Nehemiah Chapter 6:15 and 16.
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"So the wall was finished
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on the twenty-fifth day of Elul,
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in fifty-two days.
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And it happened, when
all our enemies heard of it,
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and all the nations
around us saw these things,
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that they were very
disheartened in their own eyes,
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for they perceived that
this work was done by our God."
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Let's bow our heads.
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Loving Father in heaven,
we thank You Lord this morning
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that we can turn to You,
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that we can find that
in our journeys of life,
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that You can give us
wisdom and direction from above.
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Now speak to us,
Lord, through Your word,
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we pray in Jesus' name, amen.
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You may be seated.
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One of our favorite
programs that we watch together,
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my wife and I,
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is the house channel,
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homes being rebuilt,
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being
refurbished, being restored.
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What's exciting about
it is not people moving
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to different
countries to buy houses,
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but when you walk up to
a dilapidated, broken down,
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seemingly uninterested property,
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and in the matter of one hour,
that is the edited program,
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it goes from broken
down to completely restored
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and we look at
that with an amazement.
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And I thought
about it this weekend.
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It came to my mind, and
I sat at my desk saying,
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"Lord, what would You
have me speak about this week?"
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Well, I know that in the
course of 30 years of sermons,
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I decided to go
through some of the old,
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old 2000, 1995, 1993, 1992...
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I kept going as
far back as I could
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with the digital
sermons that I had.
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I didn't go into the shed
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where I have a
huge box of sermons
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in manila envelopes.
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But I said "Lord,
what would you have me
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talk about this week?"
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And God said,
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"Go to the story of Nehemiah."
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Now last Sabbath, my
sermon was entitled "Fake News."
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This Sabbath is
entitled "Finish the Wall."
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And I don't want you to think
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that I'm following the
Donald Trump trajectory,
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not at all.
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But the Lord gave me
a different viewpoint
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as I considered
the story of Nehemiah.
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And that is, I state
what I'm gonna preach about,
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I stated again,
I preach about it,
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and I stated what I spoke about.
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And that is, we will never know
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how amazing a craftsman God is
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until we turn to Him to
repair the gaps in our lives.
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We'll never know
how much God can do,
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how much God can restore.
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And Nehemiah is one of the most
incredible restoration projects
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in scripture which
leaves us with the assurance
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that God is the only
master builder that we need.
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Because spiritual restoration
is heaven's highest priority.
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Not being happy,
not being wealthy,
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not having great possessions,
but spiritual restoration
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is heaven's highest priority.
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Once we understand
the priority of heaven
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and accept that
God's highest ideal
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for us is spiritual wellbeing,
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we will worry less
and trust God more.
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Can you say amen? Amen.
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Once we understand
God's spiritual ideal
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for every one of us,
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there will be less
worry and more praise,
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less worry and more trust.
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However...
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There's a big however.
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Sometimes God puts
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our spiritual
vehicles in reverse,
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so that when we
forget our journey with Him,
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He takes us back to the place
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where we first met Him.
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So come with me this
morning on a depressing journey.
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Let's go back to
a fragmented place.
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It is the place of long faces,
sad eyes, and empty stares.
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Long faces, sad
eyes, and empty stares.
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They are not
depressed because they are sad,
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but they are sad
because they are depressed.
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Anyway, you look at the picture.
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Somehow God takes us to
that broken down property
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to get usto stand there and say,
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"Is there any possibility
of this wall being rebuilt,
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this gate being restored,
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this property ever
restoring its value?"
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It is in places like
these that, sometimes,
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we wonder why God would preserve
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such a depressing account.
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But I would
suggest you this morning
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that God,
sometimes, takes us to the most
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menial and
discouraging place to remind us
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that there's nothing from
which God cannot restore us.
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As a matter of record,
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one of the most asked questions
that I have ever heard is,
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"Why do bad things
happen to good people?"
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That's the question
that continues to repeat
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in the minds of so many.
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"Why do bad things
happen to good people?"
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People have said that.
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"Why is it that
Christians get sick
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and people that
don't serve God stay well?
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Why is it that people that
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don't trust God seem
to have so much wealth
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and those who trust God
seem to be so poor all the time?
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Why do bad things
happen to good people?"
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Atheists and
non-Christians alike,
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advance the argument
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that the existence
of misery is proof that,
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there could be no
such being called God,
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because if God existed,
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why would He leave
His people in disrepair?
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Why would God allow
us to be broken down?
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Why would God allow us
to be without our needs
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as we perceive
those needs to be?
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But the truth of the matter
is, the existence of misery,
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hear me carefully,
proves that God exists.
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Because misery could
not be miserable unless
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it is contrasted
against the fullness of joy,
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it could not be misery.
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If misery was the proof
that God does not exist,
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misery could not be miserable,
if that's all there is.
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But there's joy, there's
peace, there's deliverance,
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there's happiness,
there's contentment.
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Somebody say amen somewhere.
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God is not just a God
that looks at our condition,
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leaves us the way He finds us,
but God sees us where we are.
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And sometimes, God has
to remind us of our before,
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before we can really
appreciate our after.
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Sometimes it is only after
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we have endured the
imprisonment of winter
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that we appreciate
the freedom of summer.
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It is during our worst
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that we are
introduced to God's best.
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However, however,
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we don't get to God's best
until we survive our worst.
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The Book of Nehemiah is
a very interesting book,
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it takes us to a place
of dreadful circumstances.
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It walks us through one chapter
after another of a scenario
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that seems to be
without any resolution.
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But in the
absence of human help,
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there is always the
presence of divine help.
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Go with me now to
Nehemiah Chapter 1,
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and let us walk through
this broken down project
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and see how God
restores, rebuilds,
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and refurbishes our lives.
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Nehemiah Chapter 1:1 to 3.
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The Bible introduces
the scenario of the Jews
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that survived
Babylonian captivity.
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They returned home only to
be confronted with circumstances
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that proved to be somewhat
even as equally discouraging.
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The Bible says,
"The words of Nehemiah,
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the son of Hachaliah.
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It came to pass in
the month of Chislev,
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in the twentieth year,
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as I was in Shushan the citadel,
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that Hanani one of my brethren
came with me from Judah,
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and I asked them concerning
the Jews who had escaped,
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who had survived the captivity,
and concerning Jerusalem.
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And they said to me,
The survivors who are left,"
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or the remnant who are
left, 'from the captivity
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in the province are in
great distress and reproach.
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The wall of
Jerusalem is also broken down,
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and its gates are
burned with fire."
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What a depressing picture
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when you think
about the people of God,
00:10:33.83\00:10:35.16
just survived
captivity in Babylon.
00:10:35.20\00:10:40.17
If that were
not bad enough to be
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under the taskmaster
hands of a foreign leader,
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forced to do what
they chose not to do
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or did not want to do.
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But finally,
some of them survived,
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some of them returned to
Jerusalem only to find out
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that the wall has broken down
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and the gates
are burned with fire.
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And I want to say this.
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While Nehemiah highlights
the misery of the ancient Jews,
00:11:00.49\00:11:04.63
this is also an allegory
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of the challenges of
the Christian journey.
00:11:07.76\00:11:11.93
At some point in our
journey, each one of us
00:11:11.97\00:11:16.30
experienced walls
that are broken down
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and gates that are destroyed.
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There are points in our journey
00:11:21.71\00:11:23.78
where our sense of
security is removed.
00:11:23.81\00:11:25.65
However, we never lose
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our value in the sight of God.
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So here they are
in a broken city.
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The walls are broken
down, the gates are broken down,
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they had just
returned from captivity,
00:11:36.36\00:11:37.96
nothing to really call
their own, no financial,
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no economic system, no buildings
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to which they can inhabit,
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no homes to which
they can move into,
00:11:44.40\00:11:46.63
broken down walls,
gates are in disrepair,
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a sad set of circumstances.
00:11:51.14\00:11:53.88
Yet, in the midst
of their brokenness,
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yet in the midst
of their depression,
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they haven't
lost sight of the fact
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that in the sight of
God, they are of great value.
00:12:02.62\00:12:07.56
Which I want to say clearly,
00:12:07.59\00:12:10.19
regardless of where we
are in our walk as Christians,
00:12:10.23\00:12:14.73
we are still
valuable in the sight of God.
00:12:14.76\00:12:21.60
And so the question would be,
00:12:21.64\00:12:23.07
"Why are they there?
What do broken walls demand?"
00:12:23.10\00:12:26.94
Go to verse 4 of
Nehemiah Chapter 1.
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What do broken walls
and burned gates demand?
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And the Bible says, "So it
was, when I heard these words,
00:12:34.12\00:12:37.95
that I sat down and I wept,
and I mourned for many days,"
00:12:37.99\00:12:43.16
and then he did what
every one of us should do.
00:12:43.19\00:12:47.10
"I was fasting and praying
before the God of heaven."
00:12:47.13\00:12:54.04
Nehemiah recalls the covenant.
00:12:54.07\00:12:57.67
Nehemiah remembers
that God loves His people.
00:12:57.71\00:13:01.31
And so he does
what every one of us
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should do at some
point in our journey.
00:13:03.04\00:13:05.05
When difficulty comes,
00:13:05.08\00:13:06.75
it is important
that we fast and pray.
00:13:06.78\00:13:09.58
That we do what, church?
