Latest / Providence Baptist Church - Sermons / Nehemiah 1:1-4

Transcript

Nehemiah 1:1-4 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

0:00
That has also been turning to joy as we begin a new study together.
0:03
And we'll spend most of this summer, the next couple of months,
0:06
looking together at the book of Nehemiah.
0:10
Let me begin this morning as I heard a sermon this week on this book.
0:15
There was a quote read from a book by a man named Wesley Finn
0:18
called Man Ruined and Restored.
0:23
I just want to begin reading to you this quote, this little story he told.
0:26
And a preacher made the mistake of showing two boys the text he would be preaching from
0:31
that Sunday, the previous Saturday afternoon.
0:34
When he turned his back, the boys glued some of the pages of his Bible together.
0:38
Not a funny joke, young men.
0:41
So on Sunday, when he stood to preach, he read,
0:44
And Noah, when he was 120 years old, took unto himself a wife who was,
0:49
then turning the page, 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high,
0:55
built of gopher wood, and pitch within and without.
1:00
Puzzled, he paused, read it again, and then looked up at his congregation and said,
1:06
I have read the Bible through many, many times,
1:08
but this is the first time I have ever read this.
1:11
Yet I believe the Bible to be true from cover to cover,
1:14
so I accept it as truth that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
1:17
Reading that to you just to say, there are parts of our Bible that have yet to be peeled open.
1:27
And that's a sad thing in American Christianity,
1:30
that we altogether have neglected whole sections of the Scriptures.
1:35
Many Christians walk around acting as if the only inspired part of the Bible is the New Testament.
1:41
I made a little jest at you earlier.
1:42
Some of us just carry New Testaments around with us,
1:46
and that's okay.
1:48
There's such valuable truths contained within,
1:50
but it's certainly a mark of a mature Christian when we begin to value the Old Testament Scriptures.
1:55
We begin to see that they speak of Christ as well.
2:00
And those of us who are standing on this side of the cross
2:03
now have the ability to see all of the fulfillment of the promises of God.
2:08
And therefore, the Old Testament Scriptures become that much more precious to us.
2:12
It's a people not looking to the promise,
2:14
wanting to know how it is that this promise will be fulfilled,
2:17
but having seen it fulfilled,
2:19
we now get to take on a new and a deeper appreciation for the things contained in the Old Testament.
2:25
And so, it's my hope as we peel the pages of Nehemiah open
2:30
that you will begin to appreciate the Old Testament text as much of as the first.
2:37
Now, the book of Nehemiah today, I'm going to give you kind of a sweeping overview of it.
2:41
It records events chronologically from Nehemiah's first term as governor of Jerusalem,
2:47
those of you who care about dates,
2:49
from about 445 to 433 B.C.
2:53
That's Nehemiah 1-12,
2:55
to his second term as governor,
2:56
possibly beginning about 424 B.C.
2:59
That's the place that we put this book.
3:01
Now, you may be a bit confused,
3:03
because in your Bible, it's going to be ordered.
3:06
So, we have 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles,
3:12
Ezra, Nehemiah.
3:13
Where does Nehemiah fall, though, in the timeline of reality, of the actual world?
3:17
These are ordered by history books.
3:20
It doesn't work out quite that way.
3:22
At the same time as Nehemiah, we have Haggai and Zechariah,
3:26
the events that happen in the book of Esser,
3:28
and then Malachi.
3:30
Really, if we were going to put it in chronological order,
3:32
it belongs towards the end of our Old Testament.
3:35
This is after Babylonian exile.
3:38
This is the people returning again to the land that God had given them.
3:43
God goes silent after Malachi comes and prophesies for 400 years,
3:48
and then comes back on the scene when we see
3:50
the heralding of the births of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ.
3:55
So, that's where this fits.
3:57
Some of you may have a chronological Bible,
3:59
or they're kind of neat because they break things apart
4:01
and put them in that proper order.
4:03
Recognize that this is not laid out normally, normatively, in that way.
4:07
They're grouped by types of books.
4:09
And here we have a book of history.
4:12
So, that's where this falls.
4:15
Nehemiah was not written by Nehemiah.
4:17
It's widely accepted that it was written by Ezra.
4:20
In fact, the Latin Vulgate calls Nehemiah Ezra II.
4:24
It's a continuation of.
4:27
The early historical evidences actually show Ezra and Nehemiah as one book.
4:33
Now, there's certainly some first-hand quotations
4:37
believed to be taken from Nehemiah's own journal, Ezra pulled from.
4:41
But the evidences we have,
4:43
we see the recurrent phrase,
4:45
hand of the Lord, very similar writing.
4:48
And then as well as Ezra's role as a priest-scribe,
4:51
which would have granted him access
4:52
to the royal archives of the Persian Empire.
4:55
So, we see these vast lists
4:56
of the numbers of people that returned to Jerusalem.
5:01
And Ezra would have actually had the access to those records,
5:03
whereas Nehemiah would have not.
5:05
So, it's widely accepted that Ezra was actually the writer
5:08
of the book of Nehemiah.
5:10
Now, at this point, you may be saying,
5:12
great, fantastic facts.
5:14
We know where it falls in time.
5:16
We know who wrote it.
5:17
But why are we going to be using Nehemiah?
5:20
I've said to you already,
5:21
I hope to give you an appreciation of the Old Testament text.
5:24
Is that really a good reason, though,
5:26
to delve into it together?
5:29
It's a small reason, not a large reason,
5:31
but it is a reason.
5:33
The reason we're going to study Nehemiah together this summer
5:35
is that I believe it's very timely for us.
5:38
The place that our church is now.
5:41
And I'll share a little more with you
5:42
as we go on through this Sunday and in the coming weeks.
5:45
And you'll begin to understand, I think,
5:46
why I believe that to be the case.
5:48
But let me just say to you,
5:49
as an overarching reason,
5:52
is that Nehemiah was a man who cared deeply
5:54
about the glory of God
5:56
and the good of God's people.
5:58
He cared deeply about the glory of God
6:01
and the good of God's people.
6:03
And I think that this can speak to us
6:04
where we are.
6:06
So, let's look at the text together.
6:08
Nehemiah chapter 1.
6:10
We're just going to read together
6:11
the first four verses.
6:15
The words of Nehemiah, the son of Hakaliah.
6:19
Now, it happened in the month of Chislev
6:20
in the 20th year,
6:22
as I was in Susa, the citadel,
6:24
that Hanani, one of my brothers,
6:26
came with certain men from Judah.
