Finishing Strong: How Nehemiah’s Wall Points to Christ’s Finished Work

[00:04:31] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:04:31] We want to welcome you to Peninsula this morning we've got three things to put on your radar. First up parents of elementary students listen up Winship Camp early registration opens today at 1 o'clock p.m. You will need an early access code it is PBC early 26 that's all caps and all one word. Camp this year is going to be on campus from June 15th to the 19th and space is limited especially for kindergarten so go ahead and
[00:05:01] go to peninsulabaptist.com to get that registration link ready for 1 p.m. today. Yeah I'm so looking

[00:05:09] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:05:09] forward to all of the campers on our campus this summer. Camp is going to be awesome. It is. So we have another event for you coming up for the adults. This is going to be March 27th and 28th
[00:05:22] and it's the Life of Christ in Context event. So that's going to kick off that Friday evening on the 27th and then go into Saturday the 28th. It's going to be presented by Dr. John Delancey who's
[00:05:35] an expert in the Holy Land and is also a seasoned tour guide for the region. You can find more information on the seminar as well as a registration link online. And lastly we have a couple international

[00:05:49] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:05:49] mission teams going out this year. We have a Paris-France trip that's going to be at the end April. We have a Guatemala trip planned for October. If you're interested in either of those mission trips, then we need to hear from you as soon as possible so we can go ahead and get you
[00:06:04] registered for that. The link to apply is at peninsulabaptist.com on mission. Yeah, I think

[00:06:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:06:11] that's it for today. There's so much going on around here and the best way to keep up and get involved is to check out our website peninsulabaptist.com. We are so excited that you're here

[00:06:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:06:22] today, and we cannot wait to worship with you. Well, good morning, everyone. So glad you're here.

[00:06:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:06:42] So good to see you. We are here to worship the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. It's not by our own strength that we do things, but it is through the strength of Christ. And we get an
[00:06:53] opportunity to worship him through song. And I just want to welcome you here and start us out in a time of prayer so that we can begin the thought process of setting our heart into motion
[00:07:04] to being able to worship our risen Savior.
[00:07:07] So if you would stand with me as we get ready for this time.
[00:07:10] We have a lot to cover today, but the main thing on our agenda is to worship our Savior.
[00:07:16] So let me lead us in prayer as we prepare our hearts and our minds for that.
[00:07:20] Let's pray.
[00:07:20] Father, we thank you for an opportunity to be here together, to fellowship with your people, like-minded people that have chosen to worship you.
[00:07:28] And I pray, Father, that as we do that, that our hearts can be still before you, that we can take in the words of the song and we can reflect on who you are as we worship together through song
[00:07:40] and through just being together.
[00:07:43] So hear our worship today because we know the worship that we pour out is not only for you, but it's by you and with you.
[00:07:51] So allow us to humble ourselves now before you that the worship would be real, that it would be in spirit and in truth, that you would be glorified here today, God.
[00:08:02] First in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

[00:08:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:08:10] Well, good morning, everyone. We're so glad y'all come to worship this morning.
[00:08:14] It's a great opportunity we have every week to come together and encourage one another in our singing as we start in these services.
[00:08:21] So join us as we sing the song.

[00:09:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:09:00] As broken hearts declare His grace, who can stop the Lord?
[00:09:06] I need His roaring and fire.

[00:09:18] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:09:18] This morning there's three things I want to do before we dive into the message.

[00:23:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:23:00] In Nehemiah, we'll be finishing up chapter 6 and going into chapter 7 today.
[00:23:04] The three things are, one, make sure you have a communion element.
[00:23:07] Two, pray for the war in the Middle East.
[00:23:09] And then three, give a pathway project update.
[00:23:13] Then we'll dive into the message after that.
[00:23:16] So first, I want to let you know that at the end of this message, we are taking communion.
[00:23:20] And if you got through the door and you were unable to get one of the elements, We have our amazing deacons here at the doors to serve us.
[00:23:28] If you just slip your hand up, they want to make sure you've got those now that you're in the room, and make sure those are in your hand when we get to that point.
[00:23:35] Otherwise, you'd have to steal your neighbors, and that's just not a good communion thing to do.
[00:23:41] So I want to be sure that you're taking care of that.
[00:23:42] Thank you.
[00:23:43] The faithful deacons that serve here are wonderful men who most of the time serve behind the scenes.
[00:23:49] You never see the majority of what they do, but they keep things running on such a wonderful way, just like the Bible calls the deacons to do, serving the body.
[00:23:59] So it's amazing.
[00:24:00] Thank you for that, gentlemen.
[00:24:02] Also, I want to take a time for us to just kind of think about and reflect on and pray for what's going on in the Middle East.
[00:24:12] We worship a God who is sovereign.
[00:24:15] The headlines do not surprise Him.
[00:24:18] psalm 33 reminds us that he uh he brings the council of the nations to nothing that he is in control and so he's not surprised he is still on his throne but you've likely seen the news this
[00:24:34] week the united states and israel have engaged in a very major military operation against iran and we know that there's going to be retaliation things are going to be moving through that the situation is kind of rapidly evolving if you keep up with the news and we're not going to debate
[00:24:52] politics here this morning this is not why i'm bringing this up this has nothing to do with whether you feel that what we're doing is right or wrong what this has to do is taking the biblical
[00:25:00] narrative that we are to pray for our leaders and to pray for those who are in harm's way the scriptures call us to pray for the leaders of our nation and that's what we're going to do
[00:25:13] So what I want to do, if you would, is just as I pray, that you would pray silently where you are.
