God’s People in a Day of Crisis I - Part 3 of 3

Will he fly, and additional sure Bradley Junior welcoming you to another broadcast of the Baptist Bible.

Our and will and in no and she and I be in no and and and we and the law will be in a will pay. We continue with the message God's people in the day of Christ's, indeed we are living in a time of crisis. There are those that would like to destroy this country as we have noted, they want to close out its history and its founding man who did believe and trust in the living God. There's evidence. Not every man in the forming of the country was dedicated Christian, but there sure evidence in many ways should the documents and even in the information that's engraving on many of the buildings in Washington. We have been a people who trust in God. There are those that want to destroy the lives at time of crisis.

We need God's help we need to be diligent in prayer. So I hope that the message today will be an encouragement to you when we talk about the cure for the crisis. What is prayer but just far.

Some people want to go � about a problem is a lot just really distressed of this will be done about what I prayed about let's write that all the Bible teaches that the only thing the law represented wordplay about our basic crisis in somebody answers life and that say you not really concerned about what you thought about what I prayed for is that all now there's some work to be done if the price is life there are some things we need to do in addition to prayer crisis in somebody life or something to need to be done.

In addition to Brad farthing once more restrained, go to that one and seek to restore them in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself less counsel be tempted.

If there's a crisis in your life. Somebody may say I got financial problems and I'm praying about it now. If you're praying about it, but you're still adding charges to your visa that you can't pay. You might well put Brighton to pray in a hypocritical prayer to pray Lord intervene in the problem that you're continuing to create you go on if you pray Lord in this situation the cars if you're an old saying, Lord, send me some job work on my feet.

Occasionally parts of my job run and how long I see only Sandra help wanted well and don't pay enough.

Well, a little bit of pain is better known so not only do we need to pray, we need to work need to work so the resolve of spiritual matters. I'm not saying that just any kind of work will need to be the right kind needs to be gotten to work need to be good works, according to biblical principle. But when Nehemiah ultimately made that trip came there to the city of Jerusalem and began to explore the situation and see for himself the devastation that was there says in the second chapter verse 17 said around them.

You see the distress that we are how the Jerusalem life waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem that we mean no more. We got a problem. Walls down. What we need to do need to put it back up the to build a wall.

I didn't lay hands on the wall and pray that God will raise it, build a wall told Lamb of God, which was good upon me as also the king's words that he had spoken to me and they said no actually strengthen their hands for good.

One week, yes, but I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me there particular things in the Lord has designated to be doing something you are going to schedule your time and efforts in the work you need to be doing, which is focused on matter that brings honor and glory to God working to strengthen your marriage work.

Working to strengthen your family relationships working to minister to other people when it came to me yesterday that already just want to share this with you said several years ago I had been really struggling a lot with being depressed and I heard you preach a sermon in which you said one of the ways in which we can deal with depression is to quit focusing on ourselves and start trying to minister to other people and she said that just hit me as being really much of my problem. I was so caught up with myself and my own problems. I was constantly thinking about me and she said from that day forward I began to pray everyday Lord give me the opportunity to minister to somebody else and she says I can tell you it's made a dramatic difference in my life so that I have really come out. Of that pit of depression that I was in for a long period of time. Now I recognize that there are variety of reasons as to why people may be to prance and their many biblical solutions as to how to approach the problem but I certainly believe that's one of we spent all my time thinking about ourselves and how miserable we are, how bad we feel how we been mistreated how nobody pays enough attention to get you miserable just be down for the count. The more you focus on yourself, but you start trying to reach out to other people minister the difference it makes me so. The fourth chapter. Just a moment when actually started the work on the wall. Verse six is this so build between the wall and all the wall was joined together onto the half thereof, for the people of mine were all that's a beautiful situation when the people have in mind the work. If you have in mind the work you have in mind to complain mind the work you don't have time to murmur and criticize you doing things that need to be gone so in dealing with this crisis. There had to be prayer and that prayer included confection and there had to be work. The work wasn't easy. As soon as the work started criticism was launched was found. San told my team out there being opposed to the whole effort to restore the city and they began to read fuel so much of the Fox run into being discouraging with Seo.

I never profess to be a stonemason anyway. But I'm doing the best I can help put this wall up the looks of our work and says that's worthwhile.

I'm so Fox runs into a much less deep enough not to go, keep out wild animal ever let that get you way you started out the work you started out to do some things that you knew were right and somebody criticizing so that's it. I'm through.

I'm finished, I quit. I'm about going to tendency in human nature hands like it but in spite of criticizing the people when the criticisms complex joint whole. Try not to be ready to fight the wall. Some people get so busy fighting to get to build a wall. Some people get so building the wall. There is an enemy is a place for both of you got a deal stand against the enemy and he says that the sound of the trumpet when the unit is approaching.

Let's join ranks. Let's come together let's encourage one another and you know it's a challenge in a church such as ours that's got three states to be together enough to really encourage each other but our situation is not unique. I read in leadership magazine the other day that churches of various societies are trying to cope with the same situation writing the article said many ministers today still envision pastoring a little community church where when the bell rings. People know it's church time and they all walked out of their nice little houses with picket fences and come down to the meeting house and they all live within walking distance of the church is that they most people that go to church today passed by several church buildings on their way to where they're going to meet and certain that's the case with most of you well.

