Keeping Watch and Counting the Cost

Examining and as we going to renew your ministry together. We want to thank you for your ongoing support and encouragement of the team because of your faithful giving because of the cold is been put on the team, the gospel of Jesus Christ is being covered to the ultimate regions of this earth. It is been a privilege and a joy to see lives transformed on people receive new life and new hope because of the ministry and the partnership that we have with you despite the challenges of lockdown is been remarkable to see how many other doors have opened in some instances, the digital audiences were reaching up to 10 times larger than the original venues could have accommodated had we actually be met in person once more, putting the ministry onto a digital platform has ultimately been able to do things we couldn't have imagined or even just a few months ago a short while ago I had the privilege of while sitting at a desk in Atlanta before speaking to the church in the United Kingdom.

Then, speaking of the church in Malaysia and then speaking to a Bible study group hosted by the president's office in the Philippines. There isn't a plane fast enough. The code of going from one location to another to speak three times in three different parts of the world which is so culturally diverse and separate from each other, but that is just one instance in which we have seen God give us a new opportunity and a new possibility because of the new tools that he is open. Thank you for standing with us and thank you for your support now in our society. We lay claim to the sanctity of marriage on the sanctity of sexuality on the side of our, the undersigned, the you could be destroying oil into a flame and somebody could stand in front of a microphone and basically down in the knees. There is a cost to living bio Christian belief. If you choose to voice them in public.

The gospel that my dainties around every corner that my people think. Several years ago and found that the late Ravi Zacharias is nice audience.

The pool stays on the state ministry. Ravi is notable with us on this at ministry of the IM is growing now has more than 90 itinerant around the weld proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ that Christ has come, increased challenges and outright attacks as my Ravi titled his message, keeping watch and counting the cost is Ravi as he begins pop one states talking about keeping watch keeping alert, keeping an eye on what's going on coming alongside encouraging prey because not only do we have to keep watch. Sometimes the strain of keeping watch somebody you really prop you up for a little while when the fatigue comes in all of the expulsion, emotional, intellectual, physical, familiar, all kinds of trials on the road. I will oftentimes be in tens of thousands of miles away when my family has had some great need in our moment when I first started 30 years ago, actually before that 42 years of ministry I would go from church to church church five weeks in a stretch my bags in the car finish on a Sunday morning drive 300 miles another church Sunday night, speak 12 times because things.

And again, keep driving it is either Greyhound or train our cars. You never know where you were going to sleep will you will going to be sharing the room with someone at that time. I still recall many churches would tell me when I arrived at that they would allow me to make one phone call home and oftentimes somebody else would be in the room while making the call to my wife the early days when we started days in which would lie in bed started driving the next day and say I really made the right choice can I do this for protracted period of time, but people came around people sustained you people helped you and you kept on keeping watch and what I will talk about tonight is a character that I've been looking at a great deal over the last period of time and the reason I've been looking at this character is great news because he was really a person in ministry. He was a civil engineer.

What I would like to do is talk a little bit about how he kept watch and how he organized a mission to rebuild the walls of his beloved city. Malcolm arranged in the 1970s when he left the chaplaincy at Edinburgh and he was a late coming to Christ to write anything by my rage encourage you to pick up some of his books. I don't know anyone who use the language so beautifully in so precisely in the phrases he would use would open up Vista imagination and conviction, but he let the University of Edinburgh and spoken St. John's a famous church or a moral issue in a moral decision made by the administrators and he wrote about it later in the society as to where we were headed. The educational institutions lost their way and he says this in his family addressed the hall addresses. Imagine before prestigious student body. You as a chaplain submitting your resignation and then the audiences hearing works like this so dear students, this may well be the last time I address you and this is what I want to say and I don't really care when it means anything to you are not and whether you think there is anything in it or not I want you to believe that this row I have had the Arlington offices has nothing to do with many Puritanical dudes on my part.