00:13:09.62\00:13:11.22
Fast and pray.
00:13:11.25\00:13:12.75
Some people fast for 15 minutes,
00:13:12.79\00:13:14.96
that's not fasting.
00:13:14.99\00:13:16.32
As I said to
someone, "Fasting means,
00:13:19.73\00:13:23.43
you willingly remove
from your life something
00:13:23.47\00:13:26.40
that is of the
greatest interest to you."
00:13:26.43\00:13:31.67
As I said to few young ladies
that were down in Florida,
00:13:31.71\00:13:34.91
who had come to me and
said, "Pastor, what can we do
00:13:34.94\00:13:36.71
to restore our
relationship with Jesus?"
00:13:36.75\00:13:38.65
I said, "I tell you what,
00:13:38.68\00:13:40.02
stop listening to
that kind of music
00:13:40.05\00:13:41.45
you listen to
for the next week."
00:13:41.48\00:13:44.82
And they looked at
me and they said, "Nah."
00:13:44.85\00:13:48.79
You see, when you
cannot put it down,
00:13:48.82\00:13:52.39
when you cannot let it go,
00:13:52.43\00:13:56.00
you are a slave to it.
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When it is more
important than your peace
00:14:01.54\00:14:03.71
and your relationship
with God, you are bound by it.
00:14:03.74\00:14:08.54
And so fasting is
putting down that very thing,
00:14:08.58\00:14:10.98
as the writer of Hebrews
says, "Laying aside every weight
00:14:11.01\00:14:14.38
and the sin that
doth so easily beset us."
00:14:14.42\00:14:20.66
Nehemiah remembered and
recalled God's covenant.
00:14:20.69\00:14:25.36
He understood the
failure of his people.
00:14:25.39\00:14:27.50
But he said in verse 7.
00:14:27.53\00:14:29.26
He said in verse 7.
00:14:29.30\00:14:30.63
And by the way, before you
get to the place of restoration,
00:14:30.67\00:14:33.54
you've got to admit
00:14:33.57\00:14:36.07
that you have not
been right with God.
00:14:36.10\00:14:40.78
Don't come to God and
say, "Lord, if we have sinned,"
00:14:40.81\00:14:43.75
it's like somebody
offending you and say,
00:14:43.78\00:14:45.11
"Well, if I have offended you,"
that's not really an apology.
00:14:45.15\00:14:48.72
If I got you
upset, if I stole your...
00:14:48.75\00:14:50.59
If, if is not
the prelude to coming
00:14:50.62\00:14:56.56
to a true relationship with God.
00:14:56.59\00:14:58.33
We've got to admit that
the problem is never God,
00:14:58.36\00:15:01.43
the problem is always us.
00:15:01.46\00:15:04.53
And Nehemiah lays before
God and he says in verse 7.
00:15:04.57\00:15:08.47
"We have acted," how?
00:15:08.50\00:15:10.77
"Very corruptly against You,
00:15:10.81\00:15:15.61
and have not kept the
commandments, the statues,
00:15:15.64\00:15:18.88
nor the ordinances which You
commanded Your servant Moses."
00:15:18.91\00:15:24.75
That's often what
happens when we are confronted
00:15:24.79\00:15:27.42
with the direct
result of our disobedience.
00:15:27.46\00:15:32.26
When we think that
we have known better,
00:15:32.29\00:15:34.20
then all of a sudden,
00:15:34.23\00:15:35.56
we are faced with the
broken walls in our lives
00:15:35.60\00:15:37.50
and the damaged gates
that seem to be beyond repair.
00:15:37.53\00:15:41.57
We have to come clean with God.
00:15:41.60\00:15:42.94
"Lord, we have not lived
00:15:42.97\00:15:44.31
the way You
intended for us to live."
00:15:44.34\00:15:46.57
God accepts the sincere
repentance of His people.
00:15:46.61\00:15:49.34
What do you say?
00:15:49.38\00:15:50.98
But don't come to God
and say, "Well, if I have,"
00:15:51.01\00:15:55.05
because the reality
is, God knows our condition
00:15:55.08\00:15:57.72
even before we confess it.
00:15:57.75\00:16:01.29
But God is also a merciful
God, and He says in verse 9.
00:16:01.32\00:16:05.13
"No matter where you
are or what you did,"
00:16:05.16\00:16:08.50
remember this, God's
reversal is always conditional.
00:16:08.53\00:16:13.54
God's reversal is
always, what words that I used?
00:16:13.57\00:16:17.11
Conditional.
00:16:17.14\00:16:18.64
Look at verse 9.
00:16:18.67\00:16:20.98
Regardless of what
they did, the Lord says,
00:16:21.01\00:16:22.54
"But if you return to Me,
00:16:22.58\00:16:24.81
and keep My
commandments and do them,
00:16:24.85\00:16:28.15
though some of you were cast out
00:16:28.18\00:16:29.78
to the farthest
parts of the heavens..."
00:16:29.82\00:16:33.69
Look at God's promise.
00:16:33.72\00:16:35.82
"Yet I will
gather them from there,
00:16:35.86\00:16:38.39
and bring them to the
place which I have chosen
00:16:38.43\00:16:43.40
as a dwelling for My name."
00:16:43.43\00:16:47.10
God said no matter
what you did, if you return,
00:16:47.14\00:16:50.17
if you return...
00:16:50.21\00:16:51.74
Do you know that the
entire Book of Malachi
00:16:51.77\00:16:53.88
is a book about return?
00:16:53.91\00:16:56.44
We often talk about just tithes,
00:16:56.48\00:16:58.21
"Return unto me, and
I'll return unto you."
00:16:58.25\00:17:00.08
You know,
bringing all the tithes.
00:17:00.12\00:17:02.05
The entire Book of Malachi...
You want a powerful story?
00:17:02.08\00:17:04.99
Malachi 1, 2, 3, and 4,
every chapter outlines a way
00:17:05.02\00:17:10.49
that God's people
have turned away from Him.
00:17:10.53\00:17:14.00
And when God has pointed
out their condition, they said,
00:17:14.03\00:17:16.30
"In what way have we denied You?
00:17:16.33\00:17:18.50
In what way
have we forsaken You?
00:17:18.53\00:17:21.00
In what way have
we been dishonest?
00:17:21.04\00:17:23.07
In what way have we rob thee?"
00:17:23.10\00:17:24.91
We always just
talk about the rob part.
00:17:24.94\00:17:28.48
But the entire Book of Nehemiah,
00:17:28.51\00:17:29.91
the entire Book of Malachi,
00:17:29.94\00:17:32.38
is a book where God
continues to point out
00:17:32.41\00:17:35.02
one after the other,
00:17:35.05\00:17:36.38
the condition of His people,
00:17:36.42\00:17:37.75
and He says to
them, "Return unto me,"
00:17:37.79\00:17:40.26
and we only spend time on tithe.
00:17:40.29\00:17:42.59
You'll find out that the reason
00:17:45.73\00:17:47.06
why tithe is at the
latter part of Malachi,
00:17:47.10\00:17:50.93
is because until your life,
00:17:50.97\00:17:53.84
and your
relationship, and your heart,
00:17:53.87\00:17:57.17
and your walk with God is right,
00:17:57.21\00:17:59.27
you'll never see the need
00:17:59.31\00:18:01.84
to give God what
rightfully belongs to Him.
00:18:01.88\00:18:06.35
So He puts money last,
because the giving of tithe
00:18:06.38\00:18:09.52
and offering is
evidence that you recognize
00:18:09.55\00:18:12.65
that everything
already belongs to God.
00:18:12.69\00:18:16.52
But where your treasure is,
there will your heart also be.
00:18:16.56\00:18:23.06
Nehemiah recognizes
00:18:23.10\00:18:24.87
that the prelude
to success in anything
00:18:24.90\00:18:27.57
we do is being
servants that honor God.
00:18:27.60\00:18:31.41
But I want to
point something out.
00:18:31.44\00:18:32.77
When the story unfolded,
you'll notice in verse 1.
00:18:32.81\00:18:35.68
The Bible says, "It came to
pass in the month of Kislev."
00:18:35.71\00:18:39.85
Now the reason I bring
this out is because oftentimes,
00:18:39.88\00:18:42.72
we don't really know
how long a story lasts.
00:18:42.75\00:18:45.35
But this is one of
the stories in the Bible
00:18:45.39\00:18:47.49
that takes us down a timeline.
00:18:47.52\00:18:49.99
It starts with
the opening narrative,
00:18:50.03\00:18:52.06
"In the month of Kislev."
00:18:52.09\00:18:53.73
That's the way it's pronounced
in the Hebrew, Kislev.
00:18:53.76\00:18:57.23
That is the month of
November to December,
00:18:57.27\00:18:59.43
when the seasons
are beginning to change,
00:18:59.47\00:19:01.80
"In the month of Kislev."
00:19:01.84\00:19:04.17
And then we go
further into chapter 2,
00:19:04.21\00:19:08.34
and there's an introduction
that comes to us in verse 1,
00:19:08.38\00:19:12.61
"And it came to pass in
the month of the Nisan."
00:19:12.65\00:19:15.65
That is March to April.
00:19:15.68\00:19:18.25
You see the
seasons are changing.
00:19:18.29\00:19:20.36
And you might even
notice that in your life,
00:19:20.39\00:19:22.42
problems tend to go
from one season to the other.
