1 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:06,280 Go ahead and turn in your Bibles to Nehemiah Chapter 7. 2 00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:17,040 Nehemiah Chapter 7. I was tasked with preaching from 3 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:23,480 this chapter as our other pastors had to leave. 4 00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:25,920 One of them left unexpectedly. One was on vacation already. 5 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:29,760 And so I hope you guys will join me in praying for them as they 6 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:31,440 return. Hopefully, they'll come back. 7 00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:36,800 I know they will. Yeah. 8 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:38,880 We're going to look at Nehemiah Chapter 7 today. 9 00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:40,400 So imagine you're building a house. 10 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:45,280 Imagine that you've got your lot of land and you've done a lot of 11 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:47,080 work. You've done all the work of 12 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:49,440 framing it up. You've dug the foundation. 13 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:50,800 Maybe you put your basement in Florida. 14 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:53,440 We don't do basements because they'll just pop right out of 15 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:56,000 the ground for all the water. But you've got it all framed up. 16 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:57,080 It's dried in. You got that. 17 00:00:57,080 --> 00:00:59,440 You got windows installed, you got your doors installed, you 18 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:02,560 got your roof on. Even the siding may be up, but 19 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:06,600 it's just a shell of a house. The, the, the work has been 20 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:08,120 really exciting up at this point. 21 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:12,440 It went from that empty lot to a recognizable home. 22 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:16,080 That's sort of where we are here in Nehemiah Chapter 7. 23 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:20,440 The walls of Jerusalem have been rebuilt, right? 24 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:25,320 52 days, they've been rebuilt. But now comes the things that 25 00:01:25,320 --> 00:01:29,600 aren't so visible. Things like making sure that 26 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:33,480 we've got people in there to protect the place, making sure 27 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:35,760 that the right people are in the right place at the right time, 28 00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:37,480 making sure the garbage is taken out. 29 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:40,080 All of those things had to be done. 30 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:43,600 Nehemiah has to organize who's going to actually live in the 31 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:47,280 city. He's got to figure out who's 32 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:48,880 going to do that. So he's going to, he's going to 33 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:51,600 have to do it in order to set set the city up for success. 34 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:55,240 He's got to set priorities. He's got to count who's there. 35 00:01:56,280 --> 00:02:00,320 And then he's got to appoint faithful, watchful men over the 36 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:03,080 city. Last week, Pastor Jake preached 37 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:06,480 a sermon from the chapter of the previous year, Chapter 6, where 38 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:08,720 Nehemiah describes that completion of the wall. 39 00:02:09,479 --> 00:02:13,600 He rightly pointed out that that distractions come from all sorts 40 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:15,720 of places, right? They come from outside, from 41 00:02:15,720 --> 00:02:18,080 from enemies, they come from inside, from people who complain 42 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:20,920 and grumble, and they may even come from our own hearts or from 43 00:02:20,920 --> 00:02:23,960 religious systems. He rightly pointed that out. 44 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:26,960 And just when Nehemiah and the people were about to complete 45 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:29,040 the wall, all these distractions came at them. 46 00:02:29,920 --> 00:02:33,520 But what we saw in Nehemiah chapter 6 was that that Nehemiah 47 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:35,200 was what? He was undeterred, right? 48 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:40,840 He he was committed to the mission in Nehemiah 6 three. 49 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:43,160 I love this verse. It says this, it says, and I 50 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:46,800 sent messengers to them saying I am doing a great work and I 51 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:50,280 cannot come down. Why should the work stop and I 52 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:54,800 leave it and come down to you. Nehemiah was determined to 53 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:57,440 complete the work that God had given him to do and he did it in 54 00:02:57,440 --> 00:02:59,640 52 days. It's pretty incredible how fast 55 00:02:59,640 --> 00:03:02,600 it happened. So I don't know if you guys had 56 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:04,240 a chance to read Chapter 7 or not. 57 00:03:05,600 --> 00:03:07,760 Maybe you look at it now, look down at it right now in your 58 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:10,920 Bibles. It's a lot of names. 59 00:03:13,120 --> 00:03:15,720 I, I was looking at it and I was, I was starting to think 60 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:18,240 about it. And you might be tempted like we 61 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:20,640 are in some of the Old Testament passages to sort of like skip 62 00:03:20,640 --> 00:03:23,280 over this, oh, it's just names and numbers. 