I have no belief in abstinence for abstinence his own sake, nor wish under any circumstances to check any fulfillment of your life and you will be but I have to say to you this, that whatever life is or is not about ages not to be expressed in terms of trust to perfection and casual sexual relations. However, as we may venture into the unknown is not, I assure you on the plastic rings of Playboy magazine or psychedelic fences. However, future is not to be on the wings of Playboy magazine or psychedelic fences all the Gilman's Playboy lifestyle coming away empty-handed.

Psychedelic fences wasn't all that in one of the election some time ago in San Francisco. They were wanting to put marijuana on the ballot for yes and remove plastic bags as an plastic bags regular foods use marijuana is something you can go and by anywhere and you pause and city itself can't do such issues as I'm not saying therefore we don't have to worry about the environment know that's all I'm saying at all. Why do we not worry about the environment, what goes on inside of us, because we then become the progenitors of destroying both the environment and the moral fiber in which we are intended to Nehemiah was an engineer's brother comes to him and he is in the palace of the king and his brother comes and talks to him I think is an actual brother be displayed on the book he refers to him again is not just talking in generic terms, and he looks at his brother and says how is the city doing is Jerusalem a singularly sorry lost his walls around his gates are burned. Everything is in destruction. We are an embarrassment city is gone for Monsanto. This happened, you begin to see the conversation and thinking looks at Nehemiah and he says I've been looking into all the star all this time and you looking so upset what's bothering you so you know I'm here in your palace. I'm enjoying all of this the city I really love is in ruins escape sunburn. The walls are destroyed. How can I be at peace. While I am here knowing the city actually love is in such displays case is what you asked me for any since I prayed to the God of heaven as the delinking let me go.

I can build a wall. I want to build a wall if you will let me go. I will give you an appointed time. I promise you I will come back. I want to build this wall and protect my beloved city all over again. He says how long you want me my again the time is that I let you go demises. One more thing to me the letter so that I have all that I need to go and have safe passage build this wall and return well story continues and here's what happens. So he rebuilt the wall to love till have we reached the height for the people worked with all their heart and sent ballot to buyer the Arabs, the ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard the repairs to Jerusalem's walls and gone ahead and that the gaps will close.

They were very angry. The all together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against but we pray to our garden boasted of God day and night to meet this threat.

Meanwhile, the people in Judah said the strength of the labor is getting out there is so much trouble we cannot rebuild all our enemies said before they know it. RCS would be right there. Among them we don't kill them and put an end to that work than the Jews who lived near them came and told us 10 times over where you turn they will attack us.

Therefore, I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall and the exposed places posting them by families with their swords and spears and bows are trying to things over and I stood up and said to the nobles and officials on the rest of the people. Don't be afraid of them. Remember, the Lord is great and awesome fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives pretty direct language and I want to bring to the three challenges Nehemiah face and the three responses lengthen some of the thoughts and shrink the others in proportion with time. The first is the scorn looked at him and said whatever wall you really not build. If a fox jumps over and is not a fall down. Do you realize how much scorn you will face in your life if you hold to the truths of God's word and you become a defender opened in the public arena and I've been in this 42 years. I got in the ministry. In 1972 and then for some time as a professor and later on RCM respondent 30 years ago in 42 years that she was the first time I went to one of our prestigious Ivy League schools that I had to have a bodyguard with me at 300 some bounder African-American man went to Walkman and as I was walking there I didn't know the prior want kids holding up placards with my name on it and talks. You know supposedly that I given which I had people quoting things and attributing statements I've never made their own articles blaming stuff in Vincennes, which has never been said academically. So flawed police people keeping watch as guests are coming, and of course it build a bigger audience and we were packed to the hilt. But this is subject that you are going into a place to talk about moral absolutes in our generation now is so lost that they audaciously can stand and block your way insinuating things attacking you and marking what it is they handed out sheets to people coming in note of when he says something like this and put a checkmark they will blame bingo while I was speaking in her eyes that I said to them, I just want tell you something I wanted to change your mind on anything. I'm not here to change your mind on anything.