6:28
And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped,
6:30
who had survived the exile,
6:32
and concerning Jerusalem.
6:33
So he said,
6:34
how are things going back in Jerusalem?
6:36
And they said to me,
6:38
the remnant there in the province
6:39
who had survived the exiles
6:40
is in great trouble.
6:42
This word in Hebrew is the opposite of peace.
6:47
They're in turmoil and shame.
6:50
They were being ridiculed
6:51
because the wall of Jerusalem is broken down
6:55
and its gates are destroyed by fire.
6:59
And this grieves Nehemiah.
7:02
Deeply grieves him.
7:03
Look at verse 4.
7:04
As soon as I heard these words,
7:05
I sat down and wept and mourned for days.
7:11
And I continued fasting and praying
7:13
before the God of heaven.
7:15
Now, to understand why Nehemiah may have felt this way,
7:19
I think it's important that we get
7:20
a little bit of a background.
7:21
We set a stage leading up to this very point.
7:24
Remember that the nation of Israel
7:26
was formed around a patriarch, Abraham.
7:29
Abraham was called by God
7:31
to be a people for his possession.
7:32
He promised to bless the nations in him.
7:35
Gave him the name Abraham.
7:37
And this nation grew.
7:39
And of course, there's a lot of events.
7:40
I'm sweeping through Old Testament history here.
7:43
Grew to a nation that was ruled by three kings.
7:46
Saul, David, and Solomon.
7:49
This was Israel's golden age.
7:52
They were the power to be reckoned with
7:54
in that region.
7:55
Mighty.
7:56
David.
7:56
You read the stories of David
7:57
and the conquering that he did in those days.
8:01
But because Solomon compromised so greatly
8:04
with the things of God,
8:05
God promised to bring calamity.
8:07
Bring a judgment upon them.
8:10
But because God loved David
8:12
the way he loved him,
8:14
he told Solomon that it wouldn't come to pass
8:15
until Solomon died.
8:17
And that's what happened.
8:18
That's exactly what happened.
8:19
A civil war broke out.
8:21
The nation became divided.
8:24
Israel, the group in the north,
8:25
took the name Israel.
8:26
Judah in the south.
8:28
It was the most prominent tribe.
8:29
They took the name Judah in the south.
8:32
In 722 BC,
8:34
the Assyrians,
8:35
a great world power at the time,
8:37
came and sacked,
8:38
conquered in the northern kingdom.
8:42
Pillaged, plundered,
8:43
thousands died.
8:44
They carried away captives.
8:46
The tragic time for the northern kingdom.
8:49
And then in roughly 605 to 586,
8:52
the Babylonians did the same
8:54
in the south.
8:56
Turn with me back
8:56
just a couple of books
8:57
to 2 Chronicles.
8:58
So you're going to have
8:59
Ezra before Nehemiah
9:00
and then 2 Chronicles
9:01
right at the end,
9:02
chapter 36.
9:05
You read with me
9:05
a little bit about this.
9:18
2 Chronicles 36,
9:21
beginning in verse 15.
9:23
The Lord,
9:24
the God of their fathers,
9:25
sent persistently to them
9:26
by His messengers
9:27
because He had compassion
9:29
on His people
9:29
and on His dwelling place.
9:31
But they kept mocking
9:32
the messengers of God,
9:33
despising His words
9:34
and scoffing at His prophets
9:35
until the wrath of the Lord
9:37
rose against His people
9:38
until there was no remedy.
9:40
Thereofor He brought up against them
9:41
the king of the Chaldeans,
9:44
Babylonians,
9:45
interchangeable words here,
9:46
who killed their young men
9:47
with a sword
9:48
in the house of their sanctuary
9:49
and had no compassion
9:50
on young man or a virgin,
9:52
old man or aged.
9:54
He gave them all
9:55
into His hand.
9:56
And all the vessels
9:57
of the house of God,
9:57
great and small,
9:58
and the treasures
9:59
of the house of the Lord,
10:00
and the treasures
10:00
of the king and of his princes,
10:02
all these He brought to Babylon.
10:04
And they burned
10:05
the house of God,
10:06
and here you go,
10:06
and broke down the wall
10:08
of Jerusalem
10:08
and burned all its palaces
10:10
with fire
10:10
and destroyed
10:11
all its precious vessels.
10:13
He took into exile
10:14
He took into exile
10:16
in Babylon
10:16
those who had escaped
10:17
from the sword,
10:18
and they became servants
10:19
to Him and to His sons
10:20
until the establishment
10:21
of the kingdom of Persia.
10:24
So here you see
10:25
the destruction of Jerusalem
10:26
to the degree
10:27
that they actually
10:28
tore down the walls.
10:29
And the walls were significant
10:31
both practically
10:32
and symbolically.
10:34
Practically,
10:34
they protected the city.
10:36
People came inside
10:37
and they closed up the gates
10:38
as a way they fended off
10:39
attackers.
10:42
Symbolically,
10:42
it meant that the city
10:43
was healthy.
10:44
It meant that it had power
10:45
because of the might
10:46
of the walls.
10:47
And the Babylonians
10:48
knew this,
10:49
and therefore they
10:49
destroyed it.
10:51
They laid it to waste.
10:53
Jerusalem was ruined.
10:55
And they carried
10:55
everybody off.
10:56
These dark,
10:58
dark days.
10:59
It's prophesied
11:00
in Jeremiah chapter 25
11:02
that they would be gone
11:03
for 70 years.
11:04
And this is exactly
11:05
what happened.
11:06
What happened
11:07
to cause the tide
11:08
to turn?
11:09
What was it that
11:10
began to allow
11:11
the Jews
11:12
to enter back
11:13
into the promised land?
11:15
It was a handing off
11:17
of world power.
11:18
The Persians
11:19
conquered the Babylonians
11:21
about 539 B.C.
11:25
Such a cool picture
11:26
of God's providence
11:27
and the way
11:28
He works
11:28
in the world.
11:29
He used the pagan peoples
11:31
to judge His own,
11:33
to judge Israel.
11:34
And then He uses
11:35
pagan peoples
11:36
coming and conquering
11:38
the Babylonians
11:38
to send them back.
11:40
The way He works
11:42
and uses world events
11:44
is rather incredible.
11:46
And so we see
11:47
that they were
11:47
then sent back.
