Problems Into Possibilities. 1st in a series of three.
Scripture: Nehemiah 1 thru 2.
Introduction:
Do you have any problems? You do? Well, congratulations! Because, for the child of God, problems are really possibilities in disguise. Today, I want to help you learn how you can turn every problem into a possibility. As Christians, we have a relationship with God that gives us insight, wisdom, and power to see an opportunity in every difficulty. And I’m not just talking about wishful thinking because we’re going to see that no matter what your problem is, God can turn it into a possibility. There are three steps we need to take in order to maximize God’s plan in our lives. I want to consider these steps as we look at the life of Nehemiah, a towering man of faith despite towering problems that could have overwhelmed most people. Nehemiah had difficulties you and I cannot even imagine, but he saw God’s potential in each one. Let’s open our Bible to Nehemiah chapter 1 starting at verse 1.
1. The Need to Visualize
The first step we discover from Nehemiah’s life is what I’m going to call the need to visualize. Listen as I read:
“The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the providence are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and it’s gates have been burned with fire.” Neh. 1:1-3 NIV.
Nehemiah was a Jewish exile serving King Artaxerxes in the faraway land of Persia. One day, Nehemiah met with some of his Jewish brothers who had recently returned from Jerusalem. He was eager for news concerning his people in the city of God, so he asked them, “What is the people’s condition? What is the city of God like? Tell me so I can visualize it.” I realize that the word visualize has been coopted and corrupted by New Agers, psychics, and the self-actualizing crowd. But here, I am using it in the basic sense of seeing something in the mind’s eye. As Nehemiah’s Jewish brothers described the degradation, desolation, and danger facing the people in Jerusalem; he could see the city of God in disarray, with the walls burned and the streets filled with debris. Nehemiah saw this sad picture in his mind and his heart, and he wept. (vs. 4) The walls Nehemiah saw in his mind were not only literal, they were symbolic. Walls in the Bible, and especially those around Jerusalem, were symbolic of the glory of God, the salvation of God, and the protection of God over His people. But the walls had fallen. Here was a terrible problem. Now you might be asking, “What does this mean to us today?” Well friends, these walls are symbolic of walls we are called to rebuild. The walls are falling in many people’s lives today.
A. The Problem of Sin
The problems we face are very real and the greatest problem of all is the problem of sin. When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, God judged him for that sin, and the curse of sin was introduced into the human line. But I want to show you something important in Genesis 3. In the process of pronouncing judgment, God said to Adam:
“To Adam He said, “Because you listened to you wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’ Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of you life…So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.” Gen. 3:17,23 NIV.
I believe the worst thing that could happen to sinful people would be to live in a perfect environment. You see, problems are the fever that alerts us to a deeper infection. If God had left Adam in the garden, Adam would not have known he had the fatal infection of sin. And he would not have sought the remedy for sin, which he found in the shedding of blood. Problems are designed not to crush us, but to crowd us to Christ, Who provided the remedy for sin by shedding His blood on the cross. The problem of sin is real and terrible, but it brings with it the possibility that we can be forgiven and clothed in the righteousness of Christ. In Him, we can rebuild the walls that sin has destroyed.
B. The Problem of Family Breakdown.
I want to also consider another wall that is broken down today. The walls of the home are falling in on the family. The home is rapidly becoming a domestic disaster area. We’re talking about the need to visualize a problem before you can turn it into a possibility. But the fact is that when it comes to the home, you don’t have to picture the problem. It’s all around us!! If your neighborhood is typical, there are broken homes right on your street. The walls of our homes are falling.
C. The Problem of National Breakdown.
The walls of our nation are falling as well. We must face the fact that America is in danger. I believe that our nation is on a collision course with the same judgment that fell on Sodom and Gomorrah, and if this is true, then the wrath of God is imminent for this nation unless we as a nation repent and get right with Him. John Philpot Curran said, “The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance.” Shortly after hearing this speech by Curran, Wendell Phillips paraphrased this by saying, and I quote, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” But I think that we have forgotten to be vigilant because, as a nation, we have forgotten God. Just visualize the scene with me for a moment: There is the collapse of our moral values, the disintegration of the homes, the highest crime rate of all time in all the world. And, this last century was the bloodiest in human history. While crime and violence are a well known story, this, I believe, is the tip of a very big iceberg when you consider the matters of assisted suicide, abortion and euthanasia. You don’t have to be a prophet to picture the day coming when we will see the involuntary elimination of the old, ill and unwanted.