00:19:22.46\00:19:26.26
And as the seasons are changing,
00:19:29.33\00:19:31.13
the problem stays the
same, or the problem intensify,
00:19:31.17\00:19:34.47
or the battle intensifies.
00:19:34.50\00:19:35.97
From the months of
November to December,
00:19:36.00\00:19:37.91
they go through
the winter months,
00:19:37.94\00:19:39.27
and they're coming to the,
00:19:39.31\00:19:40.64
to the early part of
the introduction of spring,
00:19:40.68\00:19:43.75
March and April,
00:19:43.78\00:19:45.61
and God is still on the move.
00:19:45.65\00:19:46.98
I wanna say this,
friends, keep this in mind.
00:19:47.02\00:19:49.12
Even though the seasons
will come and go in your trials,
00:19:49.15\00:19:53.62
God always remains the same.
00:19:53.66\00:19:58.79
He doesn't go.
00:19:58.83\00:20:00.16
He's our ever
present help in time of need.
00:20:00.20\00:20:02.03
The seasons are changing.
00:20:02.06\00:20:03.40
Look at chapter 2:7.
00:20:03.43\00:20:07.14
So Nehemiah,
now in a new season,
00:20:07.17\00:20:10.47
still looking at the
condition of his people,
00:20:10.51\00:20:12.11
makes a request to God
00:20:12.14\00:20:14.98
with deep
spiritual significance.
00:20:15.01\00:20:17.88
"Furthermore I said to the king,
00:20:17.91\00:20:20.25
If it pleases the king,
let letters be given to me
00:20:20.28\00:20:25.62
for the governors of
the region beyond the River,
00:20:25.65\00:20:28.42
that they must
permit me to pass through
00:20:28.46\00:20:32.09
till I come to Judah."
00:20:32.13\00:20:34.00
When I read that, when
I rediscovered the story,
00:20:34.03\00:20:37.87
and I read that verse, I
asked myself the question,
00:20:37.90\00:20:40.74
"How did I miss that verse
00:20:40.77\00:20:42.70
and what it
actually meant in the past?"
00:20:42.74\00:20:44.41
You see in the past,
00:20:44.44\00:20:45.77
I simply thought
it meant letters to go
00:20:45.81\00:20:47.38
from this border to that border.
00:20:47.41\00:20:49.34
In actuality, that's
what it actually meant,
00:20:49.38\00:20:52.05
to go from one
border to the next,
00:20:52.08\00:20:53.52
and each of the
territories were controlled
00:20:53.55\00:20:55.48
by different kings
and different rulers.
00:20:55.52\00:20:57.72
And so to get from
one place to the next,
00:20:57.75\00:20:59.25
you had to have a letter
from the prior king to say,
00:20:59.29\00:21:02.22
"Let Nehemiah pass through."
00:21:02.26\00:21:04.59
When he got
through this province,
00:21:04.63\00:21:06.19
that letter was also needed
00:21:06.23\00:21:08.30
to let him pass through
this and pass through that.
00:21:08.33\00:21:11.67
He needed a letter to be
able to get from where he was,
00:21:11.70\00:21:15.77
all the way to Judah.
00:21:15.80\00:21:19.01
I've said this before,
but it fits right here,
00:21:19.04\00:21:21.84
and it fits
perfectly right here.
00:21:21.88\00:21:24.21
If we would
simply read God's Word,
00:21:24.25\00:21:27.12
we will realize, we've got a,
00:21:27.15\00:21:29.42
we've got a letter that
can help us pass through.
00:21:29.45\00:21:34.99
No matter what the
journey is, God can take you
00:21:35.02\00:21:37.23
from one territory to the next
00:21:37.26\00:21:39.33
on the way to
your final destination.
00:21:39.36\00:21:42.36
God can move all
the obstacles because,
00:21:42.40\00:21:44.87
unless Nehemiah had this letter,
00:21:44.90\00:21:46.94
he would not be permitted
00:21:46.97\00:21:51.41
to pass from the
inception of his journey
00:21:51.44\00:21:54.78
to the final
destination of his journey,
00:21:54.81\00:21:56.81
because all the
kings, and all the leaders,
00:21:56.85\00:21:59.85
and all the gatekeepers
00:21:59.88\00:22:03.49
would only recognize
the authority of the King.
00:22:03.52\00:22:06.19
Let me just say this
in a spiritual parallel.
00:22:06.22\00:22:08.92
"When we get a
letter from the King,
00:22:08.96\00:22:11.89
there's nothing the
enemy can do to prevent us
00:22:11.93\00:22:14.56
from passing through."
00:22:14.60\00:22:18.47
'Cause God's word
00:22:18.50\00:22:20.67
allows us to pass through
the journeys of our lives,
00:22:20.70\00:22:24.47
the difficulties of our lives.
00:22:24.51\00:22:27.54
And God gave Nehemiah
a letter from the king.
00:22:27.58\00:22:32.41
In some sense,
Nehemiah represented Jesus,
00:22:32.45\00:22:37.32
the one who's on the journey
00:22:37.35\00:22:38.69
for the
restoration of his people.
00:22:38.72\00:22:41.29
And when he got that letter,
none of the surrounding kings
00:22:41.32\00:22:45.43
could prevent him from
his God ordained destination.
00:22:45.46\00:22:50.67
But there's something
about our destination.
00:22:50.70\00:22:52.37
You see, when God's
people are on the move,
00:22:52.40\00:22:54.27
when we become
concerned about our condition,
00:22:54.30\00:22:56.67
when we become
concerned about doing better,
00:22:56.71\00:23:02.31
when we come to
grips with our condition,
00:23:02.34\00:23:04.18
our spiritual
condition, and then we determine
00:23:04.21\00:23:06.78
that we're gonna,
we're gonna get up
00:23:06.82\00:23:08.32
and begin a journey to
get to God's ideal for us.
00:23:08.35\00:23:12.69
It is only then that
Satan becomes infuriated
00:23:12.72\00:23:17.66
when he sees
that the people of God
00:23:17.69\00:23:19.96
are no longer content
about their condition,
00:23:20.00\00:23:22.30
they want to do
something about it.
00:23:22.33\00:23:23.67
Look at verse 10
of Nehemiah Chapter 2.
00:23:23.70\00:23:27.07
Nehemiah Chapter 2.
00:23:27.10\00:23:31.01
And the Bible says,
00:23:31.04\00:23:32.37
"When Sanballat
the Horonite and Tobiah
00:23:32.41\00:23:35.64
the Ammonite
official heard of it,
00:23:35.68\00:23:38.75
they were deeply," what?
00:23:38.78\00:23:41.18
"They were deeply
disturbed that a man had come
00:23:41.22\00:23:44.29
to seek the well-being
of the children of Israel."
00:23:44.32\00:23:47.52
That's the mission of Jesus.
00:23:47.56\00:23:49.09
He has come to seek and to save
00:23:49.12\00:23:50.46
that which was lost.
00:23:50.49\00:23:51.83
Can you say amen, somebody?
00:23:51.86\00:23:54.00
But only as you stay
awake, can you get that message?
00:23:54.03\00:24:00.50
Only as you are alert.
00:24:00.54\00:24:02.47
This is less about
Nehemiah, this is more about us,
00:24:02.50\00:24:05.34
that a Man had come to seek
the wellbeing of His children,
00:24:05.37\00:24:10.68
the children of God.
00:24:10.71\00:24:13.05
Praise the Lord for
Jesus. Come on, somebody.
00:24:13.08\00:24:16.95
He could have left this
tiny little grain of sand,
00:24:16.99\00:24:20.29
He could have sort
it out of existence,
00:24:20.32\00:24:22.26
and even control the
minds of every un-fallen world,
00:24:22.29\00:24:25.66
they would not
even remember this dot.
00:24:25.69\00:24:28.66
"But God so loved the world
00:24:28.70\00:24:30.77
that He gave His
only begotten Son."
00:24:30.80\00:24:34.04
But when the devil
heard that there were changes
00:24:34.07\00:24:36.27
that began to be made,
00:24:36.30\00:24:37.77
that somebody came to
help the people of God
00:24:37.81\00:24:40.24
that were broken down,
00:24:40.28\00:24:42.44
you got to know that you're
broken down to appreciate help.
00:24:42.48\00:24:46.15
You got to know that
you need the king's letter
00:24:46.18\00:24:49.48
to appreciate what
God can do in your life.
00:24:49.52\00:24:51.69
It is only at the...
00:24:51.72\00:24:53.52
It is only at the
imbibing of the king's letter,
00:24:53.56\00:24:56.52
taking the letter with us.
00:24:56.56\00:24:57.99
Notice, Nehemiah didn't
travel without the letter.
00:24:58.03\00:25:00.63
There are some people that
travel without their Bibles.
00:25:00.66\00:25:04.57
And they think
the devil is going to
00:25:04.60\00:25:07.04
remove the gate at their word.
00:25:07.07\00:25:08.74
So what happens? They try it.
00:25:08.77\00:25:10.37
They begin their journey,
00:25:10.41\00:25:11.84
and they get no
farther than their words
00:25:11.87\00:25:13.58
because the devil says,
00:25:13.61\00:25:14.94
"On whose authority,
are you going to pass by?"