11:49
2 Chronicles 36
11:50
22-23
11:52
Now in the first year
11:52
of Cyrus,
11:54
king of Persia,
11:55
that the word of the Lord
11:56
by the mouth of Jeremiah
11:57
might be fulfilled,
11:58
the Lord stirred up
11:59
in the spirit of Cyrus,
12:01
king of Persia,
12:01
so that He made a proclamation
12:03
throughout all His kingdom
12:04
and also put it in writing,
12:06
Thus says Cyrus,
12:07
king of Persia,
12:07
the Lord,
12:08
the God of heaven
12:09
has given me
12:10
all the kingdoms of the earth
12:11
and He has charged me
12:12
to build Him
12:12
a house at Jerusalem
12:13
which is in Judah.
12:15
Whoever is among you
12:16
all of His peoples,
12:17
may the Lord His God
12:18
be with you.
12:19
Let Him go up.
12:21
So we begin to see
12:22
a movement
12:23
back towards
12:24
the promised land.
12:26
So,
12:26
if you'll allow,
12:27
we'll call the first group
12:29
Group A,
12:30
right?
12:31
This is who Cyrus sends,
12:33
the people that went back,
12:34
they were led by a man
12:34
named Zerubbabel,
12:36
which is a fantastic name
12:37
to say.
12:38
I got to say it
12:39
over and over this week,
12:40
right?
12:40
A man named Zerubbabel
12:41
led them back,
12:43
right?
12:43
Took them 20 years
12:44
to rebuild the temple,
12:46
but that's what they
12:46
set themselves to doing
12:47
when they returned.
12:49
You can read about this
12:50
in the book of Ezra,
12:52
right?
12:53
Eighty years later,
12:55
we've got Group B,
12:56
and this is when
12:57
spiritual reform
12:59
begins to take place.
13:00
And then 13 years later,
13:02
here we have Nehemiah
13:04
hearing the news
13:06
of what's going on.
13:07
So,
13:08
we know the temple's
13:08
been restored,
13:10
some spiritual revival
13:11
is beginning to happen there,
13:13
but the walls
13:14
are still not built.
13:17
It's been 90 years
13:18
since the people
13:19
were released by Persia
13:20
to go back,
13:21
and yet,
13:22
the city still lays
13:24
in shambles.
13:26
It's fascinating
13:27
that Nehemiah was a layman.
13:30
Here we find him
13:30
serving the now king
13:32
of Persia,
13:33
King Artaxerxes,
13:34
as his cupbearer.
13:36
He was the guy
13:37
that drank the wine
13:39
before the king
13:39
to be sure
13:40
that it wasn't poisoned.
13:42
A layman used
13:43
in such a powerful way
13:44
by God.
13:45
It's an encouragement
13:46
to me as a fairly
13:48
uneducated,
13:49
unequipped man.
13:51
Nehemiah was used
13:52
in mighty ways,
13:53
and he was uniquely
13:55
fitted for the task.
13:57
Uniquely fitted
13:58
for the task
13:59
that was ahead of him.
14:01
He was the cupbearer
14:02
to Artaxerxes,
14:02
which meant that
14:03
if a cupbearer
14:04
did his job well,
14:06
he became a trusted friend
14:08
of the king.
14:09
He stood at his side
14:10
all the time.
14:10
Anytime the king drank,
14:12
the cupbearer
14:13
was there with him,
14:15
served him as a friend.
14:16
Often they became
14:17
great counselors
14:19
to the king.
14:21
The king would bounce ideas
14:23
off of the cupbearer.
14:25
And here you see
14:26
as Nehemiah is serving
14:27
in his presence,
14:29
chapter 2,
14:30
that his face is long.
14:31
He's sad,
14:32
which was not a thing
14:33
you did in front of a king.
14:35
Kings wanted joyful people
14:36
around them.
14:37
I could say that of myself.
14:38
Like,
14:38
don't come around me
14:39
and be sad.
14:39
That's just depressing.
14:40
Be happy around me.
14:42
But here he is
14:43
with a long face,
14:44
risking his very life,
14:45
but he's in such mourning
14:46
and torment
14:47
over what's happening
14:48
in Israel
14:49
that the king asks him,
14:50
why are you so sad?
14:53
And he shares with the king
14:55
and the king does
14:56
a phenomenal thing.
14:57
Again,
14:57
moved along
14:57
by the prominence of God
14:59
and gives to him
15:00
basically a blank check.
15:04
He says,
15:04
well,
15:04
go then.
15:04
Go back and build
15:05
the walls.
15:07
Writes him letters.
15:08
Gives him an armed escort
15:09
to go back.
15:11
Gives him letters
15:12
to reap
15:13
harvest of lumber
15:16
from Lebanon
15:17
to build
15:18
precious,
15:19
precious lumber
15:20
in this area
15:21
to build back up
15:23
the wall.
15:24
It's a great,
15:25
great,
15:25
great picture of this
15:26
and as Nehemiah himself says,
15:27
the good hand of God
15:29
was upon me.
15:33
Nehemiah was a man
15:34
zealous
15:35
for the glory of God.
15:37
The reason
15:38
that he's so
15:39
torn,
15:41
that he weeps
15:42
and mourns
15:43
for days,
15:43
that he risks
15:44
his own life
15:45
being sad
15:45
in the presence
15:46
of the king
15:47
is that
15:47
the state of Israel
15:50
in these days
15:51
was the visible
15:52
glory of God.
15:54
It was the
15:54
manifestation
15:55
of God's goodness,
15:57
of his character
15:58
to his people.
16:00
And the fact
16:00
that they were
16:01
in such shambles
16:02
was an affront
16:03
to what God
16:04
had done for them.
16:05
The fact that the people
16:06
for 90 years
16:07
had yet to put themselves
16:08
to the work
16:09
of rebuilding that,
16:11
of properly displaying
16:12
what God had done
16:13
for them
16:13
is why he's torn up.
16:15
He cares about
16:17
the good
16:17
of God's people,
16:18
but he primarily
16:19
cares about the glory
16:21
of his God.
16:22
That people would
16:23
properly worship him,
16:25
properly see him
16:26
for who he is.
16:28
He was zealous
16:28
for God's glory.
16:31
And he was a man
16:32
of prayer.
16:34
We see in
16:35
13 chapters,
16:36
we see him pray
16:37
on 10 separate times.
16:39
The book of Nehemiah
16:40
both opens
16:41
and closes
16:42
with Nehemiah
16:43
in prayer.
