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Nehemiah 4:1-23 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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One time there has been some movements back to Israel.
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About 90 years now they've been back in the land.
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And Nehemiah finds out from his brother that the wall has yet to be rebuilt around the city.
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In fact, the king that he serves issued an edict 13 years prior to stop the building of said wall.
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As the inhabitants of the area, more than likely, Sambalat and Tobiah, that we're going to talk a bit about today,
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let him know what was happening in the land.
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And he saw it as an affront to his kingship.
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And so he put a stop to the wall.
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But the fact that this wall had yet to be built really grieved Nehemiah.
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Because the glory of God was being belittled in this way.
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The people of God's condition was the visible way in which God was praised in this day.
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And the fact that they were still living in a ruined city meant that Nehemiah's God didn't appear so great.
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And notice my careful wording.
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He didn't appear so great.
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And so Nehemiah was grieved by this and he prayed.
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We saw that in chapter 1.
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I introduced the Latin phrase to you sine qua non, without which nothing.
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He knew that if this work was going to get done, it had to be a movement of God.
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That he could not accomplish it on his own.
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And so he prayed.
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But even though he recognized that God's providence must come into play,
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God must be in control of what was going to happen, he planned.
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So we saw that as well, that he set forth a plan that he could present to the king.
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And we saw then in the middle of verse 8 of chapter 2,
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And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.
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We see God bringing about this great work of bringing back together the people,
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using Nehemiah to go back to lead them.
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And so we talked last week about the actual work.
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We looked at chapter 3, and I apologize to you for breaking a little bit from the flow of what's happening here.
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But we talked through chapter 3 of this great list of these men and women who worked hard to rebuild the wall.
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And we talked about how it was that they did in fact work,
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and that they worked without regard to their positions, to their gender, their zip code.
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Some of them were from outlying cities.
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They did their fair share.
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You remember some of them did more than just a section of the wall.
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My favorite being a perfumer who built two sections of the wall.
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Or their skill sets.
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These weren't masons.
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They carried out various tasks.
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Rulers and priests that worked on this wall.
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So we're going to look today at the very end of chapter 2, which we bounced over before, verse 19 and 20.
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And then chapter 4.
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We're going to look at the way they worked in the face of opposition.
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It would be nice if we came to this point in the story.
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They get to work.
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They get this mind for it.
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They see that the good hand of God is with Nehemiah and the work before them.
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And they strengthen their hands.
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And then the rest of the story we read,
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And they built a magnificent wall.
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And it was wonderful.
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And that's the end of the story.
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It would be a nice way to read it.
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That would be an encouragement to me in my own life.
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I have a work that's been set before me.
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I'd kind of like the story to play out that way.
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Because that would mean that things are just going to go good.
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I've strengthened my hands.
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I'm ready to do the work God's putting for me.
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And it's just going to go really well.
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The story's going to go great in that way.
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But that's not what we see happening here.
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They end up having to work in the face of great opposition.
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Remembering that they were motivated by providence.
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Chapter 2, verse 18.
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Nehemiah reports the hand of my God that had been upon me for good.
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You remember that when God's people attempt to do God's work in His way,
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there will always be opposition.
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This world hates the ways of God.
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So when God's people attempt to do God's work in His way,
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notice the careful wording there.
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Things can go real well for you sometimes if you're not doing things in God's way.
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But when God's people attempt to do God's work in His way,
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there will always be opposition.
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My mind was drawn to 2 Timothy 3.12 where Paul wrote,
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Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
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You remember as we're looking at this story, it's certainly a historical account.
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It's not an allegory.
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But we in some ways can take it allegorically for our own living.
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We are now being built up into a temple, a holy habitation for God.
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And so the work before us is not to build a wall, to build buildings.
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The work before us is to build up the church.
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To be holy and to bring about holiness in the lives of others.
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To be disciple-making disciples.
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And so 2 Timothy 3.12 comes together for us then.
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Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
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Will face opposition.
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So let's read together.
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I'm going to help us skip around just a little bit.
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Beginning in chapter 2, verse 19.
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But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it,
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they jeered at us and despised us and said,
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What is this thing that you are doing?
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Are you rebelling against the king?
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Then I replied to them,
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The God of heaven will make us prosper,
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and we his servants will arise and build.
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But you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.
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Now let's just pause there before we go to chapter 4.
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Firstly, I love the names of our antagonists in the story.
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Sanballat and Tobiah.
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I'm glad I get to say them over and over again this morning.
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We see some other antagonists.
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They're the primary ones, but we also see Geshem here.
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Later in chapter 4, we see the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites
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all rise up against the work that's happening in Israel.
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But pay a close attention before we move on to chapter 4
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at the response, which I just love.
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Then I replied to them,
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The God of heaven will make us prosper.
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By his providential hand, he will make us proper.
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And we his servants will arise and build.
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Flying in the face of their objection to the building.
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The God of heaven will make us prosper.
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We will arise and build.
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And he says to them,
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But you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.
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Now it's likely that there were rulers in Jerusalem
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that were bowing to Sanballat and Tobiah.
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More than likely, the Techoites that we saw in chapter 3
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that would not stoop to serve their Lord
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had a pact, had an agreement with Sanballat,
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and therefore they wouldn't serve the work of God.
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Nehemiah is very careful to say to them,
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But you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.
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Get out of the way.
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God and his people are rebuilding the wall.
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Chapter 4.
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Bear with me.
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Now, when Sanballat heard that they were building the wall,
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he was angry and greatly enraged,
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and he jeered at the Jews.
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And he said in the presence of his brothers
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and of the army of Samaria,
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What are these feeble Jews doing?
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Will they restore it for themselves?
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Will they sacrifice?
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Will they finish up in a day?
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Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish
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and burned ones at that?
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Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him,
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and he said,
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Yes, what are they building?
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If a fox goes up on it,
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he will break down their stone wall.
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Hear, O our God,
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for we are despised.
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Turn back their taunt on their own heads
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and give them up to be plundered in a land
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where they are captives.
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Do not cover their guilt,
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and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight,
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for they have provoked you to anger
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in the presence of the builders.
