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Teaching podcast from the Eagle Community Church of Christ in Mont Belvieu, TX.
If you are here this morning today is traditionally Father's Day. Don't love doing specific sermons like that, whether it's Mother's Day, sorry or Father's Day because it's always you know not everyone's life goes by the calendar that we we keep and not and not everybody that wants to be a mother. Father is a mother or father or maybe you had a mother or father that wasn't that great. I don't really want to think about that. And so it's always a possibility.
John Gunter:But I did wanna kind of take advantage of the day and and kind of though this is for everyone, I kinda wanted to to address the men not dress down the man but to address the man. And so if if you get to a point of the sermon, I think this is all about the man. No, it's not but I do wanna encourage us because we are we are a congregation that is that is growing and I see a lot of excitement in this place and so I want to to continue to encourage that and so this morning, want to start off with a question. What are you building right now in your life? That you will never get to fully enjoy?
John Gunter:You ever think about that? We're kind of in a society where I want what I want. I want it now. Let's make it happen. You know, poof.
John Gunter:Amazon gets it here quickly. I want to go. You know, it's just everything right here and right now. So what are you building right now that you will never get to fully enjoy? And so normally when we build things, we get to enjoy it immediately.
John Gunter:But I know my question assumes the opposite. I love to deer hunt. Love it. Well, my the most peaceful place I can be on this earth is sitting in a deer stand around some white oak trees waiting. And I love I don't know if it's weird to have a favorite tree.
John Gunter:Anybody got a favorite tree in here? We got state trees and everything. My favorite tree is a big white oak. And unfortunately, those take forever to grow. And it's something like forty to fifty years most times for a normal white oak, not a hybrid or anything like that, but a normal white oak to start producing acorns.
John Gunter:So if if the sermon today inspires you man II think I like white oaks too, and I'd love to have some white oak acorns no problem forty years from now. You might start seeing some and so we even have sayings like that. You know you don't plant a tree for yourself to to get the acorns from or anything you plant it for your children or grandchildren, which goes against our desire to have immediate gratification right and so today we're going to we're going to focus on the story of Nehemiah because Nehemiah was was kind of I think understanding of the kind of work that they kind of outlives you that you don't see necessarily all the the benefit of immediately and so in the story of Nehemiah, Jerusalem's wall was was torn down and had been torn down and Nehemiah hears the the report from far away and he weeps the Scripture says he prays and then he goes and we're going to start today in chapter two in verse 17. And then I said to them, you see the trouble we are in how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come let us build the wall of Jerusalem that we no long we may no longer suffer derision.
John Gunter:And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me, and they said, let us rise up and build, so they strengthened their hands for the good work. And so Nehemiah looks at this and he he realizes that what has happened here is their identity had become the this people of this kind of broken wall. Oh, what used to be, right? Oh, woe is me because this is now broken and so he encourages them to get up and to fix this. Let us no longer be these people who do this but he doesn't say, let's build a wall just for building a wall.
John Gunter:He doesn't say that. He says, let's build a wall so we are no longer defined by this ruined broken down wall. Because what would it be like? Do you do you have pride in where you live? Whether it's Texas in in general or in The United States.
John Gunter:I have loved the World Cup. You don't know what that is? You're a normal American. That's fine. You don't like soccer.
John Gunter:Okay? But everyone else in the world is coming together in The United States right now for a month to to play soccer. The best way I can I can tell you, you you know how much we love college football? Now, imagine everyone in the world loves college football the way we do and we're going to a certain place to everybody play college football. That's what the the World Cup is but I love and take pride in people coming over from different countries and seeing different things.
John Gunter:I don't know if you know this, but Europeans are in love with things like Waffle House. And Buc ee's and Texas Roadhouse. I mean, they they they'll they'll say something on social media about it. I'm I'm about to have I've heard this is the best steak I'll ever eat. I've never said that about Roadhouse.
John Gunter:I do love their steak, but they they come and and and they're they're loving all of these things and they walk into the the a Walmart supercenter because they've only seen it on TV or they see a yellow school bus go by and go. I didn't know those were real. I thought this was a thing in the movie And so you you become, you know, you kinda take pride in it. But what if all we did in our country is look around and things were in ruin, right? The things we took pride in are now broken down.
