There is something in each of our lives—a habit, a relationship, a debt—that deserves our attention this year. (Inspired by Andy Stanley)

Transcript

This year… there are a lot of things you could do. And there are a lot of things you will do. But there’s one thing that you need to do.

Now, that one thing is different for each of us. But there is one thing—based on what’s going on in your life, your relationships, your marriage, your money. There is one thing you need to do this year. And if you could figure out this one thing, it would leave you in a much better place a year from now.

So, what is your one thing? Here are a few ideas.

• It could be a HABIT you need to break. You tell yourself or others that it’s not a problem. But you know, deep in your heart, that it is.

• Or maybe it’s a RELATIONSHIP you need to restore. You’ve had a falling out with someone, and now your heart filled with resentment and pride.

• Or it could be a DEBT you need to pay off. You know you should, but it’s scary because it means change. And that’s difficult.

Your thing may or may not be on this list. But there is one thing for you. Wouldn’t it be great if, by the end of the year, you had done it? Imagine how much better your life would be.

I first heard this sermon 10 years ago from Andy Stanley, and it had a real impact on me. It was around that time I was diagnosed with diabetes, and this sermon helped me lose my first 20 pounds.

In fact, it was so meaningful to me that I even made a little Lego set to remind me of it. (Of course, I would.) Now, this picture probably doesn’t make any sense to you, but it will in a few minutes.

So, I want to make this sermon our New Year’s tradition. I did it back in 2020, and I’m doing it again now in 2022.

Today, I want to teach you about the Old Testament prophet Nehemiah. Let me introduce you to a couple of the people:

• Artaxerxes is the King of Persia, modern-day Iran, around 450 BC. Persia was the dominant world force at the time.

• Nehemiah is an Israelite slave living in exile in Persia. He was working for the king in a high-ranking government role.

What’s interesting about Nehemiah is that he was Jewish, but he had never been to Jerusalem. Ya see, about 100 years prior, the Babylonians conquered Israel. They destroyed the temple, the city, the walls—everything.

Well, 100 years later, Nehemiah heard how bad things were for the people who were still in Jerusalem, and he felt a burden for his homeland. So, he prayed a big prayer and asked the king for time off to travel to Jerusalem and help his people.

Artaxerxes said yes. “I’ll give you the time off. And I’ll make you the governor of the region. And I’ll give you whatever you need to rebuild—money, lumber, livestock… it’s yours.”

Visiting Jerusalem

So, Nehemiah went to Jerusalem, and here’s what he found—a city in ruins. But here’s what’s most interesting. The city walls had been broken down for so long that no one living there had ever lived in a city with gates and walls. This was all they had ever known.

It reminds me of the Hmong who were born in the refugee camps. They never knew life in the villages; they only knew the camp. So, that shaped their identity and what it meant for them to be Hmong.

That’s what it was like for these Israelites—their lives and their identity had been shaped by a city without walls. That meant that any local warlords could just come and pillage whatever they want. There was no safety, no security. Worse yet, there was no sense that God was with them.

All this just broke Nehemiah’s heart. He spent an entire day and night walking the city, meeting people, talking with them, and he came to this conclusion: If I don’t get anything else done, I’ve got to rebuild the wall around the city.

I mean, there’s a lot that needs to get done—the economy, leadership, infrastructure. There are a lot of problems here, but the one thing I have to do is rebuild that wall.

So, they began building, and they were making progress. That’s when the problems began.

Sanballat

The leaders of the surrounding cities got concerned. “We won’t be able to steal from them whenever we want.” AND “If they repair their city, they might raise up an army against us.” So, opposition started to form. And the leader of the opposition was a governor by the name of Sanballat. He was determined to stop the rebuild. First, he sent spies to infiltrate the people and discourage them. Didn’t work. Next, he sent an army to attack the workers. Nehemiah and the others fought them off.

They kept building the wall higher and higher until it was almost done. Sanballat’s plan wasn’t working, so he tried a different strategy. He was going to distract Nehemiah from the work and set up a meeting. Because we all know the best way to kill any productivity is with a meeting. That’s where we pick up the story in Nehemiah chapter 6.

Now when Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it… Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do me harm.

Nehemiah’s up on his wall working away, and Sanballat’s messenger comes with an invitation. Let’s get together, let’s have lunch. Have your people call my people. But Nehemiah wasn’t haven’t any of that.

He knew right away. Because that town, Hakkephirium, is in the plain of Ono. As in… Come down there? Oh no! Stop my work? Oh no! Rely on bad puns? Oh yes!

And listen to Nehemiah’s response. And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down.”

You go tell Sanballat that I’m doing a great work right here, and I cannot come down. Say it out loud with me, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down.” Ok, now type it in the comments. Copy that, because I’m going to ask you to do it again.

