1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:06,640 Have you ever had a big vision for a project or a big change in 2 00:00:06,640 --> 00:00:09,080 your life that you were hoping to implement? 3 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:14,400 Maybe you were starting a business, maybe you're 4 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:18,400 renovating your house or, or starting a, a new fitness goal. 5 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:21,280 And we, we just began the new year back in January, the 6 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:23,840 beginning of this month, and many people had fitness goals. 7 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:27,240 Or maybe you had a spiritual goal, a big vision for how you 8 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:29,880 were going to grow in your faith this year. 9 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:34,960 Well, early on in the book of Genesis, we see a people who had 10 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:40,400 a vision for a massive project to build a city as high as the 11 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:43,920 heavens. Now, as people begin to 12 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:47,520 multiply, they begin to be less room. 13 00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:50,600 And so they needed to spread out and and they wanted to prevent 14 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:53,120 that from happening. They wanted to keep everybody 15 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:57,480 together in one place. And so they cast a vision. 16 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:03,400 Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in 17 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:07,720 the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be 18 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:11,200 dispersed over the face of the whole earth. 19 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:14,760 Now, if we look at out on the outside, it doesn't really sound 20 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:18,040 like that bad of a thing. I mean, isn't it good for us all 21 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:22,040 to stay together? But the problem was it was in 22 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:28,560 direct disobedience to God. God had a different vision after 23 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:32,920 creating man in Genesis 1. God bless them and said to them, 24 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:37,880 be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. 25 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:41,120 Then after the flood, he confirmed this again. 26 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:45,120 God bless Noah and his sons and said to them, be fruitful and 27 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:51,480 multiply and fill the earth. God had created man in his 28 00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:56,320 image, and he had commanded them to fill the earth, to subdue it, 29 00:01:56,640 --> 00:02:02,320 to bring order, to yield its riches, and to accomplish God's 30 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:06,480 purposes so that God would be glorified and His glory would 31 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:10,759 fill the earth. But rather than seeking to 32 00:02:10,759 --> 00:02:15,040 glorify God, the people were seeking to make a name for 33 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:18,000 themselves. And so God came down and 34 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:21,640 confused their languages and they were forced to disperse 35 00:02:21,640 --> 00:02:26,920 over the face of the earth. Did you know that you can have 36 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:33,080 an incredible vision for your life and for your future and be 37 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:39,800 working against God? When God came down to look at 38 00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:42,840 the city, when he came down to look at the tower, look at what 39 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:45,080 he says. He says, behold, they are one 40 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:47,480 people and they all have one language. 41 00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:50,880 And this is only the beginning of what they will do. 42 00:02:51,480 --> 00:02:54,760 Nothing they propose will be impossible for them. 43 00:02:56,080 --> 00:03:00,600 As humans, we can do amazing things when we work together and 44 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:04,840 yet find ourselves working against God. 45 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:11,440 And Scripture tells us, unless the Lord builds a house, those 46 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:17,440 who build it labor in vain. It doesn't matter what you're 47 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:21,400 seeking to accomplish in your life unless the Lord is working 48 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:28,200 with you. You are working against Him and 49 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:33,040 therefore working in vain. What vision do you have for your 50 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:35,720 future? What are you trying to 51 00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:40,120 accomplish in your life? Are you trying to make a name 52 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:45,600 for yourself? Are you working with God or 53 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:49,600 against Him? This morning we are continuing 54 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:53,440 our sermon series through the book of Nehemiah and we're going 55 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:58,600 to be encouraged to pursue a God sized vision for your life. 56 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:03,240 Nehemiah was willing to give up his his little happy version of 57 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:07,480 his life and what it could be for a God sized vision of what 58 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:11,760 God was doing in the world. He wasn't concerned about his 59 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:14,480 own name, his own welfare, making his name great. 60 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:19,079 He wanted God to be great. And this morning, we're going to 61 00:04:19,079 --> 00:04:20,920 be encouraged to follow his example. 