John Gunter:And so that's what Nehemiah is addressing here. Let let's let's get back to this. Let's build this back up not for the sake of just building a wall and having a wall, but but so that our identity so that that it lifts our spirits so we can be proud of something and so that's what he's really getting at here. And so what I wanna point out today is what builders do builders work for people they may never meet builders sacrifice for results they may never see and builders trust God with futures they cannot control. And we can think about building projects right every time I go over to the Beltway and go south.
John Gunter:I look at that bridge and goes it ever going to be done Some of you have been here when like the Fred Hartman Bridge was built. My understanding is there used to be a tunnel around here somewhere. You've lived through that. I haven't. I get to sit back and enjoy it, right?
John Gunter:Some of you had to had to travel in ways that were were more difficult than what we travel today and it and it won't be that long. We'll travel different ways where we can tell our kids. I tell my kids that my kids call me old all the time. Ancient, whatever. Logan did a thing for for Father's Day this morning in class, and it says dad's not good at anything.
John Gunter:He's ancient and all these things. But I tell them every time something new comes up in Mont Belvieu, I say, well, you're gonna tell your kids, I remember when this was just a field. Right? I already sound 95, right? But you'll remember that but but builders, that's what you do, right?
John Gunter:You may get to enjoy it for a while or you may not and so when we think about building things, non material, there are things we build in our life that we may never see the fruits of. Ministry is one of those things. I don't know if you know this but when I get done and every Sunday, not everyone comes up to me and says, well, this is how your sermon is impacting my life and I've got some bullet points for you. Here's how it is. This is the percentage of growth, right?
John Gunter:A lot of things, a lot of things I will say, the way you impact people will never be seen or might not be seen for years down the road and you don't remember it but they do. And so builders build things without necessarily seeing all the results, and we'd love to have that, but that's not always the case. And so I wanna tell you men this is also true for women, but I have men in my notes. Faithful men are willing to plant trees whose shade they will never sit under. That makes sense to you.
John Gunter:Faithful men are willing to plant trees whose shade they will never sit under. And so most of the things that matter are built kind of slowly, aren't they? We'd love to have it right now. I'd love to be able to tell you what this church is going to look like in ten years, right? I told you last week, I think we're going to double in the next five.
John Gunter:I believe god's going to bless us even more than that to be honest with you. I'd love to be able to say but so many things that matter are built very slowly and you think about character, think about your faith, right? Are you in the same place with your faith that you were last year? Two years ago? I hope not but over time, things grow.
John Gunter:What about your marriage? Is your marriage in the same place that it was day one? Was it long into my marriage? Katie said, well, I guess the honeymoon's over. I was deer hunting a lot.
John Gunter:And she said, well, and she started calling herself a deer widow. And so I felt bad, and I stayed home. And after a couple of weeks of that, she said, you not gonna hunt anymore? She decided maybe I needed to go out, know, maybe I need to be away. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
John Gunter:Is that not right? But think about your family, think about our churches, think about a term like legacy. I I think often about what am I leaving for my kids. I'm 43. I'll be 44 in in August and that's young to me again ancient to my kids.
John Gunter:But it those forty three years have gone pretty quickly. Many of you can say man my life just keeps on coming you graduate high school and it's put on fast forward somehow. I mean fast forward And so it won't be that long. Don't like to think about it. Well, I won't be here.
John Gunter:So what is it that I'm going to leave for the people that are left behind like my children or grandchildren? And, hopefully, I leave them something that that brings them peace. The way we are, you know, I'm gonna leave them something that they're laughing about, joking about. But but what is it? Because I think most of the work that that that changes the future may feel very ordinary in the moment, right?
John Gunter:Like the way somebody makes you feel. I'm not gonna walk up to you. Somebody's not gonna walk up to you today and and and say, I would like to make you feel in a certain way right now. You'd say, I need an adult. Please have them removed, right?
John Gunter:But you exist around people and they make you feel a certain way and it's just a very ordinary. It's the way you treat people, the way you talk, the way you're there. But I'll tell you, the ordinary things that that we experience or or put out every day. God can make extraordinary. God can use that.
John Gunter:And so that's what I'm gonna call you to, today, that to be faithful, it means to plant trees that you're not gonna benefit from. Chapter four in Nehemiah opens with mockery. So, as the the people Nehemiah is is trying to encourage to rebuild this wall or or trying to do so, they come into some opposition. A man named Sam and Tobiah are are really causing problems for them and you think about it anytime you try to do something good, it seems like there's opposition in some way, right? We talked a little bit this morning.
