Latest / INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living / Operation Intimidation

Transcript

Operation Intimidation · INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living

0:01
Speaker 1: For months, Nehemiah has led the project of rebuilding Jerusalem's walls.
0:06
Speaker 1: He's done this in spite of constant opposition. That opposition
0:10
Speaker 1: has been both subtle and overt. As those walls neared completion,
0:16
Speaker 1: threatening foes once again came after and assailed this leader.
0:23
Speaker 1: But this time the attack was much more insidious than before,
0:26
Speaker 1: as the enemy attempted to to intimidate Nehemiah through several
0:31
Speaker 1: frightening plots. However, because Nehemiah had developed God-given discernment, none
0:39
Speaker 1: of those plans succeeded. The plots failed, and the wall
0:44
Speaker 1: was completed. To understand the dilemma, you may recall a
0:49
Speaker 1: well-known cartoon series that chronicled the endless frustrations of a
0:56
Speaker 1: hapless coyote who couldn't quite catch up with the object
1:00
Speaker 1: of his culinary obsession. Try as he might, no perfect scheme,
1:05
Speaker 1: no elaborate trap, no ideal setup would ever bring him
1:11
Speaker 1: face to face with the elusive roadrunner. Now you remember,
1:16
Speaker 1: don't you? Perhaps no one has tried harder and failed
1:19
Speaker 1: more miserably at destroying his target than that crazy coyote,
1:26
Speaker 1: in those classic Saturday morning cartoons. But the murderous designs
1:32
Speaker 1: of Sanballat, Tobiah, and Gashem run an awfully close second.
1:37
Speaker 1: In real life, those wily enemies of Israel tried to
1:43
Speaker 1: trap or discredit Nehemiah again and again and again with
1:48
Speaker 1: ever more elusive tactics. but they endured the humiliation of
1:54
Speaker 1: one failed attempt after another. So then, let's zoom in
1:58
Speaker 1: to observe the troublesome trio's latest attacks as you follow
2:04
Speaker 1: along while I read Nehemiah chapter 6. Once again, that's
2:09
Speaker 1: Nehemiah chapter 6, beginning at verse 1. Now, it came
2:17
Speaker 1: about when it was reported to Sanballat-Tobiah to Geshem the Arab,
2:22
Speaker 1: and to the rest of our enemies that I had
2:24
Speaker 1: rebuilt the wall, and that no breach remained in it,
2:29
Speaker 1: although at that time I had not set up the
2:32
Speaker 1: doors in the gates, that Sanballat and Geshem sent a
2:37
Speaker 1: message to me, saying, Come, let us meet together at Kephirim,
2:41
Speaker 1: in the plain of Ono. But they were planning to
2:46
Speaker 1: harm me. So I sent messengers to them, saying, I
2:50
Speaker 1: am doing a great work and I cannot come down.
2:53
Speaker 1: Why should the work stop while I leave it and
2:56
Speaker 1: come down to you? They sent messages to me four
3:02
Speaker 1: times in this manner, and I answered them in the
3:05
Speaker 1: same way. Then Sanballat sent his servant to me in
3:10
Speaker 1: the same manner a fifth time, with an open letter
3:15
Speaker 1: in his hand. In it was written, It is reported
3:20
Speaker 1: among the nations, and Gashmu says, that you and the
3:26
Speaker 1: Jews are planning to rebel. Therefore, you are rebuilding the wall,
3:32
Speaker 1: and you are to be their king, according to these reports.
3:36
Speaker 1: You have also appointed prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem concerning you,
3:41
Speaker 1: a king is in Judah. And now it will be
3:45
Speaker 1: reported to the king, according to these reports. So, Come now,
3:52
Speaker 1: let us take counsel together. Then I sent a message
3:56
Speaker 1: to him, saying, Such things as you are saying have
4:00
Speaker 1: not been done, but you are inventing them in your
4:04
Speaker 1: own mind. For all of them were trying to frighten us,
4:09
Speaker 1: thinking they will become discouraged with the work and it
4:12
Speaker 1: will not be done. But now, O God, strengthen my hand.
4:20
Speaker 1: When I entered the house of Shimeah, the son of Deliah,
4:28
Speaker 1: son of Mehetabel, who was confined at home, he said,
4:35
Speaker 1: Let us meet together in the house of God within
4:38
Speaker 1: the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple.
4:44
Speaker 1: For they are coming to kill you, and they are
4:48
Speaker 1: coming to kill you at night. But I said, Should
4:53
Speaker 1: a man like me flee, and could one such as
4:57
Speaker 1: I go into the temple to save his life, I
5:00
Speaker 1: will not go in. Then I perceived that surely God
5:06
Speaker 1: had not sent him, but he uttered his prophecy against
5:10
Speaker 1: me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. He was
5:15
Speaker 1: hired for this reason, that I might become frightened and
5:19
Speaker 1: act accordingly and sin so that they might have an
5:24
Speaker 1: evil report in order that they could reproach me. Remember,
5:29
Speaker 1: O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat, according to these works
5:33
Speaker 1: of theirs, and also Nohadiah, the prophetess, and the rest
5:40
Speaker 1: of the prophets who were trying to frighten me. So
5:45
Speaker 1: the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month, Elul,
5:50
Speaker 1: in fifty-two days. It came about when all our enemies
5:55
Speaker 1: heard of it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it,
6:00
Speaker 1: they lost their confidence, for they recognized that this work
6:04
Speaker 1: had been accomplished with.
6:06
Speaker 2: The help of our God.
6:08
Speaker 1: Also in those days many letters went from the nobles
6:11
Speaker 1: of Judah to Tobiah, and Tobiah's letters came to them.
6:17
Speaker 1: For many in Judah were bound by oath to him,
6:21
Speaker 1: because he was the son of Shechaniah, the son of Arah,
6:27
Speaker 1: and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshulam,
6:34
Speaker 1: the son of Berechiah. Moreover, they were speaking about his
6:39
Speaker 1: good deeds in my presence, and reported my words to him.
6:45
Speaker 1: Then Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.
6:50
Speaker 3: In typical George Allen fashion, when he shifted from the
6:53
Speaker 3: Rams to the Redskins, he promised the nation's capital, the moon.