62 00:04:21,519 --> 00:04:24,320 And in order to pursue a God sized vision for your life, you 63 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:28,600 must seek a God sized opportunity, share a God sized 64 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:32,680 vision, and submit to a God sized God. 65 00:04:33,240 --> 00:04:38,160 Let's bow in prayer. Father, we thank you for your 66 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:41,400 word to us. You have given it to us in your 67 00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:44,640 love and Your grace, and we praise you for it. 68 00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:47,160 And we pray, Lord, that it would lead and guide us this morning, 69 00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:50,560 that Your Spirit would be at work in our hearts, in our 70 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:55,880 lives, drawing us to yourself, that we may know You, that we 71 00:04:55,880 --> 00:04:58,480 may know what you have in store for us. 72 00:04:58,480 --> 00:05:01,680 Lord, would you open our eyes by the power of Your Spirit to 73 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:06,600 behold wondrous things, to see how a man of God was faithful to 74 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:08,440 the vision that you laid on his life? 75 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:12,080 And Lord, would we all be faithful to live for the vision 76 00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:15,400 that you have given to us, that we may seek to bring glory to 77 00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:19,200 You and make Your name great? Would You strengthen us together 78 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:22,240 to fulfill the calling that you are giving us? 79 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:27,280 We ask this in Jesus name, Amen. We're going to be picking up in 80 00:05:27,280 --> 00:05:33,080 Nehemiah chapter 2, verses 11 through 20, Nehemiah chapter 2. 81 00:05:33,120 --> 00:05:35,520 And at the beginning of this book, what we were introduced to 82 00:05:35,520 --> 00:05:38,040 Nehemiah. Now Nehemiah is an Israelite. 83 00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:42,400 He's he's a cup bearer to the king, King Artaxerxes, who was 84 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:45,680 the king of Persia. And this is where the Israelites 85 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:49,680 had been sent into exile because of their disobedience to God. 86 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:53,120 But at this time, God has allowed a few remnants to go 87 00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:56,160 back. And they are trying to rebuild 88 00:05:56,360 --> 00:05:58,840 what was broken. They're trying to build what was 89 00:05:58,840 --> 00:06:01,880 torn down. And as we begin that story, 90 00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:05,680 Nehemiah's brother comes back and the report isn't good. 91 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:10,800 Jerusalem lies in ruins. And so Nehemiah spends the next 92 00:06:10,800 --> 00:06:14,160 four months in desperate prayer to God. 93 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:19,560 And during that time, God gives him a vision, gives him a vision 94 00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:24,360 of what he wants him to do, to return to Jerusalem and rebuild 95 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:28,520 the wall around Jerusalem. And God confirmed that this was 96 00:06:28,520 --> 00:06:30,280 his vision. As we learned last week from 97 00:06:30,280 --> 00:06:34,240 Pastor Jake's sermon, God confirmed that vision through 98 00:06:34,360 --> 00:06:38,120 King Artaxerxes. He, he shaped his heart to allow 99 00:06:38,120 --> 00:06:42,080 Nehemiah to go back, not only to allow him to go back, but to 100 00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:45,120 write letters so that he could have safe passage through all 101 00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:48,160 the provinces. Not only that, to put to provide 102 00:06:48,160 --> 00:06:52,120 the timber that he was going to use to rebuild the walls. 103 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:56,760 Not only that, but He also sent him with an army escort. 104 00:06:57,120 --> 00:07:01,440 And in all of these ways God confirmed that He was the one 105 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:05,240 working behind the scenes. And so we pick up a Nehemiah 106 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:08,920 chapter 2, verses 11 through 20. I'll read that portion now. 107 00:07:10,720 --> 00:07:14,040 So I went to Jerusalem and was there three days. 108 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:18,840 Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me, and I told no 109 00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:22,440 one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. 110 00:07:23,120 --> 00:07:26,720 There was no animal with me but the one on which I rode. 111 00:07:27,560 --> 00:07:33,440 I went out by night to the Valley gate, to the Dragon 112 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:36,760 Spring, and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of 113 00:07:36,760 --> 00:07:39,400 Jerusalem that were broken down, and its gates that had been 114 00:07:39,400 --> 00:07:42,960 destroyed by fire. Then I went on to the fountain 115 00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:46,120 gate into the King's Pool, but there was no room for the animal 116 00:07:46,120 --> 00:07:49,760 that was under me to pass. Then I went up in the night by 117 00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:53,720 the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and 118 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:56,440 entered by the Valley gate, and so returned. 119 00:07:57,080 --> 00:08:00,560 And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was 120 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:03,960 doing, and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the 121 00:08:03,960 --> 00:08:07,520 nobles, the officials, and the rest who were to do the work. 122 00:08:08,560 --> 00:08:13,240 Then I said to them, You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem 123 00:08:13,240 --> 00:08:15,800 lies and ruins with its gates burned. 124 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:20,360 Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer 125 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:24,000 suffer derision. And I told them of the hand of 126 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:27,560 my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that 127 00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:31,520 the king had spoken to me. And they said, Let us rise up 128 00:08:31,520 --> 00:08:34,400 and build. So they strengthen their hands 129 00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:37,159 for the good work. But when Sandbullat the 130 00:08:37,159 --> 00:08:40,640 Horonite, and Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Gesham the 131 00:08:40,640 --> 00:08:44,920 Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us, and said, 132 00:08:45,200 --> 00:08:47,040 What is this thing you are doing? 133 00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:49,640 Are you rebelling against the king? 134 00:08:50,680 --> 00:08:54,880 Then I replied to them, The God of heaven will make us prosper 135 00:08:55,280 --> 00:08:58,320 and we his servants will arise and build. 136 00:08:59,120 --> 00:09:03,760 But you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem. 137 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:11,200 The first thing that you must do to pursue a God sized vision for 138 00:09:11,200 --> 00:09:15,160 your life is seek a God sized opportunity. 139 00:09:15,960 --> 00:09:19,000 Now remember, Nehemiah was in a pretty good situation. 140 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:22,760 As cup bearer to the king, he had access to the king, he 141 00:09:22,760 --> 00:09:27,080 probably had wealth and comfort, and as the King's most trusted 142 00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:29,560 servant, he may even have had some influence. 