[00:25:18] I will lead us in a time of prayer.
[00:25:20] And if I happen to say something that prods you to pray in a certain way, that's great.
[00:25:24] But if you have your own leading of the Spirit to pray in a certain way for the conflict in the Middle East, you certainly allow the Spirit to lead you at this time of prayer.
[00:25:34] Let's pray together.
[00:25:38] Father, we come before you and we ask that just in the name of Jesus that you would bring wisdom to our leaders.
[00:25:46] That, Father, they would seek justice, not pride.
[00:25:51] Father, we pray that you would bring protection to civilians, the people that are in harm's way, that are just caught up in the middle of this conflict.
[00:26:03] We pray that you would give your grace over them.
[00:26:08] Father, for those who are serving in the military, most of whom we don't know, but some that are connected to our family here, We pray for protection, discernment, and peace in their hearts as well.
[00:26:27] Father, I lift this whole situation up to you.
[00:26:30] We call on your name.
[00:26:31] We pray for the peace of Jerusalem to permeate the world, the peace throughout the world that only you can bring.
[00:26:41] And so in that, knowing that you are a God that is sovereign, knowing that you're not surprised and that you're still on your throne, we call for you to give strength to the church the global church to continue and may even more
[00:26:59] so now than ever to be the salt and the light pointing all people to you jesus as time is confusing and worrisome for many so we pray for your presence in their lives thank you for the
[00:27:22] reminder that you are a God that doesn't forget, you're not disconnected, and you're not wondering what's going to happen. So help us to walk with that and lean into that. Of course, in Jesus' name
[00:27:39] we pray. Amen. Thank you for that. I encourage you that if you know someone who has a family member that's serving in the military, that you just reach out to them, maybe with a text message.
[00:27:50] Pray for them first, and then text them and say you're praying for them, and let them know so they can be encouraged as well, kind of in these troubling times. Well, I do want to take a few
[00:28:02] moments before we get into the book of Nehemiah to give you a pathway project update, just to remind us of a few things about the pathway project. We will get to the process of where
[00:28:15] are we in the building, when's the building coming, those types of things, but I want to remind us what the pathway project is about it's it's just like starting with nehemiah which we thought nehemiah was just about building a wall it was way more than building a wall it was god building
[00:28:32] a people and uh that's what's happening with peninsula right now the the building does matter and i'm going to speak to that in just a moment but the people matter more we you us what we're
[00:28:45] doing in our discipleship strategy matters more. Our primary goal for participation in the Pathway Project has been 100% participation, meaning that will the people who call this their church home say with turning in a card, I'm in this. I'm buying into this. I support this. Right now,
[00:29:08] we have 63% participation, and that's measured by the families who have turned in the commitment card. Not by everyone here, it's just by the number of cards we have in hand based on the number of people who support this church. That's actually real progress. You say, wow, you're a
[00:29:27] long ways away from 100%. We're always going to be reaching for that 100%. There's still room for more to give your card in. It's not too late to turn your commitment card in, by the way. We'll
[00:29:38] continue to receive commitment cards for the Pathway Project for the next two years.
[00:29:43] And so feel free to turn that in.
[00:29:46] Our secondary goal, though, our first goal was 100% participation.
[00:29:51] The secondary goal was financial, over a two-year financial goal of $12 million to fund the Expand, Equip, and Send initiative of the Pathway Project.
[00:30:08] Where are we?
[00:30:08] Well, we're at $9 million, and that's based on the 63% of cards that were turned in and the giving trends. So we're at $9 million, and that's significant movement. That is quite a big putting in. Just a few months ago, just kind of give you a reflection of how it's moving.
[00:30:26] Just a few months ago, we had a $3.4 million gap to put a bulldozer on our property. Just a few months ago. Today, that gap is $2.3 million. We are moving forward with great momentum,
[00:30:42] And so I'm very excited to be able to say that.
[00:30:45] So that's not small movement.
[00:30:48] That's forward momentum.
[00:30:50] But we do want to remind everyone that we would appreciate if you have not taken the time to turn in a commitment card to do so.
[00:30:56] Here's why.
[00:30:57] It helps us steward wisely.
[00:30:59] It helps us know what's coming.
[00:31:00] And you say, well, Daniel, I would turn in a commitment card, but I'm not changing my giving.
[00:31:05] We still want to know that.
[00:31:07] Or you might say, I haven't turned in a commitment card because things have changed, life has changed, and I'm going to actually be giving less over the next few years.
[00:31:15] We want to know that.
[00:31:16] It helps us be wise in how we're planning moving forward.
[00:31:20] We just want the commitment card to help us see where it's going.
[00:31:23] It's not about equal gifts.
[00:31:24] It's about equal commitment to say we're committed to this.
[00:31:28] We're here.
[00:31:28] We're not going anywhere, and this is what we project that we will be able to give.
[00:31:34] If you turn in a commitment card, by the way, and you find out that it's not going to land where you thought it was going to land, it's okay to communicate with us and say hey i turned in a commitment card i was going to give
[00:31:43] ten dollars over ten years but it looks like it's only gonna be five that's okay that's all right so we want you to kind of continue to help in this but it's not only about that because i want you
[00:31:55] to remember it's not about the building per se it's about what we're doing in the building it's about expanding discipleship making disciples just this year this is march 1st just this year we've already baptized nine people that's nine people publicly committing to follow christ we have 19
[00:32:17] discipleship pathway groups and there are three more starting soon we have over 500 people who are engaged in bible study during the week here on this campus that's amazing to hear and to see this past wednesday we just held our first interest meeting for the church plant which
[00:32:39] is being called Heritage Church in Davidson. We had 15 of our own here that are showing interest that they may be going to help plant that church. That's expand, equip, and send. It's amazing.
