Rebuilding Our Broken Walls (Part 2)

Nehemiah tackled brokenness in his world you here's Dr. Michael you sent today.

Everywhere you look, it has become painfully obvious that the walls of our culture. The walls of our churches. The walls of our families are broken down the walls of the cities are in rebels that the gates of our schools are burned down, leaving our children and families vulnerable to Satan's that the question is who we really are mind of our generation. This is leading the way with Dr. Michael you sent people without a faith foundation often see the title is a book of old irrelevant story that we date and the author you experience courage and vision for life today through the real-life story of Nehemiah gain courage to face life's opposition in your world and gain vision for your future member leading the way is a listener supported media ministry relying on your generous gets to help fund what God called Dr. Yousef to do learn ways to stand with him and LTW.org right now join Dr. Michael you Seth in Nehemiah chapter 2 as he looks at rebuilding our broken walls. The man who ignited the evangelical modern evangelical missionary movement as we know it was not an ordained minister who is not a theologian is not a preacher not a pastor. He was not a priest.

In fact he was a cobbler over some telling us for a reason, because today in the coming days I will be challenging every single one regardless of who you are or what age not to fall into this lie of Satan that says what can I do. I'm only one person. Only one family. What can I do. I'm a software engineer, small business owner on the executive of the company. I'm a salesman.

I'm a professional. What can I do.

I'm aware of what's going on around me, but what can I do. So whatever you do for living has nothing to do with how God can truly use you to rebuild the broken walls of the sea, all around us and then the man I'm talking about. His name was William Carey in the late 1700s the churches in the country of England. There were self-centered.

There were myopic and William Carey had only one message. Remember, his mother trying theologian is not a train preacher was not opening different passage of the Scripture every day. He just had one message that God laid on his heart that he took it all across the land and it was from the book of Isaiah chapter 54 verse two. Enlarge the place of your tent. Do not hold back links in your cords, and strengthen your status, and then he would always concluded with this mantra expect great things for God at them great things for God because we have a great God now God use this cobbler with such passion for mission into the dark lands to do great things for God to become infectious and tens of thousands of people come forward and went about serving the living God all across the world. William Carey himself did not just preach it. He himself volunteered and went to India and their God used him to do great work, question the face opposition, you better believe it. The worst opposition came from the clergy from the church leaders from the bishops. We have begun the series on rebuilding our broken walls. Learning from the example of Nehemiah this man to like William Carey. He was not an ordained minister, he was not theologian. He was not theologically trained.

He had no official capacity whatsoever within the religious of Judaism religion of Israel as a layman as a professional and he saw the desperate need and by God's grace. He reached out and meet that need. By God's power. That's what the visionaries you see the desperate need and say, God, what can I do how can you use me to meet this need. Same question as was William Carey that Mayor Meyer face opposition, you better believe it.

Gonna say it's rather series but because he had the supply line I talked about the loss message wide open between him and the Lord 24 seven because he has spent four months in prayer and fasting are crying out to the Lord God powerfully used in overcome the opposition as you look at this chapter. Chapter 2 of Nehemiah. He teaches us several things.

Three things to be exact, is teaching us to face fear with prayer is teaching us to face opposition with courage and his teaching us to face the meditate with vision loss go through this together. He faced fear with prayer. Now make your promise, make your promise that if you ever come to the point in your life when you say God I want to discover my spiritual gift and I want to use my gift for your glory. I want to accomplish something for your glory. The moment you say this make your promise.

All of hell is going to break loose Jeep among the opposition is going to be around fear, but you've got God's power and when you have God's power.

You are gonna come to the place of death. So in a minute. Michael, you said the open line supply line gives you victories. The secret to victory. Now you tell me I have to come to the place of death you have to come to the place of death before God can use you death to self. Death or personal self ambition death to a sense of security, death to the sense of entitlement for conflict, my beloved friends listen to me from my heart. I'll tell you. That is the bane of evangelical Christianity today.

We don't want to do that we want to be liked and would be appreciated will be accepted and the list goes on and on and on. That is what's hindering the work of God, but now Meyer felt the burden so much in his heart and his soul and his spirit pleaded not only pray and fast for four months. He did not only heard him listen to the voice of God, but that intense burden for what's happening to God's people to God's honor, and to God's name burden of so much of the gun to show on his face. Look at verses one and two Nehemiah 2 the king noticed how Nehemiah's burden now scattered on his face up dog in the last message he was so close to the king out there say probably most important person to him and he sees what was going on and showing on his face and he set them what's wrong you know what Nehemiah said right after that when the king asked him he said. Then I was very much afraid really ours terrified whenever. Remember, this is the moment he's been trying for this is the moment.