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So we built the wall,
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and all the wall was joined together
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to half its height,
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for the people had a mind to work.
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But when Sambalat and Tobiah
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and the Arabs and the Ammonites
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and the Ashdodites heard
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that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem
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was going forward
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and that the breaches were beginning to be closed,
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the gaps were being closed,
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they were very angry.
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And they all plotted together
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to come and fight against Jerusalem
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and to cause confusion in it.
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And we prayed to our God
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and set a guard as a protection against them
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day and night.
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In Judah it was said,
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The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing.
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There is too much rubble.
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By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall.
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And our enemies said,
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They will not know or see
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till we come among them
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and kill them and stop the work.
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At that time the Jews who lived near them
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came from all directions
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and said to us ten times,
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You must return to us.
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So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall
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in open places,
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I stationed the people by their clans
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with their swords,
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their spears,
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and their bows.
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And I looked and arose
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and said to the nobles
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and to the officials
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and to the rest of the people,
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Do not be afraid of them.
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Remember the Lord
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who is great and awesome
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and fight for your brothers,
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your sons,
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your daughters,
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your wives,
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and your homes.
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When our enemies heard
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that it was known to us
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that God had frustrated their plan,
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we all returned to the wall.
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Each to his work.
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From that day on,
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half of my servants
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worked on construction
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and half held the spears,
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shields,
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bows,
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and coats of mail.
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And the leaders stood behind
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the whole house of Judah
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who were building on the wall.
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Those who carried burdens
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were loaded in such a way
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that each labored on the work
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with one hand
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and held his weapon
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with the other.
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And each of the builders
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had a sword strapped at his side
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while he built.
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The man who sounded the trumpet
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was beside me.
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And I said to the nobles
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and to the officials
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and to the rest of the people,
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The work is great
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and widely spread
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and we are separated
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on the wall
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far from one another.
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In the place where you hear
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the sound of the trumpet,
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rally to us there.
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Our God will fight for us.
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So we labored at the work
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and half of them
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held the spears
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from the break of dawn
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until the stars came out.
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I also said to the people
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at that time,
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that every man and his servant
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pass the night within Jerusalem
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that they may be a guard
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for us by night
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and may labor by day.
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So neither I nor my brothers
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nor my servants
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nor the men of the guard
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who followed me,
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none of us took off our clothes.
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Each kept his weapon
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at his right hand.
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Now in chapter 5,
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we see a little interjection
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and Kyle actually will be telling you
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a bit more about the work
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that's happening
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even as the work on the wall
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is taking place.
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But then in chapter 6,
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we see some oppression
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that's brought against Nehemiah himself.
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Originally, I planned to go this far,
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but I chopped it this morning
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because it was just way too much.
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But turn your attention
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to chapter 6, verses 15 and 16.
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So the wall was finished
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on the 25th day of the month.
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It lulled in 52 days.
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And when all our enemies heard of it,
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all the nations around us
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were afraid and fell greatly
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in their own esteem.
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For they perceived
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that this work had been accomplished
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with the help of our God.
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Join me in prayer.
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Father God, we thank you
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for your inspired word.
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This is a record of an event
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that happened many thousands
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of years ago.
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But it was written
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for our encouragement today.
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I believe that you have brought
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all of us together today.
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And that you intend to speak
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to all of our hearts.
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And so I just ask
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that you will.
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That you will show us
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how it is
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that the work before us,
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even in the face of opposition,
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can and will be completed.
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We praise you
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for your words to us.
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That we have
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a glimpse,
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a window in
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to the mind of the Almighty.
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And we pray this in Christ's name.
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Amen.
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So there are two types
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of opposition
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that took place here.
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And I want to kind of
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bring those to you.
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Firstly,
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physical opposition.
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We see chapter 4,
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verse 7 and 8.
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We see Sambalat and Tobiah,
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the Arabs,
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the Ammonites,
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and the Ashdodites.
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They hear that the progression
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is still happening.
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Even though there's been
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some jeering,
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some making fun of,
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they are still beginning
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to build the wall.
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In fact,
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they're starting to close
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in the gaps of the wall.
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It's been completed
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to half of its height.
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And they become angry.
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And they plot together
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to come and fight
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against Jerusalem.
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There's this physical opposition
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that's presented before them.
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What is their response to this?
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What is their response?
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They enter into,
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this is what we read
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through chapter 4,
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into a state of perpetual readiness.
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They got prepared.
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They got ready
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for the fight that may come.
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In fact,
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in case you didn't catch it,
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we turn from the end
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of verse 14 to 15,
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they actually stood
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in the low gaps
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behind the wall,
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all of them ready to fight.
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They hear rumor
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that a fight is coming
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and they armed themselves
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and they got ready.
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They ceased building
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on the wall
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to stop
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and to fight.
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But in verse 15,
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when they heard
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that their enemies
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had heard
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that the plan
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had been confounded,
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that they had stood guard,
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that they knew
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they were coming,
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they go back
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to the work.
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And they go back
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to the work
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in some very interesting ways.
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Nehemiah comes up
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with some brilliant plans
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for how they're going to work.
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Half of his servants
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stand guard
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while the other half
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are working.
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Those that are working
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carry loads
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in such a way
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that they can carry
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a weapon in one hand
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and a load,
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and remember a load
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in this case
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is probably heavy stones
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and mortar
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and things to fill in,
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the gaps on the wall.
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In the other hand,
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he has people
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standing by
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with all of the armaments
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they would need,
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the coat of mail,
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the things they wouldn't wear
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while they were working.
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They stood by
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holding on to those things
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so that if they needed them,
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they could drop
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what they were doing,
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put on the armor,
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and fight
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for the sake of the city.
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He set up a plan
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for how they would
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rally together.
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They're spread out
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amongst this wall,
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this great parameter
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of the city Jerusalem.
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So he comes up
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with a plan
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to blow a trumpet
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and everybody
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to gather
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at that place.
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You even see record
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of the fact
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that he had everybody
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stay inside the city,
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not return to their homes
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outside of the city,
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but rest and stay inside
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in case they needed
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to fight at night.
