Welcome to Big Valley Grace Community Church. If you are brand new, my name is Joel. I’d love to meet you. I’ll be standing right down here after the gathering. I’d love to personally welcome you, shake your hand, look you in the eyes, and say, “Hey, we’re glad you’re here.” So, welcome to Big Valley Grace Community Church. We’re really glad you’re here. We hope today’s a great encouragement.

We are going through a book of the Bible titled Nehemiah. It’s about a third of the way through the Bible. If you need help finding it, you can look in the table of contents. We’re going to be in chapter 4 today. If you need a Bible, we want to give you a Bible. Come to the prayer room after the gathering. If you need prayer, our team will be ready to pray with you. We have Bibles in there as well. We want to make sure everyone has a copy of God’s Word. The verses will also be on the screen, so if you don’t have a Bible with you, you can follow along. We’ll be in Nehemiah chapter 4.

I grew up about two city blocks that direction, and my family of origin had an activity that we would participate in with my dad and my brothers as we were growing up: we would go over to the coast and go surfing. Now, it’s a little strange to be a kid from Modesto and surf because none of my friends at school surfed. I would tell people I went to the coast and went surfing, and nobody else would relate over here in the valley. But my dad grew up surfing, and he taught us boys as we were growing up to surf.

I went into the archives and found a photo. This is 30 years ago. I am on the left, my dad is on the right, and my dad and I are both here today, so you can compare the 30-year version. Our friend Greg is in the middle. My dad would always take us over to Half Moon Bay. We would hop in and out of coves, check out beaches, and just look for the perfect wave.

When I was in my 20s, I went with a friend north of Santa Cruz. The day we went surfing, the waves were huge—way larger than me as a person. At this specific location, the waves were so large that they took up the whole area of the cove, so you couldn’t paddle out past them. To get out, you had to climb the cliff, go along the cliff, and then at the edge jump off with your board to get past the waves. Then you could surf back in.

The waves were huge that day, and they were absolutely thrashing me around. They were tearing me apart. In surfing, there’s a piece of equipment called the leash. It’s exactly what it sounds like: a cord that connects your ankle to the board. On this particular day, the waves were so big that I snapped three leashes. Three leashes were broken as the waves tore the board away from my body.

I got so tossed and turned that I ended up on the beach with my board laying there. I was all beat up and super discouraged. I was totally washed out as wave after wave after wave crashed on me—which can happen to all of us. A wave hits you, and it’s super discouraging in life. Another wave hits you, and you’re discouraged again. Then that third wave comes and just washes you out.

That kind of discouragement is exactly what we’re going to look at today in Nehemiah chapter 4. The question we’re going to use to frame our text is: How can we deal with discouragement that is preventing us from accomplishing God’s work? Wave after wave after wave—how can we deal with discouragement that’s preventing us from accomplishing God’s work?

In this text, what God is going to reveal is, in a sense, a third wave of discouragement that hits a man named Nehemiah. The first wave came and discouraged him. The second wave came and discouraged him. Now a third wave of discouragement hits his life in Nehemiah 4.

In verses 10 through 23, Judah says that the strength of those carrying the burdens is failing and that there is too much rubble for them to rebuild the wall by themselves. Their enemies threaten to come among them, kill them, and stop the work. Jews living nearby repeatedly tell them to return. In response, Nehemiah stations the people by their families in the vulnerable areas of the wall with swords, spears, and bows. He tells them not to be afraid but to remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and to fight for their families and homes.

When their enemies realize their plan has been discovered and God has frustrated it, the people return to the work. From that day forward, some work on construction while others stand ready with weapons. The builders work while remaining prepared to defend themselves. Nehemiah establishes a trumpet as a rallying signal so that wherever an attack occurs, everyone can gather together, trusting that God will fight for them. They labor from dawn until the stars come out, remain inside Jerusalem to guard it, and stay prepared around the clock.

Let’s pray together. Father God, Lord, help us understand how to deal with discouragement. Help us see this character Nehemiah and what happens when wave after wave of discouragement comes into his life. Help us learn from his example. God, I pray for the person who’s here today, right now, who is very discouraged. I pray for the person who feels like wave after wave after wave of discouragement has crashed upon their life.