6:58
Speaker 3: He told them it would be a matter of just
7:00
Speaker 3: a very few months and, at the most, just a
7:02
Speaker 3: very few seasons before he would develop them into a
7:05
Speaker 3: championship team. He promised them the Super Bowl, I believe
7:09
Speaker 3: it was, in the second season. And they had a
7:12
Speaker 3: brilliant preseason, to be sure. They had won a couple
7:15
Speaker 3: or three amazing games. victories early in the regular season,
7:20
Speaker 3: and so it seemed as though the Redskins would be
7:23
Speaker 3: lifted from the common role of losers to the uncommon
7:27
Speaker 3: role of the winners. And as time passed, however, the
7:32
Speaker 3: inevitable occurred. They began to lose and lose and lose.
7:41
Speaker 3: This time it was blamed, at least in part, on
7:47
Speaker 3: not George Allen, but a man named Sonny Jurgensen. And
7:52
Speaker 3: if you're not a sports fan, that name means nothing
7:54
Speaker 3: to you. But if you are, you don't need an explanation.
7:58
Speaker 3: Jurgensen was, in my opinion, one of the most brilliant
8:01
Speaker 3: and experienced quarterbacks in the league. And I might add
8:05
Speaker 3: a quality he has that I deeply admire, personal security.
8:10
Speaker 3: It seems as though you just can't shake Sonny Jurgensen
8:14
Speaker 3: from what he believes to be right. But he had
8:17
Speaker 3: had a few bad games, and in an unusual, compassionate moment,
8:22
Speaker 3: a sports writer leaned over to him in the locker
8:24
Speaker 3: room and he said,' Say, Sonny, be honest now. Don't
8:29
Speaker 3: all these intimidating remarks and doesn't all this flack disturb you?
8:35
Speaker 3: Doesn't it make you want to quit when people throw
8:37
Speaker 3: things at you from the stands and when you get
8:40
Speaker 3: these dirty letters?' Now the comment he made is more
8:46
Speaker 3: fitting to a locker room than a pulpit. I want
8:48
Speaker 3: to warn you.
8:49
Speaker 2: Ahead of time. But he leaned back and gave a
8:53
Speaker 2: big toothless.
8:54
Speaker 3: Grin, as only Jorgensen can do, and he sighed and
8:58
Speaker 3: he said, no, not really. I don't want to quit.
9:04
Speaker 2: I've been in this game long enough to know.
9:06
Speaker 3: That every quarterback, every season, every week spends his time
9:12
Speaker 3: either in the penthouse or the outhouse. Now, I knew
9:17
Speaker 3: when I said that that it would fall on you
9:21
Speaker 3: in a rather unusual way. But it might help you
9:25
Speaker 3: to know that I almost entitled the message, Nehemiah in
9:29
Speaker 3: the outhouse. But I felt like if I did that,
9:34
Speaker 3: I would have all sorts of probably deserved flack from
9:38
Speaker 3: the press and other places. But it is true that
9:43
Speaker 3: if you are in leadership, you spend your place either
9:46
Speaker 3: on the top or in the bottom. You seldom know
9:51
Speaker 3: what it's like, by the way, in between. You are
9:55
Speaker 3: either the hero or you are the villain. You are
10:00
Speaker 3: deeply respected or you are hated. And unfortunately, the time
10:05
Speaker 3: spent in the penthouse is very, very seldom for those
10:10
Speaker 3: that are really doing a job. I have discovered in
10:17
Speaker 3: a few years in the ministry that this is true
10:19
Speaker 3: even today. In the spiritual realm. You commit yourself to
10:25
Speaker 3: a life of faith. You declare before God that you
10:30
Speaker 3: are going to walk with him regardless. And all hell
10:35
Speaker 3: breaks loose. The enemy turns every gun he can upon you.
10:41
Speaker 3: To blast you out of the saddle. To finish your
10:44
Speaker 3: season in defeat. To make you think that it's really
10:48
Speaker 3: not worth it after all. Nehemiah in chapter 6 is
10:54
Speaker 3: not in the penthouse. And I'll leave the rest of
10:57
Speaker 3: the statement up to you. He is under the gun.
11:01
Speaker 3: He is under attack. And the question comes, when? When
11:07
Speaker 3: did they come and attack him? I think it's significant
11:11
Speaker 3: because it is at a surprising juncture in his life.
11:16
Speaker 3: It is right when he is almost finished with the
11:20
Speaker 3: greatest task up to that time Jerusalem had ever seen
11:24
Speaker 3: in their generation.
11:26
Speaker 2: Verse 1 tells us when.
11:29
Speaker 3: It says, when they had rebuilt the wall, when there
11:33
Speaker 3: was no breach in it at all, except for the gates,
11:39
Speaker 3: right when they were on the verge of dedicating the
11:43
Speaker 3: walls to God, at that point where they were almost
11:48
Speaker 3: ready to enter into a time of jubilant celebration. At
11:56
Speaker 3: that time, the enemy attacked. You know, that is so realistic,
12:02
Speaker 3: I can't believe it. I think that that perhaps is
12:06
Speaker 3: one of the reasons God says in his word to
12:09
Speaker 3: take heed, you that stand, take heed lest you fall.
12:14
Speaker 2: Because it isn't.
12:15
Speaker 3: The person that's almost fallen that's given to vulnerability. It's
12:19
Speaker 3: the person that thinks he'll never fall. I have found
12:24
Speaker 3: in scripture it happens time and again. When did Bathsheba
12:27
Speaker 3: cross the gaze of David? At a time when he
12:31
Speaker 3: had never known defeat in battle.
12:34
Speaker 2: You study it for yourself.
12:36
Speaker 3: From the time he took the kingdom until he fell
12:39
Speaker 3: with Bathsheba, he never knew defeat politically.
12:44
Speaker 2: Militarily or personally.
12:48
Speaker 3: When did Jonah fall into self-pity after the greatest revival
12:52
Speaker 3: that had ever swept the world in recorded history? When
12:58
Speaker 3: did Joseph receive that temptation from Mrs. Potiphar?
13:02
Speaker 2: Soon after he had been promoted.
13:04
Speaker 3: To the assistantship right under Potiphar's leadership. When he had
13:09
Speaker 3: been given the free run of the home at that time,
13:14
Speaker 3: The enemy moved in. I'll share with you frankly from
13:18
Speaker 3: my own life. Some of my most discouraging times occur
13:22
Speaker 3: on Monday. I can't explain why. After a great Sunday
13:28
Speaker 3: when we have been on the crest of one delightful
13:31
Speaker 3: service after another. When we've heard testimonies and words of encouragement.