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And that he even records
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in verse 23
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that they didn't
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take off their clothes,
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which was not
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for the sake of grossness,
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but just to let us know
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that they were always ready.
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They never disrobed to sleep.
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They always kept ready
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to fight and to work.
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For 52 days,
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they did this type of thing.
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So they got ready
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in the state
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of perpetual readiness.
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But before that,
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before they ever did that,
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what do we see them
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stopping to do?
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They prayed.
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Right?
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Sine qua non.
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Without which nothing.
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Chapter 4, verse 9.
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And we prayed to our God
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and set a guard
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as a protection.
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And set that word there,
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the little phrase
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that sits in between there,
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means nevertheless.
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We prayed to our God
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knowing full well
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that God's good hand
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was upon this work.
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His providence
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was draped over
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the work that was
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happening here.
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But nevertheless,
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we set a guard.
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We did our part.
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We did the planning.
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The things that needed
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to be done.
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It's a bit of a tension.
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And I think that most of us
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here feel this tension.
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We've seen the sovereignty
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of God in scriptures
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and we've seen the
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responsibility of man.
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I feel like I've talked
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about it at length.
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But recognize that this
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tension is everywhere
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in the scriptures.
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It doesn't just exist here.
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Seeing the people of God
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praying, kneeling,
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asking God to work,
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knowing that without him
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doing the work,
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it's not going to get
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accomplished at all.
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You see even here
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that we see in verse 20
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as Nehemiah's encouraging
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the people,
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talking about the rallying
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of the people.
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He's basically saying to
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them,
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in the place where you
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hear the sound of the
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trumpet,
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come fight.
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And his sixth sentence
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is,
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our God will fight for us.
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This full recognition
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that God was going to
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have to accomplish it.
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And yet,
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we also see that they
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knew that they were
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the means by which God
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would accomplish it.
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They were the means
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to the end.
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This tension is found
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all throughout the
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scriptures.
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Begin to read the Bible
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with this in mind
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and notice all of the
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places that happens,
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particularly in Paul's
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language.
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He always wants to be
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so careful as he
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presents the mightiness
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of our God that he
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doesn't leave out the
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fact that we're
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responsible.
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And as he presents to
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us the fact that we're
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responsible and we have
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a part to play,
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he never ever leaves it
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hanging without wrapping
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it up with the
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sovereignty of God.
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One example,
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1 Corinthians 15,
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verse 10.
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He says,
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By the grace of God,
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I am what I am.
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And his grace toward me
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was not in vain.
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On the contrary,
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I worked harder than
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any of them,
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though it was not I,
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but the grace of God
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that is with me.
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It talks about the
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grace of God,
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the sovereignty of God
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and him being who he
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is.
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But then he presents
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that he worked very
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hard at being who he
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is.
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But just so that we're
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not unclear,
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he wraps it back up
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to say,
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but it was not I,
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it was the grace of
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God that is with me.
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This tension,
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if it feels that way
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for you,
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it does for me,
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it makes my mind
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want to split open
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sometimes,
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exists all throughout
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the scriptures.
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God uses his people
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to accomplish his will,
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but it is indeed
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God who works.
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So in face of this
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physical opposition,
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the possibility that
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the wall would be
18:23
stopped by an attack,
18:25
they pray,
18:26
they make a plan,
18:27
they prepare,
18:28
they stand at the ready
18:30
perpetually
18:31
so that they can
18:32
complete the wall.
18:34
But there's a
18:35
greater danger,
18:36
a greater opposition
18:37
that face them here,
18:38
and that is a
18:40
spiritual opposition.
18:42
Presented to you
18:43
before that the
18:44
problems we have
18:45
as people are
18:47
going to be one
18:47
of two types of
18:49
problems.
18:50
They're either going
18:50
to be physical or
18:51
they're going to be
18:52
spiritual.
18:54
Ultimately,
18:55
the way we think
18:56
is affected by our
18:57
spirit.
18:58
You see here,
18:59
there's some things
19:00
happening with them.
19:02
You see discouragement
19:03
taking place.
19:05
And you see fear.
19:08
Discouragement,
19:09
chapter 4,
19:09
verse 10.
19:11
In Judah it was said,
19:12
the strength of those
19:13
who bear the burdens
19:14
!
19:14
The burdens is failing!
19:16
There is too much
19:17
rubble!
19:18
By ourselves we will
19:19
not be able to
19:21
rebuild the wall!
19:22
See that discouragement
19:23
beginning to set in
19:24
on them.
19:24
They're being taunted
19:26
by the outsiders.
19:28
My mind goes to
19:29
Noah building his
19:31
boat and all his
19:32
friends coming and
19:32
making fun of him
19:33
for building a boat
19:34
in the middle of
19:34
the desert.
19:35
Yet he built on
19:36
all the same.
19:37
Here you see them
19:38
being taunted,
19:38
verses 1-3,
19:40
by Sambalat.
19:41
He jeers at the
19:42
Jews.
19:43
And he said in the
19:44
presence of his
19:44
brothers in the
19:44
army of Samaria,
19:45
what are these
19:46
feeble Jews doing?
19:47
Will they restore
19:48
it for themselves?
19:49
These are rhetorical
19:50
questions.
19:51
Will they sacrifice?
19:52
Meaning,
19:53
will they get it
19:54
set up in a way
19:55
in which they can
19:55
then turn to
19:56
temple service?
19:57
Will they finish
19:59
up in a day?
20:01
Will they revive
20:03
the stones out of
20:04
the heaps of
20:05
rubbish and
20:06
burned ones at
20:07
that?
20:08
Mox the work
20:09
that they're about
20:10
to be doing.
20:11
And then his
20:11
buddy Tobiah
20:12
pipes in and
20:14
says, yes, what
20:14
are they building?
20:15
If a fox goes up
20:17
on it, he will
20:17
break down their
20:18
stone wall,
20:19
meaning it doesn't
20:20
have structure.
20:20
It's a horribly
20:21
built wall.