16:44
because he understood
16:46
the sovereign hand
16:47
of God
16:48
and his great
16:49
necessity of it.
16:50
So Nehemiah
16:51
was uniquely
16:52
fitted for this
16:53
task
16:54
that was set
16:55
before him.
16:56
So we see here
16:57
in this story,
16:58
to kind of give you
16:59
the framework,
17:00
and we're going to go
17:00
back and fill in
17:01
the pieces here,
17:02
that he travels
17:03
back to Israel
17:04
with an armed guard
17:06
sent by the king.
17:08
When he gets there,
17:09
he spends three days
17:10
examining the situation.
17:11
He even goes out
17:12
by night
17:13
to see the condition
17:14
of the wall,
17:15
to see what kind
17:15
of task was set
17:17
before him.
17:18
And then he calls
17:19
together the people
17:20
to build.
17:21
And the text records
17:22
for us that they
17:23
brought their hands
17:24
to bear,
17:25
for the people
17:26
had a mind
17:27
or a heart
17:28
to work.
17:30
So he rallies
17:31
them together
17:32
to do this great work
17:33
that's ahead of them.
17:35
And it'd be really
17:36
great at this point
17:36
if the story ended
17:37
and we just said,
17:38
well, fantastic,
17:40
and they built the wall
17:41
and everybody lived,
17:41
happily ever after.
17:43
But it didn't go
17:43
so easy for them,
17:44
right?
17:44
There was much
17:45
opposition to the work.
17:48
And at this point,
17:49
we can pause
17:49
and reflect upon
17:50
our own lives
17:51
and the opposition
17:52
that we experience
17:53
in them.
17:54
This morning,
17:56
Sam allowed me
17:57
to come up
17:57
to the building early
17:58
and just do a little bit
17:59
of last preparation
18:00
for the day.
18:01
But I was thinking
18:02
about it being
18:02
Father's Day
18:03
and I was thinking
18:03
about dads
18:04
loading kids
18:06
into vans
18:07
and the screaming
18:09
and the wanting
18:10
of juice
18:10
and crackers
18:11
and those of you
18:13
who are without children
18:13
will not understand
18:15
the chaos sometimes
18:16
that happens
18:17
on a Sunday morning
18:18
before we come here.
18:20
There's opposition
18:21
to the work, right?
18:22
Like dads,
18:23
how many times
18:24
do you feel like
18:24
just turning around
18:25
and going back
18:26
to the house
18:26
saying,
18:27
fine,
18:28
this is not going well
18:29
for us this day,
18:30
right?
18:31
There's much calamity,
18:33
many things
18:34
battling against us
18:36
to do the work
18:37
that's set before us
18:38
by our Lord.
18:39
That's a very minor
18:40
example,
18:41
I'm aware.
18:42
But there's much
18:42
opposition.
18:43
The peoples of the land
18:45
as they're referred to
18:45
here in Nehemiah
18:47
don't want to see
18:48
Israel rebuild the walls.
18:49
They don't want to see
18:50
them fortify
18:50
and protect themselves.
18:52
They want glory
18:52
and honor to belong
18:53
to King Artaxerxes,
18:55
not to the God
18:55
of these people.
18:56
And so there's plotting
18:57
against them
18:58
or we're going to
18:59
study some of that
19:00
together.
19:00
There's times at which
19:02
they're both building
19:03
the wall
19:04
and they've got swords
19:05
on their sides.
19:06
There's times at which
19:07
they're carrying things
19:08
in one hand
19:08
and a sword
19:09
in the other hand.
19:11
But they were so
19:12
determined.
19:13
They had their minds,
19:14
their hearts,
19:15
set to the work
19:16
before them.
19:17
And so they complete
19:18
the wall.
19:19
I hope I'm not
19:20
breaking,
19:21
shattering your
19:22
spoiler alert here
19:23
for the story.
19:24
They do in fact
19:25
build the wall.
19:26
They build it
19:26
in 52 days.
19:30
Something that
19:30
hadn't been completed
19:31
in 90 years.
19:33
They set their minds
19:34
to it.
19:34
They work hard
19:35
in spite of the opposition
19:36
and they build the wall
19:37
in 52 days.
19:39
And we see this record
19:40
through to chapter 7
19:42
of the book.
19:44
And it doesn't end there.
19:45
The building is not
19:47
yet done.
19:48
The spiritual rebuilding
19:49
begins at that point.
19:50
As I told you,
19:51
there's some things
19:52
beginning to happen.
19:53
Some spiritual revitalization
19:55
happening back
19:56
with that second movement
19:57
we called Group B.
19:58
But it really takes off
19:59
at this point.
20:00
In chapters 8-13
20:02
we see this.
20:03
And 8-10
20:04
we probably have
20:05
the greatest record
20:06
in the scriptures
20:06
of spiritual revival.
20:08
They pull out
20:10
the law
20:10
and they open it
20:11
and it's read before them
20:12
by Ezra
20:13
and there's this
20:14
great repentance
20:15
followed by
20:16
wonderful praise
20:17
of the things
20:18
that God
20:19
has done for them.
20:20
This huge, huge revival
20:21
that happens
20:22
and we get the
20:23
great privilege
20:25
of getting to look
20:26
at that together
20:27
and what revival
20:28
looks like
20:29
in the land.
20:31
And I want to tell you
20:32
I've got four objectives
20:34
in our time together
20:35
over the summer.
20:36
Four things
20:36
that I hope to accomplish
20:38
as we study this together.
20:40
Firstly,
20:41
I want to expand
20:42
your appreciation
20:43
for the inspired words
20:44
of God.
20:46
As I said before,
20:47
the whole thing
20:48
is inspired
20:48
and given to us
20:49
for our instruction.
20:50
I want you to really
20:51
take hold
20:52
of that.
20:54
Now it's going to be
20:55
a challenge for me.
20:56
I really much prefer
20:57
to preach verse by verse
20:58
through the epistles.
21:00
The teaching,
21:01
the doctrinal parts.
21:03
This is narrative.
21:03
It's going to be
21:04
a little bit challenging
21:05
for me,
21:05
but as I've discovered
21:06
that 40% of our scriptures
21:08
is narrative.
21:09
40% of it
21:10
is narrative.
21:12
It is a wonderful,
21:14
wonderful way
21:15
to understand
21:16
and to see
21:17
the great truths
21:18
of God
21:18
as we see
21:19
the stories of God
21:20
being played out.