God, I pray for the person who feels like they have been washed out and they are sitting on the shore full of discouragement. Would we find help? Would we understand that You are real, that You see us, You know us, and You are able and ready to speak from Your Word and by Your Spirit directly to us in our life? God, we need Your help. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

So how can we deal with discouragement that’s preventing us from accomplishing God’s work? The first thing is we need to identify the source of our discouragement. Where is it coming from?

There are lots of different sources of discouragement. Sometimes fatigue can be a source of discouragement. Frustration can be a source. Past failures can be a source of discouragement. Maybe fear is a source. Maybe comparing ourselves to someone else can become a source of discouragement. Maybe expectations we have that aren’t being met can become a source.

In this text, there are three sources of discouragement identified in Nehemiah’s life and among those he is working with. The first comes from Judah. The strength of those carrying the burdens is failing, there is too much rubble, and they believe they will not be able to rebuild the wall.

The second source is their enemies. Their enemies threaten to come among them, kill them, and stop the work. The third source comes from their own people living nearby, who repeatedly tell them to return and turn back from the work they are there to do.

There is something very practical in these three sources of discouragement that we can connect to our own lives. Judah was one of the tribes of Israel, and very specific things had been said about Judah. Judah would receive praise. From Judah would come the lion, the scepter—the ruling house or throne—and ultimately the promised Messiah.

So here we have Judah, which is supposed to represent leadership, actually operating as a source of discouragement. That would be like receiving discouragement from leadership. Maybe you can relate because you have experienced discouragement from leadership in your life. Maybe you’ve been discouraged about how you have led your own life. Maybe the leadership of your family, your church, your workplace, or your country has discouraged you. If you have experienced discouragement because of leadership, you can relate to what Nehemiah and the people around him are going through.

The second source is their enemies. In the previous verses, the enemies Nehemiah was facing are listed from the north, east, south, and west. In other words, neighboring nations completely surrounding Jerusalem are identified as enemies.

Maybe you have experienced what it feels like to be completely surrounded by discouragement. You go here and you’re discouraged. You go somewhere else and you’re discouraged. Everywhere you look, you’re discouraged. If that’s you, then you can relate to what they were experiencing.

Then there were the Jews who lived nearby—their own people living in the vicinity. Maybe you can relate because you’ve been discouraged by people who live near you, people who live with you, people next to you, or people in your community.

How can we deal with discouragement that is preventing us from accomplishing God’s work? First, identify the source of discouragement. Where is it coming from? But after identifying the source, we need to admit what it is causing in us. What impact is this discouragement having in our lives?

God has made us to be people who grieve. We grieve when we lose. When we lose someone, we grieve. When we lose something, we grieve. We can feel that loss throughout our whole person. We can feel loss in our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

In verses 10 and 11, we find four areas where they are experiencing loss. First is a loss of strength. The strength of those bearing the burdens is failing. Maybe you used to feel strong, but you don’t feel strong anymore. You feel like you’ve lost the strength you once had. Then you can relate.

Next, there is too much rubble. What were they there to do? God called Nehemiah to help rebuild the city, but the whole city was rubble. The walls were torn down, the gates were torn down, the buildings were torn down—everything was torn down. God had called them to rebuild.

The vision they were pursuing was a rebuilt wall, but the people had lost sight of that vision. They couldn’t see the wall being rebuilt anymore. All they could see was the rubble.

Maybe in your life you’ve lost sight of the vision of where you’re headed, where you’re going, and what God is calling you to accomplish. Maybe things have been destroyed in your life, and all you can see right now is the rubble. Then you can relate to the discouragement they were experiencing.

Next comes a loss of confidence. They say that by themselves they will not be able to rebuild the wall. At one point they thought they could rebuild it, but now they have lost confidence and don’t think they can do it anymore. Maybe you used to be confident that you could accomplish something, but now you’ve lost that confidence. Then you can relate.

Finally, there is a loss of safety. Their enemies are threatening to come among them, kill them, and stop the work. There is a real enemy and a real threat. Maybe you once felt safe and now you don’t. Because you’re experiencing that loss of safety, you’re discouraged.

We can experience a loss of strength, a loss of vision, a loss of confidence, and a loss of safety. Something heartbreaking that happens far more often than is good is when I sit with an individual, a couple, or a family, and all they can say is, “I’ve just lost so much.”

