A Personal Commitment / Nehemiah 2:9-2:16

Understanding Holy Discontent

We’ve been talking about Nehemiah’s “holy discontent.” You know, a holy discontent is never going to run through the filter of anything else than God’s moral will. Shay mentioned this a week ago; a holy discontent is probably going to be central to something happening in the world in the wrong way—something that, through the lens of Scripture, is not the way the world should be. It’s when the morals of people or communities raise a conviction in you that says, “That’s not how they should live.”

I think of a woman I know who had such a conviction to get women off the street. She built a business making bags so they could earn a living and not have to live that life anymore. That is a holy discontent. It’s something that drips outside the filter of God’s moral will and gives us a drive to act.

In Nehemiah chapter two, we see Nehemiah arriving at the scene. The King had sent officers and an army and horsemen with him. He arrives at a broken-down city that has inhabitants but probably isn’t worth its weight—a place that has had the thumb of its neighbors pushed down on it for a long time. The Bible tells us that some were very displeased that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel and to help build up that which was broken.

I look at our culture today, and I just think, gosh, it almost seems like Christians are the ones being targeted. Everybody is fine with other religious beliefs and other lifestyles, except when it comes to things happening where Christians have great influence. But I look back at history and I ask: Has there ever been a faith that’s done more good in the history of the world? I understand the pendulum swings, and there are radical sides of every faith—from the totally uninvolved to the Crusades, which were a black eye for us. But when God stirs something in you, don’t be surprised by the opposition. Nehemiah is going to hang in there. He’s not going to tuck his tail and run back to what’s safe.

The Power of Secrecy

Now, I expect Nehemiah to be like me. When I know there’s a project, I’m like, “Let’s do it! Right now, go! Let’s start working!” There are a lot of people on our staff who are like that as well. We want to turn dirty water into clean water in Africa right now. We jump into action immediately. But I think there’s a lesson here about our action-oriented culture. You can drive through and get your food “your way, right away.” That has crept into our faith.

One of the things you need to know today is that in this “holy discontent” world, clarity begins in secrecy. If you want this thing God is stirring in you to be very clear, it often begins in the quiet, as we see modeled in Nehemiah.

Think about the rhythm of our lives. We give an honest evaluation of where we’re at, but then we get caught in the rush. We say, “Well, I went to church for an hour, but then I went to soccer, and then I had dinner with Grandma, and then I had to take some stuff back to the store, and I went shopping.” We get in this rhythm all the time, and then we get upset when Wednesday rolls around and life is hard. We get angry and frustrated and think, “Man, I just need to go back to church.”

What if we took time to stretch out that hour or hour and a half? What if you started with just half a day? I’m not even proclaiming you go a full day right now, but what if you just started asking the Lord to fill your tank so that you can fulfill what He has for you? It would change your life. We have to model what Nehemiah models for us. He takes a few men with him, and it’s almost embarrassing how quiet he’s been about his plan.

What does that say about the character of the men with him? It would be so easy to get back after a night inspection and tell someone in the city, “Hey, this is happening!” But Nehemiah didn’t blurt out his plans. He didn’t tweet about it. He didn’t put it on Facebook: “Hey, going out to check the wall!” No, he goes out at night when it’s dark, when there isn’t even electricity, just some lamps.

Nehemiah 2:12 (NASB)

And I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anyone what my God was putting into my mind to do for Jerusalem and there was no animal with me except the animal on which I was riding.

As we’ve been calling you to think through your own holy discontent—what is broken or burned that God may be calling you to redeem—remember that gossip can destroy these things. We live in a culture that just wants information. We want to know the gossip about celebrities and divorces and all the details. But in the process of seeking clarity for holy discontent, we must let it begin in secret. Nehemiah wanted to see the brokenness for himself. He wanted to see if the rumors of the broken city were true. He wanted it to be his own dream, not someone else’s.

Workmanship and Good Works

We’ll see in the coming weeks that some people are called to come behind others and follow, and that’s a great thing. But first, God stirs something new. He says, “Get your hands dirty.”

This isn’t just a rare instance in Scripture. From Joshua and Judges all the way through the Kings and Chronicles, we see God working this way. The greatest individual ever to exemplify holy discontent was Jesus, who put on flesh and came into this world at a very specific time in history. There is something in us, prepared before time, that He wants to do through us.

Ephesians 2:10 (NASB)

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

In the Old Testament, the Levitical law was often seen as a way to earn your way to God. I do that all the time. I think, “God, if I just do these things, You’ll be happy with me.” But then there’s that wonderful middle ground: God prepared these things beforehand. Before we were ever created, He prepared good works for us to walk in.