John Gunter:Sometimes you can't win for losing, right? It it just seems like if you try to do something good, somebody's upset by it. You ever been in a position at work around other people where you're like, oh, this is kind of toxic. I need to change and there's resistance to that change. I don't know why they're so involved or or upset about that but I don't want you to get better.
John Gunter:I think it's because then I have to look in on myself but there's often opposition and so that's what they come into with this is as they're trying to do this, this opposition arises in verse 10 says this, in Judah, it was said, the strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble by ourselves. We will not be able to rebuild the wall. Now, whether this had anything to do with the outside opposition or not, I think this kind of stands alone because sometimes as we're trying to do something good, we get tired and worn out. Yes.
John Gunter:The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. You look around, there's too much rubble and by ourselves, we will not be able to rebuild this wall. And so the threat here was not outside the gates. It wasn't anybody saying you can't do this or you shouldn't do this or let's make sure it doesn't happen. The threat here was we are tired and worn out.
John Gunter:Who's there right now today? Sometimes you just need to go rest, right? And so our mistake can be, I think almost nobody wakes up and says, I'm going to quit. I'm gonna quit on my family. I'm gonna quit on my church.
John Gunter:I'm gonna quit on my faith but it happens slower than that and and we need to, I think we're more aware nowadays of things like burnout and we need to take time off and things but often it's just kind of sneaks up on you. Your your strength fails. You realize I have no energy and it's and it's interesting that this is stated here in scripture that we just don't have it anymore and eventually, you may get to the point where you think by myself, I'm not gonna be able to keep going. You may have been there before. I've I've been there before.
John Gunter:Anybody ever started to paint a room? Logan is there right now. He has decided we need to paint the house. He asked me earlier while we were in this room, can we go to Lowe's today? He wants to paint the room.
John Gunter:You all laughed when I asked about that because you've all been there and you know exactly the feeling. You think about this room and I'd love to paint it and I'd love to see it a certain way and it would be beautiful. And as soon as you get all the equipment out, you get all the paint poured, you start rolling that first beautiful W. If you're anything like me, you go, why did I need to do this? I remember painting the bedroom for Evan as we got ready for, you know, his nursery.
John Gunter:And as soon and it was not a big room. But as soon as we started painting, I asked Katie, how or why is he gonna care what color the walls are? Because you think about it and and you wanna see the end. Right? You wanna see the results.
John Gunter:But often, once you once you start going, all that excitement kinda goes away until you keep pushing through, you keep making those w's, and thank the Lord for my wife, you keep cutting in at the top and bottom so I can roll and not do that. But you keep pushing through until you see the final product. But all of that in the middle, a lot of times, it's not that fun because you can become tired, you can become worn out, and you're going, is this ever gonna end? Are we ever gonna get there? What are we gonna do?
John Gunter:And everything in life can be just like this. How excited were those of you who are married, have been married, were you excited to be married? Was that first day the same as year one? End of year two? Or like my wife, I guess the honeymoon's over, right?
John Gunter:Because if all we're doing is expecting the highs of everything, the finished product, the faith that I'm so glad it's here now. It was here and I can see that now but the all this other stuff was kind of hard Our marriages can be like that. We can be in the these situations where your family life is not great and you're trying to just push through. Kids who do not seem interested in what you have to offer them. My kids like to joke about that.
John Gunter:I hope they're joking. We're going have to have a serious conversation after that Father's Day thing Logan filled out today. But you can feel the same way in church. Sometimes, it may feel you walk in and this is the place I'm glad I am. I'm certainly glad to see all of you and it was uplifting and I'm just so thankful.
John Gunter:Sometimes, it may feel very routine. That maybe I'm not in it. Maybe you're worn out from the week and you're tired. And so it's hard in the moment to push through and to keep going. In Nehemiah verse 11, it says, and our enemies said they will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and so they're you're facing this opposition again and stop the work at that time.
John Gunter:Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us 10 times you must return to us. So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall in open places, I stationed the people by their clans with their swords, their spears, their bows. And so they're preparing for this opposition that's coming upon them. And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord who is great and awesome and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.
John Gunter:Well, that's a rallying cry, right? And so in this moment, he is saying, he's not shaming how tired they are. He's not saying you should feel bad. He's not saying try harder. What he does is he redirects their focus.
John Gunter:Do you notice that? What you need to do in this moment is redirect your focus. What are you here for? Okay? Fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, your home.
John Gunter:Because what can happen is if all I am doing is focusing on me and me is tired, what are you gonna do with that? Men, what kind of energy do you get when you realize I need to do this for my wife or my kids need this? We can get it done, can't we? Maybe because we're hardheaded and stubborn. I don't know.