21:22
There's evangelistic
21:23
movements around
21:24
the world right now
21:24
that are using
21:25
storytelling
21:25
to present the gospel.
21:27
It's a valuable way
21:29
for us to learn
21:29
information.
21:30
Some of you
21:31
may remember
21:31
some of the books
21:32
that you were
21:32
forced to read
21:33
in high school
21:34
and the themes
21:35
contained within them
21:36
because you remember
21:37
the story.
21:38
You get the story.
21:40
Still, right now
21:41
The Great Gatsby
21:42
has come out
21:42
in a movie.
21:43
I was forced
21:43
to read that book
21:44
in high school
21:45
and I remember
21:47
the themes
21:47
of that story
21:48
because I can remember
21:49
what happens
21:50
in it.
21:51
So I hope that
21:51
you'll appreciate
21:52
better the inspired
21:54
words of God
21:55
in our study together
21:56
which means
21:57
I've got to work
21:57
hard at showing
21:58
it to you
21:59
and showing you
21:59
its great value.
22:02
Secondly,
22:03
I want to expose
22:04
you to the character
22:05
of God.
22:08
I want to expose
22:09
you to the character
22:10
of God
22:11
and I know
22:11
that that sounds
22:12
lofty
22:14
and academic.
22:16
You certainly
22:17
could take
22:18
a lot of notes.
22:19
We could
22:19
systematically
22:20
work through
22:21
the character
22:22
of God
22:22
but here we see
22:23
it played out
22:24
in a story
22:26
and I can tell
22:27
you that all
22:27
the doctrines
22:28
that really
22:28
affect my life
22:29
the things
22:30
I really
22:30
take hold of
22:31
and work in me
22:32
I came to
22:34
by reading
22:35
about stories
22:36
of God.
22:36
Take for example
22:37
the gospel
22:38
of grace
22:39
the doctrines
22:39
of grace.
22:41
This really
22:42
began to mean
22:42
something to me
22:43
when I began
22:43
to read stories
22:44
like in Genesis
22:45
the life of Joseph
22:46
who was sold
22:48
into slavery
22:48
thrown into jail
22:50
ended up
22:50
in a prominent
22:51
position
22:52
that he might
22:52
save his people
22:54
and you see
22:54
the sovereign
22:54
hand of God
22:55
working
22:56
and moving
22:56
and suddenly
22:57
the little
22:58
things of my
22:58
life
22:59
little things
23:00
that are nothing
23:01
like getting
23:01
sold into slavery
23:02
nothing like
23:03
being thrown
23:03
into prison
23:04
for being
23:04
righteous
23:05
very
23:07
unmonumental
23:09
right?
23:10
Much of an
23:11
effect as I
23:11
see the sovereign
23:12
hand of God
23:13
working in
23:14
things like
23:15
this.
23:16
I'll give you
23:16
a list
23:17
just in the
23:18
book of Nehemiah
23:18
the way that
23:19
God is referred
23:20
to here
23:21
in the text
23:22
and I don't
23:22
believe this is
23:23
exhaustive at all
23:24
but listen to
23:24
this
23:24
he is called
23:26
the great
23:26
and awesome
23:27
God
23:28
the faithful
23:29
God
23:29
the loving
23:30
God
23:31
the powerful
23:32
God
23:32
the strong
23:33
God
23:33
the maker
23:34
of the heavens
23:35
the maker
23:35
of earth
23:36
and seas
23:37
the life
23:38
giver
23:38
the sovereign
23:39
God
23:40
the righteous
23:40
God
23:41
the covenant
23:42
keeping
23:42
God
23:42
the God
23:43
who performs
23:43
signs and
23:44
wonders
23:45
the delivering
23:46
God
23:47
the providing
23:47
God
23:48
the forgiving
23:49
God
23:49
the God
23:50
who is
23:50
gracious
23:51
compassionate
23:52
and patient
23:53
the teaching
23:54
God
23:54
the good
23:55
God
23:55
the judging
23:56
God
23:56
the admonishing
23:58
God
23:58
the just
23:59
God
23:59
the remembering
24:00
God
24:01
the rewarding
24:02
God
24:03
the God
24:03
who is the
24:04
giver
24:05
of great
24:06
joy
24:06
just in the
24:07
book of
24:07
Nehemiah
24:08
this is how
24:08
Nehemiah
24:09
speaks or Ezra
24:10
speaks of
24:11
Nehemiah
24:11
of his
24:13
God
24:13
many people
24:16
would preach
24:16
to you the
24:17
book of
24:17
Nehemiah
24:17
and at the
24:18
end of it
24:18
you would
24:18
say
24:19
Nehemiah
24:20
was a
24:20
great
24:21
guy
24:21
we ought
24:23
to be
24:23
more like
24:24
Nehemiah
24:25
but I
24:25
say to
24:25
you
24:25
if that's
24:26
what we
24:26
accomplished
24:27
this summer
24:28
we failed
24:29
I failed
24:30
you
24:30
you failed
24:31
in your
24:31
listening
24:31
that's not
24:33
what we
24:33
ought to
24:33
walk away
24:33
with
24:34
we ought
24:34
to walk
24:34
away
24:34
saying
24:35
what a
24:35
great
24:36
God
24:37
Nehemiah
24:38
worshipped
24:38
and served
24:39
that's what
24:40
we ought
24:40
to walk
24:41
away
24:41
with
24:42
because we
24:42
do in
24:43
fact
24:43
serve a
24:43
great
24:44
God
24:44
and
24:44
Nehemiah
24:45
is such
24:45
a wonderful
24:46
example
24:47
of that
24:47
the things
24:48
that
24:48
Nehemiah
24:49
does in
24:49
here
24:50
are not
24:51
a response
24:52
to his
24:52
own
24:52
character
24:53
right
24:54
man that
24:54
Nehemiah
24:55
what a
24:55
hard worker
24:56