Since we live scattered over such a wide radius in the days when the discourages are at hand. Then we're facing the challenges of life together how we will encourage one another. Some things along that line that working in my mind that I want to try to deal with in some future messages were just briefly to say here one thing this got to be some concentrated effort may to be gathered to be in the assembly when the church does meet, so that where their time of fellowship and understand what one another's burdens are be open enough to admit what some of our trials and burden are so we know how to intelligently pray for one another and to make a concentrated effort to be in communication and outreach so that we are ministering one to another, and encouraging one another so they needed encouragement to Nehemiah told how to give each other the encouragement, as if the criticism wasn't enough.

Then there became the right thing. Satan always has his tactics that if he can't discourage you, then there'll be some France and these enemies began to say, your life will be in danger. Work on the wall. Your life will be in danger. A lot of Kurds to keep going after they first had been ridiculed and then secondly threatened and often it takes a tremendous amount of faith encourage to keep going in the day of crisis when there may be ridiculed or might even be practice, but we have to recognize that the God we worship is a God of all power, and with him. There is the sufficiency of protection and strength that we need now the third thing that I would say not only must there be prayer were but there must be attention to the word and we find that in the eighth chapter that the wall had already been built but there was still a spiritual problem because the people.

It's all in this desolate condition. They were so disheartened that even with the wall built they were reluctant some of them were still living outside the ball out of the suburban Nehemiah. Now who is the first half of the governor of the city wants the people to move in so I can be a functioning city and spiritual awakening may need a revival link they need to come up with some innovation, some new plan as to how everybody's going to feel good about what's going on to be made to rejoice. What they did. The eighth chapter reveals verse one and all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the Watergate and they spake on the scribe to bring the of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel once the emphasis here.

The book of the law of the Lord. Not only must there be prayer. Not only must it be work, but there must be the word. The word of God.

Some of you may have heard me say that some of the last few years, you say I know what you going to say before you say it, but the Lord be my help.

Probably same it some more, because I know what a vital issue these years I know how unnecessary it is for God's people to be applying themselves in the word of God if they're going to gain the right thinking the right direction and the right responses to the crises that they face. We must know what the word of God say, and Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation. Both of men and women in all they could hear with understanding upon the first day of the seventh month and he read therein before the street that was before the Watergate on the morning until midday before the man and the women and those that could understand and that years of all the people were attendees on the book of the law the people. This wasn't a punishment and say all right now you people of sand and so is punishment wiggle like you listen to the law of God, the people said it's time that we know of the law of God says we neglected we we devastated our own lives. We brought this time of crisis. Our city is destroyed and we get back on track and apply ourselves what God's word says to me better. So we we will hear it and they were attendees all love to preach when you when you can tell the people want to hear their their attending their listing.

They want to grow, the want to know more just just hungry just absorbing what the word of God say that so they were attending on to the book of the law of the Lord now much else could be observed here as to what transpired as the word was read that there was further conviction of sin on the part of the people in vain. Morton can fast but they were then instructed that there was a time to morning to go on rejoicing in the Lord did there.

Some people never want to mourn. I just want to blame their problems on somebody else that will defend themselves and excuse themselves real conviction brings a morning spirit. Jesus is blessed are they that morning mourn for they shall be comforted. There is a place for morning is also a place it when we have more when we confess our sins when we repented that we then find our hope and our deliverance in the Lord, knowing that there's forgiveness of sin with him and that we will follow we don't destroy the rest of our life on the basis of what mistakes have been previously been my something regarding made a terrible mess out of the first half of their life. Another one of destroy the rest of the morning over what the did the first part gives you a fresh start. You found forgiveness in the Lord and now you're ready to move. You can't retrace your staff to What you have done no some situations like scrambled in a UK own scrambling there things that you might look back and say I'd sure like this to be different but you can't you can't change it, but you can be forgiven and you can go fall now putting things in their proper order and making the appropriate commitment to the Lord and having your priorities as they should be serving him putting first things first house about a may say well, that sounds like a typical preacher solution to problems tells us that we got a crisis in I knew all this. I knew I was supposed to pray, and I knew I was supposed to work and I knew I was supposed to read the word and apply the word I didn't promise you will give anything new is a matter fact I came up here and put something new you know what you are will get rid those were not called to preach new things were called to preach the old book what's in the word of God. But you know why we have to be reminded of this because as we are drifting from time to time toward the world. We forget we forget and we have to come back to these basics. Lord willing.

This afternoon will take up there and I will give you more specific detail as to what it meant to these people when they got into the word that revealed how they made an application of in their lives and what the ultimate result was so that you see it not only brought them through the crisis brought them to a day of victory and to enjoy all that exceeded anything they could ever have imagined possible. And that's possible for us today. If we will commit ourselves to God's way of doing things all will love you all and is all you all all all will will will home to the years, God's people face many of crisis and he is always been there help their hope deliver that's true today. We look elsewhere will be disappointed but let's be diligent in seeking the Lord and claiming his promises that if we called upon the he will hear us.

I hope that you will write us until we greet you next time. This Sarah Bradley Junior bidding goodbye and may God bless you all day and all and all, and in the and all will in all