If we just try to get those works going without God, we fail. I’ve been there. I say, “I’m not going to be angry today. I’m not going to yell at my kids. I’m not going to look at that thing on the internet. I’m just going to do it!” And then the cycle starts: try hard, do good, fail. Try hard, do good, fail. Eventually, we just fake it. We’ve all been there.

Nehemiah says, “I didn’t tell anybody what God had put in my heart.” As you’re seeking clarity, let it be secret. Let it stew like a crockpot. You pour a bunch of stuff in, turn it on, and come back later. It’s not good when you first pour it in, but it’s great later. If we are honest about our place in life and the sin around us, and we desire the things of God, that’s when holy discontent bubbles up into action.

Getting Our Hands Dirty

In verses 13 through 16, Nehemiah goes out by night and walks around the southern part of the city. He’s inspecting the walls. He’s getting his hands dirty. That kind of inspection needs to come with our holy discontent.

But for many of us, it’s hard to determine what our holy discontent even is. I talked with Andrew Fyle, our missional director, this week. He’s a guy who has his hands dirty in our city all week long. I asked him to help me understand our context. He told me that Fresno is ranked in the top ten for total poverty. Do you want to guess what number we are? We are number four.

We are behind cities like LA, Denver, and Dallas. We are only the fifth biggest city in California, but we are the fourth poorest in the nation. But here is something even more disturbing that should break your heart like Nehemiah’s: when it comes to “concentrated poverty,” meaning the intensity of poverty in specific neighborhoods, Fresno is number one.

That should stir something in you. It stirs in me. I see that and think, “That shouldn’t be right. People shouldn’t have to live like that.” Now, I’m not saying it’s a bad thing to have money. Paul talks about this—how are the poor ever to be taken care of unless those with resources give? Maybe God is stirring something in you to take care of a city that is broken and burned right before our eyes.

Maybe it’s your marriage. You say, “I’m going to love God, I’m going to read my Bible, and I’m going to submit to the friends around me.” Think about how a marriage would change if a husband treated his wife like Christ treated the church—that He died for her. That’s the kind of sacrifice I want to strive for. I’m not always there, and it’s hard, but it’s what I want to do.

What about sexual morality? There are over 2,700,000 internet sites directly related to pornography. That is a problem for our young people, and it’s a problem for us. Does that make you angry? Could that be a holy discontent? Absolutely. What about the health of our community, or the way money is spent on things that don’t matter—things you can’t take in the casket with you when you die? Keep seeking clarity.

Four Boundaries for the Journey

One potential barrier is that you see people like Brian and Kim Fyle, who moved into a specific area of town because they wanted to be a light there, and you feel overwhelmed. You think, “I don’t know if I can do that.” Just let it sit. Don’t apologize.

As we finish, I want to give you four boundaries to play in. I coach a three-and-four-year-old soccer team—my son’s team, the Pumas. It’s like herding cats! But they know their boundaries. Here are yours:

First, our holy discontent always comes from God. Remember verse 12: “I told no one what God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem.”

Second, holy discontent will always displace you in your soul. It will get you out of your comfort zone. It might make you knock on a neighbor’s door you’ve never met to offer to mow their lawn or help them out.

Third, our holy discontent should seek the welfare of others. Your holy discontent isn’t a bucket list item. It’s not, “I can’t wait to jump out of a plane before I die.” It has to be about other people. You are part of the equation, but it’s about making a difference for others.

Fourth, it requires a personal commitment. Nehemiah went out and inspected those walls himself before he ever rebuilt one stone.

We have a variety of passions and convictions for a reason because there are a lot of things broken in this world. When you’re not sure what to do, remember Jesus. He had the greatest holy discontent of all. He came and lived a perfect life so that through Him, we might be reconciled to God. We are His workmanship, created for good works.

I am desperately praying that you find clarity in the secrecy. I’m excited to hear the stories. If the people in this room lived this out—submitted to God, hated sin, and went out to restore what is broken—it would make a difference. The nightly news would look a lot different, wouldn’t it?

Rest where you’re at. Let this thing stew in secret. And then, let’s get our hands dirty for the things of God.

Prayer

Great and mighty God, You are holy. None of us here are worthy to approach Your throne. But You thought we were so valuable that You sent Your Son, Jesus. Life in Him and faith in Him allows us to have a relationship with You, and we are so grateful.

We pray this morning that You will continue to stir in us any holy discontent You have for us. I pray that it might make us weak so that Your strength can be shown. We look to You for the completion of this process and for the hope found in it. At the end of the day, may any glory that comes out of it—in us, through us, or for other people—may it all come back to You. May we truly be the people of God. We pray these things in the name of Christ, Amen.