When a society turns It’s back on God, they begin to feel free to play God, and anything goes. Man doesn’t really matter anymore. He is simply matter in motion or a glorified machine, not someone made in the image of God. Can you visualize these problems? As the people of God, we can’t be like ostriches with our heads stuck in the sand. Our walls of restraint are decaying, and our walls of decency are down. We, as a nation, have ceased to be shocked. What we used to abhor, now amuses us. What was horrible yesterday is acceptable today and will become a stepping stone for something worse tomorrow. I believe we have almost reached the bottom of the trash can. Most television shows today include immorality in every episode and I venture to say that if they removed the element of sex, there would be very little left to laugh at. Our children are being fed television images that glorify sin!!! The impact on their minds and hearts is tremendous and the advertisers know that. That’s why they are willing to spend millions for a few seconds of commercial time on T.V.. I believe this accepting attitude and outright promotion of immorality is contributing to the explosion of pornography in all of it’s evil forms!!! Pornography is now flowing like a broken sewer line, and despite all the evidence to the contrary, many “experts” tell us that pornography doesn’t hurt anybody. How foolish!! “Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?” PRVS. 6:27-28. Can a person feed on trash and it not affect his health?
D. The Problem of Education.
Another problem that exists today is that our educational system has taken God, His Word, and prayer and put them outside the walls of our schools. They are no longer welcome. With God now on the outside, tell me, what is now on the inside? I will tell you, evolution, homosexuality, illicit sex, abortion and venereal disease. But God is out. The concept of absolute truth is also outside the walls of our schools. The idea that there is absolute right and wrong is viewed as a curiosity, a throwback to a primitive generation. All this leads to an inevitable result: the walls of education are fallen. Psalm 11:3 says, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Friends, we sing “God bless America,” but why should He unless we repent? Some will ask me, “Why are you drawing such a grim picture?” It’s because we need to relearn to see the problem in all it’s ugliness before we can see God’s possibilities in it.
Conclusion:
When Nehemiah heard the news about Jerusalem, he could have said, “Stop. Don’t say another word. I don’t want to know the truth. Just let me picture Jerusalem the way I remember it.” Now, what would have happened? I don’t know for sure, but if he had refused to see the problem, I believe Nehemiah would never have become the great wall builder. It’s time for us believers to visualize the problems. Can you see them in your spiritual mind’s eye? Only when we do this, will we be motivated to come together and rebuild the walls to restore God’s blessing, provision, and protection on America. We had better get our eyes open and see the truth. The walls are fallen in on our personal lives, in our homes, and in our nation. The thing that motivated and moved Nehemiah so long ago was that he was able to visualize the problem. He saw the situation as it was.
Prayer:
O dear God, please open our eyes to help us see our problems, and then help us to recognize that we must repent and turn to You, if ever we are to rebuild our walls again. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Pastor Harold Trent.
Scripture: Nehemiah 1 thru 2.
Introduction:
Do you have any problems? You do? Well, congratulations! Because, for the child of God, problems are really possibilities in disguise. Today, I want to help you learn how you can turn every problem into a possibility. As Christians, we have a relationship with God that gives us insight, wisdom, and power to see an opportunity in every difficulty. And I’m not just talking about wishful thinking because we’re going to see that no matter what your problem is, God can turn it into a possibility. There are three steps we need to take in order to maximize God’s plan in our lives. I want to consider these steps as we look at the life of Nehemiah, a towering man of faith despite towering problems that could have overwhelmed most people. Nehemiah had difficulties you and I cannot even imagine, but he saw God’s potential in each one. Let’s open our Bible to Nehemiah chapter 1 starting at verse 1.
1. The Need to Visualize
The first step we discover from Nehemiah’s life is what I’m going to call the need to visualize. Listen as I read:
“The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the providence are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and it’s gates have been burned with fire.” Neh. 1:1-3 NIV.
Nehemiah was a Jewish exile serving King Artaxerxes in the faraway land of Persia. One day, Nehemiah met with some of his Jewish brothers who had recently returned from Jerusalem. He was eager for news concerning his people in the city of God, so he asked them, “What is the people’s condition? What is the city of God like? Tell me so I can visualize it.” I realize that the word visualize has been coopted and corrupted by New Agers, psychics, and the self-actualizing crowd. But here, I am using it in the basic sense of seeing something in the mind’s eye. As Nehemiah’s Jewish brothers described the degradation, desolation, and danger facing the people in Jerusalem; he could see the city of God in disarray, with the walls burned and the streets filled with debris. Nehemiah saw this sad picture in his mind and his heart, and he wept. (vs. 4) The walls Nehemiah saw in his mind were not only literal, they were symbolic. Walls in the Bible, and especially those around Jerusalem, were symbolic of the glory of God, the salvation of God, and the protection of God over His people. But the walls had fallen. Here was a terrible problem. Now you might be asking, “What does this mean to us today?” Well friends, these walls are symbolic of walls we are called to rebuild. The walls are falling in many people’s lives today.
A. The Problem of Sin
The problems we face are very real and the greatest problem of all is the problem of sin. When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, God judged him for that sin, and the curse of sin was introduced into the human line. But I want to show you something important in Genesis 3. In the process of pronouncing judgment, God said to Adam:
“To Adam He said, “Because you listened to you wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’ Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of you life…So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.” Gen. 3:17,23 NIV.