13:35
Speaker 3: We've sung together and been together and we've really enjoyed
13:39
Speaker 3: the Lord. I can't explain it but at times on
13:42
Speaker 3: Monday I just sink into discouragement. I have found at
13:48
Speaker 3: times when I am just before a tremendous experience, I
13:53
Speaker 3: slump into depression. Maybe you found that to be true
13:57
Speaker 3: in your life. Nehemiah, all ready to have that dedication service,
14:03
Speaker 3: received the flak from the enemy like he had never
14:06
Speaker 3: received it before. Well, the second question to answer is
14:11
Speaker 3: what were the attacks? If it comes at this unusual time,
14:15
Speaker 3: in what form did it come? Verses 2 down through, well,
14:21
Speaker 3: almost the end of the chapter, tell us the story
14:23
Speaker 3: of these attacks. And there were four different kinds, all
14:27
Speaker 3: of them with the same motive from the enemy to
14:30
Speaker 3: stop the.
14:31
Speaker 2: Project, to deter him, to discourage.
14:35
Speaker 3: Him and the men under him. Now, if you are
14:39
Speaker 3: in spiritual leadership, and I'm including that the mother of
14:42
Speaker 3: a family, I'm including in that any realm of leadership
14:47
Speaker 3: in your work. Maybe you're the head of the corporation
14:50
Speaker 3: or you are one of the heads. Maybe you work
14:53
Speaker 3: in personnel over individuals. You are a teacher, then you
14:56
Speaker 3: are a leader. Maybe you serve in some capacity in
14:59
Speaker 3: your profession in leadership, in the leadership realm. You may
15:04
Speaker 3: be in the ministry. You may be teaching in a
15:06
Speaker 3: Christian school. You may be in the administrative function of
15:10
Speaker 3: a school. Whatever may be the realm, this passage and
15:13
Speaker 3: these verses will really apply if you think in terms
15:16
Speaker 3: of your life as to what we point out.
15:19
Speaker 2: I want to tell you ahead.
15:20
Speaker 3: Of time that this marvelous, wonderful God of ours does
15:25
Speaker 3: not provide us with a pillowy experience. As the poet
15:31
Speaker 3: has put it, God has not promised skies always blue,
15:34
Speaker 3: flowers strewn pathways all our lives through. God has not
15:37
Speaker 3: promised sun without rain, joy without sorrow, and peace without pain.
15:42
Speaker 3: That's unrealistic. That's penthouse living. And every once in a
15:47
Speaker 3: while we enjoy that kind of living. But that's unrealistic.
15:51
Speaker 3: Usually we don't.
15:53
Speaker 2: G.K.
15:54
Speaker 3: Chesterton was the 19th century C.S.
15:56
Speaker 2: Lewis, and he put it.
15:57
Speaker 3: This way, Christianity has not been tried and found wanting,
16:01
Speaker 3: it's been found difficult and not tried. Many a person
16:06
Speaker 3: today sees the demands of the Christian life and he says,
16:09
Speaker 3: you can have it, I'd rather go my own way.
16:13
Speaker 3: Nehemiah says, no, I'm going God's way. Well, then came
16:17
Speaker 3: the attack. First of all, there was a personal request.
16:20
Speaker 3: Harmless sounded very innocent. In fact, on the surface, it
16:25
Speaker 3: sounded like.
16:26
Speaker 2: It's something he ought to do.
16:27
Speaker 3: Verse 2, Sanballat and Gashem sent a message to me.
16:33
Speaker 3: And they said this, Come, let us meet together in
16:39
Speaker 3: the plain of Ono. Now the word together suggests the
16:44
Speaker 3: idea of a compatible visit. You know, the plain of
16:49
Speaker 3: Ono was up about 20 miles north of Jerusalem, and it.
16:53
Speaker 2: Was, I am told, a beautiful verdant valley.
16:57
Speaker 3: Different from the rugged stonework on the wall, you need
17:00
Speaker 3: to get away for a while.
17:03
Speaker 2: Get away from the project.
17:04
Speaker 3: You've been at it too long, Nehemiah.
17:06
Speaker 2: We've had our odds, but let's get together.
17:10
Speaker 3: Come on up to Ono. Nehemiah said, oh no, I'm
17:14
Speaker 3: not coming up there.
17:16
Speaker 2: Not on your life. Now why? Why did Nehemiah say that?
17:22
Speaker 3: Verse 2 tells you why. They were planning to harm me.
17:28
Speaker 3: How did he know that? I can't explain how. I
17:34
Speaker 3: can't explain to you how every leader in God's marvelous
17:38
Speaker 3: family is gifted with a sixth sense from above. And
17:45
Speaker 3: he gets to the verge of something that's dangerous and
17:48
Speaker 3: he says, oh no, I don't dare get into that.
17:53
Speaker 3: Or she senses in this there's deception, there's something more,
17:57
Speaker 3: I'll stay away from it. Doesn't mean we live a
17:59
Speaker 3: life of an isolationist. It means that we live a
18:02
Speaker 3: life of discernment. And you're not worth your salt as
18:06
Speaker 3: a leader if you lack discernment. That's one God-given quality
18:11
Speaker 3: you have to have.
18:13
Speaker 2: He sensed in this, they're going to harm me.
18:16
Speaker 3: In other words, if I get up there in that
18:18
Speaker 3: plain of Ono, I might be kidnapped. And it could
18:22
Speaker 3: be murder. And we know for sure that as soon
18:26
Speaker 3: as I leave, the work here suffers. And so what
18:30
Speaker 3: does he say? Look how he handles it. They were
18:34
Speaker 3: planning to harm me, and so I sent a messenger back.
18:38
Speaker 3: I'm doing a great work, and I cannot come down.
18:43
Speaker 3: Why should the work stop while I leave it and
18:47
Speaker 3: come down to you? Now look at that verse. Wait
18:49
Speaker 3: a minute before you turn the page. Look at verse 3.
18:52
Speaker 3: He says this, I cannot come. And here's my reason.
18:59
Speaker 3: If I were to come, the work would stop.
19:04
Speaker 2: Now let me put it this way. There is a
19:05
Speaker 2: great difference.
19:06
Speaker 3: Between being an available man or woman of God and
19:12
Speaker 3: And being a puppet of people is a great difference.