[00:32:55] So, yes, the wall matters. And you'll want to know, well, where are we with the building? We're in phase two of three for the building. Phase three is moving dirt. See how close we are?
[00:33:09] we're getting there we're actually in the design phase where they're actually putting real blueprints together now this is where they bring the real blueprints they say this is what it's going to look like and that'll be happening hopefully before summer hits my anticipation
[00:33:29] that if god moves on some people's hearts and we close that 2.3 million dollar gap sooner that we might be able to move dirt in the fall.
[00:33:39] Isn't that exciting?
[00:33:40] That's fun.
[00:33:40] That's celebration.
[00:33:41] That's God-sized stuff.
[00:33:43] Let's give God a hand on that.
[00:33:48] I know you're thinking, well, you just told me a lot and I'm trying to take it in.
[00:33:51] Just ask me questions.
[00:33:52] Just stop me in the hallway and say, hey, you said this, it didn't make sense.
[00:33:55] I'll be glad to flesh it out for you.
[00:33:59] But I want us to continue to move forward and to pray for as God is growing us, remembering that, as we've learned in Nehemiah, that it's not just about the wall, it's about the people, the covenant people that we're walking
[00:34:16] with Christ, and that's what we're wanting to look at. It's not just growing big to grow big.
[00:34:22] It's so that we may make disciples who make disciples. It's so that we may be able to provide a space for people to be able to come out of the video venue, I'm going to give them a moment to
[00:34:33] applaud there, to be together with the body once again so that we can come under the same roof and create more space for people that are yet to have a divine appointment but are going to have one because of us worshiping the Lord.
[00:34:51] That's what it's going to be about, and I'm very excited to be a part of that.
[00:34:54] So thank you for letting me kind of bring that update.
[00:34:57] I'll send out a video this week that says a lot of the same stuff I just said.
[00:35:00] Be watching for that in an email so that you can kind of pause it and say, now, what did he say?
[00:35:06] So just continue to pray for us as we move forward in that.
[00:35:09] Kind of a neat thing to say because the title of the message today is Finishing Strong.
[00:35:18] Finishing Strong, Lessons from Nehemiah.
[00:35:21] The things we can pick up not only from the book of Nehemiah, but from Nehemiah himself as he is giving testimony to who he is in the midst of Jerusalem rebuild, the wall rebuild that he was doing there.
[00:35:36] Finishing Strong.
[00:35:38] You know, I had a friend one time that insulted me, and he said, Daniel, you're horrible at finishing stories.
[00:35:49] And I just have to tell you, that's when one of the best comebacks that I've ever had in my life hit me.
[00:35:55] I mean, it was a good one.
[00:36:02] Nehemiah 6, thank you for that.
[00:36:08] there's something uniquely challenging about that final stretch that that moving forward with that final push the beginning of anything is filled with energy momentum excitement but the end is where fatigue begins to set in you're like are we still doing this are we still working on this
[00:36:31] the end is where opposition tends to intensify the end is where subtle compromises try to sneak in shortcuts try to be made the end is where many people lose focus now i want to tell you that
[00:36:50] in the middle of what we do in life every day we're faced with the end of something and trying to finish well.
[00:37:01] Nehemiah 6 and 7 shows us that the wall is built, but the work is not over.
[00:37:10] In Nehemiah 6, 15, we're told that the wall was finished in 52 days.
[00:37:17] That's miraculous, and that's a testimony of God's favor on His people and the determined leadership that He had called.
[00:37:26] One thing that Pastor Steve and I talked about this past week was verse 16.
[00:37:29] And by the way, didn't Pastor Steve do an amazing job last week?
[00:37:32] I don't know if he's listening right now, but let's give him a hand.
[00:37:35] He didn't do it for that, but he did a wonderful job, and I really appreciate his homework and prep that he put into that.
[00:37:41] But he and I were talking this week about verse 16, and I want to kind of go over it again because it sets up something very interesting with this guy named Tobiah.
[00:37:51] I'm perplexed by Tobiah until I got to doing a little bit of homework about him.
[00:37:55] But this is what it says in verse 16.
[00:37:57] And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.
[00:38:11] This is Nehemiah saying, the nations around us realized that when we built the wall in 52 days and we were setting our gates in place, they had to say to themselves, oh, it's done.
[00:38:25] That's got to be God.
[00:38:26] But the line in there that we talked about was, fell greatly in their own esteem.
[00:38:32] If you go pull that thread and see what the original text actually means, what people who understood the Hebrew language would have gotten out of this, this is what it says, losing confidence, being humbled internally,
[00:38:48] seeing oneself as small or diminished, experiencing a collapse of pride that's what that phrase means in other words they were all puffed up and proud and saying we're going to squish Israel and then suddenly the walls built and
[00:39:06] they were deflated it's like their balloon was popped they had nothing to be puffed up about it does not primarily mean public humiliation it means internal deflation that's what that phrase means. And their self-perception dropped. And I'm calling this out because we're going to see
[00:39:26] something interesting that I think is going to sound all too familiar even in our culture today.
