Rising Up to Build: The Call to Corporate Revival

• Revival [00:01:09 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor defines the story of Nehemiah as a story of revival for the nation of Israel and the people of God, emphasizing an urgent need for this revival at Cornerstone and in the church today.
• Active Participation in God's Work [00:09:34 ▶️ 📄]
  > Contrasting the active builders whose names are recorded in Scripture with the passive nobles of Tekoa who 'put not their necks to the work,' urging the congregation to take ownership of the church's mission.
• Separation from the World [00:11:51 ▶️ 📄]
  > Using the metaphor of city walls, the pastor argues that the church must maintain separation from the world ('be ye separate'), rejecting cultural conformity (like 'cool' haircuts or rock concerts) to maintain spiritual integrity and safety.
• Separation from the World [00:12:36 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues for a distinct separation between the church and secular culture, using the metaphor of Nehemiah's walls and rejecting the idea that the church should mimic secular entertainment to attract crowds.
• The Necessity of Prayer [00:14:44 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor identifies the root cause of the church's stagnation as a lack of prayer, citing James 4:2 ('you have not because you ask not') and contrasting the apathy of the Israelites with Nehemiah's intercession.
• Correcting Motives in Prayer [00:22:50 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor warns against asking 'amiss' for worldly success, such as large buildings or financial gain, explaining that such prayers are rejected because they are driven by lust rather than a desire for God's glory.
• Holiness and Friendship with the World [00:23:17 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor interprets 'adulterers and adulteresses' in James 4 as spiritual unfaithfulness, equating friendship with the world with enmity against God and arguing that the church loses its savor when it becomes like the culture.
• Corporate Responsibility in Ministry [00:32:17 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that every saint is a minister and must work together to build the church, using Nehemiah's wall-building as an analogy for the body of Christ in Ephesians 4.
• Authentic Love for God [00:28:42 ▶️ 📄]
  > He contrasts superficial religious practice with genuine, obsessive love for God, using the analogy of a romantic love letter to illustrate how believers should cherish God's word.
• The Role of the Holy Spirit [00:35:25 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor asserts that the compulsion to share the truth and evangelize is evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit, comparing it to Jeremiah's 'fire in the bones.'
• Faithfulness Over Popularity [00:37:51 ▶️ 📄]
  > He encourages the congregation to remain faithful to God's truth even if it offends people or risks social standing, citing personal church history as evidence of God's blessing on faithful preaching.
• Revival and Humility [00:36:44 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that revival requires personal and corporate humility before God, contrasting it with superficial attempts to manufacture spiritual experiences through loud music or technology.
• Faithfulness Amidst Opposition [00:37:51 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor encourages the congregation to remain faithful to God's truth even when it causes conflict or ridicule from the world, citing historical examples of financial support for the church despite controversy.
• Corporate Unity and Work [00:40:17 ▶️ 📄]
  > Using the analogy of an electrical circuit and the rebuilding of Jerusalem's wall, the pastor emphasizes that every member must actively participate in the work of God; if one part fails, the entire system fails.
• The Heart vs. The Neck (Stiff-Neckedness) [00:48:40 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that refusing to 'put one's neck in the yoke' of service is not a logistical issue but a heart issue; true rest comes from submitting to Jesus' yoke, not from avoiding the burden of spiritual work.
• Spiritual Rest vs. Worldly Rest [00:50:02 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts physical rest (beds, spas, vacations) with soul rest, arguing that worldly methods fail and only submission to Christ's yoke provides true peace.
• The Yoke of Christ [00:50:55 ▶️ 📄]
  > Explains the paradox that entering a 'yoke' (submission/burden) leads to rest because Jesus leads and bears the weight, making the burden light.
• Humility and Heart Change [00:52:48 ▶️ 📄]
  > Asserts that one cannot enter the yoke without first humbling oneself and having a changed heart, rejecting self-sufficiency.
• The Work of the Lord [00:54:52 ▶️ 📄]
  > Uses Nehemiah and the Tekoites to illustrate that believers must not 'stiffen their neck' but must engage in the work of the Lord with their careers and lives.
• Evangelism and Salvation [00:56:35 ▶️ 📄]
  > Calls the audience to trust in Christ for everlasting life, warning against the terror of dying without faith and urging a change of heart.

• Sermon Illustration [00:00:22 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor humorously notes his own aging (from black hair to gray) and the aging Bible on the pulpit, joking that if the Bible could speak, it would ask when it would be read and followed.
• Sermon Illustration [00:13:06 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses a rhetorical scenario about becoming 'cool' with rhinoceros haircuts, tight jeans, and rock concerts to illustrate the absurdity of the church trying to attract crowds by conforming to worldly entertainment, noting that such a church would just be a free movie theater or football game.
• Sermon Illustration [00:12:38 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor humorously contrasts his clerical robe with 'old suits' and jokes about becoming 'cool' with rhinoceros haircuts and tight jeans to attract a crowd, only to conclude that such a crowd would just be people who already hang out at movie theaters and rock concerts.
• Sermon Illustration [00:21:59 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares an anecdote about an elder who defined his vision for the church as building the 'biggest church we can possibly make' with the 'biggest building,' which the pastor dismisses as a worldly, amiss request.
• Sermon Illustration [00:16:39 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts the historical context of James Iredell, a Supreme Court justice who argued against religious tests for office because he believed the Christian American people would never trust their rights to atheists or Muslims, noting that Iredell 'couldn't see far enough into the future.'
• Sermon Illustration [00:26:08 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the biblical narrative of Nehemiah surveying the broken walls of Jerusalem, humbling himself, and then rallying the people to 'rise up and build' as a primary illustration for church revival and unity.
• Sermon Illustration [00:28:58 ▶️ 📄]
  > He employs an analogy of a romantic partner sending a love letter, describing the obsessive joy of re-reading it to illustrate how believers should treat God's word with similar delight and priority.
• Sermon Illustration [00:35:34 ▶️ 📄]
  > He references the biblical figure Jeremiah, describing his internal compulsion to preach judgment despite unpopularity, likening it to a 'fire in my bones' that cannot be contained.
• Sermon Illustration [00:37:25 ▶️ 📄]
  > He shares a personal anecdote about a specific individual who gave $50,000 to the church over five years because they appreciated the pastor's unpopular, truth-based preaching, illustrating that faithfulness to God brings blessing.
• Sermon Illustration [00:37:25 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares an anecdote about a donor who gave $50,000 to the church over five years specifically because the church stood on controversial truths that made some people mad, illustrating that faithfulness attracts divine provision even amidst opposition.
• Sermon Illustration [00:40:17 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of an electrical circuit to explain corporate unity: if one small piece does not connect, the entire circuit fails, demonstrating that revival requires every member to work together.
• Sermon Illustration [00:49:40 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor humorously contrasts the world's idea of rest (luxury beds like Sleep Number or Tempur-Pedic) with Jesus' offer of rest, which paradoxically involves taking on His 'yoke' and submitting to His work.
• Sermon Illustration [00:49:48 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor mentions various modern mattress brands (Sleep Number, Tempur-Pedic, Beauty Rest) to illustrate the world's search for physical comfort, contrasting it with the spiritual rest offered by Jesus.
• Sermon Illustration [00:51:20 ▶️ 📄]
  > He describes the irony of vacations, noting that people often return from trips with children more tired than when they left, highlighting the insufficiency of physical rest for the soul.
• Sermon Illustration [00:52:32 ▶️ 📄]
  > He references the tragic reality of suicide, stating that those who commit it are told a lie by the devil and often face eternal torture, contrasting this with the mercy found in Christ.
• Sermon Illustration [00:53:23 ▶️ 📄]
  > He paints a picture of people on their deathbeds, often doped on morphine or screaming in fear of God's judgment, to illustrate the horror of dying without Christ and the peace found in His atonement.