he built
24:57
a wall
24:57
in 52
24:58
days
24:58
it's not
24:58
a response
24:59
to his
24:59
leadership
25:00
ability
25:00
it's a
25:02
response
25:02
to who
25:03
his
25:04
God
25:04
was
25:05
and is
25:06
for us
25:07
that's what
25:07
caused him
25:08
that's what
25:09
motivated him
25:10
to work
25:10
to lead
25:11
in the way
25:12
that he
25:12
did
25:13
we should
25:13
walk away
25:14
from here
25:14
praising
25:15
our
25:15
great
25:16
God
25:16
thirdly
25:18
I want
25:20
to show
25:21
you the
25:21
timeliness
25:22
of these
25:22
lessons
25:23
for the
25:24
work that's
25:24
ahead of
25:24
us
25:25
as we
25:26
build a
25:26
church
25:26
to the
25:27
glory
25:28
of God
25:28
I'm going
25:29
to draw
25:29
a connection
25:30
for you
25:31
between
25:31
those two
25:32
as we
25:33
as God's
25:34
people
25:34
should
25:35
be desiring
25:36
his glory
25:37
the proclamation
25:37
of his
25:38
goodness
25:38
to us
25:40
we're building
25:41
a church
25:41
but we don't
25:42
build a church
25:42
with physical
25:43
stones
25:44
I'm not
25:44
talking about
25:45
this building
25:45
I hope
25:45
that you've
25:45
gotten that
25:46
here
25:46
that this
25:47
building
25:47
is not
25:48
the church
25:48
we're
25:48
the church
25:49
and so
25:50
we're
25:50
building up
25:50
a people
25:51
for his
25:52
praise
25:52
that is
25:53
the work
25:54
that's ahead
25:54
of us
25:55
and I
25:56
will probably
25:56
affectionately
25:57
call you
25:57
the remnant
25:58
a lot
25:59
over the
25:59
summer
26:00
we're those
26:01
that are
26:02
here now
26:02
I guess
26:04
our college
26:05
students have
26:05
been carried
26:05
off to exile
26:06
I don't
26:06
really know
26:06
if we're
26:07
going to
26:07
draw it
26:08
out quite
26:08
that far
26:09
but the
26:10
task has
26:10
been given
26:11
to us
26:11
to build
26:12
to display
26:13
God's
26:14
glory
26:14
we are
26:15
now the
26:15
visible
26:15
display
26:16
of God's
26:17
goodness
26:17
of his
26:18
character
26:18
in the
26:19
world
26:19
so there's
26:20
a great
26:21
connection
26:21
between the
26:22
two
26:22
and we can
26:23
learn and
26:23
glean so
26:24
much about
26:25
God's
26:25
character
26:25
to us
26:26
and the
26:27
work that
26:27
we ought
26:28
to be
26:28
doing
26:28
together
26:28
as we
26:29
look at
26:29
the book
26:30
of Nehemiah
26:31
first
26:32
Peter
26:33
chapter
26:33
two
26:33
Peter
26:34
speaks
26:34
of us
26:35
as
26:35
living
26:36
stones
26:36
who's
26:37
the
26:37
chief
26:38
cornerstone
26:39
Christ
26:40
right
26:40
this
26:40
this
26:41
imagery
26:41
of the
26:42
building
26:42
right
26:43
we're
26:43
chosen
26:44
and
26:44
precious
26:44
and we're
26:45
being built
26:46
up
26:46
as a
26:47
spiritual
26:47
house
26:48
it's
26:49
timely
26:49
for us
26:50
to be
26:50
studying
26:50
this
26:51
together
26:51
and
26:53
then
26:53
fourthly
26:54
I want
26:56
to exalt
26:56
the person
26:57
and the
26:58
work
26:58
of Jesus
26:59
Christ
26:59
which
27:00
all good
27:01
preaching
27:01
does
27:02
I want
27:03
to exalt
27:03
the person
27:04
and the
27:05
work
27:05
of Jesus
27:05
Christ
27:06
now
27:06
how is
27:07
it
27:07
exactly
27:08
that we're
27:08
going to
27:09
do that
27:09
in the
27:09
book
27:09
of
27:09
Nehemiah
27:10
the name
27:12
Jesus
27:12
Christ
27:12
is never
27:13
mentioned
27:13
in these
27:13
pages
27:14
don't know
27:15
he's not
27:16
on the
27:16
scene
27:16
yet
27:16
we don't
27:17
know
27:17
this
27:17
to be
27:17
the
27:17
case
27:18
turn
27:18
with
27:18
me
27:18
to
27:19
Luke
27:19
chapter
27:19
24
27:20
I lose
27:24
men
27:24
who
27:24
stand
27:25
in
27:25
pulpits
27:25
or
27:25
given
27:26
positions
27:26
of
27:26
power
27:27
to
27:27
preach
27:27
and
27:28
they
27:28
don't
27:28
preach
27:29
Christ
27:30
they
27:31
preach
27:32
tips
27:32
for
27:33
your
27:33
life
27:33
little
27:34
ways
27:35
you
27:35
can
27:35
better
27:35
manage
27:36
your
27:36
business
27:36
we're
27:39
to
27:39
preach
27:40
Christ
27:41
verse
27:42
13
27:43
chapter
27:43
24
27:44
this
27:46
is after
27:47
the
27:47
resurrection
27:47
that
27:48
very
27:48
day
27:49
two
27:49
of
27:49
them
27:49
disciples
27:50
were
27:50
going
27:50
to
27:50
a
27:50
village
27:50
named
27:51
Emmaus
27:51
about
27:52
seven
27:52
miles
27:52
from
27:53
Jerusalem
27:53
and
27:54
they
27:54
were
27:54
talking
27:54
with
27:54
each
27:54
other
27:55
about
27:55
all
27:55
these
27:56
things
27:56
that
27:56
had
27:56
happened
27:57
when
27:57
they
27:58
were
27:58
talking
27:58
and
27:58
discussing
27:59
together
27:59
Jesus
27:59
himself
28:00
drew
28:00
near
28:00
and
28:00
went
28:01
with
28:01
them
28:01
but
28:02
their
28:02
eyes
28:02
were
28:02
kept
28:03
from
28:03
recognizing
28:03
them
28:04
and
28:04
he
28:04
said
28:04
to
28:05
them
28:05
what
28:05
is
28:05
this
28:06
conversation
28:06
that
28:06
you
28:06
are
28:06
having
28:07