I don't have the capacity to do it only here because I believe in somebody who can change your mind. Usually a fair hearing. I'll give you a fair shake of the questions and we will have a healthy dialogue and try my best to disarm the__Richard Dawkins is born on John Lennox. Dawkins has one daughter, Lennox says three. They don't even need to have on their side anymore just scorn your amended Q why can I give you four reasons for this. Number one because we claim exclusivity that there is a single way to salvation provided in God's son in Jesus Christ. Now why don't the Army against the law of gravity. This is due narrowly and what quantum theory to narrow all the stuff that any law why is the attack you as being too narrow when you defend the truth when true by definition is exclusive when you've found something you're implying that the opposite of it is untrue. The person challenges the law of non-contradiction actually because if you say you know what you're saying is not the law of non-contradiction improving and you may as well trying to draw one and stick you can't deny the law of non-contradiction, but when you claim exclusivity. They will mark you they will scorn you remember sitting on the famed Carl Henry and he was alerting us to all that was coming down the pike on this and he wrote some powerful words on what was going to happen in our culture. I was a young man when I heard Francis Schaeffer and ever and ever. Includes speaking in one of the auditoriums in Toronto and I went to listen to them and something Schaeffer was talking about that he could foresee coming out the no way I can't believe that'll never happen in the West, it is it has happened to him be glory in our shame and be returned any absolute proclaimer to be somebody who doesn't belong in society. Not only do the impossible claiming exclusivity.

The mark us because we see the unseen people of faith. Lennox is so right. Faith is a starting point for all disciplines but is not credulity. I don't go into a plane and walked into the competent Newmont to see the license of the pilots. I assume there are things in place to keep this in check and just come here look at a chair and start examining all of the seating and all of the footage and all dosimeters that maybe once in a once in a while and be wise to do so, but to put checks and balances in place and you have strength of trust God is put enough into this world to make faith in him a most reasonable thing is left enough out to make it impossible to live by sheer reasonable so we are more because we claim exclusivity remark because we claim to see the unseen we are more because we challenge the sovereignty of man and defend the sovereignty of God. We challenge the sovereignty of man and defend the sovereignty of God. I want to expand upon this because I get more questions on this subject than any other, even in private and I was asked that even this morning I was walking through the corridors see what Moses stands before Pharaoh and challenges of sovereignty. Moses is bringing a completely different belief system against Pharaoh and Pharaoh just thought he was omnipotent. He was all in authority. There was no way is the party was going to be challenging question now in our society if we lay claim to the sanctity of marriage on the sanctity of sexuality or the sanctity of our belief on the sanctity of life, you could be throwing oil into a flame and somebody could step in front of a microphone and basically down at the knees.

You can be talking on the edge of the blessing upon a completely different question before you are team listens to these things very, very carefully challenge the sovereignty of people, which is what I want to want to listen to me very carefully, because in our CIM.

What do the following so that not escorted out here.

There are some questions through which we navigate so that we can win the foundation and not get trapped in the infrastructure. We don't want to merely win and lose the war.

In the process. Please listen very carefully because arsonists saw the whole issue today of sexuality and the issue of gay marriage and all, volatile question volatile issue I have known of one please and was ready to award doctoral degree to me and the faculty recommended that and the chancellor stepped in and said no because of his views on this subject action faculty counter and challenged said can you show us any statement anywhere that is made which are taken to task. You can find in the doctor proceeded very prestigious university and someone to receive him as a recipient outside to speak chancellor sitting right on my nose and came to me afterwards. First one up in an may grab my hand and he said thank you was one inspiring talk. I'm glad you're here with us. Chaplain Obama military academies came to me when even say where it was. Give me a hug and said thank you for silencing the naysayers as well as a may challenging the sovereignty issue of man, how do we challenge it.