Been fasting and crying out to God for this is a critical moment. This is a crucial moment. This is the moment that is been waiting for Lisa's house to my knees were knocking.

In fact, is probably mouth was dry as a company and I'm gonna swallow hard and try to answer in his hands probably were shaking as he is pulling the one I know is not in the Bible, but the on the stone on it. It's a great imagination and his handshake line was going all over the place looking all over the place is the truth. I ready for that is nothing wrong with being afraid there's nothing wrong with being afraid all the men and women of God who did great things for God in the Scripture, every one of them felt fear the difference between those who did great things for God and those who did not. Those who did great things for God overcame their fear with prayer. They refused to let their fear paralyzes them how Nehemiah faces fear versus 328 reported to know yourself language I sent out a text message. Whether that text message say it's not in the Bible, but trust me, probably went something like this out. Lord verse four.

The king said what is it you want on the volume of Alaska.

When he asked this again. Nehemiah's old man, this is my chance. You know what he said.

He said then I prayed to the God of heaven because the supply line was open all the time. Nehemiah needed only a second of prayer SOS question why was Nehemiah afraid Ezra chapter 4 is the next Nehemiah book of Ezra chapter for giving Nancy Bromberg with you because of the brevity of tongue, let me tell you about the laws of the Meads of the Persians, they can never be reversed.

They are set in stone.

There are some maintenance and concrete and the previous king Cyrus issued a decree that the walls cannot be built. The issue the decree.

In other words, Nehemiah is asking the king of some to destroy our cause of the Medes and the Persians which LeBlanc understands, and now in history understand. No wonder he was shaking in his boots.

When the kids and what isn't your warmth him asking for the impossible. But Nehemiah obeyed God, not his fears and so he proceeded to what I call an extremely bold ask. I think the word bold does not even explain it is that I want time off from work. Member discussed close to the family know he can replacing that easily.

But that's not always what I wanted with full pay. Then he asked for a decree. This is impossible a decree to build the walls of Jerusalem impossible.

Why as I told you he's going to be reversing the loss of the Medes and the Persians of his previous king but that's not all he said I want you to send with me. You are Secret Service details to protect me. But that's not all he said I want you to give me a purchase order on your personal credit card so I can buy all of the supplies that I need for the rebuilding of the wall and the gates that that's what you call gumption. I am convinced that the king had to be absolutely impressed beyond measure at the audacity of Nehemiah. He did not only ask him to violate the previous king ruling, but the finance it as well that can only happen when you have the supply line open with the king of the universe, not on the level with you when I think of our insipid prayers. When I think of our self-centered prayers.

When I think about timid prayers when I think of our sporadic prayer. When I think about 1/2 hearted prayers.

I cannot prove it to you from the Bible but I'm convinced God is insult. Look at verse eight. And the king granted all my requests. Why, he tells us why because the gracious hand of my God was upon me know.

Don't miss this point no miss this point who gets the credit here, not Nehemiah. Oh, not even the king God gets all of the glory we face our fear with prayer. Secondly, we face opposition with courage. I have to tell you at the outset that some of you know this that commitment and cheap are you with me, commitment, and cheap. Look at verses 9 to 18.

As soon as Nehemiah gets to Jerusalem immediately.

The opposition starts verse 10 and there were some follow-up.

The whole night and to buyer the eye when I return all of the mosquito bites. They came out of the woodwork's bliss. Whenever you attempt something great for God. All of these mosquito bites will always show up in those mosquito bites were always criticize your every move.

There will always be little your every effort will always question your motives.

There were always always mad at you heal. Everywhere you go, and because misery loves company, you got down to verse 19 on the third was added dish of their misery loves company. They got them all, but minimize attitude was this, listen carefully. Don't let the critics get you down.

Don't let the opposition is slow you down. Don't let the tractors detract you don't let those who are doing nothing for God to stop you from doing something for God. In fact opposition will always be there. So what you do with the opposition in the face of opposition. What did Nehemiah do. He went out and I can't look at verse 11, he went out in the night, and he was inspecting the horse of the destruction of the wall of Jerusalem and the burn gates because of nighttime. While all of Israel slept. He was awake doing some inspection while all of Ezra rested.