with
28:07
each
28:07
other
28:07
as
28:07
you
28:08
walk
28:08
this
28:09
must
28:09
have
28:09
been
28:09
a
28:09
very
28:09
looking
28:10
back
28:11
on
28:11
it
28:11
for
28:11
them
28:11
a
28:11
very
28:11
comical
28:12
conversation
28:13
what
28:14
is this
28:14
conversation
28:14
that
28:14
you
28:14
were
28:14
having
28:15
with
28:15
each
28:15
other
28:15
as
28:16
you
28:16
walk
28:16
and
28:16
they
28:17
stood
28:17
still
28:17
looking
28:17
sad
28:18
then
28:18
one
28:18
of
28:18
them
28:19
named
28:19
Cleopas
28:20
answered
28:20
him
28:20
are
28:21
you
28:21
the
28:21
only
28:21
visitor
28:22
to
28:22
Jerusalem
28:22
who
28:22
does
28:23
not
28:23
know
28:23
the
28:23
things
28:23
that
28:24
have
28:24
happened
28:24
there
28:24
in
28:24
these
28:24
days
28:25
can you
28:25
imagine
28:25
how he
28:25
felt
28:26
after
28:26
realizing
28:26
who
28:27
he
28:27
been
28:27
talking
28:27
to
28:27
yep
28:30
a little bit
28:30
of rhetoric
28:31
there
28:31
verse 19
28:32
and he
28:33
said to
28:33
them
28:33
what
28:34
things
28:34
and they
28:35
said
28:36
to him
28:37
concerning
28:38
Jesus
28:38
of
28:38
Nazareth
28:39
a man
28:39
who
28:39
was
28:39
a
28:39
prophet
28:40
mighty
28:40
in
28:40
deed
28:40
and
28:41
word
28:41
before
28:41
God
28:41
and
28:42
all
28:42
the
28:42
people
28:42
and
28:43
how
28:43
our
28:43
chief
28:43
priests
28:44
and
28:44
rulers
28:44
delivered
28:44
him
28:44
up
28:45
to
28:45
be
28:45
condemned
28:45
to
28:45
death
28:46
and
28:46
crucified
28:46
him
28:47
but
28:47
we
28:47
had
28:48
hoped
28:48
that
28:48
he
28:48
was
28:48
the
28:48
one
28:49
to
28:49
redeem
28:49
Israel
28:50
yes
28:51
and
28:51
besides
28:51
all
28:51
this
28:51
it
28:52
is
28:52
now
29:22
and
29:22
enter
29:22
into
29:23
his
29:23
glory
29:23
so
29:24
notice
29:24
here
29:24
he
29:25
corrects
29:25
them
29:25
he
29:25
rebukes
29:26
them
29:26
he
29:26
calls
29:26
them
29:26
foolish
29:27
slow
29:28
of
29:28
heart
29:28
to
29:28
believe
29:29
all
29:29
that
29:29
the
29:30
prophets
29:30
have
29:30
spoken
29:31
and
29:31
he's
29:31
referring
29:31
here
29:32
to
29:32
everything
29:33
Old
29:34
Testament
29:34
everything
29:35
up
29:35
to
29:36
this
29:36
point
29:37
he's
29:38
saying
29:38
to
29:38
them
29:38
you
29:38
had
29:39
me
29:40
you
29:40
had
29:40
this
29:41
you
29:41
had
29:41
the
29:41
very
29:41
revelation
29:42
of
29:42
Jesus
29:43
Christ
29:43
coming
29:44
and
29:44
you've
29:44
missed
29:45
it
29:45
verse
29:46
27
29:47
and
29:47
beginning
29:48
with
29:48
Moses
29:48
and
29:52
the
29:52
things
29:52
concerning
29:53
himself
29:54
boy
29:54
I
29:54
wish
29:55
we
29:55
had
29:55
the
29:55
record
29:55
of
29:55
that
29:55
that
29:56
would
29:56
that
29:57
would
29:57
make
29:57
my
29:57
job
29:58
at
29:58
Nehemiah
29:58
a lot
29:59
easier
29:59
if I
29:59
could
29:59
have
29:59
Jesus
30:00
Christ
30:00
commentary
30:01
on
30:02
the
30:02
book
30:02
of
30:02
Nehemiah
30:03
right
30:03
a
30:05
wonderful
30:05
thing
30:06
for
30:06
some
30:06
reason
30:07
it's
30:07
excluded
30:07
here
30:08
um
30:08
dependence
30:10
on
30:10
the
30:10
spirit
30:10
so
30:11
that's
30:11
my
30:11
answer
30:12
to
30:12
that
30:12
verse
30:12
28
30:13
so
30:13
they
30:13
drew
30:13
near
30:14
to
30:14
the
30:14
village
30:14
to
30:14
which
30:14
they
30:14
were
30:15
going
30:15
he
30:15
acted
30:15
as
30:16
if
30:16
he
30:16
was
30:16
going
30:16
farther
30:17
but
30:17
they
30:17
urged
30:17
him
30:17
strongly
30:18
saying
30:18
stay
30:19
with
30:19
us
30:19
for
30:20
it is
30:20
toward
30:20
evening
30:20
and
30:20
the
30:20
day
30:21
is
30:21
now
30:21
far
30:21
spent
30:21
so
30:22
he
30:22
went
30:22
in
30:22
to
30:22
stay
30:23
with
30:23
him
30:23
when
30:23
he
30:23
was
30:24
at
30:24
table
30:24
with
30:24
him
30:24
he
30:24
took
30:24
the
30:25
bread
30:25
and
30:25
blessed
30:25
and
30:25
broke
30:26
it
30:26
and
30:26
gave
30:26
it
30:26
to
30:26
them
30:26
and
30:27
their
30:27
eyes
30:27
were
30:27
opened
30:28
and
30:28
they
30:28
recognized
30:29
him
30:29
and
30:29
he
30:30
!
30:30
said
30:30
to
30:32
!
30:32
each
30:32
other
30:32
did
30:32
not
30:32
our
30:33
hearts
30:33
burn
30:33
within
30:33
us
30:34
while
30:34
we
30:34
talked
30:34
to
30:34
us
30:34
on
30:34
the
30:35
road
30:35
while
30:35
he
30:35
opened
30:36
to
30:36
us
30:36
the
30:36
scriptures
30:37
and
30:37
they
30:38
rose
30:38
that
30:38
same
30:38
hour
30:38
and
30:39
returned
30:39
to
30:39
Jerusalem
30:39
and
30:39
they
30:40
found
30:40
the
30:40
eleven
30:40
and
30:41
those
30:42
who
30:42
were
30:42
with
30:42
them
30:42
gathered
30:43
together
30:43
saying
30:43
the
30:43
Lord
30:44
has
30:44
risen
30:44
indeed
30:44
and
30:45
has
30:45
appeared
30:45
to
30:46
Simon
30:46
and
30:47
they
30:47
told
30:47
what
30:47
had
30:47
happened
30:47
on
30:48
the
30:48
road
30:48
and
30:48
how
30:48
he
30:48
!
