When You Can't Take It Anymore - The Good Work Part 1 with Craig Groeschel

When You Can’t Take It Anymore: Beginning the Good Work

Scripture References

Primary text

• Nehemiah 1:4
• Nehemiah 2:18

Other references

• Nehemiah 1:2
• Nehemiah 1:3
• Nehemiah 1:11

Overview

God loves to accomplish His purposes through ordinary, everyday people. Looking at Nehemiah, Pastor Craig calls the church to let a holy burden break our hearts, drive us to prayer, and move us to action—no matter the personal cost. The “good work” always starts when we can’t ignore the need any longer and believe that, with God, we can make a difference that outlasts us.

Main Points

1. God uses ordinary servants

• Nehemiah was not a prophet, king, or warrior—he was a cupbearer who tasted wine for King Artaxerxes.
• Access to the king required integrity, loyalty, and the willingness to die if the drink was poisoned.
• Likewise, we may feel unqualified, but God delights in using people who seem unexceptional.

2. Nehemiah’s burden

• Background: 140 years earlier (586 BC) the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem, Solomon’s temple, and took the Jews into exile.
• About 50,000 Jews returned, but the city remained in rubble and its gates burned—no protection, economy, or hope.
• Nehemiah’s brother reported: “Those who survived the exile are…in great trouble and disgrace; the wall…is broken down.” (Nehemiah 1:2-3)
• Comfortable in the Persian palace, Nehemiah could have stayed detached, yet he let the pain in.

3. Three moves when you can’t take it anymore

“So they began the good work.”

1. Sit down to cry (Nehemiah 1:4)

   • Nehemiah wept; the devastation crushed him.
   • Pastor Craig: if we’ve gone a long time without tears for others, our hearts may be growing hard.

2. Kneel down to pray (Nehemiah 1:4, 11)

   • Nehemiah fasted, confessed sin, reminded God of His promises, and prayed for favor with the king.
   • What we pray about reveals what we believe about God—small prayers = small view of God.
   • Twelve recorded prayers show his continual dependence: strategy bathed in intercession.

3. Stand up to act (Nehemiah 2)

   • After a quick “flare prayer,” he asked the king for permission to rebuild Jerusalem.
   • Ordinary obedience ignited a movement that restored a nation.
   • “Somebody has to do something; it might as well be me.”

4. Modern illustrations of a holy burden

• Story: A woman in worn clothes was turned away at a church door for not “dressing right.” Craig, then a young associate pastor, wept on the drive home and vowed that any future church he led would welcome people “just as they are.” Life.Church’s open-door culture was born from that wound.
• Story: At 27, Craig and Amy heard “Come Just As You Are” on the radio after months of prayer, sensed God’s confirmation, and decided to plant Life.Church without money or a detailed plan—only a burden and faith.

Key Truths

• A divine burden often begins with heartbreak.
• If it’s big enough to cry about, it’s big enough to pray about.
• Prayer is not a last resort; it is the first weapon of the good work.
• You don’t need human appointment when you have God’s calling.
• The cost of obedience is real, but the joy of changed lives eclipses every sacrifice.

Response

• Allow your heart to feel the pain God shows you.
• Bring that burden to God in honest, persistent prayer.
• Ask for specific favor, direction, and resources.
• Step out in faith—start the good work even before you see the whole plan.
• Serve, give, lead, and persevere until the task is complete and God is glorified.

Closing

The good work does not wait for the exceptionally gifted; it waits for the willing. When our hearts break, our knees bend, and our feet move, God’s power meets our obedience.

“Let the good work begin.”

Prayer

The congregation prayed for forgiveness, new life in Christ, the fullness of the Holy Spirit, and courage to begin the good work—dedicating their lives to Jesus and to serving His purposes.