00:25:14.98\00:25:16.95
And they say, "On my authority,"
00:25:16.98\00:25:18.51
because they don't
have a letter from the king,
00:25:18.55\00:25:22.48
they ain't going to anywhere.
00:25:22.52\00:25:24.25
Let me suggest to you.
00:25:24.29\00:25:25.62
If there's ever a time
that we need to be serious
00:25:25.65\00:25:27.79
with the letter of
the king, it is today.
00:25:27.82\00:25:29.32
What do you say?
00:25:29.36\00:25:30.99
Get into the letter of the king.
00:25:31.03\00:25:32.36
It is only as we know
what's in the king's letter.
00:25:32.39\00:25:35.03
And by the way,
this king's letter
00:25:35.06\00:25:36.46
was not just to pass
from one place to the next,
00:25:36.50\00:25:39.43
but this king's
letter was also to grant
00:25:39.47\00:25:44.47
that Nehemiah had the right
to get everything he needed
00:25:44.51\00:25:51.05
to rebuild and
restore Jerusalem.
00:25:51.08\00:25:54.58
Everything he needed,
finances, building materials,
00:25:54.62\00:26:00.39
whatever the tools were,
00:26:00.42\00:26:01.79
everything he needed
was included in that letter.
00:26:01.82\00:26:04.23
In other words,
00:26:04.26\00:26:05.59
when he went from one
hardware store to the next,
00:26:05.63\00:26:07.30
just show the letter of credit.
00:26:07.33\00:26:08.96
I wanna to tell you, God's
got a great letter of credit.
00:26:09.00\00:26:12.50
Everything he
needed was in that letter.
00:26:12.53\00:26:17.14
And because the enemy knew that,
00:26:17.17\00:26:19.07
they were deeply
distressed that a man had come
00:26:19.11\00:26:21.84
to seek the wellbeing
of the children of God.
00:26:21.88\00:26:26.92
When I think about this,
I came up with some things.
00:26:26.95\00:26:29.12
I sat down last night.
00:26:29.15\00:26:30.69
You know, I like to go
to bed late on Friday night,
00:26:30.72\00:26:33.32
don't worry about me.
00:26:33.36\00:26:34.69
I won't tell you what time
00:26:34.72\00:26:36.06
because you just might
get tired and fall asleep.
00:26:36.09\00:26:39.13
My wife always asked me,
00:26:39.16\00:26:40.50
"What time did you come to bed?"
00:26:40.53\00:26:41.86
"Late," try not to tell
her, because she scolds me.
00:26:41.90\00:26:45.43
You know, I got to
bed late last night
00:26:45.47\00:26:47.64
but then I'm happy.
00:26:47.67\00:26:49.00
Amen?
00:26:49.04\00:26:50.37
I mean, I'm
energized, I'm not tired,
00:26:50.41\00:26:51.74
so don't think
about my tiredness
00:26:51.77\00:26:53.11
but I thought
about this last night,
00:26:53.14\00:26:55.14
because being aware of our
circumstances is one thing.
00:26:55.18\00:27:00.95
But it's not until we
realize that we need to change
00:27:00.98\00:27:05.29
that the devil begins
to be bothered about it.
00:27:05.32\00:27:07.92
He gets angry when we decide
00:27:12.39\00:27:15.46
to do something
about our condition.
00:27:15.50\00:27:18.17
Ellen White says, "Desire
as far as it goes is good.
00:27:21.20\00:27:27.18
But if it goes no farther,
it accomplishes nothing.
00:27:27.21\00:27:29.84
Many will be lost," she said,
00:27:29.88\00:27:32.21
"Many will be lost
00:27:32.25\00:27:34.52
while desiring to be Christians"
00:27:34.55\00:27:37.19
because they never do it,
00:27:37.22\00:27:38.85
it affects absolutely no change.
00:27:38.89\00:27:41.29
So you might say, "You know,
I got to get my life together."
00:27:41.32\00:27:43.76
I need to do this right, I
need to have Bible studies,
00:27:43.79\00:27:45.93
I need to be
more active in church,
00:27:45.96\00:27:47.53
I need to be a person
that shares my faith."
00:27:47.56\00:27:49.83
If that's all you got,
then you have got nothing.
00:27:49.86\00:27:55.07
The devil is not
concerned about those
00:27:55.10\00:27:57.21
who know they
have a need of change,
00:27:57.24\00:27:59.31
but do not do anything
00:27:59.34\00:28:01.74
to decide to effect that change.
00:28:01.78\00:28:06.48
Some people are so content
with the dirt in their lives,
00:28:06.51\00:28:09.52
some people are content
with the dirt in their lives
00:28:09.55\00:28:11.29
because any attempt to
clean it up might give them
00:28:11.32\00:28:13.76
an allergic reaction.
00:28:13.79\00:28:15.12
But I'd rather go
00:28:21.23\00:28:23.37
through the
discomfort of progressive change
00:28:23.40\00:28:25.77
than to settle
for the contentment
00:28:25.80\00:28:27.40
of permanent failure.
00:28:27.44\00:28:30.07
Think about that
for a little bit.
00:28:30.11\00:28:32.07
It's not
comfortable to try to change.
00:28:32.11\00:28:34.21
If you've ever been involved
in a construction project,
00:28:34.24\00:28:36.51
you know, there's
a whole lot of dirt.
00:28:36.54\00:28:37.88
Amen?
00:28:37.91\00:28:39.25
Lot of dust, lot of nails,
00:28:39.28\00:28:40.95
you might hit
yourself with a hammer,
00:28:40.98\00:28:43.05
you might step on something
that could hurt your knees,
00:28:43.08\00:28:45.79
but you keep on going
00:28:45.82\00:28:47.16
because you know
when the project is done,
00:28:47.19\00:28:49.22
you are enamored and
elated at the final product.
00:28:49.26\00:28:53.50
So Nehemiah
decided to go through
00:29:00.40\00:29:01.94
the discomfort
iof progressive change
00:29:01.97\00:29:04.07
than settle for the contentment
of permanent failure.
00:29:04.11\00:29:06.78
Chapter 2:11 and 12.
00:29:06.81\00:29:08.18
Notice, notice what he said.
00:29:08.21\00:29:12.58
Notice what he
said, but also notice
00:29:12.61\00:29:14.92
what he didn't say.
00:29:14.95\00:29:17.82
Verse 11 and 12,
"So I came to Jerusalem
00:29:17.85\00:29:20.36
and was there three days.
00:29:20.39\00:29:22.92
Then I arose in the night,"
00:29:22.96\00:29:25.03
the time to get
into with God at night.
00:29:25.06\00:29:28.96
"I and a few men with
me," and look at this,
00:29:29.00\00:29:32.17
"I told no one what my
God had put in my heart
00:29:32.20\00:29:37.24
to do at Jerusalem,
00:29:37.27\00:29:39.87
nor was there
any animal with me,
00:29:39.91\00:29:42.21
except the one on which I rode."
00:29:42.24\00:29:45.31
You know, I thought about that
00:29:45.35\00:29:47.12
and I said, "Lord,
what is that saying?
00:29:47.15\00:29:50.05
I told no one what
God had put in my heart
00:29:50.09\00:29:54.12
to do at Jerusalem?'
00:29:54.16\00:29:55.69
And the Lord said to me,
00:29:55.72\00:29:57.06
"There are times
when it is better
00:29:57.09\00:29:59.83
to keep your journey
with God between you and God."
00:29:59.86\00:30:06.33
Amen.
00:30:06.37\00:30:07.70
And as I look
further into the commentaries
00:30:13.88\00:30:15.98
and other Bible
contributors, they said,
00:30:16.01\00:30:18.21
"One of the reasons
why Nehemiah did not
00:30:18.25\00:30:20.02
disclose in his heart
what God had put there,
00:30:20.05\00:30:23.12
because Nehemiah did not
want sympathy from anybody,
00:30:23.15\00:30:26.65
and Nehemiah didn't
want support from anybody.
00:30:26.69\00:30:29.19
Nehemiah only wanted
00:30:29.22\00:30:30.56
the protecting
guiding hand of God,"
00:30:30.59\00:30:33.60
because when God
guarantees success,
00:30:33.63\00:30:37.53
you don't need anybody
to sympathize with you.
00:30:37.57\00:30:40.04
I've seen people
go through difficulty,
00:30:40.07\00:30:41.74
and what people don't
know is sometimes God takes
00:30:41.77\00:30:44.57
a single
individual through difficulty
00:30:44.61\00:30:47.14
to wake them up.
00:30:47.18\00:30:49.64
And we end up
sympathizing with them
00:30:49.68\00:30:51.38
almost to make it appear
as though God is not fair.
00:30:51.41\00:30:56.55
There are times we
should not sympathize
00:30:56.58\00:30:58.49
with people that
are, where God knows
00:30:58.52\00:31:01.09
He wants them to be.
00:31:01.12\00:31:02.86
Listen to this quotation
00:31:02.89\00:31:04.23
in the book "Reflecting Christ."
00:31:04.26\00:31:06.56
"Trial is a
part of the education
00:31:06.59\00:31:08.20
given in the school of
Christ, to purify God's children
00:31:08.23\00:31:11.87
from the dross of earthliness.
00:31:11.90\00:31:14.60
It is because, get this,
it is because God is leading
00:31:14.64\00:31:17.91
His children that trying
experiences come to them,
00:31:17.94\00:31:22.38
it's because He is leading.