So the question comes up on gay marriage and saw and what is ours EMC about how do we deal with them if we believe in the sanctity of life and so scorn exclusivity and so is what I want to save you because I said so many times and I was asked again today about please explain it. So let me do this week, this kind of response.

And here's what I say I say you are raising a question that is publicly on the struggle where you destroy the intent of the conversation and forget the content of the question here is what I say to them. There are three kinds of cultures in which we live. One is what you call a three anonymous cultures only raise that question the other day yesterday on natural Pharaoh's meaning God know most meaning law. There are some cultures in America is one of them that is believed to be a natural law that God is so important on proclivities and collective consciousness that holds some of these truths to be self-evident, that is natural law. We don't even need to debate it is self-evident what is self-evident, that we are all created equal and endowed by our Creator with inalienable right is what the framers found a self evident pantheism would never asserted Islam never said that and that the only worldview between Amanda and nationalism and decided the Judeo-Christian world would've been the only one that reframed the statement like, so the foundation on which the laws were built on self evident truths of the endowment.

We have boundaries with inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness will be with a friend. He dated phrase by phrase mentalism would say to someone say Islam say monitors the worldviews of duty do° Nubian must so thalamus.

God's law is poured into our heart.

But you don't believe that anymore. So I had a student asked me raise the question on this whole subject that I sent him so we have a film is culturally believe we have that now here is I sent second visit heterodimers to hetero's meaning different know most meaning law. We don't have the Army we don't have God's laws. We are heterodimers a handful of the dictated for the masses below in secular terminology. Marxism was a heterodimers culture religion is the opiate of the people the side of the oppressed.

The only illusory sum that revolves around men so long as man doesn't revolve around himself as Marxist, we have to roll around ourselves.

God religion is the opiate of the people so Marxism fueling the dog controlling for the masses below in religious terms. Islam is a heterodimers culture normalize the shakes dictated for the masses. The ethos went to eat, how to bring many times all the stuff is really heterodimers countries and then the third option is autonomous culture of postmeeting cells know most meaning law is countries. We each make our own choice as analogous as the enantiomers were not heterodimers. Semiautonomous is without question for you since you believe we have an autonomous culture and the question you have to do Fosters on moral values in a particular subject.

If I give you my position autonomously will you allow me to hold that position autonomously or as soon as I take the position we switch to heteronomy and dictate what I should believe.

See is publicly unanswerable until we are willing to play by the rules that BSC is publicly unanswerable until we are willing to play by the rules of the assumed in the room is autonomous. Let us learn to give the privilege to each other but this idea of tolerance now is I want autonomy you merit heteronomy. I will take my autonomous route I will dictate you what it is that you should believe chillier challenge the sovereignty of man challenging the things that people want to do, but God has said you today bear the lion's so we scorn because of exclusivity with scorn because we see the unseen is gone because we challenge the sovereignty of man. Lastly, we scorn because we lay claim to a higher morality that we are not saying we are more moral we just saying if you take away the Arctic, referring to God and his presence in the character of God, in whom there is no contradiction. Morality is up for grabs and rebuild our foundations with our feet firmly planted in midair and so will be our buildings blunted in midair near mile was scorned.

Don't you dare build this wall for reasons they threatened they would pull it down.

We are trying to build the wall in society to protect our families, our children, and reaping scorn just like Nehemiah Old Testament day Christian today. Faith is the sin are the and found that the late Ravi Zacharias pointed out in part one of different methods, keeping watch and counting the cost living a life pleasing to God wait be easy, but it will bring its handle rewards Jesus teaching and next week as Ravi gives us some suggestions on handling the attacks that come our way. The he gleans from Nehemiah. You can listen to this episode of let my people think again by visiting our website@dan.lyg and clicking on the listen tab and if you're listening Trinidad that web address is is that I am.ca equals a patch to fix entire theories by calling us at 1-800-448-6766 and asking for the message titled keeping watch and counting the cost.

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