1 00:00:01,560 --> 00:00:04,040 Hey everybody, this is Pastor John Ewart from Inglewood 2 00:00:04,040 --> 00:00:05,920 Baptist Church in Rocky Mountain, North Carolina. 3 00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:08,119 Thank you so much for tuning in to our podcast. 4 00:00:08,360 --> 00:00:11,320 You're going to hear from God today as we share from His word 5 00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:15,080 about important issues facing your life that can guide you 6 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:21,840 according to the Bible. Well, happy New Year, Inglewood. 7 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:25,480 It's good to see you all here this morning. 8 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:28,280 I know that several folks are out sick right now. 9 00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:32,960 Pastor Charles was telling me that the hospitals are so full 10 00:00:32,960 --> 00:00:36,520 right now that they have EMT vehicles lined up in the 11 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:39,080 driveways and are treating people in the vehicles. 12 00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:44,520 And so we want to pray for them in just a moment and pray for 13 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:46,120 you. Thank you for praying for me. 14 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:51,880 I appreciate so much our team of pastors here for stepping up. 15 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:55,440 They did get a phone call or text message for me about last 16 00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:57,280 last Saturday night at about 7:30. 17 00:00:57,840 --> 00:00:59,600 And I appreciate Dylan stepping up. 18 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:00,960 Didn't he do a good job? Amen. 19 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:05,560 Yeah, I did appreciate him and all our pastors. 20 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:09,040 I need to confess to you, I really wasn't sick with the 21 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:14,200 Super flu. My grand, my grandkids gave me 22 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:17,720 another one of those 25 piece jigsaw puzzles that I talked 23 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:19,200 about at the Christmas Eve service. 24 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:22,000 Been working on it ever since as hard as I could. 25 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:25,720 If you were at the Christmas Eve service, you know what I'm 26 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:28,920 talking about. That might just be the fever or 27 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:30,840 the decongestants talking, so we'll see. 28 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:33,400 Listen, thank you all for being here. 29 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:34,760 I do appreciate what's coming up. 30 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:36,200 Please do look at your worship guide. 31 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:38,200 Also, we're going to have a special time with our deacons 32 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:41,160 having a Deacon workshop on Saturday, Deacon ordination next 33 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:42,800 Sunday night. So it's going to be a very 34 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:45,080 special time next few weeks. I do hope you'll come back for 35 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:47,280 the mission trip meetings this Wednesday night. 36 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:50,640 Midweek starts back, so come on back, we'll have a good crowd 37 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:51,880 here. Wednesday night I'm going to 38 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:54,400 talk about we're going to talk about engaging the Bible. 39 00:01:54,400 --> 00:01:57,440 But this Wednesday night I want to specifically talk about how 40 00:01:57,440 --> 00:01:59,960 did we get the Bible? And I don't mean we talked about 41 00:01:59,960 --> 00:02:03,120 the doctrine of Scripture some already, but what I want to talk 42 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:04,960 about is how do we actually get this thing? 43 00:02:05,480 --> 00:02:08,039 And why these books? Why not other books? 44 00:02:08,039 --> 00:02:10,880 Who decided this? How did this whole book come 45 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:12,680 together that we know as the Bible? 46 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:15,200 And so it ought to be a fascinating study this week. 47 00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:18,480 And then we're going to dive into how we study it and how we 48 00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:21,800 can actually interpret it, etcetera, in the weeks to come. 49 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:25,320 So you come back for that also, I've been talking to our friends 50 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:30,800 overseas, had a long talk with them on Friday and they still 51 00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:33,880 have a court date on January 9th that we need to pray for. 52 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:37,360 That'll be good. And pray the the court will 53 00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:39,080 bring glory to God with their decision. 54 00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:42,160 Our friends are also facing other decisions in the midst of 55 00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:44,240 all this, as you can imagine. So we want to pray for their 56 00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:48,720 wisdom and for their clarity. So I want to pray for them as 57 00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:50,120 well As for the folks who are sick. 58 00:02:50,360 --> 00:02:52,880 I know several of you are probably joining us online this 59 00:02:52,880 --> 00:02:54,400 morning. Thank you for doing that at 60 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:56,160 home. And look forward to seeing you 61 00:02:56,160 --> 00:03:00,160 back here in the next weeks as as we get kind of through this 62 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:02,800 time together. And so let's pray together and 63 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:05,280 then move forward with what God has for us. 64 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:08,720 Father, we're so grateful for your grace and your presence. 65 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:11,560 Father, I just pray that you'll give me a voice for the next few 66 00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:14,320 moments, Father. Pray, Father, that you'll 67 00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:16,040 continue to guide us as a church. 68 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:21,200 Father, we are so grateful, Lord, that that you are God of 69 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:24,800 healing and of sustaining. So, Father, I do pray for those 70 00:03:24,800 --> 00:03:27,000 many people in our church who are not feeling well. 71 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:30,400 We know many folks are out today because they're sick. 72 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:33,240 We also have had several folks during the break who've lost 73 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:36,760 loved ones and us pray, Father, that you would comfort them. 74 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:40,120 Father, we also lift up our friends overseas that you would 75 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:42,760 give them great wisdom, be with the court that it would make the 76 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:46,080 right decisions that would bring you glory and allow your Kingdom 77 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:49,160 to continue to grow. And Father, just guide us now as 78 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:52,280 we open your word. We thank you for it in Christ's 79 00:03:52,280 --> 00:03:55,280 name, Amen. Now bear with me. 80 00:03:56,280 --> 00:04:00,640 The first service, my nose became very athletic and I'm 81 00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:02,680 going to do my best not to cough my head off. 82 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:05,480 I have double double halls in right now. 83 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:09,640 And so we're going to do our best to get through this. 84 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:13,520 We we are feeling better. Probably not quite 100%. 