• Sermon Illustration [00:54:52 ▶️ 📄]
  > He cites the biblical account of Nehemiah, specifically the Tekoites (nobles) who refused to put their necks to the work of the Lord, using this as a warning against spiritual laziness and stiff-neckedness.

• Pastoral Charge [00:09:16 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor commands the congregation to stop relying on projection screens and physically locate the book of Nehemiah in their Bibles.
• Pastoral Charge [00:14:49 ▶️ 📄]
  > Spend time every single day praying specifically for the revival of the church.
• Pastoral Charge [00:24:42 ▶️ 📄]
  > Humble themselves, pray, seek God's face, and turn from wicked ways.
• Pastoral Charge [00:25:32 ▶️ 📄]
  > Pray for Christians in Iran
• Pastoral Charge [00:30:31 ▶️ 📄]
  > Actively participate in building the church
• Pastoral Charge [00:32:55 ▶️ 📄]
  > Evangelize in personal spheres of influence and bring new believers to church
• Pastoral Charge [00:35:08 ▶️ 📄]
  > Pray about and resume evangelistic conversations with difficult individuals
• Pastoral Charge [00:36:52 ▶️ 📄]
  > Get excited about the Lord
• Pastoral Charge [00:37:51 ▶️ 📄]
  > Remain faithful to God despite opposition
• Pastoral Charge [00:40:47 ▶️ 📄]
  > Work, pray, and cry out to God together
• Pastoral Charge [00:44:04 ▶️ 📄]
  > Commit to the hard work of spiritual disciplines (humbling, praying, repenting)
• Pastoral Charge [00:49:33 ▶️ 📄]
  > Come to Jesus, take His yoke, and submit to Him
• Pastoral Charge [00:56:35 ▶️ 📄]
  > Trust in Jesus and ask God to change one's heart.
• Pastoral Charge [00:59:14 ▶️ 📄]
  > To rise up and engage in the work of building/restoring.

[00:00:02] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:00:02] Our title, They Had a Mind to Do the Lord's Work, reminds you that we've read chapter one and two in our previous message. We talked about the burden, the burden that Nehemiah had. Really, the story of Nehemiah is a story of revival. And as Pastor Andy was praying
[00:00:22] for the revival of the church, you know that I pray, I yearn. I've been here now from black hair to gray hair, 16 years almost, and these are getting pretty old.
[00:00:35] They've been up a long time, this 2 Chronicles 7-14, probably another 5-10 years, it's time to get some new ones, these are probably going to fall apart, but they've been up a long time, and I guess if they could speak, they're speaking, when are they going to read me and
[00:00:51] follow it?
[00:00:52] But not just you, me too.
[00:00:54] And so in the time that I've been here, say some 15, 16 years, we've preached to Nehemiah a couple of few times.
[00:01:05] And the emphasis of revival stands out.
[00:01:09] This is a revival for the nation of Israel at the time, revival of Jerusalem in particular.
[00:01:14] But the story is revival for the people of God.
[00:01:18] And we need it desperately today.
[00:01:21] Cornerstone needs it.
[00:01:22] I don't know about all the other churches, but Cornerstone needs it.
[00:01:26] I know.
[00:01:27] We need it.
[00:01:28] I need it.
[00:01:30] We need it.
[00:01:31] That means you, too.
[00:01:32] We all need it.
[00:01:33] So as we read chapter 3, really chapter 3 is a list, a list, before I read it, of an effort to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem.
[00:01:45] The walls have been broken down for many years.
[00:01:48] The Jews have returned, a lot of them, or some of them, but they're living in a city with no walls. And in old days, a city with no walls is a helpless city, a city without safety,
[00:02:00] security, a city that cannot experience any kind of prosperity at all, a city that is open to invaders, enemies, and whatever else may be. And so, as we read in chapter 1 and 2, Nehemiah returns
[00:02:16] from Persia after getting the king to answer his prayer that he is now going to rebuild the walls.
[00:02:22] he's surveyed the broken walls, he's encouraged the people, the people have decided they're going to work. It says in chapter 2 that in verse 18, after he challenges them, they said, let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for the good work. That's chapter 2
[00:02:43] of verse 18. And so now chapter 3 is really, the total of it, is a description of who did the work and what part they did.
[00:02:53] Very interesting that these names should last now some 2,400 years.
[00:03:00] And it even mentions a few who wouldn't work.
[00:03:04] So this is chapter 3, which we are going to read, and I pray the Lord will open up to us.
[00:03:12] The list is important.
[00:03:13] It is inspired, but there is more here than meets the eye.
[00:03:16] Let's read now Nehemiah chapter 3, verse 1.
[00:03:22] Then Eliashib, the high priest, rose up with his brethren, the priests, and they builded the sheep gate.
[00:03:28] They sanctified it and set up the doors of it, even unto the tower of Meir, they sanctified it unto the tower of Hanayel.
[00:03:37] And next unto him builded the men of Jericho, and next to them builded Zakur, the son of Imri.
[00:03:43] But the fish gate did the sons of Hassanah build, who also laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.
[00:03:52] And next unto them repaired Merimoth, the son of Urijah, the son of Koz.
[00:03:57] And next unto them repaired Meshulam, the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabil.
[00:04:03] And next unto them repaired Zadok, the son of Bena.
[00:04:06] And next unto them the Tekhoites repaired, but their nobles put not their necks to the work of the Lord.
[00:04:12] Moreover, the old gate repaired Jehoiada, the son of Passiah, and Meshulam, the son of Besodia.
[00:04:19] they laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof. And next unto them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronithite, the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, unto the throne of the governor on this side the river. Next unto him
[00:04:38] repaired Uziel the son of Harhiah of the goldsmiths. Next unto him also repaired Hananiah the son of one of the apothecaries, and they fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall.
[00:04:51] And next unto them repaired Rephiah, the son of Hur, the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem.
[00:04:56] And next unto them repaired Jediah, the son of Harumaf, even over against his house.
[00:05:02] And next unto him repaired Hattush, the son of Hashabaniah.
[00:05:07] Melchizedek, the son of Harim, and Hashub, the son of Pehath-Moab, repaired the other pieces and the tower of the furnaces.
[00:05:15] And next unto him repaired Shalom, the son of Halohesh, the ruler of the half-part of Jerusalem, he and his daughters.
[00:05:24] The valley gate repaired Hanun, the inhabitants of Zenoa.
[00:05:27] They built it and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and a thousand cubits on the wall unto the dung gate.
[00:05:33] But the dung gate repaired Melchiah, the son of Rehab, the ruler of part of Beth-has-Sarim.
[00:05:40] He built it, set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.
[00:05:44] But the gate of the fountain repaired Shalom, the son of Kol-hozah, the ruler of part of Mizpah.
[00:05:51] He built it and covered it and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and the wall of the pool of Siloah by the king's garden, unto the stairs that go down from the city of David.
[00:06:02] After him repaired Nehemiah, the son of Azbuk, the ruler of the half-part of Beth-zur, unto the place over against the sepulchres of David, and to the pool that was made, and unto the house of the mighty.
[00:06:14] After him repaired the Levites, Rahim the son of Bani.
[00:06:18] Next unto him repaired Hashabiah, the ruler of the half-part of Keliah, in his part.
[00:06:24] And after him repaired their brethren, Bavai, the son of Hinnadad, the ruler of the half-part of Keilah.
[00:06:30] And next to him repaired Ezer, the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, another piece over against the going up to the armory at the turning of the wall.
[00:06:40] After him, Baruch, the son of Zebai, earnestly repaired the other piece from the turning of the wall unto the door of the house of Eliashib, the high priest.