143 00:09:30,120 --> 00:09:35,280 But God interrupts his life, his life, his vision of what life 144 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:38,520 could be with a God sized opportunity. 145 00:09:39,360 --> 00:09:42,800 And as Nehemiah mourns the situation in Jerusalem, God 146 00:09:42,800 --> 00:09:46,640 begins to put that vision on his heart of what he is calling him 147 00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:49,320 to do. And now he's in Jerusalem and he 148 00:09:49,320 --> 00:09:53,080 seeks out this God size opportunity and we learn from 149 00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:56,880 him as he seeks this opportunity that we should seek God in 150 00:09:56,880 --> 00:09:58,960 secret. Look at verse 12. 151 00:09:58,960 --> 00:10:01,560 Nehemiah says, then I arose in the night. 152 00:10:01,560 --> 00:10:06,160 I have few men with me, and I told no one what my God had put 153 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:08,400 into my heart to do for Jerusalem. 154 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:12,120 Later in verse 16, he says the officials did not know where I 155 00:10:12,120 --> 00:10:15,480 had gone or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the Jews, 156 00:10:15,640 --> 00:10:18,720 the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who were 157 00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:21,680 to do the work. And so Nehemiah at this point in 158 00:10:21,680 --> 00:10:25,400 time keeps to himself what God is calling him to do. 159 00:10:25,680 --> 00:10:30,040 He is seeking God secretly now. He's been there for a few days 160 00:10:30,040 --> 00:10:32,680 and even as he goes out and takes these few men with him, he 161 00:10:32,680 --> 00:10:36,320 doesn't even tell them what he's doing or what he's planning. 162 00:10:36,880 --> 00:10:39,320 He's still seeking God in secret. 163 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:42,920 He's still praying and asking God to show him exactly what he 164 00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:47,200 wants to do and how he can begin to strategize to to accomplish 165 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:49,400 this vision that God is giving him. 166 00:10:50,880 --> 00:10:53,840 The next thing you must do when seeking a God sized opportunity 167 00:10:53,840 --> 00:10:58,680 is seek God in the rubble. Look at verses 13 through 15. 168 00:10:58,920 --> 00:11:02,720 As Nehemiah goes out, he says, I went out by night by the valley 169 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:06,960 gate to the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected 170 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:09,880 the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that 171 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:13,560 had been destroyed by fire. Then I went on to the fountain 172 00:11:13,560 --> 00:11:16,600 gate into the King's pool, but there was no room for the animal 173 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:20,120 that was under me to pass. Then I went up in the night by 174 00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:23,440 the valley and inspected the wall, and turned back and 175 00:11:23,440 --> 00:11:26,000 entered by the valley gate, and so returned. 176 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:32,040 Nehemiah had heard about the destruction of Jerusalem, but 177 00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:37,200 now he was seeing it first hand. He'd heard about the walls that 178 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:40,520 were broken down, but now he was walking among the rubble. 179 00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:44,120 In some places they couldn't even walk because it was so 180 00:11:44,160 --> 00:11:48,280 broken down. He heard about the gates that 181 00:11:48,280 --> 00:11:51,920 had been burned with fire, but now he was looking at the 182 00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:55,880 charcoal stained wood and stone with his own eyes. 183 00:11:57,880 --> 00:12:02,120 And after seeing how bad things were first hand, Nehemiah now 184 00:12:02,120 --> 00:12:07,200 understood personally how bad the situation was and how they 185 00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:09,400 could rebuild what had been broken. 186 00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:14,360 Now Nehemiah was seeking this opportunity that God had given 187 00:12:14,360 --> 00:12:16,160 him, this vision that he laid on his heart. 188 00:12:16,160 --> 00:12:19,880 But he was doing it in secret. He was looking in the rubble, in 189 00:12:19,880 --> 00:12:22,840 the brokenness to see how bad things were. 190 00:12:22,840 --> 00:12:30,840 But this is where the God sized opportunity was in 1926, just 191 00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:35,960 just northwest of Los Angeles, CA, the Saint Francis Dam was 192 00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:39,240 completed after two years of construction. 193 00:12:39,920 --> 00:12:42,600 William Mulholland was the manager and the engineer and he 194 00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:45,640 was overseeing the project. And, and as the project was 195 00:12:45,640 --> 00:12:49,480 nearing completion, they began to fill the dam with water and 196 00:12:49,480 --> 00:12:53,200 they noticed some cracks and some leaks and the water was was 197 00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:54,880 getting through in some areas. But. 198 00:12:55,160 --> 00:12:57,600 But Mulholland said, you know what, this is just normal, 199 00:12:57,720 --> 00:13:00,520 normal cracks, normal wear. He wasn't concerned about it. 200 00:13:00,520 --> 00:13:02,960 And so they continued to fill the dam. 201 00:13:03,840 --> 00:13:08,640 On March 7th, 1928, the dam was filled completely for the very 202 00:13:08,640 --> 00:13:10,880 first time. And and Mulholland went around 203 00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:13,920 and inspected everything and he said, I said it's safe, the dam 204 00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:18,760 is good. Five days later, the massive 205 00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:23,760 concrete wall collapsed, sending billions of gallons of water 206 00:13:23,760 --> 00:13:28,560 rushing down the Canyon. 5 towns were completely flooded, 207 00:13:28,960 --> 00:13:34,240 thousands of homes destroyed. More than 450 people were 208 00:13:34,240 --> 00:13:38,320 estimated to have died. After an investigation, they 209 00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:40,440 found that the cracks weren't normal. 210 00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:42,760 They weren't normal wear and tear. 211 00:13:42,760 --> 00:13:46,200 It had actually been determined that the rock underneath the dam 212 00:13:46,320 --> 00:13:50,200 wasn't strong enough to hold the weight of all the concrete. 213 00:13:51,920 --> 00:13:55,680 William Mulholland was cleared of criminal charges, but he 214 00:13:55,680 --> 00:13:58,920 accepted full responsibility of the disaster. 215 00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:04,000 Now his his failure was a failure to take the warning 216 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:07,720 signs seriously. He wanted to take the easy way 217 00:14:07,720 --> 00:14:09,680 out. He wanted to to do the easy 218 00:14:09,680 --> 00:14:12,600 thing and not have to go back and fix the problem. 219 00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:16,880 And isn't it so tempting for us to do this in our lives? 