[00:39:31] I think what we'll learn today that what we're experiencing in the political arena, in the world arena, it's not new. This has been going on since the Old Testament. We're going to see this here
[00:39:44] in just a moment. But if you'll remember, the people mocked Israel for rebuilding the wall in chapter 4, they said, they are feeble Jews. They'll never accomplish it. They said, if a fox runs up on that wall, it will collapse the wall. This was the kind of jeering that they were
[00:40:01] putting toward them. But then in 52 days, their realization shifted. They realized this was not human strength. This was not political luck. This was divine intervention. And when they perceived that God was behind it, their self-assurance collapsed. So now we're going to read a section
[00:40:31] starting with verse 17 in chapter 6, and we're going to read just a few verses here, and then we'll end today in chapter 7, verse 3 is where we will land the plane today. I'm going to give two
[00:40:42] major points. First of all, the first major point is facing frustration, and the second one is going to be coming up with a strategy that is sustainable. Facing frustration, sustainable plans so that we can face those frustrations ongoing and not feel fatigue of the world
[00:41:08] beating us down. So let's look at starting at verse 17. Moreover, in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah's letters came to them. So there's correspondence going back and forth. For many in Judah were bound by oath to him because he was
[00:41:28] the son-in-law of Shekiniah, the son of Arah. And his son, Jehohanan, had taken the daughter of Mishalem, the son of Berechiah, as his wife. Also, they spoke of his good deeds in my presence.
[00:41:47] See what's going on here? They're talking nice about Tobiah in Nehemiah's presence and reported my words to him.
[00:41:55] And Tobiah sent letters to make me afraid.
[00:42:01] What?
[00:42:02] Facing futile frustrations.
[00:42:08] Let's look at this text.
[00:42:11] It says, in those days, the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah.
[00:42:16] These are the nobles, the people who had clout, the people who had position were sending letters to Tobiah.
[00:42:23] And apparently, Tobiah was sending letters back to them.
[00:42:27] The wall was finished.
[00:42:29] The breaches were closed.
[00:42:32] The visible threat had been neutralized.
[00:42:35] But the internal tension continued.
[00:42:44] The nobles of Judah were the leaders inside the covenant community, God's people.
[00:42:52] This is in-house.
[00:42:55] They're corresponding with Tobiah, the long-standing opponent of the rebuilding effort.
[00:43:03] And the reason is, is they were bound to him by oath.
[00:43:06] Apparently, the family binding and the leadership binding kind of pulled them together.
[00:43:14] So, at this point, for me, it's worth re-asking, who is this Tobiah?
[00:43:23] Come on.
[00:43:24] I think Reagan said Toby.
[00:43:26] He calls him Toby.
[00:43:28] Come on, Toby.
[00:43:30] Who is Tobiah?
[00:43:32] Tobiah is first introduced in Nehemiah chapter 2.
[00:43:36] And he was known as Tobiah the Ammonite.
[00:43:39] And that's important because the Ammonites were a long-standing enemy of Israel.
[00:43:46] You can see this in Judges 11 and 1 Samuel 11.
[00:43:49] The Ammonites were against Israel.
[00:43:51] And they were descendants of Lot.
[00:43:53] You see that in Genesis 19.
[00:43:56] And they were hostile.
[00:43:58] toward God's covenant people.
[00:44:01] That's just kind of the background.
[00:44:02] He was kind of ethnically an outsider.
[00:44:07] But this particular passage reveals something more complex.
[00:44:11] He had marriage alliances with the Jewish nobles.
[00:44:15] He had relational influence inside Jerusalem.
[00:44:19] And he had political connections.
[00:44:25] He had loyalties with the leadership.
[00:44:28] And the leadership had loyalties with him.
[00:44:32] Tobiah basically was embedded.
[00:44:37] He was a political insider with outsider roots.
[00:44:43] So what's his deal?
[00:44:44] What's his deal?
[00:44:45] Well, once you start learning who Tobiah was and what was going on with him, I saw maybe three things.
[00:44:52] A, political threat.
[00:44:55] Political threat.
[00:44:57] A rebuilt Jerusalem meant restored strength, increased autonomy, economic stability, and reduced foreign leverage. Before the wall was rebuilt, Jerusalem was very vulnerable. A vulnerable city is easier to influence. A protected city is harder to control. I don't know if any of you guys are starting to connect dots
[00:45:31] with the way the world works. I know I was connecting all kinds of crazy things. I was geeking out. I was like, wow, it's been around forever. So, Tobiah likely had political and economic influence over the region while Jerusalem was weak. A fortified Jerusalem
[00:45:51] diminished his regional power. This wasn't just construction. This was a geopolitical shift for the people of Israel. B, economic disruption. Walls in place meant trade regulations, security checkpoints, local governance, less dependency on neighboring provinces.
[00:46:21] If Tobiah benefited economically from Jerusalem's instability, which most scholars say he did, then stability threatened his bottom line.
[00:46:34] Opposition is often rooted in the threat of losing control.
[00:46:41] Which brings us to C, loss of influence.
[00:46:46] Tobiah had position, he was making money, he had influence, and he was about to lose that control.
[00:46:56] And he couldn't cope with it.
[00:47:01] Nehemiah represents something new.
[00:47:02] Spiritual reform, moral clarity, covenant loyalty, separation from compromise.
[00:47:09] Tobiah represented something old.
[00:47:11] Blurred loyalties, political maneuvering, religious influence, and comfortable compromise.
[00:47:22] And here's something very telling.
[00:47:23] Later in Nehemiah chapter 13, we'll get there in a few weeks, Tobiah is given a room in the temple precincts by the priest.
[00:47:33] Now the flip side of that story is Nehemiah kicks his furniture out.
[00:47:40] That shows us that Tobiah wasn't just anti-wall, he was anti-reform.