20:23
And even if a
20:23
fox were to run
20:24
up on it, it
20:25
would just collapse.
20:26
They're being
20:27
taunted in this
20:28
way, and
20:29
discouragement has
20:31
begun to set in.
20:33
How is it that
20:34
they bear up under
20:36
that type of
20:37
discouragement?
20:38
You may have
20:39
experienced this in
20:40
your work for the
20:41
Lord.
20:43
Remember the way
20:44
that Nehemiah's
20:45
prayer begins in
20:46
chapter 1,
20:48
verse 5.
20:49
He says,
20:50
O Lord,
20:51
God of heaven.
20:53
And I presented
20:53
to you that this
20:54
Hebrew phrase,
20:55
was a Hebrew
20:56
phrase that had
20:56
become especially
20:58
important to the
21:00
Israelites as they
21:01
were in Babylonian
21:02
captivity, as they
21:02
had spent all of
21:03
this time abroad.
21:05
And it meant
21:06
simply that their
21:07
God was a God
21:08
that ruled over
21:09
everything.
21:12
Remember chapter 2,
21:13
verse 20,
21:14
Nehemiah's response
21:15
to Sambalot,
21:16
Tobiah,
21:17
and Geshem,
21:18
the God of heaven,
21:19
same language,
21:21
will make us
21:22
prosper.
21:24
They got through
21:25
this discouragement
21:26
by trusting in
21:28
the sovereign
21:28
goodness of God.
21:31
They would have
21:32
been familiar with
21:33
Psalm 135,
21:35
5 and 6,
21:36
For I know that
21:38
the Lord is great,
21:39
and that our Lord
21:40
is above all gods.
21:42
Whatever the Lord
21:42
pleases,
21:43
He does,
21:44
in heaven and on
21:45
earth,
21:46
in the seas,
21:47
and all the
21:48
deeps.
21:49
They knew
21:50
that the good
21:51
hand of God
21:52
had been upon
21:52
Nehemiah for
21:53
the good work.
21:54
This is the
21:55
language we're
21:55
seeing up until
21:56
this point.
21:57
They knew that
21:58
God intended
21:59
to complete the
22:00
wall with
22:01
them,
22:02
and therefore,
22:03
they knew it
22:04
would get
22:05
done.
22:07
Let me read to
22:08
you a little bit
22:09
from Spurgeon
22:10
on the topic of
22:12
God's sovereignty.
22:14
That's what we're
22:14
talking about here.
22:15
There is no
22:18
attribute more
22:19
comforting to
22:20
His children than
22:21
that of God's
22:22
sovereignty.
22:23
Under the most
22:24
adverse circumstances,
22:26
in the most
22:26
severe trials,
22:28
they believe that
22:28
sovereignty has
22:29
ordained their
22:30
afflictions, that
22:31
sovereignty overrules
22:33
them, and that
22:34
sovereignty will
22:34
sanctify them all.
22:36
There is nothing
22:37
for which the
22:37
children ought more
22:38
earnestly to
22:39
contend than the
22:40
doctrine of their
22:41
master over all
22:42
creation.
22:43
The kingship of
22:44
God over all
22:45
the works of
22:46
His own hands,
22:47
the throne of
22:48
God and His
22:49
right to sit
22:50
upon that
22:50
throne.
22:52
On the other
22:52
hand, there is
22:54
no doctrine more
22:54
hated by
22:55
worldings, no
22:57
truth of which
22:57
they have made
22:58
such a football
22:59
as the great,
23:00
stupendous, but
23:01
yet most certain
23:02
doctrine of the
23:03
sovereignty of
23:04
the infinite
23:05
Jehovah.
23:07
Men will allow
23:08
God to be
23:08
everywhere except
23:10
on His throne.
23:11
They will allow
23:12
Him to be in
23:13
His workshop to
23:14
fashion worlds
23:15
and make stars.
23:16
They will allow
23:17
Him to be in
23:17
His almanry to
23:19
dispense His
23:19
alms and bestow
23:20
His bounties.
23:22
They will allow
23:23
Him to sustain
23:23
the earth and
23:24
bear up the
23:25
pillars thereof,
23:26
or light the
23:27
lamps of heaven,
23:27
or rule the
23:28
waves of the
23:29
ever-moving
23:29
ocean.
23:30
But when God
23:31
ascends His
23:31
throne, His
23:32
creatures then
23:33
gnash their
23:34
teeth.
23:35
But we
23:36
proclaim and
23:37
enthrone God,
23:39
and His right
23:40
to do as He
23:40
wills with His
23:41
own, to dispose of
23:42
His creatures as
23:43
He thinks well,
23:44
without consulting
23:45
them in the
23:45
matter, then it
23:46
is that we are
23:47
hissed and
23:48
execrated, and
23:49
then it is that
23:49
men turn a deaf
23:50
ear to us.
23:51
For God on His
23:52
throne is not
23:53
the God they
23:54
love, but it
23:55
is the God upon
23:56
the throne that
23:57
we love.
23:58
It is God upon
24:00
His throne whom
24:01
we trust.
24:04
That is the
24:05
great encouragement
24:07
judgment, when
24:09
we are feeling
24:09
discouraged, that
24:11
our God reigns
24:13
over the
24:14
work.
24:15
We talked
24:15
about how
24:16
Nehemiah's
24:17
prayer in
24:17
chapter 1 was
24:19
saturated in
24:21
the Word of
24:21
God.
24:22
He knew what
24:23
God attempted
24:24
to accomplish
24:25
with His
24:26
people, and
24:27
therefore he
24:27
could confidently
24:28
lay hold of
24:30
those promises.
24:31
Beloved, we
24:32
must study God's
24:33
Word and know
24:34
His promises.
24:35
If we know
24:36
them, we can
24:37
know that
24:38
they are
24:39
sure.
24:41
The second
24:42
condition I see
24:43
here in
24:44
chapter 4 is
24:45
fear.
24:46
Spiritual
24:46
opposition to
24:47
them is this
24:48
fear, right?
24:49
There's a great
24:50
force, a mighty
24:51
force.