63 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:27,440 But but as we look at the Bible as Christians, we have to 64 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:31,000 remember what Paul instructed Timothy in Second Timothy 316 65 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:32,760 and 17. When he wrote this, he said all 66 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:36,640 Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for 67 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:40,040 reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness that 68 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:44,120 the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 69 00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:49,760 Nehemiah 7 is a reminder that godly living isn't just about 70 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:54,160 the big moments of victory. It's about the daily intentional 71 00:03:54,160 --> 00:03:57,640 choices to protect and build what God has entrusted to us. 72 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:00,480 With that in mind, let's look at this chapter together. 73 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:02,920 It's long. I know it's 73 verses. 74 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:06,120 Most commentary authors divided into two sections. 75 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:10,040 Dr. Betts, TJ Betts, who he wrote the commentary, they were 76 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:11,680 using sort of as a guide for this. 77 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:14,120 He divides it in two sections as well. 78 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:17,240 He says the first section explains the steps and the 79 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:20,360 precautions that Nehemiah takes to ensure the right kind of 80 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:22,960 people are in the right place at the right time and the 81 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:25,200 leadership for the safety of Jerusalem. 82 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:30,160 And the second section shows us how Nehemiah is methodical as he 83 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:33,240 sets out to strengthen Jerusalem's pop population by 84 00:04:33,240 --> 00:04:36,560 taking a census and reading and and all of the returnees. 85 00:04:37,720 --> 00:04:42,480 So Pastor Jake did joke a couple weeks back in chapter 3 that 86 00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:44,440 some of some of it was quite repetitious. 87 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:48,040 And while I was reading this, I read this, this chapter aloud or 88 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:51,200 I started to, I was reading it aloud in my office to Valerie 89 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:54,800 during one day this week. And, and she said, are you going 90 00:04:54,800 --> 00:04:56,040 to read all those names and numbers? 91 00:04:56,560 --> 00:04:58,880 And she stopped me. She's like, Oh, I'm zoning out. 92 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:01,560 And I was tempted to because of a second Timothy here, because 93 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:03,920 of the second Timothy passage, I was tempted to read all 73 94 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:07,120 verses, but we've got communion today and reading all 73 would 95 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:08,680 take the whole time. So we're not going to do that. 96 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:10,840 I'm going to focus on the 1st 7 verses. 97 00:05:10,840 --> 00:05:14,360 OK, So we're going to look at Nehemiah one or excuse me, 98 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:18,200 Nehemiah 7, one to seven. We're going to spend most of our 99 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:21,160 time studying in verses in like the the first three to four 100 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:23,840 verses. Specifically, we're looking for 101 00:05:23,840 --> 00:05:27,720 what we can see in Nehemiah's character, and then we're 102 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:30,080 looking for that character to shine through the priorities 103 00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:33,120 that he sets as he selects people to serve. 104 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:36,960 So there's four priorities that we're going to look at today, 105 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:41,960 the praise of God, the principles of God or the pursuit 106 00:05:41,960 --> 00:05:45,640 of godliness, the people of God and the purpose of God. 107 00:05:47,880 --> 00:05:51,920 So let's take a look. Nehemiah 7 Now when the wall had 108 00:05:51,920 --> 00:05:55,760 been built, and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers and 109 00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:59,320 the singers and the Levites had been appointed, I gave my 110 00:05:59,320 --> 00:06:03,280 brother Hananiah and Hananiah the governor of the castle, 111 00:06:03,280 --> 00:06:06,720 charge over Jerusalem, for he was more faithful and God 112 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:10,560 fearing man than many. And I said to them, Let not the 113 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:14,040 gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot, and while 114 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:16,680 they're still standing guard, let them be shut and borrow the 115 00:06:16,760 --> 00:06:19,760 doors. Appoint guards from among the 116 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:24,200 inhabitants of Jerusalem, some of their guard post, and some in 117 00:06:24,200 --> 00:06:27,920 front of their own homes. The city was wide and large, but 118 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:31,200 the people within it were few, and no houses had yet been 119 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:35,040 rebuilt. Then my God put it in my heart 120 00:06:35,040 --> 00:06:38,040 to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be 121 00:06:38,040 --> 00:06:41,720 enrolled by genealogy. And I found the book of the 122 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:45,720 genealogy of those who came up at the 1st, and I found written 123 00:06:45,720 --> 00:06:48,600 in it. These were the people of the 124 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:52,640 province who came out of the captivity of those exiles from 125 00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:56,360 whom Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had carried into exile. 