[00:06:48] After him repaired Merimoth, the son of Uriah, the son of Koz, another piece, from the door of the house of Eliashib, even to the end of the house of Eliashib.
[00:06:56] And after him repaired the priest, the men of the plain.
[00:06:58] After him repaired Benjamin and Hashub over against their house.
[00:07:02] After him repaired Azariah, the son of Messiah, the son of Ananiah, by his house.
[00:07:07] After him repaired Benuai, the son of Hinnadad, another piece, from the house of Azariah, unto the turning of the wall, even unto the corner.
[00:07:16] Pelal, the son of Uzziah, over against the turning of the wall, and the tower which lieth out from the king's high house that was by the court of the prison.
[00:07:24] After him, Pediah, the son of Perosh, moreover the Nethanims, dwelt in Ophel, unto the place over against the water gate, toward the east of the tower that lieth out.
[00:07:34] After them the Techoites repaired another piece over against the great tower that lieth out, even under the wall of Ophel.
[00:07:42] From above the horse gate repaired the priest, every one over against his house.
[00:07:47] After them repaired Zadok, the son of Emer, over against his house.
[00:07:52] After him repaired also Shemiah, the son of Shekiniah, the keeper of the east gate.
[00:07:57] After him repaired Hananiah, the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zelaph, another piece.
[00:08:03] After him repaired Meshulam, the son of Berechiah, over against his chamber.
[00:08:07] After him repaired Melchiah, the goldsmith's son, unto the place of the Nethanims and of the merchants over against the gate Miphkad and to the going up of the corner.
[00:08:18] And between the going up of the corner unto the sheep gate repaired the goldsmiths and the merchants.
[00:08:26] Let's pray.
[00:08:27] Heavenly Father, thank you for this record in your word.
[00:08:31] we know it is inspired it is important help us now to give the more attention and heed to the voice of your spirit speaking through your word this day that you might be pleased to work in us
[00:08:42] that reviving work that we see here for your church and for your glory in Christ's name Amen if any of you don't know how to find the book of Nehemiah shame on you and shame on Emilio for helping you cheat
[00:08:57] so the screens are there for your convenience but if as I hear from some of our people you've grown lazy by allowing the screens to inform you of the scripture and you can't find these books please disregard the screens and use the bible because otherwise I'll get dictatorial
[00:09:16] and we'll cut off the screens people will complain and then you'll have to take your bible out and find where the book is. All right. With that being said, this chapter three of Nehemiah, you know, Pastor Joseph, you wasted a lot of breath. I mean, you know,
[00:09:34] that was a whole bunch of names and what good does that do us? Well, just think if your name was one of them, if you were there and it was inspired scripture, wouldn't you want your name
[00:09:45] to still be in the Bible today? That's pretty important. Those people who actually did the work. How much did they get paid? Not a penny. Was it communism or socialism? The government said, you must do this or we'll put you in jail. No. There were people who said, I'm not doing that.
[00:10:06] And some of them were named to their infamy now, some 2,400 years later. And so these names are names of those that lived in Jerusalem and some that lived out of Jerusalem that said, this is
[00:10:20] important. This is the work of the Lord. Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem is extremely important to the kingdom of God. This idea of revival of the church is important, and I need to be part of it.
[00:10:35] It's so easy to be like the nobles of Tekoa that put not their necks to the work you find in verse 5, and next unto them the Techoites repaired, but their nobles put not their necks to the
[00:10:50] work of the Lord.
[00:10:52] Someone else will do that work.
[00:10:54] I'll tend to my own affairs.
[00:10:58] Isn't that something?
[00:11:00] Isn't that true about our nation?
[00:11:03] A lot of times.
[00:11:04] The people that have the right ideas and the ability to do things, ah, well, somebody else will do it.
[00:11:11] And the same thing in the church.
[00:11:12] And so this picture of revival is a wonderful picture of people recognizing and now receiving and sharing the burden that Nehemiah has for the kingdom of God.
[00:11:25] It's in shambles. The walls broken down were physical, but it also symbolized the state of the people of God, which is in disarray.
[00:11:34] And as I shared statistics yesterday, isn't that the church in America?
[00:11:38] Can't we say the walls have been broken down?
[00:11:42] What's the problem with the walls?
[00:11:44] For one, they had, of course, security, but also separation.
[00:11:51] And what we have now is no walls.
[00:11:54] Charles Spurgeon in the late 19th century said, when the church becomes like the world, it's all over.
[00:12:03] It's finished.
[00:12:05] Well, guess what?
[00:12:06] What if he was living today?
[00:12:08] What would he say?
[00:12:11] And so, this idea, the walls are something of separation.
[00:12:15] Come out from among them, be ye separate, saith the Lord.
[00:12:18] Be holy, for I am holy.
[00:12:20] The church should look different, because we are called to follow Christ Jesus, to imitate God, Ephesians chapter 5, verse 1.
[00:12:28] And we are, if we are born again, being conformed to them.
[00:12:32] We can't do it ourselves, but God can do it, becoming more and more like Christ.
[00:12:36] So there should be a separation.
[00:12:38] One of the reasons I wear this robe is so you don't see all of my old suits every Sunday.
[00:12:43] But no, there's this aspect that you're not looking at what I wear or what I don't wear.
[00:12:51] It's not a matter of a certain style of suit or a certain, just this plain old black robe every Sunday so that you don't care about what I wear.
[00:12:59] Hopefully, you're more interested in what I'm saying.
[00:13:02] And that's the idea.
[00:13:04] There's a separation.
[00:13:06] You say, well, Pastor Joseph, if we could just get cool, you know.
[00:13:09] You and Pastor Andy get that cool haircut that goes up in the middle like a rhinoceros.
[00:13:14] And those tight jeans.
[00:13:16] And if we could get a hip band and everything.
[00:13:19] And you loosen up a little bit.
[00:13:21] And show movies and everything else.
[00:13:23] And have some popcorn.
[00:13:24] Man, we could have a crowd.
[00:13:27] Yeah, a crowd of people that don't know the Lord.
[00:13:31] Because they do the same thing at the movie theater.
[00:13:33] They do the same thing at the football game.
[00:13:35] They do the same thing at the rock concert.
[00:13:38] Well, if you become a movie theater, a football game, and a rock concert for free, hey, this is a good deal. Let's go.
[00:13:45] There should be a separation.
[00:13:46] The walls need to be rebuilt.
[00:13:48] Also, safety and security.
[00:13:50] And also, a city that did not have walls in the old days could not prosper, could not move forward.
[00:13:56] And so, too, the church.
[00:13:58] We need to see the walls rebuilt.
[00:14:00] Now, here's the question.
[00:14:02] The church, the walls of Jerusalem laid in rubble for years.
[00:14:07] And all those Jews there just walk around that one.
[00:14:11] They walk around this one.
[00:14:13] All right, it's time to go to work.
[00:14:17] Who cares?
[00:14:17] Of course the walls are in shambles.
[00:14:19] Who cares?
[00:14:20] I need to go make money, me and my family.
[00:14:23] And who cares about the walls?
[00:14:25] Ah, so what?
[00:14:26] We don't have a separation.
[00:14:27] We're not holy.
[00:14:28] The enemy comes in.
[00:14:30] He's affected us, this and the other thing.
[00:14:32] Well, we're an oppressed people.
[00:14:33] So what?
[00:14:33] You know, times are bad.
[00:14:34] Who cares?
[00:14:35] Let's just go about it.
[00:14:36] And so, what was the problem with Jerusalem and why had it been revived before now?
[00:14:44] You have not because you ask not.
[00:14:47] You don't need to raise your hand.
[00:14:49] How many of you spend time every single day praying specifically for the revival of the church?
[00:14:56] You don't have to tell me.