24:51
The armies of
24:52
Samaria are
24:53
going to come
24:53
against them and
24:55
stop the building
24:56
of the wall.
24:57
Chapter 4, 11,
24:58
and 12 says,
24:59
And our enemy
25:00
said they will
25:00
not know or
25:01
see till we
25:02
come among
25:02
them and kill
25:03
them and stop
25:04
the work.
25:05
Then you see in
25:06
verse 12,
25:06
at that time
25:07
the Jews who
25:08
lived near
25:08
them came
25:08
from all
25:09
directions and
25:09
said to us
25:09
ten times,
25:11
you must
25:11
return to
25:12
us.
25:13
What's happening
25:14
is the people
25:14
who are living
25:15
in the perimeter
25:15
who aren't
25:16
coming and
25:16
building the
25:17
wall are
25:17
coming to
25:17
the city
25:18
and they're
25:18
saying,
25:19
listen, we
25:20
are hearing
25:20
news that
25:21
they are going
25:21
to come and
25:22
kill you.
25:22
They're forming
25:23
armies to
25:24
come and kill
25:25
you and stop
25:25
the building
25:25
of the wall.
25:26
Please come
25:27
back to the
25:27
suburbs.
25:29
Come on
25:29
back out to
25:30
the houses
25:30
and live.
25:31
Let's tend
25:32
our sheep.
25:33
Let's look
25:33
after our
25:34
gardens and
25:34
stop the
25:35
building of the
25:36
ten times.
25:38
There's an
25:38
urgency here
25:39
to get them
25:40
to return.
25:43
So how do
25:43
they stand
25:45
up?
25:45
How do they
25:46
work in
25:47
light of
25:48
that type
25:49
of opposition?
25:51
You see in
25:51
verse 6 of
25:52
chapter 4
25:52
this record
25:53
that the
25:54
people had
25:55
a mind
25:56
to work.
25:57
The Hebrew
25:58
word there
25:58
means so much
25:59
more than
25:59
just mind.
26:00
It means that
26:01
they had
26:01
hearts to
26:02
work.
26:02
It means that
26:02
their very
26:03
being was set
26:05
to the work.
26:06
In chapter
26:06
2 we saw
26:07
that they
26:07
strengthened
26:08
their hands
26:09
and had
26:09
that same
26:09
feeling to
26:11
it.
26:12
That they
26:12
made
26:12
themselves
26:12
resolute
26:14
for the
26:15
work that
26:15
was ahead
26:16
of them.
26:18
And then
26:18
you see
26:18
Nehemiah's
26:19
response in
26:19
verse 14.
26:21
Do not
26:22
be afraid
26:22
of them.
26:23
Remember
26:24
what?
26:25
The
26:26
Lord.
26:27
Who is
26:28
great
26:29
and
26:30
awesome.
26:32
We saw
26:32
that same
26:33
language in
26:34
his prayer
26:34
in chapter
26:35
1.
26:35
Who is
26:36
great and
26:37
awesome.
26:38
Who rules
26:39
over everything
26:40
his greatness.
26:42
Who stands
26:43
above,
26:44
who has
26:44
power over
26:45
everything
26:45
and is
26:47
awesome.
26:48
Strikes
26:48
fear in
26:50
the hearts
26:50
of his
26:51
enemies.
26:52
This is
26:53
what we are
26:54
to remember
26:54
when we're
26:56
afraid.
26:57
Remember the
26:58
Lord who is
26:59
great and
27:01
awesome.
27:01
Psalm 28,
27:03
7 and 8
27:04
says,
27:05
The Lord is
27:05
my strength
27:06
and my
27:06
shield.
27:07
In him
27:08
my heart
27:08
trusts and
27:09
I am
27:09
helped.
27:10
My heart
27:11
exults and
27:12
with song I
27:12
give thanks
27:13
to him.
27:14
The Lord
27:14
is the
27:15
strength of
27:15
his people.
27:16
He is
27:16
the saving
27:16
refuge of
27:18
his
27:18
anointed.
27:19
Jeremiah
27:20
32,
27:21
verse 40,
27:22
I will
27:22
make with
27:23
them an
27:23
everlasting
27:24
covenant that
27:25
I will not
27:25
turn away
27:26
from doing
27:27
good to
27:29
them.
27:30
You
27:30
notice so
27:31
far as
27:32
our study
27:32
in Nehemiah
27:33
keep drawing
27:34
us back
27:34
to scripture
27:36
that they
27:36
would have
27:36
had.
27:38
I want you
27:38
to see that
27:39
these people
27:40
knew scriptures
27:41
of God.
27:42
They had
27:42
been given
27:43
to them.
27:43
They had
27:44
proper
27:44
motivation
27:45
by which
27:46
to do
27:46
this work
27:47
because they
27:48
trusted in
27:49
their sovereign
27:50
Lord.
27:52
So we saw
27:53
that the
27:53
wall was
27:54
completed.
27:55
That's why
27:56
I jumped
27:56
to chapter
27:57
6.
27:58
So in
28:00
spite of
28:00
this
28:00
opposition,
28:01
both the
28:02
physical
28:02
and the
28:03
spiritual
28:03
opposition,
28:04
the work
28:04
continued.
28:06
And the
28:06
wall was
28:07
finished in
28:07
52 days.
28:09
And when
28:09
all the
28:10
enemies
28:10
heard of
28:10
it,
28:10
verse 16,
28:11
all the
28:12
nations
28:12
around us
28:13
were afraid
28:13
and fell
28:14
greatly in
28:15
their own
28:15
esteem.
28:16
They said,
28:17
we are not
28:18
rulers of
28:18
this world.
28:19
We ought
28:20
not think
28:20
so highly
28:21
of ourselves
28:22
for they
28:23
perceived
28:24
that this
28:24
work had
28:25
been accomplished
28:25
with the
28:26
help of
28:27
our God.
28:28
So how
28:30
is it
28:30
then that
28:31
we should
28:31
work in
28:32
the face
28:32
of opposition?
28:33
We take
28:34
this narrative
28:34
and we
28:35
apply it
28:35
to our
28:35
very own
28:36
living.