85 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:17,079 So I probably won't be hugging you too much today unless you 86 00:04:17,079 --> 00:04:20,120 just really want this. Then you come see me. 87 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:26,240 My mother flipped houses now. We didn't call it that back 88 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:27,720 then. We didn't, we didn't have a word 89 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:30,840 for it. She restored old houses. 90 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:33,000 It was partly because of my grandfather. 91 00:04:33,280 --> 00:04:36,120 My grandfather had acquired a lot of real estate, etcetera, 92 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:40,000 and she learned from him and but there was another reason for it. 93 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:43,000 So anytime somebody moved and we lived in an old neighborhood, I 94 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:45,680 grew up in a house that was about 100 years old when I grew 95 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:49,080 up in, in it. And, and whenever somebody moved 96 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:53,480 in our neighborhood, my mom would buy the house and restore 97 00:04:53,480 --> 00:04:56,200 it and resell it. Or when somebody moved near 1 of 98 00:04:56,200 --> 00:04:59,400 the rental properties that my grandfather owned, she'd buy the 99 00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:02,600 house and restore it. And so we were in this 100 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:06,560 restoration cycle all the time. And she didn't do that to make 101 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:08,840 money necessarily. She did that to absolutely 102 00:05:08,840 --> 00:05:10,880 control her environment. That is no joke. 103 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:13,680 She, she wanted to be able to pick and choose. 104 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:17,720 She could buy this, buy that house, restore that house, and 105 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:21,840 then sell it to her preferred buyer herself to control 106 00:05:21,840 --> 00:05:25,240 property values and to control who lived in her neighborhood. 107 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:29,560 And so her intentions and her motives were not always very 108 00:05:29,560 --> 00:05:31,360 good. And so it's always been 109 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:34,960 interesting to me, somebody who worked so hard to control their 110 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:37,440 environment like that. And sometimes restoration, 111 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:41,720 sometimes respiration is needed as a needed part of the future. 112 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:45,320 Sometimes the motive has to be checked a little bit so we can 113 00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:49,680 either attempt to control our own future or we can submit to 114 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:53,920 the plan that God already has for us and has orchestrated for 115 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:55,680 us. And we do have to choose. 116 00:05:56,040 --> 00:05:58,960 We must choose, and frankly, we will choose. 117 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:02,480 Everyone of you will choose one way or the other. 118 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:05,320 You're either going to follow your plan or you're going to 119 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:07,760 follow God's plan. God. 120 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:10,920 God has a preordained and I'll just call him what I've been 121 00:06:10,920 --> 00:06:13,520 calling him the whole time. Illustratively, he has a set of 122 00:06:13,520 --> 00:06:17,760 train tracks for us, a train track for us corporately as a 123 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:21,400 church, but also for each and every one of your individual 124 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:23,160 lives. I believe this is with all of my 125 00:06:23,160 --> 00:06:26,760 heart, my entire theology is built upon this, that I believe 126 00:06:26,760 --> 00:06:30,440 that God has an intention for us, a plan for us, a place for 127 00:06:30,440 --> 00:06:33,880 us, a purpose for us. And we need to discover that in 128 00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:37,920 order to live this abundant life that He's calling us to live. 129 00:06:38,320 --> 00:06:40,640 And these things have existed forever. 130 00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:46,760 And so we spent the first few months of 2025, the first few 131 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:50,800 months, studying his plan and beginning to build the right 132 00:06:50,800 --> 00:06:53,960 train, so to speak, by addressing some specific 133 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:57,760 assessment issues, by clarifying God's mission, by clarifying the 134 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:02,080 church's vision, by defining essentials of discipleship in 135 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:06,080 2025, and to to help us to in this ongoing work. 136 00:07:06,280 --> 00:07:08,480 And frankly, God has blessed us for that. 137 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:12,400 He's blessed our faithfulness in two 22,025. 138 00:07:12,640 --> 00:07:16,000 We don't want to ignore that. We don't want to overlook that. 139 00:07:16,440 --> 00:07:20,040 We don't take that lightly. But we also recognize we can't 140 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:22,400 rest on that. We're just beginning. 141 00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:27,600 And So what we're looking at now is, is 2026, believe it or not, 142 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:31,120 is actually here. And it's time to really begin to 143 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:33,680 move forward. And what I believe is this 144 00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:36,560 incredible plan that God has not only for Englewood Baptist 145 00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:39,240 Church, but for each one of our lives. 