19:17
Speaker 3: There are some people who never understand when you say no.
19:23
Speaker 3: But that is a right every leader must reserve unto God.
19:30
Speaker 3: It has been said that one of the signs and
19:32
Speaker 3: marks of maturity is the ability to say no without explanation.
19:38
Speaker 3: Nehemiah said no. And it's not hard when you say
19:43
Speaker 3: no once. But look at verse 4. They sent messages
19:48
Speaker 3: to me four times. The message kept coming. Nice embossed invitation.
19:57
Speaker 3: Lovely printing.
20:00
Speaker 2: Each time with a little word added at the bottom.
20:03
Speaker 3: Request number two. Request number three. Final request. You know,
20:11
Speaker 3: that kind of thing. And each time he gave the
20:14
Speaker 3: same answer. I answered them in the same way. What
20:16
Speaker 3: a secure man was Nehemiah. But I'll tell you, he
20:20
Speaker 3: was heading for a pressure tactic. Look at the tactic.
20:27
Speaker 3: Verse 5. Then Sanballat sent his servant to me in
20:34
Speaker 3: the same manner a fifth time with an open letter
20:42
Speaker 3: in his hand. What does that mean? Well, I suppose
20:46
Speaker 3: it would be something like a petition. It was no
20:50
Speaker 3: longer a private letter in a personal envelope tucked away
20:54
Speaker 3: in his possession, but now this messenger came and he
20:59
Speaker 3: opened it up for everyone to read that was there.
21:05
Speaker 2: What did it say?
21:07
Speaker 3: Notice the intimidating, threatening remarks of this open letter. It
21:14
Speaker 3: is reported among the nations, and Gashmu says, that you
21:20
Speaker 3: and the Jews are planning to rebel. Therefore, you are
21:26
Speaker 3: rebuilding the wall. Perhaps it would help to read the
21:29
Speaker 3: word therefore.
21:30
Speaker 2: And for this reason.
21:33
Speaker 3: It is reported among the nations that you and the
21:35
Speaker 3: Jews are planning to rebel, and for this reason, you
21:39
Speaker 3: are rebuilding the wall. It doesn't stop there. And You
21:45
Speaker 3: are planning to be their king according to these reports.
21:51
Speaker 3: And you have appointed prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem concerning you.
21:57
Speaker 3: A king is in Judah. Now notice the intimidation. And
22:04
Speaker 3: now it will be reported to the king according to
22:09
Speaker 3: these reports. So come now. Let us take counsel together.
22:17
Speaker 3: You wouldn't come when we just sent an invitation. So
22:20
Speaker 3: we're letting the truth be known. We want everybody to
22:23
Speaker 3: know two things. First of all, when you came to Jerusalem,
22:27
Speaker 3: you had an evil motive. It was not just to
22:31
Speaker 3: rebuild the wall. Ah, you had more in mind than that.
22:35
Speaker 3: You came for the express purpose of banding a group
22:39
Speaker 3: of people around you and leading an insurrection. Furthermore, your
22:44
Speaker 3: present motive is evil. You want to be the king,
22:48
Speaker 3: and you've spread the prophets.
22:50
Speaker 2: All through the land.
22:51
Speaker 3: Nehemiah will be the king, not Artaxerxes. And so they said,
22:57
Speaker 3: you know, we're going to send the word back to
22:59
Speaker 3: the king in Persia. You'll come up and visit with
23:03
Speaker 3: us in Ono. You get it? Okay, if you haven't yet,
23:08
Speaker 3: you will now, because I'm going to apply this in
23:11
Speaker 3: a rather direct way. I want to analyze the rumor
23:16
Speaker 3: to start with, and then I want to talk about rumors. Okay?
23:20
Speaker 3: Let's look back at verse 5. One of the things
23:26
Speaker 3: that characterizes a rumor is that the source is never known.
23:36
Speaker 3: The original source of the rumor is never declared. It's
23:43
Speaker 3: verse 6.
23:45
Speaker 2: It is reported. Did you get that? Well, who said it?
23:49
Speaker 3: Well, it doesn't say. We heard about it from the
23:52
Speaker 3: land over there. A group of people over there have
23:54
Speaker 3: been passing the word around. And Gashmu says it's right
23:58
Speaker 3: here in our area, but, boy, we heard it from
24:01
Speaker 3: another area. And it says it's also reported that according
24:05
Speaker 3: to these reports, you're going to be the king. According
24:08
Speaker 3: to these reports, verse 6 concludes. A rumor is noted,
24:13
Speaker 3: first of all, because the source is never declared. Second,
24:20
Speaker 3: a rumor is noted because of its exaggeration and inaccuracy.
24:27
Speaker 3: A rumor that is spread is spread in an exaggerated fashion,
24:32
Speaker 3: and gullible listeners and gullible gossips feed on that kind
24:38
Speaker 3: of garbage. And they pass it from one ear to
24:41
Speaker 3: the next mouth, from the one mouth to the next ear.
24:44
Speaker 3: And by the time it's at the end, it is
24:46
Speaker 3: incredible what is being said. You ever played the game gossip?
24:51
Speaker 3: I don't mean in regular life. I mean in a
24:54
Speaker 3: party type of thing. You get in a long line
24:57
Speaker 3: of 10 people and the first guy whispers something to
24:59
Speaker 3: the next guy. Or gal. And she whispers it to
25:03
Speaker 3: the next one and you say it down the line.
25:05
Speaker 3: And by the time you get to number 10, it
25:06
Speaker 3: doesn't even look or sound like what started. And that's
25:10
Speaker 3: only 10. And that's sitting in a row. And that's
25:14
Speaker 3: when you try to cooperate. You know? And you take
25:18
Speaker 3: away those variables and you've got a basket case on
25:22
Speaker 3: your hands right off from the start. Exaggerated. A rumor
25:30
Speaker 3: also leads to personal hurt and misunderstanding. What was the
25:37
Speaker 3: result of this report? Hurt to Nehemiah.
25:41
Speaker 2: That's what the result was.
25:43
Speaker 3: It was designed to hurt.
25:46
Speaker 2: Maybe it wasn't stated, but it was there.
25:49
Speaker 3: In between the lines of the rumor are feelings to
25:54
Speaker 3: hurt and to lead to misunderstandings. Also, I observe that
26:00
Speaker 3: the tactic employed is employed with the wrong motive because
26:07
Speaker 3: they say in verse 7, now let us take counsel together.