00:31:22.41\00:31:24.51
Trials and obstacles are
His chosen method of discipline
00:31:24.55\00:31:29.62
and His appointed
conditions of success."
00:31:29.65\00:31:33.15
So when you see
somebody being grinded by God,
00:31:33.19\00:31:36.46
get off the way,
and pray for them,
00:31:36.49\00:31:42.63
because you could interrupt
the very thing that will bring
00:31:42.66\00:31:44.77
that person to a
place where they have
00:31:44.80\00:31:46.13
a genuine relationship with God.
00:31:46.17\00:31:48.40
Be careful, pray
for them from a distance
00:31:48.44\00:31:51.04
but don't ever
sympathize and say,
00:31:51.07\00:31:52.81
just like Job's
friends, they got there
00:31:52.84\00:31:54.61
and they began to sympathize
00:31:54.64\00:31:56.24
with what Job was going through,
00:31:56.28\00:31:57.61
not realizing
that God permitted it.
00:31:57.65\00:32:01.68
Be careful.
00:32:01.72\00:32:03.05
You better be
spiritual to understand
00:32:03.08\00:32:04.62
what's going on that you
begin to sympathize with people
00:32:04.65\00:32:07.19
when you don't
understand what God is doing
00:32:07.22\00:32:08.92
in his or her life.
00:32:08.96\00:32:12.56
Because the very
next verse tells us
00:32:12.59\00:32:14.60
the journey of the Christian.
00:32:14.63\00:32:16.67
Nehemiah 2:13, look at this.
00:32:16.70\00:32:21.10
The destiny that God
chooses also includes gates
00:32:21.14\00:32:25.14
that God chooses.
00:32:25.17\00:32:27.78
Nehemiah, he said,
"I went out by night
00:32:27.81\00:32:30.55
through the Valley
Gate to the Serpent Well
00:32:30.58\00:32:37.19
and the Refuse Gate,
00:32:37.22\00:32:39.82
and viewed the
walls of Jerusalem
00:32:39.85\00:32:41.42
which were broken down
00:32:41.46\00:32:42.79
and its gates which
were burned with fire."
00:32:42.82\00:32:45.16
Jerusalem means peace.
00:32:45.19\00:32:46.66
Follow me carefully.
00:32:46.70\00:32:48.03
On his way to peace,
he experienced the stops
00:32:48.06\00:32:52.83
along the way
that God appointed.
00:32:52.87\00:32:54.94
God chose the route
that correlated best
00:32:54.97\00:32:58.34
with his destination.
00:32:58.37\00:32:59.71
So here's the point.
00:32:59.74\00:33:01.08
If we got to go
through the Valley Gate,
00:33:01.11\00:33:02.48
God chose it for our learning.
00:33:02.51\00:33:07.12
It is at the Valley
Gate that we experience
00:33:07.15\00:33:08.98
the security of God.
00:33:09.02\00:33:10.35
If we have to go
to the Serpents Well,
00:33:10.39\00:33:12.15
God chose it for
our strengthening.
00:33:12.19\00:33:16.42
It is at that the Serpents Well
00:33:16.46\00:33:17.79
that we experience
the deliverance of God.
00:33:17.83\00:33:21.53
If God chooses that we
must pass the Refuse Gate,
00:33:21.56\00:33:25.53
God chose the Refuse
Gate for our purification.
00:33:25.57\00:33:29.07
It is at the Refuse Gate
that God removes the garbage
00:33:29.10\00:33:32.77
from our lives.
00:33:32.81\00:33:34.14
You got to have
a place to dump it,
00:33:34.18\00:33:35.51
the Valley Gate,
00:33:35.54\00:33:36.88
the Serpent
Well, the Refuse Gate.
00:33:36.91\00:33:38.85
God chose that
route for Nehemiah,
00:33:38.88\00:33:41.55
because in the
journey of the Christian,
00:33:41.58\00:33:43.59
we go through the
valleys of the shadow of death.
00:33:43.62\00:33:45.59
And don't understand it,
that it's God's choosing,
00:33:45.62\00:33:47.92
it is through the
valley of the shadows of death
00:33:47.96\00:33:50.19
that we understand that
God says, "I am with you."
00:33:50.23\00:33:52.63
And when we know
that God is with us,
00:33:57.00\00:33:58.37
we can say, "I fear
no evil," amen, somebody?
00:33:58.40\00:34:02.30
But you got to
know as a child of God,
00:34:02.34\00:34:04.47
this thing that God is
unjust, and then He's just,
00:34:04.51\00:34:07.04
and God is fair,
and then He's unfair,
00:34:07.08\00:34:08.91
is the rantings of a person
00:34:08.94\00:34:11.01
who does not have a
connection with God.
00:34:11.05\00:34:14.98
But when you know that
God is good all the time,
00:34:15.02\00:34:17.25
it's more than a cliche.
00:34:17.29\00:34:18.62
When you know that
God is good all the time,
00:34:18.65\00:34:20.42
you will trust the left
turns, and the right turns,
00:34:20.46\00:34:22.46
the hills, and the valleys,
00:34:22.49\00:34:23.83
the dark days,
and the bright nights.
00:34:23.86\00:34:26.29
You'll trust the cold
weather, and the heavy rains
00:34:26.33\00:34:29.93
and you'll even trust the flood.
00:34:29.96\00:34:31.53
If God brings the
storm, you'll trust that God
00:34:35.40\00:34:38.01
brought it for a
particular reason.
00:34:38.04\00:34:41.21
And I'm not saying that
everything that comes our way,
00:34:41.24\00:34:43.28
there's a
spiritual lesson to learn,
00:34:43.31\00:34:45.31
but I want to say this.
00:34:45.35\00:34:46.68
If God allows it,
goes through it with God
00:34:46.72\00:34:51.02
rather than deny God
and abandon the blessing
00:34:51.05\00:34:54.22
that is at the
end of that journey.
00:34:54.26\00:34:58.06
Nehemiah had to go
through these stations
00:34:58.09\00:34:59.83
to encourage somebody else.
00:34:59.86\00:35:01.20
Verse 17 and
18. Verse 17 and 18.
00:35:01.23\00:35:05.93
When he got these, he said,
00:35:05.97\00:35:07.30
"Then I said to
them, You see the distress
00:35:07.34\00:35:09.27
that we are in."
Notice, he identified,
00:35:09.30\00:35:11.67
we are all in the
same boat together.
00:35:11.71\00:35:13.98
"How Jerusalem lies waste,
00:35:14.01\00:35:15.81
and its gates
are burned with fire.
00:35:15.84\00:35:17.55
Come and let us
build the wall of Jerusalem
00:35:17.58\00:35:19.75
that we may no
longer be a reproach.
00:35:19.78\00:35:22.55
And I told them
of the hand of my God
00:35:22.58\00:35:26.02
which had been good upon me,
00:35:26.05\00:35:27.62
and also of the
king's word," God's word,
00:35:27.66\00:35:30.53
"that he had spoken to me."
00:35:30.56\00:35:34.30
You know, when you tell
people good things about God,
00:35:34.33\00:35:36.16
here's what the
reaction is going to be.
00:35:36.20\00:35:37.83
So they said, notice, he
didn't say it, so they said.
00:35:37.87\00:35:41.24
Since the news
is good about God,
00:35:41.27\00:35:43.17
since God is good to you,
00:35:43.20\00:35:44.74
since God's word is good to you,
00:35:44.77\00:35:46.44
since we can trust
what God has told you,
00:35:46.47\00:35:48.94
"Let us rise up and build."
00:35:48.98\00:35:51.08
And then the Bible says,
"Then they set their hands
00:35:51.11\00:35:54.02
to this good work."
00:35:54.05\00:35:55.92
It is good to work for God.
00:35:55.95\00:36:00.46
All he did was, tell
them how good God is.
00:36:00.49\00:36:04.89
Oh, I wish some of us
could talk about God's goodness
00:36:04.93\00:36:07.36
more than our trials.
00:36:07.40\00:36:10.03
If we can say to
people how good God is,
00:36:10.07\00:36:14.34
then more of them would say,
00:36:14.37\00:36:16.10
"I'm not going to
sit here and complain,
00:36:16.14\00:36:17.71
I'm going to rise up
and begin to build my life."
00:36:17.74\00:36:23.31
I remember once going through
a trial a couple of years,
00:36:23.35\00:36:25.11
well, actually more than...
00:36:25.15\00:36:26.48
Well, more than 11 years ago.
00:36:29.45\00:36:31.65
Its right during camp meeting,
00:36:31.69\00:36:33.02
I was standing
up here in thefront.
00:36:33.05\00:36:35.36
Just a few days before
camp meeting began that spring,
00:36:35.39\00:36:38.03
about 11 years
ago, when I was...
00:36:38.06\00:36:39.79
The Lord allows
trials for various reasons.
00:36:39.83\00:36:42.36
And I was standing
here, and as I was about
00:36:42.40\00:36:45.33
to begin prayer meeting,
I said to the congregation,
00:36:45.37\00:36:47.84
that was there,
visitors, and friends alike,
00:36:47.87\00:36:49.67
and members alike, and I said,
00:36:49.70\00:36:51.21
"Do you ever feel
like you want to...