126 00:06:56,960 --> 00:07:00,280 They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his hometown. 127 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:07,520 They came with Zerubbabel, Yeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, 128 00:07:08,200 --> 00:07:14,920 Remiah, Nahemane, Mordecai, Bilshan, Miss Perth, Bigvi, 129 00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:20,280 Nahum Benai, and then the number of the men and the people of 130 00:07:20,280 --> 00:07:24,800 Israel and it goes on. So the first priority that I 131 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:28,040 want us to see in these first 7 verses is that Nehemiah 132 00:07:28,040 --> 00:07:32,800 prioritized the praise of God. What we were just doing, we were 133 00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:36,560 praising Godwin Song. Nehemiah prioritized the praise 134 00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:38,320 of God. I've heard it said, and maybe 135 00:07:38,320 --> 00:07:41,800 you have two, that humans were created for worship. 136 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:45,520 I think I've actually said that here, and if you honestly 137 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:49,160 consider it, I think you would probably agree with me that we 138 00:07:49,160 --> 00:07:54,560 are designed for worship. I firmly believe that almost 139 00:07:54,560 --> 00:07:58,640 every sin that you can think of can trace its roots back to some 140 00:07:58,640 --> 00:08:02,840 form of idolatry in our hearts. We talked about this back when 141 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:06,320 we studied First Corinthians. It's extremely easy to get 142 00:08:06,320 --> 00:08:10,520 fixated on something and to make that what you find the most 143 00:08:10,520 --> 00:08:15,920 satisfaction in like yesterday I got really fixated on using AI 144 00:08:15,920 --> 00:08:18,200 to create an app and I was really all into it. 145 00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:21,200 And I, I spent like four or five hours, maybe longer on this 146 00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:24,960 fixation of creating this little app for my phone, which was fun. 147 00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:30,640 But really I could see how quickly and easily if I fed into 148 00:08:30,640 --> 00:08:33,640 that, that it would become an idol in my heart that I would 149 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:37,760 prioritize it over studying scripture or over spending time 150 00:08:37,760 --> 00:08:39,720 with my family. And that would be sin. 151 00:08:41,039 --> 00:08:43,760 Saint Augustine puts it this way in his work confessions. 152 00:08:44,560 --> 00:08:49,200 He says you have made for us, or excuse me, you have made us for 153 00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:52,760 yourself. And our hearts are restless 154 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:54,560 until they find their rest in you. 155 00:08:55,880 --> 00:08:59,280 So he's picking up on this idea that we were created to worship 156 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:04,920 specifically God, and we are restless until we find our 157 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:09,280 worship and and our rest in you, in God. 158 00:09:09,800 --> 00:09:12,680 We are seeking objects of worship, whether we know it or 159 00:09:12,680 --> 00:09:15,320 not, largely because we're created to worship. 160 00:09:17,320 --> 00:09:20,920 We are restless and bouncing from one thing to another to 161 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:25,120 fulfill and satisfy that desire to worship until by God's grace, 162 00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:28,280 if you're a Christian, by God's grace, he drew you to himself as 163 00:09:28,280 --> 00:09:32,720 the object of your worship. So Nehemiah knew that the reason 164 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:36,360 for the city Jerusalem was designed for worship. 165 00:09:36,760 --> 00:09:39,120 The reason for its existence was for worship. 166 00:09:39,440 --> 00:09:42,760 It's made clear in the personnel that he chooses in verse one it 167 00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:46,960 says now when all when the wall had been built and I'd set up 168 00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:50,640 the doors, the gatekeepers, the singers and the Levites had been 169 00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:55,040 appointed The gatekeepers, the singers and the Levites were all 170 00:09:55,040 --> 00:09:58,760 an important part of worship. The of the worship experience in 171 00:09:58,760 --> 00:10:01,120 Jerusalem. They were also an important part 172 00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:04,520 of their protection, yes, but their primary purpose was for 173 00:10:04,520 --> 00:10:09,120 worship. Doctor Betts observes this. 174 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:12,960 He says that that as they were stationed all around the city, 175 00:10:12,960 --> 00:10:15,800 all of these people, the singers, the Levites, they, they 176 00:10:15,800 --> 00:10:18,360 serve not only to provide the people with a sense of security, 177 00:10:18,360 --> 00:10:22,080 but a reminder of Jerusalem's purpose, the worship of Yahweh. 178 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:26,600 And if you look through the chapter, there's a large portion 179 00:10:26,600 --> 00:10:30,360 dedicated to the listing of all the people whose role was tied 180 00:10:30,360 --> 00:10:32,160 to the worship of the Lord. You can look through this later, 181 00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:35,400 but down near the the bottoms half, it lists out all the 182 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:39,200 people who came for Levites, all the different people for the 183 00:10:39,200 --> 00:10:43,240 worship of God. Nehemiah made the praise of God 184 00:10:43,240 --> 00:10:46,240 a priority. And so I ask you guys this 185 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:47,560 question. I had to ask myself this 186 00:10:47,560 --> 00:10:50,760 question this week. Is the praise of God a priority 187 00:10:50,760 --> 00:10:53,960 in my life? One reformer famously said that 188 00:10:53,960 --> 00:10:55,960 the human heart is an idol factory. 