I believe the worst thing that could happen to sinful people would be to live in a perfect environment. You see, problems are the fever that alerts us to a deeper infection. If God had left Adam in the garden, Adam would not have known he had the fatal infection of sin. And he would not have sought the remedy for sin, which he found in the shedding of blood. Problems are designed not to crush us, but to crowd us to Christ, Who provided the remedy for sin by shedding His blood on the cross. The problem of sin is real and terrible, but it brings with it the possibility that we can be forgiven and clothed in the righteousness of Christ. In Him, we can rebuild the walls that sin has destroyed.
B. The Problem of Family Breakdown.
I want to also consider another wall that is broken down today. The walls of the home are falling in on the family. The home is rapidly becoming a domestic disaster area. We’re talking about the need to visualize a problem before you can turn it into a possibility. But the fact is that when it comes to the home, you don’t have to picture the problem. It’s all around us!! If your neighborhood is typical, there are broken homes right on your street. The walls of our homes are falling.
C. The Problem of National Breakdown.
The walls of our nation are falling as well. We must face the fact that America is in danger. I believe that our nation is on a collision course with the same judgment that fell on Sodom and Gomorrah, and if this is true, then the wrath of God is imminent for this nation unless we as a nation repent and get right with Him. John Philpot Curran said, “The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance.” Shortly after hearing this speech by Curran, Wendell Phillips paraphrased this by saying, and I quote, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” But I think that we have forgotten to be vigilant because, as a nation, we have forgotten God. Just visualize the scene with me for a moment: There is the collapse of our moral values, the disintegration of the homes, the highest crime rate of all time in all the world. And, this last century was the bloodiest in human history. While crime and violence are a well known story, this, I believe, is the tip of a very big iceberg when you consider the matters of assisted suicide, abortion and euthanasia. You don’t have to be a prophet to picture the day coming when we will see the involuntary elimination of the old, ill and unwanted.
When a society turns It’s back on God, they begin to feel free to play God, and anything goes. Man doesn’t really matter anymore. He is simply matter in motion or a glorified machine, not someone made in the image of God. Can you visualize these problems? As the people of God, we can’t be like ostriches with our heads stuck in the sand. Our walls of restraint are decaying, and our walls of decency are down. We, as a nation, have ceased to be shocked. What we used to abhor, now amuses us. What was horrible yesterday is acceptable today and will become a stepping stone for something worse tomorrow. I believe we have almost reached the bottom of the trash can. Most television shows today include immorality in every episode and I venture to say that if they removed the element of sex, there would be very little left to laugh at. Our children are being fed television images that glorify sin!!! The impact on their minds and hearts is tremendous and the advertisers know that. That’s why they are willing to spend millions for a few seconds of commercial time on T.V.. I believe this accepting attitude and outright promotion of immorality is contributing to the explosion of pornography in all of it’s evil forms!!! Pornography is now flowing like a broken sewer line, and despite all the evidence to the contrary, many “experts” tell us that pornography doesn’t hurt anybody. How foolish!! “Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?” PRVS. 6:27-28. Can a person feed on trash and it not affect his health?
D. The Problem of Education.
Another problem that exists today is that our educational system has taken God, His Word, and prayer and put them outside the walls of our schools. They are no longer welcome. With God now on the outside, tell me, what is now on the inside? I will tell you, evolution, homosexuality, illicit sex, abortion and venereal disease. But God is out. The concept of absolute truth is also outside the walls of our schools. The idea that there is absolute right and wrong is viewed as a curiosity, a throwback to a primitive generation. All this leads to an inevitable result: the walls of education are fallen. Psalm 11:3 says, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Friends, we sing “God bless America,” but why should He unless we repent? Some will ask me, “Why are you drawing such a grim picture?” It’s because we need to relearn to see the problem in all it’s ugliness before we can see God’s possibilities in it.
Conclusion:
When Nehemiah heard the news about Jerusalem, he could have said, “Stop. Don’t say another word. I don’t want to know the truth. Just let me picture Jerusalem the way I remember it.” Now, what would have happened? I don’t know for sure, but if he had refused to see the problem, I believe Nehemiah would never have become the great wall builder. It’s time for us believers to visualize the problems. Can you see them in your spiritual mind’s eye? Only when we do this, will we be motivated to come together and rebuild the walls to restore God’s blessing, provision, and protection on America. We had better get our eyes open and see the truth. The walls are fallen in on our personal lives, in our homes, and in our nation. The thing that motivated and moved Nehemiah so long ago was that he was able to visualize the problem. He saw the situation as it was.
Prayer:
O dear God, please open our eyes to help us see our problems, and then help us to recognize that we must repent and turn to You, if ever we are to rebuild our walls again. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Pastor Harold Trent.
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