[00:14:57] I know.
[00:14:59] When I say I know, I mean generally I know.
[00:15:02] I don't know every single individual.
[00:15:03] If there's somebody here who spends hours, please tell me so I can come join you.
[00:15:07] because you're doing better than me and guess what do we have revival no you have not because you ask not all these israelites are there for years but doesn't seem to be any movement of
[00:15:24] prayer but why because if my people what you call by my name will humble themselves and pray you can't pray till you humble yourself until you realize first of all that it's god's will for
[00:15:35] the church, we don't need a constant revival. We need to be in a state where we don't need revival, filled with life, filled with the Spirit, a great light to the world around us. And even those people
[00:15:46] who disagree with us, they secretly envy us, because there is life, there is purpose, there is peace, there is joy, even in the midst of struggles and trials, because this is the life of God. This
[00:15:58] is the will of God for all of us. It is the declared will of God, and it will be fully and finally and completely manifest in heaven in constant perfect life forevermore everlasting life and but when we need revival that means there's something that was once alive and now has
[00:16:17] you know kind of fallen down and that's what the case is with these walls and it's the same thing with the church in america today i'm going to be sharing in the islam study uh iredale county
[00:16:31] was named after who? Anybody know? Some guy named Iredell, right?
[00:16:39] James Iredell did not sign the Constitution, but he was an original Supreme Court justice.
[00:16:47] Funny thing is, he never lived in Iredell County. But anyways, he lived out east. You can go to his house. I'd like to go one day. But he was essentially a founding father. And I don't
[00:16:57] want to make this too long, but I did some research. He was central in Hillsborough, North Carolina in like 1780s in this discussion of whether or not North Carolina should ratify the Constitution. And one of the things he was discussing as a Supreme Court justice was whether
[00:17:15] or not we need a religious test for people who hold office. In other words, do we demand in the Constitution that people be Christians in order to hold office? Well, I wish they had said yes.
[00:17:27] But they did not put that in.
[00:17:29] And he had some rationale that made sense.
[00:17:32] But one of the things he said back in 1780-some, he says, it could never, because he said there's an objection.
[00:17:39] Someone said, well, if we don't put in a religious test, they could put in an atheist.
[00:17:43] Or they could even put in a Muslim.
[00:17:46] That's actually what he said.
[00:17:47] And he said, ah, let it never be thought that the American people, who are almost completely Christian would ever trust their precious and sacred constitutional rights to people who have no God or a religion that is essentially different from their own.
[00:18:09] In other words, Islam.
[00:18:13] He couldn't see far enough into the future, could he?
[00:18:18] And so this idea of the foundations and the walls and a desire for truth and a desire for life and a desire for revival is something that we need to understand how far we have fallen as a
[00:18:37] nation, as a people, as a church. It was so assumed by the founding fathers that 99 plus percent of Americans are Bible-believing Christians who will never have a problem. Things have changed since then. We need revival, folks. And so you have not because
[00:18:53] you ask not. Turn to James chapter 4. Why are the walls being built because one man humbled himself. Where was he? He wasn't even in Israel. He was in Persia. I think he had a pretty good life. He was cupbearer to the king. He was living about as
[00:19:09] large as you can for a captive in Persia. And yet his heart was desirous to know the state of affairs of the kingdom of God. And when he heard that things were in terrible disarray, his heart
[00:19:22] was broken, he weeped, he lamented, he mourned, he fasted, and then he prayed. What did he do?
[00:19:29] He heard and he humbled himself. Well, was it his sins particularly? Not so much. But nevertheless, he humbled himself and he prayed unto God and he sought his face and he actually confessed the sins of the nation and of people, not himself. And guess what? God did hear from heaven,
[00:19:49] forgive sin, and bring back a healing and reviving.
[00:19:53] Nehemiah did it.
[00:19:54] How about the people of Israel?
[00:19:56] Apparently not one.
[00:19:58] Why hadn't it happened before?
[00:19:59] Because they're not asking.
[00:20:00] You have not because you ask not.
[00:20:02] James chapter 4, it speaks to the situation in Nehemiah, but it speaks to us even today.
[00:20:09] You go find the book of Hebrews, turn to the right, because Emilio's not back there right now.
[00:20:16] Thank you, Emilio.
[00:20:18] verse 1 from whence come wars and fighting among you James chapter 4 verse 1 come they not hence even of your lust that war and your members ye lust and have not ye kill and desire to have and cannot obtain
[00:20:30] ye fight and war and you have not why because you ask not they haven't got revival because they hadn't even asked for it as long as I got my money and my food and my house and my boat on
[00:20:46] the lake or whatever else. Who cares? As long as the church keeps, I mean, we don't need to have every seat full. As long as Pastor Andy and Joseph get paid, they'll keep doing what they're
[00:20:58] doing. What do you want? If that's what church is, count me out. That's not what God calls us to.
[00:21:12] If we're alive, alive things grow. Spiritual growth first and foremost, but there should also be physical growth and that's what we see in nehemiah and the wall but here in james the problem with most of us is that we don't have a burden we really don't have a burden if we're
[00:21:31] really honest we don't have a burden for the revival of the church and if we don't what's the problem why is nehemiah different who's right him or us you have not because you ask not you ask
[00:21:45] and receive not. Why? Because you ask amiss. One time when I was here many years ago, all those people are gone now, but I asked one of our elders, what's your vision for the church? He said,
[00:21:59] see that field out there?
[00:22:00] I want the biggest church we can possibly make. Biggest building.
[00:22:05] I said, that's your vision? Yeah.
[00:22:09] Thank you. Who cares?
[00:22:12] Big building.
[00:22:13] Building doesn't matter.
[00:22:15] We can meet in a field if we have to.
[00:22:18] We can have 10 services.
[00:22:19] Pastor Andy will do eight, I'll do two.
[00:22:22] Whatever.
[00:22:24] But I mean, right?
[00:22:25] We'll do whatever we got to do, Pastor Andy, right?
[00:22:29] I better speak for myself.
[00:22:31] So, but the point is, six, seven, make it seven.
[00:22:38] So, we have not because, you know, we're never going to have revival if we don't care.
[00:22:48] You have not because you ask not.
[00:22:50] And then if we do ask, I want a big building.
[00:22:53] I want the most people in town.
[00:22:55] I want a lot of money and a great TV ministry.
[00:22:58] Who cares?
[00:22:59] The devil can have that.
[00:23:01] You ask and receive not, James 4, 3, because you ask amiss that you may consume it upon your lust.
[00:23:06] And in this context of thinking of Nehemiah, the rest of this makes a little more sense.
[00:23:12] Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that friendship of the world is enmity with God?
[00:23:17] They liked it.
[00:23:18] They were fine.
[00:23:19] Having Sambalot, the Horonite, and Tobiah, the Ammonite, and Geshem, the Arab, and the trade, and people come in and people coming out, and they were just like the other nations.
[00:23:29] They didn't need a wall.
[00:23:30] Hey, these guys are our friends.
[00:23:32] They give us money.
[00:23:33] We have good trade.
[00:23:34] Forget the wall.
[00:23:35] Who cares about the wall?
[00:23:37] Adulterers, adulteresses, don't you know friendship with the world is enmity against God?
[00:23:41] When the church becomes like the world, the church has lost its savor.
[00:23:45] That when the salt has lost its savor, it's good for what?
[00:23:48] nothing but to be trodden under the foot of men.
[00:23:51] And what do unbelievers think about the church?
[00:23:55] Stupid, irrelevant, absolutely worthless.
[00:24:02] And for the most part, they might be right.
[00:24:05] God forbid.
[00:24:07] Because the true church is not that.
[00:24:10] But so much of what calls itself a church is.
[00:24:13] God forbid.