189 00:10:56,920 --> 00:11:00,320 What are you praising in your life that's taking God's 190 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:04,520 rightful place? So the next thing on our list of 191 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:08,480 priorities is we want to prioritize the pursuit of 192 00:11:08,480 --> 00:11:11,880 godliness. We see this priority most 193 00:11:11,880 --> 00:11:15,880 clearly in who Nehemiah appoints as the leaders who will take 194 00:11:15,880 --> 00:11:18,120 over the day-to-day operation of the city. 195 00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:22,280 God expects his leaders to be people who fear him, and we see 196 00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:25,640 several examples of that throughout Scripture that teach 197 00:11:25,640 --> 00:11:28,000 us that principle. In Nehemiah 7 two though, he 198 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:31,520 says, I gave my brother Hananiah and Hananiah the governor of the 199 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:36,120 castle charge over Jerusalem for he was more faithful, excuse me, 200 00:11:36,120 --> 00:11:39,440 he was a more faithful and God fearing man than many. 201 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:42,400 So if you'll remember back from chapter 1, we did get a mention 202 00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:45,520 of, of Nehemiah's brother Han and I who delivered the news to 203 00:11:45,520 --> 00:11:49,240 Nehemiah about the state of Jerusalem's city, about the 204 00:11:49,240 --> 00:11:52,200 state of the people, how the how the city was set up and how it 205 00:11:52,200 --> 00:11:53,640 wasn't, how it wasn't functioning. 206 00:11:55,840 --> 00:12:00,600 We can understand that Nehemiah wanted to place people he could 207 00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:02,760 trust in these positions of authority, right? 208 00:12:02,760 --> 00:12:04,680 So he obviously he chose his brother. 209 00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:08,960 But what stands out to me in the description is, is the character 210 00:12:08,960 --> 00:12:13,080 of this man Hananiah. He was a more faithful and God 211 00:12:13,080 --> 00:12:19,480 fearing man than many. So he looked less like what? 212 00:12:19,520 --> 00:12:22,320 Like Nehemiah was looking less at what the man could physically 213 00:12:22,320 --> 00:12:24,640 do. Although he was probably like 214 00:12:24,800 --> 00:12:28,160 well equipped to do the job. He looked less, or at least he 215 00:12:28,160 --> 00:12:31,680 describes here less, about what he could physically do to do the 216 00:12:31,680 --> 00:12:34,760 actual job and he was more concerned about the man's heart. 217 00:12:35,600 --> 00:12:39,240 He was more concerned about his posture towards the Lord. 218 00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:43,240 Because Nehemiah knew, remember, that Jerusalem was set up to be 219 00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:46,200 a city of worship. So what qualified this man most 220 00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:50,360 for service and protection of the city was his faithfulness to 221 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:53,960 the Lord and the fact that he was known to be more God fearing 222 00:12:54,280 --> 00:12:58,200 than many in the city. Nehemiah understood that if the 223 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:01,440 goal of the city was worship, then its leaders needed that to 224 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:03,400 be a priority in the way they live their lives. 225 00:13:04,880 --> 00:13:07,600 So thinking about this idea of a God fearing individual, I've 226 00:13:07,600 --> 00:13:09,960 been looking back on my own life and questioning, is this a 227 00:13:09,960 --> 00:13:13,600 priority for me? Is this a priority? 228 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:15,640 Certainly to an extent I think it has been. 229 00:13:16,120 --> 00:13:19,840 But have I put other things in front of this aspect of my 230 00:13:19,840 --> 00:13:22,880 character? Of course, I was moved to ask 231 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:25,480 myself these questions and I urge you guys to do the same 232 00:13:25,480 --> 00:13:28,560 with me. Have I focused more of my 233 00:13:28,560 --> 00:13:32,440 attention on gaining knowledge? Have I focused more on 234 00:13:32,440 --> 00:13:35,720 developing skills that would further my job prospects? 235 00:13:36,840 --> 00:13:40,440 Have I focused more on doing only what's required of me so 236 00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:43,680 that I can get back to leisure, so that I can get back to to 237 00:13:43,680 --> 00:13:46,680 whatever it is that I find satisfying and leisurely? 238 00:13:48,280 --> 00:13:52,800 Is my desire to be godly stronger than my desire to veg 239 00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:55,920 out or escape the pressures of life through a heavy diet of 240 00:13:55,920 --> 00:14:00,280 sports, social media, television and whatever else you could put 241 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:03,760 in there? In order to be known as a God 242 00:14:03,760 --> 00:14:08,000 fearing person, we must go beyond the aspiration of 243 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:10,640 becoming that and actually put feet to our faith. 244 00:14:11,440 --> 00:14:13,440 You can't just want to be a godly person. 245 00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:15,960 You can't just say I'm going to be a God fearing man. 246 00:14:17,080 --> 00:14:18,720 You have to do the work required. 247 00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:23,160 You have to dedicate your lives to the disciplines of of prayer 248 00:14:23,160 --> 00:14:27,880 1st and Bible intake. You have to dedicate your life 249 00:14:27,880 --> 00:14:30,000 to those things. You can't skimp out on them. 250 00:14:30,680 --> 00:14:33,640 So the world tells us that literally everything else. 251 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:36,400 The world will tell you that everything else will satisfy 252 00:14:36,440 --> 00:14:37,760 you. Everything else is more 253 00:14:37,760 --> 00:14:39,200 important than being a God fearing man. 254 00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:42,320 But that's not what we see. That's not what we see in 255 00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:43,720 scripture. Here's a couple examples. 