John Gunter:But when we think about others, when we think about getting things done, we can make it happen, right? But if all I'm doing is focusing on self pity or how tired I am, it's just not gonna happen. And so Nehemiah does exactly this. He says, not to fight for the wall, just for the wall. He said, think about everybody else that you were doing this for.
John Gunter:And so we can do that as a church as well. And so the feeling of looking around and seeing work or problems or, in this case, rubble, is not proof that you are failing. And sometimes it feels that way, doesn't Like, I'm not done. I haven't gotten to the end. And so it feels like it's never going to come.
John Gunter:I'm not it's just not going to happen. But this is not proof that you are failing. It is usually proof that you're in the real work now. How many of you when you were young, you couldn't wait to get out on your own and get a job? Be independent?
John Gunter:And then at some point, you realize that's not all that great at times. You want it? You wanted something you strove for it. Uh-uh I feel this way with big purchases whether it's a house, some of you just bought a house. Whether it's a house or a new car, you love it.
John Gunter:Day of purchase. Thirty days later, what did I do? So what's this big bill I'm getting in the mail? I hope there's not too many of them. Right?
John Gunter:Only thirty years, you say. Okay. Well, you will feel like quitting at times, right? Because anything worth doing is hard work. Right?
John Gunter:It's hard to persevere to keep going and you will feel like quitting because not every day is that exciting first purchase, that first day of marriage, that first thing, oh, I finally attained it or feel like I have. The the rest of it is work that we need to push through, that we need to keep walking, and in the midst of it, we need to be faithful. Remember the Lord who is great and awesome. Need to have that on our walls, right? Just that.
John Gunter:Remember the Lord who is great and awesome. Because again, in those tired moments, if all I'm thinking about is what I can't do, I'm in trouble. But if I can put that off and realize I can remember, I follow God who is great and awesome, and he can handle every bit of this, right? Because at the moment, it feels monumental, and I can't overcome it but if I remember, I serve a god who can handle every bit of it, can get through. In verse 15, so the wall we skipped a couple chapters here, sorry, of chapter six.
John Gunter:So, the wall was finished on the twenty fifth day of the month of El El El in fifty two days. Folks. They got to work. They did prepare their hands. They got it done in fifty two days and when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our god.
John Gunter:Do you see what just happened? They finished this and everyone who saw it said it wasn't just them because there's no way they could have done that by themselves. There's no way they could have done it so even people on the outside looking in saw this and said that had to be God. That was something else. That was somebody else.
John Gunter:They could not have done it. Even these enemies admitted that this was not just human effort and so a lot of times we just stop here in the story of Nehemiah and I don't want to I don't want to stop there. But the wall finishing was never the goal. Again, we talked about this in the beginning that this was an identity thing. They had begun to kind of be down on themselves and be the people of the broken down wall But the wall finishing was never the goal, but it was the doorway to the goal.
John Gunter:And what I want you to see in chapter eight starting in verse one, and all the people gathered as one man into the square before the water gate and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses that the lord had commanded Israel. So, Ezra, the priest brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard on the first day of the seventh month. And he read from it facing the square before the Watergate from early morning until midday. So I don't wanna hear any griping or complaining today. In the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law.
John Gunter:It was not just about building a wall. It was about changing an identity. It was about allowing for this space to be able to read from the word of god and all of a sudden, you have a people who are now more energized. They're able to hear the law and Nehemiah does not just give them any kind of guilt He allows them to to hear this and to to really become close again. And so some of you may have walked in this morning.
John Gunter:A lot of times our our Father's Day sermons when you have them are men do better. And I think we all need to do better all the time. Right? We understand our humanity. And I'm not here to push anybody and gripe at you.
John Gunter:But I do want to have us a focus that is a little bit different, that we want to focus on God and what he can do and what we are building for the future. In verse nine, it says, and Nehemiah, who was the governor and Ezra, the priest and the scribe, Levites who taught the people said to all the people, this day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep, for all the people wept as they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them, go your way, eat the fat, and drink sweet wine, send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
John Gunter:In the midst of this, they got to change their identity and remember who they were. Not people of the broken down wall, but we built something so that the word of God could be read aloud and heard. Do you think about that? Do you think about preparing your family? For what is to come?