[00:24:14] The adulterers and adulteresses, know you not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?
[00:24:20] Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
[00:24:25] Do you think that the Scripture saith in vain, the spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy, but he giveth more grace?
[00:24:30] Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the, if my people which are called by my name will do what?
[00:24:42] Humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from the wicked ways.
[00:24:46] And so, verse 7, submit yourselves therefore to God.
[00:24:52] Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
[00:24:55] Draw nigh to God.
[00:24:57] and he will draw nigh unto you.
[00:24:59] Pastor Andy mentioned that earlier, I think, in his prayer.
[00:25:03] And so this is what God is calling us to do, to humble ourselves, to seek his will.
[00:25:08] Adulterers, why adulterers?
[00:25:10] If we love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, how can we not care about his kingdom?
[00:25:15] How can we not care about the church?
[00:25:17] And not just Cornerstone, but every true church.
[00:25:20] And not just in America, but in Africa, in the Middle East, and in East Asia, all over the world.
[00:25:26] The fastest growing church in the world today, as we understand it, is in what country?
[00:25:32] When you think about Iran, pray for our brothers and sisters there.
[00:25:36] And do you think Iran is the best place to be a Christian?
[00:25:44] Are we the fastest growing church in America?
[00:25:50] Do we need persecution to grow?
[00:25:52] Is that what it is?
[00:25:55] Lord have mercy.
[00:25:56] And so, we need to remember the church.
[00:25:59] Have a heart for the church, because the church is the apple of God's eye.
[00:26:03] Now, Nehemiah came and he spoke to the people.
[00:26:08] Before they said, let's rise up and build, what happened?
[00:26:12] Nehemiah comes and he preaches, essentially, and teaches.
[00:26:15] Go back to chapter 2 of Nehemiah.
[00:26:17] And we see when Nehemiah comes to them, he says in verse 17, Then said I unto them, after he's surveyed the situation, after, remember, he's humbled himself, he heard about the case of the church,
[00:26:31] He was so upset, he prays, he seeks God with all of his heart.
[00:26:36] He humbles himself, he confesses sins, even of the nation.
[00:26:40] God answers, gives him favor with the king.
[00:26:43] He comes with good words to the people of God.
[00:26:46] And he says in verse 17 of chapter 2, Then said I unto them, You see the distress that we are in.
[00:26:51] Is that what I've been telling you about?
[00:26:53] How Jerusalem lieth waste, and how gates, the gates thereof, are burned up with fire.
[00:26:58] So then what's the result?
[00:26:59] Come, let us build up the wall of Jerusalem that we'd be no more reproach.
[00:27:05] Isn't that the call for revival?
[00:27:07] Then I told them.
[00:27:09] So he tells them the situation, how it is.
[00:27:12] He doesn't just say, everything's great.
[00:27:14] Everything's wonderful.
[00:27:15] God just loves you so much.
[00:27:16] He just can't wait to make you rich and make you healthy and happy.
[00:27:20] And y'all go home and have a great day.
[00:27:22] No, he tells them the church is sick.
[00:27:25] The church is in trouble.
[00:27:26] I believe that the pastors who preach the truth of God without any restraint of the world or fear of offending man generally have some of the smaller churches. Why? Because the flesh doesn't want to hear it. I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear that I'm bad and need to repent.
[00:27:52] I don't want to hear that I'm not good enough. Well, you're not. Neither am I. When will you be good enough. Never. Until you get to heaven. And that's because God will make you like his son
[00:28:04] if you're born again. You know, you just need to get over it, right? And so here's this thing.
[00:28:10] What does he say? Nehemiah chapter 2, verse 17, verse 18. Then I told them of the hand of my God, which was good upon me. He testifies. I have a testimony. Anybody here have a testimony?
[00:28:21] Okay. As also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. Has the king spoke anything to you?
[00:28:28] He has to me the king's words that he has spoken unto me.
[00:28:36] People who claim to be Christian and don't read the Bible.
[00:28:40] Something's not right, folks.
[00:28:42] You love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength?
[00:28:46] Well, your first love, if she or he sent you a little note, would you look at it and say, oh yeah, it's him again.
[00:28:58] I'm going to go watch a movie.
[00:29:00] No, no, that first love.
[00:29:03] oh oh boy oh my oh my oh yes yes oh let me read it again and again and again oh let me put it right here oh let me carry that around let me open it back up oh don't you know it by now it's short
[00:29:17] enough i just can't i just love to see her handwriting isn't that wonderful oh she loves me oh i just love that so much that's a long time ago but anyways the point is the point is
[00:29:36] Has it ever been like that with you in this?
[00:29:41] And if not, why not?
[00:29:44] Are we supposed to love our first human love more than him?
[00:29:49] Love him with some of the leftovers of our heart?
[00:29:53] No, all of our heart, all of our mind, all of our soul, all of our strength.
[00:29:58] There's a great disconnect.
[00:30:00] Lord have mercy.
[00:30:01] And so, the love letter of God to his people, to his church.
[00:30:08] And so Nehemiah says the testimony, the king's words, verse 18 of Nehemiah chapter 2, and they said, after he said that, they're encouraged.
[00:30:18] It was a good sermon.
[00:30:19] It was a short sermon, but it was a good sermon, and they respond.
[00:30:21] And what's the response?
[00:30:23] Ah, yeah, Pastor Joseph, he keeps talking about this.
[00:30:26] I don't know what we're going to do with that guy.
[00:30:29] No.
[00:30:29] What's the response that we should all have?
[00:30:31] Let us rise up and build.
[00:30:33] So they strengthened their hand for this good work.
[00:30:36] That should be our response.
[00:30:38] All of us.
[00:30:39] Not just to my words, but to God's words.
[00:30:43] For my words, I pray, agree with his.
[00:30:46] Otherwise, don't listen to me.
[00:30:48] And so, let us build.
[00:30:49] Let us rise up and build.
[00:30:51] Now notice, Pastor Andy preached a great message, Ephesians 4.
[00:30:56] I should say, a very important message.
[00:30:58] Ephesians chapter 4, verse 10 through 16.
[00:31:00] Most of you were not here to hear it, unfortunately.
[00:31:04] But that was in our series.
[00:31:06] and in Ephesians 4, it talks about a picture of what we see in Nehemiah 3.
[00:31:13] The whole body coming together to build the work of the Lord.
[00:31:19] And that's the walls in Jerusalem, but here in Ephesians 4, it's the church.
[00:31:25] The whole body is involved. Let's just pick it up in Ephesians 4, verse 10.
[00:31:31] He that descended is the same that also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.
[00:31:36] Who's that talking about?
[00:31:38] Jesus Christ.
[00:31:38] And he gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and some teachers.
[00:31:44] For what purpose?
[00:31:46] For the perfecting of the saints, to make them complete.
[00:31:49] For the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.
[00:31:53] Now people have taken this two ways.
[00:31:55] One is that the apostles and the prophets, the evangelists, the teachers, the preachers, are to do the work of the ministry.
[00:32:02] And that's absolutely true.
[00:32:04] Others have seen it that they are to perfect the saints, to grow the saints, that they might be able to do the work of the ministry.
[00:32:13] Either way is true.
[00:32:15] And the fact is, both are true.
[00:32:17] Because every saint is supposed to be a minister.
[00:32:20] We're all supposed to work together.
[00:32:22] How do they get the wall finished?
[00:32:23] Did Nehemiah say, let me show you how powerful I am and go build the whole wall?
[00:32:28] No.
[00:32:28] Everybody did their own part.