256 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:47,360 God doesn't expect you to to to fill that void with anything 257 00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:49,960 else. He says in James 4/6 that James 258 00:14:49,960 --> 00:14:52,520 says God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. 259 00:14:54,120 --> 00:14:58,480 And then in Psalm 1:30, 8/6, it says for the for though the Lord 260 00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:02,680 is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty He knows from 261 00:15:02,680 --> 00:15:05,560 afar. It doesn't mean you have to be 262 00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:09,400 lowly in in worldly standards. You can, you can have a good 263 00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:11,440 job, you can have a good career. What it means is that the 264 00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:15,200 posture of your heart needs to not prioritize that more than 265 00:15:15,200 --> 00:15:17,360 you prioritize being a God fearing person. 266 00:15:18,080 --> 00:15:21,520 Being a God fearing person means you pursue godliness with your 267 00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:25,360 life. And Nehemiah recognized again 268 00:15:25,720 --> 00:15:29,560 that if Jerusalem would become the light, shining the glory of 269 00:15:29,560 --> 00:15:35,000 God to the world, showing the people who God is, not just 270 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:40,040 Israel's people, but all of the people who God is, then its 271 00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:44,160 leaders needed to be more capable in, or excuse me, needed 272 00:15:44,160 --> 00:15:46,760 to be more than capable in pragmatic day-to-day issues. 273 00:15:46,760 --> 00:15:48,600 They would need to be more God fearing than most. 274 00:15:48,880 --> 00:15:52,240 And so he chose his brother and he chose Hananiah, who was 275 00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:55,240 recognized as a more God fearing man than most people. 276 00:15:56,240 --> 00:15:59,000 As Christians, we should all strive to become more God 277 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:02,000 fearing people. God fearing people are concerned 278 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:03,640 with what God concerns himself with. 279 00:16:04,600 --> 00:16:06,680 And God is very concerned about people. 280 00:16:06,960 --> 00:16:11,040 So that moves us to our Third Point, Prioritize the people of 281 00:16:11,040 --> 00:16:14,520 God, Nehemiah, prioritize the people of God. 282 00:16:14,520 --> 00:16:17,280 And you'll see that that my, my reference goes from verse 4 to 283 00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:18,600 73. We're not going to read them 284 00:16:18,600 --> 00:16:20,760 all. It's a lot of people. 285 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:24,040 One of the things I remember most from our time back in 286 00:16:24,040 --> 00:16:28,240 Louisville, KY was something that my pastor would say quite 287 00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:31,920 often from from the platform, but often whenever we had 288 00:16:31,920 --> 00:16:35,240 private conversations with him. He knew that most of the people 289 00:16:35,240 --> 00:16:37,880 like my age or people that were there just for seminary would be 290 00:16:37,880 --> 00:16:39,600 moving on. He knew that we would be moving 291 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:42,680 on to to serve in churches or to serve as missionaries across the 292 00:16:42,680 --> 00:16:45,800 world. And, and one thing he would say, 293 00:16:45,800 --> 00:16:48,040 he would often say something, something similar to this. 294 00:16:48,320 --> 00:16:50,880 It's not exactly word for word, but this would be the sentiment. 295 00:16:50,880 --> 00:16:52,680 He says if you don't love people, you don't have any 296 00:16:52,680 --> 00:16:56,480 business becoming a pastor. If you don't love people, you 297 00:16:56,480 --> 00:16:58,360 don't have any business being a missionary. 298 00:16:58,360 --> 00:17:01,680 If you don't love people, you have no business being a 299 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:06,839 seminary professor or a teacher. When I worked in retail, every 300 00:17:06,839 --> 00:17:08,440 so often you'd hear somebody that worked with you say, I 301 00:17:08,440 --> 00:17:09,839 don't know, maybe you've heard somebody say this. 302 00:17:09,839 --> 00:17:12,520 This job would be pretty great if it weren't for the customers. 303 00:17:14,240 --> 00:17:16,079 That's the attitude that a lot of people take. 304 00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:18,839 And while that's humorous, it's also absurd. 305 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:21,160 There's no room for this type of attitude. 306 00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:25,359 Not not in secular world, but certainly not in, in ministry. 307 00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:27,599 And if you're not like in ministry, like like a 308 00:17:27,599 --> 00:17:30,360 professional ministry, like not paid staff, who cares? 309 00:17:31,280 --> 00:17:34,480 There's no space for that kind of attitude either amongst the 310 00:17:34,480 --> 00:17:37,840 people of God. So we have to prioritize the 311 00:17:37,840 --> 00:17:41,320 people of God. People need to matter to us 312 00:17:41,320 --> 00:17:45,280 because they matter to the Lord and we see that and how the Lord 313 00:17:45,280 --> 00:17:48,200 Jesus interacted with people. We see it and how the apostles 314 00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:50,680 treated people. But concern for people is not 315 00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:53,520 only found in the New Testament, it's found throughout the Bible. 316 00:17:53,600 --> 00:17:55,080 Here in our text, we see it as well. 317 00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:58,800 God's people have been Nehemiah's concern from the 318 00:17:58,800 --> 00:18:00,920 beginning of the book. So look back with me. 319 00:18:01,240 --> 00:18:03,040 If it's too small on the screen, I apologize. 320 00:18:03,040 --> 00:18:04,840 Look back with me and Nehemiah won. 321 00:18:04,840 --> 00:18:07,080 If you need to turn back in your turn back a couple pages in your 322 00:18:07,080 --> 00:18:08,640 Bible, it is pretty small on the screen. 