00:36:51.24\00:36:53.44
Do you ever feel like
00:36:53.48\00:36:54.81
when you're on
your way to church,
00:36:54.84\00:36:56.18
you just wanna drive
by and just keep on going?
00:36:56.21\00:36:57.78
And I said to them,
"That's how I feel tonight."
00:37:01.52\00:37:04.35
I'm supposed to encourage you
00:37:04.39\00:37:06.32
but I just feel like
driving past this church
00:37:06.35\00:37:08.26
and keep on going.
00:37:08.29\00:37:09.62
And they gathered
around me and prayed for me
00:37:13.09\00:37:16.36
and encouraged me.
00:37:16.40\00:37:18.60
And here I am 11 years
later, because the word,
00:37:18.63\00:37:21.24
the hand of God
was good upon me,
00:37:21.27\00:37:23.61
and the king's
words were good to me.
00:37:23.64\00:37:25.54
Come on, say amen, somebody.
00:37:25.57\00:37:28.18
But once again,
00:37:28.21\00:37:29.91
whenever we begin to
progress in our spiritual life,
00:37:29.94\00:37:32.78
and this is where we
have to become smart.
00:37:32.81\00:37:34.72
And I want to
appeal very carefully.
00:37:34.75\00:37:36.25
This is where
we've got to be smart.
00:37:36.28\00:37:38.02
If you've been a Christian
00:37:38.05\00:37:39.39
longer than two years,
you know that the devil
00:37:39.42\00:37:42.26
does not like
anything in your life
00:37:42.29\00:37:44.66
that resembles God.
00:37:44.69\00:37:47.30
Come on let's get
spiritually sensible here.
00:37:47.33\00:37:50.63
You know, when you're
about to read your Bible,
00:37:50.67\00:37:52.00
what happens? The phone rings.
00:37:52.03\00:37:54.70
So don't answer it.
00:37:54.74\00:37:56.74
Who told you, you
have to answer the phone?
00:37:56.77\00:37:58.81
Amen?
00:37:58.84\00:38:00.58
When my wife and
I enter into prayer,
00:38:00.61\00:38:02.41
the phone rings.
00:38:02.44\00:38:03.78
Just the other
morning, we're praying together,
00:38:03.81\00:38:07.42
we have an answering machine.
00:38:07.45\00:38:09.15
So the answering
machine comes on,
00:38:09.18\00:38:11.75
that's the longest message
I've ever heard anybody leave.
00:38:11.79\00:38:16.52
It's like the
devil is talking loud,
00:38:16.56\00:38:17.89
trying to block out our prayer.
00:38:17.93\00:38:19.26
And the lady is talking...
00:38:19.29\00:38:20.63
When you are done,
00:38:20.66\00:38:22.00
call this number
1900, 1800, whatever.
00:38:22.03\00:38:25.10
I mean, long...
00:38:25.13\00:38:26.47
And I'm thinking,
00:38:26.50\00:38:27.84
"Don't our message
ends at 30 seconds?
00:38:27.87\00:38:30.14
It seems like she was
talking for two minutes."
00:38:30.17\00:38:32.77
And it was long in
the midst of our prayer.
00:38:32.81\00:38:34.98
And you know
when the phone rings,
00:38:35.01\00:38:36.68
you want to get
up and answer it.
00:38:36.71\00:38:40.32
I said, "Honey, no, leave it."
00:38:40.35\00:38:44.29
When you know the
tactics of the enemy,
00:38:44.32\00:38:46.62
you got to be more determined
to stay connected to God
00:38:46.65\00:38:49.89
than to be
distracted by the moment.
00:38:49.92\00:38:53.76
Because here is
what the enemy does,
00:38:53.80\00:38:55.63
he gets a coalition together.
00:38:55.66\00:38:57.00
Verse 19.
00:38:57.03\00:38:58.57
He got a coalition
together, because he saw
00:38:58.60\00:39:01.14
that finally they set
their hands to do a good work.
00:39:01.17\00:39:04.84
"But when
Sanballat the Horonite,
00:39:04.87\00:39:07.28
Tobiah the Ammonite
official, and Gesham,"
00:39:07.31\00:39:10.08
they added somebody,
"the Arab heard of it,
00:39:10.11\00:39:12.71
they laughed at us
and despised us, and said,
00:39:12.75\00:39:15.85
What is this thing
that you are doing?
00:39:15.88\00:39:18.39
Will you rebel
against the king?"
00:39:18.42\00:39:20.46
They tried to turn the
Jews against the king's command.
00:39:20.49\00:39:25.76
When in fact, the
king was in harmony.
00:39:25.79\00:39:28.86
They had received a
letter from the king to do this,
00:39:28.90\00:39:31.53
but because the
letter didn't go to them,
00:39:31.57\00:39:33.37
they thought that
the Jews and the king
00:39:33.40\00:39:35.14
that sent
Nehemiah were in conflict,
00:39:35.17\00:39:38.17
but that was not the case,
00:39:38.21\00:39:40.58
that was not the
case, that was not the case.
00:39:40.61\00:39:46.98
Strangely enough,
Bob, "How it is that people
00:39:47.02\00:39:50.65
that are often
enemies of each other
00:39:50.69\00:39:53.92
become friends of each other,
00:39:53.96\00:39:56.19
when you become
their common enemy?"
00:39:56.22\00:39:59.59
Look at chapter 4:1.
00:39:59.63\00:40:02.93
I don't have a lot of time left.
00:40:02.96\00:40:04.30
I'm looking at my
little timer here.
00:40:04.33\00:40:05.83
They began to work
with all diligence.
00:40:09.90\00:40:15.34
They began to work
with all diligence.
00:40:15.38\00:40:17.31
And Nehemiah said to
them, "God will prosper us."
00:40:17.35\00:40:21.12
But what happened in
verse one of chapter four?
00:40:21.15\00:40:23.79
"But it so
happened, when Sanballat heard
00:40:23.82\00:40:27.56
that we were
rebuilding the wall,
00:40:27.59\00:40:31.56
that he was
furious and very indignant,
00:40:31.59\00:40:35.66
and mocked the Jews."
00:40:35.70\00:40:37.03
They did everything
they could to discourage
00:40:37.07\00:40:39.73
those whose lives
were coming back together.
00:40:39.77\00:40:42.84
Let me make a very
important point of application.
00:40:42.87\00:40:45.17
When God is
pulling your life together,
00:40:45.21\00:40:47.84
don't be concerned about
00:40:47.88\00:40:49.58
what people are
saying about you.
00:40:49.61\00:40:51.31
Because I've
learned, if you listen to all
00:40:55.15\00:40:56.48
the discouraging
things, you could sometimes
00:40:56.52\00:40:58.82
begin to doubt that
God is even in charge.
00:40:58.85\00:41:03.32
Don't listen to
words of discouragement.
00:41:03.36\00:41:05.23
When God is pulling
your life back together,
00:41:05.26\00:41:10.57
the devil, all
of a sudden starts
00:41:10.60\00:41:12.37
to sort through
your file cabinet
00:41:12.40\00:41:14.54
and pulls out
every discouraging thing
00:41:14.57\00:41:16.47
that he knows is true about you
00:41:16.50\00:41:18.57
and begins to remind you of it,
00:41:18.61\00:41:20.38
so that you can be discouraged.
00:41:20.41\00:41:21.74
He said, "They were very furious
00:41:21.78\00:41:23.35
and very
indignant and they begin
00:41:23.38\00:41:24.85
to mock the Jews, mocking them."
00:41:24.88\00:41:28.78
You can't build a wall.
00:41:28.82\00:41:30.55
Look at you, you're weak,
00:41:30.59\00:41:32.65
and they began
to get discouraged.
00:41:32.69\00:41:35.32
No, they didn't.
00:41:35.36\00:41:36.69
Verse 6.
00:41:40.43\00:41:43.40
And I introduce
this point by saying,
00:41:43.43\00:41:45.07
"When the battle gets
tough, the tough get tougher."
00:41:45.10\00:41:49.60
By the strength of God
we can be tougher in Jesus.
00:41:49.64\00:41:51.74
Come on say amen somebody.
00:41:51.77\00:41:53.58
"When the battle gets
tough, the tough get tougher,
00:41:53.61\00:41:55.78
in Jesus."
00:41:55.81\00:41:57.15
Be strong in the Lord.
00:41:57.18\00:41:58.51
The Bible says in verse 6.
00:41:58.55\00:41:59.88
"So we built the wall,
00:41:59.91\00:42:01.78
and the entire
wall was joined together
00:42:01.82\00:42:03.92
up to half its height," and why?
00:42:03.95\00:42:07.32
Look at why.
00:42:07.36\00:42:08.69
"For the people
together, had a mind to work."
00:42:08.72\00:42:12.89
My question is, what's
happening in your mind?
00:42:12.93\00:42:16.20
What's happening in
your mind during the week?
00:42:16.23\00:42:18.37
What is your mind bombarded by?
00:42:18.40\00:42:20.60
What is your mind distracted by?
00:42:20.64\00:42:22.64
What is your mind attracted by?
00:42:22.67\00:42:24.34
What is your
mind being filled by?
00:42:24.37\00:42:26.37
What is your
mind being called by?
00:42:26.41\00:42:27.91
What's happening in your mind?