“I lost this person, and then I lost this person, and then I lost this person. I lost this aspect of my life, and then I lost another aspect of my life.” They’re so hurt and so broken, and all they can say is, “I’ve just lost so much.”

If you’re here today and that’s all you can say, I want you to know God loves you. We love you, and we’re glad you’re here. Today you’re going to hear something that can help. If all you can see is how much you’ve lost, you’re going to hear something from God’s Word that can bring encouragement into your life.

First, identify the source of discouragement. Second, admit the cause of discouragement. But we can’t stay there because it doesn’t do anyone any good to remain stuck in discouragement.

Third, we need to come up with a plan. We need a plan to deal with our discouragement. In recovery and counseling, we have a saying: if nothing changes, nothing changes.

Let me explain it differently. You did what you did, and you got what you got. So if you do what you did, you’ll get what you got. If that’s still confusing, come up to me afterward and I’ll help explain that word pretzel a little bit.

The bottom line is that staying stuck in discouragement is a bad plan. We need to put together a plan to deal with our discouragement.

Number one: unify your efforts toward a goal.

Nehemiah had been given a God-sized goal. He was an exiled Israelite in a foreign country, serving as cupbearer to the conquering king of Persia. He hears the report that his homeland and his people have been devastated and destroyed. It breaks his heart. God sends him on a mission hundreds of miles to Jerusalem, to a destroyed city and a devastated people, so that God might use him as a leader to rebuild the city.

God had given Nehemiah a God-sized goal to rebuild Jerusalem. Now God uses him as a leader to help unify others and their efforts toward that same goal.

Nehemiah makes a strategic leadership decision. He identifies two things and puts them together. First, what is the greatest danger? As he observes the wall, he sees the lowest, most exposed places. Those are the areas of greatest danger.

Then he considers the greatest motivator for the people who are building. He identifies their families. Everyone needs to be with their family. So he puts the families next to the lowest and most dangerous places. He addresses the greatest danger with the highest motivation and unifies everyone’s efforts toward the goal.

The second thing we see him do is direct your attention to the Lord.

When Nehemiah was serving as cupbearer to the foreign king of Persia and heard the report about Jerusalem, he went to the Lord in prayer. He knew that his God was the God of heaven, great and awesome, faithful to His covenant and steadfast love.

Now, as a leader, he helps other people direct their attention to the same God. He tells the people not to be afraid but to remember the Lord, who is great and awesome.

He does not tell them to focus on the enemy. He does not tell them to focus on the threat, the opposition, or the discouragement. He tells them to remember the Lord.

Shift your focus to the Lord. Maybe you have discouragement, and that’s where your focus is. Maybe you have an enemy, and that’s where your focus is. Maybe you have opposition, and that’s where your focus is. Maybe you need to receive the encouragement today: do not be afraid. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome.

Today we have an opportunity to hear from one of our Global Reach partners about this passage and their ministry.

Hi, my name is Suzanne Wilson, and I serve with Partners International. The challenges Nehemiah faced seemed insurmountable, not unlike the challenges our ministry partners face in Indonesia. Behind me is the mosque in the capital city of the Aceh province of Indonesia, a country that is over 87% Muslim.

For the past 24 years, we have been working throughout this province in many locations, taking the gospel to people who have never heard it even once in their entire lives. During this time, we have seen very little fruit from the proclamation of the gospel. In fact, the result in Aceh is very discouraging, much like the discouragement Nehemiah and the Jews faced in the daunting task of building the wall in chapter 4.

But just as God spoke through Nehemiah, telling the people not to be afraid but to remember the Lord who is great and awesome, we too know that our God is great and awesome. He will work to overcome these challenges in proclaiming the gospel.

Our church planters say their greatest challenge is getting people to understand the truth about Jesus and follow Him. Pray that they would be faithful to stand in the gaps and work to build the kingdom of God in this land despite the opposition. Thank you for your faithful partnership in allowing us to do that.

I’m going to do what our global partners are asking us to do, and that’s pray.

Father God, Lord, we pray for our missionary partners who are all around the world. God, they are up against spiritual strongholds of darkness. They are up against opposition from the enemy as they share the gospel. God, I pray that You would break down spiritual strongholds and open doors for the gospel of Jesus Christ to come into the hearts and minds of men, women, boys, and girls all around this planet.