[00:32:30] all of these different families all of these different individuals took care of their own part that was close to them and that's what we're supposed to do the church have you ever heard the church supposed to be salt right well it's time to get the salt out of the shaker the shaker
[00:32:44] is here it's good that the salt is here on sundays this is where we are are receiving from the lord hopefully encouragement conviction but edification and strength and being built up and then the same
[00:32:55] salt, each one of you and me, should be effective outside. We are to go in our own sphere of influence and continue the ministry. And then as God enables us, we're to bring them back.
[00:33:07] Bring them in to the house of the Lord. Well, isn't that what we pay you to do, Pastor Joseph or Pastor Andy? Of course. But this is not just for he and I. This is for all of us. If just
[00:33:18] Nehemiah built the wall, how long would it take? It would never happen. And if you just sit there waiting for me and Pastor Eddie to do it?
[00:33:27] It's not going to happen.
[00:33:28] Look what the Bible says.
[00:33:29] Yeah, we're going to keep working, but we can't build the wall by ourselves.
[00:33:33] Neither could Nehemiah.
[00:33:34] As a matter of fact, Nehemiah doesn't say that he built any of it.
[00:33:37] There's another guy, Nehemiah, with a different father, but Nehemiah, he was overseeing the affair.
[00:33:45] He himself did not work, but everyone got together and worked.
[00:33:49] Even those who did not live in Jerusalem said, this is so important.
[00:33:52] This is the kingdom of God.
[00:33:53] I'm going up to Jerusalem to help build this section of the wall.
[00:33:56] And so the same picture is here in Ephesians 4, verse 12, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, until, until what?
[00:34:06] We all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we are henceforth no more children tossed to and fro
[00:34:19] and carried about with every wind of doctrine, every youtube video by the slight of men and the cunning craftiness whereby they lie and wait to deceive but speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things which is the head even
[00:34:35] christ and i look at verse 16 this talks about each and every one of you if you're a member of the body of christ from whom the whole body you're a part of the body fitly joined together and
[00:34:46] compacted by that which every joint supplieth according to the effectual work and the measure of every part. The work and measure of every part maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
[00:35:00] This is when we see revival. When each and every one of you are excited. When each and every one of you are filled with life. When you say, well pastor, I've talked to everybody I know. Talk to
[00:35:08] some people you don't know. And those that you've said, well they'll never come to my church.
[00:35:13] Maybe you need to pray about talking to them again. And And just get to where you can't stop talking about Jesus.
[00:35:20] Why?
[00:35:20] You don't have to put it on.
[00:35:21] You don't have to be fake.
[00:35:22] You don't have to be phony.
[00:35:23] You need to get filled with the Holy Spirit of God.
[00:35:25] And like Jeremiah, he says, you know, every time, this is a paraphrase, every time I preach the Word of God, people don't like me.
[00:35:34] Why?
[00:35:34] Because he's preaching the truth.
[00:35:36] Judgment is coming.
[00:35:36] You need to repent of your sins.
[00:35:38] You need to get right.
[00:35:38] Otherwise, you're all going to be killed and slain.
[00:35:40] It's going to be terrible.
[00:35:42] Guess what?
[00:35:42] That's not a very popular message.
[00:35:44] Most people don't like to hear it, but it was the Word of God.
[00:35:46] And this is a paraphrase.
[00:35:48] Go back and study.
[00:35:49] We should have been reading Jeremiah.
[00:35:50] He says, well, you know what I'm going to do?
[00:35:52] I'm just not going to say anything.
[00:35:55] How did that work?
[00:35:57] He's like, I can't contain it.
[00:35:59] It's like a fire in my bones.
[00:36:01] I've got to say it.
[00:36:03] That's the way it has to be for us.
[00:36:05] And if it's not there, then maybe there's something missing.
[00:36:08] It's called the Holy Spirit.
[00:36:09] It's called being born again.
[00:36:11] If you're born again, God says he's taken his word and he's written it on our hearts.
[00:36:18] And out of the abundance of the heart, and if we're not speaking His word and sharing it with people, maybe that means it's not there.
[00:36:27] And if curse words are coming out, and the ball games are coming out, and the stock market's coming out, and the latest news is coming out, maybe that's what our hearts are filled with.
[00:36:39] And if that's the case, it's certainly not filled with the love of God.
[00:36:44] How will we ever have revival if we have not yet humbled ourselves before the Lord.
[00:36:51] Every one of you is important.
[00:36:52] If we're going to see revival, all of you need to get excited about the Lord.
[00:36:57] Some of you have positions where you meet new people all the time.
[00:37:01] I won't name names.
[00:37:02] You know who you are.
[00:37:04] You should always be telling, well, you know, people might get mad at my work.
[00:37:08] Let them get mad.
[00:37:09] I don't want to lose my job, Pastor.
[00:37:12] Maybe that's the way to get a better one.
[00:37:15] Who knows?
[00:37:17] People say things like, Don't put those things on the sign that might make people mad.
[00:37:22] We don't want people not to like us.
[00:37:25] Do you know that things that I put on the sign, there was a certain individual who never came to this church as a member, but probably gave $50,000 in a period of about five years to this church
[00:37:39] in a time when it was under attack because of those things that people don't like, but they know are true.
[00:37:48] Why do I say that?
[00:37:49] That's the Lord, folks.
[00:37:51] Be faithful to the Lord no matter who opposes you.
[00:37:55] He will strengthen.
[00:37:58] Not by power, nor by might, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.
[00:38:03] That's how we must live.
[00:38:05] That's how we must work.
[00:38:06] That's how we must think.
[00:38:09] And that's the only way revival will come.
[00:38:12] To try to doctor up or conjure up a spirit of revival with a loud guitar.
[00:38:18] and the microphones that break your eardrums.
[00:38:23] I mean, the speakers and all that kind of stuff.
[00:38:28] The false religions do this.
[00:38:30] This is not of God.
[00:38:38] Someone is knocking.
[00:38:41] All right, 12 minutes left.
[00:38:43] Let's move forward.
[00:38:45] And so, the picture.
[00:38:48] Just a few comments quickly on who's here.
[00:38:50] It begins with the high priest.
[00:38:53] If anybody has a risk, I'm just, you know, y'all get to work.
[00:38:58] I'm the high priest.
[00:38:59] You know, I go to the Holy of Holies once a year.
[00:39:03] Your work, I'll sit back and pray for you.
[00:39:07] No, no, the high priest is the first one.
[00:39:09] He's there, and he starts off.
[00:39:12] And by the way, they pray over the area that they built, and they sanctify it with prayer.
[00:39:17] And that's the way it should be.
[00:39:19] True pastors and believers should be leading an example for others.
[00:39:24] And as I mentioned in verse 2, 5, and 7 and other places, there are those who are not even in Jerusalem, but who are people of God, who see how important this is. They're not going to get any physical, probably, advantage from this, but they, to their
[00:39:38] own hurt and to their own cost, travel to Jerusalem to join in this great affair of the revival of the church, if you will, and the people of God and the ministry. Now, there are some, as I mentioned,
[00:39:51] now the high priest did, but the nobles, I don't think we're going to do this. And so there were nobles in verse 5 who put not their neck to the work of the Lord. And there were some others that
[00:40:03] didn't. But for the most part, most people did. And as they worked together, the wall was completed to half the height all the way around. Now what would happen if one group decided not to do their
[00:40:17] work? In electrical circuit, what if you just have one little piece of, one little tiny piece that doesn't connect. What's going to happen? Yeah. And so the wall, everybody has to work together.
[00:40:29] If we're not working together, how is it going to happen? If a few of us are praying for revival and the rest of you, whatever, you know, revival, reshmival, he's been talking about that a long
[00:40:39] time, you know, whatever. How many does it take to cut the circuit? We need to be working together.