220 00:14:18,080 --> 00:14:23,960 We see cracks, we see the leaks, we see the damage, we see the 221 00:14:23,960 --> 00:14:27,480 brokenness coming through in our life, and we don't take it 222 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:30,640 seriously. We don't take the necessary 223 00:14:30,640 --> 00:14:33,280 steps to make change in our life. 224 00:14:35,040 --> 00:14:38,800 Maybe you're convicted that your relationship with the Lord isn't 225 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:40,920 as good as it should be. You're not spending time in the 226 00:14:40,920 --> 00:14:42,800 Word. You're not spending time praying 227 00:14:44,160 --> 00:14:47,440 a crack. Maybe you've been giving into 228 00:14:47,440 --> 00:14:50,880 sin more frequently and you're and you're beginning to justify 229 00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:57,120 it a little bit more, a leak. Maybe you've allowed bitterness 230 00:14:57,120 --> 00:15:02,200 to creep in to your marriage or a relationship or or with a 231 00:15:02,200 --> 00:15:03,840 fellow believer or a family member. 232 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:08,240 You, you find yourself getting more angry, less willing to 233 00:15:08,240 --> 00:15:12,960 forgive another crack. These are cracks. 234 00:15:13,040 --> 00:15:14,960 They're leaks in the wall of your life. 235 00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:18,040 And if you ignore them, they will lead to disaster. 236 00:15:21,040 --> 00:15:24,400 But the reason it's so easy to ignore them is because it's hard 237 00:15:24,520 --> 00:15:27,200 to sit in the rubble of your life, isn't it? 238 00:15:27,920 --> 00:15:30,120 It's hard to sit in the brokenness. 239 00:15:30,120 --> 00:15:32,480 It's hard to actually go there and go. 240 00:15:32,960 --> 00:15:34,920 This is the pain that I'm experiencing. 241 00:15:34,920 --> 00:15:38,800 I'm having to confront myself with the damage in my life and 242 00:15:38,800 --> 00:15:42,280 that's not easy. And so we avoided. 243 00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:45,080 It's easier to to pretend it's not there. 244 00:15:45,360 --> 00:15:51,040 It's easier to pretend like, oh, it's not that big of a deal, but 245 00:15:51,040 --> 00:15:54,960 it will lead to disaster. What we need to understand is 246 00:15:54,960 --> 00:15:57,840 that all of these cracks, even though we don't want to go 247 00:15:57,840 --> 00:16:01,960 there, they're God sized opportunities for God to do 248 00:16:01,960 --> 00:16:07,280 something in and through us. But we must be willing to seek 249 00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:11,240 God in secret. We must be willing to sit in the 250 00:16:11,240 --> 00:16:16,560 rubble and to seek Him as He shows us our heart and shows us 251 00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:21,240 our life and shows us what changes we need to make so that 252 00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:24,400 we can bring glory and honor to Him so that He can do what He 253 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:26,480 wants to do in and through our lives. 254 00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:33,080 It's hard, it's painful. Nehemiah didn't want to see the 255 00:16:33,080 --> 00:16:35,520 disaster. He didn't want to go and and 256 00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:39,920 inspect all the rubble and feel all of the pain, but he knew 257 00:16:39,920 --> 00:16:43,440 that that's what God was going to use to help him rebuild the 258 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:45,920 wall and cast a vision for the people. 259 00:16:46,720 --> 00:16:49,760 And in the same way, we need to be willing to go to the 260 00:16:49,760 --> 00:16:54,280 brokenness to seek God and what he's trying to do in and through 261 00:16:54,280 --> 00:16:58,280 us. The next thing that you must do 262 00:16:58,280 --> 00:17:02,640 to pursue a God sized vision for your life is share a God sized 263 00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:05,680 vision. Now Nehemiah recognize that this 264 00:17:05,680 --> 00:17:08,319 problem was much bigger than himself. 265 00:17:08,800 --> 00:17:14,680 He was going to need help, help from others and also help from 266 00:17:14,680 --> 00:17:17,760 God. And now is the time for him to 267 00:17:17,760 --> 00:17:22,480 share his vision and to call the people to join him in the effort 268 00:17:22,599 --> 00:17:24,520 and the vision that God has laid on his heart. 269 00:17:25,200 --> 00:17:28,400 And the first reason that Nehemiah shares his God sized 270 00:17:28,400 --> 00:17:31,880 vision is that a God sized vision requires teamwork. 271 00:17:32,560 --> 00:17:38,560 Look at verse 17. Then I said to them, you see the 272 00:17:38,560 --> 00:17:42,440 trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates 273 00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:45,800 burned. Come, let us build the wall of 274 00:17:45,800 --> 00:17:48,920 Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision. 275 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:53,880 Notice first that he says, you see the trouble, you see it. 276 00:17:54,640 --> 00:17:56,920 I don't have to tell you guys how bad it is. 277 00:17:56,920 --> 00:18:00,440 You've been living in this mess. You've been living in it. 278 00:18:00,840 --> 00:18:05,280 You know how bad it is. And then he relates himself to 279 00:18:05,280 --> 00:18:06,520 them. He says you see how bad the 280 00:18:06,520 --> 00:18:10,400 trouble is that we are in. Remember that he came from 281 00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:13,800 Persia and now he came in, but he associates himself with his 282 00:18:13,800 --> 00:18:16,000 people. This is our problem. 283 00:18:16,200 --> 00:18:22,120 Together we are in this mess. Come, let us build the wall 284 00:18:22,120 --> 00:18:24,200 together. This is going to take all of us 285 00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:27,120 working together to rebuild this wall. 286 00:18:27,120 --> 00:18:30,480 It's going to take teamwork. We need to join hands and work 287 00:18:30,480 --> 00:18:34,600 together for what God is doing. It's bigger than any one of us. 288 00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:39,120 And as we rebuild the wall, we'll remove that shame that is 289 00:18:39,120 --> 00:18:43,040 on us right now and instead it will restore our glory. 290 00:18:43,040 --> 00:18:45,320 And he's not concerned about their glory as a people. 291 00:18:45,360 --> 00:18:49,560 What Nehemiah recognizes is that when God's people are receiving 292 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:52,600 glory and are well thought of, God gets the glory. 293 00:18:52,880 --> 00:18:56,120 Nehemiah is concerned about God's glory. 294 00:18:57,600 --> 00:19:01,480 The second thing that we see is Nehemiah shares his vision is 295 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:04,640 that a God sized vision requires God. 296 00:19:05,360 --> 00:19:08,880 Look at verse 18. He says I told them of the hand 297 00:19:08,880 --> 00:19:12,800 of my God that was upon me for good and also of the words that 298 00:19:12,800 --> 00:19:16,720 the king had spoken to me and they said let us rise up and 299 00:19:16,720 --> 00:19:19,520 build. So they strengthen their hands 300 00:19:19,640 --> 00:19:23,480 for the good work. And so we see Nehemiah says, 301 00:19:23,560 --> 00:19:25,080 man, you see the problem we're in. 302 00:19:25,200 --> 00:19:27,000 And everybody's like, yeah, no kidding. 