26:10
Speaker 3: And he said earlier, it was to my hurt. Let
26:14
Speaker 3: me tell you the predicament. He was impaled on the
26:16
Speaker 3: horns of a dilemma. First of all, there was this fact.
26:20
Speaker 3: If he refused to go to Ono, it would be
26:25
Speaker 3: tantamount to saying, I'm afraid to let the truth be known.
26:30
Speaker 3: If he refused, if he went to Ono, he would
26:34
Speaker 3: leave the work. And he would play into their hands.
26:40
Speaker 3: And so that's where he was. In what I would call,
26:45
Speaker 3: humanly speaking, an impossible situation. And you have to have
26:51
Speaker 3: been in a situation like that to feel for Nehemiah.
26:58
Speaker 3: I want to say something here with regard to rumors.
27:01
Speaker 3: I am personally convinced that the number one enemy of
27:09
Speaker 3: unity is the tongue. Not drink, not drugs, not poor homes,
27:22
Speaker 3: not even a poor church program, not even a weak pulpit,
27:30
Speaker 3: It's the tongue. I observe among those that run with
27:37
Speaker 3: people that spread rumors several things that are lacking. First
27:41
Speaker 3: of all, a lack of wisdom. Wisdom asks such searching
27:47
Speaker 3: questions as, is this necessary to say? It asks, is
27:55
Speaker 3: this confidential information that I really don't know a lot about?
28:00
Speaker 2: Wisdom says if it.
28:02
Speaker 3: Is, oh, don't open your mouth. Because God hates those
28:05
Speaker 3: that sow discord among brothers. Proverbs chapter 6. He hates it.
28:13
Speaker 3: Of the seven things God hates, three relate to the tongue.
28:20
Speaker 3: Second thing that's lacking in those that spread rumor is
28:23
Speaker 3: accurate information. Accuracy. What is the truth? And to find
28:29
Speaker 3: the truth, the source has to be encountered. And from
28:33
Speaker 3: the source, there must be given the freedom to share.
28:39
Speaker 3: Accuracy is missing. Accuracy asks, is this true? Can I
28:45
Speaker 3: go and quote the original source? Three, a proper setting
28:53
Speaker 3: is lacking. All three were lacking here. That was the
28:57
Speaker 3: wrong setting. That was the wrong method. The proper setting asks,
29:06
Speaker 3: will this benefit the person that hears me better than that?
29:10
Speaker 3: Can he do anything about it? Or is it just
29:15
Speaker 3: pouring something in someone's ear.
29:17
Speaker 2: That will disturb?
29:20
Speaker 3: Are they individuals that can hear and say, listen, thanks
29:24
Speaker 3: for bringing that to our attention. Or, no, let me
29:27
Speaker 3: help you know the real facts. When you give information
29:33
Speaker 3: to someone that's critical and negative and they cannot do
29:36
Speaker 3: anything about it, that's gossip. When you go to an
29:40
Speaker 3: individual who can do something about it and in a
29:43
Speaker 3: spirit of love, share it, that is constructive criticism. Now,
29:54
Speaker 3: not every critic is an enemy.
29:55
Speaker 2: Of the faith.
29:56
Speaker 3: Not every person who criticizes is of the devil. I'm
30:01
Speaker 3: not fully convinced that that applies to the gossip, however.
30:06
Speaker 3: A person who is genuinely interested in the truth uses
30:10
Speaker 3: his tongue to maintain it and to secure it. What
30:16
Speaker 3: do I think is needed in the case of gossip?
30:20
Speaker 2: A rebuke.
30:24
Speaker 3: Frankly, I feel a rebuke is the best plan, the
30:27
Speaker 3: best response. The next time someone brings gossip or rumors
30:32
Speaker 3: into your ears, rebuke them. Chances are they will not
30:37
Speaker 3: bring any more. It's amazing how.
30:46
Speaker 2: Pastors of churches are.
30:50
Speaker 3: Often not in the realm of gossip. I feel often
30:55
Speaker 3: it's because the one who is the Gossiper knows he
31:01
Speaker 3: will be rebuked or will be clarified. Now, in the
31:08
Speaker 3: case of Nehemiah, no one was around. They just exposed
31:14
Speaker 3: a letter that was built on a lie. And Nehemiah
31:22
Speaker 3: responds beautifully. Let me have you apply it to you
31:25
Speaker 3: that are the target of it. In case you are
31:27
Speaker 3: involved in being talked about, look at verse 8. Here's Nehemiah.
31:34
Speaker 3: Here's how to handle yourself when you're under the gun.
31:38
Speaker 3: First of all, he calmly denied the charge. Verse 8,
31:43
Speaker 3: such things as you were saying have not been done.
31:48
Speaker 3: It's not true, says Nehemiah. Second, he put the blame
31:54
Speaker 3: where it belonged. You are inventing these things in your
31:59
Speaker 3: own mind. These are the things that you have come
32:05
Speaker 3: up with in your head. And they're wrong, says Nehemiah.
32:11
Speaker 3: And then verse 9 tells us that he took his
32:14
Speaker 3: hurt to God. He said, all of them were trying
32:20
Speaker 3: to frighten us, thinking they'll become discouraged with the work.
32:24
Speaker 3: It will not be done. But now, oh God, strengthen
32:29
Speaker 3: my hands. Let me say to you that it is
32:33
Speaker 3: impossible for a person with any kind of sensitive spirit
32:36
Speaker 3: not to be hurt by a rumor. I don't care
32:40
Speaker 3: how strong you are. You have a period where it
32:43
Speaker 3: just buckles you. And then when you pick the pieces up,
32:47
Speaker 3: you get it all back together, then you're able to
32:49
Speaker 3: move on. But in the midst of the rebuke or
32:54
Speaker 3: the rumor or whatever it may be, knowing that the
32:56
Speaker 3: motive is not right, it hurts deeply.
33:03
Speaker 2: And what is.
33:03
Speaker 3: Interesting to me is that the flesh is the most
33:05
Speaker 3: creative thing we possess. We never run out of creative
33:09
Speaker 3: ways of gossiping. Just remarkable. If your tongue is a
33:18
Speaker 3: loose tongue, It's a tongue that God is going to have.
33:22
Speaker 2: To deal with.