146 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:41,880 And so these next steps are going to include further 147 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:44,800 alignment of our ministries, developing spiritual gift 148 00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:48,080 discovery and service placement processes, leadership 149 00:07:48,080 --> 00:07:51,240 development, as well as our ongoing discipleship and 150 00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:54,040 evangelism that God has continued to bless us with. 151 00:07:54,360 --> 00:07:58,720 But God might still have some work to do in our hearts and our 152 00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:03,800 spirits along the way as well. He might not quite be done for 153 00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:09,080 us as we prepare to fully fulfil the future that I think he has 154 00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:11,200 for us. I believe This is why I'm here. 155 00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:15,200 I've had the awesome privilege Teresa and I have of watching 156 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:20,320 him place his hand on churches in powerful ways. 157 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:23,840 More than once in our life. I've seen this incredible, 158 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:29,680 powerful thing to where he he brings true revival to church 159 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:32,360 that then spills over into spiritual awakening in the 160 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:34,919 communities. And it leads to a future that 161 00:08:34,919 --> 00:08:38,440 nobody could have predicted, nobody could have planned 162 00:08:38,440 --> 00:08:41,720 themselves, where all the credit soars to God. 163 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:45,560 And that's what we want. We want to see something in 2026 164 00:08:45,880 --> 00:08:48,720 that is so grandiose. And if you think I speak 165 00:08:48,720 --> 00:08:51,760 dramatically good. If you think I speak in 166 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:56,400 grandiose ways, fantastic, because I believe that way that 167 00:08:56,400 --> 00:09:00,640 God has such a plan for us that when 2026 is over, we're just 168 00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:04,000 going to stand amazed. And the only way we can explain 169 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:07,640 any of it is to give total credit to God for what He's done 170 00:09:07,640 --> 00:09:11,960 in our midst. And So what we see is that I, I 171 00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:15,640 want to share about this kind of idea and there's a book in the 172 00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:19,080 Bible that will help us to understand this story, and it's 173 00:09:19,080 --> 00:09:22,680 the book of Nehemiah. Now, I know that some of you 174 00:09:22,680 --> 00:09:24,920 wanted me to share my testimony last week. 175 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:27,160 Don't worry, I'm going to bring that back. 176 00:09:27,320 --> 00:09:30,520 I promise I'll bring the baseball bat up here, the whole 177 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:32,760 bit, and we'll have the whole testimony one day. 178 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:36,360 But because of Easter and because of our timing, I want to 179 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:38,480 go ahead and dive into the book of Nehemiah for a while. 180 00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:41,320 Then I promise I'll bring that back because what I want to talk 181 00:09:41,320 --> 00:09:46,120 about is I want to talk about God's restoration and the way he 182 00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:49,400 works in the hearts and the lives of his people. 183 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:52,960 And so one, one of the things that we have to do is it's, it's 184 00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:55,440 wonderful to, I mean, think about what a place to be, to be 185 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:59,880 on the front row, to be in a front row seat, to see and to 186 00:09:59,880 --> 00:10:04,000 serve sacrificially, to take part in what I believe will be a 187 00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:08,680 movement of God, right? And the book of Nehemiah tells 188 00:10:08,680 --> 00:10:11,960 us such a story. It's the story of restoration. 189 00:10:12,120 --> 00:10:15,200 It's a story of rebuilding. We're going to watch God's 190 00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:17,280 people move forward into the future. 191 00:10:17,680 --> 00:10:21,720 God always had planned for them, and now they're being restored 192 00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:25,320 to that plan, right? So this this morning, the first 193 00:10:25,320 --> 00:10:28,200 thing we got to do is we've got to learn about step one. 194 00:10:28,200 --> 00:10:31,720 How do we seek God's plan? How do we seek that plan that 195 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:33,960 God has for us? Now, let me give you a little 196 00:10:33,960 --> 00:10:37,680 background. Ezra and Nehemiah go together. 197 00:10:38,080 --> 00:10:41,480 If you look at your Old Testament, Ezra and Nehemiah go 198 00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:45,160 together in time and context. In fact, in the early editions 199 00:10:45,160 --> 00:10:48,920 of the Old Testament Scriptures, they were two parts of one book 200 00:10:49,320 --> 00:10:52,480 and they would travel together. And so in fact, many believe 201 00:10:52,480 --> 00:10:55,320 that Ezra wrote both books under the inspiration of the Holy 202 00:10:55,320 --> 00:11:00,160 Spirit using Nehemiah's first hand account and Ezra was taking 203 00:11:00,160 --> 00:11:04,440 it down and the prophets to add to that the prophets Haggai and 204 00:11:04,440 --> 00:11:07,120 Zechariah go with this story. So if you really want to get the 205 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:11,360 full benefit of the Nehemiah story, read Haggai, Zechariah, 206 00:11:11,360 --> 00:11:14,960 and Ezra along with Nehemiah in your personal study. 207 00:11:14,960 --> 00:11:16,760 I've been doing that over the last several weeks. 208 00:11:16,960 --> 00:11:19,040 It's been interesting to hear Zechariah. 209 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:21,080 Sometimes it's hard to understand because of his 210 00:11:21,080 --> 00:11:25,080 visions, but Nehemiah then becomes one of the last books of 211 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:27,080 the Old Testament. So you have Nehemiah and 212 00:11:27,080 --> 00:11:29,200 Malachi, which are not necessarily connected, but 213 00:11:29,200 --> 00:11:33,520 Nehemiah and Malachi are the last books chronologically in 214 00:11:33,520 --> 00:11:35,840 the Old Testament. Then you got about 400 years 215 00:11:36,240 --> 00:11:40,240 before the New Testament sees. So these are the last words, the 216 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:44,440 last stories of the Old Testament, where Nehemiah 217 00:11:45,560 --> 00:11:49,360 reveals God's absolute sovereignty as he fulfills his 218 00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:53,000 promise to restore the people of Israel back from their exile in 219 00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:54,320 Babylon. Right. 220 00:11:54,720 --> 00:11:57,840 The people sinned. God used a Pagan nation to 221 00:11:57,840 --> 00:12:01,720 punish them and take them into exile to humble them. 222 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:04,920 But as they are going into exile, he also promises that a 223 00:12:04,920 --> 00:12:08,760 group is going to return. And then God uses Persia to 224 00:12:08,760 --> 00:12:12,080 conquer Babylon so that the return can take place. 225 00:12:12,400 --> 00:12:15,120 So that's where we are. So they returning groups to 226 00:12:15,120 --> 00:12:17,000 restore the city, to restore the land. 227 00:12:17,280 --> 00:12:19,840 The first group comes back to rebuild the second temple 228 00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:22,560 because the Solomon's temple had been destroyed by the 229 00:12:22,560 --> 00:12:25,720 Babylonians. And so they come back to rebuild 230 00:12:25,720 --> 00:12:28,160 the temple. First, they face enemies who 231 00:12:28,160 --> 00:12:31,040 don't want them to rebuild. It's part of the big story of 232 00:12:31,040 --> 00:12:34,760 both Ezra and Nehemiah. These enemies don't want them to 233 00:12:34,760 --> 00:12:38,640 restore, and so they faced enemies who settled in the land 234 00:12:39,480 --> 00:12:42,640 while they were gone, and so they weren't able to finish the 235 00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:44,440 temple. They just got the foundation 236 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:46,640 done and these enemies were strong. 