303 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:30,120 Nehemiah, thanks for the update. Hey, let's rebuild the wall. 304 00:19:30,280 --> 00:19:32,560 Oh, that's a good one, Nehemiah. We've never thought of that 305 00:19:32,560 --> 00:19:34,680 before. No, they had tried to rebuild 306 00:19:34,680 --> 00:19:37,760 the wall, but the the stumbling blocks got in the way and they 307 00:19:37,760 --> 00:19:41,000 were hindered by their enemies. And so now Nehemiah shares the 308 00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:44,920 motivation. Hey guys, I want you to hear of 309 00:19:44,920 --> 00:19:47,160 how God has been leading me here. 310 00:19:48,160 --> 00:19:52,520 And what Nehemiah recognizes as as TJ Betts says, is that it was 311 00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:56,800 the Lord who led Nehemiah to his important position as cupbearer. 312 00:19:57,200 --> 00:20:00,640 It was the Lord who orchestrated that Nehemiah would receive the 313 00:20:00,640 --> 00:20:03,360 report he did from his brother concerning Jerusalem. 314 00:20:03,840 --> 00:20:06,360 It was the Lord who heard Nehemiah's prayer. 315 00:20:06,520 --> 00:20:10,080 It was the Lord who gave Nehemiah the opportunity and 316 00:20:10,080 --> 00:20:13,320 courage to reveal his concerns and needs to the king. 317 00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:17,240 It was the Lord who moved in the heart, the King's heart, and 318 00:20:17,240 --> 00:20:21,480 directed his course of action. It was the Lord who provided for 319 00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:24,320 all of Nehemiah's protection and provision to carry out the 320 00:20:24,320 --> 00:20:26,920 mission. And it was the Lord who led 321 00:20:26,920 --> 00:20:31,560 Nehemiah hundreds of miles from Susa back to his home and people 322 00:20:31,560 --> 00:20:34,960 in Jerusalem. Nehemiah gives credit where 323 00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:38,400 credit is due. Moreover, just in case there is 324 00:20:38,400 --> 00:20:42,840 any question, Nehemiah clearly states that all he requests 325 00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:46,800 comes to pass. Nehemiah's grand entrance into 326 00:20:46,800 --> 00:20:50,600 the king, with the King's escort into Jerusalem, makes a strong 327 00:20:50,600 --> 00:20:53,240 statement both to his enemies and to his people. 328 00:20:53,600 --> 00:20:58,640 He comes in strength, not in weakness, all by the hand of 329 00:20:58,640 --> 00:21:01,960 God. This is the vision that the 330 00:21:01,960 --> 00:21:04,800 people catch on to. This is the motivation that 331 00:21:04,800 --> 00:21:10,320 leads them to saying let's do it, Let's rebuild the wall. 332 00:21:11,120 --> 00:21:16,440 Nehemiah calls them not to trust in him, but to trust in God. 333 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:19,600 He had a vision that was bigger than himself and it was going to 334 00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:26,720 require teamwork and God. Now, if you're into war and 335 00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:31,240 battles and warriors, the Bible does not disappoint. 336 00:21:31,960 --> 00:21:35,040 And one of the greatest warriors in all of the Bible is without a 337 00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:39,560 doubt Samson. Samson single handedly tore a 338 00:21:39,560 --> 00:21:46,280 lion apart with his bare hands. He tied 300 Fox's tails together 339 00:21:46,280 --> 00:21:49,880 with torches to run out into the Philistine fields and burn them 340 00:21:49,880 --> 00:21:53,760 all down. He killed 1000 Philistines with 341 00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:58,400 the jawbone of a donkey. Samson was an incredible 342 00:21:58,400 --> 00:22:02,400 warrior, and the Lord used him in his life to bring relief to 343 00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:05,160 his people in a time when they were oppressed. 344 00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:10,240 But his greatest weakness was that he relied in his own 345 00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:13,840 strength. We know that it was a weakness 346 00:22:13,840 --> 00:22:17,560 because it led him to disobeying God. 347 00:22:18,560 --> 00:22:22,520 He ignored his Nazarite vow, touching the dead body of an 348 00:22:22,520 --> 00:22:25,360 animal. He made impulsive decisions on 349 00:22:25,360 --> 00:22:28,800 many occasions based on pride and revenge. 350 00:22:29,520 --> 00:22:32,880 He used his strength for his own personal glory. 351 00:22:34,520 --> 00:22:37,960 Nowhere is his pride more evident than in his relationship 352 00:22:38,120 --> 00:22:41,000 with Delilah. She begins. 353 00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:44,400 She's bribed by the Philistines to find out the secret of his 354 00:22:44,400 --> 00:22:47,560 strength. And as she begins to try to coax 355 00:22:47,560 --> 00:22:50,680 it out of him, to try to get him to share what his secret of his 356 00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:53,360 strength it is, he continually plays with Flyer. 357 00:22:53,520 --> 00:22:57,360 And he plays this game with her, all the while trusting each and 358 00:22:57,360 --> 00:22:59,960 every time that I'm going to be able to get myself out of this 359 00:22:59,960 --> 00:23:04,200 mess. Until finally he says my 360 00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:06,680 strength comes from my uncut hair. 361 00:23:07,520 --> 00:23:14,640 And so she cuts the hair, and the Philistines capture him in 362 00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:18,240 his pride. Samson thought his strength came 363 00:23:18,240 --> 00:23:22,920 from his hair. His strength came from the Lord. 364 00:23:24,120 --> 00:23:28,400 And because of his pride and his self-reliance, the Lord left 365 00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:32,840 Samson in that moment, allowing him to be captured. 366 00:23:34,840 --> 00:23:39,120 So many times in our life, rather than seeking the help of 367 00:23:39,120 --> 00:23:44,880 others, we're just like Samson. We rely on our own strength, our 368 00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:50,360 own ability. If you don't need others and you 369 00:23:50,360 --> 00:23:53,800 don't need God, that's a pretty good indication that you're 370 00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:55,840 seeking to make a name for yourself. 371 00:23:58,080 --> 00:24:02,360 But on the other hand, if you don't need God or teamwork for 372 00:24:02,360 --> 00:24:05,880 your vision, then your vision is too small. 373 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:11,840 You may be able to do some things in your own strength and 374 00:24:11,840 --> 00:24:15,920 in your own wisdom, but you will never be able to do what God is 375 00:24:15,920 --> 00:24:22,920 calling you to do on your own. You need to learn to seek a God 376 00:24:22,920 --> 00:24:27,880 sized vision, a God sized vision that requires teamwork. 377 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:30,720 A God sized vision that requires God. 378 00:24:32,600 --> 00:24:36,160 You need to recognize that God hasn't saved you for yourself. 379 00:24:36,640 --> 00:24:40,800 He's not looking for you just to be an island and do the exactly 380 00:24:40,920 --> 00:24:43,440 just yourself and keep to yourself and do your little 381 00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:45,720 thing. That's not what He saved you 382 00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:49,240 for. He has saved you to be a part of 383 00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:52,880 His people. He has saved you to be a part of 384 00:24:52,880 --> 00:24:57,560 what He is doing in the world. He has saved you to trust in His 385 00:24:57,560 --> 00:24:59,960 plan and be a part of His people. 