00:42:27.94\00:42:29.34
The condition of the
spiritual mind of the Christian
00:42:29.38\00:42:31.98
is the indicator
as to whether or not
00:42:32.01\00:42:33.98
the work is going
to go on in their lives
00:42:34.02\00:42:36.38
or whether or not the
work is going to cease.
00:42:36.42\00:42:38.25
They had a mind to work.
00:42:38.29\00:42:39.75
They did not allow the
enemy to distract them.
00:42:39.79\00:42:41.66
They did not allow all
the rantings and ravings
00:42:41.69\00:42:44.09
and the mockings to make
any indent in their lives.
00:42:44.13\00:42:46.86
They had a mind to work.
00:42:46.90\00:42:48.63
You cannot have a mind
to work unless your mind
00:42:48.66\00:42:51.30
is daily molded by
the letter of the King.
00:42:51.33\00:42:54.70
And so the enemy
took it to the next level.
00:43:06.15\00:43:08.98
Let me say this.
00:43:09.02\00:43:11.39
As long as we are in this world,
00:43:11.42\00:43:13.09
we're going to have tribulation.
00:43:13.12\00:43:14.46
Do you know that to be true?
00:43:14.49\00:43:16.36
As long as we are in
this Christian journey,
00:43:16.39\00:43:18.33
somewhere along the way,
we're going to have our serpents
00:43:18.36\00:43:20.30
and our scorpions, our enemies,
our pursuers, our naysayers,
00:43:20.33\00:43:24.73
our haters, they're
all going to be there.
00:43:24.77\00:43:27.14
But what do you do
00:43:27.17\00:43:28.50
when you know the
battle is intensifying?
00:43:28.54\00:43:29.87
Look at what
they did in verse 17.
00:43:29.90\00:43:31.84
Look at what
they did in verse 17.
00:43:31.87\00:43:33.61
Oh, they increased the intimacy
00:43:33.64\00:43:35.78
of their work with Christ.
00:43:35.81\00:43:37.15
It says, "Those
who build on the wall,
00:43:37.18\00:43:39.98
and those who carried
burdens, loaded themselves
00:43:40.02\00:43:44.99
so that with one hand
they worked at construction,
00:43:45.02\00:43:49.49
and with the other
they held a weapon."
00:43:49.52\00:43:52.59
Come on, what's the
weapon? Somebody tell me.
00:43:52.63\00:43:54.30
The Word of God.
00:43:54.33\00:43:55.86
You got to work on one side
00:43:55.90\00:43:57.23
but never lose your
connection with God's Word.
00:43:57.27\00:43:59.10
Can we get an amen here?
00:43:59.13\00:44:01.74
Don't stop working,
00:44:01.77\00:44:03.10
but don't stop
ingesting God's Word.
00:44:03.14\00:44:05.44
They had their
hands on the weapon.
00:44:05.47\00:44:09.14
Working over
here, weapon over here.
00:44:09.18\00:44:12.21
Anybody that knows
about effective work,
00:44:12.25\00:44:13.85
you cannot work for
God and be in the battle
00:44:13.88\00:44:16.62
without the sword of the spirit,
00:44:16.65\00:44:18.55
which is the
most powerful weapon
00:44:18.59\00:44:20.96
in the entire armor.
00:44:20.99\00:44:22.32
Everything else is
defensive, but the Word of God
00:44:22.36\00:44:24.06
is the offensive weapon.
00:44:24.09\00:44:25.43
You can have the
most beautiful uniform,
00:44:25.46\00:44:26.80
but if you have no
connection with God's Word,
00:44:26.83\00:44:28.83
you have no
weapon to defend yourself
00:44:28.86\00:44:31.33
against the
attacks of the enemy.
00:44:31.37\00:44:33.97
But they did something else.
00:44:34.00\00:44:35.34
Look at verse
20. Look at verse 20.
00:44:35.37\00:44:39.27
When the battle intensified,
00:44:39.31\00:44:40.64
they realized
they were not alone.
00:44:40.68\00:44:42.01
They said "Whenever you
hear the sound of the trumpet,
00:44:42.04\00:44:43.95
rally to us there.
00:44:43.98\00:44:45.48
Our God will" do what?
00:44:45.51\00:44:48.02
"Our God will fight for us."
00:44:48.05\00:44:50.69
I want you to know that
00:44:50.72\00:44:52.05
the trials of
life are difficult,
00:44:52.09\00:44:53.42
but the God that we
serve is even more powerful
00:44:53.46\00:44:55.79
than the trials that we face.
00:44:55.82\00:44:58.69
The things that...
00:44:58.73\00:45:00.06
The things that scrape you,
the things that irritate you,
00:45:00.10\00:45:03.10
the things that frustrate you,
00:45:03.13\00:45:06.97
our God is better than
all of those things combined.
00:45:07.00\00:45:10.11
And so very quickly they invited
00:45:13.27\00:45:14.64
Nehemiah to the valley
of, to the plain of Ono.
00:45:14.68\00:45:18.45
Let's talk Neo.
00:45:18.48\00:45:19.81
Let's go to the plain of Ono.
00:45:19.85\00:45:21.18
Nehemiah said, "Oh, no."
00:45:21.22\00:45:24.95
They invited
Nehemiah to come down.
00:45:24.99\00:45:26.49
Nehemiah said, "I
cannot come down."
00:45:26.52\00:45:28.49
But now let's get to
the end of the sermon.
00:45:32.29\00:45:34.80
It's powerful.
00:45:34.83\00:45:36.16
I've been waiting to get
there. And you know what?
00:45:36.20\00:45:38.23
I got, I got 19 minutes left.
00:45:38.27\00:45:44.31
Your watch has
broken, this is correct.
00:45:44.34\00:45:48.88
Louis and I
know this is correct.
00:45:48.91\00:45:50.71
They kept on working.
00:45:54.38\00:45:55.72
They kept on working
00:45:55.75\00:45:57.09
and we go back to
the scripture reading.
00:45:57.12\00:45:59.45
Nehemiah 6.
00:45:59.49\00:46:00.82
So you've got to go home
00:46:00.86\00:46:02.19
and read all the
other stuff for yourself.
00:46:02.22\00:46:04.39
But here's the most
potent part of the story,
00:46:04.43\00:46:06.56
which after having read
this for all these years,
00:46:06.59\00:46:09.10
I never saw it.
00:46:09.13\00:46:10.47
Shelley, that's what God does.
00:46:10.50\00:46:11.83
He shows you
something that you never saw
00:46:11.87\00:46:13.90
and it's right there
like a big bright light.
00:46:13.94\00:46:18.11
Verse 15 of Nehemiah 6.
00:46:18.14\00:46:19.94
So the wall was finished.
00:46:19.97\00:46:21.41
Amen?
00:46:21.44\00:46:22.88
On the 25th day
of Elul in 52 days.
00:46:22.91\00:46:28.42
"And it happened,
00:46:28.45\00:46:30.49
when all our
enemies heard of it,
00:46:30.52\00:46:32.45
and all the nations
around us saw these things,
00:46:32.49\00:46:37.29
that they were very
disheartened" who cares?
00:46:37.33\00:46:41.30
"In their own
eyes, for they perceived
00:46:41.33\00:46:44.07
that this work"
say with me together,
00:46:44.10\00:46:47.00
"was done by our God."
00:46:47.04\00:46:52.14
Now I know you're
focusing on the work
00:46:52.17\00:46:53.61
being done by our God,
00:46:53.64\00:46:54.98
but I'm going to take
you to a singular word
00:46:55.01\00:46:56.64
that I never...
00:46:56.68\00:46:58.41
Last night my wife brought
me a sandwich when I was...
00:46:58.45\00:47:02.48
I said, honey, I'm
eating, I got an appetite.
00:47:02.52\00:47:04.95
I hope I'm gaining weight.
00:47:04.99\00:47:06.32
I'm trying my best.
00:47:06.35\00:47:08.12
But she brought me
a wonderful sandwich,
00:47:08.16\00:47:10.99
some nice ginger,
mint tea, some chips,
00:47:11.03\00:47:15.73
and it was smelling so good
00:47:15.76\00:47:17.10
and she said "Eat
it while it's hot."
00:47:17.13\00:47:19.20
She put it right
there by my computer.
00:47:19.23\00:47:23.51
And I said
"Honey, look at that."
00:47:23.54\00:47:25.34
She said what? I
said that word Elul.
00:47:25.37\00:47:28.14
The 25th day of
Elul, what does Elul mean?
00:47:32.11\00:47:36.38
And I took out my Hebrew
00:47:36.42\00:47:38.12
and I began to
go and I got excited
00:47:38.15\00:47:40.52
when I realized that
in the 25th day of Elul
00:47:40.56\00:47:45.56
was when the work was finished.
00:47:45.59\00:47:47.70
You know, Elul
in the Hebrew means,
00:47:47.73\00:47:49.46
a time of repentance.
00:47:49.50\00:47:52.33
And Elul is the
month that had 29 days.
00:47:52.37\00:47:55.47
When they entered
the month of Elul,
00:47:55.50\00:47:58.31
they had 29 days to repent
00:47:58.34\00:48:01.94
before they got to
the month of SLI-khus,
00:48:01.98\00:48:05.61
which was the
month of forgiveness
00:48:05.65\00:48:07.98
and preparation
and oneness with God.