237 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:48,760 And that they're always going to be those people. 238 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:51,800 They're always going to be those who oppose God's plan. 239 00:12:51,960 --> 00:12:54,160 They're always going to be people who want to stand in the 240 00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:58,040 way or criticize the way that we believe we're supposed to move 241 00:12:58,040 --> 00:12:59,840 forward. They'd like to criticize the 242 00:12:59,840 --> 00:13:02,120 path forward. They like to seek to discourage 243 00:13:02,120 --> 00:13:04,160 God's people. We're going to see that in this 244 00:13:04,160 --> 00:13:06,680 story. People who want to discourage 245 00:13:06,680 --> 00:13:10,240 others from following God's future for them, they're always 246 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:11,720 there. So the prophets Haggai and 247 00:13:11,720 --> 00:13:15,320 Zechariah come in and challenge them to finish the temple, 248 00:13:15,760 --> 00:13:18,480 right? And then sixty years later, Ezra 249 00:13:18,480 --> 00:13:21,360 comes with a group and encourages him even more, and he 250 00:13:21,360 --> 00:13:24,120 opposes these enemies, challenges them to worship 251 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:25,400 Yahweh. They're supposed to. 252 00:13:25,680 --> 00:13:29,880 And they finally are able to finish the temple, but the walls 253 00:13:30,680 --> 00:13:32,640 and the gates of the city have been destroyed. 254 00:13:33,320 --> 00:13:36,280 And so the city is incomplete. It's not ready to be resettled 255 00:13:36,280 --> 00:13:37,320 yet. It's not safe. 256 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:40,480 They couldn't pursue their full future with God. 257 00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:42,840 They couldn't worship him the way they were supposed to. 258 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:44,840 They weren't safe. They weren't secure from the 259 00:13:44,840 --> 00:13:46,440 enemy. They couldn't obey. 260 00:13:46,560 --> 00:13:49,120 They couldn't do what God wanted them to do. 261 00:13:49,440 --> 00:13:51,840 They were to be a testimony to God's faithfulness. 262 00:13:52,200 --> 00:13:55,360 They were to be a testimony of God fulfilling his promises. 263 00:13:55,640 --> 00:13:59,720 And yet because of the city, because of the walls, the ruins 264 00:13:59,720 --> 00:14:01,560 around them, they were not ready to do that. 265 00:14:01,560 --> 00:14:05,040 So something had to change, something always has to change 266 00:14:05,040 --> 00:14:08,400 for revival to occur. Something always has to change 267 00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:11,640 for true restoration. So we see God building his 268 00:14:11,640 --> 00:14:16,280 future for his people. Now Nehemiah chapter one verse 269 00:14:16,280 --> 00:14:23,720 one, the words of Nehemiah, the son of of Halakhaliah. 270 00:14:24,360 --> 00:14:27,680 Now it happened in the month of Kislev in the 20th years. 271 00:14:27,680 --> 00:14:33,040 I was in Sousa, the citadel that Henani, one of my brothers, came 272 00:14:33,040 --> 00:14:36,640 with certain men from Judah, and I asked them concerning the Jews 273 00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:40,560 who escaped who had survived the exile and concerning Jerusalem. 274 00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:43,680 And they said to me, the remnant there in the province who 275 00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:47,560 survived the Exiles in great trouble and shame, the walls of 276 00:14:47,880 --> 00:14:53,280 of Jerusalem are is broken down and it's gates are destroyed by 277 00:14:53,360 --> 00:14:55,520 fire. We're just going to see four 278 00:14:55,520 --> 00:14:58,840 quick things, simple things, but important things, progressive 279 00:14:58,840 --> 00:15:03,560 steps for us to enter to 2026. The right way for us to enjoy 280 00:15:03,560 --> 00:15:05,600 the restoration that God has for us. 281 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:09,520 The revival that I believe he intends for us to bring by by 282 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:12,720 walking through this passage. The first thing we see is the 283 00:15:12,720 --> 00:15:16,440 recognizing the need. There needs to be a recognition 284 00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:18,720 of the need at hand. Now. 285 00:15:18,720 --> 00:15:21,360 The name Nehemiah means the Lord comforts, which is actually a 286 00:15:21,360 --> 00:15:24,000 fitting name for what he's going to bring to his people, right? 287 00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:26,800 And a group of men, one of whom might have been 1 of Nehemiah's 288 00:15:26,800 --> 00:15:29,880 brothers, reports how bad things are back home. 289 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:32,840 Things are bad back in Jerusalem. 290 00:15:33,160 --> 00:15:34,800 They're suffering great distress. 291 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:37,400 They're suffering reproach. They're struggling with 292 00:15:37,400 --> 00:15:39,480 hardship. Frankly, they're struggling with 293 00:15:39,480 --> 00:15:41,640 humiliation in front of these enemies. 294 00:15:41,640 --> 00:15:43,160 They can't stand in front of them. 295 00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:45,440 The walls and the gates are still destroyed. 296 00:15:45,680 --> 00:15:47,800 They're unprotected. They're vulnerable. 297 00:15:47,880 --> 00:15:51,560 They're living in ruins. And this represented great 298 00:15:51,560 --> 00:15:54,680 danger. This represented great shame for 299 00:15:54,680 --> 00:15:57,000 them. And so how could they worship? 300 00:15:57,840 --> 00:16:02,040 How could they be a testimony when everything around them was 301 00:16:02,040 --> 00:16:05,880 in ruins and their enemies bragged and boasted and 302 00:16:05,880 --> 00:16:08,600 surrounded them and they had no protection? 303 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:12,520 Something had to change. Something new had to happen. 304 00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:15,760 And Nehemiah recognizes this great need. 305 00:16:15,920 --> 00:16:21,480 He recognizes that reality. That's always the first step. 306 00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:26,040 That's always the first step. We have to recognize and be and 307 00:16:26,040 --> 00:16:31,000 be honest about the actual need. Their world was broken. 308 00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:34,920 Their world needed to be restored. 309 00:16:36,160 --> 00:16:37,760 When my friends, our world is broken. 310 00:16:39,440 --> 00:16:43,640 Our world is absolutely broken and it's in desperate need as 311 00:16:43,640 --> 00:16:45,960 well. And we need to recognize the 312 00:16:45,960 --> 00:16:49,360 truth that we are all lost sinners and we all need 313 00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:53,320 salvation, and that our lives have been broken and the only 314 00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:58,520 one who can restore us is this same Yahweh who sent His Son to 315 00:16:58,520 --> 00:17:01,040 die for us so that we could be saved. 316 00:17:01,040 --> 00:17:04,319 But before we can be saved, we have to recognize we're lost. 317 00:17:04,800 --> 00:17:07,000 We have to recognize we need salvation. 318 00:17:07,359 --> 00:17:11,119 We have to recognize and admit when our spiritual lives are not 319 00:17:11,119 --> 00:17:15,240 healthy and in need of revival and in need of restoration. 