30:49
looked
30:51
down
30:52
at
30:52
verse
31:02
me
31:02
and
31:02
the
31:02
law
31:03
of
31:03
Moses
31:03
and
31:04
the
31:04
prophets
31:04
and
31:04
the
31:04
Psalms
31:05
must
31:05
be
31:06
fulfilled
31:07
he
31:07
said
31:07
remember
31:08
I
31:08
told
31:08
you
31:08
I
31:09
would
31:09
be
31:09
the
31:09
fulfillment
31:10
of
31:10
all
31:10
these
31:10
things
31:11
including
31:12
the
31:12
promises
31:13
in
31:13
Nehemiah
31:13
right
31:14
verse
31:15
45
31:16
then
31:16
he
31:16
opened
31:17
their
31:17
minds
31:18
!
31:18
to
31:18
understand
31:19
the
31:19
scriptures
31:19
he
31:22
opened
31:23
their
31:23
minds
31:24
!
31:24
to
31:25
understand
31:25
the
31:25
scriptures
31:25
and
31:25
recognize
31:26
the
31:26
point
31:27
here
31:27
being
31:27
to
31:28
understand
31:28
the
31:29
scriptures
31:29
as
31:29
they
31:30
speak
31:30
of
31:30
him
31:31
because
31:32
every
31:32
single
31:33
page
31:33
every
31:34
word
31:34
every
31:35
bit
31:35
of
31:35
punctuation
31:36
speaks
31:37
of
31:38
Jesus
31:38
Christ
31:40
until
31:41
we
31:41
read
31:42
the
31:42
Old
31:42
Testament
31:42
scriptures
31:43
with a
31:43
view
31:44
to
31:44
Christ
31:44
looking
31:45
for
31:45
him
31:46
in
31:46
this
31:46
way
31:46
we
31:47
are
31:47
not
31:47
reading
31:48
it
31:48
properly
31:49
we
31:50
have
31:50
missed
31:50
the
31:51
point
31:51
if
31:51
we
31:52
say
31:52
look
31:53
at
31:53
David
31:53
what
31:53
a
31:54
brave
31:54
man
31:54
willing
31:55
to
31:55
go
31:55
out
31:55
and
31:55
face
31:55
Goliath
31:56
we
31:56
should
31:56
be
31:57
brave
31:57
like
31:57
him
31:58
there
31:59
a
31:59
lesson
31:59
there
31:59
certainly
32:00
we
32:00
should
32:01
trust
32:01
in
32:01
God
32:01
in
32:02
that
32:02
way
32:02
but
32:03
until
32:03
we
32:03
see
32:03
that
32:04
David
32:04
is
32:04
a
32:04
type
32:05
of
32:05
Christ
32:06
coming
32:06
on
32:06
our
32:07
behalf
32:07
to
32:07
conquer
32:08
sin
32:08
and
32:09
death
32:09
we've
32:10
missed
32:11
it
32:11
we've
32:11
missed
32:12
the
32:12
ultimate
32:12
point
32:13
and
32:13
we're
32:13
not
32:13
really
32:14
reading
32:14
the
32:14
Old
32:15
Testament
32:15
properly
32:46
missed
32:47
we
32:47
we've
32:48
preached
32:48
Jesus
32:48
Christ
32:49
even
32:49
when
32:50
we're
32:50
studying
32:50
Nehemiah
32:51
and
32:52
I want
32:53
to
32:53
show
32:53
you
32:53
how
32:53
that's
32:54
possible
32:54
I've
32:55
got
32:55
a lot
32:55
of
32:55
work
32:55
to do
32:56
in
32:56
that
32:56
way
32:56
but
32:57
I hope
32:57
that
32:57
we'll
32:57
exalt
32:58
the
32:58
personal
32:59
work
32:59
of
32:59
Christ
33:00
together
33:00
let me
33:02
read to
33:02
you a
33:02
quote
33:02
from
33:03
Charles
33:03
Spurgeon
33:04
on this
33:04
matter
33:05
from
33:07
every
33:07
town
33:08
village
33:09
and
33:09
little
33:09
hamlet
33:10
in
33:10
England
33:10
wherever
33:12
it may
33:13
be
33:13
there is
33:14
a road
33:14
to
33:14
London
33:15
and
33:15
so
33:15
from
33:16
every
33:16
text
33:16
in
33:16
scripture
33:17
there is
33:17
a road
33:17
to
33:18
the
33:18
metropolis
33:18
of
33:19
the
33:19
scriptures
33:19
that
33:20
is
33:20
Christ
33:21
your
33:22
business
33:23
is
33:23
when
33:23
you
33:23
get
33:23
to
33:23
a
33:24
text
33:24
to
33:24
say
33:25
now
33:25
what
33:25
is
33:26
the
33:26
road
33:26
to
33:26
Christ
33:27
and
33:27
then
33:27
preach
33:28
a
33:28
sermon
33:28
or
33:28
study
33:29
it
33:29
in
33:29
that
33:29
way
33:30
if
33:30
you're
33:30
not
33:30
a
33:30
!
33:30
a
33:30
!
33:31
running
33:32
along
33:33
the
33:33
road
33:33
towards
33:33
the
33:33
great
33:34
metropolis
33:34
Christ
33:36
and
33:37
that's
33:38
what
33:38
I
33:38
hope
33:38
to
33:38
accomplish
33:38
as
33:39
we
33:39
come
33:39
together
33:40
to
33:40
this
33:40
study
33:40
to
33:41
show
33:42
you
33:42
how
33:42
it
33:43
is
33:43
that
33:43
it's
33:43
timely
33:44
for
33:44
us
33:44
for
33:44
the
33:44
building
33:44
of
33:45
the
33:45
glory
33:45
of
33:45
God
33:45
to
33:46
have
33:46
you
33:46
have
33:46
a
33:47
deeper
33:47
appreciation
33:48
of
33:48
the
33:48
scriptures
33:48
which
33:49
will
33:49
accomplish
33:50
primarily
33:51
through
33:52
getting
33:52
you
33:52
to
33:52
see
33:53
that
33:53
every
33:53
single
33:54
word
33:55
speaks
33:55
of
33:56
Christ
33:57
let's
33:57
pray
33:57
together
33:58
!