33:26
Speaker 3: It is part of the reason that in the family
33:29
Speaker 3: of God there isn't a unity. What should I do
33:34
Speaker 3: when I have feelings that need to be expressed? I
33:37
Speaker 3: need to take those feelings to an individual that can
33:40
Speaker 3: do something about them. And we'll hear them and not
33:45
Speaker 3: necessarily do exactly what is requested, but we'll listen to them,
33:48
Speaker 3: evaluate them, and in leadership, we'll respond as this individual
33:53
Speaker 3: sees it is best. If you serve in a corporation
33:56
Speaker 3: and you're bad-mouthing the president or the boss above you,
33:59
Speaker 3: you're wrong. You need to express that to someone who
34:04
Speaker 3: is in authority, in a tone that is teachable and loving.
34:12
Speaker 3: I feel that every telephone ought to have by it
34:16
Speaker 3: Ephesians 4.29 so that nobody will feel guilty turning. Let's
34:21
Speaker 3: all turn to Ephesians 4.29 and.
34:26
Speaker 2: Make sure that we all see it as to what
34:28
Speaker 2: it is.
34:37
Speaker 3: Ephesians 4.29 let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth,
34:47
Speaker 3: but only such a word as is good for edification.
34:50
Speaker 3: Now that may include criticism.
34:52
Speaker 2: To the right person, but it is to edify, to build.
34:58
Speaker 3: Up according to the need of the moment that it
35:03
Speaker 3: may give grace to those that hear. What a marvelous verse.
35:10
Speaker 3: for telephone manners. What a marvelous verse to use for
35:16
Speaker 3: your life in the new year. Perhaps the newness begins
35:23
Speaker 3: today with regard to your tongue. Now, Nehemiah chapter 6
35:31
Speaker 3: includes the intimidating remarks of this open letter. And I
35:36
Speaker 3: want you to observe before we go to the Next verse,
35:41
Speaker 3: that it was done to frighten him. Verse 9, they
35:45
Speaker 3: were trying to frighten us. But it didn't work. Nehemiah
35:52
Speaker 3: didn't give in. He persisted in what he knew to
35:57
Speaker 3: be the will of God. Now look at verse 10.
35:59
Speaker 3: Isn't it interesting that when one approach doesn't work, another
36:04
Speaker 3: approach is used, and when that doesn't work, another approach
36:07
Speaker 3: is used?
36:07
Speaker 2: Creativity.
36:10
Speaker 3: Flesh is tremendously creative. When I entered the house of Shemaiah,
36:16
Speaker 3: verse 10, who was confined at home, apparently he paid
36:21
Speaker 3: a visit on a sick individual, or at least it
36:24
Speaker 3: appeared to be that way, he said to me, Hey, Nehemiah,
36:33
Speaker 3: there's something going on. Let's meet together in the house
36:37
Speaker 3: of God within the temple. And let's close the doors
36:42
Speaker 3: of the temple for they're coming to kill you. And
36:44
Speaker 3: they are coming at night. That's a frightening thing. Man,
36:51
Speaker 3: Nehemiah gets on his pajamas some night and he turns
36:54
Speaker 3: off the light. I mean, blows out the candle and
36:58
Speaker 3: he lays down. And he hears a noise outside. Oh no,
37:04
Speaker 3: that's one of those guys coming in the middle of
37:05
Speaker 3: the night. They're going to get me. So this guy says,
37:07
Speaker 3: you know, Nehemiah, these people are going to come in
37:09
Speaker 3: the middle of the night and they're going to get you.
37:14
Speaker 3: Tell you what, let's meet at the temple. We can
37:18
Speaker 3: go to prayer together. You know, the pious approach. Let's
37:21
Speaker 3: pray together about this situation. Verse 11. Now here is discernment.
37:30
Speaker 3: Should a man like me flee? That's so secure. He says,
37:35
Speaker 3: do I have to run? Do I have to run
37:37
Speaker 3: to the temple? No. And could one such as I
37:43
Speaker 3: go to the temple to save his life? I will
37:45
Speaker 3: not go in. That's discipline. That's security. How did he
37:53
Speaker 3: know to say that? Verse 12.
37:55
Speaker 2: I can't explain it.
37:57
Speaker 3: It just says, I perceived surely God had not sent him.
38:03
Speaker 3: He uttered his prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat
38:07
Speaker 3: had hired him. Man, here's this great fellow spending his
38:13
Speaker 3: life building the walls and he's got a group of
38:15
Speaker 3: people hiring this hit man to get him in the
38:21
Speaker 3: temple and to finish him off. And Nehemiah says, I
38:26
Speaker 3: can't do that. What is intimidation? Webster says it means
38:34
Speaker 3: to compel or deter by a threat. to frighten by
38:41
Speaker 3: a threat. Here is an intimidating statement. Don't do this,
38:50
Speaker 3: because if you do, you will cause this and this
38:54
Speaker 3: and this. Or, you better take care of this, or
39:03
Speaker 3: you can be sure that that will surely happen if
39:06
Speaker 3: you don't take care of this. Signed, unsigned. You know
39:13
Speaker 3: how it is. I have a pastor friend who had
39:18
Speaker 3: a very successful and marvelous ministry on the East Coast.
39:23
Speaker 3: His first Sunday morning to begin his ministry, there was
39:27
Speaker 3: a little letter on his desk. They're always small. And
39:32
Speaker 3: he opened the letter up, very well printed. If you
39:36
Speaker 3: do not send your children to such and such a
39:38
Speaker 3: Christian school, you will split the church. Signed, a concerned member.
39:49
Speaker 3: That's intimidating Nehemiah, they're going to come in the middle
39:55
Speaker 3: of the night, man. They're going to get you. And
39:57
Speaker 3: if you and I don't get away, you've had it.
40:01
Speaker 3: Nehemiah says, man, I can't go. Why not? Because God
40:05
Speaker 3: doesn't want me to go.
40:07
Speaker 2: Well, you're nuts. No, I'm walking by faith. I believe
40:14
Speaker 2: God will protect me.
40:18
Speaker 3: And then when he got alone and he took this
40:20
Speaker 3: thing before God... God said, oh, Nehemiah, don't go. Look
40:26
Speaker 3: at the next verse. He was hired, verse 13, that
40:30
Speaker 3: I might be frightened, look at this, and act accordingly
40:34
Speaker 3: and sin. Where is the sin in yielding to an
40:38
Speaker 3: intimidating remark? That's the sin, not being intimidated, but yielding
40:43
Speaker 3: to it. Nehemiah says before God, I can't give in.