386 00:25:02,040 --> 00:25:04,000 And So what is God's plan for us today? 387 00:25:04,120 --> 00:25:07,960 Are we called to build a wall, to build a city and and to build 388 00:25:07,960 --> 00:25:09,920 a wall around it to protect ourselves? 389 00:25:10,840 --> 00:25:13,880 No, that's not what God has called us to do. 390 00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:16,840 Has he called us to be a nice little church that that stays 391 00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:20,960 together and keeps to itself? No, that's not what God has 392 00:25:20,960 --> 00:25:24,240 called us to. He has called us to make 393 00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:28,280 disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of 394 00:25:28,280 --> 00:25:32,040 the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them 395 00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:34,760 to observe all that I have commanded you. 396 00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:42,120 This is our mandate as a church to bring people in to a loving 397 00:25:42,120 --> 00:25:46,320 relationship with God, because God knows that everything in 398 00:25:46,320 --> 00:25:49,680 this life we seeketh the fulfillment of everything in 399 00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:51,640 this life. But God knows that only 400 00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:56,720 fulfillment can be found in Him. And so he calls us to share that 401 00:25:56,720 --> 00:26:00,720 God is the fulfillment of all that we're seeking to be 402 00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:05,160 satisfied by. And here at LEMC, we believe 403 00:26:05,320 --> 00:26:09,000 that this vision is for God, for us to make disciples. 404 00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:12,120 And that's why one of the things that you'll hear us talk about 405 00:26:12,120 --> 00:26:14,560 if you come here for any length of time is D group, A 406 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:17,120 discipleship group. D groups. 407 00:26:17,120 --> 00:26:20,560 Discipleship groups are groups of three to five men and women 408 00:26:20,680 --> 00:26:24,760 who meet together for the purpose of growing together in 409 00:26:24,760 --> 00:26:27,240 the Lord. They hold each other accountable 410 00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:30,200 to read God's Word. They share what they're 411 00:26:30,200 --> 00:26:32,120 learning. They memorize Scripture 412 00:26:32,120 --> 00:26:34,840 together. They confess sin to one another. 413 00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:39,160 They pray for one another. This is exactly what Jesus 414 00:26:39,160 --> 00:26:42,880 modelled for us with his disciples, and we believe it's 415 00:26:42,880 --> 00:26:47,360 the most effective way to grow into maturity as a follower of 416 00:26:47,360 --> 00:26:51,400 Christ. And maybe you've been feeling 417 00:26:51,480 --> 00:26:54,720 that prompting in your life that you feel like God is calling you 418 00:26:54,720 --> 00:26:58,200 to grow in your spiritual life. I'm no longer satisfied with you 419 00:26:58,200 --> 00:27:00,240 are the Holy Spirit is nudging you. 420 00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:04,040 You need to grow. You need to be in my word. 421 00:27:04,040 --> 00:27:08,680 You need to grow as a disciple, Brothers and sisters, you can't 422 00:27:08,680 --> 00:27:13,120 do that on your own. You need teamwork. 423 00:27:13,360 --> 00:27:17,480 You need God working through other people to grow you into 424 00:27:17,480 --> 00:27:21,440 maturity as a disciple, and that's a great opportunity for 425 00:27:21,440 --> 00:27:25,240 you to get plugged into a group. Maybe that's joining a group, or 426 00:27:25,240 --> 00:27:29,760 maybe God is calling you to start a group, but we believe 427 00:27:29,760 --> 00:27:33,920 that all of Christ's disciples are to be a part of growing His 428 00:27:33,920 --> 00:27:36,840 church. It isn't just the pastors or the 429 00:27:36,840 --> 00:27:40,200 leaders or a specific group of people that we all have a role 430 00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:45,000 to play in growing one another up into the fullness of Christ. 431 00:27:45,880 --> 00:27:48,240 And if you join one of these groups, I promise you that you 432 00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:52,480 will be amazed at what God will do in you in a year's time. 433 00:27:53,400 --> 00:27:57,240 God is calling us to a vision that is bigger than us and 434 00:27:57,240 --> 00:28:01,000 requires all of us working together, trusting in God. 435 00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:05,840 The next thing that you must do to pursue a God sized vision for 436 00:28:05,840 --> 00:28:09,480 your life is submit to a God sized God. 437 00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:13,160 Nehemiah had found his big opportunity. 438 00:28:13,160 --> 00:28:16,440 He'd found his big vision that came from God. 439 00:28:16,720 --> 00:28:18,200 He knew that it would take teamwork. 440 00:28:18,200 --> 00:28:20,680 He knew that it was going to take God working in and through 441 00:28:20,680 --> 00:28:23,960 them. But what happens when enemies 442 00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:26,720 come? What happens when people begin 443 00:28:26,800 --> 00:28:28,680 attacking the work that you're doing? 444 00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:34,440 You submit to a God sized God. And what we see from Nehemiah's 445 00:28:34,440 --> 00:28:39,000 example is that when your plans are God's plans, they will 446 00:28:39,000 --> 00:28:42,840 succeed. Nehemiah names his enemies that 447 00:28:42,840 --> 00:28:47,040 began to slander them. Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah 448 00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:49,800 the Ammonite servant, Geshem the Arab. 449 00:28:49,960 --> 00:28:53,280 All of these guys, you know, some of them may have partly had 450 00:28:53,280 --> 00:28:57,280 somewhat of an Israelite heritage, but they weren't fully 451 00:28:57,280 --> 00:28:59,480 in. And they've been working against 452 00:28:59,480 --> 00:29:03,640 the Israelites for a while now. And these men come and, and 453 00:29:03,640 --> 00:29:05,560 they've discouraged them from the work. 454 00:29:05,560 --> 00:29:10,120 They slander them as rebelling against the king, but it doesn't 455 00:29:10,120 --> 00:29:15,880 matter what the enemies say, Nehemiah responds in verse 20. 456 00:29:16,280 --> 00:29:21,280 The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants 457 00:29:21,480 --> 00:29:25,920 will arise and build. Remember the Nehemiah? 458 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:30,120 Nehemiah had waited patiently. He's been praying the last four 459 00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:32,840 months for what the Lord is doing in his heart and in his 460 00:29:32,840 --> 00:29:34,040 life. He is confident. 461 00:29:34,160 --> 00:29:37,440 This is the Lord's vision. This is the Lord's plan. 462 00:29:37,440 --> 00:29:41,840 The Lord is doing this, and so he submits himself to God and he 463 00:29:41,840 --> 00:29:46,280 trusts that God is going to make us prosper because these are His 464 00:29:46,280 --> 00:29:51,080 plans, not mine. The next thing we see from 465 00:29:51,080 --> 00:29:54,720 Nehemiah's example is that when your enemies are God's enemies, 466 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:58,680 they will fail. These enemies have been trying 467 00:29:58,680 --> 00:30:00,840 to belittle them, trying to discourage them. 468 00:30:00,840 --> 00:30:02,480 What? What do you think you're doing? 