Nehemiah walked, inspected, studied, surveyed, probed and prepared and even while his headaches were asleep. He was awake he was listening to God and he was obeying God.

What was he doing here is rejecting fear. He was stepping out of his comfort zone. He was experiencing long lists of leadership. Parents understand kids don't understand the parents understand the loneliness of being a parent.

Christian leaders of all stripes understand this challenge sensitive believers know how that feels.

Please listen to me today. Everywhere you look, it has become painfully obvious that the walls of our culture are shining the walls of our churches burned that the walls of our families are broken down that the walls of the cities are in Robles that the gates of our schools are burned down, leaving our children and families vulnerable to Satan's attack.

If you know what some of those curriculum and I've been reading about this. What this curriculums in schools are teaching our children.

You will be heartbroken and horrified. You see we send our children to school to learn, but instead they are taught to the test. There country and deny their faith instead of learning to succeed in life. They are taught political correctness, safe sex, despising the founding fathers. Oh yeah, the walls are broken down the gates of burnt, but the question is who will be the Nehemiah's of our generation.

May God give us know just listening ears, but obedient heart. The protective enclosure of all moral walls and spiritual gates have been turned into rubble. Most professing Christians today are biblically illiterate.

They don't know how to respond. No wonder the church like the surrounding culture is ravished, there can be no doubt that institutional Christianity has failed. But we must never confuse institutional Christianity with biblical Christianity, a man and while the surrounding children is littered with rubble of moral relativism. The true word of God stands supreme as the only secure rule against cultural decay and decline. I know and you know as we surveyed the wreckage of our culture, much as Nehemiah surveyed the wreckage of Jerusalem we can get overwhelmed and are doing occasions that God doesn't last very long. But we can get overwhelmed with the enormity of the task is losing friends and neighbors who once believed in the authority of the Scripture now have bought into this Satan's lie of denying the infallibility of the word of God we can get discouraged and we get despond. But remember, like Nehemiah. We serve a great and mighty God like William Carey. We need to stand firm against the opposition and we need to say to one another. Expect great things for God at them great things for God because we have a great God we face fear with prayer with face opposition with courage and face timidity with vision. How did Nehemiah build the wall now vies the question deliberately this way as Nehemiah did not buildable the dinner he did not. After surveying the task. His message to the people. Verse 17 very simple.

Let's build a wall of Jerusalem, so that we no longer be in disgrace.Mrs. Thomas Robert show you here mail Meyer did not say you must build or I'm going to build on. I want you to pray for me now doesn't work that way doesn't work that way he say let us rebuild and that is the attitude of any genuine true God called Christian leader. Nehemiah was not the boss is such a thing as a boss in the church of Jesus Christ.

Nehemiah identified with the people. Nehemiah never expected them to do anything that he is not willing to do more himself. Nehemiah never shouted orders from an ivory tower, but he got down in the trenches as we will see in the next message. Nehemiah communicated a vision what God can and will do. There is no telling what God can and will do with the committed to regardless of the scoffers. Regardless of the antagonist regardless of the opposition, regardless of the critics I wanted to hear me right for God is greater than all of the critics God is greater than all of the oppositions God is greater than all of the markers on the ridiculous, asking yourself the question, a minor constructionist or online obstructionist do you prefer to tear down or build up do you seek to encourage or discourage these seek to spread optimism and faith of disparate doom and gloom is my prayer that every single person in this place. Anybody who's listening say let's build let's build together as God removes all of the some balance in all of the buyers and all of the guestrooms we are left with the constructionist we are left with the builders we are left with those who courageously would say let's turn the world upside down and when that word was used it was not used a few thousand people. It was used of a 12 fisherman and a church persecutor this a bit turned the world upside down. But remember this will always encounter the some balance and that the buyers and the aggressions whenever you begin to do great things for God will you face them when you go forth with courage and confidence for oppositions does not intimidate us.

Obstacles will not stop us and critics will not hinder us for doing great things for God and attempting great things for God, for we have a great God he was listening to Dr. Mike of the assessed his challenging series called rebuilding our broken walls here leading the way to make it a point to visit LTW.org/Jesus. This way you can explore more of what it means to know and to follow Jesus. Now if our time is completely God allow me to quickly mention an incredible resource by Dr. you set it can be yours for free each month. He collaborates with the leading way team creating relevant content and monthly print magazine. My journal and it includes ministry highlights and resource specials but also insights into world events and trends within solid biblical perspective.

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