John Gunter:I know a lot of prayers have been prayed over over kids who you're not certain where they're going to be. Are they going to be in church have they lost their faith and what II hope and pray for is that after I'm long gone that my faith and my consistency, though it is hard at times. Yes. Will pave the way for my kids and grandkids and great grandkids who may not even know me other than maybe knowing my name. I pray that what I do here impacts them and I know that god is faithful.
John Gunter:We read he is great and awesome and he can bring that about. But in ministry, in life, as you follow god, not every day is gonna be top of the mountain, is it? And so, what I'm asking you to do this morning is to continue walking, continue moving. In chapter 12, it says this, and they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoice. For God had made them rejoice with great joy.
John Gunter:The women and children also rejoice, and the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away. This is the result of building this wall. Men, women, children, everyone rejoicing because now their identity is bad. And so this is what you're actually building, a life for the future. I know it's easy to just focus on me and what I'm doing, but what are those children going to remember?
John Gunter:What are those grandchildren gonna know about you and yours? What about the people you impact right here in this place? We talked last week. You you don't necessarily know how big of an impact you make, do you? I wish we did.
John Gunter:But there are people here who just make my life better. There are people here who just make my children's life better. My kids need uncle Tristan and aunt Madison. My kids need Plant, Emily, and at least Lily. That's a doll that will lick you to death.
John Gunter:My kids need you. I need you. And so every time when we when we think about how tired we are, or maybe how normal or just routine something's become, and maybe I've lost a little bit of excitement, Don't think about just yourself. Think about what am I building for others, your brothers, your sisters, your homes, your legacy, and remind yourself that we follow a God who is great and awesome. Amen.
John Gunter:And through those hard days, through the normal just I gotta just make it through the week. You've been through one of those lately. I'm just trying to get to Friday or whatever day. Through those days, your faithfulness, God is going to reward you. He is going to make things come from that.
John Gunter:And I know we may be too tired to even consider it. But keep marching forward with your eyes on him and watch God work. Amen. Alright, I want to do something just a little bit differently this morning. Man, would you stand with me?
John Gunter:Just a second. Here's where I start yelling. No, I'm just kidding. Some of what you are building, you will never see come to fruition. You are building things in life that won't be for you.
John Gunter:Some things you won't see, people won't tell you how much you mean to them, how much you've impacted your life, but remain faithful. Keep moving forward. This was never the test to see if you could get to that point. Even scripture tells us that that prophets wanted to be in the spot where they they could see Jesus come and though they prophesied about it, they never saw it and so men stand faithful in the normal days and the grind of whatever you've got in front of you. Keep moving forward and impact your family, your church, your community.
John Gunter:Would everybody stand together right now? Let's pray together. Our father in heaven, God, we are grateful, Lord, for being great and awesome. Lord, there are days that we just are tired. We are worn out.
John Gunter:And Lord, we may be even in our heads about whether we can keep moving forward. God remind us who you are. God remind us how great and awesome you are. Help us to have a vision Lord both men and women that we are not just here for ourselves Lord. That what we do right here on Sunday, Monday through Saturday, every single thing that we do, Lord, has a lasting impact.
John Gunter:And God, I can only imagine what we desire in this place, the impact we desire for our our family, our friends. Lord, would you make those ordinary days extraordinary for us? Lord, would you guide our steps? Would you guide us as we as we walk through these difficult days? And lord, thank you for those difficult days so that the great days that lord we can really appreciate that we can be so thankful for those extraordinary times.
John Gunter:Those times we feel love, we feel appreciated, and then lord again. We just pray for the times we don't lord send the person who needs to to say a word give us a reminder lord in in the day that just brings us back to you. Lord, I want to thank you for the the men, the women in this church. Lord, I want to lift them up. I want to lift up their relationships.
John Gunter:Lord, would it be each one be guided by a love for you? Lord, that we we desire to to have a love for you, to love you, to love each other. Lord, would you help us get out of our own way to do that? And lord, this morning is we come here as a group. Lord, we understand that there are difficulties.
John Gunter:There are struggles lord there may be sin in our life. Lord help us to repent of that right now. Lord we we always offer this invitation, but Lord we know that the invitation for you is always open. Lord. Thank you for loving us in this way that lord your arms are always open toward us.
John Gunter:Lord guide us back to you in the name of Jesus. I pray Amen if you haven't been baptized into the name of Jesus and want to begin that today we may can just walk outside and count it as good. I don't know. We'd love to pray with you. We'd love to see you baptized into his name.
John Gunter:Would you come as we stand and as we sing?