320 00:17:15,240 --> 00:17:20,079 Right. So as we begin 2026, let me ask 321 00:17:20,079 --> 00:17:25,079 you a couple honest questions. What's broken down? 322 00:17:27,040 --> 00:17:32,160 What's in shambles in your life that requires restoration and 323 00:17:32,160 --> 00:17:36,000 rebuilding? Are your walls torn down? 324 00:17:36,360 --> 00:17:41,120 Are your gates burned right now? Maybe something hidden deep 325 00:17:41,480 --> 00:17:45,320 within you that only you know about, that you carry into this 326 00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:48,560 new year? Maybe it's something others in 327 00:17:48,560 --> 00:17:50,920 your life know about and they're praying about for you that you 328 00:17:50,920 --> 00:17:56,240 carry into this new year. What are you dragging into 2026 329 00:17:56,400 --> 00:18:03,680 from 2025 that belongs and needs to stay back there in 2025? 330 00:18:05,760 --> 00:18:10,520 What broken down ruin, What burned gate is a part of your 331 00:18:10,520 --> 00:18:13,200 life right now that prevents you from being? 332 00:18:13,200 --> 00:18:18,640 Everything that God intends for you to be has called you to be 333 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:21,880 as a part of His plan, as a part of His future. 334 00:18:22,480 --> 00:18:26,440 What in your personal life stands in the way of salvation, 335 00:18:27,240 --> 00:18:30,960 of obedience, The belief of revival. 336 00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:37,600 OS Hawkins wrote a book about Nehemiah and in it he says 337 00:18:37,600 --> 00:18:40,320 revival never comes in any person until he realizes the 338 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:44,520 dire need of it. Nehemiah asked for a report and 339 00:18:44,520 --> 00:18:47,760 received one, and something had to change. 340 00:18:48,440 --> 00:18:51,360 Nehemiah understood the necessity to recognize the real 341 00:18:51,360 --> 00:18:53,320 need. And the question is, is will we? 342 00:18:54,520 --> 00:18:57,760 We can't rest on what God's done, what we can't. 343 00:18:57,760 --> 00:19:00,640 We can't expect just God. You're going to continue to lead 344 00:19:00,640 --> 00:19:02,560 people. We'll continue to baptize every 345 00:19:02,560 --> 00:19:04,120 week. We'll continue to see people 346 00:19:04,120 --> 00:19:06,000 join the church. We're going to continue to see. 347 00:19:06,040 --> 00:19:08,400 We can't just rely on that. What do you want us to do? 348 00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:08,880 God? What? 349 00:19:08,880 --> 00:19:10,600 How do we serve? How do we obey? 350 00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:14,440 What do we need to surrender to see something even more 351 00:19:14,440 --> 00:19:19,280 abnormal, something even more powerful, something that would 352 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:21,360 be considered a movement of God's hand? 353 00:19:22,280 --> 00:19:25,160 Look at verse 4. And as soon as I heard these 354 00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:30,520 words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days. 355 00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:34,120 And I continued fasting and praying before the God of 356 00:19:34,120 --> 00:19:36,040 heaven. And I said, Oh Lord God of 357 00:19:36,040 --> 00:19:38,160 heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant in 358 00:19:38,160 --> 00:19:41,040 steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His 359 00:19:41,040 --> 00:19:43,840 commandments. Let your ear be attentive and 360 00:19:43,840 --> 00:19:47,160 your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant that I 361 00:19:47,160 --> 00:19:51,120 now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel, 362 00:19:51,120 --> 00:19:54,960 Your servants confessing the sins of the people of Israel, 363 00:19:55,280 --> 00:20:00,240 which we have sinned against You, even I and my Father's 364 00:20:00,240 --> 00:20:03,200 house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly 365 00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:07,320 against You and have not kept your commandments, the statutes 366 00:20:07,560 --> 00:20:09,280 and the rules that you commanded. 367 00:20:09,640 --> 00:20:13,720 Your servant Moses, our recognition of the need for 368 00:20:13,720 --> 00:20:18,240 change. Must then drive us to prayer and 369 00:20:18,240 --> 00:20:21,960 brokenness. Nehemiah had a great job. 370 00:20:23,400 --> 00:20:28,160 He was the King's cupbearer. He he was paid well, lived in 371 00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:30,040 the palace. I mean, I mean, if you're going 372 00:20:30,040 --> 00:20:32,800 to live in exile, exile, this is the way to live in exile. 373 00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:36,400 This guy had a maid in the Babylonian Empire. 374 00:20:37,520 --> 00:20:39,080 And then this news hit his heart. 375 00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:47,440 Nehemiah was so burdened, so burdened by this that he sat and 376 00:20:47,440 --> 00:20:50,560 he mourned and he wept for many, many days. 377 00:20:50,800 --> 00:20:52,720 He began to fast. He began to pray. 378 00:20:52,840 --> 00:20:57,000 He could not eat, not with this burden for his people, not with 379 00:20:57,000 --> 00:20:59,880 his burden for his home. So Nehemiah prayed. 380 00:21:00,520 --> 00:21:05,720 And I just wonder when I read this passage, sometimes you 381 00:21:05,720 --> 00:21:07,440 might see me if you drove down the highway with him. 382 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:10,480 You might see me shouting at myself in my truck about stuff 383 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:14,080 like this. That crazy guy driving a truck? 384 00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:22,200 That's my pastor. I wonder what it's going to take 385 00:21:24,640 --> 00:21:30,560 to dislodge the American church from its clutch on self comfort 386 00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:34,600 to feel a burden for this nation. 387 00:21:37,520 --> 00:21:44,320 I mean, what news do we need to hear to jolt US from our cocoon? 388 00:21:47,280 --> 00:21:52,320 Prayer by God's people. Earnest prayer by God's people 389 00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:56,520 is always a necessity for revival. 390 00:21:56,880 --> 00:22:02,040 No great spiritual awakening in the history of humanity has ever 391 00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:04,560 started from the book of Acts on. 392 00:22:05,440 --> 00:22:08,640 Never in human history has a great spiritual awakening 393 00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:13,680 happened without God's people being broken and in prayer on 394 00:22:13,680 --> 00:22:17,600 their faces before God. What's it going to take? 395 00:22:19,040 --> 00:22:23,720 We must weep over the ruins before we can begin to build the 396 00:22:23,720 --> 00:22:26,600 future. We need to recognize the true 397 00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:30,480 need for revival, and that should bring brokenness. 398 00:22:31,040 --> 00:22:34,920 And then recognizing that true brokenness in and around our 399 00:22:34,920 --> 00:22:42,080 lives should bring true revival. So we need to stop. 400 00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:48,160 We need to seek the face of God and pray for his future as we 401 00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:51,240 enter 2026 Inglewood. This is this is his church. 402 00:22:51,240 --> 00:22:53,560 This is his future. What does he want? 403 00:22:54,200 --> 00:22:56,840 Not what I think we ought to do, Not what I wish we had done. 404 00:22:56,840 --> 00:22:59,480 Don't like that decision. Which we what does he want us to 405 00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:03,200 do? Nehemiah's heart was broken for 406 00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:07,000 his people. He was also broken over the sin 407 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:11,040 of his people. But notice this, He was also 408 00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:16,200 broken over his own sin. He He was so deeply burdened, He 409 00:23:16,200 --> 00:23:18,560 wept and wept. What would bring us to such a 410 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:21,080 place? What spiritual burden would lead 411 00:23:21,080 --> 00:23:24,320 you to weep for days? What great spiritual need would 412 00:23:24,320 --> 00:23:30,480 disrupt your normalcy and shake you spiritually? 