40:47
Speaker 3: I can't give in. Verse 13, he was hired for
40:55
Speaker 3: this reason, that I might sin so that they might
40:59
Speaker 3: have an evil report in order that they could reproach me.
41:05
Speaker 3: Such is, did you hear about who Nehemiah is spending
41:07
Speaker 3: time with these days? Every evening, they're up at the
41:11
Speaker 3: temple together. You know that rumor, problem? They could reproach me.
41:19
Speaker 3: Look at verse 17. In those days, many letters went
41:24
Speaker 3: from the nobles of Judah to Tobiah, and Tobiah's letters
41:30
Speaker 3: came to them. Now, this is very practical. Tobiah was
41:35
Speaker 3: his arch enemy, unbeliever. He hated the things of God.
41:42
Speaker 3: Inside the wall was Nehemiah and a band of men,
41:47
Speaker 3: but The plot was thickened because Tobiah, the enemy, was
41:51
Speaker 3: related by marriage and by blood to somebody on the inside.
41:55
Speaker 3: So there was a constant passing of letters back and
41:59
Speaker 3: forth in front of Nehemiah about Nehemiah. And it was
42:04
Speaker 3: going on. Nehemiah says they kept sending these letters back
42:07
Speaker 3: and forth. Son-in-law, daughter, daughter-in-law, back and forth. Verse 19,
42:12
Speaker 3: they were speaking about his good deeds in my presence,
42:16
Speaker 3: namely dope Tobiah's. and reported my words to him. Tobias
42:22
Speaker 3: sent letters to frighten me. Ever received a frightening letter?
42:31
Speaker 3: Stop and think. Some of you are in places of
42:34
Speaker 3: tremendous leadership. Ever gotten a frightening letter? I understand when
42:41
Speaker 3: Billy Graham was in the Dallas area, there were four
42:44
Speaker 3: threats on his life just during that one campaign. Frightening letters.
42:51
Speaker 3: Ever gotten a frightening call? That's an intimidating act designed
42:57
Speaker 3: to frighten you and.
42:58
Speaker 2: To deter you.
43:01
Speaker 3: But the marvelous thing is, he never gave in. Let
43:06
Speaker 3: me just lay down one basic rule of courtesy. Every
43:09
Speaker 3: letter you write, sign it.
43:12
Speaker 2: Okay?
43:13
Speaker 3: That's a good rule to remember. It's a sign of courtesy,
43:18
Speaker 3: and a sign of character, if you sign it. If
43:23
Speaker 3: you lack the signature, you lack courtesy and character. There's
43:32
Speaker 3: a beautiful file where every unsigned letter ought to land,
43:38
Speaker 3: usually in a circle, and it usually sits on the floor. Now,
43:43
Speaker 3: if it weren't for that terrible curiosity we all have,
43:46
Speaker 3: we would never read an unsigned letter, would we? But
43:49
Speaker 3: being curious, we just have to read what it says.
43:52
Speaker 3: And then just as soon as we've read it, we
43:55
Speaker 3: need to file it away like this. Because it's unsigned.
44:03
Speaker 3: How do you know but what an enemy of God
44:06
Speaker 3: wrote it? Nehemiah says, I'm not giving in. You can
44:13
Speaker 3: make all those trips at night to the temple you
44:15
Speaker 3: want to, but I'm not going along with you.
44:18
Speaker 2: Pull all those intimidating approaches you like with me.
44:23
Speaker 3: I'm saying to you before God that wall is going
44:26
Speaker 3: to get built. Period. Now, I'm not mad at anybody
44:32
Speaker 3: this morning. I'm just trying to preach this passage. Look
44:34
Speaker 3: at verse 15. Let me show you what happens. What
44:37
Speaker 3: a wonderful response. The wall was completed. When? In the
44:42
Speaker 3: midst of one attack after another.
44:44
Speaker 2: In the penthouse?
44:47
Speaker 3: Not on your life. Nehemiah was under the gun. And
44:51
Speaker 3: what happened?
44:51
Speaker 2: The wall got built.
44:54
Speaker 3: No job worth getting done is done without flack. Just
45:01
Speaker 3: face it. And that wall went up, and what happened? Nehemiah,
45:06
Speaker 3: he stood in there. What happened to the people? Verse 16,
45:11
Speaker 3: it came about when all our enemies heard of it
45:15
Speaker 3: that the nations surrounding us saw it and they lost
45:18
Speaker 3: their confidence. Oh, let me tell you something. That is
45:21
Speaker 3: the most thrilling experience in the world, if you will
45:24
Speaker 3: forgive this personal remark here, to watch God come to
45:29
Speaker 3: the rescue when you have been helpless.
45:33
Speaker 2: Ever experienced that?
45:35
Speaker 3: Ever told God on someone, you know, and you don't
45:38
Speaker 3: want to have a deal with them.
45:39
Speaker 2: And so you say, Lord, take over.
45:40
Speaker 3: And then the Lord zaps and he takes over. And
45:44
Speaker 3: through an incredible change of their lives, you look at
45:49
Speaker 3: it and you say, oh, thanks, God.
45:52
Speaker 2: What a marvelous change.
45:55
Speaker 3: And he even uses you, and he works in your life,
45:58
Speaker 3: and you suddenly develop a love relationship, which is where
46:02
Speaker 3: it's at. And by and by, the confidence is gone,
46:09
Speaker 3: and you're pulling together. Now, why is this important today? Well,
46:18
Speaker 3: it's important because it is impossible to do the will
46:20
Speaker 3: of God and walk by faith Without attack. I would
46:29
Speaker 3: hasten to say that not every criticism is wrong. In fact,
46:39
Speaker 3: it is the concerned individual often with the very best
46:43
Speaker 3: of motive that has the keenest mind and says, you know,
46:46
Speaker 3: there's something wrong with this plan. Let's talk about it.
46:50
Speaker 3: Any leader worth his salt will say, sit down. Let's talk.
46:57
Speaker 3: And so I wouldn't have you leave this morning thinking, my,
47:03
Speaker 3: the answer is a tough hide to everything that's suggested.