323 00:18:09,520 --> 00:18:14,760 I'll read verses 5 to 10 and I said, Oh Lord God of heaven, the 324 00:18:14,760 --> 00:18:18,640 great and awesome God who keeps His covenant in steadfast love 325 00:18:18,640 --> 00:18:21,040 with those who love him and keep His commandments. 326 00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:24,320 Let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the 327 00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:27,960 prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and 328 00:18:27,960 --> 00:18:33,480 night for the people of Israel, your servants confessing the 329 00:18:33,480 --> 00:18:36,320 sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against 330 00:18:36,320 --> 00:18:38,560 you. Even I in my Father's house have 331 00:18:38,560 --> 00:18:41,720 sinned. We've acted very corruptly 332 00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:43,400 against you. We have not kept the 333 00:18:43,400 --> 00:18:45,720 commandments, the statutes, the rules that you commanded your 334 00:18:45,720 --> 00:18:48,360 servant Moses. Remember the word that you 335 00:18:48,360 --> 00:18:50,960 commanded your servant Moses, saying, If you're faithful, I 336 00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:53,680 will scatter you or excuse me, if you're unfaithful, I will 337 00:18:53,680 --> 00:18:56,840 scatter you among the peoples. But if you return to me and keep 338 00:18:56,840 --> 00:18:59,840 my commandments and do them though you are outcast or in the 339 00:18:59,840 --> 00:19:02,960 uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and 340 00:19:02,960 --> 00:19:05,960 bring them to the place that I have chosen and make my name 341 00:19:05,960 --> 00:19:08,720 dwell there. They are your servants and your 342 00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:12,440 people whom you have redeemed by your great power and your strong 343 00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:15,800 hand. In Nehemiah's prayer, you see 344 00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:20,120 that he prays for the sake of people, specifically God's 345 00:19:20,120 --> 00:19:22,360 people. He doesn't immediately open 346 00:19:22,360 --> 00:19:25,360 himself up to the concern of of the walls. 347 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:29,080 He doesn't it's like immediately concern concern himself with the 348 00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:34,240 state of the city. He's reminded of the promises of 349 00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:38,360 God to those who are faithful, and so he prays for them. 350 00:19:38,360 --> 00:19:40,240 He prays for their forgiveness of sins. 351 00:19:41,240 --> 00:19:44,120 And the list of people here in Chapter 7, it's almost 352 00:19:44,120 --> 00:19:46,440 identical. If you look at Ezra chapter 2, 353 00:19:46,440 --> 00:19:48,360 it's almost identical to that list. 354 00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:53,400 The list are a result of painstaking attention to detail 355 00:19:53,640 --> 00:19:56,480 and are organized in a way that shed some light on the people's 356 00:19:56,480 --> 00:19:58,240 roles and standing in the community. 357 00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:03,080 Concerning this long list of names and numbers, Warren 358 00:20:03,080 --> 00:20:04,960 Weirsby writes this. He says the important thing is 359 00:20:04,960 --> 00:20:07,560 not to count the people, but to realize that these people 360 00:20:07,560 --> 00:20:10,680 counted. In leaving Babylon they did much 361 00:20:10,680 --> 00:20:12,040 more than put their names on a list. 362 00:20:12,040 --> 00:20:15,320 They laid their lives on the altar and risked everything to 363 00:20:15,320 --> 00:20:17,880 obey the Lord and restore the Jewish nation. 364 00:20:18,480 --> 00:20:22,480 They were pioneers of faith who trusted God to enable them to do 365 00:20:22,480 --> 00:20:26,160 the impossible. I don't know about you, but I 366 00:20:26,360 --> 00:20:28,480 when I read something like this I am tempted to overlook it. 367 00:20:28,720 --> 00:20:31,240 So in my temptation to overlook this list of names and numbers 368 00:20:31,240 --> 00:20:35,080 found here in the MI 7 and in Ezra 2, there are the exact same 369 00:20:35,080 --> 00:20:36,880 list. There's like very few 370 00:20:36,880 --> 00:20:40,800 differences in the name spelling or the number next to a name. 371 00:20:41,840 --> 00:20:45,000 But my my temptation to overlook this could be exposing the sad 372 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:48,400 reality that not only do I overlook passages in scripture 373 00:20:48,400 --> 00:20:51,560 like this list of names, I often overlook flesh and blood people 374 00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:56,040 in my life like I am tempted to overlook people in my life. 375 00:20:57,200 --> 00:21:00,680 Often I'm guilty of being the type of person described my by 376 00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:05,800 my by pastor back in Louisville, not one fit to serve the Lord in 377 00:21:05,800 --> 00:21:11,000 ministry. Often I find I do the opposite 378 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:13,920 of what Nehemiah did. Usually when I'm informed of an 379 00:21:13,920 --> 00:21:16,360 issue someone's facing, I immediately look to pragmatic 380 00:21:16,360 --> 00:21:17,360 things. How do we fix this? 381 00:21:17,680 --> 00:21:20,120 How do we how do we come up with a solution to sort this out? 382 00:21:21,040 --> 00:21:24,520 What tangible thing can I do? Nehemiah's first concern was for 383 00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:26,600 the people. He prayed for these people. 384 00:21:27,160 --> 00:21:29,680 Friends, we must be concerned with the people of God. 385 00:21:30,960 --> 00:21:34,080 We must concern ourselves with what God concerns himself with. 386 00:21:35,520 --> 00:21:38,240 And so Nehemiah did that. He prioritized the praise of 387 00:21:38,240 --> 00:21:41,760 God, the people, the principles of God or the God, the pursuit 388 00:21:41,760 --> 00:21:43,760 of godliness and the people of God. 389 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:47,040 And now we come to our 4th priority that we've seen. 390 00:21:47,360 --> 00:21:49,160 He prioritized the purpose of God. 391 00:21:51,040 --> 00:21:55,120 If you've been attending here for more than a year, you've 392 00:21:55,120 --> 00:21:57,480 heard one of our US pastors say at one time or another that the 393 00:21:57,640 --> 00:22:02,400 that the Bible as we see it, is telling one big story, 1 grand 394 00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:04,880 narrative of how God is accomplishing his will. 395 00:22:05,360 --> 00:22:09,040 It's one big, beautiful story of redemption and reconciliation. 