413 00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:36,640 He calls upon God, even uses his covenant on name, Yahweh when He 414 00:23:36,640 --> 00:23:39,800 does it. He's the God of heaven, bigger 415 00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:43,840 than any earthly barrier, bigger than any wall, big bigger than 416 00:23:43,840 --> 00:23:48,040 any burned gate, bigger than any destroyed city, greater than any 417 00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:52,040 earthly opposition, greater than any enemy that they could face. 418 00:23:52,720 --> 00:23:55,760 And he remembers you always love his Hesed, love his covenantal 419 00:23:55,760 --> 00:24:00,400 love to those who are his. And then Nehemiah intercedes for 420 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:02,600 his people. He prays for them. 421 00:24:02,760 --> 00:24:05,560 The broken walls and gates had led to a broken spirit. 422 00:24:05,560 --> 00:24:08,480 Broken walls and burn gates were stumbling blocks for his people 423 00:24:08,480 --> 00:24:11,440 to move forward so that they could they could serve at the 424 00:24:11,440 --> 00:24:14,920 future that God had called them to, to import himself out before 425 00:24:14,920 --> 00:24:20,960 the God who could move any wall. It says, we have acted very 426 00:24:20,960 --> 00:24:25,560 corruptly against you. We've sinned against you. 427 00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:31,080 The word for sin there is habal, which means to offend God. 428 00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:33,320 We've offended you. We've offended you by not 429 00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:35,520 keeping your commandments. We've offended you by not 430 00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:38,120 keeping your rules and statutes. We've offended you by not 431 00:24:38,120 --> 00:24:40,000 worshipping you the way we should. 432 00:24:41,640 --> 00:24:47,560 So he confesses national sins, He confesses family sins, and he 433 00:24:47,560 --> 00:24:57,720 also confesses personal sins. Not just them, but me, Lord, Me 434 00:24:57,720 --> 00:25:00,640 too, Lord. He doesn't simply point out 435 00:25:00,640 --> 00:25:04,440 their sin. He confesses his own failing and 436 00:25:04,440 --> 00:25:06,280 offence to God. Now you got to pay attention to 437 00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:08,480 that because that's when the difference starts to happen. 438 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:11,920 That's that's when it starts getting different between normal 439 00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:15,240 times and when God's doing something special. 440 00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:18,800 People love to point out other people's sins. 441 00:25:20,600 --> 00:25:22,880 People love to complain about the sins of the world. 442 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:27,520 There's nothing new about that. That's very, very normal. 443 00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:30,440 People love to criticize. People love to even blame 444 00:25:30,440 --> 00:25:33,800 others. They often even love to 445 00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:37,120 criticize with no effort to help those who are seeking to 446 00:25:37,120 --> 00:25:40,640 rebuild. But when they confess their own 447 00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:46,080 sins, that's when God's doing something special. 448 00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:49,480 And this is an absolute necessity for revival. 449 00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:54,760 To confess and repent in prayer before God is absolutely 450 00:25:54,760 --> 00:25:56,960 necessary for restoration to begin. 451 00:25:57,800 --> 00:26:01,240 So Nehemiah knew that they had to turn from disregarding the 452 00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:05,000 laws of God to obedience. That's repentance. 453 00:26:05,520 --> 00:26:08,080 And he was broken before God when he recognized the great 454 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:09,320 need of his people and their sin. 455 00:26:09,560 --> 00:26:11,680 And he admits that they didn't deserve his grace. 456 00:26:12,240 --> 00:26:14,400 The very fact that they were in exile is proof of that. 457 00:26:14,800 --> 00:26:16,760 And it was hard in Babylon to be obedient. 458 00:26:18,240 --> 00:26:20,560 It was hard in Babylon to be obedient when they were removed 459 00:26:20,560 --> 00:26:24,080 from the temple and when when they were tempted by the ways 460 00:26:24,080 --> 00:26:27,000 and the gods of their captors. And that's the way the world 461 00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:31,080 will do it. It'll make it hard and tempt you 462 00:26:31,280 --> 00:26:35,280 to not be a part of this, to not be in a connect group, to not be 463 00:26:35,280 --> 00:26:37,960 in a congregation, to not surround yourself with other 464 00:26:37,960 --> 00:26:40,520 believers, but to go out there by yourself in the ways. 465 00:26:40,520 --> 00:26:43,680 And the gods of this world are going to tempt you to follow 466 00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:48,080 them. We can't blame the world. 467 00:26:49,040 --> 00:26:51,800 We can't blame Satan. We can't blame our 468 00:26:51,800 --> 00:26:54,480 circumstances. We can't blame another person. 469 00:26:54,720 --> 00:26:58,200 We are personally responsible. We are to blame if we're 470 00:26:58,200 --> 00:27:00,760 offending God and not walking according to His way. 471 00:27:01,880 --> 00:27:05,200 We must confess our sin and repent for revival to occur. 472 00:27:05,320 --> 00:27:12,480 What reality, what truth must you here to drive you to such 473 00:27:12,480 --> 00:27:18,000 brokenness before the Lord? Revival is always preceded by 474 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:21,480 the weeping and the confession and the prayers of God's people 475 00:27:22,280 --> 00:27:25,440 as they recognize the great need and repent of their sin. 476 00:27:26,760 --> 00:27:30,520 Something must change, but still more is necessary. 477 00:27:30,520 --> 00:27:34,560 Look at verse 8. Remember the word that you 478 00:27:34,560 --> 00:27:38,400 commanded to your servant Moses, saying, If you are unfaithful, I 479 00:27:38,400 --> 00:27:40,120 will scatter you among the peoples. 480 00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:43,440 But if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, 481 00:27:44,400 --> 00:27:47,440 though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from 482 00:27:47,440 --> 00:27:50,080 there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I 483 00:27:50,080 --> 00:27:53,080 have chosen to make my name dwell. 484 00:27:53,120 --> 00:27:57,280 There They are your servants and your people, whom you have 485 00:27:57,280 --> 00:28:01,240 redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 486 00:28:02,440 --> 00:28:06,120 So after we recognize the need and we're broken in prayer, the 487 00:28:06,120 --> 00:28:10,240 third necessity for restoration to begin is we have to remember 488 00:28:10,240 --> 00:28:12,520 God's promises. See, there's hope. 489 00:28:13,920 --> 00:28:17,400 Nehemiah remembers God's word from the Old Testament. 490 00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:21,320 He remembers the promises from Leviticus chapter 26 and 491 00:28:21,320 --> 00:28:24,440 Deuteronomy chapter 30 that God is giving to Moses. 492 00:28:25,760 --> 00:28:27,920 He promises 2 things to the Hebrews. 