.
I hope you've had a great father figure in you're life. I hope you've been surrounded by dozens, even hundreds, of good godly men who have enriched your life. I hope you're a GREAT father to your kids, to young people in this church w/o fathers.
When I thought about today, I thought it fitting to launch into a new series we're calling FEARLESS. God's dream for Lakeside is that we be RELEASED to be FEARLESS, to not hold back, to not rob the world of the contribution God created us to make. So many men are afraid to lead, to risk, to sacrifice, to be criticized, to put themselves "out there." This series isn't just for men. But I do want to ask, "How can we encourage men to lead?" The Bible is full of stories of people who overcame fear to lead. . .
One of those stories is that of Nehemiah. Over the span of few centuries, four different empires invaded Jerusalem and subjected her people to cruelty. First there were the Assyrians, then the Babylonians, then the Persians. The Persians were saints compared to the Assyrians and Babylonians. Nehemiah lived during the reign of the Persians. Later, after Nehemiah's time, Alexander the Great would come along and defeat the Persians giving rise to the Roman Empire.
What you need to know is the Assyrian and Babylonian empires were utterly cruel. If you can imagine (and you don't want to) their acts of terror exceeded even that of ISIS. These empires destroyed lives, families, villages, entire nations. Now the very definition of terror is to invoke fear. Nothing quite invokes fear like maiming, killing, cutting, sawing, impaling, burning, crucifying, skinning and whatever else... the goal of these evil empires was to maximize suffering and terror.
Imagine the psychology of people living in the region of Judah, or a city like Jerusalem. We're talking about people being held in bondage to extreme fear. Though the Assyrians/Babylonians had been driven out, they hadn't rebuilt their city nor their lives. In my estimation, the first job of a leader is to face reality, ask, "Whats Going On?"
This is exactly what Nehemiah does. What we'll learn about him is that Nehemiah isn't in Judah, nor Jerusalem. He is serving in the King's court, as cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. From a personal standpoint, he was a universe removed from the terror of his people in Jerusalem. He was safe, comfortable, privileged, wealthy, well-cultured, well-fed, respected. . . But Nehemiah's concern was for his people back home.
Ask, "What's Going On?"
Here is Nehemiah's account, in his own words... Nehemiah 1:1-3, "In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. 3 They said to me, "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned w/fire."
Let me ask, what trouble do you see in our world? What's most alarming to you? Our national attention turned this week to Charleston. Before that it was Baltimore. Before that Ferguson. Just because things are okay where you're at, doesn't mean things are okay. We live in a wicked, evil, violent world. What trouble in our world, in our nation, in our city, in your family, in your life. . . do you refuse to acknowledge?
As Christians we have to ask/question people. What's going on? How are you? How are things in your life, marriage, home, city? Tell me more. Help me understand.
Our circle of concern must have a greater circumference than ourselves, our own well being, even our own families. But I think this is also important. We have to pick a focal point for our concern. We can't be concerned about everything, everywhere. There are mass shootings, tsunamis, ethnic cleansings, ISIS, Russia-Ukraine, Environmental issues, sex trafficking, systemic political corruption...
Ask, "What's the Root Cause?"
It drives me insane when television pundits, politicians, or even pastors take a situation and leap to conclusions. We're quick to opine, blame, criticize, and deflect responsibility away from ourselves toward others. Maybe we could take a lesson from Nehemiah. . .
Nehemiah 1:4-6a, "4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. 5 Then I said: "Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel.
I wonder what conclusions Nehemiah might have leaped to if he didn't start with prayer? Maybe he would have said, "God doesn't care... God is punishing his people... their getting what they deserve... God doesn't answer prayer no more... God isn't great. God isn't good. God is dead... Religion is for the weak, Judaism doesn't have any practical value. . ."
When is the last time you really sat down, wept, mourned, fasted, and prayed before God about a situation? I don't think that's our impulse do you? Our starting point in prayer is to acknowledge that there is a LORD, a God of Heaven, a great and awesome God, a God who keeps his covenant of love, a God who is attentive, and present, and hears our prayers. It's more important what that kind of God thinks than what I think or feel.
Ask, "What's My Responsibility?"
An amazing shift happens as Nehemiah prays. He begins to identify his own culpability for the trouble in Jerusalem, Judah, and his world. We're not innocent. Our families aren't innocent. Our ancestors, our tribe, our kind of people, our kinsfolk, our homeboys. . . we don't live in a vacuum. We too are actors, complicit in our own fate.
Nehemiah 1:6b-7, "I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's family, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses."
By the way, what's happening is terrible. The root cause is not any deficiency in God's character, power, or love. Rather, it's a broken relationship with God. A straight line can be drawn from a broken relationship with God to any crisis facing our family, city, nation, or world. And our responsibility is to first humble ourselves, and confess our sin, and acknowledge that it's we who have corrupted this world, not God. It's we who haven't obeyed.... feared God... acted wickedly. It's our ego, our pride, that must first be shattered. Everyone is wrong, starting with us. All have sinned. I have sinned. You have sinned. A leader has to face the truth--and the most painful truth is that of a leader's own sin.
Ask, "Where's My God?"
Here's the good news. Once there is genuine repentance, there's no longer any retribution. In the Bible we have God's entire track record, from the beginning of time right into the present. God's track record, his very purpose, is always redemptive. When we draw near to God, he promises to draw near to us. He promises, "seek and you will find." "Knock, and the door will be opened."
Nehemiah has this epiphany that God is fully ready to act for the good of people, and of his nation. God hasn't given up on us! God's hasn't forgotten his promises. Not only is God able, he is willing to act according to his track record. God is faithful. Nehemiah prays to God, ... Nehemiah 1:8-10, "8 Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.' 10 "They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand.
The word grace means favor. What would it mean for you in your life to recognize that God doesn't want to hold you in your trouble, disgrace, shame, or fear or condemnation... but that God is for you! God favors you! God wants to redeem you, gather you, back to himself, for his own purpose and pleasure! With repentance comes God's favor, exceedingly great and precious promises, abundant grace and mercy.
Ask, "What's My Next Step?"
The key to overcoming fear isn't greater self-confidence, it is great faith. Faith is absolute, unreserved confidence in God. If you had total confidence in God to have your back, and to give you success, what might you now do that you've never been willing to do? Nehemiah 1:11, "Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in presence of this man." I was cupbearer to king.