396 00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:11,680 Our Sunday school curriculum is built around it. 397 00:22:11,880 --> 00:22:14,480 Our Wednesday night curriculum is built around it with teaching 398 00:22:14,480 --> 00:22:18,160 a class on on biblical theology to show you how it's working. 399 00:22:18,680 --> 00:22:22,200 In Genesis 12, one to three, we get the promise that God made to 400 00:22:22,200 --> 00:22:25,440 Abram that the families of earth shall be blessed through him. 401 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:30,000 And here in Nehemiah, we're seeing that God is making good 402 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:32,880 on his promise. He's using the ministry of 403 00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:36,920 Nehemiah as part of his fulfillment of this plan to 404 00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:39,360 bless the nations through Abraham. 405 00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:43,400 And in this list we see a name that pops up later in Scripture. 406 00:22:43,960 --> 00:22:47,000 I went through verse 7 on purpose, even though I said I 407 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:49,760 wasn't going to read names. I read some of those names in 408 00:22:49,760 --> 00:22:53,080 the in the MI 77, we see the name Zerubbabel. 409 00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:57,160 So we see it. They came with Zerubbabel and 410 00:22:57,160 --> 00:23:00,560 then the other guys that are hard to pronounce and the number 411 00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:01,960 of them and it tells us the list. 412 00:23:03,640 --> 00:23:06,800 We see this name come up again in another genealogy in Matthew 413 00:23:06,840 --> 00:23:10,600 chapter 112 to 13. It pops up in the genealogy of 414 00:23:10,600 --> 00:23:15,360 our Lord Jesus. It says this. 415 00:23:15,360 --> 00:23:19,600 It says and after the deportation to Babylon, the 416 00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:24,760 Konaya, the father of she'll tell and she'll tell the father 417 00:23:24,760 --> 00:23:28,800 of Zerubbabel and Zerubbabel the father of Abid and Abid the 418 00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:30,880 father of Achim and Achim the father of Azer. 419 00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:35,720 This is this is pointing out excuse me and pointing this out. 420 00:23:36,200 --> 00:23:38,960 Doctor Betts says this He compares the painstaking work of 421 00:23:38,960 --> 00:23:41,360 Nehemiah with the work of the Lord and carrying out his 422 00:23:41,360 --> 00:23:43,840 purpose in the grand plan of redemption. 423 00:23:43,840 --> 00:23:47,120 He writes this he says to today's reader, these lists may 424 00:23:47,120 --> 00:23:49,920 appear tedious and even meaningless if we fail to read 425 00:23:49,920 --> 00:23:53,160 them in light of the promises of God and their ultimate 426 00:23:53,160 --> 00:23:55,080 fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ. 427 00:23:55,720 --> 00:23:59,560 The painstaking work of Nehemiah pales in the face of God's 428 00:23:59,840 --> 00:24:04,360 meticulously and wondrously weave tapestry of his work of 429 00:24:04,360 --> 00:24:10,360 redemption through his Son. Nehemiah was moved by God to do 430 00:24:10,360 --> 00:24:13,760 a great work. He was moved to tears when he 431 00:24:13,760 --> 00:24:15,440 heard about the state of Jerusalem. 432 00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:19,600 He was moved to action and was bold when given the opportunity 433 00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:23,200 to do something about it. His life was marked out by 434 00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:27,040 obedience and steadfast faithfulness when faced with 435 00:24:27,040 --> 00:24:30,200 opposition. And today we've seen how he 436 00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:32,920 demonstrated his character through what he prioritized. 437 00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:37,800 We're probably safe to assume that Nehemiah didn't know 438 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:42,120 exactly how God will full fulfill his ultimate promise of 439 00:24:42,120 --> 00:24:46,280 blessing to the world. What concerned Nehemiah was the 440 00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:49,760 reality that the place and the people of God we're not 441 00:24:49,760 --> 00:24:51,720 fulfilling the purpose of glorifying God. 442 00:24:53,080 --> 00:24:56,960 God gave him the ability to desire and the desire to begin 443 00:24:56,960 --> 00:25:01,240 the restoration project that would point forward to what God 444 00:25:01,240 --> 00:25:02,840 would ultimately do through Jesus. 445 00:25:03,720 --> 00:25:07,400 And so where does that leave us? What does prioritizing the 446 00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:09,160 purpose of God mean for us today? 447 00:25:10,680 --> 00:25:13,120 I think we need to remember the central message from last week's 448 00:25:13,120 --> 00:25:16,000 sermon. We have to be laser focused on 449 00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:17,800 the mission that we've been given. 450 00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:21,080 We have to be able to say, as Nehemiah said when he was 451 00:25:21,080 --> 00:25:24,280 challenged and confronted by Sambalot, I'm doing a great work 452 00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:27,880 and I cannot come down. Why should I? 453 00:25:27,880 --> 00:25:29,960 Why should the work stop and leave it while I come down to 454 00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:32,960 you? What is the great work we're 455 00:25:32,960 --> 00:25:36,000 supposed to be doing? Nehemiah and Ezra worked hard to 456 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:41,440 rebuild the city of Jerusalem. The group had 400 years of of 457 00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:44,360 silence ahead of them. They were preparing a city for 458 00:25:44,360 --> 00:25:47,560 worship because there was God. God put it in their hearts to do 459 00:25:47,560 --> 00:25:49,840 this because God knew even though they didn't that they 460 00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:52,560 were going to be 400 years of silence where he wasn't going to 461 00:25:52,560 --> 00:25:55,600 speak through his prophets. He wasn't going to do anything 462 00:25:55,840 --> 00:25:57,560 He wasn't. This is they needed to get it 463 00:25:57,560 --> 00:26:03,240 set up so they could worship our perspective. 