[00:47:50] So here's where it kind of gets real.
[00:47:53] And this is the big question for me.
[00:47:55] Why keep opposing after the wall was complete?
[00:48:01] Why keep opposing after the wall is complete?
[00:48:04] Don't you think the writing is on the wall?
[00:48:09] You would think he would pick that up and go, okay, I see it.
[00:48:14] I get it.
[00:48:14] Let me join the effort.
[00:48:16] But there's a deeper spiritual thing going on here.
[00:48:22] Tobiah represents something we see throughout all of Scripture.
[00:48:26] Opposition to God's restorative work.
[00:48:31] Let me let you marinate on that for just a moment.
[00:48:33] We live in a world where there will always be opposition to God's restorative work.
[00:48:45] I'm going to flesh that out here in just a moment.
[00:48:47] But when God's doing a work in someone's life, there's going to be opposition in some way.
[00:48:52] When God's doing a work in your home, when God's doing a work in your family, there's going to be opposition in some way because that's the spiritual depth that we're looking at here.
[00:49:04] Here's what I want you to understand.
[00:49:05] When God rebuilds something, the enemy mocks, then he threatens, then he infiltrates, then he intimidates.
[00:49:18] That's what we see happening in here in Nehemiah, and this is what I can see over and over and over.
[00:49:23] Out of 40 years of serving in the ministry, I see this over and over and over in people's lives.
[00:49:29] They're trying to let God do a work, they're trying to move forward, and they're not putting up the guardrails necessary.
[00:49:34] They're not stationing people at the gate.
[00:49:37] They're not stationing accountability in their lives to hold strong and to finish well.
[00:49:47] When visible resistance fails, subtle influences remain.
[00:49:54] Tobiah is persistent in opposition.
[00:49:58] He is the resentment at losing control.
[00:50:01] He is the discomfort of those who thrived in dysfunction when God brings control.
[00:50:08] But consider Jesus.
[00:50:11] I don't know if you've ever thought about this.
[00:50:13] We're coming into a season of coming to Palm Sunday in a few weeks and then Easter.
[00:50:19] But to think about Christ for just a few moments and what he was facing.
[00:50:25] Religious leaders of his time opposed Jesus, not because he failed, but because he was succeeding.
[00:50:35] It wasn't because he was messing up.
[00:50:37] It was because he was being so successful.
[00:50:40] That's what the religious leaders were pushing against.
[00:50:44] Their issue wasn't theological curiosity, it was threatened power.
[00:50:50] Like Tobiah, they feared loss of influence.
[00:50:52] And even after miracles, they persisted.
[00:50:55] Opposition often intensifies when God's work becomes undeniable.
[00:51:04] This is what they said about Jesus in John chapter 11.
[00:51:10] If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.
[00:51:22] What Tobiah teaches us.
[00:51:27] First, not all opposition is loud.
[00:51:31] Some is relational and embedded.
[00:51:36] Threatened power fights the hardest.
[00:51:44] Next, when God strengthens his people, those who benefited from their weakness resist.
[00:51:50] finally finishing a project does not eliminate spiritual resistance church will not get our final rest until we cross over and walk through the golden gates we need to be at the ready always to buy his issue was not bricks it was control he was bent on stopping the effort
[00:52:19] because a restored jerusalem meant a diminished to buy a and that is often how opposition works in our lives. When God rebuilds something in your life, old habits will resist, old alliances feel threatened, and old influences try to regain ground. The wall may be built, but the letters
[00:52:44] may keep coming. So before we move on, let's bring some application. Here's my whole point of this, especially when God calls you to something stay anchored in your alignment stay anchored in your alignment those who serve as full time missionaries
[00:53:07] those who are on the field as career missionaries that are in some difficult places and having to do some difficult things that's not about the comforts of home but it's about the gospel moving forward
[00:53:17] they are taught something very important at the beginning of their training always, always, always remember your call that's what we should do is always remember our call know what God has called us to figure that out figure what God has called us to which is gospel moving forward disciples
[00:53:42] making disciples that's what he's called us to remember that call and do what it takes to move forward in that finishing strong requires clarity of calling if you do not know what God has entrusted to you, you will be pulled in every direction. Parents will be distracted from
[00:54:00] disciplining their children by endless noise. Church leaders will be distracted from shepherding by criticism or comparison or seemingly good intentions. Believers will be distracted from spiritual growth by fear, comfort, and cultural pressure. Nehemiah does not allow fear to dictate
[00:54:20] his leadership. Throughout his ministry, Jesus faced constant distraction. Satan tempted him in the wilderness, offering shortcuts to glory. Crowds tried to make him king on their terms.
[00:54:35] Religious leaders questioned his authority, and even Peter rebuked him when he predicted the cross.
[00:54:42] Yet, Luke 9.51 says, when the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.
[00:54:55] No distraction.
[00:54:57] Laser focused.
[00:54:59] Spiritually speaking, church, we have to remain laser focused.
[00:55:09] Hebrews 12 calls him the founder and perfecter of our faith.