God, bless their efforts as they spread the news of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

So we need a plan to deal with our discouragement. Unify your efforts toward a goal. Direct your attention to the Lord. Then maintain a balance between faith and action.

Nehemiah is saying, “I know God has given me a call on my life. I know God has given me a goal. I’m going to rebuild Jerusalem. I’m going to rebuild the wall.” Yes, there is discouragement and opposition, but they are not alone because God is with them. God is great and God is awesome.

Nehemiah tells them to remember the Lord who is great and awesome—and then to fight for their brothers, sons, daughters, wives, and homes.

Maintain a balance between faith and action. Have faith. Remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight.

Several times in this passage, Nehemiah demonstrates faith and action together. God frustrates the enemy’s plan, and the people return to work. God has worked on their behalf; now they get back to building the wall.

Half of the servants work on construction while half hold spears, shields, bows, and armor. The leaders stand behind the people while the builders build. Those carrying supplies work with one hand while remaining ready to defend themselves with the other.

Again and again, we see faith and action. Remember the Lord and fight. God has frustrated their plan; now get to work. Half work and half stand guard. Leadership watches while the builders build. Work with one hand and be prepared with the other.

Maintain a balance between faith and action.

Number four: determine a rallying point.

From a leadership perspective, this is a moment where Nehemiah shines brightly as a leader among leaders. What he does here clarifies his level of leadership.

The builders have their swords strapped at their sides while they build, and the man who sounds the trumpet stays beside Nehemiah. Nehemiah explains that the work is great and widely spread and that the people are separated from one another along the wall. Wherever they hear the trumpet, they are to rally together there, trusting that God will fight for them.

In this moment, Nehemiah determines a rallying point, and what he offers as the rallying point is his own life.

“My life will be the rallying point. I give my life as the rallying point. This guy with the trumpet isn’t leaving my side. We’re spread out all over the city, and if you wonder where I am, listen for the trumpet. If you hear the trumpet, that’s where I’m going to be. Rally to us.”

No hiding. No isolating. As a leader, he shows up and offers his life as the rallying point for the people.

Church family, you are right now at a rallying point. The church rallies together every weekend. We have three services every weekend: Saturday night at 6:00, Sunday at 9:00, and Sunday at 11:00. This is a rallying point.

In the same way that the trumpet sounded and the people rallied to their leader, we rally together because the leader of the church is Jesus Christ. He is the one head of the body. Every weekend, we have worship gatherings where we rally together around our leader, Jesus Christ, the Lord and Savior of the church.

Throughout the week, you have smaller rallying points as well. There are groups meeting on campus Monday night, Tuesday night, Wednesday night, and at other times. Groups meet in neighborhoods and businesses and all over the place throughout the week. These are smaller rallying points where we gather together around Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior and the head of the church.

Don’t wait for your heart to stop for 11 seconds before deciding to get into a rallying point. Jason and his family, who were in the testimony video, are very grateful that they had rallying points already established in their lives before his heart stopped for 11 seconds.

You have a rallying point. Come to the worship gathering and let’s rally around our Lord and Savior. Get into a group and let’s rally around our Lord and Savior.

Number five: develop a serve-one-another mentality.

This is as simple yet profound as the teaching of Jesus Christ: love your neighbor as yourself. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Develop a serve-one-another mentality.

One question we can ask when we see somebody who needs help is, “How do you need me to help you right now?”

How can I be part of the solution for you right now? With the gifts, talents, and abilities God has given me, is there some way I can be part of the solution for what you are facing?

Develop a serve-one-another mentality.

We see this in verses 21 through 23. The people labor at the work while half hold spears from dawn until the stars come out. That sounds like a full workday. Then the people are told to stay inside Jerusalem so they can guard by night and labor by day. That sounds like a 24-hour shift. Nehemiah, his brothers, his servants, and the guards don’t even leave the job site.

You can’t live in that scenario forever. That would kill every one of us. But this isn’t a permanent situation. It is an emergency situation involving the preservation of a people group. They rally together and say, “We’re going to have a full workday. We’re going to do 24-hour shifts, and no one in leadership is going to leave the job site. We’re going to serve one another.”