Now, you understand my little Lego set. That’s Nehemiah on the top of the wall with the wrench. (I couldn’t find a hammer.) That’s Sanballat on the bottom with the axe. And there’s the verse: I am doing a great work and cannot come down.

There is something in your life, there is a wall in your world that you need to climb up on and say I am doing a great work and cannot come down. You need to stay on that wall and make sure you complete whatever the task is, whatever God has given you, whatever you just know in your heart that you need to do. You need to stand on that wall and refuse to leave until it’s done.

So, for the next few minutes, I want to poke and prod you a bit. I love you, but I want to make you a little uncomfortable. Because I don’t want you, when I preach this again a year from now, to be dealing with the same thing. Okay?

1) For some of you, it’s your HEALTH.

• • You’ve ignored the signs for too long.

• • You don’t want to go to the doctor.

• • You say you’ll start tomorrow, next week, or when life calms down.

I know all that because I was that. I still am that. Some of you need to get some help—from a doctor, nutritionist, trainer, therapist. You can’t do this on your own. If you could, you would have done it by now. You need to pony up some money—cancel Netflix, Spotify, cook your own meals—and spend money to get some help.

For me, on Friday I made an appointment with my doctor, something I had been putting off for over a year. It’s gonna be difficult, and I’m nervous. But I didn’t think I could preach this message with any integrity if I didn’t also take a step forward.

Your health, the body God gave you, is your great work.

Say it with me at home: I am doing a great work and cannot come down.

2) For others, your wall is a HABIT you need to break. I bet you’ve started or restarted some bad habit over the last two years to cope with the pandemic.

• Some of you drink too much. Wanna know how you can tell if you drink too much? Someone has told you that you drink too much.

• Maybe it’s a coping mechanism like smoking, drugs or porn.

• Maybe you’re addicted to social media, and you need to unplug.

If you have a habit that you need to break, here’s your first step: tell someone. Take what’s in the shadows and bring it into the light.

Living free in Christ and breaking that destructive habit is your great work.

Everyone, say it with me: I am doing a great work and cannot come down.

3) Still others, your wall is about RELATIONSHIPS

• Married couples, some of you need to put your phone down when your spouse is talking to you. Start nurturing that relationship and living out those vows you recited.

• Dating Couples, you need to stop sleeping together. That’s sin, ya’ll. Yes, it means you can’t spend the night or take vacations together. You might even need to move out until you get married.

• Dads, you might need start developing a stronger bond with your daughters. Moms, do the same with your sons. Play with them, read to them. Be affectionate with them.

Or maybe it’s your pride, your anger, your fear. Any of those could be hurting your relationships, and it’s time to deal with it. Building happier, healthier relationships is your great work!

Everyone, say it with me: I am doing a great work and cannot come down.

4) For others, your wall is about your FAITH.

You call yourself a Christian, but you’re doing little to develop a personal, growing relationship with God. You’ve stagnated. You’re just going through the motions.

• Maybe church isn’t a priority for you. You skip service way more than you attend.

• Maybe you’re not spending any personal time with God. You’re living entirely off other people’s spirituality.

• Or maybe you’re living hypocritically. Privately your life is filled with sin, but publicly you put on a good Christian face.

Living a faith that pleases God and inspires others… That is your great work.

Everyone, say it with me: I am doing a great work and cannot come down.

What is your one thing? You’re thinking, “One thing? More like 4 or 5!” Ok, start with one this year. What is the one thing you have to do this year?

Now, climb up on that wall, and do not get down. No matter what comes your way, stay up there, as if your very life depends on it. Everyone, say it with me one more time: I am doing a great work and cannot come down.

Conclusion of the Story

Now, to close, I want to tell you the rest of Nehemiah’s story. His enemies kept trying to stop him. They sent more messengers. They spread rumors about him. They tried to get King Artaxerxes to recall him. They even tried to get one of his own people to turn against him. Every time, Nehemiah stood his ground. He did not divert from his one thing.

You, too, will face obstacles, even enemies. There will be people who try to sabotage you. You will try to sabotage yourself. It’ll cost you something—time, money, energy, comfort, pride. But you must stand your ground and not lose focus on your one thing.

Nehemiah and his team rebuilt the wall in 52 days. That’s less than two months. And that one accomplishment began a chain reaction of events that resulted in great revival and restoration among God’s people. All because Nehemiah completed his one thing.

And the same thing will happen to you. God will bring revival and restoration into your life, your heart, your family, your faith. So much hangs in the balance of your decision to stay on that wall, to not take your eyes off your one thing.

2022 is going to end in about 364 days. Where do you want to be when it does?