493 00:28:28,280 --> 00:28:33,760 First, I'm going to punish you, even to the point of scattering 494 00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:37,840 you if you don't stop sinning and chasing after foreign gods. 495 00:28:38,680 --> 00:28:44,200 And then secondly, I'm going to bring you back if you'll repent 496 00:28:44,720 --> 00:28:47,880 and you'll obey. And, and that's exactly what God 497 00:28:47,880 --> 00:28:50,080 has done. God's always faithful. 498 00:28:50,080 --> 00:28:52,560 He promised, He always fulfills his promises. 499 00:28:52,640 --> 00:28:55,960 He fulfilled the first part and cast his people into punishment 500 00:28:56,280 --> 00:29:00,480 with the exile and with their land in ruins due to their 501 00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:02,960 chasing after the foreign gods instead of him. 502 00:29:03,720 --> 00:29:08,320 Now please, Lord Nehemiah's reminding him, remember the 503 00:29:08,320 --> 00:29:11,880 second part and bring restoration. 504 00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:17,160 And God orchestrates history, lays down the tracks for us. 505 00:29:18,440 --> 00:29:20,720 You're the only one who can do this, Yahweh. 506 00:29:20,720 --> 00:29:23,960 That's what Nehemiah said. You're the only one who can 507 00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:26,800 redeem by your great power and by your strong hand. 508 00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:29,080 No one else has the power of revival. 509 00:29:29,280 --> 00:29:35,520 No one else can restore. Only Yahweh can bring true 510 00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:40,640 change. We need you, God, to bring 511 00:29:40,640 --> 00:29:43,840 restoration. We need you, God, to bring 512 00:29:43,840 --> 00:29:47,200 revival, because you're the only one who can. 513 00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:52,160 And if we forget this, it'll never come. 514 00:29:52,160 --> 00:29:55,440 If we think somehow that if we organize ourselves the right 515 00:29:55,440 --> 00:29:59,960 way, if we organize ourselves the right way and we give enough 516 00:30:00,280 --> 00:30:03,640 and we do enough, and we hire the right leaders, and then 517 00:30:03,640 --> 00:30:07,200 somehow move forward by our own power, we can force certain 518 00:30:07,200 --> 00:30:12,720 spiritual dynamics to occur. We are guilty of idolatry and a 519 00:30:12,720 --> 00:30:15,560 human works based salvation and sanctification. 520 00:30:15,680 --> 00:30:20,280 It will not work that way. This is a supernatural journey, 521 00:30:21,040 --> 00:30:23,640 a spirit LED journey that we must be a part of. 522 00:30:24,480 --> 00:30:26,960 And though though our obedient discipleship certainly a vital 523 00:30:26,960 --> 00:30:30,080 part of of the building process, we always have to remember who 524 00:30:30,080 --> 00:30:33,640 brings revival, who brings salvation, who answers prayer, 525 00:30:33,720 --> 00:30:36,000 who can forgive and who can restore. 526 00:30:36,920 --> 00:30:40,480 So God had to be remembered. God has to be acknowledged as 527 00:30:40,480 --> 00:30:44,280 the author and creator of all of this, and the soul head and the 528 00:30:44,280 --> 00:30:48,000 owner of this church, Inglewood Baptist Church, belongs to Jesus 529 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:49,680 Christ. He's the leader. 530 00:30:50,080 --> 00:30:53,200 We have to follow him. He alone can redeem. 531 00:30:53,840 --> 00:30:57,280 So we have to remember who he is and his word and his promises. 532 00:30:57,520 --> 00:31:00,920 So, So restoration won't come without this focused 533 00:31:00,920 --> 00:31:04,040 intentionality. Something has to change. 534 00:31:05,440 --> 00:31:07,320 It's necessary to recognize the great needs. 535 00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:09,840 It's necessary to repent and pray for the repentance and 536 00:31:09,840 --> 00:31:12,400 brokenness of souls. It's necessary to remember who 537 00:31:12,400 --> 00:31:16,320 God is and His promises to us and His absolutely absolute sole 538 00:31:16,320 --> 00:31:19,000 authority to redeem and to forgive and to revive. 539 00:31:19,240 --> 00:31:21,240 We need to recognize the need for revival. 540 00:31:21,240 --> 00:31:22,960 Be broken in prayer. Remember Him. 541 00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:28,720 And then finally, verse 11, O Lord, let your ear be attentive 542 00:31:28,720 --> 00:31:32,040 to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of Your 543 00:31:32,040 --> 00:31:35,960 servants, who delight to fear Your name and give success to 544 00:31:35,960 --> 00:31:38,680 your servant today, and grant him mercy. 545 00:31:38,680 --> 00:31:41,920 In the sight of this man, the last thing was we have to 546 00:31:41,920 --> 00:31:45,600 believe in God's sovereignty. He's in complete control. 547 00:31:45,800 --> 00:31:49,440 Revival is a work of grey of faith under grace. 548 00:31:50,040 --> 00:31:53,480 Nehemiah relied upon God to obtain favor with the king. 549 00:31:53,480 --> 00:31:55,040 That's the man he's talking about. 550 00:31:56,280 --> 00:31:58,320 He, he held this special position with the king. 551 00:31:58,320 --> 00:32:00,360 As I mentioned earlier, he was the cupbearer. 552 00:32:00,520 --> 00:32:03,160 So he was the guy who tested everything to make sure there 553 00:32:03,160 --> 00:32:06,120 was no poison for the king. That was a much higher position 554 00:32:06,120 --> 00:32:07,680 than it might sound like in our world today. 555 00:32:07,960 --> 00:32:10,520 It's like a bodyguard. He had direct access to the 556 00:32:10,520 --> 00:32:13,760 king, one of the few who would very close tight knit circle 557 00:32:13,760 --> 00:32:17,040 around the king. And he and he was he was in this 558 00:32:17,040 --> 00:32:21,280 high and trusted position. He prayed that God would grant 559 00:32:21,280 --> 00:32:24,640 him favor to the king so that he could be used in the restoration 560 00:32:24,640 --> 00:32:26,200 of his people. We're going to see next week 561 00:32:26,360 --> 00:32:29,000 that he's actually taking his life into his own hands by even 562 00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:30,680 making this kind of request to the king. 563 00:32:32,160 --> 00:32:35,920 He knew he was totally dependent upon God to grant him the 564 00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:39,640 necessary mercy, but he was willing to give up that special 565 00:32:39,640 --> 00:32:41,280 position. He was willing to give up 566 00:32:41,280 --> 00:32:43,120 everything that would be called earthly success. 567 00:32:43,240 --> 00:32:45,400 He was willing to give up everything that was comfortable 568 00:32:45,400 --> 00:32:49,600 to him, everything because he wanted to surrender it for his 569 00:32:49,600 --> 00:32:54,920 people and for God. And he was willing to do this 570 00:32:54,920 --> 00:32:58,640 because he desired to fear the name of Yahweh more than an 571 00:32:58,640 --> 00:33:01,440 earthly king. He desired to do this. 572 00:33:01,640 --> 00:33:04,320 He knew this was only possible if God willed it and moved the 573 00:33:04,320 --> 00:33:09,160 heart of the most powerful king on earth at the time, the King 574 00:33:09,160 --> 00:33:16,800 of Persia. So today, as 2026 dawns upon us, 575 00:33:18,120 --> 00:33:22,280 do we still believe our God can move a world? 576 00:33:23,280 --> 00:33:26,240 Do we still believe God is orchestrating and can move the 577 00:33:26,240 --> 00:33:29,920 most powerful earthly forces around us in order to do His 578 00:33:29,920 --> 00:33:33,320 will? Will we totally rely upon Him as 579 00:33:33,320 --> 00:33:36,240 we move forward? Will we totally depend upon Him 580 00:33:36,360 --> 00:33:38,960 to bring about His plan? This must be our hope. 581 00:33:39,200 --> 00:33:42,520 This must be our faith. Not in me, not in you, but in 582 00:33:42,520 --> 00:33:44,840 Him. Will we weep? 583 00:33:45,000 --> 00:33:48,960 Will we pray to Him to have mercy upon us and to give us the 584 00:33:48,960 --> 00:33:53,040 strength to truly repent for our sins, from our sins, and to 585 00:33:53,040 --> 00:33:56,240 serve Him well. Well, we pray that our heart 586 00:33:56,240 --> 00:34:03,080 would be moved by God. So this morning, first Sunday of 587 00:34:03,080 --> 00:34:09,280 the year, whether you're here or at home, whose heart must be 588 00:34:09,280 --> 00:34:14,280 moved by God first, right here, right now, this morning? 