28:38
Firstly,
28:39
we should
28:40
trust in
28:41
the sovereign
28:41
goodness of
28:42
God.
28:43
We should
28:44
trust in
28:44
the sovereign
28:44
goodness of
28:45
God as
28:46
His people.
28:48
As He is
28:48
redeeming the
28:49
church for
28:49
Himself,
28:50
we should
28:50
trust in
28:51
the sovereign
28:52
goodness of
28:53
our God.
28:54
Turn with
28:54
me to the
28:55
book of
28:55
Ephesians,
28:56
chapter 2.
28:58
You can
28:59
leave Nehemiah
29:00
behind.
29:01
You don't
29:01
have to
29:01
mark it
29:01
with your
29:01
hand.
29:14
The very
29:15
greatest
29:15
expression to
29:17
us of
29:18
God's sovereign
29:18
goodness is
29:19
the person
29:20
and the
29:20
work of
29:21
Jesus Christ.
29:23
Christ
29:24
crucified and
29:26
resurrected on
29:26
our behalf.
29:28
Ephesians,
29:28
chapter 2,
29:28
beginning in
29:29
verse 17.
29:30
He, being
29:31
Christ, came
29:32
and preached
29:33
peace to you
29:33
who are far
29:34
off and
29:35
peace to
29:35
those who
29:36
were near.
29:37
For through
29:37
Him we
29:38
both have
29:39
access in
29:39
one spirit
29:40
to the
29:40
Father.
29:41
So then you
29:42
are no longer
29:42
strangers and
29:43
aliens, but
29:44
you are fellow
29:44
citizens with
29:45
the saints and
29:45
members of
29:46
the household
29:46
of God,
29:47
built on the
29:48
foundation of
29:49
the apostles
29:49
and prophets,
29:50
Christ Jesus
29:51
Himself being
29:52
the cornerstone,
29:53
in whom the
29:54
whole structure
29:55
being joined
29:56
together grows
29:56
into a holy
29:57
temple in
29:58
the Lord.
29:58
In Him you
29:59
also are being
30:00
built together
30:01
into a dwelling
30:01
place for God
30:03
by the Spirit.
30:05
Catch all that
30:06
language.
30:06
Again, I've been
30:07
drawing you to
30:08
1 Peter, but
30:09
here we see in
30:10
Ephesians Paul
30:11
using the same
30:12
type of language
30:13
about us being
30:13
built up into
30:15
a structure,
30:16
calls it here a
30:17
holy temple in
30:18
the Lord, a
30:19
dwelling place for
30:20
God by the
30:21
Spirit with
30:22
Jesus Christ
30:23
Himself being
30:25
the cornerstone.
30:26
Cornerstone was
30:27
significant.
30:28
It set all
30:29
things right.
30:30
It was the
30:30
measure by which
30:31
everything else
30:32
was taken.
30:33
It's how the
30:34
building came
30:34
together properly.
30:36
You can't miss
30:36
that.
30:37
The language of
30:38
cornerstone doesn't
30:38
make a lot of
30:39
sense to us.
30:40
Probably not even
30:41
to modern day
30:42
builders, but for
30:43
most of us we
30:43
don't build
30:44
buildings.
30:45
We don't know
30:46
what that would
30:46
even look like.
30:47
This was incredibly
30:48
significant language
30:49
to them.
30:50
It means that
30:51
without Christ,
30:53
and Christ
30:53
crucified and
30:54
resurrected, none
30:56
of this holds
30:57
together.
30:58
All of our
30:58
great efforts at
31:00
church and being
31:00
religious and
31:01
trying to build
31:02
something for God
31:03
is totally failed
31:05
apart from
31:06
Christ.
31:07
Remember that it's
31:08
through Him we
31:09
have access in
31:10
one Spirit to
31:12
the Father.
31:12
We're no longer
31:13
strangers and
31:14
aliens.
31:14
We are now part
31:15
of the household
31:16
of God, and
31:17
this is God's
31:19
sovereign goodness
31:20
to us.
31:21
we'll look
31:21
beyond and
31:23
go further
31:24
into some
31:25
of that reality
31:26
of God's
31:26
sovereign goodness
31:27
here momentarily.
31:29
Look on down
31:29
in the book of
31:30
Ephesians, or
31:31
over, depending
31:32
on your media
31:34
that you're using,
31:35
to chapter 6.
31:38
Paul begins to
31:38
conclude his letter
31:39
in this way,
31:40
verse 10,
31:42
looking at the
31:42
work that's ahead
31:43
of us, finally be
31:44
strong in the Lord
31:45
and in the strength
31:46
of His might.
31:47
Put on the whole
31:48
armor of God
31:48
that you may be
31:49
able to stand
31:49
against the schemes
31:50
of the devil.
31:51
For we do not
31:51
wrestle against
31:52
flesh and blood,
31:53
but against the
31:53
rulers, against
31:54
the authorities,
31:55
against the
31:56
cosmic powers
31:57
over this
31:57
present darkness,
31:58
against the
31:59
spiritual forces
32:00
of evil in
32:01
the heavenly
32:01
places.
32:02
There's our
32:02
challenge, there's
32:03
our opposition
32:03
to us.
32:05
Verse 13,
32:06
therefore take
32:06
up the whole
32:07
armor of God
32:07
that you may be
32:08
able to withstand
32:08
in the evil
32:09
day, and having
32:10
done all to
32:11
stand firm,
32:12
stand therefore
32:13
having fastened
32:13
on the belt of
32:14
truth, and having
32:15
put on the
32:16
breastplate of
32:16
righteousness, and
32:17
as shoes for
32:18
your feet,
32:18
having put on
32:18
the readiness
32:19
given by the
32:19
gospel of
32:20
peace.
32:21
In all
32:21
circumstances, take
32:22
up the shield
32:23
of faith with
32:23
which you can
32:24
extinguish all
32:25
the flaming
32:25
darts of the
32:26
evil one, and
32:27
take the helmet
32:27
of salvation and
32:28
the sword of the
32:29
spirit, which is
32:30
the word of God,
32:31
praying at all
32:31
times in the
32:32
spirit with all
32:33
prayer and
32:34
supplication, or
32:35
petitioning in
32:37
that way.