00:48:08.02\00:48:10.95
So God did not deliver them
00:48:10.99\00:48:13.52
when they began to repent.
00:48:13.56\00:48:18.29
God delivered them 24
days into their repentance.
00:48:18.33\00:48:24.97
The month of Elul required
that they search their hearts.
00:48:25.00\00:48:29.07
And the Hebrew says,
00:48:29.10\00:48:30.77
"As the month of
Elul drew to a close,
00:48:30.81\00:48:34.71
the mood of
repentance became more urgent."
00:48:34.74\00:48:38.88
In other words
they saw, this month,
00:48:38.91\00:48:40.92
as they are working,
00:48:40.95\00:48:42.28
they are, daily
45 minutes a day,
00:48:42.32\00:48:46.05
they stand
searching their hearts.
00:48:46.09\00:48:48.22
How much time do you
spend searching your heart?
00:48:48.26\00:48:51.46
And it was the
condition for the success,
00:48:51.49\00:48:53.40
had they not search their heart,
00:48:53.43\00:48:55.23
God did not finish the
work because He just loved them,
00:48:55.26\00:49:00.44
He finished the work
00:49:00.47\00:49:01.80
because they worked
on being right with God.
00:49:01.84\00:49:06.04
And when they
got right with God,
00:49:06.07\00:49:07.84
God knew that
they were serious about
00:49:07.88\00:49:09.71
the walls being repaired,
00:49:09.74\00:49:11.31
so the Lord closed up the
walls and restored the gates
00:49:11.35\00:49:14.72
because they
repented of the things
00:49:14.75\00:49:17.85
that they had done
before and 24 days into it.
00:49:17.89\00:49:23.32
God saw their sincerity
00:49:23.36\00:49:26.76
and God said, "great."
00:49:26.80\00:49:30.73
I tell you something.
00:49:30.77\00:49:32.10
If you spend 24 days
searching your heart...
00:49:32.13\00:49:35.84
If you spend 24 days saying
00:49:35.87\00:49:38.04
"Father," what
is there in my life
00:49:38.07\00:49:41.24
that needs to be gone?
00:49:41.28\00:49:43.14
What is there in my attitude
that needs to be different?
00:49:43.18\00:49:46.51
Not only did they search
their hearts for repentance
00:49:46.55\00:49:52.25
or the repentance became
00:49:52.29\00:49:53.76
deeper and more intimate.
00:49:53.79\00:49:56.36
But it was also from
the month of repentance,
00:49:56.39\00:49:58.99
the very next month was
the month of forgiveness.
00:49:59.03\00:50:03.10
So when they repented,
the very next month required
00:50:03.13\00:50:05.63
that they forgave one another.
00:50:05.67\00:50:09.44
The month of SLI-khus.
00:50:09.47\00:50:11.97
And what they did in
the month of SLI-khus is...
00:50:12.01\00:50:13.64
This is where I want
to end on the sermon.
00:50:13.68\00:50:15.01
Whoever is going
to play the piano,
00:50:15.04\00:50:16.38
just come and play softly.
00:50:16.41\00:50:20.72
And I'll tell you when to start,
00:50:20.75\00:50:22.35
but just be there.
00:50:22.38\00:50:25.09
After they finished
the month of repentance
00:50:25.12\00:50:27.89
and they came to
the month of SLI-khus,
00:50:27.92\00:50:29.89
which was
another month of 30 days.
00:50:29.92\00:50:35.20
For 45 minutes a day...
00:50:35.23\00:50:36.63
I want you to hear this.
00:50:36.67\00:50:38.30
This blew my mind last night.
00:50:38.33\00:50:39.67
For 45 minutes a day,
00:50:39.70\00:50:42.77
they read Exodus
Chapter 34: 6 and 7.
00:50:42.80\00:50:47.68
We're going to end on that note.
00:50:47.71\00:50:49.41
I'll tell you when.
00:50:49.44\00:50:53.15
They read Exodus
Chapter 34: 6 and 7
00:50:53.18\00:50:57.52
and they repeated
it for 45 minutes a day
00:50:57.55\00:51:01.79
for the entire month.
00:51:01.82\00:51:03.32
And I couldn't understand
why they would do that.
00:51:06.56\00:51:08.40
So I once again
went to the Hebrew.
00:51:08.43\00:51:13.03
And in the Hebrew the word
00:51:13.07\00:51:14.97
and I'm going to repeat it now.
00:51:15.00\00:51:17.14
"And the Lord God passed
before him and proclaimed."
00:51:17.17\00:51:22.34
Exodus 34:6 and 7.
00:51:22.38\00:51:24.28
"And the Lord God passed
before him and proclaimed,
00:51:24.31\00:51:27.15
the Lord, the Lord God."
00:51:27.18\00:51:29.98
Now let's pause.
00:51:30.02\00:51:31.35
"The Lord, the Lord God."
00:51:31.39\00:51:35.09
See before you guys even
thought about saying amen,
00:51:35.12\00:51:38.36
we said, "Amen," last night.
00:51:38.39\00:51:40.56
"The Lord, the Lord God"
00:51:40.60\00:51:42.26
and I looked up
the word in Hebrew,
00:51:42.30\00:51:43.93
Hashem, Hashem,
which meant the Lord,
00:51:43.97\00:51:48.97
the Lord God merciful.
00:51:49.00\00:51:50.71
In the Hebrew it meant
"That God is merciful to us
00:51:50.74\00:51:56.71
before we sin, Hashem."
00:51:56.75\00:51:59.78
And God is merciful to
us after we repent, Hashem."
00:51:59.81\00:52:04.02
Amen, somebody?
00:52:04.05\00:52:05.95
So when they said,
00:52:05.99\00:52:07.32
"The Lord, the Lord God, Hashem,
00:52:07.36\00:52:09.76
the Lord Hashem,
merciful and gracious."
00:52:09.79\00:52:13.16
They said, "The
13 attributes of God
00:52:13.19\00:52:15.86
are found in Exodus 34:6 and 7."
00:52:15.90\00:52:18.17
The 13 attributes of God.
00:52:18.20\00:52:20.27
God is perfectly merciful.
00:52:20.30\00:52:22.17
God is perfectly gracious.
00:52:22.20\00:52:23.64
God is perfectly longsuffering
00:52:23.67\00:52:25.01
and abundant in
goodness and truth.
00:52:25.04\00:52:26.54
God keeps His
mercy for thousands,
00:52:26.57\00:52:28.24
forgiving iniquity
and transgression and sin,
00:52:28.28\00:52:30.45
by no means clearing the guilty.
00:52:30.48\00:52:32.58
But God is
merciful before we sin
00:52:32.61\00:52:34.72
and God is
merciful after we sin.
00:52:34.75\00:52:39.05
So they didn't
come to build walls,
00:52:39.09\00:52:40.79
they came to
build their relationship
00:52:40.82\00:52:43.19
back with God.
00:52:43.22\00:52:44.56
It's when their relationship
with God was rebuilt,
00:52:44.59\00:52:47.20
that God finished the wall.
00:52:47.23\00:52:49.46
So brothers and
sisters, we want the work
00:52:52.47\00:52:54.17
to be completed
and Jesus to come,
00:52:54.20\00:52:55.54
what do you say?
00:52:55.57\00:52:57.27
If we get our lives right
00:52:57.31\00:53:00.01
by searching our
hearts before God,
00:53:00.04\00:53:02.71
the God who is
merciful before we sin,
00:53:02.74\00:53:05.11
the God who is
merciful after we sin,
00:53:05.15\00:53:09.45
the work could be
finished and God will close up
00:53:09.48\00:53:12.75
the gaps in our lives,
00:53:12.79\00:53:14.19
He would rebuild our walls,
00:53:14.22\00:53:16.12
close up and restore our gates.
00:53:16.16\00:53:18.16
So come with me
to a joyful journey.
00:53:22.16\00:53:27.37
Let us go back to a whole place.
00:53:27.40\00:53:31.51
It is not a place
who have sad faces
00:53:31.54\00:53:33.07
but smiling faces, joyful
eyes and fulfilling steers.
00:53:33.11\00:53:38.91
They are not joyful
because they are at peace,
00:53:38.95\00:53:42.22
they are at peace
because they are joyful.
00:53:42.25\00:53:47.66
Finish the walls of
my life, Lord Jesus.
00:53:47.69\00:53:50.69
Finish the walls in
my life, Lord Jesus.
00:53:50.73\00:53:55.40
Not about building walls
is about finishing walls, Jim.
00:53:55.43\00:53:58.47
When we come clean
with God, He steps in
00:53:58.50\00:54:02.57
and finishes the
walls in our lives,
00:54:02.60\00:54:05.34
and the church said.
00:54:05.37\00:54:08.21
Anybody has any walls
today, they want God to rebuild?
00:54:08.24\00:54:13.38
Got any gaps in your life
that needs to be closed up?
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There is the
prescription right there.
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When you ask God to show
you what needs to be closed up
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and repented up and cleaned up
and made right in His presence.
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He will reveal to us His mercy
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and show us His grace
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and in the face of the enemy
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who will be
completely angry and frustrated.
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God will finish our
work, close up our walls,
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restore our gates,
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and we will be in
the presence of God,
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a wonder and a
blessing to everyone
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with whom we come in contact.
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Is that your desire?
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