[00:40:47] We need to be praying together. We need to be crying out to God to do a great work in the midst of the years. Now, this, before we end, let's look at the response. Just the first six
[00:40:59] verses of chapter four. So, has anyone besides me noticed that there's a huge uptick in Jew hatred lately? It's no coincidence that the generation that saw the Holocaust has now mostly died off and the Jew hatred is increasing. Jew hatred is nothing new. It's here in Nehemiah's day.
[00:41:20] Notice, when the walls are being rebuilt, look what Sanballat and the people outside, the non-Jews, have to say.
[00:41:29] Verse 1, But it came to pass that when Sanballat heard that we built the wall, he was wroth and took great indignation and mocked the Jews.
[00:41:39] It's not your wall. Why do you care?
[00:41:41] There is a satanic hatred against the people of God and against the church, even today.
[00:41:46] It's the same thing today as it was then.
[00:41:48] It doesn't matter if it looks like the Arabs or Islam or the far left, communists or whoever else.
[00:41:54] It's the same spirit. It's been there forever.
[00:41:57] Even that's a proof of the truth of the Bible and the word of God.
[00:42:01] And notice verse 2, And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria and said, What do these feeble Jews? Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice?
[00:42:10] Will they make an end in a day?
[00:42:12] Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?
[00:42:16] And then Tobiah the Ammonite was by him.
[00:42:20] He said, even that which they build, if a fox goes up, he shall even break down their stone wall.
[00:42:30] And Nehemiah's response when he hears these words of ridicule and mocking, which come out of hatred.
[00:42:38] Hatred and wrath, right?
[00:42:40] Why?
[00:42:41] That the Jews are prospering.
[00:42:43] that the people of, when you decide, when you decide to humble yourself and pray and seek his face and turn from your wicked ways, as we decide as a church and God brings the blessing,
[00:42:53] there's going to be hatred and angst and malice towards us. Why? Because God has shown up and is doing a great work. Why? Because these people hate God. They don't know it, but they hate God.
[00:43:04] Why? Because they follow after the prince of the power of the air, the God of this world, who is Satan, who is an eternal God-hater.
[00:43:14] And this is what we have in front of us here.
[00:43:16] Now, Nehemiah hears this, and what does he say?
[00:43:20] Verse, let's see, we're in Nehemiah 4, and Tobiah has given his reproach.
[00:43:29] And now verse 4.
[00:43:30] Hear, O our God, for we are despised, and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity.
[00:43:37] Cover not their iniquity, And let not their sin be blotted out from before thee.
[00:43:42] For they have provoked thee to anger before the builders.
[00:43:46] Now look at verse 6, and we'll stop here.
[00:43:48] So built we the wall.
[00:43:51] All the wall was joined together unto the half thereof, for the people had a mind to work.
[00:44:00] Now, I want to ask you a question.
[00:44:04] Do you have a mind to work?
[00:44:08] This is work.
[00:44:10] Humbling yourself before God is work.
[00:44:13] Prayer is work.
[00:44:15] Seeking his face is work.
[00:44:18] Turning from our wicked ways and repenting is work.
[00:44:23] Do you have a mind to work?
[00:44:25] By the way, that word mind in the Hebrew is leb, and that really literally means heart.
[00:44:31] The wall got built because the people, not Pastor Andy and Joseph, The people had a heart for the kingdom of God and wanted to see revival.
[00:44:42] And they all got together.
[00:44:43] They worked together sacrificially and fervently for the kingdom of God and for God's glory.
[00:44:49] And look what they did, these unskilled craftsmans.
[00:44:52] Even one guy didn't have any sons, so his daughters were helping build the wall.
[00:44:55] And in short time, the whole wall around Jerusalem was built half the height.
[00:45:01] That's the power of God.
[00:45:02] And so, in conclusion, just a couple more passages concerning this question.
[00:45:10] Do you, church, cornerstone, do I, Pastor Joseph, do you as an individual Christian really have a heart for the job?
[00:45:18] And if not, it's not going to happen.
[00:45:22] But they did, and it did, to the glory of God.
[00:45:25] And that's what we want.
[00:45:27] This idea of heart, if you would, turn back to Deuteronomy.
[00:45:30] Remember, Nehemiah had already quoted from Deuteronomy when he prayed to God and reminded him of his promise to Israel that when you sin and when I cause you to be scattered among the nations, if you will return to me with all of your heart, then I will bring you back.
[00:45:49] And he reminded God of that from Deuteronomy chapter 30.
[00:45:54] Now, earlier in Deuteronomy chapter 10, it says this in verse 12 and following.
[00:46:00] And now Israel, what does the Lord thy God require of thee but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all of his ways, and to love him, and to serve thy God with all thy heart and
[00:46:16] with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the Lord and his statutes which I command thee this day for thy good?
[00:46:24] Behold the heaven, and the heaven of heavens is the Lord thy God's, the earth also with all that is therein? Only the Lord has a delight, had a delight in your fathers and thy fathers to
[00:46:36] love them. He chose their seed after them, even you above all people as it is this day. And so what are we supposed to do? What were the Israelites supposed to do? What are we supposed to do? Verse
[00:46:47] 16, circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart and be no more stiff-necked. Isn't that interesting. A contrast between the heart and the neck. A hard heart that needs to be, the circumcision that needs to be opened up to the work of God, and a hard neck go together. Isn't
[00:47:14] that interesting? Turn back to Nehemiah. Remember I told you there was a group of people that didn't want to work. They didn't want to join in the work of God. Look at verse 5 of Nehemiah 3.
[00:47:31] and next unto them the Kohites repaired but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their Lord. How do you put your neck to the work? Here's the wall pick up a stone
[00:47:51] I don't think that's what it means. What does it mean they put not their necks?
[00:47:58] Neck, you put a neck in a yoke to bear a burden.
[00:48:10] Isn't it time to be done?
[00:48:11] Pastor, I got lots of things to do.
[00:48:14] This is a burden, this business.
[00:48:16] You think I will spend hours a day praying for the revival of the church?
[00:48:20] He's got another thing coming.
[00:48:25] It's a burden.
[00:48:26] I'm not going to put my neck.
[00:48:27] I'm stiff-necked.
[00:48:28] I'll do what I want to do with my time and my money.
[00:48:31] Thank you very much.
[00:48:32] That's what they said.
[00:48:33] And they wouldn't do it.
[00:48:36] Why didn't they put their necks into the yoke?
[00:48:40] Because their hearts had not been changed.
[00:48:46] If you're one of those who jerks the neck, it's not a neck problem.
[00:48:52] Don't go to the chiropractor, as my old friend used to call it, chiropractor, chiropractor.
[00:48:59] But it's a heart problem.
[00:49:03] And that is why, if you turn to Matthew chapter 10, Jesus says, Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden.
[00:49:19] And I will do what?
[00:49:22] I'll give you rest.
[00:49:28] It's 11, isn't it?
[00:49:30] 28.
[00:49:33] Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I'll give you rest.
[00:49:38] That's great.
[00:49:39] What's he going to do?
[00:49:40] Give us a lazy boy?
[00:49:42] He's going to give us a feather down bed?
[00:49:45] Sleep number.
[00:49:46] I don't even know what a good bed is nowadays.
[00:49:48] But what is the special beds now?
[00:49:50] I don't know, sleep number, tempur-pedic, I don't know.
[00:49:55] After the Simon's Beauty Rest, I checked out.
[00:49:58] I don't know.
[00:50:00] He's going to give us rest.
[00:50:02] How are we going to get rest?
[00:50:03] Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden.
[00:50:05] I'll give you rest.
[00:50:06] Take my yoke upon you.
[00:50:08] Boy, that sounds like rest.
[00:50:10] Come over here and rest.
[00:50:11] I got this yoke here.
[00:50:12] I want you to pull this big load.
[00:50:13] Come put your neck in here, and we're going to give you rest.
[00:50:16] Does that sound enticing?