32:37
can you kind of
32:40
you can't
32:39
can you kind of
32:40
get the picture
32:40
I do of the
32:42
workers of the
32:43
wall in
32:43
Nehemiah's day
32:44
with a load on
32:45
one arm and
32:46
the sword in the
32:47
other hand or
32:47
the spear in the
32:48
other hand, they
32:49
got themselves ready
32:51
for this work that
32:52
was ahead of us, and
32:53
here we see that
32:54
we're to be strong in
32:55
the Lord and the
32:56
strength of his
32:56
might, and how do
32:57
we do that?
32:58
Right?
32:59
We put on these
33:00
things here called
33:01
the armor of God,
33:03
and notice what
33:03
they are, they're
33:04
truth, righteousness,
33:07
readiness, faith,
33:09
salvation, the
33:10
word of God, and
33:12
prayer.
33:14
Now I wish we had
33:15
time to expound
33:16
this in its
33:17
entirety.
33:17
Someday we will
33:18
go through the
33:19
book of Ephesians
33:19
and we will do
33:20
that very thing.
33:21
There's so much
33:22
that all of this
33:23
means, but simply
33:24
we can simply
33:25
boil these things
33:26
down, probably in
33:28
an over simple
33:29
way, to say that
33:31
we need to know
33:32
the truth of God,
33:34
who we are in
33:35
Christ, the gospel,
33:37
right?
33:38
And we need to
33:38
pray.
33:40
The word of God
33:40
being the bread of
33:41
life, the prayer
33:43
being the breath of
33:45
life.
33:46
Remember those two
33:46
things.
33:48
The word of God
33:48
is the bread of
33:49
life.
33:50
It's our sustenance.
33:52
And prayer is the
33:53
breath of life.
33:56
I'll give you an
33:57
example from my
33:58
week.
33:59
I was feeling
34:00
rather discouraged
34:02
this week and it
34:03
wasn't something I
34:04
really realized was
34:05
happening until
34:05
later.
34:06
It worked its way
34:08
kind of up out of
34:09
my heart and to
34:10
my head until I
34:11
kind of stopped and
34:11
assessed what was
34:13
going on with me.
34:14
But I had allowed
34:15
the father of lies
34:16
to tell me a lie and
34:17
I began to believe it.
34:18
I just began to be
34:19
discouraged.
34:20
Totally unwarranted.
34:21
Completely unwarranted.
34:23
But discouraged about
34:23
the work that's
34:24
happening here at
34:25
Christ Family Church.
34:26
Saying that we're
34:26
never going to
34:27
accomplish some of
34:28
the goals that are
34:28
set out before us.
34:30
That I feel so alone
34:31
in the work I'm
34:32
doing.
34:32
I'm inadequate for
34:33
the work I'm
34:33
doing.
34:34
And these lies began
34:35
to work around in
34:36
me.
34:36
And again, not up
34:37
here but down in
34:38
here.
34:39
And I just found
34:39
myself feeling really
34:40
unmotivated at the
34:41
beginning of this
34:41
week.
34:42
Just kind of open up
34:43
to read and reading
34:44
Nehemiah and reading
34:45
just the narrative on
34:46
the surface.
34:47
I'm just going,
34:48
okay, they built the
34:50
wall.
34:50
They set a guard.
34:52
What are we going to
34:52
talk about this Sunday?
34:54
How does this apply
34:55
to our lives?
34:55
I just don't know.
34:56
So I'd close it and
34:56
I'd move on to
34:57
something else.
34:58
And just lacking this
34:59
real motivation.
35:00
It finally bubbled
35:01
up enough that I
35:02
realized I was acting
35:03
in this way.
35:04
Why am I feeling so
35:05
unmotivated this week?
35:06
Why can I not sit down
35:08
and focus and get the
35:09
work done that's in
35:10
front of me?
35:11
And I realized that I
35:12
was being discouraged.
35:14
I was believing all of
35:16
these lies that were
35:17
being told to me.
35:18
And this is when God
35:19
really began to
35:20
minister to me with
35:21
the lives of these
35:22
people.
35:22
I had really forgotten
35:25
the gospel.
35:26
Forgotten who I was
35:27
in Christ.
35:29
And that's a complete
35:30
work of Him.
35:31
He has accomplished
35:31
it.
35:32
He's done all of that.
35:34
Certainly God works
35:35
through faithful people,
35:37
but it is God who works.
35:41
I take great hope and
35:42
encouragement in my time
35:43
of discouragement in
35:45
knowing that God has a
35:46
plan.
35:47
And it will, in fact,
35:49
come to fruition.
35:50
salvation.
35:51
No doubt about that.
35:54
We believe highly in the
35:56
sovereignty of God here,
35:57
not because it's our
35:58
particular thing, it's our
35:59
flavor, we want to pick it
36:00
up, but because the
36:01
scriptures tell us that
36:03
God is sovereign.
36:04
It's all over in here.
36:07
We believe in the
36:08
doctrines of grace, as
36:09
they're commonly called.
36:12
Some of you may wrestle
36:13
with some of these.
36:14
I still do.
36:16
The famous tulip,
36:17
right?
36:18
Total depravity, who we
36:19
are.
36:20
Before Christ.
36:23
No good at all.
36:24
Sin has totally spoiled
36:25
us.
36:26
My righteousness prior to
36:27
Christ was as filthy
36:29
rags.
36:29
Nothing I can do that's
36:31
good on my own.
36:33
It ends in the beautiful
36:34
doctrine of the
36:35
perseverance of the
36:36
saints.
36:37
The last one, the end
36:39
cap on this, is that
36:41
once we are gods, we
36:42
are gods forever.
36:44
There's no undoing that.
36:46
Once we're in his hand,
36:47
nothing can take us out
36:48
of his hand, even
36:49
ourselves.
36:51
Right?
36:51
Can't remove myself from
36:53
God's hand.