469 00:30:02,480 --> 00:30:05,400 Do you actually think you guys are going to be successful? 470 00:30:09,440 --> 00:30:13,680 TJ Betts says more often than not, the Lord calls his people 471 00:30:13,680 --> 00:30:17,280 to do great deeds that are impossible apart from him. 472 00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:20,560 Whenever believers think that they are inadequate to do the 473 00:30:20,560 --> 00:30:25,200 Lord's work, they're correct. The key is to remember that God 474 00:30:25,200 --> 00:30:28,400 is more than adequate and able to carry out His work through 475 00:30:28,400 --> 00:30:31,880 His people when they put their hands to the good work. 476 00:30:32,880 --> 00:30:35,920 Nehemiah understands this, that this is what the Lord has called 477 00:30:35,920 --> 00:30:38,880 them to do, therefore He will make them successful. 478 00:30:38,880 --> 00:30:42,760 But As for their enemies, he says you have no portion or 479 00:30:42,760 --> 00:30:47,360 right or claim in Jerusalem. Nehemiah recognizes that that 480 00:30:47,360 --> 00:30:50,080 they are their enemies, but he says they're God's enemies. 481 00:30:50,080 --> 00:30:54,040 At the end of the day, they're opposed to God and therefore God 482 00:30:54,120 --> 00:30:59,000 is going to cause them to fail. The Lord's people can face 483 00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:02,920 whatever opposition comes because they submit to a God 484 00:31:02,920 --> 00:31:05,600 sized God, a God who is the God of heaven. 485 00:31:05,840 --> 00:31:10,600 He is over all, He is the great and awesome God and he will make 486 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:15,440 them prosper. Shortly after the Lord had 487 00:31:15,440 --> 00:31:19,920 anointed young David as the next king of Israel by Samuel. 488 00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:25,160 The Philistines gather their army to fight the armies of 489 00:31:25,160 --> 00:31:30,400 Judah of Israel and as these two armies are camped on mountains 490 00:31:30,520 --> 00:31:33,320 opposing one another with a valley in between, the 491 00:31:33,320 --> 00:31:37,480 Philistines send out their secret weapon Goliath. 492 00:31:38,240 --> 00:31:42,640 Goliath standing in at 9 feet 9 inches tall. 493 00:31:43,280 --> 00:31:46,800 He had a a coat of mail, a protective coat that he wore 494 00:31:47,040 --> 00:31:51,720 that weighed 125 lbs. He had a bronze helmet. 495 00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:54,520 He had bronze armor all over his legs. 496 00:31:54,520 --> 00:31:58,320 He had a a bronze javelin strapped to his back. 497 00:31:59,040 --> 00:32:04,120 He had a spear the size of a small telephone pole with a 15 498 00:32:04,120 --> 00:32:08,000 LB spearhead, an Arrowhead on the end of it. 499 00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:11,360 He had a personal shield bearer who went in front of him, who 500 00:32:11,360 --> 00:32:14,640 had a shield that was big enough to to completely protect him. 501 00:32:15,920 --> 00:32:19,680 And you can tell by Goliath trash talk that he's not used to 502 00:32:19,680 --> 00:32:23,080 losing. He dominates everybody that he 503 00:32:23,080 --> 00:32:27,080 comes into battle with. This is the man that the 504 00:32:27,080 --> 00:32:30,040 Philistines were trusting in, which is why they're comfortable 505 00:32:30,040 --> 00:32:31,720 with the threat that he now makes, right? 506 00:32:31,720 --> 00:32:34,800 He throws out this challenge and he says, choose a man to fight 507 00:32:34,800 --> 00:32:36,440 me. Whoever can come down. 508 00:32:36,440 --> 00:32:38,600 If he beats me, then we'll be your servants. 509 00:32:39,000 --> 00:32:41,440 And if he, if I beat him, that you'll be our servants. 510 00:32:41,720 --> 00:32:44,360 They're totally fine with that challenge because who can who 511 00:32:44,360 --> 00:32:46,200 can be Goliath? This is the greatest warrior in 512 00:32:46,200 --> 00:32:49,960 all the world. And this goes on for 40 days. 513 00:32:49,960 --> 00:32:52,960 And all the men of Israel hearing this taunt are terrified 514 00:32:52,960 --> 00:32:57,960 and they run away. That is until one man steps 515 00:32:57,960 --> 00:33:01,560 forward, David, God's anointed king. 516 00:33:01,560 --> 00:33:05,080 This man believes in a God sized God. 517 00:33:07,160 --> 00:33:10,560 Then David said to the Philistine, You come to me with 518 00:33:10,560 --> 00:33:14,560 a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to 519 00:33:14,560 --> 00:33:19,160 you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of 520 00:33:19,160 --> 00:33:23,280 Israel, whom you have defied this day. 521 00:33:23,400 --> 00:33:26,560 The Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you 522 00:33:26,560 --> 00:33:30,880 down and cut off your head, And I will give the dead bodies of 523 00:33:30,880 --> 00:33:34,440 the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and 524 00:33:34,440 --> 00:33:38,040 to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know 525 00:33:38,040 --> 00:33:41,800 there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know 526 00:33:41,800 --> 00:33:46,280 that the Lord saves not with sword and spear, for the battle 527 00:33:46,280 --> 00:33:49,360 is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hand. 528 00:33:50,160 --> 00:33:52,920 When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet 529 00:33:52,920 --> 00:33:56,080 David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the 530 00:33:56,080 --> 00:33:59,880 Philistine, and David put his hand in his bag and took out a 531 00:33:59,880 --> 00:34:04,480 stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. 532 00:34:04,800 --> 00:34:09,400 The stone sank into his forehead and he fell on his face to the 533 00:34:09,400 --> 00:34:13,960 ground. David knew that Goliath was a 534 00:34:13,960 --> 00:34:18,120 great and powerful man, but he knew that his God was greater. 535 00:34:19,480 --> 00:34:24,520 This man was an enemy, defying the one true God of Israel, and 536 00:34:24,520 --> 00:34:27,920 therefore David knew that God was going to give him victory. 537 00:34:30,239 --> 00:34:33,880 Do we have that same mentality as Nehemiah and David? 538 00:34:34,040 --> 00:34:39,080 To trust in our God, to trust in his strength to carry us 539 00:34:39,080 --> 00:34:44,440 through, to give us success? The truth is that when 540 00:34:44,440 --> 00:34:50,159 opposition comes, when enemies come, we usually are scared into 541 00:34:50,159 --> 00:34:55,000 giving up. But if we are sure that we have 542 00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:58,880 a God sized vision, if we sure are sure that God is building 543 00:34:58,880 --> 00:35:03,640 with us, then we must submit to His strength, submit to His 544 00:35:03,640 --> 00:35:07,840 greatness and trust in His power that He is the great and awesome 545 00:35:07,840 --> 00:35:11,560 God who will make our plans, His plans succeed. 546 00:35:12,720 --> 00:35:17,560 TJ Betts says there is such a thing as a holy stubbornness. 547 00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:23,200 It is a resolve to obey God and seek his glory regardless of the 548 00:35:23,200 --> 00:35:26,600 cost and regardless of the difficulties that may come. 549 00:35:27,320 --> 00:35:31,200 Being a faithful follower of Christ is a call to have a stiff 550 00:35:31,200 --> 00:35:34,080 backbone in the face of opposition. 