[00:55:14] the one who not only begins but finishes on the cross he declared it is finished Jesus did not abandon the mission because of fear of frustration which brings us to the second point that I wanted
[00:55:32] to make for today strategic sustainable steps I know that as we're talking through this and I'm kind of pulling some things out of Nehemiah and talking about Tobiah talking about the distractions I know that you've got things in your mind that you know you're grappling with and trying to
[00:55:48] navigate in life. I know that there's some difficulty out there. I have no idea what it is for you specific, but I can promise you that if you're breathing today, you're struggling with something. And so you need to know what God's called you to so that you can stay focused. But
[00:56:04] now that you know what you're called to and you need to stay focused, what is the strategy that you put in place? Well, let's see what Nehemiah did. Nehemiah 7 verse 1. Now when the wall had
[00:56:16] been built and I had set up the doors and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah, the governor of the castle, charge over Jerusalem. That's two people. He gave them charge over Jerusalem. His brother was mentioned
[00:56:37] in chapter 1, who was actually one of the ones who came and gave Nehemiah the report that Jerusalem was in trouble. So now, because he cared about Jerusalem, he's going to be kind of like a
[00:56:48] co-leadership here. Hananiah, why did he appoint him? For he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many. Verse 3, and I said to them, let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the
[00:57:01] sun is hot. And while they are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their guard post and some in front of their own homes. He appoints gatekeepers, singers, the Levites. He appoints his brother and Hananiah
[00:57:24] over Jerusalem. The qualifications wasn't charisma. It wasn't popularity. It wasn't political savvy.
[00:57:33] it was faithfulness. First part of our strategy, church, is faithfulness. When we get to heaven, we're not going to hear the words from our Savior, well done, good and impressive servant.
[00:57:48] It's going to be well done, good and faithful servant. The first part of our strategy is remaining faithful to God's Word and our relationship in abiding with Him. Remaining faithful. Fear of God. Leadership was selected, rooted in spiritual character.
[00:58:11] Nehemiah gives specific instructions. Catch this now. This is the sustainability that we can apply to our lives today. Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot.
[00:58:24] What is he doing there? Well, open too early and the enemies could slip in under the cover of dawn.
[00:58:30] They could have been hiding and awaiting in the shadows of the dark. As soon as you open the gates they slip in. Wait till the sun's hot. Wait till it's up. Wait till you can see what's going
[00:58:39] on before you open the gates. Nehemiah institutes disciplined vigilance. This is long-term thinking that Nehemiah is putting in place. He does not assume the danger is gone simply because the walls and the gates are finished. He builds systems to guard what God has built. So when God builds
[00:59:01] something up in your life. He restores something in your life. You must put up guardrails to help guard it. Guard what God has restored. This speaks directly to our spiritual lives. You may rebuild something or allow God to rebuild something in your life, a broken relationship,
[00:59:23] a neglected discipline with your heavenly Father, a damaged reputation, or a weakened spiritual walk because life has come at you hard.
[00:59:33] But if you do not establish guardrails, vulnerability returns.
[00:59:43] Jesus said in Matthew 26, watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.
[00:59:50] Vigilance, by the way, is not paranoia.
[00:59:53] Nehemiah was not being paranoid.
[00:59:55] He was exercising wisdom.
[00:59:59] Nehemiah teaches us that finishing strong includes protecting what God has restored.
[01:00:06] Notice also, Nehemiah does not guard the city alone.
[01:00:10] He appoints others.
[01:00:11] He distributes responsibility.
[01:00:15] Finishing strong when God rebuilds something is not a solo act.
[01:00:22] That's why we're part of the believers.
[01:00:24] That's why you've heard me say a thousand things take place in our fellowship, even outside of this room, as you're walking up and down the hallways, as you're talking to one another, you're patting each other on the back,
[01:00:34] you're encouraging one another, you're praying with one another.
[01:00:37] that is what is meant by the church coming together and i want to encourage you if you watch online all the time but you're not a part of a local body of believers come check us out
[01:00:49] don't be afraid come and walk with us there's so much that happens in that encouragement hebrews 3 says exhort one another every day that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin we need each other i need for you to look at me and say hey are you sure about that daniel
[01:01:09] I need for you to help me get out of my head.
[01:01:13] Probably 60 to 70% of everything that we are living in our lives is in our imagination.
[01:01:20] We need others to help us pull out of that and get out of our own thought process.
[01:01:28] Christ didn't merely accomplish redemption and leave us isolated.
[01:01:33] He established the church.
[01:01:35] He appointed apostles.
[01:01:36] He sent the Spirit.
[01:01:37] He created a body of believers to be together because finishing strong requires shared vigilance.
[01:01:49] So let's bring this together.
[01:01:51] Two major things.
[01:01:52] One, distractions persist even when progress is visible.
[01:02:01] Two, sustainability requires intentional structure.
[01:02:07] You have a problem in your marriage?
[01:02:09] You worked it out?
[01:02:10] You can't say, oh, well, we worked that out and leave it just hanging there.
[01:02:14] and hope that you don't ever have a problem again.
[01:02:16] You've got to put structures in place.
[01:02:18] You've got to put guardrails in place so that your relationship with your spouse is secure and safe because the world hates your marriage.
[01:02:30] I'm just going to tell you.
[01:02:33] The world hates our marriages for one reason probably and one reason only because a solid marriage that is a Christian marriage is supposed to reflect to the world our relationship with our spouse as Christ's relationship is to the church.
[01:02:48] We're a picture of what Christ has done.
[01:02:52] And the world is going to come at it hard.
[01:02:57] So how do we do this?
[01:02:58] How do we finish strong?
[01:02:59] Number one, we guard your focus.
[01:03:03] Guard your focus.
[01:03:04] Do not allow fear, politics, relational pressures to pull you off your assignment.
[01:03:11] Clarify what God has entrusted to you and stay there.
[01:03:17] Stay focused on that.
[01:03:19] Two, build for the long term.
[01:03:21] Establish rhythms of accountability.
[01:03:23] Choose faithful people around you.
[01:03:26] Guard vulnerable gates in your life.