36:54
And you see the work of
36:55
the Trinity in those
36:57
middle three, which are
36:58
unconditional election.
36:59
God has made a plan
37:01
before the foundation of
37:03
the world.
37:04
Limited atonement, which
37:05
many people like to call
37:06
particular redemption,
37:07
but I don't think TUPIP is a
37:08
very good acronym here in
37:11
this case.
37:11
Limited atonement, right?
37:13
The work of Christ for us
37:14
on the cross.
37:15
God made the plan.
37:16
Christ accomplished the
37:18
work.
37:19
It is finished.
37:22
Right?
37:22
And then irresistible
37:23
grace.
37:23
Some people say the
37:25
effectual calling of the
37:26
Spirit.
37:27
So God made the plan.
37:28
Christ accomplished the
37:29
work.
37:29
And the Spirit is bringing
37:30
that work into fruition.
37:33
Right?
37:33
He has called us, and now
37:34
He is working in us to
37:36
make us perfect.
37:38
Right?
37:39
Beloved, these doctrines
37:40
are meant to be a pillow
37:42
for us to lay our heads
37:44
on.
37:44
They're not meant to be a
37:46
rock for us to crash
37:47
headlong into.
37:48
And they're certainly not
37:49
meant to be a rock into
37:50
which to beat somebody
37:52
else over the head with.
37:54
Every time we see this
37:56
taught throughout the
37:57
Scriptures, it is meant
37:58
to be a comfort to the
37:59
people of God.
38:01
God is sovereign, and He
38:03
is good to His people.
38:06
That's what we're meant
38:06
to grab hold of and
38:08
take.
38:08
As Spurgeon was arguing
38:10
that the sovereignty of
38:10
God, that doctrine should be
38:12
fought for more than any
38:13
other doctrine for the
38:14
people of God.
38:15
Because that is where our
38:16
surety comes from.
38:18
Right?
38:19
That's what gives us the
38:20
encouragement to continue
38:22
to work.
38:24
If all of this depended
38:25
on me, I'd be done
38:26
already.
38:27
Because I'm a failure at
38:29
leading a church.
38:31
I would just quit.
38:32
I'd say, there's not a
38:33
chance I'm getting this
38:33
done.
38:34
It would be fruitless
38:35
effort if it all depended
38:36
on me.
38:37
But because it depends on
38:40
God, the call, whatever
38:41
that particular vision for
38:42
our church is, I don't
38:44
really even know.
38:45
It will be completed.
38:47
Right?
38:47
God will do exactly what
38:49
He intends to do with us.
38:52
Right?
38:52
Remember that.
38:53
These doctrines are meant
38:54
to be a pillow for us to
38:56
rest our heads on.
38:57
The light yoke that we
38:59
take upon us.
39:02
John 16.33, Jesus says,
39:05
I have said these things
39:06
to you that in me you may
39:08
have peace.
39:09
In the world you will have
39:11
tribulation.
39:12
But take heart.
39:14
I have overcome the world.
39:16
Christ crucified.
39:18
He has overcome the world.
39:21
Paul had confidence in this
39:23
as he was talking to others
39:24
about others and their
39:26
progression in faith.
39:29
Philippians 1.6, he says,
39:30
And I'm sure of this, that
39:31
he who began a good work in
39:32
you will bring it to
39:34
completion at the day of
39:35
Jesus Christ.
39:36
Christ, it is in God's
39:38
sovereign control.
39:40
It doesn't negate our part
39:42
in it.
39:43
But God is in control.
39:45
As we are given the great
39:46
commission by Christ to go
39:48
and make disciples of all
39:50
the world, baptizing them in
39:52
the name of the Father and
39:52
the Son and the Holy Spirit,
39:54
teaching Him to walk in His
39:55
ways.
39:55
As we're given that commission,
39:57
we're given an even greater
39:58
promise.
40:00
Matthew 28.20,
40:01
And behold, I am with you
40:03
always to the end of the age.
40:06
If we're going to set about
40:08
the work in the face of
40:10
opposition, we must believe
40:12
these things.
40:14
The sovereign goodness of our
40:16
God.
40:18
Secondly, simply know that
40:20
opposition is part of the
40:22
work.
40:23
It is part of the work.
40:25
It doesn't just stand in the
40:27
way of the work, but it is
40:29
in fact part of the work of
40:31
us being built into a holy
40:33
temple, a dwelling place for
40:36
God, as the people of God.
40:38
It's part of the work.
40:39
James 1.2-4 says,
40:41
Counter all joy, my brothers,
40:43
when you meet trials of
40:44
various kinds.
40:45
For you know that the testing
40:47
of your faith produces
40:48
steadfastness.
40:49
And let steadfastness have its
40:50
full effect, that you may be
40:52
perfect and complete,
40:54
lacking in nothing.
40:56
What did I say to you?
40:57
That the work that's before us
40:58
is to be holy and to bring
41:00
about holiness in the lives of
41:01
others.
41:03
This is a major way in which
41:05
that happens.
41:06
As we work in the face of
41:08
opposition, that is in fact
41:10
part of the work.
41:12
Right?
41:13
Relying on God.
41:15
The testing of our faith.
41:17
God does this to me constantly.
41:19
He says to me, do you really
41:20
trust me?
41:22
Do you really think you can do
41:23
nothing apart from me?
41:25
And so often I go, yeah, but I
41:28
forgot.
41:29
You're right.
41:31
I can do nothing apart from you.
41:33
Everything good that happens in
41:35
me and through me is a work of
41:37
God.
41:37
It's this testing of my faith and
41:39
it produces steadfastness.
41:41
In what?
41:42
Steadfastness in faith.
41:43
In our dependence on God.
41:44
And that is the process by which
41:47
we're made perfect.
41:48
That our faith will be made
41:49
complete.
41:50
So let me conclude this morning
41:54
by just asking you two questions.
41:57
I just want you to ponder these.
42:00
Has opposition caused you to
42:02
cease working?
42:05
And are there any endeavors that
42:07
you need to renew your
42:09
commitment to?
42:10
Let's pray together.