551 00:35:34,680 --> 00:35:38,080 The church needs to be full of believers with the same kind of 552 00:35:38,080 --> 00:35:40,560 dogged determination Nehemiah has. 553 00:35:41,040 --> 00:35:44,640 Whenever the enemy puts up a stiff resistance, it's time for 554 00:35:44,640 --> 00:35:49,280 the people of God to overcome it with a strong willed resistance. 555 00:35:51,840 --> 00:35:55,920 And this is the same holy stubbornness that our Lord and 556 00:35:55,920 --> 00:36:01,200 Savior Jesus Christ had. You see, we can learn from 557 00:36:01,200 --> 00:36:05,080 Nehemiah. But ultimately, Nehemiah rebuilt 558 00:36:05,080 --> 00:36:07,160 a wall that just would eventually be destroyed again 559 00:36:07,160 --> 00:36:10,880 anyway, and we're left wanting for a better leader. 560 00:36:11,320 --> 00:36:13,720 Nehemiah was not the promised Messiah. 561 00:36:13,720 --> 00:36:19,360 He was not the promised Savior. Christ came and fulfilled that 562 00:36:19,360 --> 00:36:22,320 role. He fulfilled all of the promises 563 00:36:22,400 --> 00:36:26,040 of God in the Old Testament. And so Nehemiah points us 564 00:36:26,040 --> 00:36:29,600 forward to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. 565 00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:34,840 Just as Nehemiah came to Jerusalem to mourn the 566 00:36:34,840 --> 00:36:38,640 brokenness of the walls of the shame of the people, so Jesus 567 00:36:38,640 --> 00:36:42,880 came to Jerusalem and mourned the spiritual brokenness of a 568 00:36:42,880 --> 00:36:47,640 people who rejected God. Just as Nehemiah walked around 569 00:36:47,800 --> 00:36:51,920 evaluating the broken walls of the city, so Jesus walked around 570 00:36:51,920 --> 00:36:55,360 the city in the temple evaluating their corrupt 571 00:36:55,360 --> 00:36:59,120 worship. Just as Nehemiah sought to cast 572 00:36:59,120 --> 00:37:02,880 a vision and restore the city and its worship, so Jesus 573 00:37:02,880 --> 00:37:06,560 preached the good news of how people could repent and be 574 00:37:06,560 --> 00:37:10,800 reconciled to God. Just as Nehemiah faced 575 00:37:10,800 --> 00:37:14,520 opposition from the enemies of God, so Jesus faced opposition 576 00:37:14,520 --> 00:37:17,400 from the religious leaders who were enemies of God. 577 00:37:18,720 --> 00:37:22,000 Just as Nehemiah was committed to the vision that God had given 578 00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:27,000 him and trusted God, so Jesus was committed to God's will and 579 00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:29,800 entrusted his life into his hands. 580 00:37:30,760 --> 00:37:35,200 Jesus was willing to give his life to restore what was broken 581 00:37:35,200 --> 00:37:39,240 in us. We didn't need new rules, we 582 00:37:39,240 --> 00:37:43,880 needed new hearts. Because of our sinful nature. 583 00:37:43,960 --> 00:37:48,200 We all desire to pursue a self-centered vision for our 584 00:37:48,200 --> 00:37:50,440 lives. We're all trying to make a name 585 00:37:50,520 --> 00:37:53,040 for ourselves because of our sinful hearts. 586 00:37:54,200 --> 00:37:59,360 But through Christ, through His substitutionary death, trusting 587 00:37:59,360 --> 00:38:02,360 in Him as our Lord and Savior, we receive new hearts. 588 00:38:02,760 --> 00:38:06,920 New hearts, the desire to fulfill a God-given purpose for 589 00:38:06,920 --> 00:38:10,240 our life, to seek to make His name great. 590 00:38:12,600 --> 00:38:16,200 What God size vision does God want to give you? 591 00:38:18,560 --> 00:38:21,960 If you're here this morning and you have not placed your faith 592 00:38:21,960 --> 00:38:25,280 and your hope and your trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and 593 00:38:25,280 --> 00:38:27,400 Savior, what are you waiting for? 594 00:38:28,480 --> 00:38:32,600 He is the great and awesome God who has made a way for you to 595 00:38:32,600 --> 00:38:37,200 come into relationship with His Father, to be forgiven, to have 596 00:38:37,400 --> 00:38:40,400 meaning and purpose in your life, to live for the glory of 597 00:38:40,400 --> 00:38:43,800 your of God and not just yourself, to be a part of 598 00:38:43,800 --> 00:38:48,960 something bigger than yourself. But if you're a follower of 599 00:38:48,960 --> 00:38:53,280 Christ this morning, what God sized vision are you called to 600 00:38:53,280 --> 00:38:57,720 fulfill? I would encourage you to seek 601 00:38:57,720 --> 00:39:01,240 God in prayer. Ask Him to open your eyes to the 602 00:39:01,240 --> 00:39:03,840 opportunities around you. That means that you're going to 603 00:39:03,840 --> 00:39:07,360 need to look for the brokenness, look for the cracks, look for 604 00:39:07,360 --> 00:39:10,120 the leaks in your life, in the lives of others. 605 00:39:13,000 --> 00:39:17,120 Share that vision with others. You're going to need the help of 606 00:39:17,120 --> 00:39:19,680 fellow believers, fellow brothers and sisters in Christ 607 00:39:20,160 --> 00:39:23,240 to help you to accomplish what God is trying to do. 608 00:39:24,920 --> 00:39:27,680 These people, these fellow believers, brothers and sisters 609 00:39:27,680 --> 00:39:29,320 in Christ will come alongside you. 610 00:39:29,480 --> 00:39:31,760 They will help you. They will keep you accountable 611 00:39:31,760 --> 00:39:34,360 as you look to God to build His Kingdom. 612 00:39:35,480 --> 00:39:40,240 And lastly, submit to God, submit to His power, submit to 613 00:39:40,240 --> 00:39:43,640 His authority. And no matter what opposition 614 00:39:43,640 --> 00:39:47,120 comes, no matter what obstacles or hurdles the enemy is going to 615 00:39:47,120 --> 00:39:49,880 try to put in your way, trust God. 616 00:39:50,400 --> 00:39:53,680 Trust in His plan and what He is trying to do. 617 00:39:54,440 --> 00:39:58,360 Trust in the God of heaven as you seek to fulfill His vision 618 00:39:58,360 --> 00:40:02,000 for your life, as you seek to bring Him glory and honor. 619 00:40:03,040 --> 00:40:08,400 Let's pray. Father, we thank you once again 620 00:40:08,400 --> 00:40:14,600 for your greatness, that you are a God who is worthy of worship. 621 00:40:14,600 --> 00:40:19,160 You are a God who is above all. You are a God who is just and 622 00:40:19,160 --> 00:40:23,080 holy and righteous. And yet, in Your love, in Your 623 00:40:23,080 --> 00:40:26,560 grace, in your mercy and Your goodness, You have made a way 624 00:40:26,800 --> 00:40:31,120 for us to come alongside what you are doing and to be a part 625 00:40:31,520 --> 00:40:36,280 of building Your Kingdom. Not walls in this life that will 626 00:40:36,280 --> 00:40:40,520 be torn down, not buildings, not making a name for our self, but 627 00:40:40,520 --> 00:40:45,600 making Your name great by making disciples who love you and find 628 00:40:45,600 --> 00:40:47,280 their satisfaction and joy in you. 629 00:40:48,840 --> 00:40:51,480 Oh Lord, would You give us a desire for something so much 630 00:40:51,480 --> 00:40:53,440 greater than this world can offer? 631 00:40:54,600 --> 00:40:59,160 A deep abiding relationship with You, being satisfied in Your 632 00:40:59,160 --> 00:41:03,480 presence. Oh Lord, that we would taste and 633 00:41:03,480 --> 00:41:08,360 see that You are good and long to share that goodness with 634 00:41:08,360 --> 00:41:10,840 others. Would you strengthen us by Your 635 00:41:10,840 --> 00:41:15,560 spirit to build your Kingdom, to make disciples, to find our true 636 00:41:15,560 --> 00:41:19,720 joy and satisfaction as you and you as we look to make your name 637 00:41:19,720 --> 00:41:22,240 great that you may receive glory and honor. 638 00:41:22,760 --> 00:41:24,760 We thank you in Jesus name, Amen.