589 00:34:14,560 --> 00:34:18,400 Whose heart must be moved first for this to begin, for this 590 00:34:18,400 --> 00:34:21,960 movement to begin? Whose heart needs to be changed? 591 00:34:22,199 --> 00:34:27,560 Will we pray with tears streaming down our faces for the 592 00:34:27,560 --> 00:34:32,800 heart to be changed and God's mercy to be evident, even if, 593 00:34:34,159 --> 00:34:41,440 especially if that heart's mine? Will we beg God for this? 594 00:34:42,239 --> 00:34:45,159 My friends, God has a plan for Inglewood. 595 00:34:46,600 --> 00:34:49,239 It's been laid out from before the beginning of time. 596 00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:52,880 He's got a plan for each one of your individual specific lives. 597 00:34:52,960 --> 00:34:55,800 Whether you believe in Him or not, whether you believe me or 598 00:34:55,800 --> 00:34:58,840 not, your spirits going to impress upon your soul that I'm 599 00:34:58,840 --> 00:35:02,560 telling you the truth. He has a plan for purpose for 600 00:35:02,560 --> 00:35:04,520 your life, and He wants you to know it. 601 00:35:06,920 --> 00:35:09,600 He's always had this, and He's faithful to fulfill that 602 00:35:09,600 --> 00:35:11,640 promise. He's sovereign and no 603 00:35:11,640 --> 00:35:15,960 circumstance can stop His plan. No earthly force or opposition 604 00:35:15,960 --> 00:35:19,440 is too great. The only thing that stands in 605 00:35:19,440 --> 00:35:27,920 His way is our obedience. But He's stubborn in His love. 606 00:35:29,880 --> 00:35:33,160 He's stubborn in His will for us, so fortunately it's not 607 00:35:33,160 --> 00:35:36,200 based upon our actions or works, but upon His choice and will. 608 00:35:36,200 --> 00:35:39,080 He loves us whether we choose to love Him or not. 609 00:35:40,560 --> 00:35:43,200 You can't escape it. You can't run from it. 610 00:35:43,440 --> 00:35:48,080 He loves you and He wants you to know Him and to know His purpose 611 00:35:48,080 --> 00:35:51,280 for your life. But He also calls upon us to 612 00:35:51,280 --> 00:35:55,120 submit for those of us who know Him, and to demonstrate our 613 00:35:55,120 --> 00:35:58,080 faith in Him. One of the most famous verses 614 00:35:58,080 --> 00:36:00,440 perhaps in all the Old Testament, quoted and quoted and 615 00:36:00,440 --> 00:36:07,440 quoted, Second Chronicles 714. If My people who are called by 616 00:36:07,440 --> 00:36:13,240 My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn 617 00:36:13,240 --> 00:36:18,320 from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will 618 00:36:18,320 --> 00:36:21,800 forgive their sin and heal their land. 619 00:36:23,520 --> 00:36:28,720 We must seek the Holy Spirit to move us from the normal to the 620 00:36:28,720 --> 00:36:34,680 abnormal in an abnormal, powerful, strong new way. 621 00:36:37,160 --> 00:36:39,840 Are you weeping before God for such a thing? 622 00:36:40,920 --> 00:36:45,920 Are you asking God to change this city, to change this whole 623 00:36:45,920 --> 00:36:49,760 area, to bring revival and spiritual awakening? 624 00:36:49,960 --> 00:36:52,600 That's what I believe 2026 is for. 625 00:36:53,520 --> 00:36:56,400 That's why we're still here. I believe that's why he's 626 00:36:56,400 --> 00:37:00,720 tarried and not come yet. But have we turned to look upon 627 00:37:00,960 --> 00:37:05,640 him only and his future? Or am I still hanging on to 628 00:37:05,640 --> 00:37:10,960 something back there? Leave it back there and let's 629 00:37:10,960 --> 00:37:16,320 move forward in a new way. Father, thank you so much. 630 00:37:17,600 --> 00:37:20,680 That you've got a plan. I don't have to dream up a plan. 631 00:37:22,280 --> 00:37:24,040 I have to talk to you and understand yours. 632 00:37:27,280 --> 00:37:29,880 Father, that's just not true for me as a pastor, Father, that's 633 00:37:29,880 --> 00:37:31,560 true for every one of us as believers. 634 00:37:33,880 --> 00:37:35,840 You have a will and a way for each one of us. 635 00:37:37,400 --> 00:37:40,600 For some this morning or those listening online, this is 636 00:37:40,600 --> 00:37:46,680 salvation. There's a recognition that they 637 00:37:46,680 --> 00:37:51,000 need to be saved. There's someone here, Father, 638 00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:53,000 who doesn't know you. I pray right now that they'll 639 00:37:53,000 --> 00:37:55,040 recognize the reality of your existence. 640 00:37:55,040 --> 00:37:57,200 They can't deny it. They feel it in their soul. 641 00:37:57,200 --> 00:37:59,440 Right now. Their spirit is acknowledging 642 00:37:59,440 --> 00:38:04,120 the truth that you're real. And Father, I just pray, Lord, 643 00:38:04,120 --> 00:38:08,360 that they'll understand that the Father, we're all sinners. 644 00:38:08,360 --> 00:38:10,920 We've all committed things. We've all said things, we've all 645 00:38:10,920 --> 00:38:12,920 thought things. We've done things that that are 646 00:38:12,920 --> 00:38:19,960 contrary to what you want. We've offended you and I pray, 647 00:38:19,960 --> 00:38:23,520 Father, that they will repent of that sin. 648 00:38:23,520 --> 00:38:25,600 They'll they'll feel sorry for their sin. 649 00:38:26,360 --> 00:38:30,360 They'll want to turn from their sin and they want to turn to you 650 00:38:32,400 --> 00:38:38,040 recognizing that that's why Jesus came to die on a cross to 651 00:38:38,040 --> 00:38:42,880 pay for that so that we could know you and we could live out 652 00:38:42,880 --> 00:38:44,840 the perfect plan that you have for our life. 653 00:38:46,440 --> 00:38:49,480 Father, in just a moment as we sing, I pray that those who I 654 00:38:49,480 --> 00:38:52,440 need to talk to someone more about that might come and talk 655 00:38:52,440 --> 00:38:54,760 to a pastor or go to our next steps room and talk to a 656 00:38:54,760 --> 00:38:57,840 counselor. Father, others, maybe they 657 00:38:57,840 --> 00:39:02,280 recognize I need to be baptized. I need to join the church. 658 00:39:03,680 --> 00:39:07,600 I need to join a connect group. I need to pray for my neighbors. 659 00:39:07,720 --> 00:39:12,120 I need to pray for our city. I need to pray for the broken 660 00:39:12,120 --> 00:39:16,960 down walls and ruins in my life, the brokenness that I have, the 661 00:39:16,960 --> 00:39:20,760 burden that I carry. I pray, Father, that they would 662 00:39:20,760 --> 00:39:23,600 come. They can use these steps as an 663 00:39:23,600 --> 00:39:26,440 altar. They can pray with a pastor 664 00:39:27,320 --> 00:39:28,440 again. They can pray with our 665 00:39:28,440 --> 00:39:32,000 counselors. Father, I just pray. 666 00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:36,800 We'll surrender, Father. That's the only way revival will 667 00:39:36,800 --> 00:39:43,000 come is by our submission to you in Christ's name, Amen. 668 00:39:43,600 --> 00:39:44,920 Our worship team is going to lead us. 669 00:39:44,920 --> 00:39:47,280 There'll be some pastors here. I'm not going to stand here 670 00:39:47,280 --> 00:39:51,080 because none of you need to talk to me right now, But other 671 00:39:51,080 --> 00:39:53,840 pastors are going to be here. We have counselors in our Next 672 00:39:53,840 --> 00:39:56,520 Steps room. We also have a Next Steps table 673 00:39:56,520 --> 00:39:59,320 out in the lobby. People who just love to pray 674 00:39:59,320 --> 00:40:02,640 with you, have private conversations with you about 675 00:40:02,640 --> 00:40:06,680 what God's doing. But as we start 2026, let's not 676 00:40:06,680 --> 00:40:10,080 be in a hurry to leave. Let's be in a hurry to reflect 677 00:40:10,600 --> 00:40:14,000 and to respond. As we stand together and as we 678 00:40:14,000 --> 00:40:22,480 worship Him. Thank you so much for listening 679 00:40:22,480 --> 00:40:24,160 today, and I also hope that you'll go to 680 00:40:24,160 --> 00:40:27,960 ourwebsite@englewoodbaptist.com as well as our app and find many 681 00:40:27,960 --> 00:40:30,360 other resources that will bless you and your families. 682 00:40:30,480 --> 00:40:31,560 Thank you once again.