You serve there, then I’ll serve here. You serve here, then I’ll serve there. We’re going to serve one another.

This is leadership directing a round-the-clock effort to address the need. It isn’t forever. It’s for a duration of time. It’s for a season. But during that season, they are all in to accomplish the job.

If you want to take a step toward developing a serve-one-another mentality, I have two words: show up.

Show up.

You don’t have to have it all figured out. Show up and see what happens. Show up and find out how the person needs help. Show up and find out how the person needs prayer. Show up and find out how God is going to work through your life to make you part of the solution.

You don’t need all the answers ahead of time. Just show up and see what happens.

I don’t know all the details of the story, but whoever sold whatever they sold to prepare to give a gift to someone in need in that video, I’m confident they weren’t thinking they were going to be buying a La-Z-Boy recliner.

They were thinking, “God has given us this extra cash. We don’t need it for ourselves. We’re going to use it to help somebody. What need is God going to present?”

Boom. There it is.

And they helped somebody. It was a very practical need that helped someone recover from a very serious procedure.

Show up.

Now, about me getting tossed around by the ocean: eventually, I went surfing again. It took some time. I got scars. I had to get new gear. I had to train differently.

But I also needed some friends to encourage me because I got pretty beat up out in the ocean, and I wasn’t very excited to go back. I needed friends to say, “Hey, we’ll go together. Let’s paddle out together. Let’s go over to the coast together. Let’s get into the water together. Let’s get up together. Let’s ride again together. I’ll go with you. Come on. Let’s go surf again.”

Eventually, I surfed again. I got back up.

But I needed encouragement to do it.

How do you need a plan to deal with the discouragement you’re facing right now? Which one of these things do you need to put into place in your own life?

Unify your efforts toward a goal.

Direct your attention to the Lord.

Maintain a balance between faith and action.

Determine a rallying point.

Develop a serve-one-another mentality.

How do you need to take an action step and put together a plan to deal with whatever discouragement is in your life? Because staying stuck in discouragement is a bad plan.

As we work together and serve one another in love, I am confident that we’re going to help one another overcome discouragement so that we can accomplish God’s work in our community.

As we learn to love one another as ourselves, do unto others as we would have them do unto us, and serve one another in love as a church family, I’m confident we’re going to make progress in overcoming discouragement and accomplishing God’s work in our community.

God has us here. This is where we are. We’re not somewhere else. We’re right here. God has us here for a reason.

The Bible says that we have been created in Christ Jesus for good works that have been prepared beforehand for us to walk in. We need encouragement to walk in them. As we serve one another in love, we’re going to be able to help one another overcome the discouragement we’re facing because God has something He wants to accomplish with our lives.

It’s a good work. It’s a God work. It’s right here in our community.

You might be here right now and need a rallying point. You need the trumpet to sound and people to come together around the leader because the discouragement, opposition, enemy, or threat is so intense in your life that you don’t want to wait until tomorrow. You don’t want to wait until next week. You need a rallying point right here, right now.

We want to be that rallying point with you, and we want to pray for you. If you need prayer because waves of discouragement have hit your life and then hit you again and again, and you’re feeling crashed and washed out on the shore, stand up. We’ll pray for you right now.

We will come together as a rallying point around our leader, Jesus Christ, who is our Lord and Savior. He is the leader of this church, and we will rally around you. We will rally together right now.

Father God, thank You for everyone who is standing. God, You know exactly what is going on in their lives. You know exactly what they’re facing as discouragement. You know what the waves look like that have hit them and then hit them again and again. You know the scars they have from the battle. You know the exhaustion they’re facing from being worn out.

God, You know what the threat, the enemy, and the opposition look like in their lives. We rally together right now around our leader. Our leader is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. He is the head of this church.

God, they are expressing humility by standing and asking for prayer. Your Word says that if we humble ourselves, You will lift us up. They are humbling themselves by asking for prayer, so God, I pray that You would do a great work to lift them up.

We pray over our brothers and sisters. We pray blessing over them in the name of Jesus Christ, who is our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Church family, if you need further prayer, our team will be ready and available to pray with you in the prayer room. If you’re new, I’d love to meet you. If you need to be baptized, we have a baptism class going on right now.

We love you, church family, and we’re going to see you again real soon at the next rallying point.