47:06
Speaker 3: That's not the answer. The answer is discernment, a sensitive
47:11
Speaker 3: spirit to God, a teachable, willing heart to listen as
47:16
Speaker 3: long as that attitude is positive. And then as both
47:21
Speaker 3: of you discuss it, whether it's wrong as a personal
47:24
Speaker 3: thing or an organizational thing that it's worked out, And
47:30
Speaker 3: there are no personal offenses built up. Rumors build up
47:34
Speaker 3: personal offenses. Now, I think also I would say in
47:40
Speaker 3: conclusion that what I am saying this morning is that
47:43
Speaker 3: persistence pays off when you're in the will of God.
47:51
Speaker 3: You know, it isn't usual for me to come to
47:54
Speaker 3: a morning service or an evening service without having my
47:57
Speaker 3: conclusion thought through. But that happened to me. I stayed
48:02
Speaker 3: up till midnight last night. I was up at five
48:04
Speaker 3: o'clock this morning and I couldn't wrap it up together
48:08
Speaker 3: in a package. And I thought, Lord, how am I
48:12
Speaker 3: supposed to conclude this? And I couldn't come up with
48:15
Speaker 3: it until the family called me to breakfast and they say,
48:19
Speaker 3: happy Father's Day to you. You know, and there it was.
48:23
Speaker 3: It was a nice little gift down there. A little
48:25
Speaker 3: gift with a little ribbon around it. And I opened
48:28
Speaker 3: it up My sweet little four children gave me a
48:34
Speaker 3: book called Never Give In. Isn't that great? It's a
48:41
Speaker 3: book about challenging words of Winston Churchill. And I thought, Lord,
48:48
Speaker 3: is there something here for me? And I turned it over.
48:52
Speaker 3: And I found a statement that he gave at a
48:54
Speaker 3: speech at the Harrow School, which goes like this. Never
49:00
Speaker 3: give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never. I
49:09
Speaker 3: think he's getting his point across here.
49:10
Speaker 2: Never give in.
49:11
Speaker 3: In nothing great or small, large or petty, never give
49:16
Speaker 3: in except to convictions of honor. and good sense. If
49:25
Speaker 3: honor is at stake and good sense says otherwise, then
49:29
Speaker 3: give in. Smart people change their minds when there's honor
49:35
Speaker 3: and good sense at stake. But puppets respond to intimidation
49:46
Speaker 3: when the pressure gets heavy. And I want to tell
49:51
Speaker 3: you as I close that we really learn more when
49:59
Speaker 3: we're out of the penthouse. You know that? That's when
50:05
Speaker 3: lessons are learned. I don't ever know a time when
50:11
Speaker 3: I've loved a group of people as much as I
50:14
Speaker 3: love you in this congregation. I'm afraid having preached this
50:20
Speaker 3: sermon that you might think, boy, that guy's really under attack.
50:23
Speaker 3: So to set it straight, I'm really not. I was
50:26
Speaker 3: telling Bill as I got ready to come in, it's
50:28
Speaker 3: hard to preach a sermon like this without making it
50:30
Speaker 3: sound personal. It's not personal. It's just that I have
50:35
Speaker 3: lived in the passage of Nehemiah 6 all this week
50:38
Speaker 3: and I've tried to identify with what that is like.
50:42
Speaker 3: And then I've communicated what I believe to be the truth.
50:47
Speaker 3: And as long as you're in the will of God
50:49
Speaker 3: and you're sure of it, never give in. Let's bow together.
50:58
Speaker 3: I want to just talk with you as we're bowed together.
51:02
Speaker 3: It's possible that some of you are Under the gun today.
51:09
Speaker 2: That there is at stake. A real.
51:13
Speaker 3: Principle. And you're backed up against the wall. And you
51:19
Speaker 3: know that you were right. Before God. But you're being intimidated.
51:27
Speaker 3: And harassed. Oh listen. Especially you fathers that are here today.
51:40
Speaker 3: Being right before God is the greatest, most rewarding experience
51:48
Speaker 3: in the world. Don't give in. If Jesus Christ had
51:58
Speaker 3: listened to the majority, he would have never paid the
52:00
Speaker 3: price for our sins. He would have run. Escaped. Given in.
52:16
Speaker 3: If you've never trusted the Lord Jesus, you're wrong. Common sense. Honor.
52:28
Speaker 3: Character says, I give in. Right where you're sitting, you
52:34
Speaker 3: can ask Jesus Christ. Come into your life. Change you.
52:41
Speaker 3: Accepting him as your personal Savior. God's gift. And he'll
52:46
Speaker 3: come in. Our Lord, today I give you great thanks
52:57
Speaker 3: for the genuine joy of preaching the word to a
53:02
Speaker 3: congregation such as I have the privilege of declaring. and pastoring, feeding.
53:14
Speaker 3: I thank you for those men that surround me in
53:16
Speaker 3: this staff, for our many officers and fellow laborers, for
53:24
Speaker 3: those that beef up this ministry with significant melody that
53:30
Speaker 3: touches the heart. I thank you for the dedication of
53:35
Speaker 3: the vast majority Of those quiet silent heroes of the faith.
53:44
Speaker 3: That are badgered and buffeted in this world. In the
53:48
Speaker 3: competitive jungle of this godless age. But they stand fast.
53:54
Speaker 3: Thank you for them. May not one of them be intimidated.
54:00
Speaker 2: Not one.
54:03
Speaker 3: Put steel in our bones our father. May we learn
54:06
Speaker 3: what it is like. to say no without an explanation
54:11
Speaker 3: or guilt, to stand firm, to be discerning, to be
54:18
Speaker 3: your men and women, your young people. Lord, especially for
54:24
Speaker 3: these guests of honor here today, our fathers, and the
54:30
Speaker 3: fathers of our memory, may they be encouraged. As they
54:38
Speaker 3: give themselves to the truth of God. I thank you
54:45
Speaker 3: especially Lord for strength. When you move us out of
54:50
Speaker 3: the penthouse. Thank you for reality. And being able to
54:56
Speaker 3: face it. By faith.
54:59
Speaker 2: Through Christ we pray.
55:00
Speaker 3: Amen.
55:04
Speaker 4: The preceding message.
55:06
Speaker 2: Operation Intimidation.
55:08
Speaker 4: Was copyrighted in 1974, 1983, 1990, 2006, and 2015, and
55:17
Speaker 4: the sound recording was copyrighted in.
55:19
Speaker 3: 2016 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc.
55:23
Speaker 4: All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for
55:27
Speaker 4: commercial use is strictly prohibited.