[01:03:28] Don't open them up too early.
[01:03:30] Do not assume progress equals permanence.
[01:03:35] And three, look to the true finisher.
[01:03:40] Ultimately, our confidence is not in our endurance, but the endurance of Christ being in the center of who we are.
[01:03:48] Hebrews 12 says, Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
[01:04:03] looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
[01:04:17] church nehemiah finished the wall and put things in place but let's be honest we don't always we don't always finish so well do we we get distracted we get weary we get tired we might open our gates
[01:04:48] a little too early we respond to the letters that we should be ignoring nehemiah shows us what faithfulness looks like.
[01:05:00] Nehemiah can't save us.
[01:05:02] He can build a wall, but he cannot rebuild a heart.
[01:05:08] And that's why this passage ultimately points us to Christ.
[01:05:13] Nehemiah completed construction in 52 days.
[01:05:18] Jesus completed redemption in a single, decisive moment on the cross.
[01:05:25] When Jesus cried, it is finished, he wasn't finishing a project.
[01:05:31] He was finishing our payment.
[01:05:35] He was securing our salvation.
[01:05:38] He was disarming the true enemy.
[01:05:42] Nehemiah guarded the gates of Jerusalem, but Jesus opened the way to the Heavenly Father.
[01:05:51] And here's why it matters for us.
[01:05:54] Discipleship is not just about starting strong.
[01:05:58] It's about finishing strong as well.
[01:06:02] It's about following Jesus faithfully over time.
[01:06:07] It's guarding the gates of our hearts.
[01:06:12] It's resisting distraction.
[01:06:14] It's building life that lasts in a faith that others undeniably have to say we walk with Christ.
[01:06:23] But we do not disciple ourselves by willpower alone.
[01:06:30] We are formed by remembering what Christ has done for us.
[01:06:36] Communion is formative.
[01:06:40] It shapes us.
[01:06:42] Communion is not just remembrance.
[01:06:44] It is to bring about a re-centered heart, something that points us in the direction of who Christ is and what He's done for us.
[01:06:54] Every time we take communion as a body, we are re-centering on the true finisher of our faith.
[01:07:03] We are reminded our endurance flows from His finished work.
[01:07:12] So here's what I want us to do.
[01:07:14] We're going to take communion here in just a second.
[01:07:19] Before we do, there's a few things I want to challenge us on.
[01:07:23] Number one, if you're not a believer in and a follower of Jesus Christ, I encourage you strongly do not take communion.
[01:07:33] It is honestly a mockery.
[01:07:37] It is not some kind of magical thing that when you take it, suddenly God is good with you because you did this act.
[01:07:44] Your first step is to give your life to Christ.
[01:07:47] You can't say, I'm not going to trust in Christ, and I'm not going to put my faith in him and then take the very thing that represents his broken body and his shed blood.
[01:07:58] So I encourage you, no offense to us, that you just don't take communion if you're not a believer and a follower of Christ.
[01:08:09] Next thing that I want to challenge us on though is this.
[01:08:14] Ask yourself these questions.
[01:08:16] If you plan to take communion here today, ask yourself these questions.
[01:08:22] Where have I grown distracted?
[01:08:27] Where have I grown weary?
[01:08:31] Where have I loosened my vigilance to remain faithful?
[01:08:39] And before we take communion, bring those to Christ now.
[01:08:42] Because the one who finished the redemptive process is the one who sustains disciples.
[01:08:48] So take just a quiet moment before we take communion to confess and realign your heart with your Savior.
[01:08:57] and then I'll pray and lead us in communion.
[01:09:02] Just a moment of silence.
[01:09:30] Father, we get busy, we get active, we get distracted, and we forget just how desperate we need you.
[01:09:48] So help us to realign.
[01:09:50] Help us to refocus.
[01:09:52] Help us to remain vigilant in our faithfulness to you, to stand strong with a resolve that we will not be distracted.
[01:10:02] we will not be taken off course and that we will honor and glorify your name in Jesus name we pray amen 1 Corinthians 11 starting at verse 23 says for I received from the Lord
[01:10:20] what I also delivered to you that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread and when he had given thanks he broke it and said this is my body which is for you
[01:10:32] do this in remembrance of me in the same way also he took the cup after supper saying this is the cup this cup is the new covenant in my blood do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me for as often as you eat this
[01:10:49] bread and drink this cup you proclaim the lord's death until he comes and so we take the bread and we remember that he said this is my body broken for you remembering him and then scripture
[01:11:24] tells us in the same way. He took the cup and He said, as often as you do this, remember this cup represents the blood shed for you.
[01:11:34] Because without the shed blood, there is no remission of sin in remembrance of Him. Let's pray.
[01:11:52] Father, we come before You in time of a solemn moment to where we're reminded that we need to pump the brakes.
[01:12:07] We need to be still.
[01:12:08] we need to reflect on who we are with you and Father in my own life where I have been distracted where I have forgotten my calling where I've allowed good intentions to pull me in directions
[01:12:26] that are sideways energy help me to be vigilant in the grace and the strength of who Christ is may I walk with guardrails and purpose and meaning and a relaxed peace in my heart that I'm where you want me to be.
[01:12:55] For each home that is represented here, relationships that are broken, bring peace, bring rebuilding, bring reformation, bring a new calling.
[01:13:10] Bind up the lies, bind up the hurt.
[01:13:15] May your shed blood bring renewal as we repent before you and claim our desperate need for you.
[01:13:26] For it's in Jesus' name we pray.
[01:13:28] Amen.