464 00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:05,840 They were looking forward. Our perspective is one that 465 00:26:05,840 --> 00:26:08,080 looks back. We can see what God has done 466 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:10,160 throughout history. We know that eventually this 467 00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:13,960 tapestry that he's weaving, he's weaving through the people like 468 00:26:13,960 --> 00:26:16,800 the Zerubbabel and all these connections that we see, it 469 00:26:16,800 --> 00:26:20,800 eventually leads to the birth of Jesus, God in the flesh, who 470 00:26:20,800 --> 00:26:23,080 came to deal with the sin problem once and for all. 471 00:26:23,680 --> 00:26:29,480 He came in the flesh. And our perspective too though 472 00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:32,200 is one is 1. Looking forward, just like 473 00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:35,720 Nehemiah and Ezra. So when Jesus will return and 474 00:26:35,720 --> 00:26:39,080 make all things new. And until that day comes back, 475 00:26:39,320 --> 00:26:42,760 or until that day comes, we have to remain focused on the 476 00:26:42,760 --> 00:26:45,200 Commission handed to us from the Lord Jesus when he commanded his 477 00:26:45,200 --> 00:26:49,320 disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, 478 00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:52,040 baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and of the 479 00:26:52,040 --> 00:26:55,200 Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all I've commanded you. 480 00:26:55,200 --> 00:26:57,880 And behold, I'm with you always to the end of the age. 481 00:26:58,840 --> 00:27:00,480 This is the mission we have in front of us. 482 00:27:01,720 --> 00:27:04,800 This is God's purpose to get the gospel to as many people as we 483 00:27:04,800 --> 00:27:10,080 possibly can. Our mission must be centered on 484 00:27:10,080 --> 00:27:13,120 the good news, right? The good news that Jesus came to 485 00:27:13,120 --> 00:27:15,920 save sinners, that he died on the cross for, for the 486 00:27:15,920 --> 00:27:18,120 forgiveness of sins, and was raised on the third day. 487 00:27:19,200 --> 00:27:22,920 So hopefully today I've demonstrated that you can glean 488 00:27:22,920 --> 00:27:25,960 quite a bit from a passage or a chapter such as this one. 489 00:27:25,960 --> 00:27:27,640 It just takes work. It takes some study. 490 00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:30,600 It takes thinking about like, all right, what is he saying? 491 00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:33,320 Maybe it takes looking up a name and figuring out where else it 492 00:27:33,480 --> 00:27:36,120 where else we see it in Scripture to find out what what 493 00:27:36,120 --> 00:27:38,840 this might mean. Remember that all Scripture is 494 00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:42,160 breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for 495 00:27:42,160 --> 00:27:46,840 proof and for for correction. So today I'll put the priorities 496 00:27:46,840 --> 00:27:50,280 up again. Nehemiah praise prioritize the 497 00:27:50,280 --> 00:27:54,080 praise of God, and so should we. He prioritized the pursuit of 498 00:27:54,080 --> 00:27:58,240 godliness and so should we. He prioritized people, 499 00:27:58,360 --> 00:28:01,040 specifically the people of God, and so should we. 500 00:28:01,040 --> 00:28:04,200 And he prioritized the purpose of God making. 501 00:28:04,360 --> 00:28:07,560 Make praising God and glorifying him a priority in your life. 502 00:28:08,240 --> 00:28:10,160 Ask the Lord to reveal idols in your heart. 503 00:28:10,400 --> 00:28:12,600 You are an idol factory. You will make one. 504 00:28:13,160 --> 00:28:16,240 If you don't put like put Jesus in your life and make him first. 505 00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:18,320 You will make an idol that's going to be first in your life. 506 00:28:20,320 --> 00:28:23,440 As you do this, as you as you put Jesus first, it'll lead you 507 00:28:23,440 --> 00:28:26,920 to becoming a more God fearing person, someone who prioritizes 508 00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:30,480 his walk with the Lord over the any other skills you may develop 509 00:28:32,040 --> 00:28:34,920 and make loving people a priority in your life. 510 00:28:35,480 --> 00:28:38,440 If you have a broken relationship in your family, ask 511 00:28:38,440 --> 00:28:39,880 the Lord to help you with healing. 512 00:28:41,160 --> 00:28:43,960 Take the initiative in the healing process and rely on God 513 00:28:43,960 --> 00:28:47,720 to do the work. Pray for the people that God has 514 00:28:47,720 --> 00:28:50,920 connected to connected you to pray for them. 515 00:28:51,560 --> 00:28:55,120 Pray with them. Remember that one of the best 516 00:28:55,120 --> 00:28:59,400 ways that we prove to the world that the good news of the gospel 517 00:28:59,400 --> 00:29:01,640 is real is how we treat each other. 518 00:29:02,800 --> 00:29:04,920 So make loving people a priority in your life. 519 00:29:06,440 --> 00:29:10,240 And finally make the purpose of God your purpose. 520 00:29:11,440 --> 00:29:15,320 Luke tells us that the the Son of man came to seek and to save 521 00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:17,760 the lost Luke. That's that's the central theme 522 00:29:17,760 --> 00:29:20,000 of the book of Luke. And it's, it's, it is our 523 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:22,120 purpose. Our purpose is God's purpose, 524 00:29:22,360 --> 00:29:24,440 Jesus purpose he came to seek and to save the lost. 525 00:29:24,600 --> 00:29:27,400 Our purpose is to point people to him because he's the only one 526 00:29:27,400 --> 00:29:31,320 that can save them. So it's good news, right? 527 00:29:33,880 --> 00:29:40,560 Let's pray. Father, thank you for for this 528 00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:42,960 passage in Nehemiah. Thank you for Chapter 7. 529 00:29:43,520 --> 00:29:47,360 Thank you for these names. Thank you for this good news. 530 00:29:47,360 --> 00:29:51,480 It's pointing toward what we'll be doing when we observe the 531 00:29:51,480 --> 00:29:55,800 Lord's Supper. Hopeless this morning to to 532 00:29:55,800 --> 00:29:58,000 focus our hearts and our minds affections on you. 533 00:29:58,560 --> 00:30:00,800 I pray these things in Jesus name.