[00:50:20] That's what he's giving you an offer for.
[00:50:22] I'll find my own rest thanks a lot it's just like these guys they won't do it you can't have revival you can't experience the joy of the Lord you can't experience the salvation of the Lord
[00:50:34] you can't experience the the rest that God calls us all into if we won't first submit and humble ourselves and put our neck in the yoke and we'll never do that until our heart is first changed
[00:50:48] notice, come unto me all you labor and heavy laden, I will give you rest.
[00:50:55] Take my yoke, Jesus' yoke.
[00:50:57] Jesus has a yoke, yeah.
[00:50:59] Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest unto your, everybody want rest for the body.
[00:51:10] Let's go to the spa.
[00:51:12] Let's go take a vacation.
[00:51:13] Let's go this, that, and the other thing.
[00:51:17] What about rest to the soul?
[00:51:20] You ever been on vacation?
[00:51:21] especially if you got little kids and you go and you go and you go and you go and you go and you come back how many of you know you can be more tired when you come back than when you left
[00:51:31] we need rest to our soul the irony is God calls us to enter into a yoke to get rest it's completely contrary it's completely contradictory to the logical mind you don't enter into a yoke
[00:51:47] to pull a burden to get rest but God says you can because Jesus is in the yoke with you.
[00:51:54] It's His yoke.
[00:51:55] And He's the one who is leading the way.
[00:51:57] And if you'll enter in, all the power is His.
[00:52:01] All He wants you to do is be pulled in the same way and to follow His path and not to deviate to the right or the left because now you're yoked in.
[00:52:11] He says, I am the way, the truth, and the life.
[00:52:13] No man comes to the Father except by me.
[00:52:14] Don't look to the right.
[00:52:15] Don't look to the left.
[00:52:16] Don't look back.
[00:52:17] Just right there with Christ.
[00:52:19] Step by step.
[00:52:21] day by day, and there's no better place.
[00:52:24] That place and only that place will you ever find rest to your soul.
[00:52:29] And that's what the world wants.
[00:52:32] That's why so many commit suicide.
[00:52:34] No rest on earth.
[00:52:35] Sadly, they've been told a lie by the devil.
[00:52:37] They're going to find rest by killing themselves.
[00:52:39] Most of them enter into terrifying, eternal torture immediately.
[00:52:43] Oh, Lord, have mercy.
[00:52:45] But Christ gives us a far better way.
[00:52:48] In order to get in a yoke, you've got to humble yourself.
[00:52:52] The heart has to change.
[00:52:55] And so, take my yoke upon you.
[00:52:57] Learn of me, for I am meek and lonely in heart.
[00:52:59] You shall find rest unto your souls.
[00:53:00] Why?
[00:53:01] For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
[00:53:05] Why?
[00:53:07] We all try to somehow figure, I don't need your Jesus.
[00:53:11] I'm okay.
[00:53:11] I can do it.
[00:53:12] I'm good.
[00:53:13] I'll be all right.
[00:53:14] Thanks a lot.
[00:53:15] Thanks, but no thanks.
[00:53:16] I'll be okay.
[00:53:18] But then you talk to those people on the day that their last day on the earth.
[00:53:23] Now, most of them are doped up on morphine.
[00:53:25] They can't talk.
[00:53:25] But nowadays, if there is someone who's not, you okay now?
[00:53:31] You ready to die?
[00:53:33] You good?
[00:53:34] You know where you're getting ready to head?
[00:53:38] These people historically are screaming, crying out for mercy, fearful of God's judgment.
[00:53:44] What a horrible way to die.
[00:53:47] But you see, God's borne all of that.
[00:53:50] Christ took God's judgment and his wrath on the cross for us.
[00:53:55] and that is why his yoke is now easy and his burden is light he's borne the weight of your sins and judgment and mine and all who will ever believe so that now he's calling us
[00:54:12] not to suffer and die for him generally speaking but to live with for and to his glory day by day And there we find rest. There we find victory. There we find revival. And there, like those people at Nehemiah, it says they completed the wall, up to the half thereof, because they had a mind for the work, or in the Hebrew, a heart for the work.
[00:54:52] And it says that the Tekoites, the nobles, would not do it.
[00:54:58] They would not put their necks to, and it says specifically, the work of the Lord.
[00:55:07] Pastor Andy, Pastor Joseph, they're called to the work of the Lord.
[00:55:10] I got other things to do.
[00:55:12] Every single one of you, if you're born again, your work, your career is the same.
[00:55:18] The work of the Lord our God.
[00:55:21] Don't stiffen the neck.
[00:55:22] don't have a hard heart.
[00:55:25] Open up and let God move in you.
[00:55:29] Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord.
[00:55:31] Enter into that yoke with Christ Jesus.
[00:55:34] And he who humbles himself, Christ will exalt and will use and will magnify himself through you.
[00:55:41] Therein lies the victory.
[00:55:43] Therein lies the revival.
[00:55:45] Therein lies the safety and the security and the separation and the purity and the prosperity of the people of God.
[00:55:52] and the church and that's what we want.
[00:55:54] Not just for me or for this church but all of us and the true church of God on earth.
[00:56:02] But it all starts right here.
[00:56:06] Do you have a heart really truly honestly for the work?
[00:56:14] If not, cry out to God to change your heart this day because God had a heart for you.
[00:56:27] To give the thing that he loved the most his eternal son on the cross so you might have everlasting life.
[00:56:35] Have you trusted in Him?
[00:56:36] Have you believed in Him?
[00:56:38] If that's not your heart, ask God to change your heart this day.
[00:56:42] May it be circumcised.
[00:56:44] May our necks willingly enter into the yoke.
[00:56:47] And may each and every one of you find that true rest and joy and peace that passes all understanding and the victory and the blessing and the reviving of our Triune God that we need individually
[00:57:01] that we need as a church and as a nation desperately today.
[00:57:08] Lord, help us.
[00:57:10] Let's pray.
[00:57:11] Heavenly Father, help us.
[00:57:14] We are a nation with sad state, a church with a sad state, the church, the walls are broken down.
[00:57:25] Oh Lord, have mercy.
[00:57:27] Bring a reviving that only you can bring.
[00:57:30] Lord, by faithful preaching and testifying to your word, the word of the King, that you might have your word go out into the hearts of your people, that a great burden might grow in our hearts
[00:57:45] for you and for your glory, that we might esteem others more highly than ourselves, but that we might esteem you and your cause and your Son, Jesus, highest of all, and that we might burn with a desire
[00:58:00] to see your glory manifest in the midst of the years.
[00:58:05] That the heathen that rage and imagine a vain thing against you and your anointed, Lord, that as you laugh in the heavens, you might confound them on earth by bearing forth your arm in the most unlikely place,
[00:58:20] the place of ridicule, yes, the place of mocking, yes, the place of seeming irrelevance from unbelievers, but the place that you have chosen to rest make this place the dwelling place of your spirit that you might be
[00:58:38] glorified and manifest in your power and your salvation and your reviving work for the sake of your bride but even more for your glory, honor and praise in Christ's name we ask we plead and we ask for forgiveness of our
[00:58:56] sins Lord God, help us we pray In Jesus' name, amen.
[00:59:01] Well, Nehemiah comes and says, this is the situation, it's bad, it's terrible, but God has given me promises and his word, and what are we going to do?
[00:59:14] Rise up and build.
[00:59:16] And it says they strengthened their hand to the work.
[00:59:18] So we finally sing, stand up.
[00:59:21] What are we called to do?
[00:59:22] Stand up, stand up for Jesus.
[00:59:24] That's what we need to do.
[00:59:25] Let's stand and sing number 616 in the hymnal unto our triune God.
[00:59:31] Stand up, stand up for Jesus.