[01:13:32] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[01:13:32] Church family, before we sing together, we're going to have an opportunity to introduce and pray for some new families.
[01:13:39] I want to ask y'all to come up here and join me.
[01:13:41] As we do so, as we talk about communion, a family meal, a way that kind of collectively we get to remind ourselves of what we believe, our common faith that we have together in Jesus.
[01:13:53] Yeah, y'all come up.
[01:13:54] And it is just a joy to be able to celebrate that.
[01:13:58] And there's a couple of families that over the last few weeks and months we've had opportunity to get to meet, to get to hear their story, how they have come to faith in Christ and are walking alongside him now.
[01:14:08] And so we want to take this moment and just to introduce them, but also just to pray for them together, praying together that God would do two things particularly.
[01:14:16] One, that through our common faith, through we help each other grow in our love and affections for Christ, that we'd be more like Christ as we walk this life together.
[01:14:25] And then also that we would use the way God's made us, our gifts, our passions that he's given us to serve our church and our mission of being disciples who make disciples.
[01:14:35] And so over here, I'm going to start over here with the Cashins.
[01:14:40] And so Willis and Casey Cashin and Adeline, right, and Bennett.
[01:14:44] And then over here we have the Schmitts, Reinhardt and Kim Schmitt.
[01:14:48] And then coming up here, because they made their way all the way from the preschool.
[01:14:52] That was really fast, Ryan. Good job.
[01:14:55] Ryan and Erica Yoder, and their little guy, Brady, over here.
[01:14:59] And so we are thankful for each of them for different ways that they're serving and a part of the ministries here.
[01:15:07] And each of them, I see, just ways you serve and are in connect groups.
[01:15:09] And it's our hope and prayer that we would walk alongside each other as we pursue Christ.
[01:15:13] I want to pray for them and encourage you to pray as well that the Lord would continue to help us grow together.
[01:15:18] So let's pray.
[01:15:20] God, we are thankful for this.
[01:15:23] When we think about what it means to be a part of a church family, God, we use words like membership and those things.
[01:15:29] But God, also, just that we are a family of believers who are committed to one another, who are walking alongside each other, who are pursuing Christ together.
[01:15:37] And God, we do pray for the Yoders, the Cashins, and the Schmitz, and the others in our next service as well.
[01:15:42] God, that you would just help us as we pursue you.
[01:15:47] God, we would not try to do that on our own, but as we walk alongside other believers, brothers and sisters in the faith, you would help us as we just desire to know you and to love you more.
[01:15:59] So God, that community, we would help push each other toward you.
[01:16:02] God, we're also thankful for the giftings you've given so many different ones of us.
[01:16:05] God, we know that the things that we do here as a church family, the ministries we get to be a part of, the things we get to do here to see our community and world come to know
[01:16:14] and love Christ.
[01:16:15] God, it's not because of a few of us, but it's because of all of us together serving and being a part of this work of being disciples who make disciples.
[01:16:23] And God, we just pray that we continue to use our gifts.
[01:16:25] We're thankful for the gifts you've given the Reinhardts, or sorry, the Schmitz, the Yoders, and the Cashins.
[01:16:31] And God, we just pray for each of them.
[01:16:33] They would just love and serve this church family well.
[01:16:35] And all things that we do, God, we pray that we would work together to see Christ known, to bring honor and glory to you for our good, for the good of our community.
[01:16:43] but God, for the glory of your good name.
[01:16:46] We pray these things in Jesus' name.
[01:16:48] Amen.

[01:16:59] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[01:16:59] If y'all would stand and sing with me on what he's done.
[01:17:10] See, on the hill of Calvary My Savior bled for me My Jesus set me free Look at the wounds that give me life Grace flowing from his side no greater sacrifice. What he's done. What he's done. What he's done. All the glory and the honor
[01:17:45] to the Son. My sins are forgiven. My future is heaven. I praise God for what he's done. Let's sing that again, what he's done, what he's done, what he's done, all the glory and the honor to the
[01:18:12] son, my sins are forgiven, my future is heaven, I praise God for what he's done, I praise God, I praise God for what He's done.

[01:18:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[01:18:40] Church, as we go, we're going to read from Hebrews chapter 12.
[01:18:43] And just a moment before we do that, one thing we want to let you know this morning, and that is if you have an elementary student that's completed kindergarten or soon to be completed this May through fifth grade,
[01:18:54] WindShape Camp Registration opens today.
[01:18:57] We actually get kind of a special one day early.
[01:18:59] So all of it opens to the public tomorrow.
[01:19:01] We get one day where it opens today.
[01:19:03] There's a code up there.
[01:19:04] PBC Early 26 will let you get in there.
[01:19:08] Particularly if you have a kindergartner, there's only 30 spots available for that.
[01:19:11] That's the one they don't let us add anymore to.
[01:19:14] Two years ago, it was a kindergarten parent frantically typing, okay?
[01:19:16] So make sure to get in there.
[01:19:18] It's a great opportunity for our kids this summer.
[01:19:20] So sign up, and we'd love for you to be a part of our Windshaped Camp this summer.
[01:19:24] So today at 1 o'clock, that opens.
[01:19:26] But as we go, we're going to read together from Hebrews chapter 12, verses 1 and 2.
[01:19:30] just a reminder of our common hope and faith in Christ as we run this race together.
[01:19:36] So let's read, starting in verse 1.
[01:20:00] Church families who go into our week, let us run the race.
[01:20:13] Let's keep our eyes focused on the author, founder, perfecter of our faith.
[01:20:18] Have a great week.